Growing Up with the Demon King Tyrant - Chapter 19

Inside the covers, Xue Yi’s heart was racing as he curled himself into a ball. This time, the transformation lasted for a very long time; he waited for what felt like forever, yet he didn’t change back into a little dragon.

A beast form and a human form are distinct, with differences in breathing and body temperature. Xue Yi felt that every part of him was different from before, as if he had turned into a completely strange “species,” which filled him with panic and unease.

Seeing Xi Huai by the bed, Xue Yi couldn’t help but pounce toward him, instinctively seeking help and comfort. Xi Huai reached out to catch him and quickly took off his own coat to wrap it around the child. After the transformation, the little dragon’s scales had manifested into simple clothing, but it was too thin to provide enough warmth.

“Of all the times to happen, it had to be while I was out…” Xi Huai sat on the floor and held Xue Yi tightly. “Do you feel unwell anywhere?”

In his arms, the human-form cub had short silver-white hair and looked to be about four or five years old. His features were exquisite, his skin so white it seemed almost transparent, and the tip of his nose and the corners of his eyes were flushed red. He was as finely crafted as a porcelain doll. His familiar golden eyes were currently wide with unease, and his breathing was still a bit ragged.

Xi Huai reached out to tidy Xue Yi’s hair and stroked his cold cheek. “Xue-bao can turn into a human now.”

Xue Yi instinctively tilted his head to nuzzle Xi Huai’s palm, exactly as he used to do in his dragon form. Xi Huai continued to check his status: body temperature, pupils, breathing rate, and whether there were any injuries on his body. Smelling the familiar scent so close at hand, Xue Yi also gradually regained his composure.

Xi Huai gently stroked his back. “Can you speak?”

Xue Yi, looking a bit dazed, tried his best to respond: “…Mhm.”

His voice was very soft and small, but it was clear enough; he was capable of speech.

Xi Huai asked again: “Do you still remember who I am?”

Xue Yi remembered, of course, but as for stating who Xi Huai was… Xi Huai wasn’t a dragon, so he couldn’t have laid a dragon egg. However, back when he was a little dragon, he never needed to think about such questions. Xue Yi’s gaze became increasingly bewildered, tinged with a hint of confusion.

Xi Huai couldn’t help but pinch the cub’s cheek. “Call me Brother.”

Xue Yi took the opportunity to hug his hand and said softly: “Brother…”

The word was pronounced a bit vaguely in a childish voice, but it was much better than a child truly learning to speak for the first time.

Xi Huai held him for a while longer before rising to place Xue Yi on the edge of the bed, letting him sit properly. “I’ll go find some clothes.”

The clothes he had prepared in advance for Xue Yi’s transformation were still there, all washed clean and stored safely in the wardrobe. Xue Yi gave an obedient “mhm” and watched as Xi Huai went to the other side of the bedroom. Now, he was no longer afraid, and his new body seemed to have adapted. Xue Yi lowered his head, using his hands to touch Xi Huai’s coat, as well as the bedsheets and covers.

Before long, Xi Huai returned with selected clothes, including shoes and socks. He knelt down and carefully dressed Xue Yi. Once changed into the new clothes, Xue Yi tugged at Xi Huai’s sleeve: “…Brother.”

Xi Huai took his hand. “What is it?”

Xue Yi turned his head, reached his other hand under the covers, and fished out a damaged small vest. He placed the vest in Xi Huai’s hand and said somewhat aggrievedly, “It’s broken.”

Last night, while learning to fly, Xue Yi felt that wearing clothes hindered his movements, so he had taken the vest off; it wasn’t cold in the room anyway. But before his nap today, he had been wearing the vest, and it was ruined when he transformed.

“It’s alright, Brother will make you a new one,” Xi Huai said, picking up Xue Yi and walking toward the desk. “Are you hungry?”

The desk drawers stored Xue Yi’s snacks. Xi Huai sat at the desk and fed him small biscuits. After transforming, his teeth were also different from before. Xue Yi ate very slowly, only gradually becoming proficient toward the end. Xi Huai then fed him a piece of candy and used magic to clear away the crumbs left by the biscuits.

Sucking on the candy, Xue Yi’s tension and fear completely vanished, and he began to grow restless. He looked all around, using his hands to touch every object within reach. Having become a human, various tactile sensations were different. A little dragon’s paws felt soft, but compared to skin, they still felt much rougher.

Xue Yi also touched Xi Huai’s cheek, leaning in to sniff and gently nuzzle him with his nose. Xi Huai kept his palm protectively behind Xue Yi’s back, letting him move as he pleased. When he had enough, Xue Yi hugged Xi Huai’s neck tightly, his beautiful golden eyes watching him: “Brother.”

