Growing Up with the Demon King Tyrant - Chapter 29

After eating the biscuits Himeng fed him and playing with her bronze sword, Xue Yi felt that he and Himeng were already quite familiar. Unfortunately, he only had that one piece of biscuit left; he was still a little hungry and wanted some water.

The dragon cub looked up at the sky, observing the position of the clouds and the sun. It seemed it was almost time for Xihuai to return. Xue Yi touched Himeng’s shoulder with his paw to bid her goodbye.

Himeng looked over, her expression showing a moment of realization. “I remember now. Naturally gifted in ice magic—you are a Silver Snow Dragon.”

The dragon cub met her gaze with his golden eyes. “Mwu!”

Silver Snow Dragons were quite rare. Aside from the Xue Yi in front of her, Himeng had never seen a second one. Among all races, those skilled in ice magic were few and far between; the ice element is far harder to catalyze than water, fire, wood, or earth. Even among the highly gifted Abyss Demons, few use ice magic. Consequently, a Silver Snow Dragon is a rarity among rarities.

Himeng reached out and lightly touched the tip of the cub’s paw, feeling a trace of chill. The cub, unaware she was still pondering his talent, proactively leaned his head in and rubbed against her warm palm. Himeng maintained her cool, indifferent demeanor, but she did not reject his closeness.

She looked down at the cub; from this angle, he bore a thirty-percent resemblance to Xihuai. High talent, rare, young, and seemingly well-behaved—from any perspective, Xue Yi was a prime candidate to be nurtured. She recalled that Xihuai had also been the most gifted of his generation, his demon energy purity being one in ten thousand, yet he had “grown crooked.” Looking at the current Xihuai, back from five years in the Star-Plucking Tower, he was likely still the same.

Himeng withdrew her hand. “I have business.” She stood up to leave, picking up the bronze sword from the table.

At the same time, Xihuai reached Queen Wei’s quarters. He had first returned to his own side, which had already delayed him, so to fetch Xue Yi as quickly as possible, he took a shortcut through a remote side path. However, this caused him to miss Xue Yi in the central courtyard, and he didn’t run into the servant accompanying him either.

When Xihuai entered the chamber, Queen Wei was having lunch. Xinian hadn’t returned today, so she was alone with two servants. Xihuai looked around, his face changing. “Where is Xue Yi?”

“Wasn’t Xue Bao not sent over this morning?” Queen Wei was also stunned. “Are you looking for him?”

Her expression was genuine, and the servants nearby shook their heads blankly, saying they hadn’t seen him. Xihuai turned and left immediately. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Queen Wei anxiously ordered everyone, “Quickly! Everyone go look!”

Over ten servants inside and outside the quarters dropped their tasks and spread out in every direction. Queen Wei also checked near the garden, the white cat following her and sniffing the stone bricks and weeds, trying to catch a trace of Xue Yi’s scent.

Since Xue Yi hadn’t been there all morning, Xihuai returned along the usual route, not missing any spot that might look out of the ordinary. He didn’t stop, his expression grim as he uncontrollably imagined various possibilities.

Even though everyone in the palace had been warned to treat Xue Yi as an ordinary child and forbidden from leaking news, most of the servants were human mages under contract, and the soldiers were almost all Abyss Demons. They were well-trained and wouldn’t disobey orders, but… as Abyss Demons, they also hated the Dragon Race. If someone took advantage while he was away…

Xihuai grew increasingly regretful. He shouldn’t have left Xue Yi alone, and he shouldn’t have been so careless as to not set up enough protections. A shadow loomed in his eyes, and countless faint, nearly invisible strands of demon energy spread outward, searching every corner along his path.

Finally, near the central courtyard, he heard a familiar “Awooo.”

He rushed over to see Himeng standing in the center of the yard, with Xue Yi right beside her. The dragon cub seemed very relaxed, standing so close to Himeng he was nearly leaning into her. The servant who had accompanied Xue Yi out was standing by the corridor; seeing Xihuai, she bowed hurriedly. “Your Highness…”

Xihuai was still in a state of agitation. The servant, sensing the extremely low pressure around him, explained carefully, “This morning Xue Yi said he wanted to find the Queen, but he met the Princess on the way and has been playing in the courtyard…”

At this moment, Xue Yi heard the commotion. The cub by the table turned to see Xihuai. “Awooo!” The cub abandoned Himeng and flew wobblily toward Xihuai. Xue Yi’s flying skills were still unpracticed; he couldn’t brake in time and crashed straight into Xihuai’s chest.

He felt himself being hugged so tightly he could almost not move. The cub looked up, his golden eyes gazing innocently.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to play in the room? Why go find the Queen?” Xihuai pinched the side of the dragon’s head. “And ended up playing in the courtyard for so long?”

