"What? How so? You don't remember anything at all?" the man asked, surprised.
"M-m..." I shook my head, then took out a scrap of paper from my pocket. "When I woke up, I only had this piece of paper..."
"Huh? '...No time to deliver the boy to a safe place, so if anyone finds him, please help him. If I remain alive, I will repay you a hundredfold'..." he read, his voice gradually becoming sadder and heavier. "You don't remember who might have left this note with you?"
"It... No..." I said, shaking my head again, with a completely bewildered expression on my face.
"Maybe it was your parents? Or someone close?" the worried man continued to ask. I was an ordinary seven-year-old child, what were my options? Right, none! Either go to an orphanage, or stay with someone, and end up in an orphanage anyway. Now think about how strange it would look if a child came to an orphanage on his own? Even if he pretended to have lost his memory?
"Uh-uh... Ah-ah... Mmm..." I drawled, pretending to think very hard and straining all my brain cells. "It's Mom! Definitely Mom! Yes, it's her!" I said, jumping for joy and smiling broadly, like a child who had been given candy. Even if I'm wrong now and the story I made up turns out to be a lie, and someone else comes for me later, I can always blame it on an inexplicable memory loss. The main thing now is to play on this man's pity to get into a more acceptable place through him. And maybe even stay with his family. After all, this is Bo City, and if I arrived far enough from the beginning of the plot, it would be very interesting to observe Mo Fan, the protagonist of the canon. And equally importantly, to determine the extent of his realization in this world. Which is damn important; if everything follows the original story, I will get an incredible weapon in my hands – knowledge of the future.
"Oh, really? That's very good... Don't worry, she'll come back..." the man said, patting me on the head. "Until she comes back, you can stay with me. My name is Mo Jiaxing, don't worry, I won't hurt you. I have a couple of kids myself, the older one is about your age, and the younger one is a little younger," he said with an irresistible smile on his face, inspiring trust and reassurance, at least to everyone except me.
As soon as I heard his name, I was struck as if by lightning, and my head was spinning: "It's him! Incredible luck! I must not let him go!" This was not an ordinary person, but the father of the main character! I already had vague doubts about him, mainly because of his appearance, but now... Even if it's just a namesake, even if we're in the same city, but the appearance... Tormented and suffering, younger than described and shown in the anime and manhua, but exactly as I imagined him... Now it's not even surprising that he looks younger! As he said, he has a son of about the same age... This also indicates that this is exactly the Mo Jiaxing I need! And that means his son, the future strongest mage of our time, Mo Fan. Considering that we are the same age, and I am about seven years old, there are still about eight years until the beginning of the original events! I must not let Mo Jiaxing go under any circumstances; I have to make him take me in! This is simply incredible! I will be able to watch these characters from the front row! A whole story will unfold before my eyes... This will be much better than imagination or bad drawing! I don't think it will be difficult to make Mo Jiaxing take me in. He is a kindhearted and simple character; he certainly won't be able to leave a child in trouble, that's the kind of character he is.
"But... but..." I started to speak, stuttering and beginning to wail like a small child. Forcing tears out was not a problem for me.
"What happened? Everything is fine, your mother will come back..." Mo Jiaxing tried to calm me down, stroking my head and crouching so that he was looking me in the eye.
"There... there... It says: 'If I remain alive...' right?" Wiping the masterfully forced tears rolling down my cheeks and sniffling, I said, looking directly into Mo Jiaxing's eyes. "When... when I heard what it said... I... I... I remembered that Mom and Dad were hunters! They left me and went hunting!..." I mumbled with difficulty, then burst into tears and sobbed, falling to my knees.
"Ah... Eh..." Mo Jiaxing was flustered by my statement, not knowing what to answer me. Well, come on, offer to take me in, be a good boy. "Don't worry... Everything will be fine, they will definitely come back. Your parents are surely very powerful mages; they definitely won't lose to monsters..." he tried to calm me down with banal words. Good, we'll push a little harder...
"Really?" Wiping my tears, I asked, looking at him with puppy-dog eyes. "Are you serious?"
"No, how can I joke! They will definitely come back and buy you something tasty if you don't cry and wait for them here calmly," Mo Jiaxing said, smiling, thinking he had managed to calm me down.
"But then why did they leave such a note?" I asked in an innocent voice. "And why did I wake up on the street?..."
"Th-that..." Mo Jiaxing fell into a stupor again at my statement. "So you woke up on the street?" he asked, trying to maintain a smile.
"Yes... Over there..." I said, still in an innocent and uncomprehending voice, pointing towards the alley where I had woken up.
"And you don't know where your home is?" he asked, in a gentle voice, in which a sense of hopelessness could be felt.
"U-uh..." I shook my head. "I don't remember living here at all..."
