Talulah, I'm still a child.

"Yes, boss, the brothers saw it with their own eyes... It's a pity that we lost a lot of men, and those water strongholds we had just won over were wiped out by people from somewhere."

Upon hearing this news, the leaders of the Mountain and Sea Clan seemed to be deep in thought. Ninety percent of the faith in the Great Yan had been devoted to the Fox Fairy. Because of Mei Xue and the existence of the Fox Fairy Cult, the Mountain and Sea Clan's development in the Great Yan had always been secretive and quite unsuccessful. They had also recruited mostly heretical and sinful people.

However, the brothers they sent to recruit and the people from those water fortresses couldn't possibly be so useless as to be wiped out so easily; they must not be ordinary people.

"It's most likely the mysterious forces under that old geezer Grand Tutor mentioned in the previous letter who are behind this."

Their name and affiliation are unknown, but according to information from the court, the Grand Tutor has indeed formed a mysterious team that appears and disappears without a trace, possessing formidable strength. The Mountain and Sea Clan has tried to gather intelligence on them many times, but none of the spies they sent out have returned alive. The only information they have brought back is two words: monster.

"That fox spirit..."

"Don't worry about it. We'll act discreetly. Once it's done, even if he flies all the way from Shangshu, it won't make a difference. Besides, he's weak now, what can he possibly do?"

According to the Shan Hai Clan, Mei Xue was only three-tailed when she first appeared, and not much time has passed since then. They estimate that at most she is only four-tailed and cannot possibly have much power.

"If he hadn't suddenly appeared, this plan would have been postponed for several years. But now, since the timing and circumstances are right, let's seize this man as well!"

"The mountains, seas, and eight wastelands all belong to their master."

While the Shan Hai Clan was still busy with preparations, Yumen City and Longmen City on the other side finally completed their final connection. A large number of tourists from Longmen successfully boosted the lively atmosphere in Yumen. As the filming location for various martial arts TV series and movies in the Great Yan Dynasty over the years, this place can be said to be one of the most famous attractions in the Great Yan Dynasty.

However, Yumen has always served as a border fortress and is not often open to the outside world. It is unlikely that tourists can come here on ordinary days. They can only entertain outside guests when they are connecting with Longmen.

"Look, tourists, this is the most famous old street in Yumen. As a pearl of the frontier, Yumen has had its own unique charm since ancient times. It is a place of frontier deserts, chivalrous heroes, and has been the filming location for many classic works such as 'Yumen Storm' and 'Yumen Inn'!"

Eureka walked ahead holding the tour guide flag, introducing the sights as she went. Having arrived in the northern desert, she naturally changed into an outfit most in line with the desert style, with a beautiful headdress and beaded hair ties tied into pigtails, and a flowing skirt, which was quite charming (so when are you going to come to the island and the pool, lady?).

"This old street has several century-old shops. I heard that there is a thousand-year-old noodle shop deep in this alley. Moreover, at the very end of this alley, there is a master who is in charge of the divination. His predictions are incredibly accurate."

As she talked, Eureka herself wanted to calculate her luck, especially her career luck. She was inexplicably fired in Siesta last time, and the same thing happened in Laterano and Kazimierz before that. Now she can only come to Da Yan as a small tour guide to barely make ends meet.

However, her faith in the fox spirit was indeed quite effective. Even though she was a jinx, she now only had minor issues like losing small change each day. She also gained a firm foothold in her tour guide job. Although Yumen was full of martial spirit, the people here were very kind, and life was very stable. It was wonderful.

Meanwhile, inside the Yumen military camp, the elderly general gripped a bow as thick as a cup, drawing it to its full length like a full moon. The trembling of the arrow lasted only a short breath before he released it, and the arrow struck the bullseye a hundred meters away, piercing straight through.

"My father's archery skills are still as admirable as ever."

This isn't Zuo Le intentionally praising him. If it were him, he would never have been able to draw that bow so easily, let alone adjust his position so quickly to hit the bullseye.

"After all, you're getting old, Zuo Le. Since you hold the position of the Candle Bearer, you have the responsibility to care for the common people and the power to contribute to the people of Great Yan. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"...Yes, I dare not slack off."

Zuo Le lowered his head slightly, feeling a little embarrassed. After all, although he was excellent in lightness skill, that was all he was good at. In terms of martial arts, he hadn't made much progress over the years. Being the youngest candle-bearer was indeed one of the reasons he was praised, but for Zuo Xuanliao, he should still be strict with his son.

Just as the two were talking, a soldier strode over.

"Reporting to the General, the Grand Tutor and Governor Wei of Longmen have arrived and are waiting for you in the military council hall."

These words caused Zuo Xuanliao to fall silent for a moment. He looked at his subordinate with an indescribable seriousness in his expression.

