Chapter 189
189 The Hand in My Heart
“Come and kill me . ” I took a big step towards Nie Zun, pointing at my own heart .
Nie Zun looked at me like he was looking at a stranger .
That gaze enraged me . I whipped Piercer out and charged forward, using it as a la.s.so to circle his neck .
I pulled Piercer tight as I said, “Come on, aren’t you going to kill me? I’m going to attack if you don’t kill me now . ”
I kept my eyes on Nie Zun, unwilling to believe that he’d hurt me . Would feelings for another disappear if one had lost their memories? I refused to believe this .
Confusion flashed in Nie Zun’s eyes .
Hope grew in me, but I realized I was wrong in the very next second .
Lifting a hand shrouded in black mist, Nie Zun stabbed that hand right through my chest . Just like the demon which devours human hearts in the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, he attempted to take my heart . (T/n: Known as Liaozhai Zhiyi in Chinese, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is a collection of cla.s.sical Chinese tales with a supernatural spin in most of them . Here’s the Wikipedia page on it for some further information . )
Blood bubbled out of my mouth .
Gaoqin Jiuye rushed forward, looking anxious . Nie Zun still had his hand embedded in my chest, and not knowing what to do, he could only say, “Nie Zun, you’ve gone mad…”
Nie Zun had this das.h.i.+ng smile on his face . It wasn’t cruel . It wasn’t the kind of merciless smile one had after doing something ruthless . It was a casual kind of smile, the kind one had after completing a personal goal .
He was just like a newborn child now, doing anything and everything he wanted to without giving any thought to its consequences .
I might have gone mad as well . I actually felt relieved when Nie Zun stuck his hand through my chest . I suddenly felt that the Nie Zun of the past lived in such a suppressed manner .
Nie Zun was actually a kind person . He was always so lonely, but so kind . He doesn’t hate the world for ostracizing him . Even in the Split Zone, he had never blamed me no matter how cold I was to him .
I was like a porcupine, wrapping myself up to protect myself . But in the end, I ended up hurting everyone around me .
Nie Zun was like a snail . He meant no harm to anyone at all even when he looked like he had an extremely tough sh.e.l.l . He had been suppressing his real self all this time, being indifferent to the world .
Being indifferent to others wasn’t cruel . It was because he wasn’t qualified to join in .
But it was different now . I felt it and I was absolutely sure that this person in front of me was Nie Zun . He did not change, he simply lost his memories .
He forgot that everyone saw him as a bad omen, he forgot that countless people have said he was the harbinger of death, that he was disaster itself . He forgot how I blamed him for things, he forgot he had been captured here to the Split Zone because he caused the death of his sister . He forgot everything .
All the cold looks from others, he had forgotten them all . This is why he could live as he pleased now .
Are humans born good or evil?
At this point, there’s no good and evil to him . The only thing he’s aware of is that Gaoqin Jiuye and I disturbed his sleep, and this is why he hurt us . This was what he wanted to do, and he doesn’t think about his actions in terms of being good or evil . He is simply living for himself .
I don’t know why I was suddenly filled with so much emotion . To anyone else, even to Gaoqin Jiuye and I, those hands shrouded in black mist looked absolutely demonic . However, when that hand plunged itself into my heart, all I felt was his loneliness .
It was a burning warmth that spread from my chest, as if it could burn me to ashes anytime .
It was a burning warmth that spread from my chest, as if it could burn me to ashes anytime .
Tears escaped my eyes . I blinked twice, and the tears kept on flowing .
Gaoqin Jiuye was stunned at this . Nie Zun still had his hand in my chest, and he looked confused when he saw me crying .
An innocent fury appeared in his eyes . He was furious because he couldn’t understand my tears .
I felt the fingers in my chest open and close tightly as he grabbed my heart . Though my brows knitted in pain, I kept my eyes on Nie Zun .
There was an immense pain in my chest . I could feel all my nerves and blood vessels throb every single time my heart beats . It was really painful… The heart hurt, but my heart hurt even more .
Just when I thought my heart would be crushed, he let go of it suddenly, taking his hand out of my chest .
He looked at me for a moment before slapping Gaoqin Jiuye’s hand on his shoulder away and walking back to the platform . He casually sat on the ground against the platform, elbow resting on his knees . Resting his chin on his palm, he looked at Gaoqin Jiuye and I with disinterest .
