Growing Up with the Demon King Tyrant - Chapter 11

The adjutant planned to find Xi Huai first, but since it was getting late, it felt inappropriate to visit today.

Lately, the Dwarf Tribe had been frequently sending distress signals to the capital, claiming that the neighboring Sirens were becoming rampant. Xi Mengya was busy dealing with these matters and likely had no time to worry about whether Xi Huai was keeping a pet.

As for the spiritual beast from earlier that day, the adjutant had been the one responsible for selecting it. He had originally assumed Xi Huai simply didn’t like it; he never expected that the boy had already secretly raised one of his own.

The spiritual beast was initially meant to be sent back to the shop, but they encountered Queen Wei midway. She took a liking to the creature upon seeing it and asked to take it for herself.

The adjutant summoned a subordinate and instructed him to further investigate if Xi Huai had exhibited any other unusual behavior recently.

After finishing his homework, Xi Huai spent some time with Xue Yi as the little one napped on the sofa.

Xue Yi hadn’t taken a midday nap and had been highly stressed because of the spiritual beast incident; by now, he was exhausted. The little dragon cub flopped onto Xi Huai and fell into a deep sleep the moment he closed his eyes.

Xi Huai also kept his eyes closed peacefully, driving a small wisp of demonic energy to travel silently around the room just to pass the time.

Before dinner, Xi Huai woke Xue Yi up. The little dragon cub yawned and opened his mouth to accept the small spoon. That afternoon, Xi Huai had fashioned a small bib out of waterproof fabric, which fit perfectly around Xue Yi’s neck.

After the meal, it was time for medicine again, though only a tiny bit of the powder remained. Since falling ill that first day, Xue Yi’s condition had been quite good, though he still occasionally sneezed once or twice upon waking up in the morning.

Xi Huai thought to himself that relying solely on external items and medicinal powder certainly wasn’t enough; he needed to prepare some nutritional supplements to strengthen the cub’s constitution. However, finding something suitable for the Dragon Tribe would likely be difficult.

After drinking the medicine, Xue Yi hummed softly, his paws pushing against Xi Huai’s hand. Perhaps because he had felt a bit wronged earlier that day, the little dragon cub was acting more spoiled than usual.

Xi Huai opened a drawer, took out a few pieces of dried fruit made by Queen Wei, and fed them to Xue Yi.

“You won’t have to drink medicine tomorrow,” he coaxed. “Xue-bao is such a good boy.”

By bedtime, after playing with his cloth ball, Xue Yi suddenly remembered the crystal fragments he had hidden during the day. The little dragon cub immediately abandoned the ball and hurried to the bedpost where the coat was hanging, sniffing and scratching at it with his paws.

Xi Huai took the coat down. “What are you looking for?”

Xue Yi burrowed into the pocket and fished out two familiar red crystals. Although the small vest Xi Huai made also had gemstone buttons, they were far too small compared to the crystal blocks and were immediately eclipsed.

Xi Huai had nearly forgotten about them. He re-hung the coat and sat by the bed, watching Xue Yi. The palace was never short of gold coins or treasures; it was just that since Xi Huai and Xi Nian were still young, the decor of their sleeping chambers was kept modest. If Xue Yi liked them that much, Xi Huai could bring him a whole pile of gemstones tomorrow.

The little dragon cub fiddled with the crystals, pushing them from one end of the pillow to the other. He even wanted to sleep with them, flopping onto the crystal blocks and covering them tightly with his paws. However, the crystals were a bit uncomfortable against his belly. After switching positions several times without success, Xue Yi pulled them out and looked down at them with great distress.

Xi Huai lay on his side and squeezed Xue Yi’s little paw. “Put them under the pillow.”

The little dragon cub’s eyes brightened, and he stuffed the crystals into the gap between the pillow and the bedding. Having hidden his treasures, Xue Yi flopped down right there, scooted closer to Xi Huai, and licked the tip of his nose.

Xi Huai reached out to extinguish the lamp, and the room fell into darkness.

The next morning, Xi Nian came looking for him early. He looked like a thief, glancing back and forth in the corridor, his coat bulging with something stuffed inside. Arriving at the door of the bedchamber, Xi Nian knocked and lowered his voice. “It’s me.”

After a long moment, the door finally opened, and Xi Nian quickly slipped through the crack.

Xi Huai couldn’t stop him in time and frowned. “What are you doing?”

Xi Nian pulled open his coat. “I’m here to deliver things!”

The inner pockets of his coat were packed full of snacks he had secretly swiped from Queen Wei—there was even a jar of soup. Xi Nian pulled out the soup container. “Mother just finished cooking this morning; it’s still hot!”

The items were placed on the low cabinet by the door. Xi Huai glanced at them. “Who is this for?”

