Split Zone No.13

56 Long Time No See

We saw the silhouette of a man hurrying towards us from a short distance, not long after leaving the academy . Upon closer inspection, I recognized the person as Ku Fei, the young guy we met at Southern District’s tea shop when we first arrived .

The cuffs of Ku Fei’s sleeves were rolled up high, revealing his muscular arms . His thick and sharp brows were tightly knitted together like he was perturbed .

His eyes shone when they met mine and he rushed towards me immediately . “You—I heard from the others that you’re the Western District commander, Li Shen . Do you remember me?” He waved both arms at me, his speech seemed a little slurred .

Noting his nervous disposition, I smiled and attempted to calm him down . “That’s right, I’m Li Shen . Of course, I remember you . What’s wrong? Why are you so anxious?”

Ku Fei blushed faintly, raising a hand to tousle his own hair, “Th—the last time… I heard from the neighbors that you came to look for me one of those nights, but I have no recollection of what happened then . ”

Recalling the night I was torn to pieces after falling down that pit, my lips twitched slightly . Heh, it’s a good thing he doesn’t remember . A good thing indeed .

He continued hastily, his eyes seemed to reflect his apprehension once more . “Actually, I figured you and your companions must have been pranked by Ms Mi Fu that night . And I… I know you hate her but she really is a good person, she didn’t mean anything by it . I asked around about the child you were looking for—she wasn’t the new toy that Ms Mi Fu had acquired, s-so can you… can you please not hurt her…?” His last sentence was spoken with even more caution than before .

I frowned . “Hurt her? Why would we hurt her?”

Nie Zun was the first to unravel the situation at hand . Emerging from the group, he flashed Ku Fei a smile as well . “Are you worried because Ms Mi Fu hasn’t been seeking you out these days?”

Ku Fei nodded his head fervently . “She hasn’t come by in a long time, and I heard… I heard that no one has seen her or her illusionist on the streets of Southern District either . I’m a little worried that she might be in some kind of danger…” He stole a glance towards me as he trailed off .

I choked back on my boiling anger . Do I really look like someone who would hold grudges over petty matters like this, to the extent of kidnapping a little girl?! (Passerby B interjected, “You do!”) I rolled my eyes but witnessing at how ill at ease Ku Fei was, I replied patiently . “We didn’t hurt her . ”

“Th, th-then…” Ku Fei grew even more anxious upon hearing that . “Then do you know where she and that illusionist went?”

We exchanged a look, at a loss for a suitable response . Eventually, it was Nie Zun who spoke up . “Ku Fei, calm down . Mi Fu shouldn’t be in much danger, you should head back and tend to your tea shop . Perhaps she will return soon . ”

Disappointment filled his eyes . “Do you really not know where she is…?”

I couldn’t bear to tell him the truth but Jiao S replied before I could, “We don’t . In fact, we are returning to our respective districts now . You should head back as well . ”

Jiao S’ voice had always been cold and hoarse, with her face clear of any emotions, but I knew she had Ku Fei’s best interests at heart . After all, seeing how worried he is, there was no way we could delve into the stranger things that has been happening in the split zone .

“Alright then . Do come back if you have the chance, and be sure to drop by my shop for some tea . ” His smile was strained yet his words were filled with sincerity . Perhaps it was because of his overwhelming concern for Mi Fu that he looked glum even with a smile .

“Of course . ” Nie Zun gave him a pat on the shoulder before gesturing for us to leave with a shift of his eyes .

As I walked by Ku Fei, I couldn’t help but glance sideways towards his young and energetic face, now filled with such a dispirited expression . I told myself to stop looking and just like that I walked right past him .

It was a short distance before Ku Fei called out to us again . He caught up to us, swiping his gaze over the group . “Uh… B-before, you… you mentioned about wanting to look for the commander? Did you manage to meet him?”

I shook my head .

Ku Fei furrowed his brows tighter . “Have you tried?”

I nodded . “We tried, but we couldn’t find him . ”

I nodded . “We tried, but we couldn’t find him . ”

If at all possible, his frown seemed to deepen even further . “If that’s the case, that means it’s really—”

Without waiting for him to finish, Jiao S waved her hand impatiently . “That’s your district’s problem; whether it’s your commander or that alleged goddess . Whatever the case, you should stop meddling with it . It’s not something that is within your power anyway . ”

Once she was done, Jiao S reached for my hand and pulled, indicating that we should leave . There was nothing I could do about it . Following the others, we continued moving towards the boundary lines . From time to time, I would look back to the sight of Ku Fei standing at that same spot with his downcast eyes, and I would feel the urge to let out a long sigh . He had been such a young and energetic boy . What a pity, why did he insist on being so kind towards that stubborn and vicious Mi Fu?

At that thought, I recalled the old lady who claimed to be Ku Fei’s grandmother, and nudged Nie Zun hurriedly . “Do you all remember Ku Fei’s grandmother? She said that Mi Fu was a soul splitter . Do you reckon that’s the reason Rong Jin and the others took her?”

Nie Zun did not say a word, but the expression in his eyes told me he was considering the possibility .

