Growing Up with the Demon King Tyrant - Chapter 4

Ghost Valley was not far from the capital’s palace and could be reached using a short-range teleportation array.

En route to the array, the adjutant returned Xi Huai’s storage ring and short blade to him.

“The Second Prince’s injury completely healed a few days ago.”

The adjutant mentioned this proactively, attempting to gauge Xi Huai’s current attitude.

Xi Huai walked with his head down. After a long pause, he gave a cold, indifferent response: “Mm.”

He was distracted, wondering if the little dragon in his embrace could withstand the teleportation array they were about to use.

This place was somewhat remote, and they couldn’t even find a beast-drawn carriage nearby; it would be strange if he insisted on walking all the way back.

Xi Huai quietly pulled open his collar. The little dragon cub in his inner pocket was looking up, its sparkling golden eyes meeting his gaze.

Perhaps the cub thought they were playing; its eyes shone with curious and excited light, and its spirits were high.

Xi Huai’s lips curved slightly. He reached in to touch the little dragon cub’s claw before quickly withdrawing his hand.

The adjutant led the way ahead, and the soldiers on either side looked straight forward; no one saw his actions.

Once the return teleportation array opened, Xi Huai was the first to step inside. He pulled his oversized coat tight and stood at the very back.

Hiding inside, Xue Yi listened to the commotion outside when he suddenly felt a wave of intense dizziness.

The dizziness didn’t last long, but the little dragon cub was left dazed by the swaying and accidentally let out a small sneeze.

The faint sound reached the adjutant’s ears. He turned his head and saw Xi Huai raising a hand to touch the tip of his own nose.

Without the slightest suspicion, the adjutant opened the other end of the array. “Your Highness, please.”

At the same time, far away at the Star-Observing Tower on the border of the capital: A young man sat in a pitch-black room. His eyes were wrapped in black cloth, and his long white hair cascaded down to his waist. Points of light, like stars, glowed on the low table before him.

Ayr slowly ran his hands over the points of light, his movements pausing slightly. “The constellations have shifted?”

The journey back was very smooth; no one could have guessed that Xi Huai had brought a dragon back from Ghost Valley.

The adjutant escorted Xi Huai to the door of his sleeping quarters. Xi Huai pushed the door open, stepped inside, and quickly closed it, not even stopping to change out of the borrowed coat.

“Please rest early, Your Highness,” the adjutant said to the closed door before leading the soldiers away.

Once the footsteps in the corridor vanished, Xi Huai pulled open the coat and lifted Xue Yi out.

The little dragon cub was placed on the desk, looking around curiously.

Xi Huai lowered his voice. “This is where I live.”

The room was large and the layout was relatively simple, but the various furnishings were made of expensive, precious materials. Passing through a central openwork door, the other side contained the bedroom and wardrobe.

Xue Yi stepped cautiously, first circling the desk while sniffing everything.

It was a completely foreign environment, but the aura here was very similar to Xi Huai’s own, allowing Xue Yi to adapt quickly.

The little dragon cub soon finished exploring the desk. It climbed onto a stack of books and squatted at the highest point to continue looking around, its eyes full of a desire for knowledge.

The bedroom door had been locked from the inside, and no one would come to disturb them for the time being. Xi Huai picked Xue Yi up and placed him on the floor.

The little dragon cub perked up its tail and began a new exploration. Xi Huai followed slowly behind, ensuring the cub stayed within his line of sight.

Raising a dragon in a palace was certainly different from living in a forest.

Food would be easy enough to manage. He could make a nest out of clothes for sleeping, and then set up a small toilet area on the balcony connected to the back of the room…

Xi Huai knew the little dragon liked to relieve itself in dry, withered leaves every day. Using some coarse sand as a substitute should be fine—like the kind needed for raising a cat. He would have someone prepare a few bags later…

Thinking of this, Xi Huai suddenly realized that raising a dragon didn’t seem as simple as he had imagined. However, since he had already decided to bring the little dragon back, he wouldn’t change his mind easily.

While Xue Yi was still wandering around the room, Xi Huai changed into clean clothes and summoned a servant.

He pulled the door open just a crack and tossed out the adjutant’s coat. “Burn it.”

The coat had the little dragon’s scent on it; as a precaution, it was best to destroy it directly.

He also ordered the servant to prepare cat sand and cardboard boxes, warning them not to tell anyone.

The servant picked up the coat from the floor and responded, “Yes, Your Highness.”

While Xi Huai was speaking to the servant, Xue Yi heard the stranger’s voice and peeked out from behind the openwork door to observe.

It wasn’t until the servant left and it was quiet outside again that the little dragon cub emerged.

Xi Huai approached, bent down to pick up the cub, and headed toward the bedroom. “So good.”

He used half-coaxing and half-deception, telling Xue Yi that everyone outside was a bad person and that he would be caught if discovered.

The little dragon cub was very smart and relied heavily on Xi Huai; it let out a soft cry and licked Xi Huai’s finger.

The items Xi Huai requested were soon delivered. The small toilet was placed in an inconspicuous corner of the balcony, and the nest made of folded clothes was placed on the low cabinet by the bed.

