Yetao finally squinted his eyes open, the warm island sun greeting him. A dull ache throbbed in his head as a surge of memories from the previous day flooded back—memories of him kissing Bambam. His face flushed instantly at the recollection.
"Taotao, you woke up? Drink this, you'll feel better," Bambam's voice came from behind, accompanied by the sound of approaching footsteps. He was holding a coconut filled with refreshing tender water.
Recognizing the voice, Yetao froze. He couldn't bring himself to turn around, his thoughts racing: What did I do yesterday? I only remember until I kissed him... What if I...?
Desperate to avoid eye contact, Yetao stretched and yawned theatrically. Without turning around, he reached back to take the coconut from Bambam's hand. He gulped down the water quickly, silently pleading, Why is he not going? Please go... I can't face you.
Bambam didn't budge, patiently waiting for Yetao to turn around. After finishing the drink, Yetao tossed the empty shell toward the sea and stretched his limbs dramatically.
"That was refreshing! I think it's a great time to cultivate," he forced a laugh, attempting to slip away. In his hasty retreat, he tripped and fell directly into Bambam's arms.
"If you wanted to hug me, you should've just told me. Why create such drama?" Bambam smirked, causing Yetao's entire face to turn crimson with embarrassment.
Yetao quickly pulled away. "Who wants to hug you? I just tripped. Thank you for catching me. I'll take my leave now," he stammered, turning to escape.
"You woke up and chose to avoid me after using me?" Bambam's accusation stopped Yetao in his tracks.
"What... what are you spouting? When did I use you? That was just..." Yetao stuttered, finding no adequate excuse.
"Did I... make any mistake?" he finally asked, his voice small.
Bambam's lips curved into a mischievous smirk, seizing the opportunity. He summoned his acting skills, feigning sadness. "I confessed my sincere feelings to you. You were the one who said not to touch you. But yesterday, you..." His voice trailed off as if he were on the verge of tears.
Believing the act completely, Yetao was overcome with guilt. He clenched his fists, making a sudden decision as he knelt down on one knee.
"I deeply apologize for everything. I, Hu Yetao, swear that I will take responsibility for everything I did to you yesterday. Since I'm a fox, no one will oppose our gender union. Please accept my apology," he declared with utmost seriousness, bowing his head.
His solemn gesture proved too much for Bambam, who burst into uncontrollable laughter. Yetao looked up in confusion.
"You are taking responsibility for a kiss? I didn't know you were such a gentleman, Taotao," Bambam said between fits of laughter.
Yetao rose to his feet. "Then nothing happened other than the kiss?" he asked tentatively.
"You fell asleep right after that, Taotao. But... that was an awesome offer you gave me," Bambam continued laughing while Yetao's cheeks burned with embarrassment.
As Yetao turned to leave, annoyed but unable to argue since he had initiated the situation, Bambam caught his hand.
"So, the things you said yesterday were not true?" Bambam asked, his tone suddenly serious. His eyes gazed into Yetao's with longing affection.
Yetao's eyes wavered as he struggled to respond. "I..."
Before he could finish, a strange purple orb of energy shot toward them from a distance, entering Yetao's forehead before either could react. Yetao gasped sharply, his body going limp as consciousness fled him.
Bambam caught him before he hit the ground, shock evident on his face. He had no idea what had just happened, but Yetao was sweating profusely and panting in distress. The orb did not leave any mark on him. It was like it submerged into his body and vanished.
"Thio!" Bambam screamed in panic.
Hearing the urgency in his voice, Thio and Yuchen ran toward them from a distance. They found Yetao unconscious and struggling in Bambam's arms.
"Gege?" Yuchen cried out, alarmed.
Thio immediately shifted to his teenage form and knelt beside them, taking Yetao's hand to channel healing energy into him. To his surprise, the energy was rejected.
"Mommy?" Thio's voice trembled with fear.
"Thio... what's wrong?" Bambam asked, his panic rising.
"No injury. Can't heal," Thio replied, his voice unstable with concern.
Author's note: Thio can't properly frame sentences since he have yet to learn from the outside world a lot. He's just a kid now
Yuchen quickly crouched down and took Yetao's wrist, checking his pulse. His expression shifted to one of shock. "How could this be?"
"Stop scaring me and spill it out," Bambam demanded.
"Gege's energy is fluctuating. He's unstable. Just what happened for him to be in this state?" Yuchen turned accusingly toward Bambam, who trembled with fear.
"A strange orb suddenly entered him. I did not feel any presence until it got near Yetao," Bambam explained, his voice hollow.
Yuchen placed his fingers on Yetao's forehead, attempting to sense the foreign energy. "This is resentful energy. I have felt this same intensity before," he said grimly.
Upon hearing this, Thio placed his hands on Yetao and tried to purify the darkness. After some time, Yetao's breathing steadied, and he fell into a more peaceful sleep, no longer sweating or panting.
"Not gone completely," Thio said softly, indicating that traces of the dark energy remained.
Yuchen fell silent, lost in thought as he recalled the mysterious person who had instructed him to retrieve his immortal sect's treasure to find Yetao.
Meanwhile, Bambam's mind raced with questions: How did it enter the barrier? Who has the power to break my barrier? He looked down at Yetao in his arms, fear and worry etched across his face.
Far beyond the barrier, standing atop distant rocks, a man with a red veil that concealed all but his mouth smiled with satisfaction. He was responsible for sending the purple energy that had invaded Yetao.
