6 Chapter 6
Liu Jin and Daiyu went to see the man who could take her memories away. The man was not a lost soul. He was a being born in the afterlife, a person meant to usher souls into their reincarnation.
"Alright. What do you want in exchange?" The man asked.
"Exchange?" Daiyu asked, confused.
"That's right. In exchange for your memories, you can get something else. A head start, so to say." He explained.
"… Can Jin take it instead of me?" She asked.
"… Sure. I don't see why not." The man replied.
"Xiao Yu?" Liu Jin asked, confused.
Daiyu was born beautiful but she knew she was not bright.
"Jin… use the exchange for yourself. I… I'm not very smart. I'll just waste it on myself. Besides, I'll forget everything after this. But you'll remember. And you'll take care of me, right?" She looked up to him.
He smiled.
"Of course."
"Then you can take it. Use it to take care of me well." She beamed.
He chuckled.
"Alright. I'll use it well."
---
After Daiyu had her memories exchanged, they returned to town to say goodbye to the friends they made. One of them was the same age as Liu Jin and the three of them even went to the same academy but had never met before in their past life.
"Zhihao, we'll be leaving soon." Daiyu greeted him.
"Already?" He looked at her, pouting.
She giggled.
"When will you be taking the train?" She asked.
"I'll stay for about a week more, then I'll leave as well. Can't say no to free booze right?" He grinned.
Daiyu rolled her eyes. Zhihao had actually been here earlier than her and had already become good friends with Liu Jin even before she reunited with him. He never took the train because he had been enjoying the free beer served at the tavern and had lost track of time.
"Don't stay too long." Liu Jin reminded him.
"Right, right. Go. I'll be with you guys soon." He smiled playfully.
The three of them had agreed to meet again in their next life.
"Right!" Daiyu smiled back.
After bidding him goodbye, Liu Jin and Daiyu returned to the Platform of Regret.
---
"What did you exchange my memories for?" Daiyu asked.
"Mmm? A skill. It shows me a person's greatest fear." Liu Jin answered.
"You can have that?" Daiyu furrowed her brows in confusion.
"Right. It's basically against the rules to read someone else's mind. So I compromised by asking for a skill that would show me a person's greatest fear instead. It's not as useful as mind reading but, if used properly, it can give me a lot of advantage."
"… Are you going to use it on your stepmother?"
Liu Jin smiled.
"Of course."
"If I want to live past the age of thirteen, I need to get rid of her before she gets rid of me."
"… You have to be careful." Daiyu pouted.
"Worried about me?" He smirked.
"Of course… Who's going to take care of me when you're gone?" She looked at him angrily.
He chuckled.
"Right. Don't worry. Her tricks won't work on me this time."
Soon, they heard the loud horns of the train and it slowly came to a stop in the platform in front of them.
"Ready?" He asked.
"… Ready." She took the first step on board the train, eyes filled with determination.
"Well, here we go."
---
Right after they left, someone entered the tavern. Zhihao turned his head and saw an unfamiliar woman. Upon seeing her face, he returned to drinking. After all, he didn't really care much about new people arriving in town.
Soon, however, the waiter led the woman to a counter where she was asked to fill up some forms. After her papers were processed, the counter clerk handed her a ticket.
"Good luck on your next life, Ms. Xia Xiulan."
Zhihao's ears perked up upon hearing the name. He looked at the woman, studying her face.
"Man, looks like I gotta skip the week of free beer after all." He sighed and watched as the woman started walking towards the door.
"Hey miss! The train for today has just left. It's best you stay the night at the nearby inn." He shouted.
The woman looked at him and the waiter affirmed Zhihao's remark.
"He's right. The next train will arrive tomorrow."
"… Where's the inn?" She asked.
The waiter then accompanied her out the door towards the inn.
When she left, Zhihao stood up from his table and downed his bottle in one go.
"Where are you going?" The man sitting in front of him asked.
"To start my next life."
"What?! Didn't you say you were leaving next week?"
"Yeah. Change of plans. I gotta report this to the boss or I'll get scolded for slacking off." He let out a sigh and scratched his neck.
"Boss? You mean Liu Jin? What's the matter?"
"That woman was the one who killed Xiao Yu."
"WHAT?!" The man stood up abruptly, tipping his mug of beer in the process.
"Right. If she reincarnates too… "
"You gotta warn them fast!"
"I can't. By now the train has already left. I'll have to tell them in the next life."
"This is one sick turn of events." The man furrowed his brows.
