The little fox couldn't help but wonder in his heart when Ye Tiancheng had discovered that the fatty had been swapped. Had he just found out, or had he long suspected?
If Ye Tiancheng had already doubted the authenticity of the fatty, then why had he suspected the fatty? And why had he only revealed it to him now? Or perhaps, it was only until the fatty woke up just now that Ye Tiancheng became certain that he himself was also real, and that Ye Tiancheng had similarly doubted his own authenticity.
And he had just had such a dream, perhaps Ye Tiancheng had similar dreams, or there were other reasons that made Ye Tiancheng understand his own authenticity, and thus chose to believe him, letting him guard against the fatty.
It was only now, after encountering more information and vaguely touching upon Ye Tiancheng's thoughts, by dissecting this information, that the little fox realized how early Ye Tiancheng had begun to suspect the authenticity of him and the fatty.
Yes, if this was just an illusion, then why couldn't he and the fatty, who were by Ye Tiancheng's side, also be illusions?
Ye Tiancheng's suspicion was completely reasonable, and when the little fox reasoned it out himself, he also felt it was very possible. As for how to determine that he and Ye Tiancheng were real, first of all, they could at least both affirm that they themselves were real, because people generally wouldn't doubt themselves.
Secondly, the little fox guessed that it was due to a difference in personal thought. He now vaguely felt that this fatty seemed to lack his own ideas and thoughts.
This was not normal. Although the fatty was carefree and didn't overthink things, he wasn't brainless. In such a dangerous place, he didn't have any of his own thoughts, mostly acting according to Ye Tiancheng's will, and even without any defiance or intention to violate it.
Except for that time when they went into the water, when he jokingly said he wanted to take a look at the giant monster in the water. The little fox, recalling it now, vaguely felt that his attitude was somewhat serious.
He genuinely wanted to turn back and look. He didn't defy anything, but instead, in matters of life and death, he had such strange thoughts, which was clearly very problematic.
And Ye Tiancheng was clearly thinking all along. He made various deductions and conducted various experiments. All his actions were his own thoughts, done spontaneously, without any prompting from anyone, nor did he guide them to do anything strange, nor did he let them come into contact with dangerous things.
After Ye Tiancheng suspected the authenticity of him and the fatty, the little fox felt that another reason why Ye Tiancheng couldn't verify his own authenticity was likely because he was too young and had no room to maneuver, so his presence was not strong, and on the surface, he seemed a bit similar to the fatty.
The unexpected situation that occurred just now should have been within Ye Tiancheng's imagination, and it also showed that he had his own independent consciousness. This probably made Ye Tiancheng breathe a sigh of relief, finally able to determine his own authenticity and prove that he was not an illusion.
With a general conclusion in mind, the little fox then realized that this place was indeed countless times more dangerous than imagined, and he couldn't help but feel worried in his heart. If this fatty was fake, then where had the real fatty brother gone?
Had fatty brother encountered any danger? Was he okay now? Did he also have an illusion identical to him and Ye Tiancheng by his side?
What if fatty brother also had such illusions, and fatty brother wasn't so sensitive to these things? What if fatty brother was deceived by those illusions and met with misfortune, what should be done?
The little fox immediately prayed silently in his heart, hoping that if fatty brother was indeed experiencing what he had guessed, then fatty brother could quickly discover the truth, avoid danger, and wait for him and Ye Tiancheng to rescue him.
It was truly unexpected that this illusion would be so perilous. What was the key to breaking it? Fatty brother, please wait for them!
Ye Tiancheng closed his eyes to rest. He hadn't dared to sleep soundly. It was true, as the little fox later guessed, that he had initially suspected that both the little fox and the fatty might be illusions. However, the little fox, who woke up after dreaming, made Ye Tiancheng vaguely feel that the little fox was real. He had this intuition.
As for the fatty, although Ye Tiancheng was very reluctant for this conjecture to come true, it was very likely the case. The fatty currently by their side was indeed a fake illusion.
And what made Ye Tiancheng feel even worse was that he was very worried that the dream the little fox had earlier might have been about what the fatty was experiencing on the other side.
The real fatty also had him and the little fox by his side, deceiving them. If the fatty couldn't discover the truth and was led into danger by those two fake selves and the little fox...
Ye Tiancheng was almost overwhelmed by guilt. It was he who had brought his brother into such a dangerous situation. If he couldn't bring his brother out safely, he would never forgive himself, even in death.
However, Ye Tiancheng still managed to calm himself down. The little fox was still by his side, and one of his brothers was missing and his whereabouts and condition were unknown. If the little fox had another accident, he would have to die to atone.