So Xi Huai is my brother… He vaguely remembered that in the place he used to live, Xi Huai also had a brother, but he had forgotten the name.

Xi Huai responded, and Xue Yi let go of him again, turning his head to look elsewhere, wanting to get out of his arms. So Xi Huai carefully protected Xue Yi while letting him learn to walk in the room. Xue Yi was very smart and had good adaptability; he was soon able to move away from Xi Huai’s arms to go where he wanted.

He was somewhat excited, walking from one side of the bedroom to the other, making almost a full circle and touching everything. After exploring the entire room, Xue Yi held onto the edge of the bed and quickened his pace, walking toward Xi Huai.

“Brother…”

Xi Huai knelt and reached out to hug Xue Yi. “Mhm.”

Xue Yi looked at the closed door and then at Xi Huai. Xi Huai mostly guessed the reason but asked anyway: “What do you want?”

Xue Yi answered slowly: “I want to go out.”

“Go out to do what?”

“Go out… to play.”

The last word was spoken very clearly. Xue Yi’s eyes brightened slightly, his small face full of anticipation. Xi Huai replied: “Fine.”

The wind was strong outside, so he fished out a bud-shaped hat knitted from fine wool from the wardrobe and placed it on Xue Yi’s head. The hat had been a gift from a shop owner when an assistant went out to purchase supplies for Xi Huai and bought many children’s clothes. It fit Xue Yi perfectly; he reached up to touch it curiously and pulled off a tiny thread.

Xi Huai held his hand and opened the door. No one else lived in this building, and people rarely came by, so the corridor was empty and quiet. Xue Yi looked left and right, picking a familiar direction. From the corridor to the front hall and then to the grass on the outer side, Xue Yi walked very slowly. He wore the shoes Xi Huai had picked out and was dressed almost entirely in light colors, stepping on the road paved with crushed stones.

As he walked, Xue Yi drifted off course to step on the weeds beside the path. Xi Huai didn’t stop him, only picking Xue Yi up to bypass uneven pits and setting him down again. Even simple walking felt fun to Xue Yi; he occasionally lowered his head to pull at the grass leaves on the ground. The flower clusters by the stone wall were also his target; Xue Yi knelt down and got very close, wanting to smell if the scent of the petals was any different. He even picked a small flower and held it tightly in his hand.

Continuing along the stone wall, they reached the manor’s kitchen and utility rooms, where many servants worked. A pastry chef was the first to see Xi Huai and noticed him leading a strange child with silver hair and golden eyes. She was stunned for a long while before hesitating to step forward: “Is this… is this Xue Yi? Your Highness…”

Xi Huai responded: “It is.”

The chef showed a look of surprise and took a few more steps closer: “It really is Xue Yi. These eyes…”

The news that a young dragon would be secretly sent to the manor was known to all the servants, and they were warned not to disclose it. Initially, most were very worried; after all, they had never seen a dragon and thought some ferocious and terrifying creature was arriving. It turned out to be a tiny, cute dragon cub that was obedient, didn’t run around, and would even greet people with its cries. If given a snack, the little dragon would nuzzle your palm with its horns—this was something everyone in the manor knew. However, since the dragon belonged to Xi Huai, and this prestigious Third Prince was very protective of it, Xue Yi didn’t usually spend much time with others.

Seeing the chef, Xue Yi also smelled the sweet scent of pastries on her. He proactively walked over and reached out to touch the edge of her apron. The chef first carefully checked Xi Huai’s reaction before kneeling to observe Xue Yi closely.

“What a beautiful child,” she couldn’t help but praise. “The little dragon has finally grown up.”

Although he was still less than five years old and had a long way to go before truly growing up, compared to the tiny cub of the past, a successful transformation marked a new stage of growth. Xue Yi knew he was being praised and instinctively let out a shallow smile, his golden eyes curving. The chef liked him more the more she looked; she wanted to give him a hug but didn’t dare, knowing Xi Huai wouldn’t agree. She lowered her head to search her apron pocket and fished out a candy.

Xue Yi looked up at Xi Huai before reaching out to accept it. Xi Huai also bent down to tear open the candy packaging for Xue Yi. “Say thank you, Auntie.”

Xue Yi repeated obediently: “Thank you, Auntie.”

“You’re welcome,” the chef smiled so broadly her mouth wouldn’t close. “Oh, such a good boy…”

A few more people gradually gathered behind her, all watching Xue Yi. Encountering these gazes, Xue Yi felt a little timid. He turned and dove into Xi Huai’s arms: “Brother…”

Xi Huai fed him the candy given by the chef. “Shall we go back?”

