As his thoughts sank into memories once filtered away by his mind, now returning with perfect clarity, Qi Zhimu finally understood the source of that familiar warmth.
It was his mother’s embrace from childhood.
No worries, no fear.
Just the quiet comfort of being able to fall asleep.
His entire body relaxed.
A faint smile appeared on his lips, the first in 157 years.
Sealed memories surged back like a tide.
So this was how it was.
Then… let it be.
He murmured softly: “Only pity that you cannot see my joys and sorrows,Only lament that fate has set us worlds apart.The north wind carries snow, scattering blossoms,The past drifts away, stirring the heart.Ten thousand words remain unspoken,Only memories linger in vain.In the end, a lone plum endures the winter,Never to find that youth again…” As his eyes slowly closed, a tear slipped from the corner of his eye and sank silently into the ground.
“Clarisse… thank you for staying with me until the end…” It was time to go.
Take care.
[Remaining Lifespan: 25 minutes 34 seconds → 0] Clarisse was still immersed in the poem when she heard his final words.
In the next moment, she realized the person in her arms had stopped breathing.
Her hands trembled as she gently lowered his head onto her lap.
His face held a clean, peaceful smile, like a child who had finally laid down all burdens and fallen asleep.
He had gone so quietly.
Her vision blurred.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, falling onto his face.
Her fingers traced his features as she whispered hoarsely: “…You almost became a liar again…” He had said he knew exactly when he would die.
There was no need to celebrate his birthday early.
And yet… In the end, he still hadn’t lived to be 175.
Why wouldn’t you stay just a little longer?
Just a little more… to feel the warmth I tried to give you?
Clarisse lowered her head, resting her forehead gently against his.
The night was silent.
After a long while, she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his cold lips.
Her fingertips brushed over his closed eyes as she slowly sat upright.
Gradually, his youthful appearance faded, returning to that of a white-haired elder.
The night stretched on.
Clarisse removed her coat and draped it over him, then looked up at the star-filled sky.
How she wished… That he had told her, with his own voice, that after death he would become a star, watching over her forever.
Even a lie like that… would have been enough.
She held him until dawn.
The rising sun dispelled the long night, casting warmth over the frost-covered world.
But neither of them could feel it.
“Life is a winding maze.
Apart from memory, we have nothing.” A figure appeared quietly a few meters away, her face indistinct.
Hearing the familiar words spoken in an unfamiliar voice, Clarisse slowly looked up.
There was no surprise in her eyes.
Only silence.
She had already known.
She had been chosen.
The ability to see afterimages of memory was proof enough.
“Do you wish to remember him?
To remember his entire life?” “What price must I pay?” Clarisse asked.
“Until you choose to reveal yourself, no one will perceive your existence.” “Like how people once believed all swans were white, until they saw a black swan?” “Exactly.” “I understand.” “Are you willing to spend your life collecting memories?” “I am.” “Are you willing to abandon your physical body and accept transformation?” “I am.” “If one day you cease to exist, what will you leave behind?” “My memories.
They will become seeds.
One day, they will bloom again.” At that moment, a gaze seemed to descend from the stars.
“Welcome to the Garden of Recollection, Miss Clarisse.” Memories came in countless forms.
Some warm and trivial.Some vast and overwhelming.Some gentle.Some wild.
As Clarisse became a Memokeeper, her memories settled into stillness, like waves finding their shore.
“You may call me Black Swan.” People believe the past is an eternal farewell.
But swans are not only white.
And farewells are not always forever.
The figure faded away.
Black Swan’s gaze softened, filled with the tenderness she had once reserved for Qi Zhimu.
Fragments of memory swirled around her, then disappeared, becoming seeds.
People think they are moving toward the future.
Yet in truth, all are walking toward the past.
“Mr.
Qi… I can finally engrave you within my heart.
Forever.” She lifted his body and floated back into the bamboo house.
To fulfill his final wish.
To return him to dust beneath the plum trees.
Inside the hidden space, Xiao Ju was already there.
“Meow…” Black Swan’s expression trembled.
“…You came too…” The cat nuzzled Qi Zhimu’s cheek, its voice soft and trembling.
She placed his body down carefully, then brought his belongings: a white lab coat and a Chinese lute.
She folded the coat neatly and set it beside him.
For a long moment, she simply watched him.
“I’m sorry… I can’t accept fate as calmly as you did.” “I’m sorry… I took your memories, just to keep you with me forever.” “If there is a next life… if we meet again… I hope you will say: ‘Long time no see.'” At last, she pressed the button.
The chamber opened.
Flames rose, gently consuming his body.
She did not look away.
To personally send off the one you love… perhaps there is no greater pain.
But she endured it.
Because now, she carried everything of him.
Hours later, beneath the plum tree on the mountain summit, she buried his ashes.
The winter sun shone over blooming plum blossoms, beautiful beyond words.
“You were supposed to pick plum blossoms today…” But that moment would never come.
She raised a stone tablet.
After a long pause, she carved: [Tomb of Qi Zhimu] The wind carried petals to rest before it.
Xiao Ju lay quietly at its base.
A person and a cat remained there, bathed in sunlight.
For a very, very long time.