TDU Chapter 420
Chapter 420 Inner Voice
“Heheh…” Celestial Snake cracked a smile. “I’ve come to see the truth today… if my knowledge exceeds yours, that proves my superiority.”
“What a ridiculously trivial question,” Qi Xia said coldly, his eyes fixed on him. “You truly intend this as our {decisive battle}?”
“You don’t know… do you?” Celestial Snake looked unusually pleased. “You’re nowhere near as learned as I am… right?”
“Celestial Snake…” Qi Xia looked at him as if he were a fool, then ultimately sighed and spoke slowly. “Judging by your accent, you’re not from the south, so your dietary habits are probably similar to mine… Most {breakfast stalls} only have a handful of options. You’re an adult male, so a hot pickled mustard tuber or a fried glutinous rice dough cake won’t fill you, and it wouldn’t fit the {single option} criteria. Eggs would dirty your hands, so it would not be {convenient}. That leaves only youtiao, tofu pudding, congee, and the like.”
(hot pickled mustard tuber)
(fried glutinous rice dough cake)
(youtiao)
Celestial Snake swallowed slightly. “You’re… deducing the answer?”
“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded. “Since you posed such a ridiculous question, I have no choice but to answer it in the most ridiculous way.”
“Regardless… you are to select the correct answer,” Celestial Snake remarked with a hollow grin. “If you fail, I will still see to your death.”
The atmosphere fell silent for a few seconds; Qian Five and Qiao Jiajin both glanced at Qi Xia with tense expressions.
“It’s {youtiao},” Qi Xia said. “Your go-to item at your {breakfast stall} downstairs is {youtiao}.”
“You…” Celestial Snake slowly pressed his lips together, unable to utter a single word.
“Because you go there every day,” Qi Xia said, pausing briefly, “considering that drinking {congee} or {tofu pudding} in summer would be far too hot and inconvenient. Also, your hair is messy and your shirt is full of wrinkles, which shows you’re generally careless about your appearance, barely have time to tidy yourself, and certainly wouldn’t patiently wait for a bowl of hot congee to cool down. I can boldly speculate further: since you’re often in a rush when leaving home, sometimes you just grab this item from the {breakfast stall} and eat it on the way.”
“Moreover, with such thick frames, eating {congee} or {tofu pudding} in winter would fog them up, which is still a {hassle} for you.” Qi Xia smiled. “A person who doesn’t even comb their hair wouldn’t bother wiping their glasses. Therefore the answer is {youtiao}.”
Celestial Snake stared deeply into Qi Xia’s eyes. Though he couldn’t discern anything from them, there was an uncanny familiarity about this man. He had once been seen through by eyes just like these.
“You… got it right,” Celestial Snake said, his expression complex. “It’s my loss.”
“And the promised reward?” Qi Xia asked.
Celestial Snake’s expression shifted, stormy and hesitant. After a long moment, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.
He slowly extended it toward Qi Xia, but the latter didn’t reach for it.
“This is the {guide}…” Celestial Snake said. “laying out the method to trigger {Reverberations} in {indigenous inhabitants}.”
Qi Xia remained unmoved, and Celestial Snake felt his composure waver. “Why are you so rude? Do you want it or not?”
“I’m a bit curious…” Qi Xia replied. “If I open this dirty scrap of paper, what’s recorded inside is your secret, your most treasured knowledge, the so-called {foremost advances of End Point}?”
“That’s right.”
“So why do you carry it around so casually…?” Qi Xia inquired coldly. “If such a small scrap of paper can record it all, why not just tell me directly?”
Qi Xia’s relentless questioning had Qiao Jiajin and Qian Wu on edge; though vulnerable, the man before them was still a {Celestial}.
“Firstly, I never lie,” Celestial Snake said. “I abhor deceit, and thus speak only truth. I’ve kept this note with me because nearly a year ago, another {participant} had also struck a deal with me, but he returned this paper to me after a quick glance. I didn’t want to discard it casually, nor tear it up, so I kept it with me.”
“Oh…?” Qi Xia slowly narrowed his eyes.
“Secondly, the one who beat me is only you, so this information can only be shared with you. That’s why I won’t speak it aloud.” Celestial Snake held the paper steadily, and his expression gave no hint of falsehood.
Qi Xia nodded, took the paper, and handed it to Qian Five. The simple gesture caused Celestial Snake’s expression to harden.
Qian Five hadn’t expected Qi Xia’s move. After a brief pause, he took the paper and placed it in his pocket.
“May I ask the name of that person?” Qi Xia asked.
“Who?”
“The {participant} that had struck the deal with you a year ago.”
Celestial Snake shook his head. “Though I never lie, I can choose not to speak. Since I had a deal with him, it means we both hold leverage over each other. I have no reason to tell you his name here.”
“Understood.” Qi Xia nodded in acknowledgement. “Then I have no further questions.”
Celestial Snake sighed then turned to look at Qian Five. “{Conjoined Identity Bloom}, I’ll give you one day as well. Tomorrow, whether you survive the {Celestial Horse's Hour} or not, I will come for you.”
“Then I won’t see you off.” Qian Five said.
Celestial Snake gave him a look of grievance, just about to turn and leave, when suddenly he heard a continuous stream of {inner thoughts}.
“I really want to try hitting him.”
At first, Celestial Snake thought he misheard. He slowed his steps and listened carefully, only to find the {inner thought} exceptionally clear and pure.
“I really want to land a punch on his chin.”
He turned to look at the three in front of him, and once again the voice rang crystal clear in his ears.
“I want to see if he can withstand my punch.”
“Should I throw a hook or a straight punch?”
“Should I bounce first or diamond step?”
Celestial Snake turned toward the source of the {inner thoughts}, where a dazed, sleeve-tattooed man stood, lost in his own mind.
“What did you say?” Celestial Snake asked.
“Huh?” Qiao Jiajin froze, looking around blankly. “You talking to me…?”
“You want to hit me…?” Celestial Snake slowly frowned. “You’ve got some nerve…”
Qi Xia immediately stepped in front of the two of them. “What are you trying to pull?”
“I heard it…” Celestial Snake fumed, pointing at Qiao Jiajin. “I heard his inner voice… he wants to hit me!”
Qiao Jiajin hastily averted his gaze. “Huh? You… heard that?”
“Inner voice…?” Qi Xia’s expression darkened. If Celestial Snake could truly hear everyone’s {inner thoughts}, he would be the strongest opponent they had ever faced.
Celestial Snake shoved Qi Xia aside and stepped right in front of Qiao Jiajin, who could do nothing but stare at his nose.
“I treat you all with courtesy, and yet you want to strike me?”
TL Note: Diamond step - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgvPJsygNyo
