Talulah, I'm still a child.

Cecilia hugged Mei Xue's tail and followed the little fox, hopping and skipping to the kitchen. Ling glanced at the twelve rooms, then turned away helplessly.

This home is no longer as lively as it used to be; rather, it's as if we've had a lively dream.

Chapter 29 Mei Xue's Wolf Cubs

"Hey, Agnese, why don't we just go find my dad?"

In the corridor of Rhodes Island, Ziyue carried a bow and arrow and headed alone to Meixue's dormitory. To outsiders, she seemed to be all alone, but in reality, only Ziyue herself could see that there was a giant wolf beside her.

“He’s in Da Yan, we can’t go there. And I’ve said it many times, just call him Mei Xue, he’s not your father.”

"But Mom said he is Dad."

"Then your mother and father aren't Rupert, so how could they have given birth to a wolf cub like you who can only eat?"

As Anese spoke, she also curiously examined the moving ship called Rhodes Island. As the Lord of Wolves, she had lived for a long time and naturally knew about the ancient civilization. In fact, the birth of these beast lords was also inseparable from that civilization.

Although the ship, named Rhodes Island, has many signs of repair and refurbishment, it is essentially an ancient creation.

"Alright then...why don't we just go straight to Great Yan?"

"Because Mei Xue wouldn't allow it."

"Oh, okay."

They said they wouldn't allow it, but actually it was because Anese didn't dare to go. The Wolf Lords had lived too long and seen too many things, but this was the first time they had ever seen someone dare to use the full power of their nation to launch a campaign against ancient and powerful behemoths, and the key was that they actually won!

Although Da Yan has the help of Mei Xue and Sui, if Da Yan itself is not capable, how could these two possibly win... well, without Mei Xue really putting in the effort, they would never be able to win either. So even if the beast lords are immortal, Da Yan might still have a way to imprison them.

"I thought you'd go to the cafeteria first, but I didn't expect you to go to Mei Xue's place."

"I can only fall asleep peacefully when I smell my father's scent."

"You are... um?"

Before Agnes could finish speaking, Kal'tsit emerged from around the corner of the corridor, glancing at a report. A hint of weariness was evident in her eyes, but those who knew her knew that Kal'tsit was in a good mood, as her ears were twitching rapidly.

But Kal'tsit also noticed Ziyue, or rather, noticed Anese beside her. The giant wolf's eyes met those deep and cold green eyes. Ziyue realized that the other party could see Anese, which was quite unexpected. Except when Anese took the initiative to appear, only she could see her.

"..."

After thinking about it for a moment, Kal'tsit felt relieved. No matter what the other party was there for, Ziyue was wearing a Rhodes Island operator badge, which was enough. As for the identity of the Beast Lord? Just kidding, what does that mean in a place like Rhodes Island, which is full of talented people?

Kal'tsit simply nodded slightly to Ziyue and Anese, then walked away from them. She needed to test her hypothesis again to see if it was correct. Compared to a beast lord, Oripathy was more worthy of her concern.

"Dr. Kal'tsit, so you're here! That's wonderful. About Miss Vina... Ah, you must be Miss Ziyue. And this is?"

Just as Kal'tsit was about to leave, Amiya hurriedly ran over from the other side, greeted Ziyue, and also showed some curiosity about Anese. Based on her personal feeling, this should not be a simple Fanged Beast.

"Can everyone here see Agnese?"

Rhodes Island is not lacking in exceptional individuals.

Leaving behind such a rather cold remark, Kal'tsit looked at Amiya, her expression softening instantly—her change of expression was faster than Kal'tsit eating.

"what happened?"

"It's about that... that creature named Gawain. Cecilia seems to be planning to keep it on the island, but what about Miss Vina..."

Amiya didn't need to tell Kal'tsit to guess what was going on. Under Mei Xue's pressure, Gawain has now gone from "Vina's golden retriever" to "the little angel's exclusive mount." The key is that Gawain seems to be quite happy about it. He usually hides from Vina and disappears, but he will come out as soon as Cecilia calls him.

Based on her own experience of being pampered as a child, Vina had every reason to suspect that Gawain and the other beast lords had some special feelings for young girls.

But Gawain is, after all, the master of the beasts, and a companion of the Victorian royal family. How could he do such a thing? What kind of behavior is this for the dignified lion of Victoria!

