When she woke up from her sleep, the same scenery was once again laid out in front of her eyes. It didn't come as a surprise as she was back on the road to Huang Quan. The black guards were there leading the people across the bridge, and she was tied up with the red rope. "This time, I might not be so lucky," thought YuQiao trying to get the ropes to come undone.

However, just as before, she struggled for a while, and they got loosened up easily. She was free once again and the girl started running while avoiding the guards and other ghosts and headed to the forest. It was much faster than the first time, as she had grasped everything.

"I am no newbie in being a ghost," thought YuQiao sarcastically.

As YuQiao ran in the forest, she started thinking about the event that had transpired. "What should I do?" was the foremost question that appeared in her mind at this moment.

"You came back," said the old woman who was waiting for her. "I am glad."

YuQiao was experiencing a mix of emotions, confusion, sadness, anger and panic and the old woman's remark didn't help at all. It only added insult to injury. The girl rudely stated, "I didn't want to meet you. I am dead again. Are you happy that I am dead? Who are you anyway?"

"Come here," said the old woman warmly, strangely enough she listened and obediently walked closer. "Bend a little bit. Let me get a better look at you," said the old woman. The girl leaned in closer and with lightning speed the old woman held out her fingers near her forehead and gave it a powerfully flick.

The flick caused her to unbuckle, and she fell on the earthy ground.

"It hurts like crazy, grandmother," said YuQiao. "Grandmother?" said YuQiao who could not believe what had just come out of her mouth. "You finally remembered me, my granddaughter, JinGe," said the old woman.

YuQiao ran towards her and gave her a hug, although it was more or less a half hug as it passed through the old woman.

"JinGe, this is your first hug you had given me, and it didn't even feel firm. It just went through me," laughed her grandmother. "I had lived for three hundred thousand years but they are still so many things which could still surprise me."

"Sorry, grandmother for the rudeness I have shown before. I was angry at my own foolishness and took my anger on you, a stranger," apologized JinGe as she remembered how she had treated the old woman and kneeled down in front of her.

"It is fine. You weren't aware," said her grandmother as she grabbed onto her elbows and helped her onto her feet.

"Come sit down," said her grandmother as she herself headed to the stone table in the middle of the glade and settled on a stone chair. JinGe followed suit and then poured her grandmother a cup of warm tea and then another for herself.

"Have you recovered all your memories?" asked her grandmother.

"Now that you mentioned it. I only remembered a little," said JinGe sadly, remembering the scene as her mother held her hand as they ran across the empty streets away from the town, she hid her in an empty container.

That was the last time she saw her face but in that dark container she could hear the voices that was coming from the outside.

"Was she captured and-" she did not dare to think further but she was certain that, "My mother never escape. How could I forget all of this? My name, my identity, everything," she told her grandmother as she gripped tightly onto his hand.

"In time, you will remember more. It's not hopeless and soon you will discover the truth," said her grandmother with a sad and worried expression on her face.

"So, the name JinGe was not a coincidence that I thought up. It was my real name," as JinGe remembered again how she suddenly came up with the name.

"In life, there are always things that one will lose and gain. You forget that you were JinGe and lived as YuQiao and gain a new family. You lost your biological mother, but you still have your father."

"Where is my father now?"

"He is locked up somewhere in a human body, cursed to suffer eternally as an immortal where his body will never die, and his wounds would never heal. He will suffer the pain of loss forever unless..."

"Unless what, grandmother."

"I cannot tell you. The heaven forbids me."

There was a question that was gnawing at JinGe, and she asked the old woman, "Grandmother, why I didn't die? I came back to life, and I took possession of another person. I lived as her."

"You are a half immortal, you had three lives. When you died, you weren't bound to leave the world yet, therefore the bond that was holding onto you was not strong. Remember how simple for you to escape."

"Yes. I just shook a little bit, and the rope came off immediately," said the girl as the old woman took out a pipe and began lighting it up.

The old woman stared at her and said, "However, you, careless child, you had used up two of them already," as she puffed a few rings of smoke in the air. "You had one, last chance to free your father or he will eternally bound to live life on earth as a monster."

"But I do not have a body to return to as you can see, I am a ghost now and LiQin died. Grandma, an empty and dead body is not lying around waiting for me. Where can I find another replacement?"

"You do not need to find another. LiQin's body is already yours."

"Mine, grandmother? What are you talking about?"

"It is just as I have said. In a sense that body belongs to you," stated the old woman as she sighed, "It seems you forget about that day as well."

"JinGe," called the old woman.

"Yes?" replied the girl as she locked eyes with her grandmother and images began flashing across her mind.

Friends

A man was starting his day, he stretched and began putting away some of his pickled jars. However, just as he lifted one of them, it felt heavier than usual. He opened the lid and saw a little girl who was hiding in it, "What are you doing in the container? Are you playing hide and seek? You are stuck?" asked the kind man.

She stared at him and nodded.

"Do not hide here anymore," said the man as he carried the girl out and the moment her feet landed on the ground, the girl ran away.

"What a strange child," said the man as he watched the little figure which soon disappeared in the sea of people around the market. He shrugged and continued working.

The girl searched within the crowd for her mother, but it was useless. She was nowhere to be found.

Alone and afraid she hid in an abandoned temple. On the night of a full moon, she met another girl who was the same age. JinGe was moping at a corner when she saw a dainty little girl approaching her with her big brown eyes staring at her.