Jiao S answered instead . “But didn’t Ku Fei say he didn’t have a grandmother? I wonder if she was one of Huan Qing’s illusions . ”

“Why would he feel the need to show us that?”

Jiao S shrugged . “We’ll only get the answer to that question once he wakes . ”

I sighed inwardly but nodded .

The group returned to the boundary forest between Southern and Western District . Walking into the forest, the betrayal of You Ji was still vivid in my mind . I took a deep breath but didn’t think the air within Southern District felt all that fresh . As we walked on, Jiao S came to an abrupt stop .

“What’s wrong?” Perplexed by her actions, I looked over at her .

Her eyes grew gradually wider . “I feel a familiar aura but I can’t put a finger on it . Somehow, I have a feeling we’ve left out something . ”

Her eyes grew gradually wider . “I feel a familiar aura but I can’t put a finger on it . Somehow, I have a feeling we’ve left out something . ”

My heart jolted at her words . Indeed… Something feels amiss . But… What was it exactly?

“It’s getting nearer…” All of a sudden, Jiao S’ eyes snapped open .

Meanwhile I could feel a headache coming on—must something always go wrong whenever we enter the boundary forest? Seriously, did the boundary forest exist with the sole purpose of being our battleground?!

I secretly shook my head .

Jiao S stretched an arm out and gave me a light push . “Don’t let your guard down . I really did sense an aura… a sort of familiarity I haven’t felt in a long while . ”

Nie Zun piped up, “She must have a keen sense of intuition . Nevertheless, if there really is someone in close proximity, then who could it be…? Who could conceal their whereabouts when we’ve already sensed their presence?”

I observed my surroundings and did not find anything unusual, at least within the circumference of visibility I had in this boundary forest . With such dense forest all around us though, it was hard to tell .

Guan Nie yawned, bearing an air of indifference . “What’s there to be afraid of? From what you’ve mentioned, those weirdos should be gathered at Si Luo’s by now . Unless Si Luo is hiding in here, which I highly doubt . If those people aren’t here, then there’s nothing to be worried about with our numbers . ”

Is this… the theory of strength in numbers?

For some reason, I couldn’t sense anyone approaching us but I did feel like we had forgotten something . This uncomfortable feeling of not knowing was akin to feeling a pea under those eighteen layers of mattress .

When Guan Nie brought up Si Luo, he looked towards Jiao S vaguely but she did not react . Her eyes was staring wide, frowning while she turned her stiff neck around to sweep the area around us .

“Perhaps you’re too sensitive? Just as Guan Nie said, there’s no reason for any of them to be here . ” I tried to adopt Nie Zun’s method of comfort and moved to give her a pat on the shoulder .

When Guan Nie brought up Si Luo, he looked towards Jiao S vaguely but she did not react . Her eyes was staring wide, frowning while she turned her stiff neck around to sweep the area around us .

“Perhaps you’re too sensitive? Just as Guan Nie said, there’s no reason for any of them to be here . ” I tried to adopt Nie Zun’s method of comfort and moved to give her a pat on the shoulder .

However, just as I lifted my hand, my heart sank sharply . I remembered what we had forgotten . My eyes widened in gradual realization . At the same time, Jiao S seemed to have made a connection about the owner of that unnerving aura . She turned swiftly with a creak in her neck and looked at me .

When our eyes met, I knew… We were thinking of the same person .

She appeared before either of us had the chance to speak . She hadn’t been hiding . Rather, she had always approached things from afar and in an unhurried manner . She drifted in from mid-air, at a slightly higher altitude above where we stood .

She always loved floating around like this since a long time ago . I could still remember her beautiful smile when she said to me, “Ah Shen, the split zone is actually pretty nice! Look, you can float like this, just like a flower . ”

She really did look like a flower .

Not the stereotypical, cheesy type of flower . More like a fusion of beauty and pureness from all the flowers in this world, like the queen of flowers . And at this moment, that was exactly what she looked like . Smiling that beautiful smile of hers, whirling around and floating like the wind, slowly drifting towards us .

Her black hair was coiled gorgeously into a bun at the top and flowing down her chest on the lower half, strands of it framing her face, lightly fluttering with the breeze . There were also those limpid eyes of hers . Where Guan Nie’s beauty was coquettish, hers was soft and gentle . Just as I’ve said before, she was someone who could make others feel good simply with her presence .

She had always taken a liking to dressing herself in ancient costumes and she suited them well, looking much like the beauties in those tales of old . If she could travel back in time, she would have looked even more beautiful than she did in modern clothes . Right now, she wore an ancient garb and a yellow yarn dress . I recognized her—of course I did—but before I could call her name, Jiao S was already ahead of me .

Her eyes were slowly flooding with a complex loathing, her raspy and heavy voice sounded . “Li Wen . So it’s true that you are still alive . ”

Li Wen smiled gently, then glided to a spot not far away from us, landing light on her feet . A pair of plain, white cloth shoes softly touched the ground .

“Ah Shen, Jiao S, long time no see,” she chimed, her voice drifting towards us along with her moving gaze .