Xihuai had already masked his expression, looking nothing like he had moments ago, but Xue Yi’s keen intuition told him Xihuai was unhappy. The cub leaned in, licking Xihuai’s chin as if to curry favor. Xihuai lost his temper and hugged the “lost and found” dragon tight. He blamed his own haste; if he hadn’t taken the shortcut, he would have met Xue Yi on the way.

Just then, Queen Wei’s servant found them. Seeing Xue Yi safe, she immediately went back to report.

Himeng approached with her bronze sword. Xihuai locked eyes with her for a moment. “Elder Sister.” He glanced down at the sword and continued, “Xue Yi is timid and can’t handle a fright. Besides, it’s unnecessary to carry a sword at all times in the palace, isn’t it?”

There was clear defensiveness in his eyes and his attitude was blatant. Though he didn’t know why Xue Yi was suddenly willing to approach Himeng, given the previous two encounters, Xihuai assumed Xue Yi had turned back into a dragon because of her and her sword.

“What are you afraid of? I’m not going to eat him,” Himeng said coldly, glancing at the cub in Xihuai’s arms. “He is quite timid… but he isn’t weak. You’re overprotecting him.”

She could guess that Xihuai had likely returned to find Xue Yi missing and had searched for him in a panic. Xihuai frowned slightly, catching the keyword in her sentence. How does she know if Xue Yi is weak or not… and what does my protection of him have to do with her?

Xihuai grew instinctively wary. Not wanting to waste more time with her, he dropped a “leaving now” and departed with Xue Yi. The cub poked a paw out from Xihuai’s arm and waved it up and down as a goodbye. Himeng watched, a barely visible curve appearing on her lips before she also turned to leave.

Xue Yi had turned into a dragon shortly after reaching the courtyard. After feeding him lunch, Xihuai played with the cloth balls with him for a while. When it was time, Xue Yi transformed back and hugged Xihuai excitedly. “Big Brother! I touched that dark sword today!”

Unable to speak as a dragon, Xue Yi now told Xihuai everything, including Himeng feeding him biscuits and his “ice flower” paw prints on the sword. “Big Brother’s sister even praised me,” Xue Yi said happily, his golden eyes full of simple expectation. “She even asked me if I wanted to buy my own sword like her.”

“She praised you?” Xihuai could almost imagine Himeng’s cold, hard expression. He tidied Xue Yi’s lopsided hat. “Xue Bao was always very amazing.” He had always known Xue Yi had high talent; before transforming, he could learn simple lock-picking magic. And Aier giving him the Star Map proved his astrology talent was also good.

“Is practicing the sword hard?” Xue Yi asked. “Is it harder than writing?”

“I haven’t tried, but it shouldn’t be,” Xihuai answered. “If you want to learn later, you can try.”

Xue Yi gave an “Mm” and stared at Xihuai for a while. The two were sitting on the carpet with building blocks scattered around. Xue Yi scooted closer, hugging Xihuai’s neck. “Big Brother, were you unhappy when you came back at noon?”

Xihuai denied it. “No.” He pinched Xue Yi’s cheek. “I just didn’t find you and was worried.”

“I didn’t mean it; I won’t run around anymore…” Xue Yi buried himself in Xihuai’s arms for a bit, then scrambled to the desk and took several biscuits from the drawer to shove in his pocket. He ran back and placed one in Xihuai’s hand as an apology. Though in the end, that biscuit still ended up in Xue Yi’s stomach.

Before leaving for the academy in the afternoon, Xihuai asked, “Staying in the room, or going to the Queen’s?”

Xue Yi’s gaze flickered for a second. “Staying… staying in the room.” His blocks weren’t finished yet; the morning excursion was an accident. Furthermore, Xihuai’s afternoon session was shorter. Xue Yi stole a glance at where he hid the blocks; Xihuai noticed but didn’t expose him.

“Alright.” Xihuai took out a thin black string from his storage ring and tied it around Xue Yi’s wrist. “Wear this for now; I’ll get you a prettier one later.” The string was imbued with a magic spell that allowed him to detect Xue Yi’s location within a certain distance. Though crude, it would serve for now. Xue Yi touched the string and nodded.

For the next three days, Xue Yi requested to stay in the room. Xihuai knew he was secretly building with blocks and didn’t stop him, nor did he check on the blocks’ progress. Queen Wei, seeing Xue Yi stop coming over, worried there was a reason and sent someone to ask. The servant only reported, “The Third Prince says not to worry; Xue Yi has some… personal matters to attend to.”

The words were vague, but Queen Wei understood. Xue Yi had been acting a bit strange at her place, always hiding in the gazebo—could he be preparing a birthday gift for Xihuai? He cared a lot about it, having asked her and Himonya what Xihuai liked. In that case, he truly had “personal matters” and simply couldn’t come to play.

