Chapter 72: Origin (VII)

The more Lin Fan thought about it, the angrier he became. If he hadn't also been slacking off and neglecting his duties, he could have repaired this dilapidated farmhouse until it was airtight all by himself!

As he thought about it, Lin Fan's face turned blue with rage. He longed to kick that guy—who slacked off during the day and slept like a dead pig at night—right off the straw pile.

"Truly, two monks have no water to drink."

The cold wind grew increasingly biting. Unable to endure it any longer, Lin Fan curled himself into a ball, attempting to preserve his body heat for a little longer.

He huddled in the corner, arms wrapped around his legs, his body shivering uncontrollably.

Just then, a soft touch suddenly pressed against his back.

Lin Fan was startled. He turned his head and saw Bai Youyou, dressed in white, leaning gently against his back. She leaned down and half-embraced him.

"Bai… Bai Youyou?" Lin Fan murmured in disbelief.

Bai Youyou whispered in his ear with a gentle voice: "Don't move, let me warm you up."

Her voice seemed to hold a certain magic, instantly calming Lin Fan's restless heart.

Bai Youyou's soft, boneless body pressed tightly against him, her body heat like a warm sun, dispelling the chill in his heart.

Lin Fan felt her smooth skin against his back, the delicate sensation carrying a hint of ambiguity that made his heart race.

"You… why are you here?" Lin Fan's tone held a hint of nervousness.

"I saw that you were too cold to sleep, so I came over to check on you," Bai Youyou replied softly, her gentle voice seemingly imbued with endless tenderness.

"You…" Lin Fan spoke louder, but Bai Youyou quickly raised her hand to press against his lips.

"Shh—keep your voice down, don't wake him up," Bai Youyou said, pointing toward the soundly sleeping Bai Yi not far away.

Lin Fan was momentarily speechless, his mind in a chaotic mess. He murmured: "You… you've only known Bai Yi for a day, how can you be like this…"

Bai Youyou shook her head and said softly: "I don't know why either, but I feel that he is my destined one."

Lin Fan was stunned, feeling a complex mix of emotions.

He had originally thought he could transcend such emotional entanglements, but seeing her do so much for Bai Yi, his heart felt inexplicably sour.

"Then why did you come over?" Lin Fan asked in a low voice.

Bai Youyou chuckled softly and tightened her arms, hugging Lin Fan even closer: "I came to thank you! If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I wouldn't have survived today."

Lin Fan felt her warm breath brush against his ear, sending a tingling sensation throughout his entire body.

He smiled bitterly and whispered: "Holding me like this, aren't you afraid I might lose control?"

Bai Youyou paused slightly, then huffed coquettishly: "In our Snow Fox clan, this is how we sleep. Or would you rather I didn't hold you? If you don't want to, then I'll go hold my Bai Yi instead."

"Fine, fine, hold me then." Lin Fan felt a complex mix of emotions and waved his hand hurriedly. He certainly didn't want to watch his future harem get "cuckolded" right in front of him.

Bai Youyou chuckled and hugged Lin Fan tightly once more, their breaths mingling together.

Lin Fan should have felt at ease, but his mind was filled with the awkward feeling of being a "spare tire."

Lying in Bai Youyou's warm, soft embrace, he felt his entire body surrounded by her faint, fragrant scent.

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "This is truly… a damned tenderness."

Just then, a hurried voice suddenly rang out in his mind: "Lin Fan, quickly break free from Bai Youyou's embrace! Your life wheel is experiencing a real Fusion with Bai Yi's!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Lin Fan was startled and responded subconsciously in his mind, "Also, where have you been all this time?"

"Xiao Du's" voice was filled with anxiety: "It is very difficult for me to contact you in the memory world. This situation is urgent; I spent a huge amount of merit points just to make brief contact with you! You must leave Bai Youyou's embrace immediately, otherwise you will become her first man! And Bai Youyou's first man was Bai Yi, whom she killed with her own hands! If your life wheel completely merges with Bai Yi's, you will also be assimilated into Bai Yi and meet the same ending, finished off by Bai Youyou herself!"

"What?!" Lin Fan's scalp tingled, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. "Then what should I do!"

"Push Bai Youyou away! Keep accompanying her, especially after Bai Yi wins the grand exam; this is her most vulnerable period. Key memory points cannot be changed, but these ordinary memories are not restricted in the memory space."

Listening to this, Xiao Du's words buzzed in his ears like sharp swords. He pursed his lips, his gaze gradually turning cold.

"Sorry, I can't do it! I feel terrible enough just watching Bai Youyou apply medicine for Bai Yi, and you want me to push her toward Bai Yi? Watching them act all lovey-dovey?"

"Lin Fan! Don't do anything foolish! You must remember, this is only a memory world! You still have Lin Chen, and Meng Li and the others waiting for you to return… Quickly push Bai Youyou away… Hurry… %… @ #"

Xiao Du's voice suddenly began to become intermittent, eventually turning into a series of harsh noises, making the content impossible to hear clearly.

Lin Fan's heart tightened, and he frowned deeply. The sound in his ears gradually faded, and the world returned to silence.

Outside, the cold wind continued to howl. On the straw pile, only he and Bai Youyou remained, huddled together.

"Damn it…"

Lin Fan gritted his teeth and looked down at Bai Youyou, who was holding him tightly in her arms.

Her face looked exceptionally peaceful at this moment, a hint of a smile hanging at the corners of her mouth, as if she had attained the happiness she had dreamed of.

"Should I push her away? Do I really have to push her away?"

He struggled internally, but in his mind, it felt as if an invisible string was tightening, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"What should I do?" Lin Fan took a deep breath, his heart filled with conflicting thoughts.

In the end, he slowly raised his hand. But just as his fingers touched Bai Youyou's shoulder.

Lin Fan's movement paused, his heart suddenly becoming incredibly conflicted.

In an instant, as if he had made a decision, the hand that was originally meant to push her away suddenly retracted, and he pulled Bai Youyou tightly into his embrace.

"Mmph—"

Bai Youyou let out a soft exclamation, but soon quieted down. Her soft body slowly relaxed in his arms, letting him hold her even tighter.

An orchid-like fragrance rushed straight into Lin Fan's mind. He felt the world spinning, his consciousness seemingly pulled by an invisible force, falling deeper and deeper.

He gritted his teeth, wanting to stay awake, but found that more and more unfamiliar memories were flooding into his Sea of Consciousness—memories that all belonged to Bai Yi.

Scenes flashed by rapidly—

The fleeting glance when Bai Yi and Bai Youyou first met; Bai Yi's arduous journey from Medicine God Valley toward Liangjing; the years Bai Yi spent in Medicine God Valley, studying poetry and books, enduring hardships;

Every scene carried deep obsession and emotion, causing Lin Fan's Sea of Consciousness to be constantly submerged and torn apart by these memories, like a surging tide.

"I am Lin Fan! I am Lin Fan!" He roared crazily in his heart, trying to shut these memories out.

"I am Lin Fan! I… am Lin… I am Fan, Fan…"