Chapter 1919: Go... Forget Him

Passersby shuttled back and forth along the park's paths.

Beneath the shade of the trees,

a figure in a black leather jacket was sitting on a bench, staring blankly at the towering Tower to Heaven in the distance.

"This spot isn't a bad choice." Sun Bumian pushed through the crowd and slowly sat down beside him. He glanced toward the Tower to Heaven, his gaze somewhat complex. "Back then, we must have left the Tianshu Domain from this direction..."

"...Mm." Jian Changsheng nodded slightly.

In a daze, he felt as if he had returned to that avenue paved with starlight. They stood beside one another, making a grand exit under the watchful eyes of the masses.

At the time, they were nowhere near as powerful as they were now. They seemed to have nothing, yet simultaneously seemed to possess everything... It wasn't until those past events became memories about to dissipate in the wind that they felt like the most precious jewels in the world, sparkling brightly within his heart.

The whirlpool of memories swallowed Jian Changsheng. Like an anguished soul escaping reality, his hands clenched silently on his knees.

"Are we... really going to forget him too?"

"You know this, Spades. Escaping cannot solve any problems..."

"I don't want to escape, I'm just..." Jian Changsheng opened his mouth. "I'm just... a little unwilling."

"I understand. We are the same." Sun Bumian paused. "The price of victory is oblivion... We've gone through so much together. How could it be so easy to let go?"

"But Spades, our yearning will only become an obstacle to his victory. If we truly stand on his side, forgetting is the best way."

"I know, I understand all that... But isn't this far too cruel for him?"

Jian Changsheng looked up at the deep sky, his brows furrowed tightly. "Even if he succeeds in the end, no one will remember him... When the Red Star streaks across the sky once again, humanity won't remember the suffering they endured, nor will they remember his sacrifices for mankind. Even those of us who once fought side-by-side with him will completely forget his existence... Everything about him will streak across the sky alongside that unnoticed shooting star..."

"From then on, his world will only have him left all alone."

Sun Bumian fell into silence.

Jian Changsheng lowered his head, his fingertips gently rubbing a Notebook, his lips pursed slightly.

Jian Changsheng had never been a muddle-headed person. He knew he absolutely could not become Chen Ling's burden, and he knew he had to forget... He just couldn't bear to part with it all. He couldn't bear to let go of everything they had experienced together, and he couldn't bear to see Chen Ling forever alone.

He had written many things in the Notebook, but words could not carry all his emotions and memories. Perhaps many years later, when he flipped open this Notebook again and saw its contents, doubts and confusion would still surface in his heart. He might even grow curious about this person named Chen Ling, but everything would likely be like sand—blown away with a gentle gust of wind...

He didn't want the bond between them to become something so weightless.

Therefore, he was in pain, he struggled, and he felt sorrow.

But he had no other choice.

"At least... we left him a gift, right?" Sun Bumian comforted softly. "He will definitely see it."

The gentle breeze brushed past the shade, rustling the leaves overhead. In the distance, the carefree laughter of children could be heard. On the Clock Tower opposite them, the clock's hands were silently ticking toward their final mark, bit by bit.

Sun Bumian did not urge Jian Changsheng any further. He just sat quietly with him, watching the Tower to Heaven in the distance.

But they both knew that time... was running out.

Jian Changsheng's grip on the Notebook gradually tightened until his knuckles turned deathly pale. A moment later, he helplessly loosened his grip...

"...Let's go."

Jian Changsheng slowly stood up from the bench, like a general about to charge onto the battlefield, resolved to sacrifice his life... Along his journey, he had experienced countless life-or-death battles, but never had a single one made him suffer so agonizingly.

Using all his strength, he spoke hoarsely:

"To... forget him."

...

The invisible Heart Python slowly crawled across the ground.

Two figures draped in lab coats stood quietly beneath a peach tree, bewilderment surfacing in their eyes...

Beneath the brim of his worn fedora, Li Leider's deep blue eyes swept calmly over them. He gently pressed down on the brim and slowly took a step forward, walking right past them.

— "4".

After an unknown amount of time, Chu Changqing finally clutched his forehead and spoke with furrowed brows:

"Old Lu..."

"Why do I feel like... I've forgotten something very important?"

Lu Xun stood frozen in place like a statue, his gaze slowly turning up to the sky above... Fragmented memories surged within his mind. Just like the chaotic array of stars, it seemed to be missing a crucial piece.

Li Leider traversed through the Imperial Palace. At this moment, everyone in the palace had been dismissed by Ying Fu. The surroundings were so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.

With every step he took, he pressed deep footprints into the cobblestone path. At the end of this path was the silent door to the bedchamber...

His British Overcoat fluttering in the wind, he pushed open the bedchamber door and stepped inside.

Creak—

The dizzyingly thick scent of medicine choked Li Leider, making him frown.

"For the past year... you've just been lying here like a corpse?" Li Leider's words still lacked the slightest shred of respect for Ying Fu. He walked right into the bedchamber and spoke with a cold sneer.

Ying Fu didn't sit up. Or rather, it was already very difficult for him to sit up again... He lay flat behind the Folding Screen, his hoarse voice slowly ringing out:

"All the memories regarding the Red Star and Chen Ling... in the Chengtian Domain... are right here..."

As Ying Fu's voice faded,

a thick, massive Heart Python slowly raised its body in the open space behind the bedchamber. Through the window, its serpentine eyes stared at Ying Fu and Li Leider, its red tongue flicking lightly.

A flash of surprise crossed Li Leider's eyes.

To think that in the end, Ying Fu still ended up using the same method as him... using the Heart Python to devour memories.

Under Ying Fu's command, there were indeed other methods to erase memories. However, most could only erase recent memories and were incapable of stealing specific ones like the Heart Python. After careful comparison, he had ultimately chosen this ability.

"Although I am... old... I possess a portion of the Red Star Aspiration Power, ten Divine Pathways... and the Imperial Seal in hand. My capacity to carry memories... is not inferior to yours..."

"Let me... devour your Heart Python... and then... you kill me..."

"Then, everything... will be over."

Hearing this, Li Leider furrowed his brows again.

As long as the Heart Python devoured the relevant memories, with their current status as demigods, they could already completely seal them within their bodies... As long as he died, the Heart Python would vanish along with all the memories it had devoured. There would never be a possibility of losing control and letting the memories escape.

From the very beginning, Ying Fu had already prepared to completely disappear from this world alongside all memories of the Red Star and Chen Ling...

After all, he was destined to die anyway.