Coincidentally, he was also tired from walking, so Xue Yi nodded: “Mhm.” Xi Huai picked up Xue Yi, turned, and headed back.

By nightfall, Xue Yi remained in his human form. He sat by the window, breathing onto the glass. The glass was covered by a small patch of ice mist, which turned into water vapor in the blink of an eye. Xue Yi reached out to slide his finger across it, drawing patterns at random.

Dinner was delivered, and Xi Huai called out: “Time to eat.”

Xue Yi gave a response and reluctantly left the window. In addition to the usual tableware on the table, there was a new set of small wooden chopsticks and a spoon prepared for Xue Yi. However, having just transformed today, he mostly relied on Xi Huai to feed him.

Xi Huai took a small bowl, poured some soup into it, and let Xue Yi drink it himself with the spoon. Xue Yi’s movements were cautious; he scooped up a tiny bit and poured it into his mouth, mimicking Xi Huai’s manner. After he swallowed the soup, a spoonful of rice mixed with minced meat and chopped vegetables was fed to his lips. Xue Yi opened his mouth to eat it, while Xi Huai didn’t forget to instruct: “You can’t just swallow it directly.”

Xue Yi nodded, covering his mouth with his hand and chewing with effort. The meal was eaten more slowly than usual, and a few grains of rice and some soup were spilled on the table. Xi Huai used a warm towel to wipe Xue Yi’s hands and face, without showing the slightest impatience.

After dinner, Xi Huai taught Xue Yi how to use the bathroom. Since he had successfully transformed, he had to start learning new things. Xue Yi listened very seriously; Xi Huai knew he would surely remember. After teaching these things, Xi Huai led Xue Yi back to the bedroom and held him while sitting on the sofa.

“From today on, you’re not just a little dragon,” Xi Huai gently pinched Xue Yi’s cheek. “You have to learn to be a person.”

A look of bewilderment seemed to cross Xue Yi’s face as he asked, “Is it the same as Brother?”

“Yes, the same as me,” Xi Huai answered. “Do you want to hear me read?”

Reading was something Xi Huai did every night and had almost never interrupted for several years. This also seemed to signify that, whether in the past or now, aside from the change of having a new body, nothing else would change. Xue Yi was inexplicably happy and hugged Xi Huai: “Yes.”

The next day, Al learned that Xue Yi had finally transformed. He personally walked out of the clock tower and came to the front hall where Xi Huai was. Seeing Al, Xue Yi shouted joyfully: “Teacher!”

This was something Xi Huai had taught him in advance and practiced several times; after only one night, Xue Yi’s progress in speaking was rapid. Several mechanical birds followed Al, perching all over the hall; the closest one flew to Xue Yi’s side, standing on the table and tilting its head to observe him.

Al’s footsteps paused slightly, and a smile appeared on his lips: “Not bad.”

The assistant helped him sit down. Xue Yi let go of Xi Huai’s hand and came to Al’s side. “Teacher, I…” he said slowly, “My hair is the same as Teacher’s.”

Both had white hair, but Al’s hair had lost its color due to aging, while Xue Yi’s was natural, with soft strands radiating a silvery-bright luster. Xue Yi didn’t understand the difference between the two for now; he curiously reached out to touch Al’s long hair and then the black cloth covering his eyes.

After waking up this morning, he had been taken to the bathroom by Xi Huai to wash his face and rinse his mouth. He had seen his new appearance and wanted to know if Al’s eyes would also be golden.

Xi Huai spoke up at the appropriate time: “Xue-bao, come here.”

Xue Yi withdrew his hand, called out “Teacher” again, and turned back to Xi Huai’s side: “Brother…”

Al said nothing regarding his form of address for Xi Huai. “Since he has transformed, he must be taught well lately,” he said. “The matter of learning to fly can be delayed.”

Xue Yi was instantly happy and shook Xi Huai’s hand.

“Also, in four months, you will be able to leave this place,” Al said, directed at Xi Huai. “Prepare yourselves well.”

When he returned to the palace then, he would surely take Xue Yi with him. According to the original plan, once the five-year period was up, Xue Yi’s stay or departure would be reconsidered. But that was based on the premise that Xi Huai no longer wanted to keep Xue Yi by his side; now it seemed… Xue Yi wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.

After not seeing him for five years, the dragon cub had turned into a human cub; his appearance was different from before, and the way people viewed him would also be different. The worst-case scenario was that Xi Huai would also grow tired of him, not to mention others.

Xue Yi caught the keyword in Al’s words and asked softly, “Brother, where are we going?”

Xi Huai pulled him onto his lap: “Home.”