Chapter 67: The Origin of Fate (Part 2)

Lin Fan left the little fox by the fire in the wooden hut and walked towards the nearby frozen lake.

The surface of the lake rippled slightly under the biting wind. Lin Fan invoked his superior perception to carefully search for any hidden creatures.

A quarter of an hour later, the corners of Lin Fan's mouth curled up slightly.

"Got one."

He gently tapped his palm against the ice, and his spiritual power quickly seeped into the lake. With a crisp cracking sound, the ice sheet split open, revealing a patch of clear water.

Under the water, a few swimming shadows were faintly visible, and Lin Fan felt a surge of joy.

"There really are living creatures in the lake."

He dove in, submerging himself in the icy water. The cold was bone-chilling, but it did not affect his determination in the slightest.

Lin Fan dove into the water, his gaze sharp, attempting to lock onto the swimming figures.

As he drew closer, he discovered that they were actually a school of large silver fish, shimmering like shooting stars as they swam.

He rejoiced inwardly, thinking that he could now provide the little fox with plenty of nourishment.

Just as he was about to reach out and catch them, a massive vibration suddenly came from underwater.

A powerful current surged from the depths. Lin Fan felt the surrounding water pressure increase instantly, and then, a gigantic creature suddenly lunged out from the bottom of the lake.

It was a massive Ice Wolf Fish. Its entire body was blue, covered in ice crystals on its back. Its sharp teeth glinted with a cold light in the water, resembling sharp blades, which was chilling to behold.

"This is big trouble!" Lin Fan thought, feeling that things were looking bad; the creature before him clearly exceeded his expectations.

Even though he had Golden Core Cultivation, his use of spiritual power was severely restricted underwater, and he could barely exert his full speed or strength.

The Ice Wolf Fish let out a low roar, locked its ferocious gaze onto Lin Fan, and lunged towards him rapidly.

Lin Fan didn't have time to think and swam to the side with all his might, dodging the massive fish maw.

But the Ice Wolf Fish was extremely fast; it turned instantly and flicked its tail, knocking Lin Fan flying.

"Hmph!"

Lin Fan endured the pain and quickly composed himself, knowing he had to fight back.

He took a deep breath and channeled his spiritual power, attempting to form a protective barrier to withstand the next attack.

However, the flow of spiritual power underwater was not as smooth as on land, and the formation speed of the protective barrier was far slower than the Ice Wolf Fish's attack.

At this critical moment, the Ice Wolf Fish lunged again. Lin Fan reacted quickly, grabbing a nearby water plant to leverage himself into a backflip, dodging the attack.

But the moment he flipped, the Ice Wolf Fish's giant tail struck him squarely, instantly causing him to spit out blood and sapping his strength.

"I can't drag this out any longer!" Lin Fan knew he could not keep retreating. He chanted silently in his heart and began to use his Cultivated combat technique, "Void Rend," attempting to create a ripple underwater to disrupt the Ice Wolf Fish's vision.

As his spiritual power gathered, a strong wave instantly formed in the water, seemingly tearing through the surrounding current.

The Ice Wolf Fish was indeed affected, and its swimming direction became chaotic.

Lin Fan seized the opportunity, surged upward, and swam towards the surface.

The shadow of the Ice Wolf Fish was approaching rapidly. His heart tightened, and he leapt with all his might, jumping out of the water and crashing heavily onto the ice by the lake shore.

Lin Fan cursed, "If I weren't in such a hurry to restore the little fox's strength, I would definitely have turned you into grilled fish!"

Just as he finished speaking, a mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, the bright red stains coloring his cheek.

This damned Ice Wolf Fish's cultivation likely exceeded the Nascent Soul Stage with just that casual strike—it was two whole Realms higher than his own.

Even if Lin Fan wore his vincent battle armor, he wouldn't be able to handle this behemoth in a short time.

Feeling secretly annoyed, he endured the pain, picked up the few silver fish he had managed to grab, and headed back towards the wooden hut.

Upon returning to the wooden hut, Lin Fan saw that the little fox had regained some strength and had slightly opened her eyes, though her expression still appeared weak.

Her body was curled up in a warm corner, as if she were struggling to wake from a deep slumber.

"Eat quickly, replenish some strength."

Lin Fan fed her the silver fish he had caught, gently placing a few delicious silver fish in front of the little fox.

Smelling the fish, a glimmer of surprise flashed in the little fox's eyes. She quickly sat up, bowed her head, and began to enjoy this meal.

The silver fish meat was tender and fresh; with one gentle bite, juices instantly filled her mouth. The little fox's ears perked up slightly, clearly captivated by the delicious taste.

She ate mouthful after mouthful, devouring the food as if trying her best to replenish her lost strength. Every time she crunched through a fish bone, a satisfied expression would appear at the corners of her mouth.

Lin Fan quietly observed this scene, feeling a wave of relief in his heart.

The little fox's recovery speed brought him some comfort, but he could still feel the injuries on his own body; blood was still flowing.

He endured the pain, thinking that he would deal with his own wounds after the little fox had eaten her fill.

