Talulah, I'm still a child.

"What?"

Stunned, Qiu Bai was wondering what kind of person could guide this martial arts master, but the last four words from the other party shocked her for a whole year. What was going on?

Although Chongyue didn't look too old, Qiu Bai had inquired privately and knew that Chongyue was at least fifty years old. The person who could guide him was long gone, and the person who raised him... must have been a reclusive master, probably not young either.

Could it be an elderly person with white hair?

"Achoo!"

Standing atop Xunri Peak, Mei Xue felt someone talking about her from behind. She couldn't help but sneeze and stared blankly at the rising sun.

Having nothing to do after breakfast last night, the little fox simply said hello and went to watch the sunrise. And, quite coincidentally, she ran into Ling, who was drunk and asleep there. This Sun-Seeking Peak was practically her territory; apart from Mei Xue, no one else could even see it, let alone sit and enjoy the scenery.

He covered Ling with a blanket, and Mei Xue sat in the pavilion, resting his chin on his hand and leaning against the railing. He watched the streaks of golden light pierce through the hazy mist and cast their rays among the mountains. The dazzling gold mesmerized the eyes. Mei Xue liked this scenery, but even if it was magnificent, he was not amazed by it.

Such scenery has appeared in my memory more than once. During the years I spent with Ling, we would often watch the sunrise and sunset from the mountaintop, count the changing stars, and listen to her recite poems.

Or perhaps even longer ago, he had seen similar scenery countless times. Even if the memories were gone, it no longer felt new to him; he simply longed for it. The moment he set foot on the Great Yan, he began to feel nostalgic. He seemed to have seen every mountain and river here before, every blade of grass and every tree seemed to be looking at him, and every person seemed like his friend. Although he had no actual memories related to it, such feelings could not deceive him.

He did indeed live here, becoming accustomed to the mountains and rivers, and more importantly...

"Has it gotten a little stronger again?"

Mei Xue tentatively clenched his fist. From the moment he set foot on the Great Yan, he could feel a strange and special connection between himself and this land. All things in the Great Yan continuously supplied him with their fortune, and in turn, they received wind and rain from him to nourish themselves. It seemed like a cycle, but in reality, Mei Xue was the biggest beneficiary. Mountains, rivers, plants, trees, humans, beasts, and birds all had a time of passing away, and their fortune would then belong to Mei Xue.

"Hmm... No wonder they always say that fate is the most unreasonable thing. The stronger the Great Yan's fortune is, the longer it exists, and the more you will gain."

Rubbing his blurry eyes, Ling sat up from the pavilion and leaned casually against Mei Xue, keeping her company as they gazed at the mountains and rivers.

"You reek of alcohol. Where did you go fooling around last night?"

"I'm just giving you guys some time, how can you call that fooling around?"

Ling gently put his arm around Mei Xue's waist. The little fox's waist was very slender, but it was very comfortable to hold. His body was soft and warm, and holding him was a unique kind of comfort.

How many people were there last night?

"Hmm... if you don't count me, then it's five."

"Hiss, I remember there are only three in the Reunion Movement, and even if you include that little girl from the Celestial Master's Mansion, there are at most four. A fifth... Indeed, that girl from the shopkeeper's family is not bad either."

After stroking her chin and pondering for a while, Ling actually had a high opinion of Du Yaoye, but the little fox gave her a light tap on the head.

"What are you thinking? The remaining one is Cecilia."

"Oh, she...she's only eight years old, how could you do that? But it seems reasonable, I wasn't much older when I was hanging out with you back then."

Most of the children are precocious, and they turn into young girls in just three to five years. When she heard Ling talking about such inappropriate things, Mei Xue gently tapped her head with her tail in annoyance.

"If it weren't for the fact that your deceptive magic couldn't fool me, I would have suspected that you were actually an imposter, since you're so frivolous."

The little fox glared at her, annoyed. This girl was probably still drunk, but even when drunk, one's consciousness isn't truly blurred, so she was definitely teasing her on purpose.

“We just slept together last night, and besides… according to my sister, I’m only a month old.”

These words almost made Ling spit out her wine. It was unbelievable that a little fox who was at least hundreds of thousands of years old was only a month old. It seemed that she had misjudged Mei Xue's race.

"What about New Year and Evening?"

“Nian went out to play. You know she always likes lively places. If she can’t find something to do, she’ll make trouble for herself. Xi is aloof and not good at socializing, so she went back to the inn first, saying she wanted to catch up on her sleep. She probably doesn’t want to see that Grand Tutor.”

It's all been a dream, and the world has changed a lot. The Grand Tutor of today is not the one you knew. I've only heard that he is exceptional in every aspect.

"The two of them... one seems nonchalant, but actually cares about everything the most; the other seems aloof, but I still remember how she was when she was so scared by Sui that she crawled into my bed."