"...Or you could advise her to replace the lion on the Victorian flag in the future; the fox is fine."

Kal'tsit was thinking that Gawain was probably doomed. It would be better to have Mei Xue act as a mascot for Victoria in the future. After all, believing in Gawain might not be of any use, but believing in Mei Xue would have many benefits. Look at the Great Yan next door. Although it can't be said to have soared to the top, it has not suffered any major disasters in the past thousand years and has also gained a group of particularly capable partners.

Is this okay?

"I think Vina probably already had this idea when she saw Cecilia riding Gawain around."

It has to be said that Kal'tsit has a pretty good grasp of this. Vina is actually thinking about adding Mei Xue to Victoria's flag in the future. She doesn't care about anything else, just for good luck.

Ignoring what Amiya and Kal'tsit were talking about, Ziyue continued walking towards Meixue's dormitory. Although the complex layout of Rhodes Island was a bit difficult to understand, Anesse knew the way.

To be honest, Ziyue really didn't understand why Meixue would like living in such a place. It was narrow, low, and enclosed, not as free as the wilderness. He was more adapted to nature than anyone else, and he had taught himself how to rely on the wilderness.

What is Mei Xue's place like here?

With this curiosity, Ziyue walked to Meixue's door. She wasn't surprised that the door wasn't locked. This girl didn't even know what a lock was. For someone as lacking in common sense as her, Miss Black Snake thoughtfully arranged for her to attend the Rhodes Island training class. Incidentally, she was also Xiaoke's deskmate.

The most striking feature was a ray of golden sunlight streaming in from the window. Various comics and novels were displayed on the simple black wooden bookshelf, and all the cups on the coffee table were washed and covered with cloths. Everything was in perfect order... except for the bed.

"!?"

Instinctively, Ziyue took off her bow, but the next moment a sharp dagger was in front of her. The red coat was still hanging on the rack. She had been sleeping in Meixue's bed when she smelled the wolf's scent and instinctively chose to attack.

If this move succeeds, Ziyue will definitely die, because she was in Meixue's room and she was off guard. Hong was faster than her, and the dagger was enough to cut her neck, a fatal wound.

Fortunately, Anesse was there. Although she was not good at fighting, she was good at dealing with Red and bit the dagger.

"Wolf teeth?"

Ziyue drew her bow and shot an arrow, but Hong nimbly dodged it. She turned around, took off her coat, and pulled out two more daggers. She didn't need to think about why the wolf was here; she just needed to swing the daggers as her grandmother had told her.

"That won't do, Meixue will be unhappy."

These words seemed to possess some kind of power, instantly dispelling the previously oppressive atmosphere. Anese looked towards the door and saw that the person who came in was a blue-haired fallen angel, holding two staffs. Beside her was another person, a blood demon so beautiful that it was almost impossible to look away.

"Messenger and Blood Demon, you two are here too?"

Of course, Anesse knew Mostima and Miss Blood Demon, since they were all considered Mei Xue's people. However, compared to them, Anesse and Mei Xue had a more purely cooperative relationship than a close one.

“I arrived a while ago, and she has been here for some time. He said you two might fight, so I came to check it out.”

Mostima raised her staff. Just now, something within the staff sensed Anesse's aura. Everyone on Rhodes Island knew that Red's favorite place to sleep was Mei Xue's bed. It would be truly strange if the Wolf Fangs didn't fight when they met.

But Mostima clearly didn't expect Mei Xue's name to be so useful; a single sentence was enough to make Hong put away her weapon.

"You are... one of Mei Xue's people?"

"Of course, I am his daughter."

Ziyue patted her chest proudly, only to be lightly patted on the head by Anese with a paw. This girl really doesn't know what she should or shouldn't say; if she continues like this, something bad will happen sooner or later.

"Impossible. You are too weak and no match for Hong. Therefore, you cannot be Mei Xue's offspring."

Hong shook her head. She chose to stop because of Mei Xue. If the little fox hadn't held such a high place in her heart, a fight would have been inevitable. And if no one had intervened, it would have been Zi Yue who fell to the ground.

"What did you say? Do you want to fight?!"

Seeing that Ziyue was angry instead, Miss Blood Demon looked at Anese with some doubt. She didn't remember Mei Xue having any children.

"Based on my personal experience, it must not be an easy thing for Mei Xue to have a child."

