"Seventeenth Uncle, if you're there, come out."
Only the leaves rustled in the wind among the trees. Before long, a white figure leaped onto a tree not far from Yin Ze.
It was a little fox covered in white fur, with nine fluffy, soft tails swaying behind him as he pleased.
"How did you know it was me, A-Ze?"
"I didn't, at first. But now I do."
The little fox grinned, looking rather pleased.
At that moment, there was not a trace of the tension that had crackled between the two foxes back at the Nine-Tailed Tribe's residence.
"Why did you follow me here, Seventeenth Uncle?"
"I have two questions for you."
"Oh? There are actually things in this world you don't know, Seventeenth Uncle?"
Silver Snow snorted. "You little fox have put on quite an act these past two years. If not for what happened today, even I might have missed it."
"But you still figured it out."
Silver Snow nodded solemnly. "Your uncle is still your uncle, after all."
Yin Ze choked, then a faint helplessness surfaced in his eyes. "You've seen the state of our Nine-Tailed Tribe. How could I survive without playing the fool and making myself look a little stupid?"
Silver Snow leaped straight onto Yin Ze's shoulder and patted it with his thin little paw. "You've had a hard time all these years."
"Seventeenth Uncle, how are your injuries?"
Silver Snow shook his head. "They're nothing to worry about. Another year or two, and I'll be fully recovered."
But what he needed to do now clearly could not wait that long.
"Seventeenth Uncle, I'm sorry about what happened at the beginning."
Silver Snow knew what Yin Ze meant. To maintain his foolish image, Yin Ze had initially believed everything the Chieftain said.
But he