A piercing wind blew right through me when he took his hand out . I felt as if my heart was instantly frozen . From behind, Gaoqin Jiuye grabbed me by the shoulders as I was unsteady on my feet .
Though my red dress was already drenched in blood, it simply looked a darker red . The fabric had torn in some places, but the blood had coagulated and what was left was just a dark red mess .
I felt my heart spasm as the flesh and tendons regenerated . I could almost hear the sound of the flesh healing itself . Pain wrecked my entire body as my heart healed .
I panted as I asked Gaoqin Jiuye, “What do we do now? He’s just like a kid who doesn’t know anything, and we don’t know how to escape from here either . ”
Gaoqin Jiuye said, “Like a kid? Even so, he’s an extremely dangerous one . ”
Gaoqin Jiuye said, “Like a kid? Even so, he’s an extremely dangerous one . ”
I continued taking deep breaths to deal with the immense pain . Turning to Nie Zun, I said, “What’re you so happy about?”
Nie Zun raised a brow in response, not answering my question . I continued, “Do you find that you’ve been asleep here for very long?”
Nie Zun continued ignoring me . The corner of my lips started to twitch with irritation . “If you’ve been here for that long, you should know how we can get out of this place, right?”
A light seemed to s.h.i.+ne in Nie Zun’s eyes . “Leave this place and go outside? What’s there outside?”
Gaoqin Jiuye and I looked at each other . We spoke at the same time . “There’re many things that you haven’t seen outside . ”
Nie Zun looked jubilant . But that happiness turned into a smirk as he looked at me and Gaoqin Jiuye . “Why should I believe you guys?”
Well, seems like doubt is a natural defense mechanism in all humans . I raised my brows . “Then we have no choice but to continue staying in here if you don’t believe us . There’s no place else for us to go anyway . ”
I pushed Gaoqin Jiuye away gently and sat on the ground, not minding it even if I looked nothing like a lady . (Pa.s.serby B: Looking like a lady… Don’t make me laugh . Me: I really want to kill you . )
Though Gaoqin Jiuye did not quite understand what I was trying to do, he followed my lead and sat cross-legged on the ground . My brows furrowed in pain as I put pressure on my chest . d.a.m.n it, this hurt so much .
Nie Zun looked surprised at my actions . But in the next moment, he shut his eyes and seemed to go to sleep with his chin still resting on his palm .
I was angered as I looked at how lazy he was . He was lazy right down to his bones, even when he had lost his memories . Nie Zun, Nie Zun, I don’t think you’ll ever change this habit of yours .
Was it because you were too lazy to escape from a fire and you ended up falling asleep that you arrived here? I really wanted to ask you this .
I felt like hitting that lazy face of his . I decided to lie on the ground as well . Since I can’t escape, I’ll just take a nap .
Was it because you were too lazy to escape from a fire and you ended up falling asleep that you arrived here? I really wanted to ask you this .
I felt like hitting that lazy face of his . I decided to lie on the ground as well . Since I can’t escape, I’ll just take a nap .
I stole a glance at Gaoqin Jiuye as I lay down . He had a befuddled expression on him, obviously confused by what we were doing .
That’s understandable . Anyone who saw this would think that Nie Zun and I were mad . One almost had her heart ripped out just seconds before, while the other was the one who was about to rip the other person’s heart out . But now, we’re both falling asleep . This is the beautiful combination of ident.i.ty disorder and an incomplete personality .
I heard a familiar voice just when my thoughts were everywhere .
“Hehe, why’re you here? It’s boring here…”
My head snapped up . She was floating in mid-air, her face right in front of mine . Her red hair fell down gently, caressing my neck with a piercing cold . This was quite terrifying . I wasn’t a scaredy-cat, but think about it, if there was a floating face talking right in front of you in mid-air when you opened your eyes, how would you feel about that?
And it was a face that looked exactly like yours .
I cannot scream now . I’ve seen her too many times to be scared .
And also, I knew I had to keep this a secret right now . I cannot let anyone else know that I can see her with my split symbol activated, especially after what happened with Du Yue and Li Wen .
I simply looked at her in silence as she descended a little . The tip of her nose was almost touching mine now . She blew cold air into my face . With what sounded like a slight chuckle, she said, “Nie Zun has forgotten you . Are you sad…”
I turned to the side, not wanting to look her in the eye . I happened to meet Nie Zun’s eyes as I turned . He seemed to be looking at me, but he seemed to be looking elsewhere at the same time . His gaze was inscrutable .
