Growing Up with the Demon King Tyrant - Chapter 22

While the workers around them were busy, Xue Yi—under Xihuai’s urging—retreated a bit further, clutching his water bottle and sitting on the clean, soft grass. He watched as Xihuai finished carving one side of a magic circle, lifted the stone brick, and brought it to the gap in the wall for the specialists to install.

Immediately after, Xihuai would go to the cart to haul a new stone brick and continue his work. The magic circle had to be carved within two strokes; otherwise, its effectiveness would be greatly diminished, so it was best to remain focused.

Despite this, Xihuai kept his head down and chatted with Xue Yi. “What book were you looking at just now?”

“One with lots of grass,” Xue Yi replied. “The names are too many; I can’t remember them.”

“Don’t eat too many pastries, or you won’t be able to eat lunch.”

“I’ll just eat one more. I even saved three for Big Brother.”

After talking with Xihuai for a while, Xue Yi grew a bit bored. He returned to his small sofa further away and sat down to continue looking at his picture books.

In the middle of the day, Aier visited once. Accompanied by another assistant, he seemed to have come specifically to check on them, standing at a distance on the open ground.

Seeing him, Xue Yi immediately put down his book and ran over. “Teacher!” he called out, though his pace slowed instinctively as he neared Aier.

Aier looked down, his white hair swaying slightly in the breeze. “Be careful; the path here is uneven.” His tone was as gentle as usual, as if the events of the previous days had never happened.

Xue Yi stood by his side, tilting his head up to look at Aier. He gently tugged on a corner of Aier’s sleeve and whispered, “Teacher, are you still angry?”

“I am no longer angry,” Aier replied. He knelt down, his long robes disappearing into the tall grass. “Are you staying here to keep Xihuai company?”

Xue Yi nodded, then remembered Aier’s eyes were sightless and added a soft “Mm.”

“Teacher,” he continued, “I will write my words properly from now on, and Big Brother will be good too.”

A child’s promise, even if they might fail to keep it, always sounds the most sincere. Aier smiled and replied, “Good.”

A mechanical bird flew close, landing on Aier’s shoulder and tilting its head toward Xihuai. Xihuai was also watching them, the carved stone brick in his hands delayed in being sent to the wall.

“You are a dutiful and good child,” Aier said, reaching out to pat the flower-bud hat on Xue Yi’s head. “Xihuai dotes on you very much. You must keep an eye on him as well; do not give him the chance to do bad things.”

Xue Yi asked curiously, “What are bad things? Does helping me write count?”

“That doesn’t count. It would be something much more serious than that.” Aier didn’t explain further, and Xue Yi, only half-understanding, nodded.

The assistant soon helped Aier leave. Xue Yi returned to the stone wall just as it was time for the workers’ noon break. The moment Xihuai stood up, a cleaning spell filtered through his entire body, completely brushing away the mortar and dust. He stepped forward quickly and scooped Xue Yi into his arms.

“What did you talk to Aier about just now?” Xihuai adjusted Xue Yi’s hat and pinched his cheek.

Aier hadn’t said the conversation was a secret, so Xue Yi recounted everything truthfully. Xihuai’s expression didn’t change as he gave a soft “Mm.”

Xue Yi hugged his neck and leaned his head over. “Big Brother, hungry.”

Xihuai walked toward their quarters. “We can eat right away.”

Between eating lunch and accompanying Xue Yi for a short nap, it was soon time for Xihuai to return to the wall. The afternoon session was longer, so Xue Yi simply asked the assistant to move his small desk outside so he could write there.

The assistant looked troubled. While Xihuai was busy moving stones and not paying attention, he whispered, “Xue Bao, it’s the same if you finish your writing in the room before coming out to watch.”

Xue Yi refused, shaking his head. “I promised to stay with Big Brother.” How could he leave Xihuai to face his punishment alone?

Unable to persuade him, the assistant agreed. “Fine, I’ll have someone move it out.”

Along with the desk, they also moved a folding screen to block the wind, lest it grow too cold for his hands. Everyone in the manor knew how carefully Xihuai looked after Xue Yi. Now that Xihuai was no longer available to play or wander the grounds, Xue Yi spent his time either looking at books or writing diligently, occasionally bringing water and snacks to Xihuai.

By the end of the afternoon, he had successfully completed half a page of writing.

