Blooming of the Red Spider Lily: The Enchanting Pavilion Master - Chapter 50 - Memory Storage

“Child, we should go back. Human life is so fleeting, while we have so much longer to live. As time passes, you will soon forget him. In the end, you’ll realize that the love you once felt so deeply cannot withstand the test of time.”

Li Bai was taken aback by the words but eventually nodded heavily: to give up her wishes, to let go of Le Zimu, to bless him and Hongxiao. From then on, they would be nothing but strangers, and with time, she would inevitably forget Le Zimu, forget this feeling, forget this love, because she was a heartless pear tree demon.

Without a heart to store memories; without a heart to remember love, only an empty shell that forgets everything.

Li Bai had disappeared! This was the first thing Le Zimu realized upon returning to Li Mansion. The scattered red ribbons on the ground should have been taken care of by Li Bai, but they were tragically discarded in the corner, and their owner was nowhere to be found, despite Le Zimu searching throughout Le Mansion!

The house where Li Bai once lived was as clean as an empty room; the garden she had tended to was overrun with wild growth; the pond where she had planted lotus flowers was now bare; the swing she had used was gone… Everything related to Li Bai had vanished, as if she had never existed at all!

Le Zimu sat there, dazed, holding the ribbons, panic written all over his face: everything about Li Bai was gone. Did that mean there had never been a person named Li Bai in his world? Yet he distinctly remembered falling in love with a flower demon named Li Bai. He was willing to give up his heart for that flower demon and even play along with Hongxiao’s idea of pretending to be engaged, simply to fulfill Li Bai’s wish. But why had she disappeared? Where had she gone?

“Zimu, what’s wrong? Why are you just sitting there?” Hongxiao looked at Le Zimu, who was crouched in the corner, clearly anxious and panicked. She had wanted to tell him that she couldn’t deliver the invitation to Lansheng, and she hoped to discuss postponing the wedding, but instead, she found him looking pale, oddly holding red ribbons.

“Right! Li Mansion!” Le Zimu seemed to completely disregard Hongxiao’s question. He muttered a few words and then, as if seizing a lifeline, stood up joyfully, pushed Hongxiao aside, and dashed out of Le Mansion, clutching the ribbons.

Running desperately through the familiar marketplace, Le Zimu remembered how he once dragged Li Bai along, running wildly through the streets, but now he was alone in his pursuit, and that person was nowhere to be found.

Li Bai, I’m so sorry, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have used such extreme measures. Li Bai, the one I love is you, and only you. Please, don’t leave me all alone!

Finally reaching his destination, Le Zimu bent over to catch his breath. As he raised his head, the last hint of color drained from his face: before him lay an abandoned garden, a desolate and crumbling space, nothing like the grand Li Mansion he once knew.

Li Bai had truly vanished, just like his mother, and would never return. A sudden pain pierced his heart, and Le Zimu let out a desperate scream, collapsing to the ground, completely losing consciousness.

Some people and some things are meant to be remembered for a lifetime, as they are proof of one’s existence, and these memories don’t necessarily require a heart.

When Le Zimu awoke, he was in his own room. He stared blankly at the familiar surroundings, his heart aching once more: the girl who had bloomed like a pear flower in his life had completely disappeared, and the reason for her disappearance was likely because he was set to marry someone else, but that bride was not her.

Le Zimu knew just how much Li Bai loved him; he could even guarantee that she loved him more deeply than he loved her. For someone like Li Bai, who didn’t understand love, when she truly fell in love, it would be for eternity. But her lifetime was too long, and his was too short; he couldn’t be with her forever. He only wanted to do one thing for her in his limited life, to fulfill all of her wishes, yet he never expected that the first to leave would be Li Bai.

Li Bai, Li Bai, how could you bear to leave me? You’re so naive, so innocent; how can I be at ease with you all alone out there?

Le Zimu leaned against the wall, slowly calling out Li Bai’s name over and over again. Hongxiao-Jie, holding a tray with herbal medicine and just about to enter the room, heard the low calls coming from within and could no longer move her feet. One hand covered her mouth to stifle her sobs as the other held the tray.

Le Zimu had suddenly fainted in that abandoned garden. If no one had happened to pass by and find him, he might have forever laid in the home of the one he loved. When he was brought back by the servants, he was just like now, calling out Li Bai’s name, over and over, filled with intense emotions and regret.

From the people in Le Mansion, Hongxiao learned that Li Bai had disappeared-the one Le Zimu had held so dear had simply vanished, as if she had never existed! Some people in Le Mansion had even forgotten what Li Bai looked like, but Hongxiao remembered! She recalled a lovely little girl who would poke her head out from the flowers, make funny faces at her, and call out, “Hongxiao-Jie.”

But when did Li Bai stop calling her “Hongxiao-Jie”? When did she start to distance herself? Was it when she began to show her ambiguous feelings for Le Zimu in front of others, intentionally or not? Was it when she sought to provoke Lansheng by involving Le Zimu in her schemes? Was it because she selfishly made a betrothal agreement with Le Zimu, disregarding Li Bai’s feelings?

No matter the reason, the outcome was the same: that innocent, naive girl was being pushed further away by her own selfishness. The boy she had grown up with was lost to her forever due to her actions, and despite having done so much wrong and lost so much, why had that person still not fallen in love with her?

Hongxiao recalled the despair and anger she felt when she delivered a seemingly probing invitation to Lansheng’s residence, only to be coldly informed by the doorman that Lansheng was not home.

