TDU Chapter 295
Chapter 295 Hero
Qi Xia and Chen Junnan hadn’t expected Qin Dingdong to trail in behind them when they returned to their classroom.
More and more people seemed to be taking up residence in this room.
The others rose politely to acknowledge Qin Dingdong.
"Ah..." Qin Dingdong immediately spotted Lin Qin. "You..."
"Yes," Lin Qin nodded. "Long time no see."
As Qin Dingdong scanned the room, she recognized most of them as Qi Xia’s old teammates from seven years ago, save for a short-haired girl who didn’t seem to belong.
"You..." Qin Dingdong’s expression froze for a moment before she darted forward in surprise. "Xiao Shan?"
"You are…?" Su Shan asked, eyeing Qin Dingdong with curiosity. The atmosphere between the two grew faintly tense.
"No way, it’s really you!!" Qin Dingdong exclaimed happily. "After I lost you last time, I thought I’d never be able to find you in such a vast crowd!"
"Were we previously acquainted?" Su Shan asked, her expression reflecting mild confusion.
"Of course, of course!" Qin Dingdong nodded. "We were besties back in the day!"
"Ah...? Really?" Su Shan blinked her bright eyes. "Besties?"
Qi Xia, listening from the sidelines, couldn’t help but find the situation amusing. Su Shan, a police officer, and Qin Dingdong, a swindler—even if they were once acquainted, how plausible was it that these two could truly be {besties}?
"It's getting late." Qi Xia remarked, interjecting smoothly. "We should all retire for the night. Tomorrow, it will be much like today—everyone will venture out in search of {Dào}."
"Is that so? In that case, I’m teaming up with Xiao Shan tomorrow!" Qin Dingdong declared, affectionately linking arms with Su Shan, much to the latter’s discomfort.
They scattered, gathering tables and chairs to create makeshift resting spots, each choosing their own corner to relax.
Qi Xia pulled a chair over to sit by the door, gently stretching his limbs. But when he glanced down, he was surprised to see a strange, diminutive shadow at his side.
The shadow seemed to be cast from the corridor.
Qi Xia turned his head and saw a particular boy standing at the door of the classroom.
Around twelve or thirteen years old, the boy looked a touch younger than Kim Wonhoon. He wore a plain T-shirt and shorts, but what stood out was the makeshift cape he had fashioned from a worn-out bedsheet, draped over his back, and the crown of old newspapers perched on his head.
The boy took a step forward, curiously scanning the collective, and then extended his hand.
Qi Xia noticed that he was holding a short sword made from folded newspaper.
Everyone noticed the odd child and turned their attention toward him.
"You are...?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
"...Hero," the boy declared earnestly.
"Hero...?" Everyone gazed at the boy in utter bewilderment.
Qi Xia kept his silence, observing the boy with a cold stare. {Passage to Heaven} was, to him, simply a place to find shelter, and he could not bring himself to trust anyone here entirely.
"Are there any monsters here?" the boy asked.
Lin Qin seemed to understand the boy's intent. "Are you dressed like this... for some monster-hunting game? Are you playing the {hero}?"
"I’m not playing a monster-hunting game; I’m looking for real monsters," the boy said with conviction. "And I’m not pretending to be the {hero}, I really am (a) {Hero}."
Lin Qin was a bit amused by him. "But there are no monsters here. What are you going to do? Doesn’t that make you, Little {Hero}, out of a job?"
"You’re civilians, right?" The boy tucked the newspaper sword into his loose belt. "If there are no monsters, I can protect civilians."
"How are you going to protect us?" Lin Qin walked forward and crouched in front of the boy, looking at him with a slight smile. "Little Hero, are we in danger right now?"
"Mhm!" The boy nodded earnestly. "There’s a dangerous monster lurking, possibly disguised among the civilians. I need to track it down!"
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing how to proceed. This role-playing game seemed to be more complicated than they had expected.
"Sounds like a serious case of eighth grader syndrome[1]." Chen Junnan scratched his ear. "Kiddo, we’re fine here. You should go check the room next door. I feel a strong demonic aura there. You should go check it out."
"Really?" The boy glanced toward the corridor, puzzled. "You think the monster is next door?"
After thinking for a moment, he reached out and helped Lin Qin to her feet, saying, "Noble lady, please rise. Don’t worry, as (a) {Hero}, I will solve all the troubles for you."
Lin Qin felt a bit amused but stood up nonetheless and looked at the boy. "Thank you, {Hero}."
The boy flicked his cape and was about to leave when Qi Xia called out to him.
"Wait."
"Hm?"
"What does the {monster} look like?"
Upon hearing this, the boy adjusted the newspaper crown on his head and said, "I’ve already told you, it looks like a civilian right now, so it’s hard to find."
"Then how do you intend to find it?" Qi Xia asked. "Are you planning to go room by room, asking, {Is there a monster here}?"
"Uh…" The boy pondered for a moment, then said, "The {monster} is very crafty, so I am still struggling to find a better plan."
Hearing this, Qi Xia took a second look at the boy, sizing him up more carefully.
Is he a part of {Passage to Heaven}?
Qi Xia had met nearly all the well-known and named members of {Passage to Heaven}, but he had no memory of this boy whatsoever.
If he truly was someone from {Passage to Heaven}, his deranged appearance suggested a deep {belief}, indicating that he must possess a formidable {Reverberation}.
But if that was the case, why wasn’t he present during the previous conflict?
Could he be a new recruit?
If so, what was this {monster} he’s referring to?
Qi Xia's mind suddenly raced with an uncomfortable thought—could he be hunting for the {Celestial-grade} Earthly Branches hidden among them?
"Child," Qi Xia said, "What is your {Reverberation}?"
The boy sniffed the air. "I... can smell its stench."
"Stench...?" Qi Xia nodded. "So you’re saying you can detect {Earthly Branches} by their smell?"
"Not just {Earthly Branches}." The boy replied, "I can also smell the stench of {Reverberation}."
The use of the word {smell} struck Qi Xia as rather odd.
"What do you mean by the stench of {Reverberation}?" Qi Xia pondered for a moment and asked, "Are you able to detect the {Reverberation} of others by {smelling} it?"
"Yes, exactly." The boy nodded. "I’m a very powerful {Hero}."
Before Qi Xia could continue inquiring, the boy suddenly turned and dashed towards the corridor.
"I–I think I smell it!!" He shouted, drawing the paper sword from his waist, and quickly disappeared down the corridor.
Everyone in the room was at a loss, not knowing what to make of the situation, while Qi Xia simply stroked his chin, deep in thought.
‘The smell of {Reverberation}...?’
TL Note: Ok, this new character and his introduction needs a little explaining. Chinese doesn't have an equivalent to an "a and an (yk, the indefinite article that often precedes a noun)', so technically, Hero can be his name, or a role he’s playing. It’s a play on words.
Footnote:
[1] Eighth grader syndrome (Chūnibyō; 中二病) is a colloquial term typically used to describe adolescents with delusions of grandeur. These teenagers are thought to desperately want to stand out and convince themselves that they have hidden knowledge or secret powers. Cringe cringe stuff