“You’re not drinking it?” Xi Nian said nonchalantly. “If you won’t drink it, then forget it. I won’t drink it either.”

For a period of time in the past, Queen Wei often made food and asked Xi Huai to visit her or told Xi Nian to bring it to him. But Xi Huai was uninterested and unappreciative, so over time, those occurrences became much rarer. Xi Nian bringing so many things this time was clearly not intended for Xi Huai.

At that moment, Xue Yi appeared wearing his bib, looking up curiously. “Wu?”

Xi Huai leaned over to pick up Xue Yi, grabbed the soup jar, and walked further into the room. “Leave once you’ve delivered the things.”

He was currently feeding Xue Yi breakfast; more than half of the rice cake on the table was still left.

Xi Nian weighed Xi Huai’s tone and stayed, acting thick-skinned. “I’ll leave in a bit. I won’t disturb you… that soup won’t taste good once it’s cold.” He followed behind Xi Huai, pulled up a chair for himself, and sat not far from the dining table.

Xi Huai opened the soup jar and poured it into his own bowl. Xue Yi leaned in to sniff it, took a lick to taste it, and then took several more licks in succession.

“By the way,” Xi Nian asked, “did Father have someone send you a spiritual beast?”

Xi Huai looked up. “How did you know?”

“That spiritual beast is currently being raised by Mother,” Xi Nian watched the little dragon cub bury its head in the soup. “It’s a small White-Bearded Cat. Mother named it ‘Huhu’.”

Xi Huai didn’t react, so Xi Nian asked again, “Why did Father send you a spiritual beast? Could it be that he found out? Maybe we should just find an opportunity to confess.”

Dragons grow up; ordinary pets simply cannot compare. Xi Huai couldn’t keep Xue Yi hidden in his room forever. If they confessed early, perhaps Xi Mengya would agree to let Xue Yi stay.

Xi Huai continued feeding the rice cake to Xue Yi, who had already finished most of the soup in the jar. He moved his lips, about to say something, when hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

“Your Highness,” an attendant called from outside, “Adjutant Lin has arrived; he will be here momentarily.”

Xi Huai’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately carried Xue Yi toward the bedroom. Xue Yi didn’t know what was happening yet; having eaten and drunk his fill, he was busy licking his paws.

The adjutant arrived quickly; the sound of his footsteps was already coming from the direction of the window. Xi Nian also became anxious. After a moment of thought, he got up to open the door.

Seeing Xi Nian, the adjutant was somewhat surprised. “The Second Prince is here as well?”

Xi Nian replied steadily, “Mhm, I had some business. I just arrived.” He wanted to stall for Xi Huai, inconspicuously blocking the doorway. “You’re here to see Xi Huai. Does Father have more instructions?”

“Just a small matter,” the adjutant said. “Is the Third Prince inside?”

This morning, a subordinate had handed over the investigation results to the adjutant. Xi Huai’s abnormality had begun after returning from Netherworld Valley. He had suddenly covered his room’s floor with plush carpets, periodically purchased sand used for feline pets, and had cut up many clothes.

In addition to this, he often skipped classes; he hadn’t attended a single afternoon session for several days in a row. Regarding the truancy, an academy teacher had previously mentioned it to the adjutant, but only vaguely without specifying the frequency.

Although his assessment grades were excellent and missing a few classes was no big deal, doing so just to raise a pet was inappropriate. Furthermore, where did the pet he was raising come from?

Recalling the day he went to Netherworld Valley to pick up Xi Huai—how the boy had said he left something behind right as they were about to leave and had to go back to find it—the adjutant’s keen perception made him suspect a connection.

But that was even stranger. The environment of Netherworld Valley was unique; one couldn’t even find a single bird there. In short, secretly raising a pet was a small matter in itself, but combined with Xi Huai’s own situation and his recent actions, the adjutant decided not to waste time and see for himself immediately.

As soon as he finished speaking, the door was pulled open. Xi Huai responded coldly, “I’m here.”

The room was very quiet. Through the open door, half of a side table could be seen with the remains of a nearly finished breakfast. The adjutant withdrew his gaze and smiled warmly. “Your Highness, may I come in? I would like to ask you a few things privately.”

At this very moment, Xue Yi was hiding in the wardrobe. Oversized clothes covered the little dragon cub in the corner completely, leaving only a small gap at the edge for breathing. Everything else had been tidied away, including the small “restroom” on the balcony.

Xi Huai knew the adjutant’s intent and guessed he wouldn’t leave easily. He stepped aside. “You may.”

As Xi Nian hovered by the door, the adjutant turned to him. “Second Prince, please come in as well.” The adjutant guessed that Xi Nian likely knew the truth; the boy’s little schemes could never be hidden.

