The Flower Hall was quiet.

Song Yunxuan knew that the meeting with Xuanshui Dragon King was very important and their conversation must be cloaked in secrecy. She specially chose to meet in the Flower Hall of the Rose Garden as its glass doors and windows were well soundproofed.

As long as there were no monitors or wiretaps here, no one would know what Song Yunxuan talked with Xuanshui Dragon King even if he put his ear to the thin glass doors or windows.

Xuanshui Dragon King looked at Song Yunxuan, pondered for a while, and asked her skeptically, “Miss Song, you are a Nirvanaor, right?”

Song Yunxuan thought for a moment and then replied, “Probably.”

Nirvana meant rebirth.

Xuanshui Dragon King felt improper to describe such things by using the word rebirth, so he chose the word nirvana.

Phoenix rose from the ashes and had the rebirth from the fire.

It was the right word to describe Song Yunxuan who must have been a god’s favored one in her previous life.

Song Yunxuan looked at Xuanshui Dragon King, waiting for him to finish his words.

Sure enough, after getting Song Yunxuan’s affirmative reply, Xuanshui Dragon King slightly frowned, lowered his eyes, and pondered for a moment. Then he murmured, “I thought it was just a myth. Fancy that! I can see a real Nirvanaor in my life.”

Song Yunxuan smiled, replying, “There are too many strange things in the world. It’s normal that we can’t know them all as we can only live for about 100 years.”

Xuanshui Dragon King took a deep breath, trying to calm down, “Actually, I’ve told my master about you and he has once told me that you are a Nirvanaor. However, those people had only been in the myths, and none of us had ever contacted them. Thus there is not much I can tell or help you.”

Song Yunxuan made him a bow, saying, “I understand. As long as you can resolve my doubts, I’m grateful.”

Hearing Song Yunxuan’s words, Xuanshui Dragon King nodded. Then he told Song Yunxuan what White Dragon King told him.

“Nirvanaors are against the law of nature. No matter what you want to get in the world, you need to work hard and pay the price, so does a Nirvanaor, regardless of his new life or identity.”

Hearing White Dragon King’s words, Song Yunxuan understood that she needed to pay the price in this life.

But how could a dead soul pay the price?

“I’ve got nothing to pay except my soul.” Song Yunxuan said to Xuanshui Dragon King.

Xuanshui Dragon King nodded, replying, “I’ve asked my master about it. My master told me that a Nirvanaor’s soul would completely vanish after he dies.”

Song Yunxuan listened attentively. Then she asked, “But why is my memory decaying?”

“The reason why you could return to this world is that you still had some goals to reach. Your desire was so strong that you couldn’t vanish in peace, so you were reborn as a Nirvanaor and turned into your current identity. But it’s not your own body or life. You just returned to this world by using them.”

Song Yunxuan nodded.

Seeing that Song Yunxuan could understand, Xuanshui Dragon King continued, “But as I mentioned earlier, you had to pay the price. The price is that your memory will decay.”

Song Yunxuan knitted her brow, asking, “Whose memory?”

“Yours.” With this, Xuanshui Dragon King added as he thought that he didn’t make it clear, “All your memories.”

Song Yunxuan frowned more sternly, asking, “Am I gonna die?”

“When you reach your goal, your brain will be like a blank sheet which stores no memories.”

“Just this?”

Song Yunxuan frowned, asking him.

If her rebirth was against the law of nature, she should suffer a lot more than just losing her memories.

If she only had to lose her memories, the cost would be too slight.

Hearing Song Yunxuan’s question, Xuanshui Dragon King replied, “No. Plus your life.”

Though Song Yunxuan had thought of ending up like this, she couldn’t help gasping in shock when thinking of death.

Meanwhile, Xuanshui Dragon King seemed to see through Song Yunxuan. He told her, “Your memory is the making of you. When you lose all your memories, your life will end like a piece of paper that is incinerated. Then you will die.”

Song Yunxuan lowered her eyes and couldn’t help clenching her fists.

After finally calming herself down, she went on asking, “So… how much longer can I live?”

Xuanshui Dragon King looked at Song Yunxuan, asking, “Mind if I see your hands?”

Song Yunxuan reached out her right hand to Xuanshui Dragon King.

Then Xuanshui Dragon King lowered his head and studied her palm. After a while, he stroked his beard, saying, “I’m not sure, but…”

Hearing the word but, Song Yunxuan fixed her eyes on him.

Xuanshui Dragon King frowned, continuing in a low voice, “Not so long.”

The words were like a dose of deadly poison.

