Chapter 420: Heart's Voice

"Hehe..." Tian She grinned, "I've realized something today... As long as I know more than you, that proves I'm stronger than you."

"That's an utterly boring question." Qi Xia looked at Tian She coldly, "Are you sure you want to make this our 'decisive battle'?"

"You don't know... right?" Tian She seemed especially pleased, "You're not as knowledgeable as I am... right?"

"Tian She..." Qi Xia looked at him as if he were a fool, then finally sighed and spoke slowly, "From your accent, you're not from the south, so your eating habits are probably similar to mine... As for the 'breakfast stall', it only sells a few items. As an adult man, pickled vegetables and fried rice cakes wouldn't fill you up. If the answer were 'the same item', that wouldn't make sense. Eggs would get your hands dirty, and they're not 'convenient' for you. So, the things you could eat are basically fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, or congee."

Tian She swallowed slightly after hearing this and said, "You're... deducing the answer?"

"Yes." Qi Xia nodded, "Since you asked such a stupid question, I have to answer it in the stupidest way."

"Even so... you still have to pick the exact answer." Tian She forced a smile, "If you can't say it, I'll still make you die."

The atmosphere fell silent for a few seconds, and Qian Wu and Qiao Jia Jin both looked at Qi Xia nervously.

"It's 'fried dough sticks'." Qi Xia said, "The thing you love most to eat at the downstairs breakfast stall is 'fried dough sticks'."

"You..." Tian She slowly pursed his lips, unable to say a word.

"Because you go there every day, and considering summer, drinking 'congee' or 'tofu pudding' would be too hot and inconvenient." Qi Xia paused and continued, "Plus, your hair is messy, and your shirt is full of wrinkles, which shows you're a sloppy person in daily life, not even taking time to tidy yourself, let alone patiently waiting for a bowl of hot congee to cool down. I can even venture a guess that you rush out every day in a panic, sometimes just grabbing this item from the breakfast stall and eating it on the way."

"Also, your glasses are thick, and eating those two things in winter would fog them up, which would be a 'hassle' for you." Qi Xia smiled, "A person who doesn't even comb his hair—how could he bother wiping his glasses? So, I guess... the answer is 'fried dough sticks'."

Tian She kept staring into Qi Xia's eyes, though he couldn't see anything in those pupils, he still felt that this man seemed a bit familiar.

He had once been looked at by eyes like these before.

"You... got it right." Tian She said to Qi Xia with a complicated expression, "I lost."

"Then, what about the thing you promised us?" Qi Xia asked.

Tian She's expression shifted uncertainly, and after thinking for a long time, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

He slowly handed the paper to Qi Xia, but Qi Xia didn't reach out to take it.

"This is that 'formula'..." Tian She said, "It records how to make the 'Yuan Zhu Min' trigger the 'Hui Xiang'."

Seeing that Qi Xia still didn't take it, Tian She felt a bit embarrassed.

"Why are you so rude? Do you want it or not?"

"I'm a bit curious..." Qi Xia said, "If I open this dirty piece of paper, the things recorded on it are the secrets you've kept, your most valued, the so-called 'forefront technology of the end'?"

"That's right."

"Then why are you carrying it around so casually...?" Qi Xia said coldly, "If it can be recorded on just a small piece of paper, why didn't you just tell me directly?"

Watching Qi Xia press him so aggressively, Qiao Jia Jin and Qian Wu beside him broke into a sweat, knowing that the person in front of them was still "Tian" no matter how many flaws he showed.

"First, I never lie." Tian She said, "I hate liars the most, so I only tell the truth. The reason I always carry this piece of paper is that about a year ago, another 'participant' traded with me, but he just glanced at the words on the paper and gave it back. I didn't want to throw it away casually, and I couldn't bear to tear it up, so I've kept it."

"Oh...?" Qi Xia narrowed his eyes slowly.

"Second, you alone won against me, so this information can only be shared with you. That's why I won't say it out loud." Tian She kept holding out the paper, his expression unchanging as he spoke.

Qi Xia nodded, took the paper, and immediately handed it to Qian Wu. This small action made Tian She's expression turn especially cold.

Qian Wu hadn't expected Qi Xia to do that, so he hesitated for a moment before taking the paper and putting it in his pocket.

"Can I ask the name of that person?" Qi Xia asked again.

"Who?"

"The 'participant' who traded with you a year ago."

Tian She shook his head: "I may not lie, but I can choose not to speak. Since I had a deal with him, that means we both have leverage on each other. I have no reason to tell you his name here."

"Alright." Qi Xia nodded, "Then I have no more questions."

Tian She sighed after hearing this and looked at Qian Wu: "'Shuang Sheng Hua', I'll give you one day. Tomorrow, whether you die in the 'Tian Ma Shi Ke' or not, I'll come find you."

"Don't bother seeing me off." Qian Wu said.

Tian She gave him a gloomy look, about to turn and leave, when he suddenly heard a series of continuous "inner voices."

"I really want to throw a punch to test it out."

Tian She thought he had misheard and slowly stopped, listening carefully, only to find the voice extremely clear—this inner voice was very pure.

"I really want to land a punch on his chin."

He turned around and looked at the three in front of him, and the clear voice came again.

"I really want to see if he can take my punch."

"Should I use a hook or a straight punch?"

"Should I step in or lunge?"

Tian She turned toward the source of the inner voice, where a dazed, tattooed man was standing.

"What did you say?" Tian She asked.

"Huh?" Qiao Jia Jin was startled, looking around blankly, "Me...?"

"You want to hit me...?" Tian She slowly furrowed his brow, "You have quite the nerve..."

Qi Xia quickly stepped in front of the two and said, "Hey, what do you mean?"

"I heard it..." Tian She said, pointing past Qi Xia at Qiao Jia Jin, "I heard that guy's inner voice... He wants to hit me!"

Qiao Jia Jin quickly averted his gaze after hearing this: "Ah? You... you know that?"

"Inner voice...?" Qi Xia felt something was off—if "Tian She" could really hear everyone's inner thoughts, that would be the strongest opponent they'd ever faced.

Tian She pushed Qi Xia aside and came face-to-face with Qiao Jia Jin, who could only stare dumbly at the other's nose.

"Hey... I treated you with courtesy, and you want to hit me?"