Volume 4
208 Nie Zun, the Stranger

I couldn’t win against so many leeches at once.

Every single one of them had to be destroyed since I might lose the ability to regenerate if I ended up being bitten just once. Though Scorpion Ray was suitable for long-range battle, it drained MF too quickly. I was using way too much strength to maintain that circular bow.

Tilting my head to look at Nie Zun, who looked like he was about to fall asleep anytime, I said, “Hey, help me kill some of these. We’re on the same side now. I might just die if you continue lazing around like this.”

Nie Zun smiled at me, his wispy bangs falling across his forehead. “It’s obvious that they’re your enemies. Why should I help you when they have nothing to do with me?”

This guy…

My lips twitched in irritation. “She’s also your enemy, thank you very much.”

Nie Zun asked in mock earnesty, “Oh, is that so? How could that be?”

He descended to the ground looking like he did not have a care in the world with both hands in his pockets and a slightly hunched back.

He looked at Laurel. “Little lady, do we have something against each other?”

Laurel smirked. “Of course not. There’s no need for Nie Zun gege to protect jiejie since you don’t remember her anymore.”

For some reason, I was a little angered at what she said. Drawing an arrow of light with my right hand, I shot at the row of leeches in front of me.

Laurel giggled at me. “I think Ah Shen jiejie still cares about Nie Zun gege. Are you angry now?”

Why is this child so annoying now when we used to be on such good terms?

Nie Zun scratched the tip of his nose and the corner of his lips turned up at an angle. “Then I’m really sorry. According to you, we might not have anything against each other. But I’m not feeling too good right now, and these things are irritating. So, we might have something against each other in future.”

Before I could react, Nie Zun lifted a hand and pointed at the leeches.

A black ray shot out from his finger as his eyes shone with a chilly light!

“Krru. Krru.”

The leeches were producing a funny ‘krru’ sound before all of them flipped over.

Laurel frowned. “This is demonic energy. You’ve turned into a demon.”

Nie Zun scratched his head. “I think there was the word ‘demon’ from where I came from…”

I recalled the character for ‘demon’ which was on that stone tablet he was in earlier. Who was behind all this?

There was action going on at Gaoqin Jiuye’s side as well. Though he was facing the enemy solo, the scene was rather horrific.

He was leaping around the pool of blood that Piercer was in. Following closely behind him was Shen Qi.

A black light emanated from Shen Qi as he left a trail of destruction in his wake.

The fiery red flames produced by Piercer’s soul had already set the area in front of the pool on fire. The flames were fierce and they seemed to be licking at Gaoqin Jiuye’s ankles.

White fog surged continuously in Gaoqin Jiuye’s eyes. I could see the blood vessels in the corners of his eyes as he concentrated on controlling the air currents around him to parry the fierce flames.

This was the first time I’ve seen Gaoqin Jiuye focus so much on controlling air currents. I guess Piercer’s soul was no easy opponent.

I was suddenly envious of how well Gaoqin Jiuye and Shen Qi could work together, and I silently promised myself that I will conquer Piercer.

Engaging in a long-drawn battle was not a good idea. Daylight was in about a couple of hours, and if Du Yue and Li Wen weren’t able to find Gaoqin Jiuye and I, the situation might become even more complicated.

I focused my MF on Scorpion Ray as I created a larger, rotational circular bow to launch attacks at the leeches. The leeches kept on increasing in number and they never seemed to decrease. I was beginning to tire.

A leech suddenly flew onto my leg from behind.

My heart sank as I felt a cold and prickly feeling on the back of my calf. I felt a prickly pain as I turned to look.

Clack.

My flesh had been cut with those giant leech pincers.

I waved my right hand at it! Using MF, I broke the leech broke into pieces.

I thought to myself, ‘Oh no, I’m going to lose my ability to regenerate.’

Laurel laughed. “Aiyaya. You were bitten, Ah Shen jiejie. What to do? Your constitution will turn to one that belongs to a normal human being.”

Just as my mind was flustered over this, I realized that my calf had healed miraculously. My constitution didn’t turn into that of a normal human being even after being bitten by the leech.

