Split Zone No.13

Volume 2

124 The Death of Si Luo?

The scene changed in front of me after Si Luo spoke.

There was no longer an invisible restraint as I became fully aware. I stood up carefully.

Si Luo was gone. Gaoqin Jiuye and Nie Zun were gone too. I looked around me. What was this place?

Swish—

I turned as I heard the sound of running water behind me.

This was a beautiful place. There were pretty flowers and a clear spring!

I looked up to see the bright blue sky. Though there was no sun, the sky was an extraordinary clear blue. There were trees and grass, and a small river was flowing some distance away. My feet were in a tiny stream which branched out from that river.

Such a place existed in the Split Zone? Was I dreaming?

Awestruck, I walked towards the river.

Beside the river, a man was seated on a huge boulder.

The man was dressed in white, and he looked like he was faintly glowing under the bright blue sky. His head was lifted towards the sky, and I saw a pair of silvery-white eyes on a smooth, flawless face. He was gazing at the sky, looking content. His silver hair spread out onto the boulder like countless silver threads.

This man was Si Luo, but he seemed younger than Si Luo by a few years.

“Si Luo?” I asked.

He did not seem to be able to hear me, and he did not answer.

“You look so good. Are you from around here?” I heard a timid voice coming from behind Si Luo, and I followed Si Luo’s gaze as he looked back.

A young boy, who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, was standing there.

This teenager…

He was also dressed in white, and his timid eyes carried a hint of doubt.

Si Luo smiled mysteriously. “Yes. Are you?”

The teenager looked down. “Yes.”

“Why such a look?” With a wave of his hand, Si Luo seemed to have summoned the teenager. In an instant, he was sitting beside Si Luo on that boulder.

The teenager looked shocked at first, but he started to calm down as he looked into Si Luo’s beautiful eyes.

I found the teenager rather familiar, but I just could not place him.

“I’m Si Luo.” Si Luo’s voice was melodic.

The teenager looked a little dazed and confused, as if intensely attracted by Si Luo’s aura.

“My… My name is… Gaoqin Jiuye,” the teenager replied timidly.

I was stunned. Gao… Gaoqin Jiuye???

“Oh…? That’s a really nice name…” Si Luo’s clear voice spread through the forest.

Pain flashed past the teenager’s eyes. “Nice name… Huh… But, why do people hide from me when they hear my name…”

As if seized by a wave of emotion, a malicious glint appeared in his eyes. Following which, great rolling waves started appearing in the gentle river below them!

Crash!

Swish! Crash!

The water rose and fell!

Si Luo’s face was splashed with water, but his expression remained calm.

The river started roaring, as if it was an embodiment of the teenager’s emotions! I found myself in the middle of the river, but the water passed right through my body!

Si Luo lifted a hand. As if it was a magician’s wand, a streak of white light appeared with a wave of his hand, calming the roaring currents.

He smiled gently. “If they don’t like you, how about you stay with me from now on?”

The teenager looked up in surprise, startled by this.

“You, you… You’re not afraid of me?” He asked.

Si Luo laughed. “Why should I be afraid of you…?”

The teenager stared, and tears started to roll down his cheeks. He murmured, “But… why are they… all afraid of me…”

Si Luo smiled as he gently touched the teenager’s head. “That’s because you’re extraordinary… They’re jealous.”

The teenager’s eyes shone brightly, and darkened again. “No, I know. It’s because I’m different from them. I’m a monster…”

I’m a monster…

I’m a monster…

I felt a twinge of pain in my heart!

Si Luo raised a small wave with a quick movement of his hand. “What a coincidence, I’m a monster too… From now on, you can stay with me…”

The scene before me crumbled just as I wanted to say something! As if electrocuted, I opened my eyes in a startle!

I was still in the bar in the Western District, Nie Zun was beside me, and Si Luo was opposite, looking at me with incredulous eyes. He was bleeding from the corner of his lips!

“This…” I was at a loss for words.

Si Luo gave a wry smile. “I guess there’s no need to borrow her for a few days.”

Nie Zun simply smiled in response.

“Just what happened here?” I asked in a daze.

Si Luo panted lightly, before settling weakly back into the armchair. He looked extremely sickly. “I wanted to look at what was in your heart, but I didn’t expect that I wasn’t able to take control of your other personality. You looked into my heart instead.”

My heart?? The other personality in my heart?

