Talulah, I'm still a child.

That's what he thought, at least until the little fox said what it was.

The object in his hand did indeed give Mei Xue a deep sense of familiarity. He hadn't consciously thought about what he wanted to take, and then he got this. Looking at the familiar pattern, a familiar term exploded in his mind.

"Yaoji?"

Chapter 14 The Thing Talulah Doesn't Want the Most

"No, you can't do this to me!"

When Mei Xue arrived at the meeting room door, the first thing she heard was Talulah's hysterical voice. If she didn't know that no one would hurt her sister, the little fox would have rushed in and run away with Talulah in a panic. However, she should wait quietly until the meeting was over before going in. Good children shouldn't disturb adults.

"Oh dear, it's not like I'm preventing you from seeing me, is it really that big of a deal?"

"Absolutely! Do you know how outrageous your suggestion is, Alina?"

Talulah slammed her fist on the table in anger, sobbing uncontrollably with tears streaming down her face. Anyone who didn't know better would think that Mei Xue had grown up and gotten married... no, she had grown up and gotten married.

However, for Talulah, Alina's suggestion was no different from marrying Mei Xue; both were life-threatening situations.

“But you don’t want Meixue to stay with us forever, do you? That child is still very young and very smart. Going to study in a big city is the best choice for him, and we won’t let him go alone.”

Alina shrugged. Actually, the matter was quite simple. Alina had only suggested that Meixue go to Lungmen to study. Who would have thought that Talulah would react so strongly? It's not like we'll never see each other again. Besides, if we leave the snowfield, resources won't be so scarce, and Meixue will naturally have more time for herself.

"But...but he's only 14 years old. He's such a young child, and his mind isn't mature enough. How can I let him go out and make his way in the world?"

Talulah's words left everyone speechless. A while ago, she said Mei Xue was sixteen, but now she's fourteen. Does that mean Mei Xue's age is determined by Schrödinger's cat? If you don't want him to leave your side, just say so. Nobody will find it strange. Everyone knows you're a brother-complex.

"No, this is not negotiable! I'll die if I leave Meixue!"

To be honest, although we knew long ago that Talulah had developed a serious "little fox dependency syndrome," no one expected it to be this serious. The usually proud and resolute dragon girl is now like a spoiled child. It seems that Mei Xue really should leave her for a while, otherwise Talulah will only be able to see him at noon, because she will become useless sooner or later.

It's only been a little over half a year and it's already turned out like this. If this continues, sooner or later we'll all be revolving around Mei Xue. Will we still be leading everyone like this then?

"So you want Mei Xue to stay with us like this, burying his original talent?"

Frostnova frowned, then knelt down and cradled Talulah's head in her hands, looking at her with a serious expression.

"And Talulah, think it through. Once we leave the snowfield, if we make too big a move, we might face a strong attack from Ursus before we can even establish a foothold. At that time... can you protect him?"

These words stunned Talulah, who was crying and making a fuss. Frostnova was right. The guerrillas in the snowfield had been able to exist for so many years largely because of the huge natural advantages of the snowfield. The Ursus Empire could not possibly expend so much energy to wipe out a force of only a hundred or so people. Besides, they hadn’t even had time to deal with the various conflicts left behind after the death of the late emperor. How could they have the time to care about this?

But once they leave the snowfield and stand within Ursus's sight, they will truly understand the difference between the similar phrases "you are an enemy of Ursus" and "Ursus is an enemy of you." As the successor chosen by Koschei, Talulah couldn't possibly be unaware of this, so sending Meixue to Lungmen was actually a form of protection for him.

"But I swore I would protect him, how could I let him leave my side?"

Talulah still remembers the vow she made that day. She clearly stated that she would always protect the little fox and would never go back on her word. Moreover, her feelings for Mei Xue were absolutely genuine.

“I know, so we’re not in a rush. There’s still a lot of work to do before we leave the snowfield. We still have at least six months to go. We’re just giving you a heads-up.”

Plans are plans, but execution will take a lot of time. Frostnova estimates that they won't be able to move until the author writes tens of thousands of words. Before that, Talulah will still have time to spend with the little fox. Actually, the key is not Talulah, but Meixue. Talulah is an adult after all, and no matter how much she makes a fuss, it's just a fuss. But Meixue is still young. The little fox is closest to Talulah, and whether he agrees or not is another matter.

Watching Talulah leave the meeting room, Frostnova rubbed her temples helplessly and let out a long sigh. Actually, she was also reluctant to part with that cute little fox. Mei Xue was very smart and sensible. Although he was young, he could accurately grasp other people's thoughts and learned to be considerate and understanding.

"She won't be able to find out, will she?"

