TDU Chapter 339
Chapter 339 Contingency Path
“Qi Xia…” Qian Five felt this man before her was far more unfathomable than she had imagined. “Even if it’s just mutual use, why choose someone as terrifying as Chu Tianqiu? I’ve laid my heart bare for you—aren’t I the more suitable partner?”
“He wants to become a God. I can help him,” Qi Xia smiled. “He’s content to take over for {Celestial Dragon}; I, on the other hand, want nothing but freedom. Since our goals don’t overlap, we’re not a threat to one another. But the moment he succeeds, he’ll never allow someone like me to remain at {End Point}. He can’t wipe me out entirely, and it’s only a matter of time before I become a danger to his rule. That’s the nature of the deal we struck, precarious and sharp.”
Qian Five fell silent for a moment, then looked up and asked, “You’d rather make a deal with an individual like that than give me any face...?”
Qi Xia gazed at the figure before him, neither fully man nor woman, and quietly shook his head. “Qian Five, I consider you one of the better souls I’ve encountered. It is precisely that virtue which compels me to keep my distance. After all, people who team up with me rarely meet a good end.”
“Hah...” Qian Five gave a bitter laugh. “But Qi Xia, I’ve been searching for you for ten years.”
“Is that so...?”
“I could still catch glimpses of you during the first three years… but starting seven years ago, it was like you vanished completely.” A hint of sorrow flickered across Qian Five’s face. “And then, one by one, you all disappeared. For a time, I thought you’d become nothing more than mindless husks in some forgotten corner of {End Point}.”
Something about Qian Five’s demeanor struck Qi Xia as oddly familiar; he reminded him of Chen Junnan.
“Why me?” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes. “There are countless people in {End Point}, even if many have vanished now, why must it be me?”
“Because you’re the only one who ever directly confronted {Celestial Dragon},” Qian Five said anxiously. “Even if you’ve lost all your memories, I believe in your strength. Ten years ago, you could stand ten thousand people before {Celestial Dragon}, and ten years later, you’re still capable of doing the same.”
Qi Xia lowered his gaze, a quiet sadness stirring in his chest.
“But I lost, Qian Five,” Qi Xia said. “My loss wasn’t only ten years past, it continued ten years beyond that. Though my memory is gone, I’ve been searching for different methods to overcome {Celestial Dragon} and escape this place, but I have no confidence in success.”
Since stepping into {End Point}, Qi Xia believed this was the first moment he genuinely revealed his true feelings. He couldn’t say if it was due to an inexplicable familiarity toward Qian Five or the comforting presence of the {Sound Insulation}.
“Different methods...?” Qian Five’s interest seemed piqued. “Do you know what methods you’ve previously used?”
Qi Xia gave a slight nod and remarked, “I was going to bring this up sooner or later; it just so happens to serve as a bargaining chip with you.”
“What?”
“I’ll tell you about the second method I used. You can then consider the possibility of cooperating with me.”
Qian Five nodded solemnly. “Go ahead.”
“I was an {Earthly Branch} for seven years.”
Those words caused a stir; everyone present, except Qi Xia, stood up.
“You were a part of the {Earthly Branches} for seven years?!” This method completely exceeded Qian Five’s expectations.
“I started from {Mortal Goat} and climbed step by step up to {Terrestrial Goat}. But just as I was about to ascend to {Celestial Goat}, {Celestial Dragon} played a trick on me—reverting me to my original state. All my memories were wiped, and I became a mere participant once again.”
Qian Five listened calmly, exchanged a glance with Song Seven and Zhou Six, then tentatively asked, “You… were able to retain your memories of this?”
“No,” Qi Xia shook his head. “I inferred it from some clues, but so far… there’s no evidence to disprove my speculation.”
At that moment, Qiao Jiajin moved his lips slightly and whispered, “Swindler lad, you’re the {Goat} that Tiger lad has been searching for…?”
“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded.
“Then why didn’t you tell him?”
“Because I’m uncertain of his allegiance,” Qi Xia sighed. “So what if he knows I’m that {Goat}? As an {Earthly Branch}, would he choose to help us {participants}? Or would he force me to become a {Goat} again? I look forward to neither outcome, so I kept it to myself.”
Qian Five sank into a chair, seemingly in a daze. “I had thought becoming part of the {Earthly Branches} was our way out, but now it seems it was just another deception.”
After a long silence, Song Seven finally spoke, “So… all paths here are dead ends... Five ge… how are we to escape?"
‘Paths...?’ Qi Xia slightly furrowed his brow.
Xia, there are many paths in this world, and everyone walks their own.
‘Wait a moment…’ Suddenly, Qi Xia caught a faint, elusive clue, but it remained just out of reach.
A strange question lingered in his mind.
How was he able to use completely different methods every time he faced {Celestial Dragon}?
The same person, emerging from the same room, leading the same teammates along the same path…but employing entirely different tactics.
‘Hold on…’ Qi Xia rubbed his forehead, as if suddenly realizing something crucial.
If he clearly knew he wouldn’t retain his memories, how would he recognize the need to change his method when confronting the Celestial Dragon again?
How could he ensure he wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes!?
“It all adds up...” Qi Xia’s eyes suddenly widened as he turned to look at Qian Five.
Only this man knew the answer, but Qi Xia did not dare to ask it aloud.
If the answer truly was what he feared… then what would become of Yu Nian’An?
Qian Five noticed Qi Xia’s unusual expression and furrowed his brow slightly. “What’s wrong?”
“I…” After much hesitation, Qi Xia finally asked, “Qian Five, ten years ago… was I a {Reverberatee}?”
Qian Five thought for a moment, then nodded. “I believe so. On the battlefield back then, I seem to have heard that mentioned. But your ability wasn’t strong; it was a common two-word {Reverberation}.”
As expected...
Qi Xia pressed his palm against his forehead in frustration, his expression full of anguish.
Now everything made sense...
Why he always chose a different path each time—because he had paved the way for his future self.
If his assumption proved correct, he had prepared a contingency in case he failed to defeat {Celestial Dragon}—a scheme to seal the trigger to his own {Reverberation}. Thus, no matter how many times he revived, he would remain an {Unfortunate One}, forced to pursue the path of {Earthly Branches}.
Then, after seven years as {Earthly Branches}, seeing his imminent failure, he left himself a new path to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
That path was called Yu Nian’An.
As long as Yu Nian’An existed, it would ensure he held onto some lingering hope, preventing him from becoming a part of the {Earthly Branches} again.
TL Note: Everything is still a theory, but it seems to hold. I made another diagram to visually chart our MC’s timeline and the possible methods he has utilized.
