Talulah, I'm still a child.

The details of what happened were not explained, and Mei Xue did not ask. The little fox suddenly felt a sense of sadness for no reason. Even though he could not remember what the girl named Jie looked like or what her voice was, he could not help but feel sad. It was like hearing that a close friend he had not seen for several years had passed away. But he did not feel like crying. It was just like drinking a Sprite mixed with iced tea.

"Because of this, our second son is a little unhappy. He's going to throw a tantrum. Da Yan hopes you can go back and teach him a lesson."

Ling spoke very casually, and Mei Xue quickly composed herself, suppressing her complex emotions. After thinking for a moment, she took out a ruler from her tail. When Nian and Xi saw that thing, they instinctively covered their bottoms, as it was a childhood trauma.

"What about our eldest son?"

Mei Xue accepted the fact that he was a father very well. When he picked up the ruler, he felt that it felt unusually good. He even wanted to try it now. However, he was a little hesitant to hit Nian and Xi, not to mention Ling.

“He’s always at the border, and the north of the Great Yan is not peaceful either. But you still have this ruler. Hmm, it will definitely be useful for beating him.”

For some reason, the topic suddenly veered off course, making me feel nostalgic. I remember that all the brothers from the fourth to the twelfth were hit with this ruler back then. The second brother hadn't been hit yet. The eldest brother was the one who was the least troublesome for Mei Xue. He knew more things, but he always kept them a secret.

Speaking of secrecy, Ling suddenly remembered the ever-smiling Nine-Colored Deer. That guy must know many secrets. She deliberately spread the news that she and Xi Lai had to find Mei Xue in order to facilitate something, while she herself was quietly waiting for Mei Xue to return in Da Yan.

Ling Minjian realized that Mei Xue's return to Da Yan was bound to cause some unusual things. It might not cause a big stir, but it would definitely have a far-reaching impact. Perhaps Da Yan had already begun to take action under Mei Xue's early arrangements, doing something secretly behind their "children's" back.

Have all the heroes of the Celestial Master's Mansion throughout the ages truly gone to distant lands in the north and south? Has the Suppression Division truly lost its former authority?

"In short, after you return to Da Yan, do more research and think things through. Trust Lin Qingyan; she would never harm you."

After finishing speaking, he didn't forget to add another sentence.

"Be careful of a woman named Nine-Colored Deer, stay away from her!"

"Achoo! Who's talking about me behind my back?"

Far away in the Great Yan, the Nine-Colored Deer let out a delicate sneeze, surrounded by a bunch of cute little foxes, with a few birds perched on its shoulder. Fortunately, it hadn't disturbed them.

She counted on her fingers and realized that it would be quite a while before Mei Xue returned. After setting a time limit for herself, she went back to sleep. She had done everything she could and should do. All she had to do now was wait for Mei Xue to come back and accept what was rightfully his. Then everything would be fine.

The Great Yan side has probably made most of the arrangements. The Suppressing Evil Division and the Celestial Master's Mansion have been busy for decades. But why are these people always trying to find a wife for Mei Xue? Tsk, that's really annoying!

While various parties were making moves, every household in Shangshu began their lively preparations. The news that the fox spirit was coming to celebrate the New Year was more exciting for them than winning the lottery.

Every household can perform the ritual to welcome the fox spirit, and it's very simple. It's nothing more than putting four dishes and a soup on the table, three sticks of incense, and a piece of plum blossom branch. Remember to prepare drinks, such as alcohol or juice, or even just boiled water. Just make sure the fox spirit doesn't choke; the little darling isn't picky about food.

Therefore, the people of the Great Yan Dynasty used the same sentence to scold their picky eaters: "The fox spirit is not picky about food no matter what his status is, but you are still being picky for me."

Of course, that's what they say, but that's because in the past, people's livelihoods varied greatly in the Great Yan Dynasty. Some people couldn't even get enough to eat, let alone have extra food to offer to the immortals. Now, at least every household has enough to eat, so the offerings to the fox spirit have increased a lot. It consists of two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup. No matter what the meat and vegetable dishes are, the soup must be either minced meat sour soup or bamboo fungus chicken soup. It is said that the little ancestor prefers the latter, which explains why everyone says that foxes love to eat chicken.

"Dad, the plum blossom branch you wanted, I just picked it, and it has exactly nine plum blossoms."

Du Yaoye handed over the plum blossom branch in her hand, watching her adoptive father place it in a jade vase to rest, then bowed to the fox spirit statue and muttered something.

"Fox spirit above, please bless my girl to find a good family to marry into as soon as possible..."

Upon hearing this, Du Yaoye couldn't help but crease his forehead and almost swore, but he still had to be polite in front of the fox spirit.