"We, as your children, have really caused you too much worry."

These words were spoken with great sincerity. Mei Xue took care of them not only because of their age, but also largely out of personal sympathy and compassion. However, he was the one who raised and educated all twelve of his brothers and sisters, and no one could change that.

"Shuo is alright, but you... I still want to hit you."

Back then, fueled by alcohol and taking advantage of the fact that Mei Xue couldn't use her abilities freely, she became the first among the sisters to successfully rise to power, setting a bad example for the younger sisters. From her to Xi, almost everyone fell in love with Mei Xue—well, verb, but very few succeeded.

"Then shall I let you hit me a couple of times to vent your anger?"

"Forget it, you know I can't bring myself to do it."

Looking out from the railing, mountains and rivers are all in sight. Mei Xue gently blows out a breath, and a gust of wind disperses most of the misty fog in the mountains, allowing the sunlight to shine through the thin veil of mist, turning the peaks of the three mountains and seventeen peaks golden. This is a rare sight in Shangshu, with golden peaks appearing only a few times a year.

"Aren't you going to recite a poem at a time like this?"

"Forget it, I'm not in the mood. Even if I forced myself to say it, it would just be some clichéd tune."

"Just say what's bothering you. You can't hide it from me, can you?"

Mei Xue rolled her eyes at Ling. How could she not know that Ling was jealous? It was just that she was too carefree and often took things lightly, so she didn't seem to care.

"It's really frustrating. It's one thing for my girlfriends to be watching you, but I never imagined that in just a few years, you've been hooking up with so many people outside. If you keep changing partners every day, when will it be my turn?"

For Ling, life is carefree and joyful, but as Mei Xue's ex-wife—no, she's still Mei Xue's legal wife even before the divorce—it's understandable that she feels unhappy seeing her beloved get into so much trouble.

"So, how about it for you now?"

"..."

Ling rolled her eyes at Mei Xue, then continued to lean against him. The two of them, just like before, didn't say anything. One drank, and the other ate an apple. They could watch the sunrise like this for hours.

However, there are many things to do today. At the very least, I need to inform the Da Yan side, because I'm worried about disturbing Mei Xue. The visiting card they sent yesterday said they would arrive at eight o'clock this morning, which is only a few minutes away.

Where is the nine-colored deer?

"I don't know. She's practically the master of Qingqiu now. She can go anywhere in Da Yan. How many people know her whereabouts? She might appear in front of you at any moment. And if you want, fate will naturally draw her here unintentionally in various ways."

The Nine-Colored Deer is a mysterious figure in Mei Xue's restored memories, but it's certain that he's an old flame. Well, that's enough.

We'll talk about the rest when we meet her.

Chapter 9 Mei Xue's Adult Mode

The fox spirit entered Shangshu, and plum blossoms bloomed in every household. Shangshu was exceptionally lively today. Cecilia was looking forward to her trip with her brother later, but she noticed that the little fox seemed a bit off.

The little fox Qingqiu leaned back in her chair, but had little appetite for the delicious food on the table. After satisfying herself with Ling Shangjing, she returned to wait for the Grand Tutor and the others. Talulah and the others had already washed up, but the conversation was an internal affair of the Great Yan, and they shouldn't eavesdrop.

"It smells so good..."

Mei Xue twitched her fox ears, opened the window and looked outside. For some reason, the entire Shangshu was filled with a delicious aroma that made her stomach rumble.

"According to the custom of the Great Yan Dynasty, on the first day after New Year's Eve, every household will make fried tofu buns to offer to the fox spirit. It is said that this dish was made by the fox spirit himself a thousand years ago and solved the problem of food for the army during the time when the true dragon was hunting."

Lin Qingyan walked in carrying a paper bag and casually tossed it to Mei Xue. Inside were two steaming hot fried tofu buns.

"Don't worry, it's just oil, no meat. The tofu buns are just for tasting."

Hearing Lin Qingyan say that, Mei Xue finally felt relieved. She then gave Cecilia a bun and took a small bite of the remaining one for herself.

Biting through the outer layer of dough, the slightly hot oil and soft tofu rolled onto the tip of his tongue, making Mei Xue instinctively want to stick his tongue back. However, the inexplicably familiar and wonderful taste brought a perfect smile to his face. Cecilia also liked this bun.

"Not bad. Putting aside the dough, the fried tofu inside is also very well made. Hmm, was the broth used?"

The little fox swayed its tail and offered its opinion. Since it was essentially still a fried tofu bun, it didn't reject it; it just felt nostalgic.

"I couldn't find the right ingredients when I was on Rhodes Island, and I didn't know if you would like it, so I never made it. But you seem to really want to eat it. In that case, I can make it for you often when I'm on Rhodes Island."

"You can do that too, sister?"

