Volume 5
304 A Sudden Epiphany
All that uneasiness and confusion I felt were gone in a split second as the scene unfolded before me. It didn't matter anymore if that crack in space was something that really existed.
Guan Nie's illusion was breaking apart now, and I made my decision as I looked at all of them.
Love? I didn't have time for it.
I had to have the ability to love others before I could even talk about love.
There were too many lives on my hands. Even though I might not have caused their deaths directly, I was somehow involved. If Huan Qing and Mi Fu were not able to return to the real world, how about Song Lu and Yu Liang?
In the end, everything was just a waste of time and effort.
What did I protect the Western District for? Why did Li Qing protect the Western District for such a long time? Why did she protect me?
It was my entire fault. I shouldn't have wallowed in my own confusion. If the Split Zone were to throw me puzzles, I should have just picked them up and solved them on my own.
If I cannot leave this place, if the Western District was meant to be destroyed under my watch, then I should at least let the rest leave.
I had to protect them.
I took one last look at Jiao S, Gaoqin Jiuye and Nie Zun before I made my decision.
Yes, this was the path I'm going to take.
I touched my chest to check if my heart was back. As expected, it was not there. It was probably still with Nie Zun. I wondered if my MF would return once my heart was reunited with my body.
There were many unexplained occurrences in the Split Zone, and that would not be something that was out of the ordinary either. I might not even need to wait a month for my MF to recover. Even if it did not recover after I get my heart back, I would still have her with me.
After seeing how so many others were going after my second personality, I came to believe that this second personality of mine might just be the key to greater power; where two souls led to double the power.
My gentle gaze turned cold at this thought. Staring at Nie Zun, I raised a hand and said, "Give me my heart back."
I spoke firmly with no intention of a compromise.
Since he didn't listen to anyone else, I didn't think he'd be willing to return it to me just like this. I had Piercer with me, and I was prepared to fight him for it if he argued with me on this.
I turned a little to check if Piercer was still there. She was right behind me, and she looked ready to engage in a battle at a moment's notice.
"Okay." To my surprise, Nie Zun actually agreed.
The others looked surprised as well. This did not make any sense. He took my heart away and refused to return it no matter what, but he's suddenly giving it back now? What's this game he's playing?
Blood was already dripping down Guan Nie's lips as the illusion continued to shatter.
With a quick motion of Nie Zun's left hand, I felt a warmth in my chest almost immediately. At the same time, Cang Ming, Du Yue and Ta Lai all turned to me with a bright gleam in their eyes.
As I had expected, I was still their target at the end of the day. They were really aiming for that second personality of mine, and I would be way too naïve if I continued ignoring the presence of this second personality.
It was rare to have sudden epiphanies, but it just so happened that a striking realization hit me right at that moment.
It might have been because I witnessed Old Man Fan disappearing for the second time, or it might have been because I was using all my strength to run towards that door at the end of the path. It could also have been because of that very moment when I closed my eyes to await my death after inserting that key in the door, or it could have been because I saw all of these people at the very moment I successfully opened the door. No matter what the trigger was, it was then that the epiphany hit me.
I would never be able to regain my freedom and my friends would never be able to go back to their lives if the Split Zone was not destroyed.
Whether it was for them or for myself, I cannot continue being a weakling.
It might have been because of this sudden realization that I was able to accept her temporarily, since I was thinking about making use of her to achieve my goals.
She reappeared before me at the very moment I accepted her in my heart.
She was standing on the sea of water, smiling at me in a red dress that ruffled in the ocean wind. The wind blew through her red hair as she looked at me with those bright and clear eyes.
Her lips moved gently as she asked, "Do you need my help?"
I didn't reject her this time. I will never reject her again.
Taking a deep breath, I reached out my right hand towards her with a sweet smile.
She understands this. She can definitely understand it.
She smiled as she raised her right hand. I saw the skull ring on her finger. Its design was identical to the ring Nie Zun had, except that it was red. It was a red skull ring.
She slowly removed the ring from her finger and walked over to put it on me.
Nobody else could see what was happening.
All of them thought I was reaching my hand out for no apparent reason since they could not see her, nor could they see the ring.
I then ignored her after that. Turning to Jiao S, I said, "Jiao, come with me. We'll wreak havoc in this Split Zone. Li Qing is right outside waiting for us. Let's unravel all the secrets and uncover the truth together."
Jiao S looked a little stunned, and she turned slightly emotional before joy finally appeared on her face. Her lips turned up in a warm smile. "I've been waiting forever for you to say this."
She turned to Si Luo, looking at him with this unfathomable gaze, but I could tell she was resolute. She then moved quickly to stand beside me, making her intentions clear to everyone else.
What more could I ask for with a friendship like this?
Raising my right hand that had that red skull ring on it, I smiled and pointed at Du Yue and the rest. "Aren't all of you here for me? No need for all that acting if that's the case, just come at me all at once. I would like to see if you can really take my second personality away."
Cang Ming looked interested as he lifted that huge sword back onto his shoulder. "I know why someone with balls like Gaoqin would fancy you now. You're rather bold, woman. You dare to issue such a challenge even without an ounce of MF in you? I wouldn't have an issue with that, but I guess that wouldn't be the case for the rest of them here."
He sarcastically tilted his chin towards Ta Lai and Du Yue.
Du Yue had already moved to stand beside Ta Lai. I guess love is all-powerful; it can soften even the most ferocious of women.
I smirked at her. So what if you're standing beside him now? There's no one else but Bian Ying in his heart.
There was no sympathy left in me for these individuals. All soul splitters were my enemies now.
I wanted Song Lu and the rest to continue living their peaceful lives, I wanted to save Old Man Fan and I wanted to find Mr Blond. I wanted to send Jiao S, Nie Zun and Jie Pa back to the real world. Everyone who tried to stop me from achieving my goals would be an enemy I had to remove.
"Hmph, not only is that a joke, that is literally impossible to me. Li Shen, where do you think this is? It's the Gate of Heaven, and you're in my territory. Do you think that you're still in the Western District? You're nothing but a cripple now. Stop embarrassing yourself here."
Du Yue spoke harshly with an evil glint in her eyes.
I knew the reason behind that anger of hers. It was because both Ta Lai and Cang Ming were fighting over Bian Ying, and Gaoqin Jiuye stole glances at me from time to time. Everything made her increasingly frustrated by the second. Moreover, she wasn't able to gain much of an upper hand in her fight with Jiao S. This probably led to a target shift as she decided to pick on me, who was currently the 'weakest' one around.
Unfortunately for her, I've transformed from a squishy persimmon into a hardy radish. (Passerby A: This is such a horrible metaphor… It's so crass… Me: *kicks Passerby A away*)
Instead of getting upset, I answered with a smile, "You can determine if I was indeed embarrassing myself shortly. That heart is back in its warm chest cavity where it belongs. Aren't you guys aiming for it? Come on, I'm giving you a chance now."
I beckoned to Du Yue with a challenging finger.
Du Yue probably did not expect me to ever look down on her like this, and I could tell she was fuming. However, with just one look from Ta Lai, she turned into a tame little lamb and controlled that anger of hers.
While continuing to fiddle with that jade stone ring on his finger, Ta Lai looked as elegant as ever. "Seems like that dream you had while you were floating unconscious on the water has given you newfound courage even after you fell into the sea. Do you want to just tell me who you dreamt of?"
Returning his elegant smile, I answered mockingly, "Whoever it was, I was definitely not trapped in my dreams by somebody whom I loved deeply but who had left me for somebody else," not forgetting to subtly mention how he was trapped in one of his nightmares because of Bian Ying.
Both his and Du Yue's faces darkened at that.