TDU Chapter 350
Chapter 350 Disagreement
Watching the crowd fall into stunned silence, Chu Tianqiu turned his gaze toward Ole Lu and Specs.
“Wh—What?” Ole Lu felt a chill crawl up his spine. “I didn’t say a word just now ah.”
“You’ve abandoned your post at the gate—what will you do should outsiders wander in?” Chu Tianqiu asked, his voice pointed as he emphasized the word {outsiders}, his tone carrying a veiled implication.
Just as he finished speaking, a figure clad in a black leather jacket appeared at the classroom door.
“Too late. The {outsider} is already here,” Song Seven announced coolly.
“Well, well…” Chu Tianqiu turned back with a practiced smile. “If it isn’t Seven from {Cats}.”
Song Seven didn’t respond. After stepping inside, he swept a slow glance around the room, only for a flicker of confusion to cross his face.
Qi Xia had sent him to check on Chen Junnan’s safety, but what he saw now was bizarre: one intact, uninjured Chen Junnan, holding the body of a clearly deceased Chen Junnan. The scene was grotesque in a way that defied easy explanation.
Was this to be regarded as {something worth concern}, or simply {nothing to worry about}?
Chu Tianqiu’s gaze, however, remained fixed on Song Seven’s fully healed right hand, his expression tinged with hesitation.
“You…” Song Seven glanced between the two Chen Junnans. “So are you considered—”
“Don’t bother me,” Chen Junnan interjected. He gently laid down the corpse of {himself}, then turned and walked straight up to Chu Tianqiu.
“What is it?” Chu Tianqiu asked.
“Xiao Chu… this young master doesn’t know what the hell you did, but something about you reeks of bad intentions,” Chen Junnan narrowed his eyes. “I suggest you explain things clearly right now, otherwise, you’ll be getting a taste of this young master’s knucklehead sandwich.”
“This may sound unfathomable to you, but I truly acted to save you,” Chu Tianqiu said with solemn sincerity. “Step back and look at it objectively: just now, {Chen Junnan} was on the brink of death—so I found a way for {Chen Junnan} to live. That, in essence, is the full cause and consequence.”
Chen Junnan turned his head, still bewildered, and looked to Yun Yao. “Superstar, I’m completely lost right now… Tell me, is that really what happened?”
Yun Yao couldn’t bring herself to speak.
Chen Junnan then looked toward Auntie Tong. “Auntie… is that really it?”
Auntie Tong pondered for a moment before nodding. “Though it’s somewhat difficult to grasp, judging by the final outcome, it does seem to be the case.”
Old Lu was taken aback. “N–No, that can’t be right...?”
“No, there’s nothing wrong with it,” Specs chimed in. “As Chu Tianqiu said, we should try to step back and look at this objectively.”
Doctor Zhao, however, disagreed. “This is definitely wrong. It’s easy to step back and look at it objectively when your own existence remains intact. But for the ones who were copied after death, what solace does objectivity bring?”
Everyone seemed to hold different opinions, none able to convince the others.
Ignoring the others, Chu Tianqiu pushed up his glasses and lightly asked, “Song Seven… what brings you here this time?”
“Laboureth with steadfast heart to fulfill the trust confided unto him*,” Song Seven replied, then moved toward Chen Junnan, glancing at him a few times before lowering his head to murmur to himself.
(TLN: ‘受人之託，忠人之事’ is quoted from the play ‘Selling rice at Chenzhou’, written by Guan Hanqing, a Chinese dramatist, playwright, and poet during the Yuan Dynasty.)
Prison.
Zhou Six knocked lightly on the iron bars of Qi Xia’s cell
“What is it?” Qi Xia, still seated on a chair, turned his head towards her.
“Song Seven has news for you,” Zhou Six entered unceremoniously. “This a good time?”
Before Qi Xia could respond, Zhou Six began speaking without waiting for an answer. “I’m currently at {Passage to Heaven}. Things are complicated here. I see Chen Junnan holding his own corpse. The body still had some warmth, so he must have just died. But there’s also another Chen Junnan who is completely unscathed…”
“Hm?”
