Fractured Crystal Leaf

"Jing Yi?" Leng Jin Yu slightly frowned. Why did it seem as if Jing Yi still wasn't really back?

Jing Yi still didn't react as if he had only opened his eyes out of instinct but couldn't see what was in front of him. Leng Jin Yu tentatively reached out and touched his shoulder. The boy flinched. He jerked his head around, his expression as if he had just been caught red-handed.

"Jing Yi?" Leng Jin Yu couldn't help but feel worried. This was getting stranger by the minute. Why did Jing Yi have such an intense reaction?

Jing Yi stared at him before slowly blinking his eyes. "Senior … Martial Brother … Yu?" It was as if he wanted to make sure if the person in front of him was indeed the one he thought.

Leng Jin Yu nodded. "Yes."

Jing Yi fell silent again and looked back at the canopy of the bed. He didn't really see it though. His thoughts were still with the things he had experienced just now.

"Jing Yi. What did you see?"

"See?" Jing Yi turned back again, puzzled. "How do you know …?"

Leng Jin Yu gave a sigh and pointed at Jing Yi's other hand that was still clutching the herb from before. "You absorbed a part of the spiritual energy of this herb."

"The Crystal Grass?" Jing Yi frowned and tried to sit up. His thoughts were slowly returning to the present. "What does that have to do with it?"

"It's because this isn't Crystal Grass. Haven't you noticed that it looks different?"

Jing Yi lifted the herb in his hand and frowned even more. However he looked at it, it seemed like Crystal Grass to him. It was about the size of his hand, maybe a little larger than the other stalks but not by much. The stalk consisted of five leaves that were about half the width of a finger and a bit wider in the middle. Furthermore, they were transparent, something that couldn't be said of many herbs. In fact, he didn't know of any other herb besides the Crystal Grass that had this trait. Even if there was, wouldn't it be too coincidental for it to otherwise look like Crystal Grass, too?

Jing Yi looked up at Leng Jin Yu doubtfully.

"Look at this." Leng Jin Yu pointed at the root of the stalk where an irregular tear could be seen.

Jing Yi blinked. "This … there were originally more leaves?"

"Mn." Leng Jin Yu nodded. "Seven, to be precise. What you've found isn't Crystal Grass but a Fractured Crystal Leaf. In contrast to the Crystal Grass that has up to five leaves at most, it always has seven leaves. If you hold it up against the light, each one will fluoresce in a different color of the rainbow."

"Senior Martial Brother Yu seems to know a lot about this herb."

Leng Jin Yu smiled wryly. "Yes. It is one of the few I've familiarized myself with." He sighed. "Actually, I was searching for it."

"Then …" Jing Yi wanted to hand the herb over but Leng Jin Yu shook his head.

"No, it's too late for that already. Never mind that you've absorbed a bit of its spiritual energy already it didn't have all its leaves in the first place. Like that it wouldn't be of any use to me."

"Then what is its use?"

Leng Jin Yu looked at the damaged herb and felt like sighing again. "It's actually what we talked about before. It has the same property as the Beguiling Night Tree's fruit just that it is more reliable. It only shows memories of one's previous life, nothing else. And if you are lucky enough to find one with all seven leaves intact and can absorb all of its spiritual energy, then you'll be able to remember everything from that life."

"Everything?"

"Mn." Leng Jin Yu nodded and stood up. He slowly walked to the window and looked out at the courtyard.

He had wanted to find this herb because it would enable him to remember everything. If he wanted to find these memories buried in his soul, then he couldn't let anything be missing from them lest he misunderstood something. He needed every single one of them from beginning to end. Only then could he find out what he had missed until now. Only then would there be a chance to find out about that person and maybe … find him again.

This herb was missing two leaves but he hadn't happened upon it anyway. Instead, it was Jing Yi the one who couldn't be allowed to remember his life as the Son of Heaven who had found and taken it. Wasn't this ironic?

It was as if despite everything the Fate's Scribe had written and everything he himself had tried to do in the mortal realm, Heaven somehow wanted this boy to remember. In that case … should he allow this to go on?

"I …" Jing Yi bit his lower lip and stared at the herb in his hand. "Actually, I don't want to remember it."

Leng Jin Yu blanked. What had he just heard?

Jing Yi noticed his gaze and gave a wry smile. "I feel like it would be better not to know what happened in my past life. I'm not like Senior Martial Brother Yu who already remembered part of it on his own. I'd rather not remember these things. I'm very happy in this current life. I don't want to concern myself with anything else."

Leng Jin Yu nodded. "If that's the case, then you shouldn't absorb the rest of the spiritual energy of this herb. You will still remember some things until the energy taken from it already runs out but it won't become any more than that."

"Then please, you take it." Jing Yi hurriedly held the herb out to Leng Jin Yu. He really didn't want anything more to do with this. The two things he had remembered from his previous life were bad enough.

Leng Jin Yu slowly walked back to the bed and took the herb. Looking at the thing he had searched for and that wasn't of any use to him now he felt a pang in his heart.

Whoever you might have been I'm sorry to you. I know … I can feel that I should remember you, that I should do everything I can to find you again but … it seems luck just isn't on my side.

Ah, maybe we've been a pair of star-crossed lovers in the first place and maybe this cruel fate will continue in this life. Otherwise, I really can't imagine why we should be so unlucky while this boy just stumbles upon something like this.