Split Zone No.13

Volume 3

135 A Slap and A Call

The air was heavy with our breaths, and his eyes were like a strong fire ready to burn me to ashes at a moment's notice.

My emotions felt like it was a wild beast breaking out from my chest.

"You love him this deeply…" Gaoqin Jiuye repeated in a lower voice, and I felt his lips trembling slightly.

I did not know how I should answer, and I started avoiding his gaze, afraid to look directly at him.

"Li Shen, I'll help you out." Gaoqin Jiuye grabbed my hand, and moved it towards my chest!

"What're you doing!" I asked angrily.

An evil smile appeared on his face. "Where do you wish to go."

I then realized he forced me to hold my splitting key in my hand!

He moved even closer, keeping his wild eyes on me. "I'm giving you a chance now. Quick, put it into my split symbol and you can leave this place!"

I did not expect him to say this, and I was dumbstruck.

"Why? Don't you always have something to say? You're going to back away this time?" There was a wild mischief in Gaoqin Jiuye's eyes, and his smile looked like a challenge.

For a moment I was stunned, but I calmed myself down and smiled back at him. "Gaoqin Jiuye, I do want to go back, but not now. I have a friend to save, and I have to uncover the secrets of you soul splitters. How can I leave when I haven't done any of these?"

"Li Shen, you'll die if you keep being this naïve. The Split Zone didn't exist for a mere day or two now, and it's not as simple as you think it is. Just by your own ability, it might be possible to save your friend, but I'd suggest you give up in accomplishing anything else, like going against the soul splitters."

I smirked. "What, you're trying to convince me now? You want me to leave this place? Aren't you afraid of dying? Since you were the one who captured me, why are you pretending to be the nice guy now?"

Gaoqin Jiuye's expression stiffened.

"That's right. Just this once, I'm not afraid of dying as long as you leave the Split Zone, right now." It looked as if he made a certain decision in that moment, and he said it in a low and serious tone.

I did not like it that I always seemed to be in a daze in front of him, but I was stunned once again.

We looked at each other for a long time.

"Gaoqin Jiuye… You're really stubborn… What do you mean by this? Just what do you want me to do?" There was a slight trembling in my voice.

"Gaoqin Jiuye, I was captured here by you, not by anyone else, but you! After capturing me, you even pretended not to know me when you saw me here. Wasn't that because you didn't want me to find you, so that I wouldn't be able to go back? Didn't you only care about Si Luo? What are you trying to do now, trying to get me to go back, releasing me even though you might suffer the same fate as Si Luo if you don't manage to find another body of consciousness? I might not think much of it if it was anybody else, but you're Gaoqin Jiuye, when have you ever had sympathy for me?"

I felt a little bitter, and this was not what I wanted to say originally.

"Do you actually have some compassion?" I asked softly.

A flash of helplessness passed in Gaoqin Jiuye's eyes. "Yes, that's right. I was the one who brought you here. Compared to how you were living in that world, isn't it better here?"

My heart was about to burst.

What do you mean by how I was living in that world?

"You… you've been…" I looked at him in a daze.

"Yes, I know everything about you." Something colorful flashed in Gaoqin Jiuye's eyes, making me feel faint.

"What do you mean!" I was getting agitated. People in the Split Zone seem to have so many secrets and always talk in circles! From the moment Li Qing was gone, to the disappearance of Mr Blond, to the appearance of soul splitters and the experiment which took my friends away, all of it were just too torturous!

I wriggled out from his hands and stared at him.

"I can't explain it in any clearer way. The truth is I'm very aware of your life in that world, and because I knew how painful it was for you, I brought you here after you killed him. Li Shen, I saved you!" Gaoqin Jiuye smiled cruelly.

My eyes widened slowly.

"You, you actually!" My eyes grew wet with tears, and I grabbed hold of his collar.

