Growing Up with the Demon King Tyrant - Chapter 26

After Xihuai left, Xue Yi followed Queen Wei into the house. She led him on a tour of the entire room. The placement of the furniture remained largely unchanged; Xue Yi reached out to touch things here and there, leaning in to sniff the potted flowers on the windowsill. The white-furred cat, just like before, followed closely at his heels.

In the morning, there was still an occasional cold breeze. The balcony doors were not opened, so Queen Wei brought Xue Yi over to the small sofa. Several plates of snacks were already set on the coffee table. Having just finished breakfast, Xue Yi only drank half a glass of fruit juice.

Queen Wei sat beside him, speaking softly: “Big Brother will be back soon, don’t be afraid.”

The white cat jumped up familiarly, sprawling across Xue Yi’s lap. Compared to the past, it was four or five times larger, completely burying Xue Yi’s legs beneath its weight. Xue Yi stroked the cat’s ears and looked at Queen Wei. “I’m not afraid. I like it here.”

With his well-behaved manner, he looked exceptionally beautiful and cute—his golden eyes like dazzling glazed gemstones, his pale eyelashes thick and curled. The more Queen Wei looked at him, the more she liked him. She placed another candy in his hand. “How was the environment at the Star-Plucking Tower? Was it very cold?”

The Star-Plucking Tower was in a remote location. Thinking that Xue Yi, like Xihuai, hadn’t been out for five years, Queen Wei felt a pang of pity.

“It was very good,” Xue Yi answered seriously. “It wasn’t cold. The uncle beside the Teacher would buy me cotton-padded jackets.” The “uncle” he referred to was the assistant. Aier indeed hadn’t mistreated him or Xihuai in terms of daily life; as long as it wasn’t excessive, they had almost anything they wanted.

Queen Wei stroked Xue Yi’s silver hair. “That’s good then.”

After sitting on the sofa for a while, several servants entered carrying cardboard boxes. Queen Wei had them open the boxes, revealing small wooden blocks of various shapes. Xue Yi pushed the cat off his lap, curiously stepped forward, and picked up a piece.

Queen Wei explained, “These are called building blocks. They’re a new toy in the capital lately…” There were many wooden blocks piled on the plush carpet—looking to be several hundred in total—with different colors that could be assembled.

Xue Yi picked a few at random and fumbled around until he assembled a somewhat strange-looking little tree. Queen Wei asked tentatively, “Is it fun?”

Xue Yi’s eyes lit up and he nodded. “Fun!”

The weather was cool these days, and the floor heating was already on. Coupled with the plush carpet, it wasn’t cold at all. Xue Yi sat directly on the floor, burying his head as he began picking out new blocks. He played for a long time, hardly lifting his head; in the middle of it, Queen Wei came over, and he followed her to drink some water and eat two bites of a biscuit.

Seeing that Xue Yi liked the blocks so much, Queen Wei reached out to wipe a crumb from the corner of his mouth. “If you like them, why don’t you take them back to play with?” She would buy a new set so that the next time Xue Yi visited, there would be toys in both places.

Xue Yi was expectant and asked softly, “Can I?”

“Of course you can. Your birthday was just a few days ago, wasn’t it? I didn’t have time to prepare a gift for you.” As she spoke, Queen Wei picked Xue Yi up and let him sit on her lap. “Anything else you like here, you can take away.”

Xue Yi felt it wasn’t right to just accept gifts from others, but a child is least able to resist such temptation and can’t hide his thoughts. “I…” He lowered his head, his gaze sliding past Queen Wei’s shoulder before he quickly looked away. “There’s nothing else.”

Queen Wei was watching him and noticed this slight unusual behavior. She looked at her own shoulder, where a gemstone brooch was pinned. The brooch was exquisite, shaped like a leaf; the silver base was inlaid with green gemstones that sparkled from every angle.

Most people like beautiful jewelry, and the Dragon Race… seems to like it especially. Queen Wei understood and removed the brooch. “Do you like this?”

She held the brooch in front of Xue Yi. His eyes went straight for a second before he hurriedly looked away again. “No, no…” The brooch was so pretty and Queen Wei was wearing it; she must like it very much. He couldn’t take it. Besides, Xihuai had already given him several gemstones; there would surely be new ones for his birthday next year.