A rush of fear overcame me, and I looked at Nie Zun in confusion. “She, isn’t she, with you?”

Nie Zun gave a bitter smile. “She is you, so why would she be with me? We just resonated with each other, that’s all…”

“What, what do you mean?” I looked at him in disbelief.

No matter how desolate this place was, I thought I had escaped her in the Split Zone.

Nie Zun, no matter how much I might have hated you before, I was still grateful that you were able to take her away from me. Now you’re telling me that she’s in my heart?

I pressed down on my heart. “You guys are saying that she’s in here?”

Si Luo continued panting lightly, and it looked like it took great effort for him to speak. “Your heart is like a heavily-guarded dungeon. There’re too many things bottled up within. How would I be able to unlock it if you can’t even do it yourself…”

“Whatever you saw was a reflection of your worries, your fears, and what is at the back of your mind. These are the reasons you’ve locked yourself up,” Si Luo continued with substantial effort.

What does it mean that I saw my worries and fears? I’m afraid that Gaoqin Jiuye will kill Nie Zun? Huh, how can that be?

Or did what I see mean something else?

“You’ll remain a caged animal if you don’t let go. Li Shen, it gets harder the longer you lock yourself up. Like being in quicksand, it just gets more difficult the more you struggle…” Si Luo fixed his eyes on me.

I’ve locked myself up for too long? It’s the Split Zone which trapped me!

“You said I looked into your heart…” I tried to change the subject.

Si Luo’s eyes darkened.

Si Luo’s heart…

I guess he’s the most worried about Gaoqin Jiuye…

*Cough cough cough cough cough*

Si Luo started coughing violently.

“What… what’s wrong?” I could only look on in shock as he spat mouthfuls of blood, dyeing the coffee table a dark blood red. Nie Zun walked over immediately, trying to ease this sudden outbreak.

Si Luo’s eyes shone on his pale face, looking like he suddenly thought of something. “The both of you should go. Gaoqin Jiuye can sense it once I’m at my limit. I’m afraid he’s already on his way here…”

Si Luo panted, struggling as he said this.

I shook my head. “Where should we go, we aren’t fugitives either. Anyway, Huan Qing said he needs at least a few days to arrive here.”

Si Luo shook his head in disagreement. “He doesn’t know Gaoqin Jiuye. If I, If I…”

Before he could complete his sentence, he was racked with another violent spate of coughing, and he kept spitting out mouthfuls of blood!

I frowned, looking at Nie Zun. “Take him to Jie Pa, quick!”

Before Nie Zun could help him up, Si Luo shut his eyes and stopped moving.

“What’s happening?” I asked in shock.

Nie Zun frowned, looking grim. Si Luo was leaning against Nie Zun. They were in black and white, and the contrast was apparent.

The blood on Si Luo’s white robes bloomed into red flowers. There was still blood on the corner of his lips, but his beautiful face looked like it was just peacefully resting.

It was a kind of morbid beauty which pained my heart.

“He’s no longer breathing. This was exactly what happened to Li Qing,” Nie Zun said slowly.

Li Qing…

If Li Qing didn’t wake up, what about Si Luo?

Why did this happen…

My trembling hands reached towards Si Luo.

“He… he’s dead?”

Nie Zun was silent for a moment. He then said, “I don’t think so. It doesn’t feel like it. My gut tells me that if Si Luo dies, there’ll definitely be great upheaval in the Split Zone. Because of this, he won’t die that easily, nor would he allow himself to die so easily.”

This sounded confusing.

What am I supposed to do now?

I did not know what to say.

“Let’s just take him to Jie Pa first,” said Nie Zun as he carried Si Luo.

“Okay.”

Under the curious glances of some residents, we rushed out of the bar with Si Luo in Nie Zun’s arms.

We were met with a sudden rush of air as we stepped out of the Marketplace building.

We could see a lone figure running towards us under the gray sky. The figure seemed to be shrouded in an evil, gray mist, and its gaze was sharp and full of anger. It was coming straight for Nie Zun and I.

I could not believe my eyes.

It was Gaoqin Jiuye.

A kind of dark aura encased him, and with amazing speed, he snatched Si Luo from Nie Zun before backing some distance away.

Strong winds whipped around the Marketplace, making me slightly unsteady on my feet.

A dark fire was raging in his eyes. “What did you guys do to him?”

His voice was hoarse, and though it sounded angry, I could hear a slight tremble in his voice, and a hint of… helplessness.