The lake water was crystal clear. Even though it was a man-made lake, folks were always keeping it clean. Way out here, far from the bright lights of Shanghai, the city glow couldn't mess with the view. Lately, the air was fresh as can be, no smog in sight, and finally, the stars were sparkling overhead. Starlight danced on the lake, bouncing right into your eyes. Maggie Monroe swung her shoes in her hand, her pale bare feet skipping along the shore. Ripples rolled in, and she stepped into the water—and into the starlight.
"Lost your memory, huh..." Maggie's voice was calm, showing little surprise. She simply kicked at the water with her toes and softly asked, "Which part do you not remember?"
"From August 2012 to September 2013. If I think about it, that's exactly from when I arrived to when you left. Some memories have been sealed off, locked up tight and high-tech." Jack Young reached into the water, channeling the Bright Jade Technique of semi-innate cultivation, letting it flow out according to his will. Crackling sounds of ice forming rang out. When he lifted his hand, he was holding a slab of ice, shaped just like the Heart Lock elevator keypad. "Look—14, 19, 21. That's the password to unlock the Heart Lock."
"Wow, that's awesome!" Maggie grabbed the ice sculpture and couldn't stop gushing, "If you were a woman and dyed your hair white or pale gold, you'd be perfect as Elsa from Frozen!"
"Uh... White or pale gold hair, plus queen, plus ice?" Jack Young's expression turned weird. "Now that you mention it, I've got a bizarre idea... Never mind, let's not worry about that." After a brief hesitation, he said, "Maggie, actually, I'm not just a Chosen One—I have another secret." Suddenly, he felt the urge to tell her about the Twin Body.
Aside from his parents, almost no one knew this secret. Even Wu Zhengfeng and Princess Embroidered Jade only knew about the 'heart-to-heart sibling bond.' It wasn't that he couldn't say more, but for those who hadn't been bombarded with information, it was all a bit too radical. As for everyone else, they were even less aware of the truth. But now, Jack Young suddenly wanted to tell this woman everything—just as it was.
Fragments of memory flashed through his mind. He remembered, back when he lived in that apartment, the only person he could really talk to was Maggie Monroe. As a man, he didn't often need to vent his feelings, but when things piled up, she was the only one he could turn to.
He seemed to recall it happened twice. But Jack Young was still puzzled—under what circumstances did he go to her? What did he say? All of that was still hidden in the fog of memory.
"Dummy Jack, you don't actually have to tell me." While Jack was deep in thought, Maggie suddenly turned around and smiled at him. "Everyone has their own secrets. You have yours, I have mine. Most things don't need to be said on purpose or forced. When the time is right, you'll understand naturally."
Jack pondered her words for a moment and realized now really wasn't the right time to tell her. And talking about it wasn't even the best way—maybe, just like recognizing family when you get home, it's better to meet face-to-face and everything will make sense.
Maggie looked at the ice keypad in her hand, her voice gentle. "No wonder, huh. No wonder you've been acting like this lately—it turns out you lost your memory. Let me guess, did you forget everything about Xixi?" She turned her gaze to Jack, and there seemed to be something hidden deep in her eyes.
"That's right!" Of course she's in the know—Jack couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up. "Eight-Sense Goddess strikes again, totally nailed it! By the way, do you know why I lost my memory?" It was a weird question to ask—asking someone else about his own brain problems. But then again, maybe asking Maggie was just what the doctor ordered. She was there back then, and she's a master who's opened the Eighth Wheel, so she ought to know something.
And even if she doesn't know, it's no big deal—no harm in asking anyway.
"Of course I know." Her tone was soft, but for some reason, there was a hint of sadness.
"Huh?!" I was honestly just asking offhand, and somehow I actually got an answer! Jack immediately pressed on, "What was the reason?"
Maggie took a deep breath and let it out, shaking off her sadness and returning to normal. She patted Jack on the shoulder: "Because you got stuck at the Seventh Round. The Seventh Round—the crown chakra—means you have to face your true self, with nothing left to run from in your heart. Regret, disappointment, anger, sorrow—you gotta face them all, sort them out one by one, and only then can you call it a real breakthrough. Kid, looks like you built up some hidden issues during your first six rounds, and they all blew up at the Seventh. Add in a bunch of other messy reasons even I can't figure out, and bam, you've got amnesia."
"Hidden issues?" Jack suddenly remembered, back when the Queen was leading the charge in the Pacific world, Teacher Yang really did have some sleepwalking cultivation and crazy leaps in progress. Think about it—how many resources did Queen Yang mobilize, how much experience medicine did she take, just to boost Dragon Elephant Technique? And back then, as the 'dead wood,' Teacher Yang quietly went solo and still kept up with Prajna Technique. That kind of sudden progress was weird from the start.