“Don’t be afraid. If you like it, take it,” Queen Wei said with a smile, reaching for Xue Yi’s hand to give him the brooch. “It isn’t anything precious.” The Abyss Demons loved luxury; she had many such accessories.

Xue Yi still refused to take it, simply covering his eyes with his hands so he couldn’t see it or take it. Queen Wei was forced to change her phrasing: “Then how about I lend it to you to wear for now? When Big Brother comes back, we’ll ask him if you can keep it.”

That seems okay… Xue Yi was tempted and slowly lowered his hands. Thus, Queen Wei pinned the brooch to Xue Yi’s collar. It was about the size of a walnut and wasn’t heavy. Once it was pinned, Xue Yi looked down and couldn’t stop admiring it, reaching out to touch it again and again. Even if he didn’t keep it, being able to wear it for a while made him very happy.

After looking at it for a long time, Xue Yi ran to the dressing table in the bedroom to see his reflection, then ran back and lunged into Queen Wei’s arms. She held him. “Then let’s take the building blocks back? Those are very cheap.”

Xue Yi nodded, hugging her. “You are so good…” Queen Wei smelled nice—a faint scent of plants and trees that was very comfortable to sniff.

After his moment of joy, Xue Yi suddenly remembered something else. He lifted his head and asked Queen Wei, “Queen, do you know what Big Brother likes?”

“Xihuai?” Queen Wei shook her head. “I’m not quite sure… why?”

Xue Yi lowered his voice and whispered to her, “I also want to give Big Brother a birthday gift.” But he didn’t know what to give or what Xihuai liked. Asking Xihuai directly would lose the mystery, and Xihuai would surely say he didn’t need anything.

“Xue Bao is such a good child,” Queen Wei praised. She thought for a moment and said, “I think Big Brother would like whatever you give him.”

But that answer was too general; Xue Yi still couldn’t think of anything. Just then, the white cat ran over, squeezing in beside him. It held a small rattan ball in its mouth, clearly asking to play; it set the ball down and licked Xue Yi’s cheek. “Meow…”

Xue Yi’s train of thought was interrupted. He threw the ball, and the cat immediately jumped off the chair to chase it. However, the ball was thrown at a crooked angle and rolled all the way out the main door. The servants weren’t there at the moment, and with no one following, the cat stopped at the door, crouching and turning its head to look at Xue Yi. “Meow…”

“How are you even more timid than me…?” Xue Yi muttered. He got off the sofa to go outside and retrieve the ball himself.

The ball hadn’t rolled far—it was just by the corridor. As Xue Yi picked it up and was about to go back, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure. He looked up and saw Himonya.

Himonya was alone, with no servants following him. He was standing not far away at the other end of the corridor, looking toward Xue Yi. Startled by this sudden appearance, Xue Yi immediately ran back into the house clutching the rattan ball.

Queen Wei was currently in the inner hall boiling water to heat some fruit juice. Xue Yi entered the house, hesitated for a moment at the corner, and then carefully poked his head out from the doorway. Himonya was still standing there. Xue Yi asked him, “Why don’t you come in?”

Himonya looked down at him and began walking forward. At his movement, Xue Yi immediately ducked back. Queen Wei came out with the heated juice; Xue Yi hid behind her. “Big Brother’s father is here.”

As he spoke, Himonya stepped through the door. Queen Wei gave Xue Yi a reassuring pat on the hand. “It’s alright, go play.” She set down the juice and went forward to greet him. “Why have you come at this time?” she explained to Himonya. “Xihuai had to go to the academy, so I had him send Xue Yi here to me.”

Himonya gave a faint “Mm.” He didn’t seem to care about that, following Queen Wei to sit on the sofa. Xue Yi pretended not to see him, sitting on the floor to play with his blocks while quietly observing for a while. Confirming that Himonya wasn’t being “scary” today, Xue Yi felt at ease and continued playing.

In the middle of his play, Xue Yi heard Himonya calling him. “Xue Yi—is that the name?” Himonya called out. “Come here.”

