Feng Li, feeling like he had forgotten something in the room, made his way back inside. As he entered the bedroom, his eyes widened at the sight before him.
There, on his bed, lay a boy. This youth had striking features that instantly caught Feng Li's attention. His hair was long and flowed like a river of midnight, contrasting beautifully with his fair skin. His eyes, much like Xiao Bai's, were large and watery, yet they held a mischievous glint. His thick, fluttering eyelashes gave him an innocent and youthful look. To put it simply, the boy was stunningly beautiful, with an air of childishness surrounding him.
For a moment, Feng Li stood frozen in shock, but then his expression darkened. His gaze swept across the room in search of Xiao Bai, finding no trace of his beloved fox. Suspicion grew within him, and his eyes narrowed as he marched toward the boy. In a swift motion, he seized the boy's neck, his face twisted with anger and threat.
"Tell me," he hissed, "who sent you here?!"
Yu Xin, feeling the firm grip on his neck, was taken aback. He met Feng Li's menacing gaze, his heart throbbing painfully. His eyes welled up with tears, his voice caught in his throat. He tried to speak, but all that escaped his lips were pitiful whimpers.
Feng Li's grip on the boy's neck was gentle, like a mere brush of contact, as he stood there, lost for words. The sight of the boy's tears left him bewildered, and he slowly released his hold. His hands, trembling slightly, moved towards the boy's face. With tenderness, he wiped away the shimmering trails of tears with his thumb.
He continued to caress the boy's face, his touch gentle as if he were trying to recollect something long forgotten. A dull ache throbbed in his head, accompanied by distant echoes of a boy's laughter, tears, coquettish words, and sadness. Yet, try as he might, he couldn't grasp any concrete memories.
Feng Li's gaze remained fixed on the boy's visage, an attempt to unearth forgotten moments. However, his mind remained frustratingly blank, save for the knowledge that he had been traversing different worlds, completing tasks in search of a path to resurrection and revenge. The why and wherefore of the system's absence in this particular world eluded him, buried within the depths of his forgotten past.
Yu Xin sat there on the bed in his human form, his thoughts centered on his plan to leave the room and begin his search for his scumbag father. But before he could make a move, Feng Li entered the room. His arrival was so sudden that Yu Xin was caught off guard, his transformation still fresh.
In that fleeting moment of surprise, Feng Li's hand gently found its way around Yu Xin's neck. Though the grip lacked any force, an inexplicable sense of injustice welled up inside the young fox-boy. The touch seemed to amplify the grievance he felt, and tears welled up in his eyes, trickling down one by one.
Feng Li, realizing the boy's distress, wiped away the tears with utmost tenderness as he inquired gently, so as not to frighten the young creature, "How did you come here?"
However, Yu Xin remained silent, his gaze dropping to the floor as his tear-soaked face displayed his turmoil. His lips remained tightly pursed, offering no answers to Feng Li's question.
Sensing the boy's hesitation, Feng Li spoke softly, "You can stay here. I'll have the housekeeper prepare a room for you. But... you're not allowed to leave until I find out who sent you."
Feng Li understood that keeping Yu Xin close was merely an excuse. He was driven by an inexplicable curiosity about what this person meant to him. Why did he feel a strange itch in his heart upon seeing him? These thoughts lingered as he inquired further, "Have you happened to see a small white fox in the room?"
Yu Xin, his emotions still turbulent, shook his head slowly. Feng Li noted the boy's response and remarked, "Alright, then. I'll have the housekeeper prepare a room for you."
With that, Feng Li left the room, issuing instructions to the housekeeper for the arrangement of a room adjacent to his own. He also tasked his servants with finding his missing little white fox before finally heading to bathe.
Yu Xin remained seated on the bed, his earlier tears now dried on his face. He couldn't help but sniff and raise a hand to touch his face, a sense of disbelief washing over him. Crying was not something he did, even in the direst situations of his tumultuous life. Yet, in the face of Feng Li's cold, unknowing gaze, he felt an overwhelming sense of injustice, akin to a lover betrayed.
Deep down, he understood that Feng Li didn't intend to hurt him, but the pain remained nonetheless. He felt as if his heart had been shattered, a feeling he had never experienced before.
Despite it all, Yu Xin found solace in the fact that his transformation had gone unnoticed by Feng Li. The thought of what might have happened if he had been discovered weighed heavily on his mind.
In the bathroom, Feng Li undressed, slowly peeling away the layers that shielded his vulnerability. Slipping into the welcoming embrace of the warm bathwater, he found no solace for the chill that gripped his heart. It was a sensation familiar yet foreign, like gazing upon the face of a stranger you'd known all your life.
As he pondered the implications of his own actions, the realization dawned upon him that he needed answers. And the one entity that had been his constant companion through the labyrinthine realms of existence was the system. He reached out to the digital oracle:
[System, do you hold knowledge of my past lives, my previous existence?]
The response from the digital oracle arrived swiftly, in a mere heartbeat:
[Master, the individual you bound to yourself traverses the multiverse alongside you.]
Feng Li absorbed this cryptic revelation, a spark of comprehension flickering within him. He ventured further, inquiring:
[Can you restore my memories from a former existence?]
The system's response was unequivocal:
[Master, in a world of such modest complexity, reclaiming your memories might induce perturbations and anomalies.]
Feng Li furrowed his brow, firing off another inquiry:
[What kind of anomalies might I encounter upon regaining my memories here?]
Without hesitation, the system elucidated:
[You may encounter transmigrated souls, reborn beings, or fellow taskers like yourself, potentially heightening the challenge. Nevertheless, task completion should remain feasible.]
Feng Li mulled this over before submitting his next query:
[How long will the process take to restore my memories?]
The system swiftly relayed the answer:
[Reacquiring your memories should transpire in a mere 12 hours, Master, as they have been extracted rather than erased.]
Determination burning in his heart, Feng Li affirmed:
[Then, I wish to initiate the process and regain my memories immediately.]
Inside the chamber, as Feng Li was poised to send his final request to the enigmatic system, a sudden dissonance assaulted his senses. It was an ear-piercing buzz, akin to a swarm of agitated bees invading his mind. Agony descended upon him, as though an invisible hand were probing the very recesses of his brain, pulling at memories long shrouded in shadows. Blood began to trickle from his nose, a crimson rivulet of distress.
With haste born of desperation, he abandoned the bath, his body wrapped hastily in outer garments. But the ordeal continued to assail him. His world spun, a maelstrom of pain and confusion, and then, in an abrupt and sickening descent, he crumpled to the cool tile floor, the resounding thud echoing in the cavernous chamber.
Beyond the bathroom door, the vigilant housekeeper and attendants, alarmed by the cacophonous collapse, hastened to investigate. The housekeeper rapped urgently upon the entrance, concern lacing his voice, "Your highness, Are you alright?"
Receiving no response, dread coiled in the housekeeper's heart. Without delay, he pushed open the door and beheld the crown prince, sprawled upon the ground, his pallor sallow, and the telltale stain of blood upon his upper lip. Panic surged through him as he swiftly summoned the attending servants to aid in lifting their fallen liege. Meanwhile, he dispatched maids to urgently summon the royal physician.