“Come in,” Cha Ming said.
Mo Ling walked into the dimly lit room.
“Take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the chair in front of him. The girl was nervous—as she should be. Over the past few days, Cha Ming had relieved those in his smithy from their duties, severing their contracts with generous compensation for the inconvenience. He’d also put the smithy up for sale, equipment and all, through the Greenwind Pavilion. The smithy would have a new owner, and he’d want to select his own staff. Many of the old staff would likely be snapped up by the new owner.
Cha Ming sighed, put his hands to his face, and pressed them together while looking her straight in the eyes. “I’ll need to terminate your employment contract as well,” he said. “I’m going to Bastion, and I can’t take you with me.”
Mo Ling looked down. He saw sadness in her eyes but not the shock he’d expected. Instead, there was disappointment.
“It’s not that I don’t want to keep you with me,” Cha Ming continued. “You’re hardworking, and you’re very good with books, finances, and administration. You’ve made this smithy run like clockwork. I’ll be honest with you, technically speaking, I’m allowed to hire you under the employment contract I signed just this morning.”
“Then why?” Mo Ling said, her eyes tearing up. “I don’t know anyone here. I had to leave my family back in Liaoning, and now that things are comfortable again, you’re leaving me.”
Cha Ming knew he was being unreasonable from her point of view. That was what made it all the more difficult.
“But do you know what the worst part is?” Mo Ling said. “The worst part is knowing that you’ve been up to something this entire time. The people around you change too fast. They’re too familiar with you. We’ve barely been here for six months, but everyone talks to you like they’ve known you for years.
“I overheard a conversation on the other side of the city. They were talking about how great it was that you came from Liaoning five years ago. They remember me from five years ago, even though I wasn’t there. No one thinks it’s strange, but I remember you, and I remember being in Liaoning five years ago. Tell me, Pai Xiao, are those memories real? Or are theirs the ones that are fake?”
At some point in the conversation, her tone had shifted from an aggrieved little girl to that of an angry, confused woman.
Cha Ming sighed and closed his eyes. He’d ran this risk when he’d asked Sun Wukong to spare her memories. Asking her to just accept that her memories were incongruent with other people’s might have been too much for her to handle. Unfortunately, he’d felt guilty for what had happened, guilty for not doing more for the villagers of Liaoning, guilty for the future that was now lost to her. Tampering with her memories a second time had seemed far too cruel.
“They’re both fake,” Cha Ming said finally. “Pai Xiao isn’t even my real name. You haven’t known me for long, and I’m no one special to you.”
Mo Ling shuddered. She clutched her heart as though she’d been stabbed.
“The monastery?” she asked. “The things that happened there? My family? My hometown? Are they all fake as well?”
“They’re real,” Cha Ming said. “Unfortunately for you, they’re real. Your family still lives in Liaoning. The many deaths at the hands of the blood masters and my rampage through their monastery. Our journey here, and your time here. Those are real.”
“But why?” Mo Ling asked. “Why did you bother if you were just going to leave right away anyway?”
“It’s difficult to explain,” Cha Ming said softly. “Suffice to say that I have a skilled enemy. I have a goal, and to succeed, he can’t know I exist. Only Pai Xiao can exist.”
“Then why not go all the way?” Mo Ling asked. “Why not just erase yourself from my life?”
Cha Ming sighed. “If that is what you wish, I can do that. If you’re willing, it won’t take much time at all.”
She sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes. “And is that what you want?” she asked.
“No,” Cha Ming said. “However, I won’t deny that leaving you this way is a risk. You’re a loose end I can’t bear to tie up. The more you remember, the easier I’ll be to find. You could easily be killed in the crossfire.” He shook his head. “I can take care of myself, so there’s no need to worry about me. But if you want to forget me… Well, I won’t blame you.”
Mo Ling sobbed softly when she heard these words. She began crying uncontrollably. Cha Ming could only sit and watch as she wept. Several minutes passed, and when she’d finished crying, her expression turned cold. “I want to forget. Change my memories just like the others.”
“Are you sure?” Cha Ming asked, a little bit disappointed inside.
“Yes,” Mo Ling said without any hesitation.
“All right,” Cha Ming said. He took out a treasure from his Clear Sky World. It was the numerous bound medallions wrapped in metal wires Ling Dong had made for him. An aura of life and death pulsed through them. No, that wasn’t accurate. An aura of a lifetime ran through them. He’d discovered its use some time ago—the treasure mollified minds and helped people reconcile their lives and come to terms with their memories. In this case, he was using it to mollify her mind as Sun Wukong drifted out behind her and began working his magic.
Mo Ling’s eyes closed. The clock ticked away, and after a few minutes passed, they fluttered open. Cha Ming stowed his treasure, and Sun Wukong disappeared. Mo Ling sighed in disappointment. “But I really enjoyed working with you, Master. Couldn’t you take me to Bastion with you?”
“I’m not your master anymore,” Cha Ming said, cancelling the contract and placing a pile of spirit stones on the desk. “The bonus is for your inconvenience. I