It jabbed right into Song Yunxuan’s heart.

Song Yunxuan sat back in her seat, leaning in the chair and remaining speechless for such a while.

Xuanshui Dragon King said that she was about to die and could not live for very long.

So she could not live together with Chu Mochen till old and grey.

Nor could she watch Yi and Miaomiao grow up.

Her eyes were suddenly filled with melancholy and disappointment.

Seeing the look in Song Yunxuan’s eyes, Xuanshui Dragon King remained silent for a moment and then comforted her, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Song Yunxuan smiled and stared blankly into space, replying, “I’ve got nothing to lose. It’s lucky enough for me to get back to this world and fulfill my wish. No need to pity me.”

“It’s good for you to see through all this.”

Song Yunxuan nodded.

As Xuanshui Dragon King came all the way from Thailend and his body was not very sound, he had some rest after the afternoon tea and then was sent back to Thailend by Mei Qi’s men.

Meanwhile, Song Yunxuan stayed in the Rose Garden. She remained still until evening and her shadows lengthened with the approach of sunset coming through the large arched French windows.

She was all alone.

Mei Qi waited outside for a couple of hours without disturbing her. But when it was sundown, he finally decided to call Song Yunxuan on seeing that it was getting dark, “Manager Song?”

He opened the glass door of the Flower Hall a crack and called Song Yunxuan who was inside.

Song Yunxuan didn’t respond to Mei Qi.

Mei Qi felt a bit worried. After pondering for a while, he gently opened the door and entered the Flower Hall.

Meanwhile, Song Yunxuan was fixing her eyes on the floor in front of her, totally ignoring the person who was entering the Flower Hall.

She even seemed to be lost in the world of her own and unable to perceive anything around her.

Seeing that Song Yunxuan was staring at the floor and lost in thought, Mei Qi called her again, “Manager Song? What are you thinking about?”

Only then did Song Yunxuan look up at Mei Qi, replying, “A lot.”

“It’s getting dark. Let me send you home.”

“No. I’d like to spend the night here.”

Mei Qi slightly frowned, appearing a bit worried, “But there are no bodyguards here, so it might be inappropriate for you to stay here.”

“You can stay here to protect me.”

Song Yunxuan adjusted her sitting position, and she was still at a loss.

Mei Qi was standing by. After pondering for a moment, he asked her, “Manager Song, what did Xuanshui Dragon King tell you?”

Hearing that Mei Qi wanted to know something about this, Song Yunxuan looked at Mei Qi and smiled briefly, replying, “Nothing special.”

Mei Qi frowned, saying, “Can’t you tell me?”

“I can.”

“So what did he say?”

Song Yunxuan sighed, replying, “He said that I would soon make it.”

Hearing that, Mei Qi was slightly stunned, asking, “You would soon make it?”

Song Yunxuan nodded, asking, “You feel confused, right?”

Mei Qi didn’t reply.

But Song Yunxuan continued, “It’s OK if you don’t understand. I can understand him anyway.”

“Xuanshui Dragon King didn’t mention anything else?”

If Xuanshui Dragon King had told him what the conversation he had with Song Yunxuan when Mei Qi pressed him while he was about to leave, Mei Qi wouldn’t have asked Song Yunxuan about this.

He knew that Song Yunxuan would definitely not tell him the truth.

Song Yunxuan looked at Mei Qi, asking, “What do you think Xuanshui Dragon King told me?”

“Didn’t he tell you the reason why your memory is decaying?”

Hearing that, Song Yunxuan smiled, answering, “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten the things I wanted to ask the master.”

“What did the master say?”

Mei Qi always had the feeling that the reason why Song Yunxuan’s memory was decaying was related to something important.

But Xuanshui Dragon King was unwilling to tell him anything.

So he could only ask Song Yunxuan to get things clear.

Song Yunxuan looked at him, saying, “Didn’t I tell you just now that the master told me I was about to make it?”

“Yes, you did. But what does it have to do with your memory loss?”

Song Yunxuan pressed her lips, looked at him, and replied, “There is no shortcut to success. However, even if one can succeed through efforts and plans, he still needs to pay the price.”

“Pay the price?” Mei Qi frowned.

Seeing that Mei Qi was frowning, Song Yunxuan couldn’t help chuckling, replying, “Yes, there is a price to pay. I’m no exception. And the price is… my memory.”

And… life.

Song Yunxuan didn’t tell him the last two words because she knew that Mei Qi would have surely been worried if she had told him that.

Since she was about to die, she’d better make others less sad.