"Did the Grand Tutor and Duke Wei come together?"

"No, they came one after the other. It seems that Lord Wei's trip was not for personal matters."

"Whether for public or private reasons, this meal should still be served to our two distinguished guests."

Zuo Xuanliao frowned slightly. Over the years, he had frowned like this countless times. In the decades that had passed, only General Zuo's hair had turned white.

"What about the grandmasters?"

"We have sent someone to invite him, but according to Miss Qiu, the master's old friend came to visit, and he went out with him. He seemed to be in a hurry when he left."

"Old friend..."

As if remembering something, Zuo Xuanliao frowned. It seemed that the two people who came today were only there to give him some pointers. How many old friends could make a Grandmaster leave in such a hurry?

But there's no use thinking too much. The Grand Tutor and Wei Yanwu are both distinguished guests, so we should entertain them first.

At this very moment, on the Yumen City tower, Chongyue, who was always gentle and humble, appeared unusually... respectful? Or perhaps more like helpless.

Fortunately, he had just sent the guards on the city wall away; otherwise, if they had seen this scene, it would have been difficult to explain.

"It's been a long time, brother."

Nian greeted him with a grin, a hint of schadenfreude in his voice. Xi, on the other hand, continued to paint, trying to capture the scene of yellow sand before her. Ling Qing leaned against the city wall, shook her gourd, took a sip of wine, and looked quite at ease.

Mei Xue didn't greet anyone. He just stood on the city wall and looked into the distance. The desert stretched as far as the eye could see, with yellow sand filling the sky. He gently stroked the only broken spot on the city wall with his fingers. A sense of familiarity welled up in his heart. Suddenly, an image flashed before his eyes. He saw the huge beast that had created this thousand-year mark with its massive claws before it fell.

People see it as an honor, but Mei Xue felt many emotions from it: anger, resentment, regret, and doubt. They wanted to ask why? Why stand on the side of people?

Returning to her thoughts, Mei Xue looked at Chong Yue with her clear eyes, sizing him up from head to toe.

"So many years have passed, and you have changed a lot, both inside and out."

Mei Xue knew what Chong Yue was doing at a glance: separating the part that originally belonged to Sui, along with its power, from herself and entrusting her consciousness to a new body. The little fox had tried this herself, and Su Xue'er was the first to do so, paying a huge price before barely escaping her fate of being cursed.

"I can't hide it from you, Father."

Chongyue let out a soft breath. He had thought that his actions would earn him a scolding from Meixue, but the little fox didn't seem to mind.

Of course, even if Mei Xue scolds Chong Yue, he won't change. He just cares about Mei Xue's opinion, but he's not the kind of child who only listens to others.

"Alright, I know you don't like calling me that now, just call me Mei Xue, how many years has it been?"

"...It's been decades."

From this sentence, Mei Xue heard what she wanted. If it were years, she would probably only think that it was only a few decades, but Chong Yue was already able to look at time from a human perspective, which was very good.

Mei Xue gently twirled the red oil-paper umbrella in her hand, blocking all the sand that was blowing in. The wind, which was originally as sharp as a knife, was unusually gentle today. After being blocked by the outer city wall, the sand that was being carried around seemed to be gently patting her face.

“You’ve been in Yumen for quite some time now. I won’t interfere with other matters or ask too many questions.”

Hearing this, Chongyue relaxed a little. After a thousand years, his respect and feelings for Meixue had not changed. After all, the little fox was the one who raised them, and he was even more wary of that ruler.

"But I just don't understand, how come you haven't found a single partner in over a thousand years?"

Mei Xue suddenly changed the subject and said something that almost made Ling fall off the city wall. Chong Yue was also stunned by what she said. He really never dreamed that the little fox would care about this.

"What kind of reaction is that? If it were a normal person, I wouldn't care whether they got married or not, but you're over a thousand years old. Don't tell me you haven't had a single person you'd like in the past year."

Seeing the little fox's disappointed look, Nian and Xi silently stood a little further away. It wasn't that they didn't want to get married, but their marriage partner... even if the little fox already knew, they would still get beaten if they told her.

"With matters of national importance at hand and heavy responsibilities on my shoulders, I dare not be distracted by matters of personal feelings."

So you mean I don't exist?

Mei Xue rolled her eyes at Chong Yue. Even during the last thousand years since he disappeared, the Great Yan had been relatively peaceful, without any major disasters or chaos. Even the Hai Si demons on the border had not launched a large-scale invasion. As a fox spirit standing here, even if Zuo Xuan Liao came, he would have no seniority in front of him and could not talk about protecting the Great Yan.

"Of course not, it's just that I..."

"Alright, brother, hey, Mei Xue, why are you asking these questions during the New Year?"