Xi Nian hesitated. “Oh…” He was still thinking about whether he could find a chance to slip in and secretly take the little dragon away. Meeting the adjutant’s gaze, Xi Nian instinctively shrank his neck and followed him into the bedchamber with his head down.

The door was closed again. The adjutant scanned the room. Aside from the plush carpets covering the floor and the cotton cloth wrapped around the legs of the tables and chairs, he found no immediate abnormalities. However, there seemed to be another faint magical aura permeating the room.

What is it? Ordinary spiritual beasts had very few magical elements in their bodies and wouldn’t leave such a trace.

The adjutant frowned slightly and looked at Xi Huai. “Does Your Highness know why I am here?”

Xi Huai’s expression was calm. “Because I skipped class?”

The adjutant nodded. “That is one reason.”

“And the others?” Xi Huai asked.

Seeing that he didn’t want to confess, the adjutant chose his words carefully. “You said last time that you wanted to raise… ahem, a pet. However, you didn’t seem to like the spiritual beast sent over yesterday.”

Xi Huai remained silent. The adjutant continued, “Actually, if Your Highness truly wants something, you can just say it directly. The King will do his best to satisfy you.”

He continued speaking for a while, the gist being that Xi Mengya would not restrict Xi Huai’s hobbies, and if he admitted his mistake regarding the truancy, it wouldn’t be pursued.

While listening, Xi Huai pondered his strategy and responded perfunctorily, “Mhm.”

Finally, the adjutant said tentatively, “Then… that small beast you are raising, can you let me see it?”

As expected, he had been discovered. Xi Huai felt vexed, deeply regretting his lack of caution. Xi Nian, unable to cut into the conversation, could only keep glancing around.

The adjutant waited patiently. After a long while, Xi Huai finally spoke. “I won’t skip class anymore.” He looked up. “I won’t cause trouble in the future either. As for the pet… I will handle it myself.”

“I know you are sensible,” the adjutant nodded with relief, then looked toward the area behind the hollowed-out door. “Then…” He still needed to know exactly what pet Xi Huai was raising; he wouldn’t leave until he saw it.

Under the adjutant’s gaze, Xi Huai slowly rose and walked toward the bedroom. Before long, he walked out holding an object wrapped in a blanket.

The adjutant looked hesitant. Xi Huai explained, “He is very timid; he gets scared when he sees strangers.” Just as he had done when taking Xue Yi to see the doctor, he only allowed a small section of a paw to peek out from the blanket.

The adjutant fell silent and stepped forward. The paw was very small, a characteristic of a juvenile, and was covered in silvery-white scales without a single speck of other color. As if sensing someone was looking at him, the paw retracted slightly.

Indeed, the magical elements he perceived were coming from this young beast. One couldn’t tell the species from just a paw, but Xi Huai’s evasiveness gave the adjutant an even worse feeling. Could he be… raising something he shouldn’t?

The adjutant took another half-step forward, intending to pull back the blanket. Xi Huai retreated and covered the exposed paw. “Fine, you’ve seen it now,” his eyes were wary, his meaning clear: “Is that enough?”

The frown on the adjutant’s brow did not dissipate, but he made no further move. Xi Nian stepped up to smooth things over. “He really is timid. I’ve seen him a few times… he—he just looks like a normal puppy.”

The adjutant nodded. “Alright.”

He exited the bedroom, his gaze landing on a certain spot on the carpet. With Xi Huai and Xi Nian’s current strength, they shouldn’t be able to detect it yet, but the adjutant could accurately capture a tiny layer of residual magical elements on the carpet. It was the ice element—a very faint layer that would likely dissipate completely later in the day.

Spiritual beasts capable of possessing pure magical elements were no ordinary creatures. The adjutant walked to the living room, a decision already made in his heart.

He suddenly turned around, his hand swinging out a blade formed of demonic energy. The adjutant’s level was far above Xi Huai’s; unable to dodge in time, the demonic energy sliced a hole in the blanket.

Inside the blanket was a tiny young beast. Hearing the commotion, it shrunk back and looked over, revealing a pair of dazzling golden pupils.

The adjutant recognized it instantly and said in shock, “A dragon?”

Xi Huai pulled the blanket tight, his expression turning ugly. “It’s not a dragon… it’s just a coincidence that he has golden eyes.”

“Your Highness, where did this dragon come from?” Naturally, the adjutant didn’t believe him and stepped closer. “This is no small matter. Hand him over to me first…”

Xi Huai continued to retreat, deathly protective of Xue Yi in his arms. His tone grew firmer. “I will explain.”

Fifteen minutes later, Xi Nian was kicked out of the room. Many soldiers quickly surrounded Xi Huai’s bedchamber, allowing no one to approach.

