Told You I Can Turn Back Time
Chapter 88: The Contradiction of Memory

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: The Contradiction of Memory

Jing Shiyu and Xue Rong stood to one side, watching Lin Xing grow gradually calm.

Jing Shiyu asked, "Lin Xing? Are you alright?"

Lin Xing, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly lifted his head, and a terrifying killing intent burst forth from within him like an overwhelming tide, causing Jing Shiyu and Xue Rong to break out in a cold sweat.

And in Lin Xing’s eyes, it seemed as if countless scenes of murder and being murdered were continually surfacing.

Those images of life-and-death struggles were displayed before him with absolute clarity, even more profound and distinct than his memories of traveling the days and the day before.

Whether it was those initial memories of tilling the land, chopping wood, and hunting, or the later memories of being constantly chased and killing others, the scenes that surfaced in Lin Xing’s mind were all in the first-person perspective.

He did not know when this had happened, nor did he know where it had occurred.

He could only discern that it must have started from his childhood, as he saw a pair of extremely tender and thin palms.

And then there was the countless years of battle he had experienced.

A group after group of strangers he did not recognize, one warrior after another whose names he did not even know, Lin Xing only remembered fighting them over and over again.

The sudden resurgence of these memories made him feel as if he had lived many years in a single moment.

When he came back to his senses and saw the house, Jing Shiyu, and Xue Rong before him, he even felt a sense of vagueness and distance.

"When did I go through such experiences?"

The original, blurry memories of his childhood...

The childhood memories that were emerging now...

Two completely unrelated sets of memories were simultaneously swirling in his mind, and the intense confusion felt like it could drive Lin Xing mad.

He felt that both were him, yet these two selves were completely unconnected and utterly different.

It was as if he remembered both having and not having breakfast, that contradictory feeling was stirring up chaos in Lin Xing’s mind.

"Which one is really me?"

"I can’t remember anymore..."

When Jing Shiyu’s voice reached his ears, he looked up, and the boundless memories of slaughter seemed to provoke his murderous intent.

"They all want to kill me... I have to kill them all."

But just as he clenched his fists, Lin Xing froze again, "She is Jing Shiyu, she doesn’t want to kill me."

"I can’t initiate murder because... because..."

A phrase suddenly appeared in Lin Xing’s mind, and he murmured, "I must abide by the law."

But who had said this? Lin Xing could not remember at all.

He only knew that the phrase was important, and he had to adhere to it.

But what was the content of the law?

"I can’t remember..." Lin Xing held his head in pain, "I can’t remember it."

Watching Lin Xing’s bewildered and pained expression, Jing Shiyu anxiously asked, "What’s wrong with him?"

Xue Rong stroked his beard, frowning and saying, "Hard to say, but it seems that the part of the memory I revived has caused him some problems, worsening his condition and even shaking his self-perception."

Jing Shiyu, puzzled, asked, "Isn’t it just memory recovery? Why is there such a big problem?"

Xue Rong shook his head, sighing, "If it were just about reminding you of what you ate yesterday, that would be insignificant."

"But what if you suddenly remembered that your true identity is the last Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, living incognito here? What would you do?"

Jing Shiyu frowned, "How could I possibly be the Emperor of Great Zhou?"

Xue Rong said, "See, you can’t accept that identity at all."

"It might be a similar situation for him." Xue Rong looked at Lin Xing and said, "He may have awakened memories that he cannot accept."

Jing Shiyu, looking at Lin Xing mumbling non-stop, asked, "So what do we do now?"

Xue Rong replied, "Let him rest and sort out his memories. With some luck, he might recover in a day or two."

Jing Shiyu asked, "And if he’s not lucky?"

Xue Rong shook his head, "He could become even more insane than before."

...

In the following days, Jing Shiyu took turns with Puppet Girl to stay by Lin Xing’s side, watching him occasionally close his eyes in deep thought or suddenly talk to himself.

Gradually, Lin Xing recovered bit by bit from that initial confusion.

