Volume 4
216 Returning to the Demon Cave
This was the real Li Qing.
Seeing her whip out the big guns, I stepped forward, ready to join the fight if it turned ugly.
To my surprise, Li Qing turned and headed somewhere else. She had no intention of fighting at all.
A hint of doubt appeared in Nie Zun’s eyes. He probably wondered why Li Qing wanted to avoid a fight even with those abilities. He leapt into the air immediately, chasing after her at the speed of light. Feng, Huo and Lei followed after him closely.
I said to myself with gritted teeth, “Do they think this is some competition of sorts? Everyone is running so quickly.”
I had no choice but to focus my MF on my feet and run after them.
The wind roared past my ears at the speed I was going and it felt as if everything on my face was being distorted. Even so, I was still quite a distance away from the rest.
Pain shot through my chest just as I attempted to quicken my pace.
What’s happening?
Was this caused by my lack of rest and frequent use of MF?
This pain felt like it came from the depths of my soul, and it seemed to emanate from my heart.
With no time to think about what was happening, I continued running. The top priority now is to help Nie Zun regain his memories.
I realized what Li Qing was trying to do when the giant mushroom in front of the demon cave appeared before me. She was trying to lure him here, and all we had to do now was to enter the cave.
Li Qing had already drawn her sword when I finally caught up with them at the cave’s entrance.
Nie Zun squinted at the entrance. Even when faced with four enemies right in front of him, he was still able to ask me in a casual manner, “This is where I came out from, right?”
I shook my head vigorously. “I don’t know. How would I know when there are so many caves around?”
Nie Zun scratched his head in confusion, as if he was in some sort of dilemma.
Li Qing did not give him much time to continue being confused. With a tap of her feet, she raised her sword and charged at Nie Zun.
I became rather emotional as I saw her like this. It was two years since I’ve seen her fight, and I’ve been missing her for as long as I could remember. At that time, I felt contented and happy knowing that she’ll always behind me to protect me. I even thought that I would be able to survive here in the Split Zone forever as long as she was around.
It could’ve been because I hadn’t seen her in a long time, or it might’ve been because I thought she was dead. The image of her with shut eyes and a pale face reappeared in my mind. I teared at the thought.
She exuded a kind of resilience as she carried that sword with her. She was made for battle. In my eyes, not even Hua Mulan or Fan Lihua can hold a candle against her. (T/n: Historical figures, Hua Mulan and Fan Lihua were famous female warriors.)
Even though she was excellent in battle, she did not carelessly engage in fights. I don’t remember ever seeing her fight to protect herself. She had always fought for others, or to protect somebody else.
Li Qing was someone who did not know how to ‘love herself’.
I was of that opinion up until now, when she reappeared before me, when Feng, Huo and Lei looked at me with those unfamiliar gazes. I was confused. Had I been wrong about her all this time?
Was Li Qing not like what I thought she was?
The fight was already underway as I got lost in my own thoughts.
Li Qing’s sword slashed through the air. Every move of hers was fast and furious, and she moved quickly and confidently without the slightest hint of hesitation.
As for Nie Zun, his reflexes were quick and he was extremely agile. He used his pupils to control the air around him as he avoided Li Qing’s attacks.
Feng, Huo and Lei were standing at the sidelines, looking like they were ready to attack anytime.
“Hey, aren’t you going to help me out?” Nie Zun could even chide me in the middle of his fight.
I looked at him. “I can’t win them. How about we just run?”
Nie Zun smirked. “Where to?”
I pointed at the demon cave behind him. “Let’s go in and have a look. It was empty when you came out of there, but it’d be interesting now.”
Feng, Huo and Lei attacked at this very moment when Nie Zun was in a dilemma on whether he should enter. It was a powerful attack.
The ground started quaking and the air rippled to the point that it blurred my vision. Bubbles started coming out from the ground, as if the ground was boiling liquid. This was bad. Focusing MF on my feet, I leapt into the air.
Just as I leapt, sparks started shooting up from the ground. Countless red sparks appeared, and they burnt fierce and bright.
Nie Zun narrowed his eyes, as if he was thinking of a counterattack. The blue sky then turned dark in an instant.
I looked up to see a dark shadow above.
Not good, it was Lei.
Lei had not really launched any attack up until now. He was good in controlling electrons, and I remembered him literally being as fast as lightning.
Li Qing smiled as she raised her sword again.
All four of them were about to go against him now.
Nie Zun sensed it too, that he was already being surrounded and that the only escape was the cave behind him.
I looked around us before I made a decision. Spreading my MF throughout my body, I rushed into the middle of the fight.
It felt as if something was automatically put into motion the moment I entered the fight. I thought I could counter the force, but I only felt my MF continually weaken as the flames from the ground licked my skin.
Li Qing charged towards Nie Zun and I with her sword as a bolt of lightning appeared with a thunderous clap.
I pushed Nie Zun into the cave behind him and a loud explosion sounded behind us as we fell forward.
As we struggled to get up, I saw a stone door seal the entrance to the cave behind us. There was probably a mechanism already in place.
But, Li Qing didn’t tell me what to do next from here. And has she already disabled Huai Du’s consciousness in Nie Zun?
Nie Zun stood up, frowning. “What’s happening?” Okay, this was an idiot right here.
“You’re going to look for whoever Huai Du wants you to look for? I don’t think you’ve lost your memories, I think you’ve been brainwashed instead.” I stared at him as I spoke.
Nie Zun shrugged. “I keep hearing his voice in my head, and that happens at least once a day. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong if I listened to him, and I’d be able to regain those lost memories as well.”
I was so frustrated that I wanted to scream at him. All the memories you’ve lost had to do with me. But that would sound like I was getting at something else if I said it. I guess I should leave it until he regains his memories then.
Because of this, I was even more anxious in getting his memories back.
“No use wasting time here. Since we won’t be able to get out from that door anyway, let’s just go further in and find another exit.” I looked at my watch. It’s been an hour since Huai Du’s consciousness awoke in him. I had to find his blood within the next 23 hours.
In fact, I had to find that tablet within the next 23 hours. I didn’t know how much sand had already flowed to the bottom half of that hourglass, and I didn’t know what to do to change his blood either. Li Qing didn’t tell me how to go about any of these.
“Why can’t we exit from that door?” Nie Zun asked as he pointed to where we came from.
I answered in a frustrated manner. “From what I know, all the stones in this cave absorb MF. No matter how much MF you use, it’ll end up being absorbed in the end. How can we open it in this case? Or do you think you can use mere strength to open that stone door without using your MF?”
Nie Zun smirked as if that would be an easy task for him. He strolled over to the door with hands in his pockets.
As if avoiding the uneven areas, he placed his palms carefully against the door.
He turned back after one try, flashing me a brilliant smile. His eyes were clear like spring water and his confidence did not seem to have buckled at all. “It really doesn’t work.”
“…”
When I walked over and screamed at the door, Nie Zun had already made his way into the cave. There was no answer from outside the stone door either.
I said to myself in frustration, “Not telling me what to do. Do I really need to sacrifice myself for this? Just how should I get his blood back?”
This was mission impossible, but I followed Nie Zun into the cave quickly.
He was already disappearing into the darkness. Visibility had reduced to a radius of ten meters in the cave.
I felt something following behind as I quickened my steps, but there seemed to be nothing there when I turned around to look.
“Hey, slow down.” I tapped him on the shoulder as I finally caught up with him. He was rather fast, though he looked like he was just taking a nice evening stroll.
As Nie Zun turned around, his starry eyes and handsome features were gone.
The individual who turned around did not have a face.
His face was as white as paper and there was nothing on it.
