After realizing this, Tang San's expression turned grim. For a moment, his thoughts became like a tangled ball of yarn, filled with intrusive, chaotic noise that made it impossible for even Fox Mask to discern Tang San's true intentions.
But Fox Mask paid no mind to Tang San's defenses.
He turned around as if no one else was there and walked towards the bed, exposing his vulnerable back to Tang San's gaze.
He was walking into a brighter area, yet even bathed in the faint golden light of the Sea God, it couldn't dispel the lingering sense of profound darkness about him.
Tang San's brows furrowed, his dark eyes fixed on Fox Mask, watching his every move. He controlled the amplification of his chaotic inner voice, burying his most genuine psychological activities beneath a deluge of noise.
He had no idea what scheme Fox Mask was hatching.
Despite being told directly that the other held malice towards him, strangely, neither the man before him nor the other masked figures who hadn't appeared but possessed self-awareness, felt purely evil.
Because, based on his observations and the implication from the aged voice at Wolf Bandit Village, they were on Sui Sui's side.
The creaking of the wooden floorboards ceased. Fox Mask, who had reached the edge of the bed, spoke softly:
"I can tell you the truth: this is indeed a scene reconstructed from the most genuine memories."
He extended a long, pale hand from beneath his black robe, pointing it vaguely in front of little Tang Sui's flushed, burning cheeks.
Even without touching, he could feel the intensely real heat transferring to his fingertips through the air.
The warmth of a living person.
Sighs, greediness, regret... complex emotions flickered across Fox Mask's eyes.
Tang San, only seeing Fox Mask's back, was startled but quickly calmed down and found a flaw in Fox Mask's statement, refuting him: "The first half of the memories you're showing me might be true, but the latter part... I remember clearly, I was away for at least two hours looking for someone. During that time, I never returned!"
"You say you're replaying past memories before me, but my person wasn't even here then! There are no memories of this place."
The implication was clear: don't try to fool him.
Fox Mask let out a light chuckle, retracted his hand, and hid it back beneath his black robe, saying, "Who said it was your memory?"
Tang San paused. "What do you mean?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, little Tang Sui on the bed let out a pained moan, drawing the attention of Village Doctor Li, who was standing guard. Carrying a bowl of warmed medicine, he hurried to the bedside. As he did, he brushed past Fox Mask, who had stepped back slightly. At the moment of contact, rippling waves distorted the air, passing directly through Fox Mask.
Village Doctor Li gently helped little Tang Sui sit up from the bedding.
Already tiny, she was weak from the high fever. Even with support, she was like a limp piece of putty, boneless, trying to shrink back into the covers.
Fortunately, Village Doctor Li was an experienced physician. Seizing the opportunity, he carefully poured two mouthfuls of the herbal soup into little Tang Sui's slightly parted lips.
After little Tang Sui habitually swallowed the bitter medicinal liquid, he straightened her limp form and poured in another two mouthfuls. He repeated this process several times until half the bowl of herbal medicine was consumed.
Of course, a good portion of the medicine was choked out by little Tang Sui, but a small half successfully entered her stomach.
Keeping her in a sitting position to let her recover for a moment, he then settled her back into the covers, sighing helplessly as he looked at little Tang Sui, whose fever still raged.
"What are we going to do... if this continues, she'll burn away..."
Fox Mask, standing quietly behind Village Doctor Li, watched the scene unfold.
Tang San, not far away, felt a desire to step forward but hesitated due to Fox Mask's proximity to little Tang Sui.
Yet, a question arose in his heart.
Although this memory was very distant, buried deep within his memory palace, he recalled that after failing to find his father, he had returned home. He had scoured every corner of the house, the beams, or even the slightly loose earth on the ground, digging it up with a shovel. He had found some savings hidden by Tang Hao, along with his own accumulated copper soul coins, and hurried to the neighboring village to give the money to Village Doctor Li.
Only then did Village Doctor Li instruct his son and two swift villagers to go to the county town to buy medicine.
During this time...
Right, during this time, he had been running around, expending too much energy. Also, because Village Doctor Li had asked him to wait outside, lest he, a mere child who had not yet awakened his martial spirit, catch Sui Sui's illness.
Therefore, he had no idea what had happened inside the house!
Thinking of this, Tang San's gaze sharpened as he looked at Fox Mask, even forgetting to conceal his thoughts.
Fox Mask, who had clearly heard Tang San's inner monologue, merely turned his head to glance at him and let out an amused, ambiguous chuckle.
The next moment, Tang San's attention was drawn to little Tang Sui on the bed, who was muttering in her delirium.
Only the branches in the bonfire crackled, and in the wooden house, little Tang Sui's voice was exceptionally clear.
Village Doctor Li, who had been worried, was first stunned, then overjoyed. He called out little Tang Sui's name by the bedside, attempting to rouse her.
The most feared complication of a persistent high fever was the patient falling into a coma and not regaining consciousness.
As Village Doctor Li called out, Tang San, with his exceptional eyesight, saw his sister's tightly shut eyelids tremble slightly, as if struggling to wake up.
"Sui girl, Sui girl, wake up, you... you're awake?!"
Village Doctor Li's voice was filled with emotion.
As her slowly opening eyes revealed themselves, the joy in Village Doctor Li's eyes had not yet blossomed when they suddenly met a pair of pupils covered in a green light.
"Old Li, how..."
Old Jack, who had approached upon hearing the commotion, hadn't finished speaking when a sense of crisis, akin to being stared at by a predator, swept over him.
His body stiffened abruptly, and then, both Old Jack and Village Doctor Li suddenly fainted, collapsing onto the cold ground.
Tang San watched as his awakened sister slowly sat up from the covers.
The cold wind rushed in. Little Tang Sui, who should have been too weak from the fever to sit up, lowered her head and opened her small hands. It was as if someone with crippled legs had stood up again and was unfamiliar with their ability to walk. After tentatively clenching her fists, she rasped,
"Such a weak body..."
As these words were spoken, Tang San's gaze changed dramatically. More shock flowed from his eyes, and he blurted out, "How is this possible?!"
Another personality had appeared so early?!
— Off-topic —
[Kneeling softly] Aunt Flow has made Mo Li smaller today, *sob sob*