Talulah, I'm still a child.

"I am a bad older sister."

Talulah reached out and carried Mei Xue out. His cute, clean little face was now covered with tear stains, and his eyes were a little red and swollen, which made Talulah and the others feel very bad.

"Sister, I...I..."

Mei Xue stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence. He wanted to hide away; he didn't want to feel any more frustrated. He hoped to interact with Talulah on a more equal footing, instead of always being protected by her. Mei Xue wanted to hide away and cry for a while, then go back to wash his face and tell Talulah with a smile that he was fine.

"You don't need to say anything, I know everything. It's my sister's fault."

Talulah buried Meixue in her chest, lowered her head and gently nibbled on the little fox's ear, then soothed him.

The little fox in her arms was the kind of person who would try his best to make dinner for someone important. Talulah hugged him tightly and realized for the first time how light Mei Xue was. If she had noticed sooner, Mei Xue wouldn't have cried. Ironically, she had sworn to protect Mei Xue, but the first time he cried was because of her.

"It's Mei Xue's fault. Mei Xue can't do anything. Mei Xue doesn't know how to do anything."

The little fox got anxious and started crying. He couldn't stand it when others spoke ill of Talulah, even if Talulah herself said it.

"Don't cry, don't cry, it's not Meixue's fault."

Talulah was genuinely surprised that Meixue would cry so loudly. She gently comforted her and swallowed all the words of self-blame.

(I'll cook breakfast for Meixue tomorrow morning.)

Thinking this, Talulah carried him toward the room, letting the little fox's tears wet her chest. Tonight, she was going to sleep with Mei Xue. It was like this today, and it would be like this in the future. No one could take her away from her!

Chapter 12 From then on, Sister Ta no longer attended court in the mornings.

In the early morning in Lungmen, Chen Huijie woke up in her bed and looked at the childhood photo of her and her sister on the bedside table. She began to miss Talulah, whose whereabouts were unknown. What did Talulah look like now after they parted more than ten years ago? Chen Huijie had heard that Koschei was dead, but no one knew where Talulah was now.

"Sister... huff..."

Chen Huijie sighed, took the red Chixiao sword from the wall, and prepared to go to the Guard Bureau to continue working. It had been some time since she became a senior superintendent, and her skills had improved compared to before. She had vaguely grasped what Wei Yanwu called the "Cloud Rift Realm", but she still couldn't change the past of her sister being taken away.

"Sister, how are you doing now?"

Okay, very good, so good that she didn't even want to get out of bed. Talulah hugged Meixue and rubbed against her, then gave her a "smack" on her little face, making the sleeping little fox frown and instinctively shrink into her arms.

More than half a year has passed since Mei Xue arrived. Although she is still a bit socially awkward, the little fox has become familiar with everyone in the camp. To be precise, everyone has become familiar with her. Logically speaking, Mei Xue should no longer need Talulah to accompany her all the time, but now it has become that Talulah cannot live without Mei Xue.

I feel uncomfortable if I don't see Meixue for a day, and I lose my energy if I don't pet her tail for a day.

These are Talulah's exact words. For the past few months, she has practically wanted to stick to Meixue. It's fine when they're outside, but every time they come back, she has to fight with Frostnova for the tail. Luckily, the little fox has a lot of tails, so Talulah, Frostnova, and Alina can each hold one.

"Sister, sister, wake up!"

Mei Xue rubbed her eyes, yawned, and got out of bed. Her slightly loose clothes revealed her fair shoulders and delicate collarbones. Her small feet gently rested on Talulah's tail. This new set of pajamas was a bit too big, and it always inadvertently revealed some blood-pumping scenes. However, since she was sleeping with Talulah, it would be too hot to wear too many clothes. This cool outfit was just right.

"Hmm... stay with me a little longer."

Talulah readily reached out and pulled Mei Xue back into her arms. Today was a rare day without training or going out to fight, and Talulah couldn't wait to spend the whole day like this with Mei Xue. Speaking of which, when she first brought Mei Xue back, Mei Xue should have been fifteen, right? No, she should have been sixteen, already legal!

(No, Talulah, no, no, even though we're not related by blood, he's still nominally my younger brother, this won't do.)

However, open and aboveboard physical contact is still possible. Thanks to Mei Xue's unconditional trust in her, Talulah can basically do whatever she wants. It is precisely because they are so close that some inappropriate punishments often occur.

"But sister, didn't you promise to train together with Frostnova?"

"I'd rather spend time with lovely Mei Xue than train with that ice rabbit,"

Talu stretched out her hand and pinched Meixue's ear. She used to say that "from now on, the king will not hold court in the morning" was an exaggeration and not that powerful. But now she herself has become the king under the little fox's command. There's nothing she can do. Meixue is so cute that she can't help but spend more time with her.

