"I remember you telling me about these things, Big Brother," the little fox replied, nodding at Ye Tiancheng's words.
Ye Tiancheng continued, "I'm not worried that you'll betray me in the future. In my eyes, you are like my own younger brother. But I can't help but worry. If you are truly a part of that ghost fox Ah Zi, and if he were to do something to you, I fear..."
He paused for a moment, but ultimately voiced his concerns. "If he can easily merge back with you, I fear that if he truly decided to act, I would never see you again."
As Ye Tiancheng spoke, he gently stroked the little fox's hair, his eyes filled with worry.
The little fox was stunned after hearing this. He hadn't considered so many things before. He was more concerned about not being accepted due to his identity. Fortunately, Ye Tiancheng had never treated him differently and had always been very good to him.
However, the little fox had never thought about this point of concern.
That's right, if he was a part of the ghost fox Ah Zi, what would happen if the other party wanted to merge him back into his body? Would he disappear from this world forever, ceasing to exist?
Thinking of such a consequence, the little fox couldn't help but feel scared.
He couldn't bear it.
The little fox couldn't bear to leave Ye Tiancheng, couldn't bear to leave this world forever, and couldn't bear to give up the feeling of being alive.
In the eyes of the little fox, he was already a completely independent individual, and he didn't feel like he belonged to any part of an existence. How could he be willing to merge back with his original self?
He also had the instinct for self-preservation and things he couldn't let go of.
"Then what should I do? If I am truly a part of him, and he wants to merge me back, can I actually refuse?" the little fox murmured fearfully, instinctively tightening his grip on Ye Tiancheng's sleeve.
"Big Brother..."
Seeing that the little fox was frightened, Ye Tiancheng quickly comforted him, "It is precisely because of this that after learning about Long Miaomiao and Xiao Miaomiao's relationship, I started to think about your relationship with the ghost fox Ah Zi, wanting to know if your situation and theirs is the same, and if there's any chance of salvation."
"I brought it up with Miaomiao last time, but she said it wasn't convenient at the time. We were always with that fake Mingzhu, and we rarely had a chance to talk alone. Later, we got busy with other things, and I never managed to discuss it properly."
Finally, he reassured the little fox, "Don't worry, as long as Big Brother is here, even if there's only a sliver of a chance, I won't let this speculation come true."
The little fox looked at Ye Tiancheng quietly.
He knew that Ye Tiancheng would do his best to fulfill his promises, and he should trust his Big Brother.
Although he thought this, the little fox's heart still couldn't help but contain a pessimistic side.
The little fox thought to himself.
If such a day were to come, and he were forced to make a choice, then even if he were to disappear from this world forever, he would absolutely not allow himself to harm Ye Tiancheng because of it.
Ye Tiancheng might have done some things that were not entirely good for him in the past, as he said, but Ye Tiancheng had never concealed these things, and his actions were entirely reasonable. The little fox could understand why he did that.
Ye Tiancheng needed to protect the safety of those around him. Given his suspicious identity, being targeted was normal.
Therefore, the little fox did not blame Ye Tiancheng for this.
He was not an unreasonable person.
Moreover, later on, after choosing to trust him, even when he discovered too many anomalies in his identity, Ye Tiancheng had chosen to trust him firmly, without suspicion, without concealment, treated him very well, and had always protected him.
Ye Tiancheng had already treated the little fox very well.
The little fox said softly to Ye Tiancheng, "I just hope Long Miaomiao really has a way, and understands some things, that can help us."
Ye Tiancheng was unwilling to think of things too pessimistically, and he had nothing more to lose.
He said, "Even if she doesn't have a way, I will find other ways. In short, you absolutely cannot have any accidents, and don't give up on yourself easily, understand?"
Seeing the seriousness in Ye Tiancheng's eyes, the little fox sighed inwardly.
But there were still some things he had to say.
"Big Brother, listen to me," the little fox looked back at Ye Tiancheng equally seriously and said, "I won't give up easily. I will work hard with Big Brother to find a solution to these hidden dangers. However, before that, if one day I truly face a choice, I hope that even if I have an accident because of it..."
Thinking of such a possibility, the little fox was reluctant to imagine it, but after a pause, he continued firmly.
"Even if I have an accident because of it, I hope Big Brother will abandon me. If something really happens to Big Brother because of it, what meaning would there be for me to survive?"
"I would rather die meaningfully."
Ye Tiancheng was slightly taken aback, but he couldn't help but be moved. He didn't know how to dissuade the little fox. He knew the sincerity of the little fox's words, and he also knew that if such a day truly came, what the little fox said would be the best choice.
Although he was unwilling to agree, his rational side told him what the correct choice was.
But Ye Tiancheng still couldn't bring himself to agree immediately.
He said to the little fox, "No matter what, until we are truly at a dead end, you cannot think like this so easily. If in the end, there is still a choice, and you have an accident because of it, how can you expect Big Brother to face it?"