"I should speed things up if I want it to end sooner now, shouldn't I? At least in this life, you'll get to die with happiness in your heart" he said with a malevolent smirk before disappearing in a swirl of dark aura, leaving no trace of his presence behind.
While the trio anxiously waited for Yetao to regain consciousness, his mind had plunged into a forgotten past. Before his eyes unfolded memories of joyous moments he had never experienced in his current life.
"This is..." Yetao watched in confusion. He had been in a coma from birth, unconscious for 500 years. Yet the Yetao in these visions possessed only one tail, indicating he had lived merely 100 years at that time.
The vision showed his past self running after someone. Current Yetao followed, shock washing over him when he recognized Bambam as the pursued figure.
"But... I did not know him before coming to the snake pavilion," Yetao whispered, utterly perplexed.
"I know you can't always use violence. But running away from them is not an option either," memory Yetao said to Bambam, who remained silent.
"Then how do you think I should deal with them when they're right?" Bambam finally responded, his expression downcast. "It's true that I don't possess much power compared to Jackson gege. He should've been the snake lord. They're right."
Memory Yetao smacked Bambam's head lightly. "Are you a kid? See who you're comparing yourself to? He has more than 500 years of cultivation. Of course he possesses more power than you. But in the end, isn't it you who was chosen?"
These words visibly touched Bambam, bringing the first genuine smile to his face—perhaps the first comfort he had felt since entering the world.
The observing Yetao found these scenes unfamiliar yet undeniably authentic, too real to dismiss as mere fantasy.
The memories continued to unfold, showing how past Yetao and Bambam had faced life and death together, solving problems throughout the demon realm while cultivating side by side. Later, Lucas joined them, forming an inseparable trio despite Lucas and Bambam's frequent squabbles that Yetao would mediate.
Yetao witnessed himself entering a cave with Bambam for cultivation, where a pearl hatched into a tortoise. He heard his past self say, "I don't want our love to bloom from responsibility." Tears welled in Yetao's eyes as understanding dawned.
"Then... Thio is..." Just as Yetao realized Thio was actually his own son, he heard his past self name the tortoise child 'Zihao.'
The memories continued, showing little Zihao running around, calling him "Mommy, mommy" everywhere they went. He watched as Zihao even helped him and Bambam recognize their feelings for each other.
Yetao's legs nearly gave way as tears streamed down his cheeks. "If the pearl we got here is Thio, then what happened to Zihao?" Fear gripped him—what terrible fate had befallen Zihao that they hadn't met in this lifetime?
The memories showed Bambam and Yetao becoming legendary lovebirds, traveling the world together, helping maintain peace in the demon realm by eliminating tainted monsters. Bambam had even received permission from Yetao's aunt to take him away.
Everything seemed perfect until Yetao's 1000-year cultivation ceremony. Past Yetao searched frantically for Bambam, but he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, thousands of dark spirits attacked the fox hill where he resided. His uncle and aunt left to confront the threat, and then...
The memories became hazy. Yetao panicked, not knowing what happened to his family. He screamed their names, his voice trembling with fear.
Through the fog of fragmented memories, Yetao saw his past self running toward the ocean. There, all five clan lords were creating a barrier to suppress a monstrous sea creature of immense size and power—neither snake nor dragon, but a beast half black and half white, with dark aura surrounding its glistening scales.
Bambam was missing from the scene. Instead, Jackson occupied the snake clan's position in maintaining the barrier.
Confused, past Yetao summoned wings and attempted to fly toward the barrier, but Zihao stopped him.
"Mommy, please don't go," Zihao pleaded, his expression filled with worry.
But Yetao, determined to help Lucas, pushed Zihao's hand away. In response, Zihao sealed his powers, preventing him from flying. Zihao then transformed into his turtle form and went to assist Lucas.
The barrier weakened as the creature agitated other sea creatures by tainting their energy. As it began to fail, Oscar, in phoenix form, flew skyward emitting a bright golden light that created a new barrier around the creature. The effort cost him his life—a half-immortal, half-demon sacrificed.
Yetao watched in horror as one of the most powerful lords fell. The remaining four lords had no time to mourn as the creature released a dark energy pulse, shattering Oscar's barrier and reverting to human form.
Both past and present Yetao froze in shock at the revelation.
It was Bambam.
The memories after that point became fragmented, cutting out like a malfunctioning recording.
Yetao awakened from his dream-memory with a gasp, finding Thio and Yuchen at his side on the island. He caressed Thio's cheek wordlessly, tears flowing freely.
"Mommy?" Thio cried, concern etching his features.
Seeing Thio, Yetao couldn't help but remember Zihao. His mind raced: "If everything happened is a memory of my past life, then what happened in the end? If time somehow reverted, did everyone...... die?"
Only one person could answer these questions. Yetao wiped away his tears and looked at Yuchen with determination.
"Where is Bambam?" he demanded.
Yuchen's eyes wavered, unable to meet Yetao's gaze.
"Where is he?" Yetao screamed.
Finally, Yuchen looked at him. "He went away, gege."
Confusion crossed Yetao's face. "How? How did he get out of the barrier?"
Yuchen clenched his fist, ready to reveal the truth at last. "Because he is the one who created it, gege."
The revelation left Yetao frozen. It felt as though the entire world had fallen silent, even the sound of his own breathing ceased.
Would history repeat itself? Or would Bambam succeed this time?