He looked at the village nestled in the valley before him and thought to himself, "The reality is... I am in the village where Xue Rong lives in seclusion, which means the me who came here in search of my memories is the real me now."

"The one who from childhood tilled the fields and chopped wood, the one who killed and was killed, is not the real me..."

This was the conclusion Lin Xing came to after sorting through his memories for two days.

But this was only the judgment he could make. In fact, many memories of life-and-death struggles were mixed up in his mind, and sometimes he couldn’t distinguish which death belonged to which memory.

Besides, a thread of doubt crept into his mind again, "However, in the memories where I possessed skills since childhood, I often experienced time flowing backward. Yet, in the majority of my childhood memories in this world, there are no incidents of time reversal."

"What if the me in those farming memories is the real me?"

"If I mastered skills at such a young age, does that mean I lived in Mirror World as a child?"

"Then what’s the deal with my memories of this world?"

As he thought about it, Lin Xing felt that he couldn’t distinguish which one was the real him again.

Suddenly, a flash of insight crossed his mind, "In this world, there is a clear record of my life from childhood."

He murmured, "So those memories of tilling fields and chopping trees... are not the memories I should truly have."

This recovery of memories not only failed to solve Lin Xing’s problems but made his memories of this world even more blurred and led him to deviate in his self-identity recognition.

He tried to recall the memories of this world, only to find they were becoming increasingly unclear.

"In this world, I should have been raised by my parents. Aside from going to school and studying, I would play at home... but what did I play?"

He grasped his hair in some distress, "I can’t remember."

He continued to delve into other memories, "And who taught me to abide by laws and regulations? That’s very important, I must remember."

"Criminal law... I remember... It should be that if you kill, you must pay with your life."

"Yes, killing must be repaid with life."

Lin Xing counted on his fingers and thought, "Those who don’t kill me, need not die."

His mind was filled with many memories of injuring and maiming opponents in the woods and fields, then letting them go time and again.

Lin Xing nodded confidently, "I remember that’s how it was, those who didn’t kill me, just maiming them was enough, there was no need to repay with life."

"But there were exceptions..." Memories of many troublesome situations where he was injured but didn’t die floated in Lin Xing’s mind. It was a torment longer and more dangerous than death itself.

He also remembered many who wanted to capture him alive, only for all of them to end up killed by his hand.

"The past me certainly remembered more, so what I did at that time should have been in accordance with the law."

This time, Lin Xing felt he recalled more lawful deeds, "Those who want to capture me alive, that’s even worse than killing, they all deserve death."

Just then, the hem of a skirt appeared in his field of view. Lin Xing looked up to see a girl in a long dress standing in front of him.

The girl’s face was cold and expressionless, speaking in a faint tone, "Lin Xing, do you remember me?"

Lin Xing pondered for a while and replied, "Master Bai, don’t worry, I remember you."

Bai Yiyi breathed a sigh of relief, "I was really afraid you forgot about me."

Lin Xing smiled and said, "How could I possibly forget? You were the one who taught me the Spirit Vision Technique."

Puppet Girl turned away, addressing Jing Shiyu and Xue Rong coldly, "Look at him, you see? Is this what you call ’recovered’?"

Jing Shiyu looked at Lin Xing and said, "Lin Xing, it was I who taught you Spirit Vision, do you remember?"

Lin Xing was slightly startled, then laughed, "I was a little unclear just now. Now I remember it was Miss Jing who taught me."

Xue Rong judged, "The problem is not serious, just a bit of fuzziness in the past memories. It shouldn’t affect his future life."

Lin Xing shook his head and said, "That’s not good enough. Even if we don’t talk about this memory recovery, with more memories in the future, won’t there be any way to better manage my own memories?"

He also thought of the many memories Xue Rong had seen deep within his Sea of Consciousness, memories he himself had forgotten. Without a solution, how would he be able to access those memories?

Jing Shiyu also asked, "Isn’t there any Secret Technique or skill that can solve this problem?"

Xue Rong pondered and said, "If you’re still unsatisfied, the only option left is to turn to Taiqing Sect."