Chapter 34: A Level Eight Ritual of Agony?

It’s her?

Lin Xiao was surprised; he hadn't expected to meet her again like this.

She said she had come by three times?

Lin Xiao suddenly realized that the previous two times he had seen her, it was because she had been headed to his shop, while he had coincidentally just been stepping out to handle errands. That was why she had missed him each time. Yet, to call it mere bad luck would be strange, given that they had run into each other outside the shop on both occasions.

How truly interesting.

Seeing Lin Xiao standing there in a daze, the girl in yellow waved a hand before his eyes. "Boss? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"You... you really don't remember me?" Lin Xiao asked.

"Have we met before?"

"Yes, twice! Just the day before yesterday and yesterday. Do you really have no impression at all?"

The girl in yellow lowered her head. "That is exactly the reason I have come here."

Although Lin Xiao was filled with doubts, he stepped aside and gestured for her to enter. "Come in, let's talk about it slowly."

The girl in yellow nodded and followed Lin Xiao into the reception room.

"What would you like to drink?"

"I only drink plain water, thank you."

Lin Xiao poured two glasses of water and approached the table, finding the girl sitting quietly in the morning light. The sun passed through the stray hairs by her ears, casting fine, shimmering spots of light across her cheeks, making her skin look as delicate and translucent as fine white porcelain.

Could such a radiant girl truly harbor painful memories in need of healing?

She looked at Lin Xiao and extended her right hand. "Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Huang Lingzhao."

Lin Xiao reached out as well. "I am the owner of the Time Amber Gallery, Lin Xiao."

Their hands met in a light shake before parting, yet the warmth of her touch lingered on his fingertips.

Huang Lingzhao smiled and said, "I know of you, because I was referred here by Detective Yue Chongguang."

"Detective Yue referred you?" Lin Xiao asked, puzzled.

"He told me that you helped him clear away that extremely difficult memory, so he suggested I come and try as well," Huang Lingzhao said.

"Forgive my intrusion, but what is your relationship with Detective Yue..."

Lin Xiao thought to himself: She found out the news and came here the very day after I helped Detective Yue. Could she be some relative of his?

"I am one of the six children who survived in that valley," she said, her voice suddenly dropping.

In an instant, the air in the reception room seemed to freeze. The light in the girl's eyes faded with visible speed, replaced by a bottomless abyss of pain.

Lin Xiao’s breath hitched. He understood, of course, what that meant—six years ago, in that tragedy, lives were extinguished in agony and despair, and this girl, barely eighteen or nineteen, was one of the few survivors who had witnessed hell.

"I understand," Lin Xiao said softly. "Are you looking to... remove that memory?"

"No!" Huang Lingzhao snapped her head up, the fire in her eyes making Lin Xiao’s heart tremble. "That memory is the entire reason I keep living."

The reason for living?

Lin Xiao keenly grasped the immense amount of information behind that phrasing.

However, Huang Lingzhao had no intention of continuing, so he did not press further.

Lin Xiao merely asked, "Then how can I help you?"

Huang Lingzhao’s eyes held a flicker of hope. "Do you have any way to help me anchor my memories? Even if... even if it’s just a little bit."

"What do you mean?" Lin Xiao felt incredibly confused. What did it mean to anchor a memory?

"This pertains to my Ritual of Agony..."

Just as Huang Lingzhao began, Lin Xiao instinctively raised a hand to stop her. "Wait! Such a private matter..."

"It’s alright," Huang Lingzhao shook her head, a bitter smile curling her lips. "My Ritual of Agony follows the path of sacrifice, not a Vow of Agony, so there is no risk of breaking an oath. By the way, my ritual is rated at Level Eight."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao’s nerves tightened instantly: A Level Eight Ritual of Agony! Even Chen Xin, hailed as a genius of the Federation, had only reached Level Six. Ever since the "long-term pain" of the Vow of Agony was invented, the "short-term pain" of sacrifice had rarely been used. Under normal circumstances, it was incredibly difficult for a sacrifice to exceed a Level Four ritual. What on earth had she sacrificed to reach Level Eight?

