Heroes Return

"You still blush so easily."

"Um, actually, that..."

What are you trying to say?

"Um, why did you throw away the cloak?" As if she had mustered up her courage, Tian Xiaoshu asked Lin Jie, "You've worn it through so many battles, why did you throw away the cloak that holds so many memories?"

"Ah! Is that what you're asking about?" Hearing Tian Xiaoshu's question, Lin Jie scratched his head and said to her, "I'm so sorry! I was only thinking about giving up being a hero, so in a moment of panic, I threw him into the sea! I'm really sorry! By the time I realized what was happening, he was already in the World Government's museum!"

"Hey, hey, hey!! Don't do this!! I'm not blaming you! You don't need to apologize to me!" Seeing Lin Jie bowing his head and apologizing, Tian Xiaoshu seemed a little at a loss.

"Of course I need to apologize, after all, you painstakingly sewed that cloak. And I just threw it away like that," Lin Jie said to Tian Xiaoshu, feeling embarrassed.

"Um, please don't do this!" Tian Xiaoshu said somewhat flusteredly, "I really didn't blame you! It's just... it's just that we haven't seen each other for a long time, and I wanted to ask how you guys are doing. By the way, didn't Xiaoqian come?"

Upon hearing Tian Xiaoshu mention this name, Lin Jie's expression immediately changed: "She's dead."

"Hey hey hey hey hey!" Hearing Lin Jie's sudden reply, Tian Xiaoshu panicked again, and tears welled up in her eyes: "You you you!!! You're kidding me!!! This is not funny at all! Xiaoqian is so amazing! So smart! How could she possibly die!"

“It’s true, just five years ago,” Lin Jie said calmly.

"How could this happen!" Tian Xiaoshu said in disbelief, "I clearly chose to leave, why did this happen!"

"Who knows? Maybe it's punishment for my past stubbornness and many wrongdoings!" Lin Jie said calmly. "But why is she the one being punished?"

Upon hearing Lin Jie's words, Tian Xiaoshu mustered her courage and hugged him tightly: "I'm sorry, Lin Jie! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have brought this up, I'm so sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Feeling the girl trembling slightly as she hugged him, Lin Jie couldn't help but say, "Speaking of which, you and Xiao Qian used to argue a lot back then. I never thought you would be sad about this now."

"I argued with her back then because..." Upon hearing Lin Jie's words, Tian Xiaoshu blushed and pushed Lin Jie away.

"Why?"

"It's none of your business! There's a reason for it anyway!" Tian Xiaoshu said, blushing.

"Alright, since you put it that way, then I won't ask anymore." Lin Jie said with a smile. Seeing this girl reminded him of many things from the past. Back then, Lin Jie only had one thought in his mind: to exterminate all his enemies.

"Um, did you give up the identity of Zero because of Xiaoqian?" Tian Xiaoshu suddenly asked at this moment.

"That's part of the reason," Lin said.

"A part?" Tian Xiaoshu looked at Lin Jie curiously: "Back then, you never gave up in the face of any hopeless situation, so why did you give up so easily five years ago?"

"How should I put it?" Lin Jie scratched his head and then looked at Tian Xiaoshu: "Actually, at that time I realized that I had done a lot of wrong things. If I had to say, I was an executioner, not a hero. After realizing this, I gave up on being a hero."

"How could this be? It's such a pity," Tian Xiaoshu said regretfully.

“There’s nothing to regret. Now that I’ve given up, I’ve seen a lot of the scenery and games from the past.” Lin Jie said, looking up at the distant sky. “Besides, aren’t there so many superheroes active all over the world now? So it doesn’t matter whether I’m there or not.”

"How could it be the same?! It's completely different for me!" Tian Xiaoshu suddenly said to Lin Jie, "Do you know how worried I was when you disappeared? If Xiaowan hadn't told me you were alright, I might have rushed back to H City!"

"Huh? There's no need for that!"

"Of course it's necessary! Even if there are many superheroes, my hero will always be only you!" After saying this, Tian Xiaoshu's face immediately turned as red as an apple: "Um! Um! Don't misunderstand... I actually..."

"Hahaha! You haven't changed at all!" Lin Jie said with a laugh. "But unfortunately, I don't want to be a superhero anymore."

"You're lying."

"kindness?"

"If that's really the case, why would you become just an ordinary city hero in H City?" Tian Xiaoshu said at this moment, "Rather than being that kind of so-called hero, I think you were the coolest when you were Zero! No matter what happened, I don't think you're the kind of person who would easily give up on your goals!"

"..." Upon hearing Tian Xiaoshu's words, Lin Jie fell into a brief silence: "Um, to be honest, I was a typical case of chuunibyou back then..."

"Ah! I'm sorry, I might have gone too far! After all, this is your own business, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Seeing Lin Jie's silence, Tian Xiaoshu couldn't help but apologize in a panic: "I just, I just felt that it was really too much for you not to continue protecting this world as Zero..."