Perhaps because he had been rejected once yesterday, Himonya’s tone this time actually sounded reasonably gentle. Queen Wei, standing nearby, waved Xue Yi over. With her there, Xue Yi wasn’t that afraid; he hesitatingly dropped his blocks and walked over slowly.

Himonya pointed to the small side sofa. “Sit.”

Once Xue Yi was seated, Himonya asked, “How were the years you and Xihuai spent at the Star-Plucking Tower? What did you do?”

In those five years, the adjutant hadn’t visited frequently, and each time he went, he left the same day, so he only understood the general situation. Himonya wanted to know about other things—for instance, whether they had actually studied astrology with Aier, and how they normally practiced magic on their own.

More importantly, Himonya wanted to know why Xihuai’s personality had changed after going to the Star-Plucking Tower, and whether there was any deviation from Aier’s original prediction. Before Xihuai returned, he had asked Aier, but Aier’s answer was casual and told him nothing. If he asked Xihuai directly, the boy wouldn’t necessarily say much; besides, after five years apart, it was impossible for the father and son not to be distant.

Xue Yi, however, had been by Xihuai’s side for five years; he knew everything about him. Furthermore, Xue Yi was young and likely wouldn’t lie. And because he was young, he said whatever came to mind when facing Himonya, unlike the other people in the palace.

“It was very good,” Xue Yi answered. “We didn’t do much… Big Brother had to write and read books every day, and he had to feed me and help me bathe…”

Himonya frowned but patiently refrained from interrupting. Xue Yi continued, counting on his fingers: “Big Brother also made me lots of toys, and made me a nest and a little cave I could sleep in as a dragon… but I couldn’t play in the cave every day…”

Himonya pressed his fingers against his brow, taking the fruit tea Queen Wei handed him. These trivial matters were actually quite interesting to Queen Wei, who occasionally joined the conversation.

“When I grew up and became a human, the Teacher made me write every day. I didn’t want to, so Big Brother secretly wrote for me.” At the mention of this, Xue Yi grew a bit sad. “The Teacher found out and punished Big Brother by making him carry stones…”

Queen Wei asked, “What kind of stones?”

Xue Yi used his hands to gesture. “Big ones, like the ones by the wall.” He glanced at Himonya and saw the man’s brow furrowing again, so he added quickly, “Actually, the Teacher is very good. On my birthday, the Teacher even gave me his own Star Map.”

“A Star Map?” Himonya looked up, seemingly skeptical. “Why would Aier give a Star Map to you?”

“Why couldn’t he?” Xue Yi whispered back a rebuttal, feeling a bit proud. “The Teacher even praised me for being smart and learning words quickly!”

He said a lot in one go. Queen Wei poured a glass of juice and waved him over to drink. As Xue Yi was drinking, Himonya seemed to sigh and said softly, “Never mind.”

To have Xue Yi describe those five years—from his own perspective—was naturally all about their daily lives together. To Himonya, it sounded as if Xihuai went to the Star-Plucking Tower and spent every day… raising a dragon?

Xue Yi finished his juice and set down the glass. “Do you want to hear more?”

Himonya glanced at him. “That’s enough.”

Xue Yi turned and left. The sun was out now, and a servant came to open the balcony doors. The white cat immediately dashed out, and Xue Yi followed it to sunbathe. However, not long after, Xue Yi came back. He stood by the wall, looking hesitatingly at Himonya, seemingly having something more to say.

Himonya looked over. “What is it?”

Xue Yi walked over slowly and sat back in his original spot. “I want to ask you a question,” he said.

Himonya seemed to gain a bit of interest, tilting his chin. “Speak.”

Xue Yi asked, “Do you know what kind of gift Big Brother likes?”

Queen Wei had guessed he wanted to ask this and smiled, pinching Xue Yi’s cheek. “This child has been thinking about this all morning.”

“A gift Xihuai likes?” Himonya snorted. “He used to have an eccentric temper; how would I know?”

Hearing this, Xue Yi’s eyes widened slightly. “But… you are Big Brother’s father.” His meaning was clear: as Xihuai’s father, Himonya should know. Xihuai had never called Queen Wei “Mother,” so it was normal she didn’t know his preferences, but Himonya didn’t know either.