As mentioned before, Mei Xue was initially just an auspicious omen in the Great Yan Dynasty and did not have much of a divine role. However, as time went by, many different rumors naturally emerged among the people. The truth and falsehood were mixed together, which produced a certain effect.

For example, there is a widely circulated story about an old man who raised three sons. The eldest son was arrogant and domineering from a young age. He beat and kicked his father, robbed the family of their money, and then went into the mountains to become a bandit. The second son made a lot of money in business but did not recognize his father. The third son was obedient and sensible, but he was born with hemiplegia and needed his father, who was nearly seventy years old, to take care of him. He cried every night because of his useless body.

One day, an old man was pulling a cart of charcoal into town to sell. It was winter, and he was wearing only a thin shirt. He kept rubbing his exposed, red arms with his hands while thinking to himself that it would be best if it snowed, the heavier the better, and the colder the better, so that he could sell his charcoal for a good price.

But when he thought about how many people besides himself might freeze to death in such a winter, he suddenly felt that it would be better if the day were a little warmer.

But then it suddenly started snowing, yet not a single snowflake landed on him. A red umbrella appeared above the old man's head, and the cold wind avoided him. The fox spirit stood beside him and said, "Poverty does not diminish you, illness does not weaken you, and you care for others; you deserve wealth and honor."

“Your eldest son has died in the government’s siege, and your second son will also die of illness today. Your third son is very filial to you, and I have already made sure he is healthy. You don’t have to suffer this hardship. You should give this coal to the Dong family in Ximen. He died in battle in the northern frontier. He only has an old mother and a child at home. Without this coal, he probably won’t survive the winter.”

After he finished speaking, the old man saw the fox spirit reach out and touch two large pieces of coal. Instantly, the dark coal turned into dazzling gold. The gold pieces were inscribed with "Gift to the Charcoal Seller" and "Gift to Dong Jialang" respectively. When the old man came to his senses, the fox spirit had already disappeared. He then realized that it was already evening, and the surroundings were covered with snow, but there was not a speck of snow on him. The two pieces of gold were still there.

The spread of this story earned Mei Xue many titles, such as God of Wealth and God of Righteous Relationships. These titles were of little concern to the Great Yan Dynasty, as such stories could benefit the people's livelihood. As for rumors about fox demons bringing disaster to the country, they generally did not cause much of a stir.

"Father, will the fox spirit really come to our inn?"

Seeing that the innkeeper had finished, Du Yaoye couldn't help but speak again. Not to mention her, even the old staff of the inn were hard to believe, but the notice posted by the prefect could not be fake.

"Of course, it will come. I'll ask the fox spirit to help you find a partner then..."

"Dad! If you keep talking about this, we're done talking!"

Du Yaoye really didn't want to talk about this. She still wanted to take over Xingyu Escort Agency. If she got married, she wouldn't be so carefree. No matter what, she couldn't just fall for anyone.

Why can't the fox spirits stop these old people from worrying so much about their children's marriages?

Chapter 372 Talulah is about to arrive on the battlefield!

"Finally home..."

Maria let out a sigh of relief. She had been lying in the hospital for so long and was so restless that she didn't wait for Margaret and Zofia to pick her up. She rushed back from the hospital without even waiting for them.

Mei Xue arranged everything for her to be the best, including medical services and various nutritional packages. Although she wasn't going to gain weight, the girl was already worried about her figure. Moreover, she hadn't been able to exercise these days, and she had a competition coming up in a while.

"I wonder if my brother-in-law and sister are here."

News of Rhodes Island's arrival was in the newspapers, and there were more people wearing Rhodes Island armbands at Mei Xue's two hospitals these days, so Maria felt that time seemed to be passing by rather quickly. She had just figured out how to face Mei Xue when Rhodes Island arrived.

Now that I think about it, Mei Xue is probably on Rhodes Island, which is where he belongs. That's normal. Maria will have to adapt to it eventually. I've heard that there are many skilled craftsmen on Rhodes Island, and she can learn a lot there.

As for the knightly competition? Maria wasn't particularly attached to it. She originally wanted to uphold the honor of the Nearl family, and now that her sister was back, she naturally helped her obediently. After the next match, she would transfer all her points to her sister, Margaret Nearl. In this way, everything would have a good outcome. After all, it was hard to say whether Maria could continue competing now. Going to Rhodes Island and spending time with Mei Xue was the most important thing.

Just as Maria was daydreaming about the future, she discovered that someone was actually in her house, or rather, Mei Xue was actually in her own backyard.

Just like that night, Mei Xue sat alone on the swing, swaying like a falling leaf, her tail swaying behind her, leaving no one knowing what she was thinking.