"Since you could see everything, why did you still let me kill him? Why didn't you stop me before I killed him!" I asked with gritted teeth as I looked at him through tearful eyes.

Gaoqin Jiuye gave a ruthless smile. "Why should I do that? What has it got to do with me if he lives or dies? At least you could be of some use to me after I engrave a split symbol on you, but what use did Gao Qi have?"

Smack!

I gave him a hard slap!

Gaoqin Jiuye's face tilted from my slap, his dark brown hair moving.

My hand was trembling slightly, but it was my heart that was shivering.

Nothing but our heartbeats could be heard in the quiet room.

I still had not gotten the hang of manipulating my MF after my split symbol was activated, and I was not able to control my strength well. Blood appeared on the corner of his lips.

My heart ached, and my slightly quivering lips revealed how much I regretted it.

But I could not forgive anyone who spoke badly of Gao Qi. I might seem idiotic to others, but what is true love if it isn't ugly and stupid?

I admit that my infatuation for Gao Qi had blinded me, but love just cannot be controlled.

Right now, it wasn't only what he said that pained me, it hurt to know that he was putting himself down like that. Why did he want to let everyone think that he was such a cruel person?

"You… You're not someone like that… I know that…" My tears flowed out.

He was initially angry when I slapped him, but he looked frozen after hearing me say that.

He turned back at me, a red stain still on the corner of his lips. He looked at me with unfathomable eyes.

Since I've already said it, I'll finish it.

"I know it… You're not such a person…" Tears continued falling from my eyes.

I could not decipher Gaoqin Jiuye's expression. After a while, he spoke.

"Li Shen, don't regret this. I've given you a chance to leave and you didn't take it. From now on, don't even think about being able to leave the Split Zone. You can stay here and continue your fight forever." Gaoqin Jiuye's eyes were like whirlpools, making me feel lost in them.

Why did this sound like 'You can stay here and continue being with me forever'?

No, what was I thinking?!

Shaking my head, I pushed him away, increasing the distance between us.

I felt a little dizzy as I pushed him away.

In my daze, I seem to catch a glimpse of a black shadow passing by the window.

My heart dropped!

Was it him! Is it him?!

I rushed to the window and pulled open the curtains, looking out.

It was the third floor, and there was no one familiar around.

I felt a little sad, did my eyes fool me?

"Hehe, he ran away. Is it because he saw you acting so close with Gaoqin Jiuye? Even if he wanted to come back to you, he might have decided to leave in the end…"

I heard a familiar voice, and I felt wet lips on my ear!

Shivering, my hairs stood on ends, and I immediately jumped away!

As I moved away, I saw her floating in mid-air. It was her lips which were on my ear!

This was the first time she spoke after the 'How are you' since I woke up!

She was in an unusual position in the air, looking at me with those lazy eyes and an expression which looked like a half-smile.

"Ah—!" I did not know why I screamed either. It was as if only by screaming can I find some relief in the helplessness I felt whenever I see her!

"What're you doing, Li Shen?!" Gaoqin Jiuye was obviously confused by me suddenly running to the window and screaming. He rushed over and hugged me from behind.

I stiffened, and the body behind me did the same.

He probably did not expect he would hug me either. He let go, and my emotions calmed down because of his sudden movement.

But she did not let me go. She covered her smile with a hand. "Hehe, Li Shen, you fell in love with someone like him again? Do you need my help again…"

"Ah—! Shut up!" I shouted, covering my ears.

Her red dress was flying, and she floated out from the window. She gave me another mocking smile as she left.

"Devil… Devil…" I pressed my trembling hands against my ears. I never wanted to see her again!

Gaoqin Jiuye had let go of me, but he grabbed me again, though not as tightly as before.

"What's happening to you?" He frowned, a rare look of worry in his eyes.

However, I did not feel any warmth from this. It just made me miss those eyes even more.

The most beautiful pair of eyes in this world.

"Nie… Nie Zun…" I kept mumbling with quivering lips.