The little fox then agreed, "I promise Big Brother this, I will definitely not give up on myself easily."
This was something that made one unable to help but feel pessimistic, yet it had to be said.
After their discussion, both felt a sense of shared melancholy. Even though they didn't wish for things to develop in a bad direction, after discussing it, they had prepared for the worst.
However, Ye Tiancheng did not intend to stop actively seeking solutions.
All problems must eventually have a solution, he just couldn't think of it yet. If he gave up easily, how could he protect his brother in the future?
They stayed there to rest for a while, waiting for Long Miaomiao to return after escorting Ye Qingcheng.
To maintain secrecy, Long Miaomiao had disguised herself as Hou Mingzhu to escort Ye Qingcheng. This was also to better handle the Hou family. If the Hou family found out about Hou Mingzhu's accident, it would be difficult for Ye Tiancheng to command them, and it would cause more trouble.
Ye Tiancheng didn't mind if the Hou family would no longer obey his orders. Now, he needed to protect Ye Qingcheng, so Ye Tiancheng couldn't afford to act like that. He still needed the Hou family to be under his control to truly feel at ease.
If the Hou family was an uncontrollable entity, how could Ye Tiancheng dare to entrust his daughter to their care?
When Long Miaomiao returned, she appeared to be two people.
Regarding the fake "Hou Mingzhu," the reason they gave was that Long Miaomiao had taken Ye Qingcheng to do some errands. Although the fake "Hou Mingzhu" had some objections and really wanted to go along, Ye Tiancheng suppressed her, and she couldn't succeed in doing so.
Fortunately, Long Miaomiao didn't leave for long and soon returned with a disguise.
After Long Miaomiao returned, she was naturally no longer disguised as Hou Mingzhu, and the "Ye Qingcheng" she brought back was also not the real Ye Qingcheng, not Ye Tiancheng's daughter, but rather what Long Miaomiao used to deceive the fake "Hou Mingzhu."
And it was very fortunate that after Long Miaomiao brought back the disguised "Ye Qingcheng," the fake "Hou Mingzhu" became docile again. Moreover, she really didn't recognize that Ye Qingcheng had been switched by Ye Tiancheng in collaboration with Long Miaomiao.
Long Miaomiao told Ye Tiancheng how she disguised Ye Qingcheng.
It turned out that she had split off another avatar and changed it to look like Ye Qingcheng. This way, the "Ye Qingcheng" she brought back also had a physical form, not a虚无 (xūwú - void/illusory) phantom, making it much less likely to be seen through.
When Long Miaomiao mentioned the avatar again, this time Ye Tiancheng remembered to talk to her about the little fox.
After hearing about the little fox's identity, Long Miaomiao pondered for a moment before saying, "So that's how it is."
Hearing Long Miaomiao say this, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but ask.
"Miaomiao, when you say that, did you already have some feeling about it?"
Long Miaomiao explained to Ye Tiancheng, "I could indeed sense that you were different, and the feeling he gave me was indeed somewhat unusual. However, I didn't understand him well and didn't ask more, so I didn't think of it for a while."
"But now that you've told me about him, and I understand the cause and effect, I can connect it immediately."
Ye Tiancheng nodded.
Then, he pressed Long Miaomiao, "Then, can the little fox's identity be maintained forever? How can we protect him so that he is not merged back?"
Long Miaomiao thought for a while, considering how to explain to Ye Tiancheng. She glanced at the little fox a few times before saying, "This matter is not difficult. As long as you have genuine affection for each other, it is actually very simple to resolve."
The little fox was also very concerned about this matter and immediately asked Long Miaomiao, "What do you mean by that?"
Long Miaomiao explained, "Your situation is actually only superficially similar to my avatar, not the same situation. If you were just an avatar, then solving this problem would be even simpler."
The little fox couldn't help but furrow his brows, but he endured and remained silent, continuing to listen to Long Miaomiao.
Long Miaomiao said, "From what I can sense, you are not an avatar. Instead, your so-called original self directly split off a part of its soul, and then you became you."
"However, whether it's an avatar or another existence separated from the soul, after being separated from the original for a long time and experiencing various unique experiences, it's inevitable to develop one's own consciousness. Strictly speaking, it can be considered an independent individual, different from the past."
"Although the original self can still have a certain influence on you and has a certain connection, because you have developed your own consciousness, as long as your will is firm enough and you are unwilling to merge back with the original self from the bottom of your heart, then even the original self will not be able to merge you back."
Hearing Long Miaomiao say this, the little fox couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
"Does this mean I have no worries?"
Long Miaomiao quickly shook her head and continued, "You can't say that."
The heavy burden in the little fox's heart was immediately lifted again.
He only heard Long Miaomiao say, "If you were just an avatar, and you met these conditions, possessing your own consciousness and a firm will, then it would be very easy to become independent. For the original self, this would not be a significant loss, and it wouldn't chase after you relentlessly."
"But your situation is different. You were transformed by the original self's soul being split apart. How could it allow you to seek independence?"