The boy sat on the swing, his azure eyes flashing with colors incomprehensible to ordinary people. The golden afterglow of the setting sun spilled into the courtyard, tinging his pure white hair and tail with a dazzling golden light. The flowers and plants in the courtyard, which should have withered and faded, were all blooming brightly at this moment, as if spring had arrived. Perhaps even the greatest painter would be stunned by this scene, rather than painting this picture that brings peace to the heart.

Maria instinctively chose to stop instead of going up to greet them. She was worried that her presence would ruin such a beautiful scene, and she didn't want to disturb Mei Xue. The little fox didn't notice her arrival and was just immersed in its own world.

Having just finished talking with Ling and learned at least some basic information about the Great Yan, Mei Xue wasn't in a good mood, so she decided to come out for a walk to clear her head. But now, Kazimierz had lost its allure for her. The colorful neon city and bustling streets were not as appealing to Mei Xue as the cafeteria on Rhodes Island.

As for those knightly duels that get the blood pumping and the head spinning, those matches that make the audience scream their lungs out? The little fox just found it boring. Yes, it's like a kid coming home from school and suddenly seeing two little bugs fighting by the roadside. He might stop to watch out of curiosity, but he'll get bored quickly, because bugs are just bugs, and no matter how exciting the game is, it's still just for bugs.

Okay, that's very impolite, the little fox corrected himself in his mind, but apart from the very first match, he really didn't find it interesting. The knightly competitions couldn't make him as enthusiastic as the spectators; the little fox was never interested in fighting.

According to Lin Qingyan, sending Mei Xue to watch such a competition is not as good as going to a small teahouse in Da Yan to watch people fight crickets. In terms of dramatic effect, there is not much difference. So instead of spending time watching a competition, it is better to familiarize yourself with your own strength. This is also the reason why the courtyard of the Lin Guang family presents a vibrant spring scene.

"Is it enough to just wag your tail properly, without touching it?"

Mei Xue twitched her fox ears. The little fox had roughly figured out how to use this ability, but he didn't know exactly what to call it. For example, he had once erased the existence of a cup from everyone's world in front of Ghost Shark, but the cup was still in his hand. However, no one but him could see it or touch it.

For example, when it comes to changing clothes, he only needs to think and wag his tail, and his clothes will automatically change into the set he wants, even clothes he has never bought in his memory. However, this is not some kind of magic trick. The clothes are not changed out of thin air, but are what Mei Xue was already wearing. He simply added the phrase "changed into new clothes" to the blank space of his past fate, and now he has been changed.

This ability is shameless, even utterly shameless, but Mei Xue didn't think much of it. He just thought it was very useful. Last night, the little fox even tried using it to dry the water off its tail. As long as he felt he had done something, the corresponding result would come. He plucked the strings of the past to play the songs of the present. This was the comment of Miss Black Snake, who was exhausted from all the torment. It made a lot of sense.

Just as he felt these flowers should bloom, fate would try to create various coincidences to bring about such a spring scene.

"It seems I really can't take things too seriously in the future."

Mei Xue suddenly felt that he was doing quite well now. His divergent thinking meant that he would not abuse this ability. One second he was thinking about what delicious food to eat, and the next second he would be thinking about how his sister was doing. Otherwise, who would dare to say that he would cause any trouble?

As she swayed gently, Mei Xue felt that she had changed a little. The little fox used to rarely think about these things; he only thought about his sisters, and his mind was always filled with them. Now, he was actually starting to explore himself. This was still a bit unbelievable to Mei Xue.

But if he didn't understand what he was, what he had done, and what he was going to do, the little fox would become even more uneasy. He had a vague premonition that something was chasing him from behind, and he needed to do something more for that reason.

"Huh? Sister Maria!"

Once she snapped out of her thoughts, Mei Xue immediately noticed Maria standing at the door. In an instant, she packed up what she had been thinking and threw it somewhere out of the way, jumped off the swing, and ran over to her.

"Ah... Ah, brother-in-law, I'm back."

Maria, who was somewhat stunned, finally came to her senses, opened her arms and hugged Mei Xue, then skillfully rubbed her face against the little fox and gave her a quick kiss.

"Are you hungry? Would you like me to make you some noodles?"

These slightly ambiguous words immediately swayed Maria's thoughts, but when talking to Mei Xue, you only need to understand the literal meaning. The little fox wouldn't play tricks with words, so Maria simply touched her belly and nodded.

"Let's go eat!"

Feeling the warmth of her palm, Maria still couldn't bring herself to ask the question that had been on her mind. Like many others, she had a strange feeling. Even though Mei Xue was right in front of her, she felt that the distance between them was not as short as it seemed. On the contrary, there was a deep chasm blocking her from taking a step forward. Mei Xue also seemed somewhat unfamiliar to her.

