Volume 2
91 Too Much of a Bully?!
You Ji locked her cold gaze on Nie Zun. “I hate this about the both of you, always thinking that you are kind and good, while everyone else is heartless and evil. I care about Li Qing and Li Wen no less than Li Shen does!”
“What’s important is that Li Wen definitely has no connection with Du Yue, I’m very certain of this,” Ta Lai said.
“What makes you so sure? Just because you are a soul splitter?” You Ji raised her brows.
Ta Lai smiled. “Not only am I a soul splitter, I know Du Yue’s intention, and I also know your intention.”
Seeing You Ji’s icy stare, Ta Lai’s gaze shifted towards me. “I’m not sure about Li Wen’s situation and the specifics, but I am certain that Du Yue’s experiment should not involve Li Wen.”
My heart sank. Does this mean that Li Wen was acting solely on her own?
Then, why would she be suitable as an experimental subject? Why must she take Song Lu away?
Song Lu…
I looked toward Nie Zun in a panic. Nie Zun gave me a slight nod, trying to tell me not to worry.
He then addressed Ta Lai, “Seems like Li Wen is acting alone, she took Song Lu away.”
You Ji sneered, “Didn’t think there would be such an unexpected reward. Right, Rong Jin?”
I snapped alert, looking around me immediately.
Ta Lai narrowed his gaze.
A gust of wind suddenly whipped up around us. I had already cut down many of the trees in this forest, and the few left standing in the distance were rustling in the wind.
“Kekekekekeke, that’s right, didn’t think we’d hear about Li Wen here.”
An eerie laughter rang out from the distant forest, and a familiar, ghostly voice floated towards us.
I shivered. I remember this extremely disturbing voice. It belonged to the Southern District’s Soul Snatcher, Rong Jin.
You Ji’s gaze seemed much calmer now. She looked mildly perturbed when facing the three of us alone, but she seemed to have recovered her charm and grace. Stroking her head of green hair, she asked, “Since you’re here, why not show yourself? Aren’t you curious how the Western District turned into a pile of rubble?”
The ghostly voice said leisurely, “To know the secret behind the ruins, one would have to go back into the ruins. Hahahahaha…”
A series of ‘hahahas’ that did not sound like genuine laughter sounded from a distance and entered my ears, before floating further away like an echo, making me extremely uncomfortable.
You Ji’s cold gaze lingered on me for a second, before turning back suddenly. “Let’s have a look then.”
Moving her serpentine tail, she looked back and smiled wickedly at me. “How about you, Li Shen, do you want to have a look? Because of whom did the Western District become like this?”
After saying that, she slid towards the direction of the Western District.
I looked back to meet Ta Lai and Nie Zun’s eyes, and the three of us quickly followed.
When we arrived back at Old Man Fan’s statue, there was a shadow on the ground, right at the bottom of the statue.
I stared at the shadow. “Rong Jin?”
The shadow quivered slightly, and there was a creepy laughter. “It’s me, crazy girl.”
All the hairs on my body stood on ends. Could you stop making it sound like we are close? If I remember right, you and I are enemies, right?
A ghostly voice sounded above the ghostly shadow, “Crazy girl, was the Western District already in this shape when you first arrived back here?”
I furrowed my brows. “Why should I have to answer you?”
“Heeheehee, crazy girl is crazy. Not very obedient either.”
Following the creepy ‘heeheehee’, there was a flurry of icy wind above the vast expanse of rubble.
Finding it a little odd, I looked up in confusion.
I quickly realised why it felt odd. As I lifted my head, I saw a crack suddenly appearing in the sky!
“Ahwoo! Ahwoo! Ahwoo!”
Three ferocious wolves with shiny bright green eyes swiftly jumped out from that crack in the sky!
Slightly alarmed, I quickly backed away while keeping my eyes trained on the three wolves.
You Ji looked over and moved to be behind those three wolves, sliding over with her serpentine tail.
“Crazy girl, come on, be good. Tell me, why did the Western District become like this?” The ghostly voice rang out again.
I stared at the three wolves opposite. Together with these wolves were a snake woman and a dark shadow – it was a really weird combination.
“I already said, I don’t know what happened in the Western District. I’m even more curious about this than all of you.”
The ghostly voice laughed. “I travelled so far to be here, because I heard that a phenomenon never before seen in the Split Zone happened in the Western District. During this time, only the few of you were here. Do you think I would believe you when you say this has nothing to do with you?”
I smiled mirthlessly. “Why are outsiders like you so interested in the Western District? As a subordinate of the Southern District’s Si Luo, aren’t you reaching too far into others’ affairs! After betraying your commander, are you trying to make an enemy out of me too?”