"I don't know, they probably haven't discovered it yet, after all, they'd love to be with those few tails all day long."

Bozokasti's tone was tinged with disappointment. Alina could only sigh inwardly. She had hoped that Meixue could become another thread to keep Talulah in her sanity, but she hadn't expected it to turn out this way.

"But we have to admit that Mei Xue has become an inseparable part of us."

————————————————————————

As night fell, Talulah continued to instruct Mei Xue in her studies as usual, but there wasn't much left for her to teach. On one hand, Mei Xue's learning speed was indeed very fast, perhaps because she had too many gaps in her memory, so she could easily remember these things. On the other hand, Talulah hadn't touched a book for several years before teaching this little fox, and she couldn't remember a lot of knowledge clearly, so she naturally couldn't teach her in more detail. Only her language skills were still good.

"Sister, are you hungry?"

"No, I'm not hungry, you eat."

Talulah pushed the blood-red apple back into Mei Xue's hand. Looking at his completed homework, she sometimes wondered if the little fox had lost his memory. Mei Xue could already use the common language she had taught him just last month fluently. What should she teach him for the next six months? Should she teach him to fight? No, Mei Xue shouldn't go to the battlefield; he wasn't suited for that kind of place.

Talulah was thinking. Although her image would occasionally be ruined because of Mei Xue, she had always been very clear about what she should do and what she needed to do. It was precisely because she knew this that she was caught in a dilemma.

Of course, she didn't want Mei Xue to leave her, out of selfishness. This little fox had become a part of her life. Talulah loved the daily routine of waking up every morning to hug her tail, rub her ears, and hear her cute little fox greet her with good morning. But on the other hand, she was also wondering if Mei Xue would really have a better ending if she stayed with her... To be honest, she was very scared. The longer she stayed with Mei Xue, the more afraid she was of losing her.

Talulah knew very well that the path she had chosen might ultimately lead to her destruction, and at that time she hoped that Mei Xue would not be implicated. He didn't even know who he was, but to ask Mei Xue to leave her... Talulah couldn't even bear to think about it.

"Sister, it's about that... there's something..."

Seeing Talulah lost in thought, Mei Xue put down the apple in her hand, walked up to her, and gently took Talulah's hand and placed it on her head, hoping that this would cheer Talulah up.

"what happened?"

This was the first time Talulah had ever seen Mei Xue so hesitant, because the little fox never made any difficult requests, so Talulah would agree to whatever he said.

"I want to... go to Lungmen."

Talulah stopped stroking. She wondered if Oripathy had affected her hearing. She must have misheard. How could Mei Xue say such a thing?

"I want to go to Longmen."

Mei Xue's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear. This time, Talulah couldn't deceive herself any longer. She opened her arms to the little fox and let him climb into her lap. His three tails gently brushed against Talulah's face, making her feel a little ticklish.

"Tell me, why do you want to go?"

Talulah gently embraced Meixue, burying her head in Meixue's soft silver hair. Today, Meixue smelled of osmanthus, a very comforting scent, but the dimensional one made her uneasy.

Chapter 15: A Nighttime Talk Between Siblings (Part 1)

"I want to see the outside world, and also... I want to see if I can find any clues related to my past."

Mei Xue gently rubbed against Talulah's palm. He could feel Talulah's arms slowly tightening around him, but she knew she couldn't hurt Mei Xue.

"Is that really what you think?"

"Yes, and I want to go to school there so I can help my sister when I grow up."

This is a lie. Talulah can see through this clumsy lie at a glance. Mei Xue is not good at lying because when he is nervous, his tail wags 2.1 times faster than usual, his ears twitch 2.3 times more frequently, just like now. Moreover, his eyes are somewhat unfocused, and his voice is very weak.

But Talulah didn't intend to expose the lie. This was the first time Mei Xue had lied to her. She was very curious about what had prompted Mei Xue to want to go to Lungmen. Was it because she had mentioned it often before?

"But if you're over there, you won't be able to see Frostnova, Alina, or even me. Isn't that a big deal?"

This wasn't Talulah threatening Mei Xue, because it was difficult for the infected to do things in Lungmen, and none of them had time to take care of Mei Xue there. Most importantly, Talulah herself didn't want him to leave. She used to subconsciously think that Mei Xue would always be with her, but now she suddenly realized that this little fox didn't actually belong to her. He was free, but he was dependent on her, so he liked to revolve around her.

"I……"

This is indeed a problem. Even now, Mei Xue still has communication issues with some people in the camp. Although he appears cheerful and outgoing, he hasn't completely escaped the shadows of the past and remains highly wary of strangers. Talulah is worried that something might happen to him, and Mei Xue is equally afraid of those unknown malices, as he has already experienced them once.