The Queen did worry back then, but when nothing seemed off, she let it go. Later, a void storm whisked Teacher Yang off to the martial arts world, and Queen Yang used the Great Heart-Severing Technique to shift the main consciousness. Up to now, the way they switch consciousness is just closing and opening their eyes—when the time comes, swap the person. Even this heart-severing method is pretty abnormal.
And even when the main consciousness started shifting, he still went through a phase—from 'wooden block' to 'dummy' to 'the amnesiac guy.' That whole process was just as strange.
That's when Jack started losing his memories, and to this day, he still hasn't gotten them all back. Maybe it was all those weird problems piling up, and when they finally exploded, this 'tribulation' hit.
Past actions, present consequences—Jack's memory loss now is basically his 'tribulation.'
In a cultivation novel, tribulations are usually something you have to get through on your own. But this heart-tribulation—maybe you can get a little help?
"Maggie, if you told me everything that happened back then, would it help?" Jack asked, but honestly, he wasn't expecting much. If that kind of thing worked, Queen Yang would've already told him everything.
Sure enough, Maggie shook her head. "Probably wouldn't help. Only you know your own heart. That Seventh Round—enlightenment—it's a hurdle you have to get past yourself. But... I'm no expert, so who knows, maybe it'll work? Wanna give it a shot?"
"Sure, let's try it." Yeah, why not? So Jack decided to start with the one thing he had a clue about: "Let me ask you something—just remembered this—I came to talk to you that winter, right? What did we talk about? Feels important, but I just can't remember."
When Maggie heard the question, a sly, almost-smile crept across her face. "You mean you don't even remember that? But are you sure you really want to know?"
Seeing that look—like a wave of embarrassing history was about to crash down—Jack couldn't help but shiver. Then he braced himself and nodded, "Go ahead, what did I say when I came to you?"
Silly Maggie grinned and shook her head, her eyes full of mischief. "Believe it or not, you called me in the middle of the night, rushed right over, and told me you wanted to—break up with us."
"What?!" Jack couldn't believe it. He'd imagined a lot of answers, but never this one! It completely threw him off, and he couldn't help but raise his voice: "But—but that's impossible! Why would I break up with you? No way, no way, aren't we still fine now? Was I joking? No, I couldn't possibly joke about something like that!"
"Hahaha, I knew you'd react like that! But Jack, I wasn't joking, and neither were you back then." Maggie's voice softened, tinged with nostalgia and something a little hard to name. "You really said it, and you were deadly serious, completely determined, and... totally in despair."
"Despair?!" That word was serious business—Jack was genuinely stunned. "What... what could've happened to make me feel despair? With my personality, I can't imagine ever falling into that!"
"How many things in this world can really make someone feel despair and powerless?" Maggie patted Jack's shoulder, her tone back to normal. "So, Jack my friend, when it comes to matters of the heart, nobody else can help. I could talk all day, but if the time isn't right, it won't help. If I say nothing, when the time comes, you'll understand on your own. After all, the memory's inside your heart."
Jack could only nod. He'd heard this conclusion a bunch of times, and even he had to admit it made sense.
"Even though the three of us went through that together, each person's perspective, feelings, and take on it are different. Your brain right now is like a messy filing cabinet—can't find where you put the important stuff from back then. Me stuffing my own junk in there would just mess you up more, so—" Maggie tossed the ice keypad far out into the lake with a splash. "Let's call it a night and head back!"
"Mm, okay, let's go back." Jack put aside all his confusion, grinned and patted his own waist. Maggie, blushing a little, made a big leap and landed on Jack's back.
Jack teased, "You can't just hitch a ride without a ticket. At least give the driver some gas money, huh?" Breakup? Despair? A shiver ran through Jack's heart, but he quickly set it aside. When the time comes, it'll all make sense.
"Sure thing, listen up!" Maggie cleared her throat, then shouted playfully, "Giddy-up!"
"You little..."
Their figures shot through the air, soaring away.
It wasn't exactly flying, but with those high jumps and a bit of lightfoot gliding, you could still taste that indescribable freedom. In the night sky, the cool wind swept by, and Jack's back felt like the safest observation deck in the world. It was almost dawn. Maggie clung to Jack's back, gazing at the city below as it started to quiet down—and her heart quieted with it.
Just now, when Jack wanted to share his secret, she really wanted to hear it. But in the end, she refused, because she understood one thing—how can you give someone something you haven't gotten back yourself?
[Be patient. Just a little more patience.]
This wasn't just Jack's own heart-tribulation—no one could stay out of this storm. This wasn't just Jack's inner demon—nobody could just shrug it off and forget.
In the distance, the delicate ice keyboard floated gently in the heart of the lake, sending ripples across the surface. Bathed in moonlight, the three keys glimmered, arranged in a near-perfect triangle, as if hinting at something.