Chapter 295: Hero

When Qi Xia and Chen Jun Nan returned to the classroom, they hadn't expected Qin Ding Dong to follow them in.

The number of people staying in this classroom seemed to be growing.

Everyone stood up and greeted Qin Ding Dong.

"Ah..." Qin Ding Dong immediately spotted Lin Geng. "You..."

"That's right, it's me." Lin Geng nodded. "Long time no see."

Qin Ding Dong looked around again and noticed that most of the people here were Qi Xia's teammates from seven years ago, but there was also a short-haired girl who didn't seem to belong.

"You..." Qin Ding Dong stared at the unfamiliar face in surprise and rushed forward. "Su Shan?"

"Who are you?" Su Shan looked at Qin Ding Dong with curiosity, and the atmosphere between them felt odd.

"It really is you!" Qin Ding Dong exclaimed happily. "Last time I lost track of you, I thought I'd never find you in the vast crowd!"

"Did we know each other before?" Su Shan asked, confused.

"Of course, of course." Qin Ding Dong nodded. "We used to be good sisters!"

"Ah...? Really?" Su Shan blinked her bright eyes. "Good sisters?"

Qi Xia, listening from the side, found it amusing. Su Shan was a police officer, and Qin Ding Dong was a female con artist—how likely were they to become "good sisters"?

"It's getting late." Qi Xia interjected. "Everyone should rest early. Tomorrow, just like today, we'll each go out to seek the 'Dao'."

"Really? Then tomorrow I want to team up with Su Shan!" Qin Ding Dong said affectionately, linking arms with Su Shan, which made Su Shan feel uncomfortable.

The group dispersed, pulling together several desks and chairs to settle down for rest in their chosen spots.

Qi Xia dragged a chair over and sat by the door, slowly stretching his muscles. But as he lowered his head, he suddenly noticed a strange, short shadow beside him.

The shadow seemed to be cast from the hallway.

He turned to look and saw a peculiar boy standing in the doorway of the classroom.

The boy appeared to be twelve or thirteen years old, even younger than Jin Yuan Xun.

He was wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts, but strangely, he had fashioned an old bedsheet into a cape draped over his back, and on his head was a crown made from folded newspaper.

The boy took a step forward and curiously examined the group, then extended his hand.

Qi Xia saw that he was holding a short sword made from newspaper.

Everyone noticed this odd child and stared at him intently.

"You're...?" Qiao Jia Jin asked.

"I'm... a hero." The boy said seriously.

"A hero...?" Everyone looked at the boy in confusion.

Qi Xia remained silent, watching the boy coldly from the side. To him, "Tian Tang Kou" was just a safe place to stay for now, and he couldn't fully trust anyone here.

"Do you have any monsters here?" the boy asked.

Lin Geng seemed to understand what the boy meant. "This outfit of yours... Are you playing a monster-hunting game? Are you role-playing as a 'hero'?"

"I'm not playing a monster-hunting game; I'm looking for real monsters." The boy's expression was very determined. "And I'm not role-playing as a 'hero'—I am a real 'hero'."

Lin Geng was a bit amused by him. "But there are no monsters here, so what will you do? Won't this little 'hero' have no place to show his skills?"

"You're civilians, right?" The boy tucked his newspaper sword into his loose waistband. "If there are no monsters, I can protect the civilians."

"How will you protect us?" Lin Geng walked up, squatted in front of the boy, and looked at him with a slight smile. "Little hero, are we in danger right now?"

"Yes!" The boy nodded vigorously. "There's a very powerful monster right now; he might be hiding among the civilians. I need to find him!"

Everyone exchanged glances, unsure what to do. This make-believe game sounded quite challenging.

"Has he got a case of chuunibyou?" Chen Jun Nan scratched his ear. "Kid, we're fine here. Why don't you check the next room? I feel there's a strong monster aura over there—you can go question everyone one by one."

"Really?" The boy glanced down the hallway, saying doubtfully, "You think the monster is in the next room?"

He thought for a moment, then reached out and helped Lin Geng up, saying, "Noble lady, please stand up. Don't worry; as a 'hero,' I'll handle the trouble for you."

Lin Geng found it somewhat funny but stood up anyway, looking at the boy and saying, "Thank you, 'hero'."

The boy flicked his cape and was about to head out when Qi Xia called out to him.

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

"What does the 'monster' look like?"

After hearing this, the boy adjusted the newspaper crown on his head and replied, "I told you, he looks just like a civilian right now, so he's hard to find."

"Then how do you plan to find him?" Qi Xia asked. "Are you going to go room by room asking, 'Is there a monster here'?"

"Well..." The boy thought for a moment and said, "I don't really have a good method; after all, the 'monster' is very cunning."

After hearing this, Qi Xia looked the boy over again.

Was he from "Tian Tang Kou"?

Qi Xia had met almost all the named members of "Tian Tang Kou," but he had no impression of this boy at all.

If he was indeed from "Tian Tang Kou," his eccentric appearance suggested a deep "belief" and a strong "Hui Xiang" of his own.

But why hadn't he been seen in the previous war?

Maybe he was a new addition this time?

In that case, what was the "monster" he was talking about?

A bad thought flashed through Qi Xia's mind. Was he searching for a "Tian Ji" Sheng Xiao hidden in the crowd?

"Kid." Qi Xia said, "What's your 'Hui Xiang'?"

The boy sniffed. "I... can smell his stench."

"Stench...?" Qi Xia nodded. "So, you can smell the 'Sheng Xiao'?"

"Not just 'Sheng Xiao'." The boy replied, "I can also smell the stench of 'Hui Xiang'."

This word "smell" struck Qi Xia as odd.

"What do you mean by the stench of 'Hui Xiang'?" Qi Xia thought for a moment and asked, "Can you 'smell' other people's 'Hui Xiang'?"

"Yes, that's exactly it." The boy nodded. "I'm a very powerful 'hero'."

Before Qi Xia could say anything else, the boy suddenly turned and dashed into the hallway.

"I—I think I smell it!!"

He shouted, drew his newspaper sword from his waist, and quickly disappeared down the end of the hallway.

Everyone in the room was left baffled by the scene, except for Qi Xia, who stroked his chin in thought.

"I smelled the 'Hui Xiang'...?"