Chapter Six

"Wait, don't speak yet!!" Lin Jie suddenly said to Tian Xiaoshu with a serious expression. Then he looked around.

Suddenly, a large group of bald men appeared around them, each with a blood-red gleam in their eyes as they looked at Lin Jie and Tian Xiaoshu. Several of them were putting on black robes.

"Huh? What's going on with these people?" Tian Xiaoshu said in surprise, looking at the scene around her.

"It seems we've been misunderstood!" Lin Jie said.

"Huh? A misunderstanding?" Upon hearing Lin Jie's words, Tian Xiaoshu immediately panicked: "What...what do we do?"

"Just as Thirteen said! They must have come because they saw Tian Xiaoshu hugging me earlier!" Lin Jie thought to himself, feeling a headache coming on as he watched the approaching bald men. He was calculating how much force he would need to knock those guys away.

Just as Lin Jie was ready for battle, a clear female voice reached everyone's ears.

"Teacher Tian, ​​what are you doing here? Who is this boy next to you?" A girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old suddenly ran over and asked Tian Xiaoshu.

"Huh? This...this...this is actually my middle school classmate, Lin Jie!!!" Tian Xiaoshu said to the girl, her face flushed.

"Are you Teacher Tian's classmate? It's a pleasure to meet you!" the girl said to Lin Jie. "I am Teacher Tian's student. My name is Ye Daoling! You can just call me Xiaoling!"

"Huh? You're a teacher now?" Lin Jie asked Tian Xiaoshu in surprise, "Are you sure your personality is okay?"

"Teacher Tian's classes are very good!" Ye Daoling said to Lin Jie.

"Why does the name Ye Daoling sound so familiar?" Lin Jie couldn't help but ask.

Just then, Lin Jie spotted a familiar young man. The young man was walking with two beautiful girls, and he also saw Lin Jie, visibly pausing for a moment upon seeing him.

"Teacher!" the boy called out to Lin Jie, "Teacher, what are you doing here? Do you know Teacher Tian?"

"Ye Daoshen? No wonder the name Ye Daoling sounds so familiar. Is she your sister?" Lin Jie looked at Ye Daoshen.

"Huh? You're the Hero Academia instructor that my brother mentioned who just got dumped not long ago?" Ye Xiaoling asked Lin Jie curiously.

"So it was you guys who spread the news about me being dumped?" Lin Jie looked at Ye Daoshen.

However, upon hearing that Lin Jie had just been dumped, the bald men around him softened their gazes. Then, after seeing Lin Jie's appearance, almost everyone's hostility towards him vanished.

"Um! I have to go now. I brought my students here for a training camp today, so I can't keep them waiting too long." Tian Xiaoshu suddenly said to Lin Jie, "I didn't expect you to become a teacher at the Hero Academy."

As she spoke, Tian Xiaoshu led several female students away into the distance.

"Oh, then you go ahead and do your work." Lin Jie said, then looked at Ye Daoshen: "So you were Tian Xiaoshu's student before!"

"Teacher, why are you here at the Bachelor's Temple?" Ye Daoshen asked curiously. "Could it be that you're heartbroken after being dumped and are planning to become a monk here?"

"You're the one who came here to become a monk! Do you think your teacher is that desperate?" Lin Jie said unhappily. "I'm here to accompany a friend on business! As for you, didn't you already transfer to the Hero Academy? Why are you still participating in this training camp?"

"I'm not like the teacher," Ye Daoshen said, glancing at the two pretty girls waiting for him not far away. "I was specially invited here by the girls at school. To be honest, I can't wait to eat the girls' lunch. I don't want the teacher to be so unattractive to women."

"Is that so? I can only tell you to leave." Lin Jie didn't show any anger at this moment.

"Huh?" Ye Daoshen looked at Lin Jie's reaction with puzzlement. Then, a group of people dressed in black robes surrounded the two of them without them noticing.

"You actually accepted an invitation from a young girl! And even got a chance to eat a pretty girl's bento box! You heretic! Face judgment!!!" A man in black robes charged straight at Ye Daoshen, wielding an iron chain. Immediately afterward, a dozen or so men in black robes also rushed towards Ye Daoshen.

Ye Daoshen's kung fu was no less than that of ordinary heroes. However, today, he couldn't even last three seconds against these FFF cult members from the Bachelor Temple before being captured and taken away alive.

"Wow! Everyone here is a master!" Lin Jie exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the men in black robes.

There was no one else around at this point, so Lin Jie walked directly towards the main hall.

"Hey Lin Jie, when did you hook up with such a pretty girl?" Seeing Lin Jie return, Xiao Zhan suddenly came to his side and nudged him, asking.

"He's just an old classmate, not what you think," Lin Jie replied.

"Really?" the bespectacled man asked curiously.

