Suddenly, my memories surged back.
The jade pendant… it was passed down in my family for generations.
Why had I never received it? Where had it gone?
A thousand questions raced through my mind, yet all I could do was wait at the doorway, watching Lin Shao entwined with the women.
I drew a conclusion in my heart—Lin Shao was me.
After all, I was the only child in my family.
But why had my parents never given me this pendant?
I couldn't figure it out, only sensing that someone had deliberately erased this memory from me.
I couldn't help but ask Ling, "Do you have any memories?"
Her expression remained blank. "No," she said.
Then, slowly, she began to tell her story.
When Ling first awakened, she found herself trapped in that house, unable to leave, unable to remember who she was.
The only name that came to her mind was—Ling.
So she called herself Ling.
Afterwards, she didn't understand why she had to guide the lost souls to view their past lives—she only knew it was her duty.
So she stayed in the house, receiving the souls and completing her work.
Ling lifted her gaze to me, her eyes deep and complicated.
"There must be a profound hatred and entanglement between you and me.
The moment I saw you enter my home, my heart suddenly raced.
An overwhelming sense of familiarity… and pain… washed over me."
I froze, my chest tightening as if a thousand threads of memory had snapped taut, binding me and Ling together…