The ghostly voice boomed with laughter. “Crazy girl, don’t be petulant. Who said I betrayed Si Luo?”
“If you didn’t betray Si Luo, why are you in cahoots with Du Yue working on some shady experiment? Even if you did not betray Si Luo, you are always hiding and dodging people. I’m pretty sure you are not a good person either,” I said callously.
“Crazy girl, seeing that it hasn’t even been two years since you assumed the position of District Commander, you really haven’t seen enough of the world. Hahahahahahahaha.”
This ghostly sound continued grating on my ears to the point that I wanted to cover them with my hands.
Contemptuously, I said, “It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been District Commander. As long as someone infringes upon my territory, I will not let them get away easily!”
You Ji smirked and pointed to the ground. “Don’t speak too soon. We didn’t infringe upon your territory, it was you who couldn’t keep it safe, and it even got destroyed.”
“This is none of your business. Are you here because you are worried about Western District matters?”
As Rong Jin’s dark shadow wobbled, a chuckle came out from the ground. “Crazy girl, I’m not interested in your Western District territory. I’m here to get three items from you.”
I laughed. “Would I have any items that can drive you, the soul snatcher, to travel this far to obtain?”
The ghostly voice scoffed, “Yes, you have them. I want that woman named Song Lu, the little girl called Laurel, and also this old man from your district.”
The shadow moved to Old Man Fan’s statue at the mention of ‘old man’.
I burst out laughing so hard that my eyes were about to tear. “Are you kidding me? You guys took Song Lu and Laurel away in front of my very eyes, and now you are asking for them? It might also be because of you that Old Man Fan is like this, and you even want his corpse now?? Do you really think that I, Li Shen, am an easy target to bully?!”
I stared angrily. As I concentrated all my MF into my meridian channels and blood vessels, my red hair started to fly up and blow madly in the wind.
The ghostly voice floated past, “I did hear your previous conversation, you said Song Lu was taken by Li Wen. If that is true, then there might be one more troublesome matter for me on this trip. I hate troublesome matters. Furthermore, I totally didn’t expect to see Ta Lai here. Even if Song Lu is not with you, you still cannot prove that Laurel did not seek you out after she ran away. As for this old man, the phenomenon in the Western District definitely has something to do with him. It just so happens that I love strange phenomena, so I’m going to bring him back with me today, to study this in-depth. You can’t stop me, crazy girl.”
“How audacious! You are merely a subordinate of the Southern District Commander. Even if you have some skills, you have no right to act like this in the Western District, and you have the gall to ask for my people? Dream on!” I gritted my teeth, unable to put up with these people who continually want to take away my close friends.
I was boiling with rage. The pain of losing Laurel, Song Lu and Yu Liang had not yet dissipated, how am I able to tolerate these people going around intimidating others and doing whatever they please, just because of someone who claims to be a soul splitter?
“Hahaha, crazy girl, you really don’t know fear. Do you have any skills apart from plain talking?”
Ta Lai spoke up in his refined voice, “She can rely on me. What, you think I’m not worthy enough for her to depend upon when up against you, a mere soul snatcher?”
I deadpanned. Although I am a lot more at ease with you around, it is not as if I am completely depending on you. This makes it sound like I am totally useless. (Passerby B: Are you sure you are not useless…)
The dark shadow on the ground started wobbling as soul snatcher Rong Jin laughed loudly. “Ta Lai, never would I have thought you’d actually come here to help this crazy girl. Even if you want to help her and stop this experiment, you shouldn’t have come here so openly. Aren’t you afraid that Du Yue would want to kill her immediately after finding out you are here?”
I gave a derisive laugh. “Are you belittling me? Even if you unscrupulously betray Si Luo and collude with the soul splitter, Du Yue, do you really think that whoever you are getting orders from can really kill me that easily? You really think that I’m a tiny ant in the palm of your hand? I’ll tell you, an ant will bite when cornered, and you don’t even know if that ant is a poisonous one!”
Ta Lai continued with a smile, “So what, I’m willing to help this girl, pretty good right?”
The ghostly voice chuckled. “You definitely have a temper, but we don’t know if your skills are greater than your temper!”
With a swish, I held Piercer in my left palm. “Whether my skills are greater than my temper, you’ll know once you get a taste of it!”
Before today, I might not have picked fights so rashly, but only until now did I realise, if I was weak, I might lose my friends and the people I care about, and my dignity would be trampled upon by others!
I have endured long enough, until today. I am not going to put up with this anymore!