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…”.