"Of course, in addition to magic, how to bribe fox spirits is also an important elective course at the Celestial Master's Mansion. Fried tofu buns are arguably the most useful one."

With a proud thumbs up, Lin Qingyan reminisced about when she first entered the Celestial Master's Mansion. She was initially worried about not getting along with her senior brothers and sisters, but it turned out that they were all slackers. She passed the exams by bribing Mei Xue.

"Father, I have a feeling that the Celestial Master's Mansion is doomed sooner or later."

Upon hearing this, Du Yaoye's lips twitched involuntarily. What kind of people are these? Bribing a fox spirit is an elective course? Isn't the Great Yan Celestial Master's Mansion supposed to be a very powerful place?

"You have the nerve to talk about others like that? You prayed to a fox spirit when you were taking the exam, but it didn't save your grades."

Zheng Qingyue rolled his eyes in annoyance. Because of Mei Xue's existence, the schools in Da Yan, apart from the Celestial Master's Mansion, never had multiple-choice questions. Otherwise, worshipping the fox spirit would be too much of a cheat.

However, Du Yaoye's grades back then were indeed terrible. This girl's mind was not on studying at all. She had been practicing martial arts since childhood and was thinking about when she could inherit the Xingyu Escort Agency business. If it weren't for the fact that this girl was quite filial, Zheng Qingyue would probably have suspected that she was hoping that he would get sick and be unable to get out of bed soon.

"Oh dear, I was only thinking about the escort agency. You're busy with the restaurant business, but the Xingyu name can't be ruined. I must make Xingyu Escort Agency bigger and stronger, and create new glories!"

Clenching his fist and shaking it, Du Yaoye felt proud of his ideals, while also escaping the fact that his grades weren't great.

However, she suddenly realized a problem: the fox spirit was right in front of her! As the god of wind and rain, the god of marriage, the god of career and many other divine positions in the Great Yan Dynasty, the little fox naturally also had the position of the god of wealth. Usually, she would offer incense to portraits and sculptures, but now she was offering incense directly to the person. Wouldn't the future of Xingyu Escort Agency be smooth sailing?

"Brother Meixue, when are we going out to play?"

"It'll be quick, Cecilia, you go play with your sister first, and we'll go shopping later."

Mei Xue gently wagged her tail and handed Cecilia over to Lin Qingyan, because the little fox saw Nian and Ling come out of the room, which meant that the guests would be arriving soon.

"Hmm~"

Cecilia followed Lin Qingyan upstairs very sensibly. She knew that her brother must have something important to do, so she wouldn't disturb him.

Sure enough, just after Cecilia went upstairs, two voices suddenly came from the doorway.

"Prefect Liang Xun of Shangshu pays respects to the Fox Fairy!"

"Ning Ciqiu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, pays respects to the Fox Fairy!"

Almost simultaneously, the voices of a man and a woman appeared at the door. The little fox turned its head and saw another person, an old man with white hair. He looked no different from an ordinary old man, but his inner aura was far more powerful than others.

However, what surprised Mei Xue even more was something else. The little fox shook its tail slightly and didn't say anything more, but just pointed to the table full of dishes.

"Let's eat together."

The fox spirit was always kind, and he would be unhappy if they were too reserved, so Ning Ciqiu and Liang Xun did not refuse and simply followed the old man into the inn.

The people of Shangshu might not recognize the old man, but Ning Ciqiu and Liang Xun were very famous figures in Shangshu. As the local official, the changes that the latter had brought to Shangshu over the years were obvious to everyone. So while thanking Lord Liang, everyone couldn't help but care about another matter—Lord Liang's marriage.

Liang Xun had always been a wooden-faced man, engrossed in his work, and there was no word of him being married to anyone. He even kept his distance from women until Miss Ning appeared.

Although the gossipy people of Shangshu had always guessed that Ning Ciqiu was from a prominent family and that she and Lord Liang were a good match, the knowledgeable people of Shangshu were immediately stunned when they heard her reveal her family background outside the Xingyu Inn.

"Sigh, what kind of official is the Vice Minister of Rites?"

"I don't know, but she should be worse than a prefect. Lord Liang is in charge of an entire city. I just didn't expect Miss Ning to be from an official family as well."

"Don't pretend you know everything. That's the Vice Minister of Rites, a second-rank official, three ranks higher than Lord Liang!"

"My goodness, what's a high-ranking official like him doing in our Shangshu?"

For some reason, everyone subconsciously ignored Ning and Liang's subsequent remarks about paying respects to the fox spirit, as if they hadn't heard them at all, and no one even considered why the two of them had introduced themselves at the entrance of Xingyu Inn.

"If you ask me, Miss Ning might have come for Lord Liang. I've heard that Lord Liang was once a disciple of the Grand Tutor for a period of time. Maybe the two of you knew each other back then."