Two days later, Xihuai faced his first magic combat class since enrolling. Combat classes for upper grades were more formal and larger in scale, functioning like a tournament with rankings and rewards, lasting three days. The head tutor required Xihuai to reach the top twenty and provided him with data.

“You must be cautious with these few people,” the tutor said. “The others you can beat as long as you don’t make mistakes.” He thought highly of Xihuai; originally he wanted him in the top ten, but felt Xihuai hadn’t been back long, so he settled for top twenty.

Xihuai accepted the data. “Thank you.”

As he was leaving, the tutor stopped him. “By the way… during the afternoon self-study, help me buy some things.” He wrote a list and gave Xihuai a door access card. Xihuai’s eyes flickered as he took the card.

Since the combat class started the next morning, the two afternoon sessions became self-study. Xihuai went back to the dorm and used the card to exit the academy grounds without hindrance. He didn’t stay long; before the second session began, the tutor returned to his office to find the supplies on the table along with the returned card.

The next day, the combat class began. Xihuai was scheduled for the first match in Zone C against a mixed-blood Beastman specializing in wind magic. The Beastman held a wand and gave a shy smile. “I’m a bit nervous…”

Xihuai also smiled. “I’m very nervous too.” But the smile didn’t reach his eyes; it was mere politeness. He already knew the opponent’s background; this match was a guaranteed win. However, on the surface, Xihuai didn’t want to win too easily. He chose a bronze shield as his weapon and stood opposite the Beastman.

The Beastman’s initial attacks were fierce, multiple wind blades surging toward Xihuai. Xihuai resisted with difficulty, using earth magic to counterattack when he found an opening. When the time was right, he appeared to “burst” his demon energy, knocking the opponent out of the ring.

Everything went according to plan. At the final moment, Xihuai didn’t dodge a wind blade—one tore his sleeve, and another cut the back of his hand. As the referee announced his victory, Xihuai stared at the wound, momentarily distracted.

He had intentionally not dodged, knowing the Beastman was low on mana and the blades would at most cut cloth or skin. But the wound had appeared specifically on the back of his hand.

Days ago, when Xue Yi woke up, he said he had a dream. Back then, he had pointed to the back of Xihuai’s hand and said it would be hurt.

Is it a coincidence? Xihuai dealt with the congratulations from the tutor and classmates and left the venue. He remembered back at the manor, Xue Yi had once said he had a dream—about the kitchen’s magic plant escaping. Xue Yi had told him in advance. At the time, Xihuai hadn’t cared, thinking it was just a child’s rambling.

Once was a coincidence; twice was not. What kind of ability is dreaming of the future?

Astrology can predict the future, but never through dreams, and never so clearly. After leaving the venue, Xihuai went to the library to find related materials. There were two more matches in the afternoon, so he had no time to delve deep and rushed back.

The subsequent matches went smoothly; Xihuai won by narrow margins. Having been at the Star-Plucking Tower for five years, it was natural that his offensive magic hadn’t received enough practice; no one suspected he was holding back. After the three matches, Xihuai applied to the tutor to return to the palace early.

Xue Yi was alone on the balcony. The sun was setting, and an assembled block structure sat on the wooden table. Frost constantly condensed on the surface, gradually covering the original colors. Xue Yi stopped to examine it, using a chopstick to poke away unsatisfactory parts before re-applying.

With daily practice, his movements were skilled and the resulting ice was hard and semi-transparent. Halfway through, he remembered something, went inside to the cabinet, and found the two hidden carrot slices.

When Xihuai pushed the door open, Xue Yi had just finished the last bit. Hearing the footsteps, he was excited and nervous, nearly knocking the blocks over as he stood up.

“Xue Bao?” Xihuai called, seeing Xue Yi emerge from the balcony.

“Big Brother!” He ran to Xihuai, taking his hand. “I… I want to show you something.”

Xihuai knelt down. “What is it?”

“It’s…” Xue Yi stopped mid-sentence, suddenly catching a faint scent of blood on Xihuai. He leaned in to sniff. “Big Brother is hurt?”

Xihuai remained calm, lifting his right hand. “A small injury, poked by a pen nib.” He used a simple illusion to hide the scratch and pricked a small red dot on his finger. Xue Yi’s behavior after his dreams proved he likely didn’t understand his own ability. Xihuai didn’t want him to be burdened or worried, so he decided to hide the truth for now until he could consult Aier. Xue Yi didn’t suspect a thing.

He regained his excitement. “Big Brother, I made you a birthday gift!”

Xihuai was very surprised. “A gift?” The blocks from the cabinet? They were a gift for me?

“Mm,” Xue Yi looked at him nervously. “Even though Big Brother’s birthday has passed…”

Xihuai hugged him. “What gift?”