I heard her again . “I can bring you out . Do you want to just tell them about my existence… Do you want my help…”
189 The Hand in My Heart.
“Come and kill me . ” I took a big step towards Nie Zun, pointing at my own heart
Nie Zun looked at me like he was looking at a stranger
That gaze enraged me . I whipped Piercer out and charged forward, using it as a la.s.so to circle his neck
I pulled Piercer tight as I said, “Come on, aren’t you going to kill me? I’m going to attack if you don’t kill me now . ”.
I kept my eyes on Nie Zun, unwilling to believe that he’d hurt me . Would feelings for another disappear if one had lost their memories? I refused to believe this
Confusion flashed in Nie Zun’s eyes
Hope grew in me, but I realized I was wrong in the very next second
Lifting a hand shrouded in black mist, Nie Zun stabbed that hand right through my chest . Just like the demon which devours human hearts in the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, he attempted to take my heart . (T/n: Known as Liaozhai Zhiyi in Chinese, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is a collection of cla.s.sical Chinese tales with a supernatural spin in most of them . Here’s the Wikipedia page on it for some further information . ).
Blood bubbled out of my mouth
Gaoqin Jiuye rushed forward, looking anxious . Nie Zun still had his hand embedded in my chest, and not knowing what to do, he could only say, “Nie Zun, you’ve gone mad…”.
Nie Zun had this das.h.i.+ng smile on his face . It wasn’t cruel . It wasn’t the kind of merciless smile one had after doing something ruthless . It was a casual kind of smile, the kind one had after completing a personal goal
He was just like a newborn child now, doing anything and everything he wanted to without giving any thought to its consequences
I might have gone mad as well . I actually felt relieved when Nie Zun stuck his hand through my chest . I suddenly felt that the Nie Zun of the past lived in such a suppressed manner
Nie Zun was actually a kind person . He was always so lonely, but so kind . He doesn’t hate the world for ostracizing him . Even in the Split Zone, he had never blamed me no matter how cold I was to him
I was like a porcupine, wrapping myself up to protect myself . But in the end, I ended up hurting everyone around me
Nie Zun was like a snail . He meant no harm to anyone at all even when he looked like he had an extremely tough sh.e.l.l . He had been suppressing his real self all this time, being indifferent to the world
Being indifferent to others wasn’t cruel . It was because he wasn’t qualified to join in
But it was different now . I felt it and I was absolutely sure that this person in front of me was Nie Zun . He did not change, he simply lost his memories
He forgot that everyone saw him as a bad omen, he forgot that countless people have said he was the harbinger of death, that he was disaster itself . He forgot how I blamed him for things, he forgot he had been captured here to the Split Zone because he caused the death of his sister . He forgot everything
All the cold looks from others, he had forgotten them all . This is why he could live as he pleased now
Are humans born good or evil?.
At this point, there’s no good and evil to him . The only thing he’s aware of is that Gaoqin Jiuye and I disturbed his sleep, and this is why he hurt us . This was what he wanted to do, and he doesn’t think about his actions in terms of being good or evil . He is simply living for himself
I don’t know why I was suddenly filled with so much emotion . To anyone else, even to Gaoqin Jiuye and I, those hands shrouded in black mist looked absolutely demonic . However, when that hand plunged itself into my heart, all I felt was his loneliness
It was a burning warmth that spread from my chest, as if it could burn me to ashes anytime
Tears escaped my eyes . I blinked twice, and the tears kept on flowing
Gaoqin Jiuye was stunned at this . Nie Zun still had his hand in my chest, and he looked confused when he saw me crying
An innocent fury appeared in his eyes . He was furious because he couldn’t understand my tears
I felt the fingers in my chest open and close tightly as he grabbed my heart . Though my brows knitted in pain, I kept my eyes on Nie Zun
There was an immense pain in my chest . I could feel all my nerves and blood vessels throb every single time my heart beats . It was really painful… The heart hurt, but my heart hurt even more
Just when I thought my heart would be crushed, he let go of it suddenly, taking his hand out of my chest
He looked at me for a moment before slapping Gaoqin Jiuye’s hand on his shoulder away and walking back to the platform . He casually sat on the ground against the platform, elbow resting on his knees . Resting his chin on his palm, he looked at Gaoqin Jiuye and I with disinterest
A piercing wind blew right through me when he took his hand out . I felt as if my heart was instantly frozen . From behind, Gaoqin Jiuye grabbed me by the shoulders as I was unsteady on my feet
Though my red dress was already drenched in blood, it simply looked a darker red . The fabric had torn in some places, but the blood had coagulated and what was left was just a dark red mess
I felt my heart spasm as the flesh and tendons regenerated . I could almost hear the sound of the flesh healing itself . Pain wrecked my entire body as my heart healed
I panted as I asked Gaoqin Jiuye, “What do we do now? He’s just like a kid who doesn’t know anything, and we don’t know how to escape from here either . ”.