Huang Lingzhao took a deep breath. "What I sacrificed in my ritual is this: every night at midnight, I lose all memories of that day."

Lin Xiao: "..."

His mind raced. What kind of agony lay behind the literal meaning of this sacrifice?

Huang Lingzhao continued, "From the day the ritual was established, I have only ever possessed memories from before the age of eighteen. Every day, the new memories I form vanish with the chime of midnight."

"Now, I can only use paper notes to record the most important things of each day, so that the version of me who wakes up the next morning can know what happened previously."

"But this method is too troublesome. The amount of information I need to memorize from my notes every morning keeps growing, leaving me overwhelmed."

"That is why I hope you can help me—to see if there is any way to stabilize even a small portion of my memory."

With that said, Huang Lingzhao waited quietly for Lin Xiao’s answer. The room fell into dead silence.

Lin Xiao’s pupils contracted, his fingers gripping the water glass tightly. The sunlight still shone brightly upon the girl, yet it suddenly appeared so ironic—vibrant, yet utterly devoid of life.

Lin Xiao suddenly understood why she had no memory of him whenever they met; it was because her memory reset to zero every single day. Her life had a past, but no future!

What shocked Lin Xiao even more was this: her life—or rather, the "version" of Huang Lingzhao sitting before him—had less than twenty-four hours left.

This was not alarmism. Just imagine: if you knew that at midnight, you would lose every memory of today, would the person who wakes up in your bed tomorrow still be you?

The answer made Lin Xiao shudder. The girl in yellow sitting before him would certainly not consider the person who woke up tomorrow, with a refreshed memory, to be herself. To her, that would be, at best, a "most familiar stranger" who shared the same shell and collective history.

It was like a god creating a copy of you—with the same exterior, the same soul, the same memories, identical inside and out. To everyone else, that copy would be indistinguishable from you. But you would never believe that the copy was you! If you saw such a copy, your first reaction might even be to destroy it.

Lin Xiao knew this was one of the ultimate philosophical questions of his previous life: Who am I? Was the Ship of Theseus truly changed? And if so, at what moment did it happen?

Now, Lin Xiao finally understood why she had said they would never meet again during their first encounter. Because even if they met again, it wouldn't be the same her.

She had only one day of life! In other words, she died every single day. In the limited time she had left, countless versions of her, reborn each day, had to face the terror of death over and over again.

No wonder it was rated as a Level Eight Ritual of Agony by the gods. There is great terror between life and death, and she had to experience it every day.

Even without being able to fully empathize, Lin Xiao felt a bitter taste in his mouth. What could possibly drive her to make such a resolute sacrifice? What was it that made her endure such despair and agony throughout her life?

"That memory is the entire reason I keep living."

The answer seemed to form faintly in Lin Xiao’s mind. He remembered the day they first met, when she had helped him. If not for her righteous intervention, he likely would have had his money picked clean by the gang of thieves. Yet, when he offered money to thank her, Huang Lingzhao had firmly refused. She had only said, calmly, "No need. I only helped you so that I could feel more at peace."

Lin Xiao didn't know if he could remain as kind to the world as she was if he only had one day to live. But regardless, he was determined to help her.

Huang Lingzhao caught the sympathy flowing in Lin Xiao’s eyes. She hadn't expected that after just a few sentences, he would seem to understand her so well.

"You’ve had a hard time lately. I will definitely find a way to help you, even if you might not be able to see me fulfill that promise," Lin Xiao said.

That short sentence struck deep into Huang Lingzhao’s heart: He truly understands my pain!

Huang Lingzhao couldn't help but feel the connection of a kindred spirit who truly understood her. It was a pity, she thought, that this mutual understanding couldn't be carried over to tomorrow...

She felt a moment of disappointment. But the promise Lin Xiao had given her quickly invigorated her spirit.

"Do you really have a way?"