The adjutant was still inside the room, trying to persuade him. “Your Highness, this is the Dragon Tribe, not some ordinary spiritual beast…”

Since the young dragon was found in Netherworld Valley and no one else knew about it yet—including the dragons outside—this was considered good news. The adjutant wanted Xi Huai to understand that this dragon could not be kept. He had to hand the young dragon over immediately to be properly cared for by specialists; the tribe would then deliberate on whether it could stay.

However, Xi Huai wouldn’t listen to a single word, nor would he hand over the young dragon. Since he was a child, his actions had been somewhat extreme; the adjutant was helpless, and he certainly couldn’t use force against Xi Huai.

“The King is already on his way,” he said. “Your Highness, think it over carefully.”

Afterward, the adjutant left the room.

Xi Huai stood silently by the window, listening to the movement in the corridor outside. There was a slight movement in his arms; the little dragon cub pushed aside the blanket and looked up at Xi Huai. “Wu?”

It seemed like something had happened. Xue Yi was worried, lifting a paw to wave it. Xi Huai’s gaze softened as he squeezed the little paw. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hand you over to them.”

He looked up toward the balcony.

Outside, the adjutant contacted Xi Mengya via a communication device. Xi Nian stepped forward slowly and asked cautiously, “Are they… going to lock the little dragon up?”

The adjutant didn’t know how to answer, only saying, “This is not a small matter. The King will make the decision.”

Soon, Xi Mengya arrived in a hurry. He was travel-worn, having used several teleportation arrays in succession to return to the palace as quickly as possible. Upon seeing Xi Mengya, the adjutant went to greet him.

Xi Mengya asked in a heavy voice, “Where is that dragon?”

The adjutant pointed to the bedchamber. Xi Mengya personally stepped forward and pushed the door open, only to find the room empty. Xi Huai was nowhere to be seen.

He had slipped away with the young dragon. Xi Mengya’s expression flickered. “Find them, quickly!”

At the same time, Xi Huai had quietly left the bedchamber and was heading toward the abandoned courtyard. The palace was crawling with attendants and the soldiers brought by the adjutant; they would soon discover he wasn’t in his room. He couldn’t leave the palace either, as every teleportation array was guarded.

Xi Huai planned to hide for a while and find an opportunity to leave later. This decision was impulsive and without thorough preparation, carrying immense risk. But Xi Huai didn’t want to sit and wait for death, and he certainly didn’t want to hand Xue Yi over.

Taking advantage of the empty path, Xi Huai quickened his pace and rounded a corner. But after only a few steps, a wind blade rapidly approached from behind. Xi Huai dodged the attack while shielding the little dragon cub in his arms.

The demonic energy left a mark on a stone pillar by the corridor. Xi Mengya’s voice rang out, “Stop right there!”

Xi Huai’s figure stiffened, but he continued forward without looking back. That is, until a string of footsteps closed in, surrounding him from the front.

The young boy had nowhere to go and turned around calmly. Xi Mengya closed his eyes, suppressing his rage, and walked forward slowly.

“I thought you were just a bit rebellious and difficult to manage,” he said. “I thought you would become sensible once you grew older.”

“But how could you forget the most basic rules? Secretly hiding a member of the Dragon Tribe—do you know the consequences?”

The relationship between the Different Demon Tribe and the Dragon Tribe was already tense, and that group of dragons was extremely protective of their young. If this wasn’t handled well, the Dragon Tribe would surely launch an attack. Fortunately, the adjutant had discovered it in time; the young dragon’s existence was still a secret for now.

Xi Huai stood silently in place, tightening his grip on his coat. He made no response, his expression stubborn.

“Where is that dragon?” Xi Mengya asked. “Hand him over.”

Xi Huai still didn’t move. Xi Mengya gradually lost his patience. The moment he raised his hand, a massive amount of demonic energy surged forward, pressing down on Xi Huai like a dark cloud.

Unable to withstand the pressure, Xi Huai dropped to his knees.

At that moment, a silver-white figure leaped from his arms. It was a young dragon, no larger than an adult’s palm, wearing a hand-sewn little vest.

The little dragon cub stood in front of Xi Huai, his golden pupils glaring warily at Xi Mengya. He hissed at him, letting out low “wuu-wuu” sounds, and spread his tiny wings in an attempt to protect Xi Huai.

However, the little dragon cub was simply too young; this bit of intimidation was not enough.

Xi Mengya frowned, and the demonic energy receded slightly. In his moment of hesitation, Xi Huai was also stunned to see Xue Yi jump out voluntarily. He snapped back to his senses, quickly scooped up the little dragon cub from the ground, and held him tightly in his arms.

Xi Mengya’s movements stopped. He withdrew his demonic energy. “Lock them up together.”