Himonya narrowed his eyes, his expression turning somewhat dark. But he didn’t get angry; instead, he said coldly, “If you want to give a gift, you should first see what you have yourself.”

Xue Yi was unhappy. He gave Himonya a weak glare for a while, took the remaining two biscuits from the coffee table, and ran quickly to the balcony. He and the cat continued sunbathing while he pondered Himonya’s words.

I truly have nothing… even my hidden treasures were given to me by Big Brother. Should I… give a dragon scale? Xue Yi tried to pick at the back of his hand; it hurt a bit. He looked down at his hand, suddenly thought of something, and blew a breath into his palm. A thin layer of ice mist immediately covered his palm, then quickly evaporated under the sunlight.

Himonya left at some point. When Xihuai returned, Xue Yi was lying on the lounge chair on the balcony, sleeping while hugging the cat. Xihuai picked him up gently. Xue Yi opened his eyes groggily and hugged him back. “Big Brother…” He was still very sleepy and fell back to sleep against Xihuai.

By the time Xue Yi woke up, he was back in his familiar bed. Xihuai was right there, touching his flushed cheek. “It’s almost time for lunch. Are you hungry?” Xue Yi shook his head, sat up, and yawned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something familiar; looking closely, he saw the box of building blocks from Queen Wei on the table.

Queen Wei had indeed given him the toy. Xue Yi hurried to look down; the brooch was also still on him. Thinking he had failed to return it in time, he looked to Xihuai for help: “Big Brother, this…”

“I know, the Queen told me,” Xihuai said. “Since you like it, keep it.” Since he said it was okay, Xue Yi was relieved and grew happy again. “Then can I wear it every day?”

“You can.” Xihuai pulled him over, looking at the brooch with a somewhat critical gaze. “But this thing is quite ordinary. Big Brother will buy you prettier ones in the future.”

Xue Yi nodded happily, hugging Xihuai. “Big Brother is still the best…”

A few more days passed, and the adjutant brought the custom-made clothes for Xue Yi. Xihuai hadn’t given specific requirements, so the adjutant bought many in various styles. The inner layer of the fabric was printed with magic circles; when Xue Yi wore them and transformed into a dragon, the clothes would change with him.

Xue Yi was impatient to try them on, but Xihuai said there was no rush and called several physicians from the medical hall to examine him. After being back for several days, Xue Yi was completely recovered, but to avoid catching another chill, he had resisted transforming back into a dragon.

The physicians examined him thoroughly, using instruments to detect the magic elements in his body. As a Silver Snow Dragon, he naturally possessed ice magic; frequent transformations would trigger those elements, which wasn’t good for him. The physicians finally suggested that for every transformation, Xue Yi should wait at least four hours before changing back, until he grew older and his constitution improved. As for how to improve his constitution, the physicians had no ideas yet and said they would research further.

“I give you three days,” Xihuai ordered. “No superficiality allowed.” The physicians hurried to comply and left with their bags and equipment.

Only after the exam could Xue Yi put on his new clothes. Xihuai picked out a set of light blue cotton clothes with a matching hat. Once dressed, Xue Yi transformed into a dragon with a “whoosh.” He looked down at himself; the clothes really were still there, though they had shrunk significantly and the style had become something a dragon could wear.

Xue Yi lifted his head and found the hat had also shrunk, with two small holes on top just for his dragon horns to poke through. The little dragon cub shook its head and spun around excitedly in front of the mirror. Xihuai didn’t forget to remind him: “You can only change back after four hours.” The cub nodded, continuing to admire its hat. The leaf brooch was also re-pinned, hanging at the center of Xue Yi’s chest.

A few more days passed, and it was time for Xihuai to formally enroll. Everything at the academy was prepared, and new uniforms were delivered. Lately, Himonya had been busy with unknown matters and stopped interfering with whether Xue Yi stayed or left.

Knowing Xihuai was going to school, Xue Yi knew he would be sent to Queen Wei’s. “Will Big Brother come back to see me at noon?” Xue Yi took Xihuai’s hand. “If Big Brother is too busy… I can eat by myself.”