"You're still scared, aren't you?"

"Ah."

Mei Xue stopped lying this time. He was afraid, afraid of getting hurt in an unfamiliar environment. If he could, he wouldn't want to leave Talulah and everyone else. There wasn't much he could do, but he wasn't the kind of person who was oblivious to the situation. He realized that he seemed to have not only failed to become Talulah's help, but had actually affected her in some ways.

"Tell me, did you hear everything back then?"

"Um... um."

Mei Xue huddled in Talulah's arms with his ears drooping, his tail too listless to wag. He had overheard what everyone was saying and thought about it for a while after he came back. If he was an obstacle to Talulah, then the little fox would try his best to move away and become a stepping stone for Talulah.

No matter who brings this up, it might hurt the little fox's feelings and cause misunderstandings. Talulah would never bring it up on her own initiative, so it would be most appropriate for him to bring it up himself. This was Mei Xue's idea. As long as he expressed this desire, Talulah and the others wouldn't be in such a difficult position.

"I knew it, how could you bear to leave me?"

Talulah breathed a sigh of relief. She was happy because Mei Xue didn't want to leave her; he just felt that this was in the best interest of his sister, and for that reason, he was willing to do many things that he himself wouldn't dare to do.

"I don't want to leave my sister, but... I also want to help her more."

Holding the red apple, Mei Xue felt that he had indeed been a burden to Talulah. He should have supported Talulah, but instead, he had become her concern and weakness. The little fox still remembered the future that Talulah had told him when they slept together on those nights. She had a big goal. Mei Xue didn't quite understand what she wanted to do, but he would support her unconditionally.

"Your safety is the greatest help you can give me."

Gently holding the little fox's tail in her arms, Talulah took out a comb and carefully brushed it. Mei Xue's fur was very good, and it hardly shed any fur, so brushing it was a pretty good way to relieve stress.

Do you really want to go to Lungmen?

"Not very much."

"...In other words, I do actually have a slight desire to go."

A dark glint flashed in Talulah's eyes, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on the tail, squeezing Mei Xue a little painfully, but she still endured it without saying a word.

"I want to go with my sister."

The little fox took a small bite of the apple, using the sensation to ease the pain; he knew Talulah was angry.

"Because my sister said that there is another Sister Chen in Longmen, and my sister misses Sister Chen very much."

Talulah was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized that she hadn't controlled her strength. She gently stroked the spot where she had pinched hard, and then nodded slightly.

"Yes, I really miss her. Huijie and I haven't seen each other for a long time, Meixue, look."

Talu stretched out her hand, opened her cabinet, and took out a thick package. Inside, she found it was full of letters.

"These are all letters I've written over the years, but I've never had a chance to send them. This one was written when I first met Alina, and this one was written the day I met Frostnova. Oh, right, I haven't written the one I wrote the day I met you yet."

No, Talulah suddenly remembered that she had rarely written letters since Meixue appeared. The little fox had made her life more than just fighting and repression, so she had lost the urge to write letters. In fact, Talulah knew very well that these letters would probably end up being thrown into the furnace, but she still wanted to write. There were some things that were not easy to say to Alina, but keeping these things buried in her heart would make her become that snake faster. Writing letters became a way to vent.

"What's wrong, sister?"

"No, it's nothing. I'm sorry I hurt you just now. Does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore, sister, can you comb my hair for me?"

Seeing Mei Xue's obedient appearance, Talulah felt a little uncomfortable, but she still helped Mei Xue comb her hair and chatted with her about some things.

"Actually, I don't want you to leave, not only because I'm worried about you being in danger, but also because I myself can't live without you."

The little fox's hair was also wonderful. Talulah knew that her hair-combing skills were actually terrible, but Meixue only let her help comb her hair and tail, a privilege that neither Alina nor Frostnova received. It was at this moment that Talulah heard the snake in her heart mocking her.

[So you've finally admitted your hypocrisy? In the end, you only ever saw him as a substitute for your sister, and now you want to keep him by your side? Talulah, is it so hard to admit your selfishness?]

Ignoring the sarcasm in her heart, Talulah put down the comb, picked up the little fox, rubbed his face against hers, and then looked into his beautiful eyes.

"Sleeping?"

"I'll listen to my sister."

Mei Xue naturally had no objections. He leaned against Talulah's chest, enjoying the feeling of being enveloped in warmth. For the little fox, the safest place was not in the room, not behind Frostnova's ice wall or Bodrakaste's shield, but in Talulah's arms.

After more than ten minutes, Talulah, still unable to sleep, gently stroked Mei Xue's ear. Suddenly realizing something, she gently hugged Mei Xue.

Are you asleep?