Ling scratched his head helplessly, intending to act as a peacemaker, when Mei Xue glared at him, thinking to herself, "You just wait, aren't you planning to get married and cling to me for the rest of your life?"

"Isn't it normal to ask these questions during the New Year in Da Yan? Never mind, I won't make things difficult for you. I came here mainly because I heard you're planning to step down. What are your plans for the future?"

"I have been down the mountain for a thousand years and have been to many places, but there are still many places I have not seen. Perhaps I will have to travel all over the world."

"Okay, finding someone from another country is fine too, but remember to watch out for bad women."

"..."

As he spoke, Mei Xue couldn't help but glance into the distance. He meant it sincerely, after all, he was completely at the mercy of a group of bad women, such as Mostima and Ghost Shark.

"I remember there should be Sirens stationed at Yumen, are they on vacation?"

"No, during the resupply period between Yumen and Longmen, there will be loopholes in the border defense. They volunteered to stay in their original locations."

Speaking of the Sirens, Chongyue also thought it was truly outrageous. Just a group of lolis managed to push the border of the Great Yan Kingdom dozens of kilometers out of the country. Their fighting power was simply superhuman.

"I see, then I should say a few words of praise later, hmm..."

Mei Xue seemed to sense something, but after a moment of hesitation, she closed her umbrella, shook off the sand, and gently swayed her tail, stopping even the slightest breeze.

"what happened?"

"It's nothing. Let's go, first visit some guests, then return to the inn. I still need to take Cecilia shopping."

The little fox's tail swayed gently. In fact, the information from the Mountain and Sea Clan was not wrong. He was still in Shangshu ten minutes ago, but on the land of Da Yan, he could appear anywhere at will without worrying about teleporting to the wrong place. This was a secret known only to a few people, not even the Grand Tutor or other nobles.

This was, of course, Liang Xun's and the Grand Tutor's idea, but Mei Xue didn't care and was too lazy to ask why. He and the Doctor hadn't recommended Liang Xun to the Grand Tutor just for fun.

At the Jade Gate Inn on the other side, Cecilia and Surtr sat together. The Sarkaz and Sarkaz got along exceptionally well. Surtr naturally liked this lovely little sister, since this girl wouldn't compete with him for Meixue yet.

"Gentlemen, your dishes are here: a plate of braised pork in secret sauce, a plate of crispy peanuts, and a pot of strong liquor. The rest of the dishes will be here shortly."

When the dishes were served, Chen Huijie couldn't help but roll her eyes at Lin Qingyan. Drinking while Cecilia was still around might corrupt the children.

"Sister 42, isn't brother coming?"

Cecilia wasn't interested in food or drink; she only wanted Meixue. But when she left, Meixue said she wanted to stay in Shangshu alone for a few more days, which made the little angel a little disappointed.

"Of course he will come. How could Mei Xue possibly miss you?"

Lily of the Valley gently soothed Cecilia's emotions. For the young and inexperienced little angel, Plum Blossom was the source of all her security.

"They should arrive soon, don't worry."

Although Surtr couldn't sense Mei Xue's presence now, she was certain of this. However, halfway through her sentence, she and Lin Qingyan both looked towards the entrance of the inn.

Linglan glanced over there discreetly, and a tall woman carrying a long sword appeared there.

She smiled, but her eyes burned with an unquenchable rage.

Chapter 31 The Doctor Becomes a Mother

In the vast desert of northern China, amidst endless yellow sand and lone plumes of smoke, Lin Yuxia frowned slightly as she looked at the still-warm campfire a few kilometers from Yumen City.

"Special Envoy Lin, it seems the thieves haven't gone far. Shall we search again?"

"No need. They've probably already infiltrated the city. This group... they're probably trying to cause trouble during the time when Yumen and Longmen are connecting."

Lin Yuxia slightly beckoned, and the yellow sand in front of her condensed into glass, revealing a string of inconspicuous footprints. It was only because Lin Yuxia's Originium Arts were so effective that these footprints would have been hard to spot, since the wind and sand could always conceal many traces.

"Judging from the traces, there seem to be no more than a dozen people, and the fire in the stove here also proves this, but what can a dozen people accomplish?"

The soldier in Yumen frowned. He didn't think that a dozen or so people could throw Yumen into chaos, but judging from their footsteps, these people were probably not simple characters.

"It's not necessarily just them; some may have already infiltrated Yumen. Now that the two cities are connected... Return to the city, report this matter, and send a letter to the Imperial Observatory to inquire whether there are any signs of natural disasters."

"Yes!"

The matter was of great importance and could not be taken lightly, so the soldiers of Yumen rushed back to Yumen without stopping.

Inside the Yumen Inn, the atmosphere suddenly became tense, literally tense. Although the appearance was different, the scorching flames that seemed capable of burning everything were very familiar to Ya. She did not expect to meet an old friend here.