” I will be back,” Xihuai replied. “While I’m away, the Queen will look after you.”

Xue Yi nodded obediently. “Then I’ll wait for Big Brother.”

On the first day of enrollment, the adjutant came personally to take him and Xinian there. Xinian had already gone to the gate; Xue Yi didn’t see him, holding Queen Wei’s hand as he watched Xihuai leave. Once he was gone, Xue Yi grew inexplicably excited. He whispered to Queen Wei that he knew what gift to give Xihuai.

Queen Wei was curious: “What is it?”

Xue Yi was a bit embarrassed, stammering: “But I haven’t tried yet… I don’t know if I can do it well.” He could only try it when Xihuai wasn’t around.

“Alright,” Queen Wei said, no longer pressing. “Do you want to eat some rose sweet cakes? I’ll go make some.” Xue Yi nodded repeatedly. “I want to!”

Every snack Queen Wei made was done personally; the servants couldn’t help much. She let Xue Yi play with his new blocks while she went to the small kitchen nearby. But Xue Yi didn’t feel like playing; he went to the part of the balcony with the best light and held out his hands.

Xue Yi crouched on the floor, his delicate brows furrowing. He strained for a while, and a bit of frost began to gather in his palms. The frost gradually thickened, making Xue Yi a bit cold; fearing he would get sick again, he quickly patted his palms and tried again using a small table mat.

Xue Yi had discovered this by accident while bathing a few days ago—it wasn’t just his breath that could freeze; his hands could too. Through the mat, it seemed to work; seeing a layer of semi-transparent frost solidify, Xue Yi was very happy. However, the weather today was very good; the sun was up early, and the frost melted quickly under the sunlight.

Xue Yi wanted to go back inside but worried he would get the carpet wet. Queen Wei had left two servants to watch; Xue Yi went to one of them. “Can I go outside?” The servant nodded. “Of course; where would you like to go?”

The servant led Xue Yi to the small garden outside, where there was a gazebo. Xue Yi sat at the edge of the gazebo, picked a large leaf, and began freezing again. Without direct sunlight, the frost solidified much faster, and a white layer floated onto the leaf. Xue Yi poked it with his finger, leaving several holes.

The building block toy from Queen Wei had given him a bit of a hint; perhaps this frost could also be molded into other shapes, but it was still too soft right now. Xue Yi continued trying, his eyes growing a bit tired from staring.

Just then, he heard footsteps in the corridor across from the gazebo. Xue Yi looked up and saw a familiar bronze sword. Himeng was in the same attire as before; she walked alone to the edge of the corridor, braced her sword on the ground, and lowered her head as if talking to someone.

She was holding a transmission device that was hidden by the bushes; from Xue Yi’s angle, it looked as if she were talking to the sword. Xue Yi watched quietly for a while, his curiosity growing. He took the leaf in his hand, wanting to see what Himeng was doing. Although he had been terrified when Himeng threw her sword last time, Xihuai had explained afterward that Himeng was his sister and wouldn’t hurt him. And after several days, Xue Yi had mostly forgotten the previous shock.

He walked out of the gazebo and along the garden path. The servant was standing at a distance and didn’t notice Xue Yi’s movement. The end of the path didn’t connect to the opposite corridor; halfway there, Xue Yi’s view was blocked by bushes and branches. He stood on his tiptoes to peek.

Himeng suddenly looked up and shouted sharply: “Who is it?”

Xue Yi’s hand shook, the leaf fell to the ground, and he instinctively transformed back into a little dragon on the spot. By the time he looked up again, Himeng had already stepped onto the railing and leaped over in a few strides. She landed steadily, holding her bronze sword. Seeing the lone dragon cub on the ground, she asked coldly: “Sneaking around—what are you doing here?”

The little dragon cub’s golden eyes were panicked, and he took a step back. Xue Yi wanted to explain, but having just turned into a dragon, he couldn’t immediately change back. Himeng lost her patience and raised her sword. “Speak!”

The little dragon cub closed its eyes and tilted its head back. “Awooo! Awooo!”