Volume 3
167 A Robe Dyed Blood Red
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to see him. Furthermore, there’re so many others with you.” Bian Ying looked at us with a stony expression, as if she did not welcome ‘heirs’ like us.
I wasn’t paying attention to their conversation since my head was filled with other questions at this point. Bian Ying was the only other person in the Split Zone with double identity disorder like me, but why is she a soul splitter? Nobody actually said that she was indeed a soul splitter, but if she wasn’t one, then why did she seem to be unwelcoming of heirs? And why is she living in the Northern District?
“There’s actually no need for you to go through all the trouble of bringing me to him. We both know what’s most efficient.”
Gaoqin Jiuye sounded a little weird when he said this, and white fog whirled in his eyes as he spoke.
Bian Ying was extremely calm in the face of Gaoqin Jiuye’s combative stance.
“Seems like this particular individual is very important to you, else I’m sure that you, Gaoqin, wouldn’t engage me in battle this thoughtlessly. But I’m rather curious as to who exactly this person is whom you care about so much.”
Though her voice was steady and her expression calm, there was a poignant quality to everything she did. It was neither a bitter desolation nor an agonizing sorrow; it was more of a dispirited bleakness.
White fog continued surging in Gaoqin Jiuye’s eyes, and his lips arched in a cruel smile. “Even someone like Cang Ming has a weak point like you. This shouldn’t be all that surprising since I, Gaoqin Jiuye, am just someone ordinary.” With a cold gaze from Gaoqin Jiuye, the air around us started vibrating. I then reached out a hand to stop him.
“Gaoqin Jiuye, you owe us an explanation for all this. You’re not the only one who wishes to save Guan Nie. Who we’re looking for, what we should do, how we should go about doing it – shouldn’t you have told us earlier if we had decided to work together? The three of us seem to be out of the situation now, and that doesn’t seem quite right, does it? I also have many other questions to ask Bian Ying here, what’re you trying to do by getting into a fight now?”
Jiao S looked at Gaoqin Jiuye as she pushed my arm down. “Ah Shen’s right. Gaoqin Jiuye, I know you’re used to doing whatever you want by yourself, but this is a journey the four of us decided to go on together. Since we have the same goal, you can’t just go deciding everything on your own.
“Well, you might think Ah Shen and I probably think we’re queens and that we’re at the top of the world, but we’re still district commanders. It was a mess just coming here, and it’s not your fault for that, but shouldn’t you have discussed plans with us first?”
Bian Ying laughed. “Gaoqin, this is really interesting. Is this a show put up specially for me?”
Gaoqin Jiuye did not respond, and the white fog in his eyes began to subside.
Bian Ying turned towards me and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Li Shen.”
“Have you awoken Piercer?”
“No.”
“You’re also here because you want to save the person Gaoqin Jiuye wishes to save?”
“It can be understood as such.”
“Why’re you answering every one of my questions?” Curiosity flashed in Bian Ying’s eyes as if she thought I was such an interesting individual.
I smiled as I waved a hand. “I tried to stop Gaoqin Jiuye because I wanted to speak with you, so I’m definitely more than happy to answer your questions.”
“Why do you want to speak with me?”
“Because Ta Lai said you’re the only other person in the Split Zone who has double identity disorder, just like me,” I answered honestly.
Bian Ying’s face turned white instantly!
With a look of disbelief, her voice trembled as she asked, “What, what did you say?”
Why is she so shocked? No, that’s not it, it’s fear.
Why did she have such a fearful look?
I glanced at Gaoqin Jiuye with doubt in my eyes, but he simply looked elsewhere, and that smirk on his face seemed say, Don’t you have questions? Go on and ask her then.
“I said I also suffer from double identity disorder, and I arrived here in the Split Zone after being captured by this particular soul splitter, Gaoqin Jiuye, who seems to be your friend. I heard from Ta Lai that you also have double identity disorder, and one of your personalities had been devoured by Piercer. Since I happen to have Piercer, I’ve always wanted to meet you and ask you about this. We might be able to learn something from each other since there seems to be some similarities between us.”
Gaoqin Jiuye grabbed me, seemingly in a fit of anger. He probably did not expect me to reveal everything like this, including the fact that he was my soul splitter.
Nie Zun, who was just standing quietly by the side, reacted with lightning speed as he slapped Gaoqin Jiuye’s hand off my arm.
In this very moment, Bian Ying stretched out a long and slender arm to take that arm of mine in her hand.
