Chapter 32: Losing

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The clock struck twelve. The world was silent as the moon hung high in the sky, casting a pale light over the landscape. 

The world was at peace; at least, it appeared like that on the surface. However, the reality was somewhat different.

Under the all-encompassing darkness, a mysterious shadow could occasionally be seen on the roofs of houses. However, none could even catch a glimpse of the shadow with how fast it was moving. 

The shadow soon appeared in a lavishly furnished room where a young man was sitting with a glass of wine in his hand as if appreciating the beautiful view outside. 

The shadow silently appeared behind the young man. 

"Did you deliver the message?" The young man asked before taking a sip from his glass. 

"An anonymous letter has been delivered as per instructions. Everything has been mentioned. According to the information, the Celestial Palace already sent some people." The shadow's voice echoed in the room, sounding cold yet feminine. 

The man didn't respond. He simply nodded without even bothering to glance back. The shadow behind him also disappeared in the darkness of the night as if it was never there in the first place. 

****

In another place in the Royal City of the Eternal Dynasty, a young man was sitting on the roof right under the moonlight. It was the second consecutive night where Xu Shan ended up on the roof. 

For some reason, he felt more comfortable under the moonlight, as if it was something soothing... This was the only time where he could feel relief... The only time when he didn't want to constantly scheme and worry about the future. 

He rested his head on a pillow, just watching the stars twinkling like diamonds in the sky while the cool and crisp air brushed against his skin. 

"It should be winter soon. What a pity that there hasn't been any snowfall in the Eternal Dynasty."

"Do you like snowfall?" Xinren appeared next to him. 

"I do... Or at least I think I do. However, I can't exactly remember why?" Xu Shan replied. There was some uncertainty in his voice. "It feels as if I forgot something important."

Whenever he tried to think about it, he could only see a blurry shadow, as if there was a shroud on his memories. 

"Is this the price this time?" He calmly asked. If it was the old him, his reaction might've been much stronger. However, currently, only a trace of sadness was visible in his eyes. 

Xinren only looked at him, but she didn't say anything. 

"If I've already paid the price, you should be able to tell me." Xu Shan's calm voice broke the silent yet solemn atmosphere. "Tell me what I sacrificed this time?"

Physically he was perfectly fine. However, he could still feel that something was wrong. As if there was something really important that he couldn't remember at all... Something which was very dear to his heart.

Who was that blurry shadow that he occasionally thought about? Why couldn't he remember? There were many questions in his mind, but even he felt slightly scared about trying to find the answer. 

Despite not knowing, his heart felt some strange yet inexplicable sadness. 

"It'll be even more painful if I tell you. So it's better that you don't know. This is the price for your last wish... An exchange..." Xinren also glanced at the moon hanging high in the sky. 

She had a feeling that if Xu Shan knew what price he had to pay, he never would've written that specific wish. Unfortunately, it wasn't as if he had any other choice either. 

Xu Shan couldn't directly target Qin Ye because Qin Ye was the holder of the book of destiny. Even if he could use the Book of Desires to directly mess with him, the price wasn't something he thought he could afford currently. 

Thus, he went with another option that he thought was more suitable to deal with Qin Ye!

Qin Ye had set an elaborate trap for him, not realizing that what Xu Shan planned was something even crazier. 

The silent night passed away. In the end, Xu Shan fell asleep without receiving an answer.

"Would he hate me if he knew the price he paid?" Sitting next to Xu Shan, Xinren could be seen talking to herself. 

Even though she was a Book Spirit and wasn't allowed to interfere in the decision of the host, but if she knew what he was writing, she thought that she could've at least tried to convince him to think of another method. Unfortunately, by the time she came to her senses, Xu Shan had already finished writing. 

Xinren stood up and walked to the edge of the roof, looking over at the beautiful city around her. However, she couldn't appreciate the scene. 

Initially, she didn't get attached to any host. However, because Xu Shan had become something akin to a friend to her in such a short time, even she felt somewhat bad for him. 

"He came to this world with nothing but his memories of Earth. And amongst those memories, his most cherished memories were of his father and his mother..."

She glanced back at the sleeping face of the young man in the distance. 

"The childhood that he spent in a poor yet loving household... Those were what he cherished the most."

"But now... That's what he sacrificed. I can't tell him that. I can't tell him that he lost all the memories of his mother and his childhood... The memories that he can never recover as if those things never existed in the first place."

In the end, she walked back and sat next to Xu Shan, just silently sitting there throughout the night. 

****

Early in the morning, Xu Shan finally woke up from his slumber, noticing Xinren sitting next to him with her arms around her knees, as if she was a child who was curiously looking at him. 

"Do I have something on my face?" Xu Shan stood up, yawning. Whenever he slept under the moonlight, his body always felt so refreshed. 

"Of course, there's something on your face." Xinren also stood up. Unlike him, she didn't need to sleep to feel refreshed. Since she was a Book Spirit, she didn't require any sleep. Let alone require, she couldn't sleep even if she wanted to. 

All her life, she wanted to experience dreams... Unfortunately, she never could. She could only watch as the other humans slept and dreamed.

"Did you have a good dream?" she asked, changing the topic. 

"I'm not sure. I can't remember." Xu Shan calmly replied as he stretched his arms, gazing at the City in the distance, which looked even more beautiful with the sun rising in the distance. 

"Anyway, we should get ready. If I'm not wrong, the Celestial Palace will pay us a visit soon. All the pieces are in place. This should be getting fun soon."