"Sister, you can't break your promise!"

"Ah~ I fell asleep after getting a thorn prick on my finger, and I won't get up without a kiss."

Watching Talulah feign fainting, the little fox's laughter was as clear and melodious as silver bells. He didn't mind sleeping a little longer with his sister, but Mei Xue was also...

He may have let Talulah do whatever she wanted, but he knew very well that he should be a support for his sister, just as Alina had taught him, to help Talulah keep going, rather than corrupt her.

Mei Xue first removed Talulah's hands and tail, then took out her own tail, and carefully got off the bed to change her clothes. Actually, she had suggested sleeping in her own room a few months ago, but Talulah almost cried at that time. She hugged Mei Xue's tail and legs and refused to sleep in a separate room from him. Helpless, the little fox had no choice but to live with her sister. Fortunately, no one had any objections.

However, living together inevitably leads to some awkward situations, at least in the eyes of outsiders. But Mei Xue didn't care at all, and he didn't have that concept either. The little fox obediently changed out of his pajamas, and he didn't turn around, because Mei Xue believed that Talulah wouldn't peek.

(As expected, Mei Xue probably won't grow any taller, but her figure is still pretty good, hehe... and her skin is great too.)

Talulah didn't actually peek; she was just short of bringing out a camera and flashing it. In fact, after living together for more than half a year, they had already seen everything they should and shouldn't have seen. Not to mention that Meixue didn't have anything to wear when they first met, so Talulah didn't feel any guilt at all; she was having a great time.

However, when Meixue changed her clothes and turned around, Talulah immediately pretended to be asleep. The little fox happily wagged his tail and came to Talulah's side. Of course, he knew that his good sister was pretending to be asleep, but there was nothing he could do. This was his most beloved sister. She doted on Meixue, and Meixue naturally reciprocated her affection.

"Chirp~"

The little fox gently pressed its cherry-red lips, which smelled of fruit, onto Talulah's cheek. Then, it leaped back to avoid Talulah's hand that was trying to grab it. It covered its chin with its tail, revealing only the upper half of its face. Its eyes were full of affection, and its smile was charming. Talulah was almost mesmerized by its beauty.

"Sister, wake up! I need to go play with Ino and the others."

Watching Mei Xue leave, Talulah gently covered her face. She felt her heart beating very fast and her face burning. Mei Xue's smile was too unfair. Ah, her younger brother was indeed the best. She should let Hui Jie meet him sometime.

"Talulah, why are you still... wiping your nosebleed? It's so embarrassing."

Frostnova entered and saw Talulah grinning foolishly. Helpless, she turned and left. She thought it best to let Meixue sleep with her from now on. Otherwise, who knew what Talulah would do to the little fox when Meixue got older? It certainly wouldn't be anything good.

"Hurry up and get ready. We still need to discuss that plan you mentioned before today."

"what?"

"What? Have you forgotten? You've been saying for years that we can't stay in the snowfield forever."

“But I remember Bozokas replaced him…”

“My dad agreed.”

Froststar sighed, rubbed her temples, took the apple Meixue offered her, took a bite, and then cuddled the little fox.

"He just needs time to observe you, to assess you, and to determine if you are qualified to be our leader. As you said, your goals are ambitious, which makes you even more cautious."

"That review period is really long."

Talulah got up, dressed, and took her sword. Before leaving, she pinched Mei Xue's tail, making the little fox blush like an apple.

Chapter 13 Plum Blossom's tail isn't just for getting food.

“According to Talulah’s plan, we can use the area near Chernobog as a base of operations to develop our forces, quietly accumulate strength, and at the same time clarify our next mission.”

Alina pointed to the map. As a new commander and strategist who had joined the Reunion Movement a few months ago, she had not shown outstanding tactical planning ability, but she did have remarkable talent in organizational development. According to Bozokasti, if Alina had received a formal education from a young age, she would have achieved remarkable success. This girl was good material to be a political commissar.

"Unity with those infected."

Frostnova frowned slightly, while Talulah shook her head in denial. She glanced at Alina in front of her, Frostnova and Borocasta beside her, and thought of the little fox who was playing with everyone at the moment.

"No, it's not just the infected, it should include all those who are oppressed."

Talulah felt a great sense of relief after saying this, tapping the table lightly. She could hear the seeds planted by the black serpent coldly mocking her grand ambition in her mind, but it didn't matter. As long as Alina was there, as long as Bodracuste and Frostnova were there, as long as these people who shared her ideals, as long as her cute little fox was still there, she would not be dragged into the abyss.

"Whether they are infected or not, whether they are from Ursus or Victoria, or even further away, as long as they are oppressed and enslaved, they are our companions and the people we should save."