Disregarding Qi Xia’s puzzled look, Zhou Six continued, “This is exactly what I am currently witnessing. Someone at the scene claims Chu Tianqiu used some special {Reverberation} to replicate Chen Junnan, but… no one knows exactly how it was done. Even Chu Tianqiu himself won’t reveal the details.”
Qi Xia blinked slightly.
A replicated… Chen Junnan?
Why…?
After a moment of thought, Qi Xia looked up and remarked, “Fake.”
Without a word of acknowledgement, Zhou Six put a finger by her ear and whispered, “Prove his authenticity.”
…
Song Seven nodded and then lowered his head to Chen Junnan, asking, “I brought some people to {Passage to Heaven} this morning. When we met at the entrance, what was the first thing you said to me?”
“How the f*ck would I remember…” Chen Junnan looked at Song Seven, hesitating for half a second, then said, “Probably… Xiao Song?”
Song Seven was taken aback, struck by a strange dissonance.
It wasn’t Chen Junnan’s attitude—it was that the very first thing he said that morning was indeed “Xiao Song.”
“Are you done yet?” Chen Junnan asked distractedly. “This young master’s mind’s a mess right now… you better get on my wrong side.”
Hearing this, Song Seven took a step back and murmured, “One third fake, two thirds genuine.”
…
Zhou Six relayed Song Seven’s exact words to Qi Xia.
Qi Xia frowned. “Two thirds genuine…?”
He couldn’t quite grasp the situation on the ground. That Chen Junnan was either real or fake; how could he be two thirds genuine?
“Can I talk to him directly?” Qi Xia asked.
“No.” Zhou Six shook her head. “Tsk, brainiac, don’t complicate things. I’m already doing you a favor by relaying messages. If you’re not satisfied, you can walk back and see for yourself.”
Qi Xia didn’t argue and said, “Then ask him about Zheng Hero. When we first encountered Zheng Hero, how many people were present in our classroom?”
Zhou Six, a bit annoyed, passed the question along.
…
Upon hearing it, Chen Junnan frowned slowly. “Song Minghui… are you deliberately giving this young master trouble? How the f*ck would I remember how many people were there?”
Song Seven sighed helplessly and relayed the response back.
…
Qi Xia nodded. “He should be genuine.”
Qi Xia understood Xu Liunian’s personality well—if this Chen Junnan were an impersonation by Xu Liunian, she would have likely guessed a number based on the situation when asked the question. But if he didn’t even bother to guess, it was probably the real Chen Junnan.
But if Chen Junnan was unharmed... then what about the corpse Song Seven mentioned?
What was this about {replication}?
How could Chu Tianqiu possibly possess such an ability?
This power sounded exactly like...
“Wait a moment…”
Qi Xia sensed something amiss—wasn’t this the ability of {Endowing Life Without End}?
Why was Chu Tianqiu able to wield {Endowing Life Without End}?
“Are you truly pursuing the path to {Omnipotence}?” Qi Xia muttered, perplexed.
“Hey,” Zhou Six called out, “have you finished asking your questions? There’s a corpse over there; are you sure he’s genuine?"
“I’m done.” As he spoke, Qi Xia felt a sharp pain in his head. Supporting his forehead, he said, “With or without a corpse, as long as {Chen Junnan} is alright.”
Zhou Six glanced at Qi Xia suspiciously but just clicked her tongue and didn’t say more. She passed Qi Xia’s words along to Song Seven.
“Got it,” Song Seven nodded in acknowledgment. He was about to relay the message to Chen Junnan but noticed Chen Junnan staring at him curiously.
“What is it?” Song Seven asked.
“Xiao Song… your movements just now look familiar to this young master,” Chen Junnan said, setting down {his own} corpse and locking eyes with him. “Were you communicating remotely with someone?”
“Yes,” Song Seven nodded.
“Zhou Mo (周末)… or should I say… Zhou Six?” Chen Junnan asked tentatively.
(TLN: I’m not sure if her real name is Zhou Mo cause it’s basically translates to ‘weekend’; it’s a whole pun cause ‘Zhou Six (周六)’ can also mean saturday in Chinese)
“Y–You’re also acquainted with her?”
“I understand now…” Chen Junnan gave a bitter laugh as realization dawned. “Qian Five, {Cats}, Zhou Six… hahaha… so that’s how it is…”
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