Xue Yi found it very novel. He jumped into the nest and scratched at it a few times, appearing to like it quite a bit.

In the afternoon, Xi Huai estimated the time and had a servant bring some round cakes and dried meat.

The round cakes had sweet bean paste filling; Xue Yi, as expected, loved them and took several large bites.

The dried meat, however, was a bit hard for a hatchling dragon. Xi Huai soaked it in hot water to soften it before tearing it into strips.

Xue Yi ate some from his hand, but still preferred the sweet bean paste, burying his head in the plate.

Soon, Xi Huai noticed that much of the round cake’s outer crust was left behind; Xue Yi was only licking the filling inside.

He instinctively felt this wasn’t good and frowned, taking the plate away. “That’s enough.”

The little dragon cub was reluctant to let go, its gaze still glued to Xi Huai’s hand.

However, Xue Yi was already full and was just being greedy; if Xi Huai didn’t allow him to eat, he would stop.

Xi Huai took a napkin and wiped the remaining bean paste from the little dragon cub’s mouth and paws, then casually cast a cleaning spell.

A cup filled with water sat on the table. The little dragon cub ran over and took a few sips on its own while Xi Huai watched closely.

Since the cub could eat wild fruits, snacks, and dried meat, dragons must be an omnivorous race.

Xue Yi clearly loved sweets. Xi Huai didn’t know if all dragons were like this or if eating too much would be bad for him.

On second thought, his understanding of the Dragon Clan was still too limited; he would have to find time to look up some information.

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside, followed by a knock on the door. “Xi Huai?”

It was Xi Nian. He knocked with some force and shouted, “Are you in there?”

Xue Yi was startled by the sudden noise and quickly hid by Xi Huai’s hand, curling himself into a ball.

“Don’t be afraid,” Xi Huai soothed softly. He moved a few books to block the center of the table and stood up to open the door.

The door was only pulled open enough for his face to be seen. Xi Huai’s expression was cold. “What do you want?”

Seeing him, Xi Nian unconsciously backed up half a step.

“You really are back,” Xi Nian said, his hands behind his back as if the psychological shadow of having his palm pierced by a blade still remained. “Hmph, how did it feel to be locked in Ghost Valley? Regardless, I’ve decided to forgive you…”

Xi Huai had no patience and immediately moved to close the door.

Xi Nian hurriedly stopped him. “Wait… Mother wants you to have dinner at her place. We’ll go together.”

That was the real reason he had come looking for Xi Huai. The two were half-brothers, and Xi Huai had never been close to Queen Wei.

Xi Huai was concise: “I’m not going.”

He moved to close the door again, pausing for a second to add: “Don’t bother me.”

His voice was low, and half of his face was hidden in the darkness of the doorway, making him look somewhat ominous.

Bang—

The door was closed again. Xi Nian felt a sense of dread and didn’t speak further.

He remembered before coming over, Queen Wei had said: “Xi Huai has a solitary nature and lost his birth mother at a young age. As his older brother, you should visit him more often.”

Plus, Xi Huai had spent half a month alone in Ghost Valley; he might be feeling aggrieved.

But in Xi Nian’s view, Xi Huai wasn’t solitary—he was born hating everyone. Once provoked, he was fierce and showed no mercy.

Feelings like grievance or regret simply didn’t exist for him.

“Fine then, don’t go.” He didn’t like this younger brother anyway. Xi Nian huffed in his heart, turned around, and walked away quickly.

Inside, Xi Huai returned to the table and stroked the little dragon cub’s chin. “It’s okay now.”

He had spoken fiercely to the person outside, but he was much gentler now.

Xue Yi squinted and rubbed against Xi Huai’s hand, his claws climbing up the youth’s sleeve as he wanted to be held.

Xi Huai hesitated for a moment, then picked up the little dragon cub and cradled it in the crook of his arm.

In the evening, a servant brought a dinner for one.

Xue Yi wasn’t hungry, but smelling the aroma, he wanted to taste it. He took a few sips of soup from Xi Huai’s spoon.

Xi Huai stroked the little dragon cub’s rounded belly and wouldn’t let him eat more.

Before bed, after Xi Huai finished his bath, he used a warm towel to wipe Xue Yi down as well.

The steaming towel felt very comfortable. Xue Yi stood up against Xi Huai’s hand. “Ao-wu!”

After wiping the dragon horns, Xi Huai squeezed Xue Yi’s claws. “It would be great if you were this good when you grow up.”

He had initially been worried that Xue Yi wouldn’t adapt to the new environment, but now it seemed Xue Yi was both obedient and easy to look after.

But Xi Huai didn’t forget that in front of him was a hatchling dragon—a member of the Dragon Clan.

The towel was still steaming. Xue Yi tilted his head and blew “hu-hu,” exhaling a chilly frost-mist from his mouth that dissipated in an instant.

At bedtime, Xi Huai watched Xue Yi lie down in his nest, then turned off the light and got into bed.

Not long after he lay down, he heard movement from the low cabinet.

Xue Yi rolled over and looked toward the bed.

The nest Xi Huai made was very warm—much better than the grass, of course—but it was even warmer beside Xi Huai.