Ye Tiancheng was afraid that if he really fell asleep, the little fox might be harmed by the fake fatty. But he couldn't afford not to rest, nor could he let the fake fatty discover that he had already realized something was wrong. So, he could only subtly remind the little fox in his words, telling him to be careful of the fatty.
Fortunately, looking at the little fox's expression later, he seemed to have understood his meaning. Even if he didn't fully understand, he should have at least understood the intention to guard against the fatty. The little fox was always very smart, and this made Ye Tiancheng very relieved.
However, he was thinking that he couldn't sleep too soundly, but Ye Tiancheng still had a hazy dream. By the time he woke up, some time had passed. Fortunately, it seemed that the little fox had no problems, and should still be the real little fox. He had understood his previous hint and stayed very close by his side.
As soon as Ye Tiancheng woke up, the little fox looked like he had a lot to say. However, after glancing in the direction of the fatty, he held back, and his eyes were full of worry and concern for Ye Tiancheng.
Ye Tiancheng saw that the fake fatty was not paying attention to him and the little fox at this moment, so he made a gesture with his index finger, brought it to his lips, and then shushed.
The little fox nodded obediently, without making a sound, trying not to alert the fake fatty in the distance. Then he heard Ye Tiancheng lower his voice and say to him, "I don't know what happened just now, but I actually fell asleep. I also had a dream. After I rested, did he say anything to you?"
As expected, when Ye Tiancheng opened his mouth, the little fox's previous wild guesses were confirmed. His heart was filled with worry and sadness, and inevitably anxiety.
"He did want to talk to me. He called me over to chat with him. It was about when you, Brother Ye, had just closed your eyes. But you told me not to talk to him, so I didn't agree. I said that Brother Ye has sharp ears, so it's better not to disturb you. Then he didn't force it and went to such a distant place by himself."
The little fox also replied to Ye Tiancheng in a very low voice. The fake fatty did run quite far. Even when Ye Tiancheng and the little fox were guarding with the fake fatty, they didn't sit that far apart.
Not long after finishing speaking with Ye Tiancheng, the little fox saw Ye Tiancheng immediately close his eyes again, pretending to still be asleep and not awake.
The little fox was startled and quickly reacted, adjusting his state. Then he heard the fake fatty's voice from behind him, "Little fox, what's wrong? Has Brother Ye woken up? What are you doing?"
"Ah? I'm not doing anything. Brother Ye hasn't woken up yet. Why are you talking so loudly? You'll disturb Brother Ye later! I'm just spacing out here by myself."
While dealing with the fake fatty, the little fox did not forget to feign lowering his voice, nor did he glance at the pretending-to-sleep Ye Tiancheng. His expression was so natural that there was nothing unusual.
Then, Ye Tiancheng also pretended to be woken up, suddenly opened his eyes, glared at him and the fake fatty as if angry, and then said with a hint of anger in his voice, "What are you two doing? Didn't I tell you not to disturb me? What are you talking about here? You're making it impossible for me to sleep!"
Seeing that he had woken Ye Tiancheng up, the fake fatty immediately apologized repeatedly to Ye Tiancheng, "I'm sorry, Brother Ye. I didn't mean to disturb you. I thought you were awake, so I came to check. I didn't expect to really wake you up. Brother Ye, please rest for a while longer. I promise I won't disturb you again."
The little fox also apologized to Ye Tiancheng with an embarrassed expression, saying to Ye Tiancheng as if he felt very guilty, "I'm sorry, Brother Ye. I didn't have time to stop Fatty Brother, so I woke you up. Please sleep for a while longer."
Ye Tiancheng pretended to wave his hand impatiently, his brows furrowed into a character, clearly still displeased. "Alright, alright. Now that I've been woken up, who can sleep? Forget it. Let's see what we should do next."
Didn't Ye Tiancheng say earlier that they should wait for changes and opportunities to appear? The little fox thought this way, and then suddenly realized, could it be that what Ye Tiancheng was waiting for was to determine the authenticity of him and the fatty?
But this fake fatty couldn't think of these things at all. No matter what Ye Tiancheng said, he had no objections. He didn't care what Ye Tiancheng's attitude was before. It seemed that as long as he focused on executing every task that Ye Tiancheng asked him to do, that would be enough.
The little fox didn't show it on his face, but in his heart, he secretly shook his head. This fake fatty brother was becoming more and more abnormal the more he looked at him. Brother Ye was truly smart, having discovered his abnormality early on. He didn't know why he hadn't noticed it before, but he really hadn't thought that much before. Who would have thought of such a thing?