“What Benefactor Lin said should be true.” The monk leading the way said to the group, “If Lin Jie really had something going on with that beautiful woman, believe me, he definitely wouldn’t have returned unscathed by now.”

"I forgot about the other name for this place," the bespectacled man said with a sudden realization.

"Alright, there aren't many more people paying their respects. I'll take you to see Uncle Wuneng," the monk leading the way said to the two. "Also, the guide fee is twenty-five!"

"Why are you being so kind as to lead the way for us?" Lin Jie said unhappily.

After Xiao Zhan readily paid 100 yuan, the monk who had led the way didn't hesitate at all. He directly led the group to a platform on the back mountain.

Upon entering the back mountain, Lin Jie and the others were astonished to see hundreds of people dressed in black robes surrounding a huge platform. In the center of this group, Master Wuneng was bound to a stake. Beside him, on another stake, Ye Daoshen was also bound and struggling.

Upon seeing Lin Jie and his group appear, everyone suddenly turned around, and hundreds of pairs of bloodshot eyes simultaneously turned to look at Lin Jie and his companions.

"Lin Jie! Thirteen! Is that you two? Help me!" The incompetent master on the pyre cried out the moment he sensed Lin Jie and Thirteen's appearance. "These treacherous bastards actually planned to burn their abbot's quarters! This is blatant disregard for human life!! You're supposed to be superheroes, right? Help me!"

"Damn it! Aren't you blind? How could you tell who we are the moment we arrived? I've suspected you're faking your blindness for a long time!" Thirteen shouted at Master Incompetent.

"Never mind how this humble monk could recognize you! Just come and save me!" Master Wuneng shouted. "Thirteen, didn't you want to change your fate? Then come and save me now!! Otherwise, this humble monk won't help you! Oh, and don't forget to give me three hundred yuan for emotional distress!!"

"Damn it, this shameless guy." Lin Jie couldn't help but say, "Just burn him to death, consider it ridding the people of a scourge. Anyway, you won't be the main force helping Thirteen change his fate."

"Teacher, help! You can't just stand by and watch your student die, can you?" Ye Daoshen saw Lin Jie at this moment and immediately shouted at Lin Jie.

"You bastard, you're spreading rumors about me being dumped!" Lin Jie said to Ye Daoshen with a smug look, "Weren't you showing off your happiness to me before? Keep showing off."

"Teacher, I'm sorry, please help me!"

"Isn't this Lin Jie? I knew it! I didn't expect we'd meet so soon." Ignoring Ye Daoshen's shouts, a man in black robes stepped out from the crowd. He took off his robe. This man was none other than Master Wuliang, but the difference was that this time Master Wuliang wasn't wearing women's clothing or a wig.

However, at this moment, he looked exactly like a beautiful nun.

“Unscrupulous Master,” Lin Jie said, looking at the Unscrupulous Master. “I have no connection with you. I just came here with Thirteen.”

"Oh?" Wuliang said, glancing at Thirteen beside him, "What incredible bad luck!"

"As expected of someone from Guanggun Temple, they can even see that?" Thirteen said, looking at Wuliang.

"Looks like you're planning to defy fate and change your destiny!" Wu Liang said, looking at Thirteen. "I've heard my senior brother talk about your constitution. Although it brings bad luck to the things around you, it will never harm you. This can guarantee that you live a long and peaceful life. Are you really planning to expel this ability from your body?"

"Does the master already know?" Thirteen said. "Of course I intend to expel him."

"Really? But I guess you'll need my senior brother Wuliao to handle this personally," said the unscrupulous master. "How about this, you two rest here for a bit and have lunch. I'll take you to see my senior brother Wuliao this afternoon. As for my incompetent senior brother? Believe me, he won't be able to help you, and he'll charge you a large sum of money."

“That’s wonderful,” Thirteen said.

"Follow me, you four!" the unscrupulous master said to Lin Jie and his companions.

Seeing that Lin Jie and the other three were planning to leave directly with the unscrupulous master, the incompetent master and Ye Daoshen, who were tied to the stake, became anxious and shouted desperately at the people below.

"Thirteen! If you don't save me, I'll tell you all about your love affairs with the sea tribe! Then we'll be burned to death together!" In desperation, Master Wuneng shouted directly at Thirteen.

"Damn! You're ruthless!!" Upon hearing Master Wuneng's words, Thirteen couldn't help but think of his affair with the sea princess. Then, looking at the hundreds of black-robed men, he immediately said to Master Wuneng beside him, "I wonder if you could release Master Wuneng? After all, he has helped me."

"Oh?" Wuliang looked at Thirteen, but the next second his gaze fell on Lin Jie.

"Why are you looking at me?" Lin Jie asked.

“Others’ words may not matter, but if it’s you, Benefactor Lin, we might consider letting these two go. After all, Benefactor Lin, your status is extraordinary,” Wuliang said to Lin Jie.