Without Xihuai beside him to help, Xue Yi dropped his pen and massaged his sore fingers before taking the copybook to find him. “Big Brother, look!” he cried happily. “I finished it all!”

“Mm,” Xihuai said, tilting his chin. “Go eat something.”

The remaining three days passed the same way. Xue Yi stayed by Xihuai’s side every day, reading and sunbathing in the morning and writing in the afternoon. On the final day, the punishment finally ended. Xihuai picked up the drowsy Xue Yi, who was slumped over the desk, and kissed the top of his silver hair. “Good boy.”

On the way back, Xue Yi closed his eyes and mumbled, “Big Brother, hand hurts…” Xihuai held him with one arm while using the other to massage the fingers that had been pressed red by the pen.

Time flew, and another two months passed. When it was time for his astrology lesson, Xue Yi brought his recent copybooks for Aier to check.

Aier waited until after class to inspect them and nodded in approval. “Not bad.” Before Xue Yi could celebrate, he added, “Is half a page a bit too little? How about one page a day from now on?”

Xue Yi froze and said hurriedly, “It’s not little… half a page is a lot!”

Xihuai said expressionlessly, “His hands are rubbed red from writing every day. Is that not enough?” His eyes were filled with displeasure, and his tone was icy.

Aier hesitated. “Then…”

Xue Yi waited nervously for the second half of the sentence. Suddenly, he felt a wave of warmth cover him, and his vision went pitch black. A white light flashed rapidly in front of the low table. The Xue Yi who had been sitting on the cushion vanished, replaced by a heap of slumped clothes.

Immediately after, a familiar little dragon cub burrowed out from the clothes, kicking aside a shoe. “Mwu?”

Xue Yi lifted a paw, his expression shifting from confusion to surprise, and then to joy. He had turned back into a dragon! So… did that mean he didn’t have to write anymore?!

“Why did you suddenly change back?” Xihuai frowned, picking up the dragon cub. “Careful not to catch a cold.” He opened his storage ring and realized he hadn’t brought the small vests Xue Yi used to wear—only a few newly bought hats.

Xue Yi was overjoyed. His front paws scratched at Xihuai’s coat as he looked up. “Awoo! Awoo!” Finally, no more writing!

The dragon cub hopped onto Xihuai’s table and patted it with his paws, signaling that he no longer had hands.

Aier heard the sound and changed his tune. “In that case, it’s just as well. You haven’t learned to fly yet, have you?”

The dragon cub froze entirely, his perked-up tail slowly drooping. Fine. No writing, but I still have to learn to fly. “Mwu…” Xue Yi was unhappy. He turned his back to Aier, his tail-tip thumping the table occasionally.

“Never mind,” Aier sighed with a smile, as if sensing the cub’s grievance. “You have indeed been hardworking lately. You may take two days off; you don’t have to learn anything.”

Xue Yi’s mood swung from low to high instantly. He hopped off the table and buried his head against Aier’s arm, rubbing it affectionately.

On the way back, Xihuai wanted to wrap the dragon cub in his coat. but Xue Yi was restless. Having not used his dragon body for a long time, he felt a bit unpracticed and kept jumping between Xihuai’s arms and shoulders.

“Careful not to fall,” Xihuai warned, guarding him.

Xue Yi crouched on Xihuai’s shoulder, wings slightly unfurled. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. “Awooo—!”

Truth be told, despite his happiness, Xue Yi did want to learn to fly. There weren’t many beast-kin with wings; other races needed magic or external tools to fly. In his heritage, this skill was a point of pride. But Xihuai spoiled him too much; previously, when Xue Yi said he was afraid of heights and didn’t want to fly, Xihuai didn’t make him learn. Furthermore, Xue Yi had never seen another dragon, so he didn’t know when a dragon was supposed to start learning.

Xihuai walked through the front hall into the long corridor and opened their room door. Inside was a thick, plush carpet. Crouched on his shoulder, the dragon cub lowered his back, ready to spring. Xue Yi recalled the feeling of jumping off the clothes rack last time and unfurled his wings the moment he leaped.

The dragon cub lunged forward. Xihuai’s fingers twitched reflexively, and several strands of demon energy followed closely behind. The distance from the shoulder to the ground wasn’t very high; Xue Yi wobbled in mid-air but actually stabilized himself. He flapped his wings hard, rising slightly before beginning a slow descent. Relying entirely on instinct, he managed to make a turn, and Xihuai reached out just in time to catch him.