Xue Yi let out a soft “wu” and scratched at the edge of the nest with his front claws, trying to get Xi Huai’s attention.

Xi Huai didn’t react, appearing to be already asleep.

The curtains weren’t closed tightly. With the faint moonlight, Xue Yi’s eyes adjusted to the darkness. He walked out of his nest on his own and came to the edge of the low cabinet.

The cabinet was very close to the bed. Xue Yi was eager to try; he crouched down, found the right moment, and suddenly leaped across.

The little dragon cub tumbled into the soft bedding, rolled half a turn, and quickly scrambled up.

Xi Huai still didn’t react. Xue Yi hadn’t been on the bed during the day and was now a bit excited, pacing back and forth.

The bed was large, and the smooth fabric made him slip while running, which was quite fun.

Xue Yi played for a long time until he was too sleepy to keep his eyes open, eventually collapsing in the crook of Xi Huai’s neck.

Xi Huai moved slightly. Xue Yi rubbed against his cheek, gave it a lick with his eyes closed, and fell asleep instantly.

Having been confined for half a month, Xi Huai’s accumulated schoolwork was delivered promptly. However, it happened to be a holiday, so he wouldn’t go to class until the day after tomorrow.

Xue Yi had slept late yesterday and hadn’t woken up yet when Xi Huai got out of bed.

The little dragon cub was completely defenseless, stretching its claws and revealing its soft belly as it lay with its head tilted on the pillow.

Xi Huai covered Xue Yi with a blanket and finished his breakfast in a few bites, but the cub still wasn’t awake.

He simply picked up the sleeping dragon, tucked it into the inner pocket of his coat, grabbed a few round cakes, and headed out.

Xi Huai specifically chose a secluded route and quietly went to the Library.

The Library contained a vast number of books on every subject imaginable. His goal was clear, and he quickly found the section labeled “Dragon Clan.”

There weren’t many books on the shelf. Xi Huai picked one up at random.

The book recorded several branches of the Dragon Clan: the Crimson Flame Dragons, the Thunder Sky Dragons, the Whirling Leaf Dragons, and so on.

Dragons were a very peculiar race; from birth, they carried the purest natural elements within their bodies and possessed the strongest elemental magic on the continent. The name of each branch represented what they excelled at.

The book contained illustrations of adult dragons. Xi Huai continued flipping through until his gaze froze.

The dragon depicted on this page had silver-white scales all over its body, looking very much like Xue Yi.

Below it was written: Silver Snow Dragon. A relatively rare dragon within the clan, specializing in ice magic. Rumor has it that Silver Snow Dragons are symbols of hope and blessing, holding a higher status within the tribe.

The reason for their rarity was also explained: dragons generally prefer hot and dry places, while Silver Snow Dragons are born with freezing ice. Their innate talent conflicts with their ideal environment, so the probability of a successful hatching is slightly lower.

Xi Huai frowned slightly and switched to another book.

“The Dragon Clan is powerful, but they have no shortage of flaws. They are essentially lower-class beastmen: promiscuous, lazy, greedy, and stubborn. These words are perfect for describing them.”

Promiscuous, lazy, greedy, stubborn…

There was no one around. Xi Huai pulled open his collar and looked at the sleeping dragon cub inside.

These descriptions fit his consistent impression of the Dragon Clan, but they didn’t seem to apply to Xue Yi at all.

Xi Huai remembered Xue Yi’s greed yesterday when he ate so much sweet bean paste filling.

Well, maybe the word “greedy” barely applied…

Alright, he was still very cute.

The dragon he found must be different from the ones in these books.

However, Xi Huai also understood that the Heteromorphic Demon Race disliked dragons. This book was clearly written by his own race and carried an obvious bias.

The reason for the mutual dislike between the two races was also simple: dragons are quite exclusionary, a trait they share with the Heteromorphic Demon Race, and both are at the peak of power on this continent.

The Heteromorphic Demon Race, as descendants of gods, are proud, warlike, and pursue perfection; they believe dragons are merely lower-class beastmen unworthy of such formidable strength.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Clan can’t stand the ways of the Heteromorphic Demon Race, considering them hypocritical and fussy, and mocking them as merely “high-grade humans” who aren’t true descendants of gods.

In short, there were many conflicts, large and small, and neither side would submit to the other.

Xi Huai quickly finished browsing several books and found a passage detailing the habits of the Dragon Clan.

“They like warm sunshine and dry caves. They are omnivorous, but each dragon has its own preferences; they will force themselves to eat grass to balance their nutrition.”

—So he couldn’t eat too much sweet bean paste.

“They are energetic and prefer living in groups.”

—It seemed he needed to spend more time playing with the little dragon and try not to leave for too long.

There was another passage at the end of the page.

“A word of advice: Never attempt to feed or domesticate a member of the Dragon Clan. They possess extreme destructive power and will never listen to you.”

The little dragon cub in his embrace woke up, let out a few grunts, and poked its head out, trying to rub its horns against Xi Huai’s chin.

After reading the so-called “advice,” Xi Huai put the book back on the shelf.

Tch—

The person who wrote this book had clearly never raised a dragon.