"Really..." Mo Jiaxing said, with almost unconcealed hopelessness. Excellent, I'm sure he's almost ready; just a little more.
"But since you say Mom and Dad will come back, I'll wait!" I said, in a cheerful and confident voice. "Can I wait with you? I'm lonely and scared alone in an unfamiliar place..."
"Ha-ha-ha... Of course, kid, why not," he said, smiling weakly and patting me on the head. Now, knowing his kindness, I am sure that he will not be able to leave me just like that and will definitely take me in. And then, if no one really comes, I will stay with him forever. He simply won't have the spirit to kick a poor little defenseless boy out onto the street or send him to an orphanage. Although, considering his financial situation, this might be the optimal solution for him, but I will still have time before then to convince him not to do so and to become an important member of his family. This shouldn't be too difficult.
"Hey, Mo Jiaxing, what are you doing? And who is this kid?" a man who had come out of the store asked.
"Yeah, just... The kid is lost, and his parents supposedly went hunting and haven't returned yet..." Mo Jiaxing said with a weak smile. "Since he was alone, I decided to look after him..."
"Really? Ha-ha-ha... How like you," the man said, patting him on the back, then added in his ear. "But we need to go. What are you going to do with him?"
"I think..." Mo Jiaxing began, looking at me. I, in turn, clung to his pant leg and looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, leaving him no chance to refuse me. "Can we stop by my place? I'll leave him with Mo Fan and Jiaxing Xia. They're about the same age, so they should get along, right?..."
"Are you sure? Won't his parents be looking for him? Do you think they'll be happy when they find out you essentially kidnapped their child?" the man asked confidently.
"Ha-ha-ha... If no one comes for him by tomorrow, we'll go to the police and report him missing..." Mo Jiaxing said, laughing weakly, trying to hide the fact that my parents might most likely be dead.
"Well, as you wish..." was all the man could say, shrugging his shoulders.
Mo Jiaxing helped me climb into the truck, seating me between the driver's seat and where the man sat. After that, we drove to the outskirts of the city and stopped at a small two-story house, quite worn by time, but still strong and reliable. Not far from the house, a beautiful mansion opened up, surrounded by a hedge. The mansion of the Mu family. Now, little Mu Ning Xue, the witch of the North Pole, the strongest ice mage of our time, should be living there. I wonder what she was like as a child? Judging by the mentions in the original, she behaved like a kind princess, and she was treated as such. Not that I had any special plans for her; she is largely indifferent to me, and their pairing with Mo Fan always seemed incredibly beautiful to me. Fire and ice, yin and yang, hot-tempered and cold-blooded, you understand?
"Stay here for now, okay? I still have work, so I can't stay," Mo Jiaxing said, dragging me towards the dilapidated house. "My son Mo Fan is probably out playing somewhere right now, but Jiaxing Xia should be home; she'll look after you."
"Really? She's just a little girl? Can she really be home alone?" I asked in an innocent voice, although I would find out now, but I wanted to prepare in advance for the possibility that Salan might be in the house. I would really not want to reveal myself to her, and given her influence and past, I'm not sure I could gain her trust to stay.
"Ha-ha... She looks older than she might seem..." Mo Jiaxing said, laughing weakly, again trying to hide something. This was enough for me to conclude that Salan had left them, and possibly recently, but his next words finally convinced me of this. "Her mother left us recently, so I think you'll easily find common ground..."
"Ah? How so!" I exclaimed in surprise, in a naive and sad voice.
"Just like that... So be afraid and try not to upset her too much. You're a man, and you shouldn't treat girls like that. Wait calmly until I get back," he said, opening the front door.
"Okay..." I said, somewhat naively and confusedly, following him into a small room that was simultaneously a kitchen, dining room, and living room. In the center, at a table, sat a little girl, about five or six years old, in a wheelchair, drawing something with pencils. She had long black hair that fell to her hips.
"Jiaxing Xia, this is Jiaxing Yun, look after him until I get back," Mo Jiaxing said, pushing me towards her.
"Ah..." she exclaimed in surprise, turning towards us and looking confusedly from me to Mo Jiaxing. "Uh... Hello..."
"Behave yourselves, I'll be back soon," Mo Jiaxing said, smiling, and then left.
"Uh... Hello..." I said, slightly confused, continuing to play my role. To stay here forever, I must not arouse any suspicion, nor gain the trust of all family members. "My name is Jiaxing Yun, nice to meet you?" I asked, slightly confused, extending my hand to Jiaxing Xia.
"My name is Jiaxing Xia," she replied, smiling and also extending her hand. She had a very kind smile, although sadness and sorrow were clearly written on her face. Not surprisingly, considering her mother disappeared not long ago. "Where are you from?"