She was not wrong, she was not wrong! What was wrong with pursuing the one she loved? No matter how calculated her plans were, as long as she could get what she wanted, she could give up anything else!

Her gaze darkened as she looked at the thick, dark herbal concoction before her. Although hesitation flickered in her heart, she still poured the entire mixture into the pond. It occurred to her that if everyone else could forget their memories of Li Bai, then perhaps Le Zimu could too? As long as Le Zimu no longer remembered Li Bai, he wouldn’t suffer anymore and would obediently follow her plans.

Holding the empty medicine bowl tightly, Hongxiao straightened her back and slowly walked toward the kitchen. She set the bowl aside and said to the maid behind her, “There’s something I need to do; you don’t need to follow me,” before quietly leaving Le Mansion. She looked around at the entrance of the pharmacy for a long time, and seeing no familiar faces, she finally strode inside.

“Shopkeeper, is there any kind of medicine that can make someone forget the person they love?” She lowered her voice, deliberately covering her face with a silk handkerchief. The shopkeeper, without even looking up, disdainfully replied, “Is there such a medicine? If there were, would there still be heartbroken lovers in this world? You must be dreaming.”

With that one statement, the last glimmer of hope for Hongxiao shattered. She knew it was fanciful to expect an amnesia-inducing drug to exist, but she also realized that if Le Zimu didn’t forget Li Bai, he would never be able to marry her in his current state, even after a year! She couldn’t wait that long; the longer she waited, the less appealing her proud beauty would become. There were so many women who liked Lansheng, many of whom were also beautiful-she couldn’t afford to wait or gamble on that.

Hongxiao was certain that Lansheng had feelings for her, but feelings alone did not equate to love. If she could give him a little push, he would surely come to realize that he loved her.

Silently encouraging herself, Hongxiao stood under the gentle warmth of the sun, contemplating whether there was another way to help Le Zimu lose his memories. If only he could forget Li Bai, that would be enough-just forgetting would suffice.

“Isn’t that Hongxiao?” Hua Ning pointed out, her keen eyes catching sight of Hongxiao standing at the entrance of the pharmacy for a moment before hurriedly leaving. “What is she doing?”

“I don’t know, but it might have something to do with Li Bai. Li Bai’s original form has disappeared from the area near the school,” Miss Bi’an replied lightly, glancing at Hongxiao’s departing figure without much concern. However, a trace of surprise lingered in her heart: Li Bai’s disappearance was too complete-her original form vanishing suggested she didn’t want anyone to find her at all. This had a feeling of wanting to sever ties completely. But ultimately, it was none of her business. If Li Bai disappeared, her wish would be nullified, and from then on, Li Bai’s affairs would have nothing to do with the Pavilion of Rebirth.

“Does this look good, sister?” Hua Ning pouted, shifting her gaze and suddenly noticing a pair of purple tassel earrings. She immediately held them up to her ears, proudly showing them to Miss Bi’an.

“Yes,” Miss Bi’an responded lightly, picking up another pair of earrings. After a moment’s thought, she decided to purchase both the one she had chosen and the one for Hua Ning. Then she handed her selection to Feng Moqing.

“Take this to Xiao Jin,” she said casually, noticing the surprised and horrified look in Feng Moqing’s eyes. Ever since she saved Feng Mojin, Feng Mojin’s attitude toward her had completely changed. With her resemblance to Hua Ning, Miss Bi’an felt a bit more indulgent toward her.

Feng Mojin was delighted by Miss Bi’an’s kindness; now she had an older sister, which only made her cling to Miss Bi’an more. Miss Bi’an didn’t mind at all, but it made Feng Moqing and Hua Ning occasionally glance over at the two, feeling sulky and a little jealous.

The second day of the lunar month was the best auspicious day of the month, and what was expected to be a delayed wedding for Le Zimu and Hongxiao ended up falling on this perfect date. Miss Bi’an, Hua Ning, Feng Moqing, Jiang Qing, and Feng Mojin were all among the invited guests. Feng Mojin had a little tantrum over the sad situation regarding Li Bai and was reluctant to masquerade as a commoner to congratulate Le Zimu. Yet, in the end, she couldn’t resist Feng Moqing’s persuasion and reluctantly came to the wedding banquet. Along the way, both she and Hua Ning grumbled about wanting to see how the heartless man had forgotten his old love for his new bride, prompting sighs and head shakes from Feng Moqing and Jiang Qing.

At Le Mansion, Le Zimu, dressed in a red wedding outfit, welcomed the arriving guests with a beaming smile. When he spotted Miss Bi’an and her companions, he nodded to his steward and approached them. The red wedding clothes complemented his rosy cheeks, giving him a more graceful and charming appearance. Miss Bi’an observed him without making her thoughts known and suddenly lightly furrowed her brows.

“Your Highness the Second Prince, the Third Princess, Miss Bi’an, General Jiang, Miss Hua, I’m honored to have you all attend my wedding,” Le Zimu said, bowing politely with a well-mannered smile. The joy in his tone seemed completely genuine, as if he was truly happy to be marrying Hongxiao today.

Feng Mojin immediately scoffed derisively, “Young Master Le, you must be quite elated today, but unfortunately, the world only hears the laughter of the new couple and not the tears of the old one.”

“I’m not sure I understand the princess’s meaning,” Le Zimu replied, his face showing a hint of confusion at Feng Mojin’s provocation and sarcasm. However, he quickly regained his composure and indicated for everyone to take their seats.