I Hope You Can Start Over

“Soul-Sealing… what now?”

Luo Xiaoxi didn’t understand a word of it, but it sounded incredibly impressive.

“Soul-Sealing and Life-Extension…” Hua Qianluo said with a faint smile. “A human lives but one life, a mere century. After a hundred years, the body returns to the earth and the soul goes to reincarnation.”

Qianluo picked up her teacup, carefully scrutinizing Lin Lan, who sat across the table looking quite restrained.

“At the moment of reincarnation, a bowl of Meng Po’s soup makes one forget the past life. Grudges, stories, loves, and hates—all of it turns to mist. However, because of the discrepancy in lifespans, relationships between humans and spirits often end in tragedy. To avoid this sorrow, someone eventually researched this method.”

Qianluo noticed Miaoming’s gaze shift toward her.

“A demon uses its own magic to help a human evade the gods and ghosts, skipping the cycle of reincarnation to be reborn directly with the memories of their previous life.” Qianluo clicked her tongue. “Though, rather than calling it rebirth, it’s more accurate to call it ‘soul-borrowing in a dead body.’ When a human first dies, they are in a state of chaos—extremely fragile. To succeed, one must find a pregnant woman and possess the fetus before the destined soul of reincarnation arrives.”

“But that’s not the end of it. Maintaining this spell drains the demon’s energy significantly. Furthermore, the sealed soul can never, for all eternity, enter the cycle of reincarnation again.”

At this point, Qianluo paused and gave Miaoming a sharp glare.

Miaoming lowered her head in shame. It was true—the moment she heard about being reborn with memories intact, her heart had wavered.

“Simply put: either choose not to step into the trap, or prepare to walk the path of darkness until the very end. Am I right, you two?”

Lin Lan and Xiao Zi remained silent, which was effectively a confession.

“Mama Qianluo… what about this matter then?” Xiaoxi asked softly, but Qianluo cut her off with a wave of her hand.

“I can indeed help…”

“Then—!” Lin Lan’s emotions surged the moment he heard there was a chance. Even the flower demon, Xiao Zi, began to sway more rapidly.

“However, I will only help one of you.”

The room fell deathly silent. It was as if they had just felt a spark of warmth only to have a bucket of ice water dumped over them. In the end, Lin Lan chose to leave, taking Xiao Zi with him. Qianluo didn’t try to stop them; such things had to be a personal choice.

“Wow, Mama Qianluo, you have a heart of stone,” Xiaoxi whispered.

Qianluo heard her anyway and delivered a swift smack to the back of Xiaoxi’s head. “Too much talk from you. Go close up the shop.”

“Waaaah, poor Xiaoxi is being exploited for labor again…”

After Xiaoxi went out, Miaoming intended to follow her, but Qianluo called her back.

“Little Ming, come with me for a moment.”

Hua Qianluo’s flower shop was only three stories high. While not a skyscraper, it was tall enough among the surrounding ancient-style buildings to offer a scenic view. Looking down, one could truly feel the atmosphere of the city.

The sun was sinking, and the lights of ten thousand homes began to flicker. People came and went, but the era was no longer the one they once knew.

“Did you have fun today?” Qianluo didn’t ask about anything else.

“It was alright. Running into that mess was a bit of a hassle, though.” Miaoming leaned against the railing. “I think Xiaoxi was quite happy.”

“As long as she’s happy.” Qianluo sighed. “Do you know why I called you up here?”

“Because of Xiaoxi?” Miaoming answered instinctively.

Qianluo rolled her eyes. “Isn’t that obvious? If it wasn’t for Xiaoxi, would it be for that stubborn old fossil of a father of yours?”

Miaoming obediently shut her mouth.

“This request might be a bit much, but I hope you can start over with Xiaoxi,” Qianluo said, looking directly at her.

Miaoming didn’t quite catch her meaning at first. Then, her eyes widened, and she looked at Qianluo with excitement. “Do you… do you have a way to make Xiaoxi remember her past life?”

“I do,” Qianluo didn’t deny it.

“Then—!”

Miaoming’s mind went blank. Excitement, hope, grievance—all the emotions she usually kept suppressed came rushing up at once.

“Everything has a cause and an effect. Think carefully before you speak,” Qianluo’s next sentence was like a bucket of ice water poured over her heart.

Miaoming went quiet instantly. “What are the consequences of recovering the memories?”

“Consequences? Didn’t you see them today?” Qianluo spoke as if it were a trivial matter. “The human becomes a wandering ghost, and the demon’s lamp eventually runs out of oil.”

As expected, it wasn’t as simple as Miaoming had imagined. She suddenly realized that Qianluo wasn’t telling her there was a possibility of recovery; she was warning her. Warning her not to entertain such twisted thoughts.

But wait… does this mean Qianluo was implicitly giving her blessing to Miaoming and Xiaoxi?

Miaoming’s face suddenly broke into a roguish smirk. “So, uh, just asking for a friend… can I call you ‘Mother-in-law’ now?”

Qianluo froze. She clearly hadn’t expected Miaoming to find a way to counter-attack in such a tense atmosphere.

“That… depends on your performance,” Qianluo laughed.

Miaoming laughed too, jingling her car keys. “Come on, let’s go out to eat. My treat.”

Miaoming had originally booked a table at a high-end restaurant, but because of the day’s events, her plans hadn’t quite unfolded as expected. Furthermore, there was now a third wheel—Qianluo—with them.

Per Qianluo’s request, they ended up at a roadside food stall. Then, the scene spiraled out of control.

“Come on! Drink if you’ve got the guts!” Qianluo shouted, brandishing a beer bottle at Miaoming. “You want to date my daughter with that low alcohol tolerance?”

Xiaoxi frantically tugged at Qianluo’s sleeve. “Mama Qianluo, Sister Long has to drive, she can’t drink—”

Before she could finish, Miaoming snapped a cap off a bottle across the table. “I’ve never backed down from a challenge like this. Whoever wimps out today is a loser!”

The rich older sister certainly didn’t lack spirit. She raised the bottle and downed it in one go. The surrounding customers watched in awe.

“Nice!” “Heh, that’s all?”

Mama Qianluo gritted her teeth and, like the rich sister, downed a bottle in one go.

“Good!”

The crowd, always loving a spectacle, cheered again.

A long time passed. Empty bottles littered the ground. Finally, Miaoming slumped onto the table, swaying. She was the first to surrender.

“Is… is that it…?” A victorious Qianluo acted like a child, rolling up a napkin and taping it to a chopstick to make a tiny white flag, which she planted in Miaoming’s bowl.

Then, she too reached her limit and collapsed.

Luo Xiaoxi was left alone, sighing helplessly at the field of empty bottles and the two unconscious idiots.