Gaoqin Jiuye said, “Like a kid? Even so, he’s an extremely dangerous one . ”.
I continued taking deep breaths to deal with the immense pain . Turning to Nie Zun, I said, “What’re you so happy about?”.
Nie Zun raised a brow in response, not answering my question . I continued, “Do you find that you’ve been asleep here for very long?”.
Nie Zun continued ignoring me . The corner of my lips started to twitch with irritation . “If you’ve been here for that long, you should know how we can get out of this place, right?”.
A light seemed to s.h.i.+ne in Nie Zun’s eyes . “Leave this place and go outside? What’s there outside?”.
Gaoqin Jiuye and I looked at each other . We spoke at the same time . “There’re many things that you haven’t seen outside . ”.
Nie Zun looked jubilant . But that happiness turned into a smirk as he looked at me and Gaoqin Jiuye . “Why should I believe you guys?”.
Well, seems like doubt is a natural defense mechanism in all humans . I raised my brows . “Then we have no choice but to continue staying in here if you don’t believe us . There’s no place else for us to go anyway . ”.
I pushed Gaoqin Jiuye away gently and sat on the ground, not minding it even if I looked nothing like a lady . (Pa.s.serby B: Looking like a lady… Don’t make me laugh . Me: I really want to kill you . ).
Though Gaoqin Jiuye did not quite understand what I was trying to do, he followed my lead and sat cross-legged on the ground . My brows furrowed in pain as I put pressure on my chest . d.a.m.n it, this hurt so much
Nie Zun looked surprised at my actions . But in the next moment, he shut his eyes and seemed to go to sleep with his chin still resting on his palm
I was angered as I looked at how lazy he was . He was lazy right down to his bones, even when he had lost his memories . Nie Zun, Nie Zun, I don’t think you’ll ever change this habit of yours
Was it because you were too lazy to escape from a fire and you ended up falling asleep that you arrived here? I really wanted to ask you this
I felt like hitting that lazy face of his . I decided to lie on the ground as well . Since I can’t escape, I’ll just take a nap
I stole a glance at Gaoqin Jiuye as I lay down . He had a befuddled expression on him, obviously confused by what we were doing
That’s understandable . Anyone who saw this would think that Nie Zun and I were mad . One almost had her heart ripped out just seconds before, while the other was the one who was about to rip the other person’s heart out . But now, we’re both falling asleep . This is the beautiful combination of ident.i.ty disorder and an incomplete personality
I heard a familiar voice just when my thoughts were everywhere
“Hehe, why’re you here? It’s boring here…”.
My head snapped up . She was floating in mid-air, her face right in front of mine . Her red hair fell down gently, caressing my neck with a piercing cold . This was quite terrifying . I wasn’t a scaredy-cat, but think about it, if there was a floating face talking right in front of you in mid-air when you opened your eyes, how would you feel about that?.
And it was a face that looked exactly like yours
I cannot scream now . I’ve seen her too many times to be scared
And also, I knew I had to keep this a secret right now . I cannot let anyone else know that I can see her with my split symbol activated, especially after what happened with Du Yue and Li Wen
I simply looked at her in silence as she descended a little . The tip of her nose was almost touching mine now . She blew cold air into my face . With what sounded like a slight chuckle, she said, “Nie Zun has forgotten you . Are you sad…”.
I turned to the side, not wanting to look her in the eye . I happened to meet Nie Zun’s eyes as I turned . He seemed to be looking at me, but he seemed to be looking elsewhere at the same time . His gaze was inscrutable
I heard her again . “I can bring you out . Do you want to just tell them about my existence… Do you want my help…”.