But just as the little fox finished eating the fish, she suddenly raised her head. Concern appeared in her eyes, and she gently licked Lin Fan's hand.

As if saying, "You… are you hurt?"

Lin Fan shook his head, wanting to downplay his injuries: "It's nothing, just a small wound. You should focus on recovering first."

But the little fox didn't seem to buy it; her eyes were filled with worry. She licked Lin Fan's fingers, as if conveying her concern.

"Don't worry, I will be fine."

Lin Fan endured the pain and managed to squeeze out a faint smile. He patted the little fox's head, then turned and sat cross-legged by the fire.

The roaring flames reflected on his face, turning it slightly red and dispelling the cold from his body.

He closed his eyes and began to regulate his breathing to recover.

The damaged spiritual power and stagnant blood Qi within his body gradually began to flow again with his rhythmic breathing, and his injuries were slowly healing.

The little fox watched Lin Fan, her ears twitching slightly. She hesitated for a moment, but eventually lifted her small paw and nuzzled gently into his arms.

The flames danced, emitting a slight "crackling" sound, warming the entire wooden hut.

Time passed, and night fell.

The snowstorm raged even more fiercely; the cold wind howled across the empty icy plains, emitting a piercing "whooshing" sound.

The fire beside Lin Fan flickered slightly, the light waxing and waning, casting a dim yellow glow throughout the wooden hut.

Outside, the wind and snow battered against the walls of the wooden hut, producing a dull "creaking" sound.

The little fox raised her head alertly, her ears standing straight, her eyes fixed firmly on the wall.

Suddenly, a crisp knocking sound broke the silence inside the room.

"Knock, knock."

"Is anyone there? I am a scholar on my way to the capital for the imperial examinations, named Bai Yishu."

A male voice, tinged with a bit of nervousness and helplessness, came from outside.

"I am passing through this area and suddenly encountered a heavy snowstorm. Could I trouble you for a night's lodging?"

The little fox's ears couldn't help but twitch; she leaned forward slightly, a low whimpering sound emitting from her throat.

She pressed tightly against Lin Fan's chest, her bright eyes staring at the wooden door, her raised little claws scratching gently at Lin Fan's lapel.

Lin Fan opened his eyes, a flash of cold light flickering in his gaze.

Instinctively, he grew wary of the sudden stranger, and his heart stirred slightly.

He was almost certain that the weak little fox in his arms was the true form of Bai Youyou.

And the scholar before him, who called himself "Bai Yi"—was exactly the person who was supposed to appear in Bai Youyou's destiny.

"No wonder her experiences are so similar to 'The White Fox'…"

"Could this world be a reflection of the depths of Bai Youyou's memories?"

Lin Fan stared intently at the closed wooden door, countless thoughts flashing through his mind as he quickly deduced all possibilities.

If his guess was correct.

The reason Bai Youyou created the Xuanyin Qin Sect was because she had been hurt by this scholar, "Bai Yi," before him.

Just as the song "The White Fox" sang: "When I left you, you were just hitting the gold medal in the imperial examinations, and the bridal chamber was lit with candles."

Bai Yi after achieving fame and success, abandoned her without hesitation.

This heart-wrenching despair made Bai Youyou completely lose faith in love, eventually closing off her heart and creating the Sect alone.

Everything became exceptionally logical.

The Xuanyin Qin Sect only accepted female Disciples because Bai Youyou was completely disappointed in men.

And he happened to play "The White Fox," which stirred her memories, which was why she developed some interest in him.

Subsequently, he chose to set Lin Chen free, while he himself silently left and died.

Such a sacrifice made Bai Youyou develop favorable feelings towards him, even concluding that he was the second man in her life she could trust.

"If that is truly the case, then Bai Youyou's despair regarding emotions and her resentment towards men began with this scholar…"

Lin Fan frowned deeply, pondering in his heart: "Then, how can I move her and heal the scars in her heart?"

This "Bai Yi" was just a passerby in her destiny, and also one of the roots of her pain.

"Since that's the case, why don't I take his place and become Bai Youyou's first man!"

In Lin Fan's mind, the image of Bai Youyou's soft, boneless body could not help but appear, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Suddenly, that cold sentence from Bai Youyou echoed in his ears—

"Where is your first man?"

"He died; I killed him."

A chill went straight to Lin Fan's heart.

He had heard before that historical memories in a memory world could not be changed.

If someone attempted to change those fixed memory nodes, the rules of the world would, in another way, cause the erased memories to resurface.

If he truly replaced Bai Yi, then Bai Youyou would eventually kill him for some bizarre reason to maintain the balance of the memory world.

Thinking of this, Lin Fan's pupils constricted, and cold sweat involuntarily slid down his forehead.

"Knock, knock, knock—" The knocking on the door sounded again.

"Is anyone there? I only ask for a night's lodging, and I will leave tomorrow morning."

Bai Yi's gentle voice came from outside the door, sounding exceptionally clear amidst the howling snowstorm.

But to Lin Fan's ears, it sounded like a call to his doom.