It's a very simple sentence, but it carries a lot of weight. Even Patriot had to admit that Talulah's ambition was probably the biggest he knew. But it was precisely because it was so grand that it seemed so empty and unrealistic. But Talulah was serious.

"I know this goal is too far away, so let's focus on developing the team first, otherwise it's all just talk."

"So...we need funding, we need stable cash flow, we need slogans."

Bozokastie, after all, had seen a lot in the world. He knew very well that the guerrillas could no longer rely on their old operating model. According to Talulah's plan, the new guerrillas would become the spark that ignited the entire land, but they were still lacking a lot.

"As for funding... how about selling fruit? After all, we have a little fox who never has to worry about food, so starting a fruit company shouldn't be a problem."

Perhaps to ease the somewhat oppressive atmosphere, Alina deliberately said something that made everyone burst into laughter. Bozokasti didn't laugh, but it was easy to tell from his slightly trembling shoulders that he actually found the joke somewhat amusing.

"But you know what, this is a good idea. Setting up a company as our public identity can provide us with funding and also cover us up in many ways."

"However... we don't have any money."

Froststar's words immediately chilled the atmosphere. Indeed, they were completely broke. People on the snowfields were more accustomed to simple barter, so they knew all too well about money.

"Actually, I should have some savings in this regard."

Talulah silently raised her hand. She noticed that Alina's eyes immediately sharpened, and those eyes conveyed only one meaning: You dare to hide money from me?

"Ahem, although Kosiché's property was divided up by those corrupt nobles after his death, I know very well that he actually hid a large amount of red gold in the underground of Lungmen. That is the foundation area of ​​Lungmen, and it will not change even after decades."

"Then a new problem arises: who among us will go and withdraw that money?"

Frostnova spoke again, and the room fell silent once more. Relying on Talulah? No, she's the core of the team now and can't leave easily. Besides, Lungmen isn't a good place for her. And Frostnova? Needless to say, her abnormal body temperature makes it questionable whether she can even get into the city.

What? You mean Bodrakasti? Good grief, Talulah and Frostnova are at most suspected of being suspicious individuals, but if Bodrakasti were to go there, the entire city would probably be on high alert.

"Have it!"

Alina clapped her hands, and at the same time, Mei Xue, who was playing hide-and-seek with everyone, suddenly felt an itch in his nose and sneezed. As if something bad was about to happen, he wagged his big tail, looked around, and then lightly jumped onto the roof.

"We caught the last one too! Sasha!"

The boy lying on the roof rubbed his hair helplessly. He didn't expect that even though he had hidden here, he would still be found. Mei Xue was really unpredictable when it came to hide-and-seek. She could catch people with ease, and she was always the first one to be caught when hiding.

"Brother Meixue, you're really good at catching people."

Ino's eyes sparkled; he almost idolized Mei Xue. He saw Mei Xue searching for people as if she had a cheat code, without any hesitation.

"Hey, because my nose is more sensitive, I can smell it directly."

Mei Xue proudly wagged his tail. Ino and Sasha were the two people he got along best with in the whole camp. Because the other children were not infected, they had to keep their distance. But Mei Xue didn't care about such things at all. He wasn't infected. Although the other children liked him, they mostly liked the fruit that Mei Xue took out of his tail.

"Shall we continue?"

"No, I'm a little tired... Brother Meixue, you don't seem tired at all."

Ino looked at Mei Xue with curiosity. Not to mention being tired, the little fox's face showed no signs of fatigue. He seemed to have inexhaustible energy, jumping around all day without getting tired.

"Hmm, maybe it's because I ate a lot?"

Mei Xue took two apples out of her tail and handed them to Ino and Sasha. Looking at the three soft and beautiful fox tails on her back, Ino had always wanted to reach out and pinch them. He had heard that they felt quite nice, but considering that Talulah would hold a grudge if he did, he suppressed the thought.

"Brother Meixue, is there only food in your tail?"

"Hmm... I don't know either."

The little fox was munching on an apple. So far, he had only ever taken food out of his tail and hadn't tried taking anything else. He even subconsciously felt that he could only take out food. Ino's reminder made him realize this problem.

"Would you like to give it a try, brother?"

"Hmm... I'll give it a try."

Holding her tail, Mei Xue reached inside and rummaged around for a while. Soon after, she took out a rectangular object about the length of a finger. It looked like some kind of jade carving. One side was crimson red, and the other side was embroidered with a lifelike phoenix standing on a paulownia branch with its wings folded and its eyes bright and spirited, as if it were about to fly out of it at any moment.

Mei Xue froze on the spot, her eyes thoughtful. Yinuo didn't know what the thing in his hand was called, but looking at Mei Xue, he subconsciously felt that it might be related to Mei Xue's past.