But now it all seems to be just her illusion; Mei Xue is still the same Mei Xue, and the little fox's gentleness and cuteness will always remain.

Maria remembers seeing someone online say that gentleness has become a common trait and is not so popular now, and it's not advisable to find such a person as a partner. Now she just wants to laugh at that. If you don't find a gentle person, do you want to be abused by your family?

Mei Xue didn't ask Maria why she came back alone or how she came back, as if she had only gone out briefly to buy something rather than being hospitalized for a long time.

Perhaps in Mei Xue's eyes, no matter how or when she returned, as long as she came back, that's good.

The little fox busied itself skillfully in the kitchen of the Linguang family, completely at ease, but when it noticed that Maria was still wearing a rather thin autumn dress, the little fox's tail swayed gently, and Maria's autumn dress instantly transformed into a warm winter outfit.

Strangely, Maria didn't seem surprised at all. In fact, she remembered that she had come home wearing this winter outfit, since it was a gift from Zofia last year.

"By the way, brother-in-law, after this competition, I want to go to Rhodes Island. I heard that there are many skilled craftsmen in the engineering department there. Can I learn from them?"

"Hmm... that's possible, but it depends on whether they're willing. Everyone says the engineering department staff have strange tempers."

Rhodes Island's artisans are indeed quite skilled, but they also have rather strange tempers, often flying into a rage at the drop of a hat. However, it's different when they're facing Mei Xue. Putting aside the little fox's adorable face that can calm any anger, her status as Rhodes Island's largest provider of materials and research materials is enough to make these artisans put away their tempers and be submissive to Mei Xue.

It's important to know that Rhodes Island only provides a limited amount of materials for free each month, so what they can forge or research for the rest of the time depends entirely on Mei Xue's mood.

“I understand, I understand. Master Koval and the others are the same. But I really didn’t expect that you guys would have an engineering department and weapons forging. I remember Rhodes Island is a medical company. How come you have these departments?”

“Hmm… Kal’tsit said this land is full of dangers, so we need to have some means of self-defense.”

The little fox briefly recalled the situation of Rhodes Island that Kal'tsit had told her, and her hands, without stopping, kneaded the dough with just the right amount of force.

"Moreover, Rhodes Island doesn't just operate hospitals. We also have security services, armed escort, and personnel transport projects. It's more accurate to say that selling medicine has almost become a side business."

Mei Xue thought about it carefully and found that Rhodes Island really didn't sell much medicine these days. It was basically giving it to infected organizations like Reunion at cost price. Yesterday, it had also promised to send a batch to Rusthammer. So the profits from medicine were basically negative. However, Rhodes Island had a bunch of large companies from different countries providing funding behind it, so it was not short of money at all.

Miss Doctor even felt that this could be considered a kind of neutrality. Rhodes Island used to offend no one, but now it befriends everyone. Years ago, she and Mei Xue invested so much together, and now the help they provide to Rhodes Island is considerable.

"However, the engineering department also has many dangerous things, such as cars that can explode, lighters that can explode, communicators that can explode, and water cups that can explode..."

"It sounds like everything in Rhodes Island's engineering department is going to self-destruct."

Maria was a little confused; was this an engineering department or an armory? It was so dangerous.

"It's said that it was influenced by me."

Mei Xue smiled somewhat embarrassedly, because the little fox herself was the kind of person who liked to carry bombs around and drop them everywhere. After witnessing what it meant for firepower to be everything (specifically referring to the fact that Theresis's base was sent to the sky by the Destroyer Mushroom), the older generation of operators in Rhodes Island's engineering department devoted themselves to the three words "Bomb! Bomb! Bomb!" and wished they could turn Rhodes Island into a warship.

"Brother-in-law, you like making bombs too?"

"Well... I wouldn't say I like it. It's just that my attack method is to throw things that explode. Sister W really likes playing with bombs, so she has a nickname called Bomber."

Mei Xue preferred to call W "Cockroach Bully" rather than "Bomber," because that guy was indeed a bully who loved to play pranks. Every time Mei Xue was cornered by him, she would be groped all over and not allowed to make a sound.

Forget it, there's no point in thinking about unhappy things. I might as well think about other things, like Talulah is coming soon~ Mei Xue's vacation plans and New Year's plans can start now~ Isn't that great?

No matter what troubles she encounters, just thinking of Talulah makes her happy. However, the little fox suddenly realized a problem: after Talulah arrives at Rhodes Island, she will need to rest before heading to Kjerag. If that happens... will a fight break out?

"Wait, why do I feel like the sisters are going to fight?"