Xue Yi led him to the balcony. Having practiced so much, Xue Yi knew exactly when to finish so the ice wouldn’t melt too much before Xihuai returned. He had actually failed once yesterday; he had quickly hidden the blocks behind a flower pot, and the melted ice had soaked into the pot and dried by today. He had thought that if he failed again today, he would make the structure smaller.

Fortunately, the gift was a success. On the balcony table sat a palm-high ice sculpture. Frost completely covered the blocks, hiding their color; it was an ice dragon. The limbs were a bit blurry and the horns were uneven, but the wings were the best part, though water was dripping from the edges. Two dried carrot slices were stuck lopsidedly to the face as eyes. It was crude and a bit ugly, but looked cute.

Xue Yi was anxious. “Big Brother, do you like it?”

Xihuai approached to examine the sculpture. After a moment, he pulled Xue Yi into a hug. “I love it.”

“As long as Big Brother likes it,” Xue Yi cheered up. “But I don’t know where to put it…” The frost would melt soon; would he have to make it every day?

“I will preserve it,” Xihuai said, releasing his demon energy. A faint mist wrapped around the ice dragon, and the wings stopped dripping. Xue Yi’s eyes widened. “Big Brother is so amazing…”

Xihuai took his hand, feeling the cold palm. “How long did this take?” So Xue Yi had been hiding in the room just to prepare this for him. No wonder his hands had been so cold lately. Heart pained, Xihuai used his energy to warm the boy’s hands.

“Not long,” Xue Yi counted honestly on his fingers. “When I was tired, I just ate a biscuit.”

Xihuai hugged him tighter. Xue Yi began to feel something was wrong; Xihuai hadn’t even looked at the ice dragon again, but was just holding him as if he were the gift. He pressed: “Does Big Brother really like it?”

“I love it, I love it so much,” Xihuai whispered. “Thank you, baby.”

Finally, Xihuai found a transparent jar and sealed the ice dragon inside. The carrot eyes were preserved too. Xue Yi said embarrassedly, “I couldn’t find anything else for eyes.” The dragon was his own image; it could be colorless, but it needed eyes. He had settled on the carrot slices.

“It’s beautiful,” Xihuai praised without hesitation. “It’s the most beautiful ice dragon I’ve ever seen.”

Xue Yi gave a shy smile. “I can make a new one for Big Brother’s next birthday!”

“Alright, but next time, don’t make your hands so cold.” It was luck that Xue Yi hadn’t caught a cold after using so much ice magic. Xue Yi nodded, leaning against Xihuai. “Big Brother, I want water.” Xihuai took a cup and fed him heated juice.

One Week Later

Himonya received an urgent transmission from the border. A rumor had begun spreading in regions near Yunzhou Village: several Abyss Demons had caught a dragon hatchling, tortured it in the most cruel ways, and written a diary about it. The descriptions in the “diary” were said to be very realistic, and news had reached the Dragon Race.

The rumors were baseless, but the Dragon Race cared most about their young. They were furious, demanding an immediate explanation from the capital.

Himonya’s expression darkened as he read. The adjutant said, “The Dragon Elders are indeed very angry. I explained, but they won’t listen…” Even if no dragon was missing, the dragons couldn’t remain rational; they wanted to storm the border and search every hiding spot.

“Who started the rumor?” Himonya asked.

“Unclear. Yunzhou Village is full of all sorts of people; finding the source will be difficult.” Border guards were dealing with it, but the news had already spread locally. The adjutant continued, “When I got the news, I asked the Third Prince; he is certain no one else knows about Xue Yi.”

The rumor wasn’t entirely fabricated; there was a hatchling in the capital… The adjutant worried Xue Yi had been seen at the Star-Plucking Tower, but Xihuai said no.

“The Third Prince also said…” The adjutant hesitated. Himonya looked up. “What did he say?”

“He said that in this situation, we absolutely cannot tell the dragons about Xue Yi, otherwise the rumors will become true to them…” Dragons wouldn’t think rationally about a hatchling; if they knew one had been in the Abyss Demon palace for five years, no explanation would appease their rage. Xihuai was right. Furthermore, Himonya was dealing with other pressing matters; a failed negotiation leading to war with the dragons would be adding fuel to the fire.

Himonya closed his eyes in silence. After a long while, he asked, “How is Xihuai lately?”

“Everything is fine at the academy. He ranked twentieth in the combat class last week.”

Himonya’s face was like still water. “Is he really being this obedient?”

“Yes, his tutor has mentioned his satisfaction several times.”

Himonya felt the timing of the rumor was too coincidental, and at a place like Yunzhou Village, it wouldn’t be hard to start. Now, they could only blame their own lack of precautions.

“Never mind, keep it a secret for now until the Black Spine Mountains matter is settled,” Himonya sighed helplessly. “Prepare yourself; I will talk to the Dragon Elders personally.”