"I don't know..." I answered briefly and sadly, lowering my head.
"Huh? How so? Then where are your mom and dad?" Jiaxing Xia asked, surprised and slightly confused.
"They went hunting... And they left me on the street..." I said, even more sadly, but then shook my head, pretending to pull myself together and chase away the sadness. "But Uncle Mo Jiaxing picked me up and promised to look after me until Mom and Dad come back," I said with a radiant smile, barely holding back tears.
"I see..." Jiaxing Xia replied in a similarly sad voice. "Then let's draw!" Jiaxing Xia suggested, also chasing away the sadness.
"Yes! With pleasure!" I replied, climbing onto a chair next to her and picking up a pencil and paper.
And so we continued to chat nicely, drawing all sorts of nonsense like meadows, houses, and little animals. I was quite good at drawing, but in my new body, it was quite difficult to perform the usual movements, and besides, I hadn't practiced for a long time. And of course, I had no intention of showing off my talent. In this idyll, perhaps a couple of hours passed. Outside, the sun had already begun to set, and it was getting dark in the room. During this time, Jiaxing Xia and I became good friends, and I managed to gain her trust. After all, she is very kind by nature, and it is much easier for children to make friends than for adults, and of course, similar fates, both of us abandoned by our parents, also helped us to get closer. At some point, cheerful boyish voices were heard from outside the door, and soon it swung open, and a small boy, slightly taller than me, with brown hair and pale purple eyes, appeared on the threshold. This was definitely little Mo Fan, the one who would face incredible trials in the future, overcoming which he would become first the strongest mage of our time, and then one of the strongest mages of all time. He is the one who will save Shanghai and China from sea monsters, the one who will put the Sacred City in its place. Seeing such a hero, whose fate I worried about while reading over three thousand chapters, was exciting. But now he was just an ordinary little boy who couldn't even imagine the heights he would reach.
"Huh? And who are you?" he asked sharply as soon as he saw me. "What are you doing here at all!"
"Ah... I... My name is..." I pretended to be confused, looking at him in surprise. "Uncle Mo Jiaxing... He... uh-uh..."
"What!" he asked sharply, approaching us. "Jiaxing Xia, did he hurt you? How did he even get into the house?"
"No... Dad Mo Jiaxing felt sorry for him and let him stay here..." she replied sadly, while I was stunned.
"Is that true?" Mo Fan asked sternly, looking directly into my eyes with some irritation and anger.
"Yes… It-it's because… because…" I stammered, pretending to search for the right words. "My mom and dad were hunters and… They… went hunting, saying they wouldn't return…. That's all I remember! And then I woke up on the street! All alone in a strange place!" I burst into tears, pretending to be very scared of Mo Fan.
"That…" Mo Fan said, flustered, seeing my reaction. "Alright, what's your name?" he asked seriously, regaining his composure.
"K-Jiaxing… Jiaxing Yun…" I said, wiping away my tears. "You won't kick me out, will you?"
"If it were up to me, I would…" Mo Fan replied smugly, turning away. "We don't need any more freeloaders. And who knows what you're planning, maybe you're lying about everything and just want to mess with Jiaxing Xia," he stated confidently. It wasn't entirely wrong, but he had completely guessed the wrong reasons. Although I had to admit, he was quite amusing. The great mage was now a little boy, jealous of the first stranger he met over his stepsister, acting like an adult.
"No! Jiaxing Yun isn't like that!" Jiaxing Xia protested. "He's good."
"Really? Well, alright, then I'll give you a chance too," Mo Fan said with some disdain. "When Father comes, I'll find out everything about you."
"As you wish…" I said, somewhat bewildered.
After this brief conversation, Mo Fan joined us, and the three of us began to draw, talking as we did. He remained wary and slightly biased towards me the entire time, questioning me about my past, but I stuck to my story of having lost my memory. After about another hour, Mo Jiaxing returned, who explained the situation concerning me to Mo Fan and Jiaxing Xia. After that, they walked away, leaving Jiaxing Xia and me to prepare for dinner. I could guess what they were talking about; most likely, Mo Jiaxing was persuading Mo Fan to be more lenient with me, as my parents were probably dead. But something told me that he wouldn't give up so easily and would remain biased towards me for some time. So, if I wanted to stay here permanently, I had to convince him to trust and respect me. I didn't think it would be too difficult. They returned about ten minutes later, when we had already set the table. The dinner was meager, but I couldn't complain; we were mostly silent during it, and there was some awkwardness, but I thought it would pass with time. Since no one came to claim me, it was decided that I would stay here for now, and tomorrow we would go to the police. They laid out a mattress for me in Mo Fan's room, which, of course, he wasn't very happy about.