“No, no. no. That can’t be… Why is your leg…” Laurel stared at my healed calf.

I didn’t know why it happened either.

After a moment, Laurel said, “It’s no wonder everyone wants you. They’re all here for you. Ah Shen jiejie is really different from the rest.”

Different from the rest. Why such a description again?

I’ve had enough of being a weirdo.

It was too tiring.

Gritting my teeth, I replied angrily, “It doesn’t matter whether I’m different or not. What matters is that you can forget about taking anything or anyone away from me, all of you. I, Li Shen, will stop losing things from now on.”

Placing my palms against each other, I focused my MF.

“Scorpion Ray.”

With the force from my MF, the blood sprayed everywhere from the pool opposite me.

Those gigantic female bodies shattered as Scorpion Ray produced a blinding light.

Laurel turned back in shock, before looking back at me. “Seems like I really shouldn’t go easy on you.”

I smirked. “Don’t go easy on me.”

A loud crash was heard at Gaoqin Jiuye’s side. Looking over, I could only see Shen Qi running around Piercer in circles. White fog continued surging in Gaoqin Jiuye’s eyes as he combined the air currents with Shen Qi’s movements. Piercer was trapped within.

The skin on Piercer’s soul continued to peel. I couldn’t make out what she looked like, and it looked horrifying.

Apart from that continually shedding skin and the burning flames, Piercer didn’t seem to be doing anything else. However, Gaoqin Jiuye looked serious, as if he was putting in a lot of effort in the fight.

Just as I was about to launch an attack on Laurel, the lazy Nie Zun seemed to have spotted some opportunity. Like a black flash of lightning, he appeared in the middle of Gaoqin Jiuye’s air current, landing right in front of Piercer.

“Hey, what are you doing?” I shouted, wondering what Nie Zun was planning.

He ignored me. All I could see was a black figure.

He then raised a pale and slender hand to create a dark storm.

I have always liked those eyes and hands, probably because it was so rarely seen.

He could always be seen wearing those black gloves in the past, and it felt like a black screen which separated us. It was difficult for me to even catch a glimpse of those hands.

As time passed, I was the only one left beside him. I guess that’s why I was lucky enough to have seen them more than once.

Things turn really precious when they are rare. In my eyes, these hands did not belong to a devil.

They were an extremely precious pair of hands, even if they were feared by everyone when he was alive.

Even when these hands were emanating the aura of death as they strangled someone’s neck the few times I had seen them.

It was all for me.

If he had really turned into a demon, it would all be because of me.

But now?

Gaoqin Jiuye looked on dumbfounded as these hands were able to contain Piercer in just a few moves.

Laurel, Gaoqin Jiuye and I were not able to do anything but watch as Nie Zun literally stepped on Piercer’s soul.

Nie Zun had that indifferent expression on him throughout, even when Piercer’s soul continued letting out blood-curdling screams.

The fiery red flame in the middle of Nie Zun’s forehead was burning brightly when Piercer’s soul fell at his feet. Black and red flames surrounded him. His bloodthirsty eyes looked mystifying. Black fog obscured his hands, making them a gray color.

Gaoqin Jiuye could tell when it was dangerous. He called Shen Qi back to him when Nie Zun attacked.

He then came over to me.

Looking at me with a fiery warmth, he said, “You actually came out with Nie Zun without letting me know?”

I didn’t understand this. Why did I have to inform you?

Seeing me silent, Gaoqin Jiuye seemed to get angry. “Li Shen, you’re really stupid. Have you forgotten how Nie Zun was like in that demon cave? He’s not the Nie Zun of the past anymore, and you dare trust him like this? Don’t you know anything about safety?”

I looked at Nie Zun, who was still torturing Piercer with that demonic energy.

Yes, he’s no longer the Nie Zun of the past. How could I have forgotten that?

Scenes of how we accompanied each other every day flooded through my brain when I saw that face of his in my room.

It wasn’t easy to tell the difference…

Wasn’t it still him…?