"Hey, your eyes are blue," the girl stated. "What is your name? My name is Bai LiQin."

"My eyes are blue?" asked JinGe doubtfully.

"Yes, there are blue like the clear lake water in my hometown."

JinGe rushed to a nearby puddle left from the evening shower and upon it, she saw her own reflection. "I have blue eyes," thought the girl.

"Hey, what is your name?" asked LiQin as she squatted next to her, but JinGe did not reply. She was too worried about her eyes. LiQin gazed into the puddle as well. "They looked beautiful. I would like eyes like that as well."

"They are blue," stated JinGe as she stared at the little girl's reflection in the puddle beside her and took a good look. She seemed rich. The little girl wore silk clothes and a mantle made from rabbit fur.

"Yes," the girl replied to her statement as she gave her a warm smile. "Let's be friends," suggested LiQin.

"Why?"

"Because I like you and your blue eyes," stated the girl.

"Just like that?" asked JinGe.

She nodded and then the girl stood up and began searching around. "There must be something to mark our friendship," said LiQin, but she had nothing. An idea came to JinGe, and she suggested, "Let me teach you how to sing a song. It is a song my mother sang to me."

After JinGe taught LiQin the words, they began singing under the moonlight. When the song finally ended LiQin praised, "It is a really nice song," however, JinGe did not reply. Her focus was on elsewhere.

She was staring intently at the moon and slowly on top of her forehead, petals began appearing. One after another, it slowly emerged until there were five.

LiQin was nervous to see JinGe who was in a trance. She tried to wake up her, "Are you alright? JinGe?" but she was ignored. The little girl stood in front of her and shook her again.

Suddenly the petals materialized and were flying from JinGe's forehead and landed on the LiQin and slowly disappeared. Both of them collapsed on the temple's corridor.

Morning came, and they still did not wake up. LiQin's wet nurse Madam Wong found her and JinGe sleeping in the old temple and took them away. She left JinGe in the care of her friend while she took LiQin with her as they travelled back to their own city of YouZhou in a carriage.

After several weeks had passed, JinGe never woke up and suddenly started to experience high fever, it was worrying Madam Wong's friend who was a maid at the Sun manor, and she sought the help of General Sun's wife, Mistress Sun.

Hearing her troubles, the mistress hired a physician and finally after a week of treatment, JinGe finally woke up. However, when the mistress asked about her name and where she came from. JinGe could not answer her at all. The doctor explained maybe it was due to the fever that she was experiencing for a long time which cause her memory loss.

Standing in front of the two tired ladies who took turns to take care of her, he stated, "It was lucky that the fever did not rob her of her intelligence. Both of you did great." He smiled and left.

Afterwards, General Sun and Mistress Sun searched for her parents for almost a year until they gave up and since the mistress had taken a liking to JinGe. They adopted her as their own child. And they named the child as YuQiao.

Remembering the incident, JinGe was shocked that she had once met LiQin and she was her friend, "No wonder she had said that she had met me once before she died," thought JinGe.

"The immortality is made up of two parts and one of them, the eyes represent the soul and the flowers' petals on the forehead represent the body. When you meet with the girl your petals might have sensed the danger that you will have in the future and moved on to the girl. The fever was caused by the sudden separation of your immortality. I never thought that you would suffer memory loss in the process," said the old woman.

"You were lucky for the separation only gave you fever, in LiQin's case it was a bit worse, the immortality is not compatible with her soul, and it was slowly and gradually repelling her which caused her to have a weak constitution ever since."

"Did I kill her? Is it because I came to her as a ghost, that she died?"

"No child, it was not your fault. The immortality only weakens. It doesn't kill. There is no one to blame for her death. Everyone faced death when their time has come. It's the natural law of nature, birth, sickness, and death."

"So, what do I do now?" asked JinGe.

"Go back and retrieve the body, you silly child. It should still be fine as your immortality is in that body. It will heal and restored the body to its optimal condition. But you have to hurry, before time runs out. The body may remain alive for a limited time. If the soul does not reach the body, it will permanently die. At that time, even the deities above could not help you."

JinGe was ready to run but before her grandmother gave her another tip, "Remember to enter gently this time. You do not want your memories to be muddle up again."

Before she could continue, the old woman was coughing hysterically. "Grandmother are you fine?" asked JinGe.

"Do not worry about this old person. I can still live for another thousand years. Go quickly before it expires," cried the old woman. She bid JinGe a goodbye and safe travel as the girl started running to the end of the forest, "You know the way, straight and always turn left."

"Yes, grandmother. I know. Farewell and take care," said JinGe as she waved to her and disappeared out of sight.

"I have such an energetic granddaughter," thought the old woman. She looked over to the side of the tree. "Help me take care of my granddaughter as a favour from this old woman. Keep her safe and bring her home." There was no reply, only the rustled of leaves up above the trees. The old woman smiled and sat down again for some more tea.

JinGe ran as fast her ghost legs would carry her and when she pushed away the last tree branches that blocked her way. The girl appeared in the middle of a market. There were people all around her. She looked behind her and the forest was nowhere to be found. The only proof that she came out from the forest was a piece of leaf that was at her feet which was later swept up by the wind and carried by it, flying away the air. Following her gut feeling, JinGe followed the leaf.