After all, every time she was intimate with Mei Xue, it was during a dangerous period, so Mostima was quite aware of this. If it were that easy, she would have had a child. She should have taken maternity leave years ago. She didn't spill a drop the night she met Mei Xue.

"..."

Miss Blood Demon and Anesse both chose to remain silent, a sudden urge to beat Mostima up swirling in their minds, unsure if he was just showing off.

"She was an adopted daughter, or more accurately, a student. But Ziyue was very young back then, so it was all about the same. The doctor was like a second mother to her."

"Tsk tsk, would you say Doctor suddenly took the lead?"

"Don't even think about it. That Talulah has already proposed to you. This child isn't even hers."

The two whispered among themselves. Ziyue was a little unhappy because no matter how she provoked Hong, Hong didn't react at all. She wasn't angry or concerned because Meixue would be unhappy if she took action.

"So, are we considered this child's stepmothers?"

"Yes, but she has so many stepmothers, what does this count for?"

"There's nothing we can do about it. Mei Xue is just so likable. Having romantic luck is a kind of luck, after all."

"Achoo!"

Mei Xue, who was cooking, suddenly felt a tickle in her nose. She quickly turned her head and sneezed, thankfully preventing the good food from being ruined.

"Is it because the dried chili peppers are too pungent?"

The little fox flicked its tail and then continued with its work. It would set off for Yumen tomorrow. Surtr and Chen Huijie were probably almost there. It was said that Yumen had become a city full of martial spirit, a gathering place for heroes of the martial arts world, and famous for its chivalrous atmosphere. For Chen Huijie, who had grown up watching all kinds of martial arts novels and TV series, it was a good place.

Surtr didn't care about these things. She just wanted to see how the Great Yan Dynasty had successfully driven out all the arrogant and rampant giant beasts by using the Jade Gate as a barrier. But to her, most of them were also her compatriots. She understood the Great Yan Dynasty's actions and accepted the result. So she probably really went there with the idea of ​​sightseeing.

With a casual wave of her hand, the pungent smell was instantly swept away by an unknown gust of wind. Mei Xue plated the dishes, got up, and pushed open the back window of the kitchen, letting in the fragrance of plum blossoms.

"More than a thousand years have passed, and these plum blossoms and peach trees have not changed much, but they are all old trees now."

Although they appear to be only slightly larger than before, the plum trees here are already in their twilight years and may only bloom for another dozen or so winters.

As for those peach trees that only live for a few decades, they are mostly replaced by one after another. People always come here, and the few people who used to live here are happy to maintain the original appearance of this place. Mei Xue can even see a newly planted one.

A gust of wind came and blew down countless plum blossoms, which were more lovely than falling snow. They seemed to be welcoming the return of Mei Xue. Although they had not been by Mei Xue's side for very long and could not become like the plants in his tail, they still had some spirit.

"The plum blossoms behind the courtyard have fallen again, and my old friend at the door has no return date. I spend the whole night in longing, with only the candle casting a lonely shadow. Tomorrow, his head will be covered with snow."

Ling's voice came from the front hall. She seemed to have some feelings about it, but after thinking about it carefully, she felt that the poem was probably not good and did not meet her level. Couldn't this author read more ancient poems?

"The world has been drunk for ten thousand years, why can't I have a grand dream?"

"Dinner is about to start, so if you drink again, you'll be sleeping by yourself tonight."

The familiar dialogue, the familiar tone and the familiar scene—everything seemed unchanged, but as mentioned before, it just wasn't as lively as it used to be.

In the past, during the Lunar New Year, Xi was in charge of drawing New Year pictures for the whole family, Nian was in charge of making fireworks, Mei Xue and Xiao Shier were in charge of cooking dinner, Jie and Ling were in charge of thinking up and pasting couplets, and the rest of them also had their own work. It was the busiest day, but also the most fun day. Those days are still their precious memories to this day.

With the little bit of New Year's money given by Mei Xue, you can exchange it for delicious snacks from the little fox.

"Then I won't drink, and we'll sleep together tonight?"

"...Tonight, Cecilia and Lily of the Valley will sleep together, and I won't lock the window."

As Mei Xue spoke, she gave Ling a shy glare.

"Come and serve the food, let's eat and go home early!"

"Oh, oh, oh, coming, coming."

Chapter 30 The Storm is About to Rise at Yumen

"Are you sure the fox spirit is still in Shang Shu?"