The dragon cub bumped into the robes and looked up with glowing eyes. “Awoo! Awoo!” Flying is so easy; I think I’ve learned it!

Xihuai seemed to understand the dragon language. He rubbed the cub’s head. “You can fly now?”

Suddenly, a white light flashed in his arms, and the dragon cub turned back into a human toddler. “Big Brother!” Xue Yi hugged him tightly. “Am I amazing?!” He wanted to speak to Xihuai, so he had transformed unconsciously, wearing a pure white inner garment formed by his scales.

“Very amazing,” Xihuai said, taking out a coat to dress him. “In this entire manor, only Xue Bao can fly.”

Xue Yi was even happier, and with a lapse of focus, he changed back into a dragon cub. He dodged the clothes in Xihuai’s hands and began running wildly around the room, jumping down from various heights. Not long ago he was aggrieved, but now he found it fun. His progress was lightning-fast, with the only struggle being taking off from flat ground.

When he finally grew tired, the dragon cub tucked his wings, trotted over to Xihuai, and flopped into his lap, spreading himself out like a pancake.

Xue Yi napped for a short while and woke up just as dinner—which included fish—was being delivered. The taste of food was different in dragon form compared to human form; Xue Yi preferred the human experience, so he looked at the fish and transformed once more.

The prepared clothes were right there, and Xihuai dressed him promptly. The room was much warmer than outside, so Xue Yi didn’t feel cold.

However, the next day, Xue Yi fell ill.

The root cause was catching a chill, likely because his body couldn’t handle the frequent transformations. Xihuai discovered something was wrong during the night; Xue Yi was mumbling restlessly against him, letting out uneasy whimpers.

Xihuai opened his eyes in the darkness. He touched Xue Yi’s forehead and palms—they were burning hot. He sat up immediately, cradling Xue Yi gently.

Late at night, the assistant was jolted awake by a loud commotion. While still dazed, he saw a familiar silhouette push the door open. Under the moonlight shining through the window, Xihuai was thinly dressed, holding the coat-wrapped Xue Yi in his arms.

His face was grim. “Find a qualified physician immediately.” Xihuai only knew the basics of healing magic and didn’t dare treat Xue Yi directly.

The assistant snapped awake and grabbed his coat without a word. Aier was also in poor health, so there were several physicians in the manor; they would be more than enough to treat Xue Yi.

While waiting for the physician, Xue Yi huddled close to Xihuai. “Big Brother,” he mumbled through the fever, his golden eyes misty. “Uncomfortable…”

Xihuai felt a sharp pang of worry as he stroked Xue Yi’s silver hair. “The doctor will be here soon.”

The assistant was also worried. Given that both Aier and Xihuai valued Xue Yi, he didn’t dare delay for a second. Once the two physicians arrived, they first applied two layers of healing magic, which significantly eased Xue Yi’s symptoms. Seeing Xue Yi’s expression relax and his breathing grow steady, Xihuai finally felt a bit relieved.

However, healing magic had its limits and couldn’t be used excessively on such a young child, especially since Xue Yi’s constitution was naturally weak. The next treatment would have to wait at least a day; in the meantime, he had to take medicine.

By the next morning, Xue Yi felt a bit better after drinking a small bowl of medicine. He was still a bit drowsy, wrapped in a thick blanket and leaning against Xihuai on the sofa, his eyelids starting to fight.

“Big Brother,” Xue Yi didn’t forget to ask, “do I still have to write today…?”

Xihuai hugged him tight. “No more writing.”

The news of Xue Yi’s illness reached the palace. The five-year term was up, and the adjutant was preparing to pick up Xihuai, but the manor sent word to wait a few more days. When pressed for a reason, they said Xue Yi was ill and needed two days of rest. This was mainly Xihuai’s idea, fearing that the bumpy journey would make Xue Yi uncomfortable.

When Himonya (Xihuai’s father) learned of this, he knitted his brows. “Truly ill, or just an excuse?”

Five years had passed; there was no way Xihuai wouldn’t want to return. Even if he were ill, how could a dragon be so frail? Himonya had dealt with several dragons; they had high possessiveness, were often irrational, and were extremely willful. Although he knew Xue Yi was only five, he had never liked this suddenly appearing hatchling.

“I said from the start that keeping it would be a trouble,” Himonya snorted coldly. “It’s best to send it away as soon as possible.”