Everything seemed to happen in the span of a second. Why is everyone trying to snatch my arm? It’s not some kind of precious treasure, I thought inwardly to myself.
Shock was apparent in Bian Ying’s eyes as she asked, “You were captured?”
I nodded. “Yes, by none other than Gaoqin Jiuye.”
This time, it was Jiao S who looked at me questioningly. They were definitely wondering why I would reveal these things to a total stranger.
But I knew what I was doing. I was simply tired of all this.
I was tired of all the questions and all the strangers here. The Split Zone was way too mysterious, and the feeling of not knowing the answer even to one single question was simply unsettling.
This is why I’d rather reveal everything in the hopes of being able to obtain all the answers I wish I had as quickly as possible, even when such a method might put me in danger. I’m not afraid of being in danger or being embroiled into conspiracies, but I hate that feeling of not knowing anything.
The unknown is what’s scariest.
“How could you be captured here? If you had double identity disorder like me, how is it possible that you could be captured?” Bian Ying’s voice was trembling.
I was a little stunned at this. Instead of getting answers, more questions appeared. What do you mean ‘how could I be captured’? What does she mean by saying that?
Gaoqin Jiuye’s gaze was icy cold. “I’ve told you this, I’m trying to save someone right now, and he doesn’t have much time. Stop asking all these questions and just find Cang Ming as soon as possible.
“Also, Li Shen, are these questions more important than Guan Nie’s life right now? All of you think that I’m deciding everything on my own without discussing anything with you guys, but aren’t we still wasting time now? There’re secrets everywhere here in the Split Zone. Even if you’ve successfully entered the Northern District, the answers cannot be found in a mere day or two. Can’t you talk about that after we save Guan Nie?”
Gaoqin Jiuye was right. But at that moment, I just felt frustrated and irritated, probably because double identity disorder had been mentioned, and this caused me to take a shot at him. “You weren’t this anxious when Guan Nie got injured for you. Isn’t it too late for you to shed crocodile tears now?”
I regretted what I said almost immediately, and my face wrinkled with a frown.
I realized I was never able to keep my calm when faced with Gaoqin Jiuye. He seemed to be able to trigger that ruthlessness in me, but at the same time, I seemed to be able to put my trust in him and forgive him surprisingly quickly.
Gaoqin Jiuye looked at me with a gaze that felt ice-cold.
Observing the situation, Bian Ying said, “Seems like you’re really anxious this time, Gaoqin. But it’s not that I don’t want to help, it’s just that I really don’t know where he is right now.”
“That’s why there’s no need for all this talk in the first place. This is the best method!” Gaoqin Jiuye said all of this quickly before he suddenly attacked with lightning speed!
Shen Qi was already in Gaoqin Jiuye’s hand, and just as I could make out Shen Qi’s jet-black color, the sword had already made a cut on Bian Ying’s neck!
Pu-chh!
Blood sprayed from the wound in Bian Ying’s pale neck.
Bian Ying remained composed, as if she had anticipated Gaoqin Jiuye’s actions, and it did not look like she was about to fight back either.
Jiao S and I looked at each other with the same question on our minds. How could Gaoqin Jiuye be this fast?
We all knew Gaoqin Jiuye had extremely high MF and that he was quick in his attacks. Together with Shen Qi’s sharp blade, it was effortless for him to injure Bian Ying. But I had never seen him move at such an amazing speed! Was he hiding his true abilities all this while?
For some reason, I felt uneasy as there were more and more questions popping into my head about Gaoqin Jiuye.
Probably because I was betrayed too often.
But shouldn’t I already be numb towards being betrayed since it has happened far too often? Why did I still care about this? Why am I feeling afraid?
Whoosh—!
I shielded my eyes from this sudden strong wind that blew past us. A blood red figure seemed to have flown past.
The blood red figure wrapped itself around the pale Bian Ying and it moved to increase the distance between us.
As I refocused my vision, I saw a man in red standing five to six meters away, looking at all of us. He was carrying Bian Ying.
My eyes were inexplicably drawn to this man.
He dressed in a way that was similar to me in those red robes, but there was a dark tint to it, as if it was stained with dried blood.
And that face, his face was demonic!
Though his skin and his features could still be considered as belonging to someone handsome, he had this demonic expression on him. That macabre face, though somewhat attractive, was frightful and horrid at the same time.
He had blood-red lips and long, thin eyes with a head of messy black hair that looked like it belonged to a deranged person.