Growing Up with the Demon King Tyrant - Chapter 6

Xi Huai’s mind went blank, a flash of panic surfacing for an instant.

He remembered everything being fine before he left; Xue Yi had gone to bed on time last night, woken up obediently to eat breakfast, and wagged his tail at him as they parted.

How could he have fallen ill in just one morning?

Xi Huai quickly calmed down and hurried into the bedroom. He pulled a dry, soft towel from the wardrobe and wrapped Xue Yi in it.

Xue Yi’s head was spinning and his breathing was somewhat heavy, but he was still happy to see Xi Huai return, tilting his head to rub against the youth’s hand.

Xi Huai soothed him softly, “Are you feeling unwell? I’ll take you to see a doctor.”

He wasn’t skilled in healing magic. To be safe, he had to take Xue Yi to a physician. While this meant risking Xue Yi being discovered, Xi Huai couldn’t care about that anymore.

He no longer hesitated and carried the little dragon cub out the door. Xue Yi was wrapped tightly in the towel, leaving only a tiny gap for breathing; from the outside, nothing could be seen.

“Wu…” Through the gap, Xue Yi could glimpse a small section of Xi Huai’s collar. He forced himself to watch for a while before quietly closing his eyes.

The medical clinic was located not far from the sleeping quarters, with someone always on duty—the most experienced Wood Elf physician in the entire capital.

On the way to the clinic, many servants encountered Xi Huai, all bowing and moving aside. Xi Huai didn’t stop, his expression somewhat grim.

When he hurried into the front hall clutching a bundle of toweling, the physician, who was looking down and organizing items, was startled. “Your Highness, th-this is…”

“It belongs to a classmate,” Xi Huai paused. “A pet. It fell ill today, so I’ve brought it over for a look.”

While the physician was still dazed, Xi Huai quickly listed Xue Yi’s general symptoms: feverishness, listlessness, no visible wounds, and having been perfectly fine that morning.

The physician’s gaze slowly moved down to the bundle of towels in his arms. “Is it… in there?”

Xi Huai gave an “mm,” his gaze guarded and alert. He moved very carefully to pull the towel back just a tiny bit, revealing a small, rounded white claw.

Seeing the strange expression on the physician’s face, Xi Huai added, “This pet is extremely precious. He doesn’t easily show it to others.”

He didn’t say who the classmate was, nor what species of pet was hidden in the towel. The physician didn’t ask further and stepped forward. “Let me see.”

The claw exposed outside the towel was very small, clearly belonging to a hatchling; it moved slightly as unfamiliar footsteps approached—it was alive.

Under Xi Huai’s intense gaze, the physician used the back of his finger to test the temperature and pulse of the claw, then estimated the hatchling’s age and size. Among the common pets or spirit beasts liked by young people, most were furry, like cats or dogs, or perhaps birds.

However, this small claw was covered in scales. The physician took a few extra looks, but with only this one feature, it was impossible to tell.

“Everything else is normal? If there’s no vomiting or similar reactions, it’s most likely just a cold.”

The physician withdrew his hand, and Xi Huai immediately covered the claw back up with the towel.

“This little beast isn’t very old, is it? Those under two months aren’t suited for healing magic; they won’t be able to withstand it.”

As the physician spoke, he returned to the medicine cabinet, pulling open several drawers to select herbs and placing them in a tool to be ground into powder. Finally, he handed a small jar of medicinal powder to Xi Huai and gave instructions for its use: “Halve the dosage once the fever breaks.”

“Alright.” Xi Huai took the powder. Seeing how concerned he seemed, the physician also gave him an exquisite feeding tube.

Xi Huai took everything, produced several gold coins from his person, and placed them on the table, saying, “Thank you. Keep this matter private.” Then he turned and left, not staying a moment longer.

The physician didn’t have time to stop him and had to set the gold coins aside separately.

As soon as he returned to his quarters, Xi Huai fed Xue Yi the medicine.

The powder dissolved easily in water. Not knowing the ingredients, Xi Huai first tasted a bit himself. It was slightly bitter with a herbal fragrance, not unpleasant.

However, the Xue Yi in his arms grumbled and refused to drink, and because he was uncomfortable from the fever, he kept trying to seek Xi Huai’s comfort.

Xi Huai coaxed him over and over: “You’ll feel better once you drink this.”

It took nearly half an hour to finish one small tube of medicinal water. Xue Yi was still wrapped in the soft towel, falling into a dazed sleep after taking the medicine.

Xi Huai sat quietly at his desk, looking down at the sleeping dragon cub. Thinking back, Xue Yi had sneezed a few times over the past two days, but he hadn’t paid enough attention. And the cloth balls he made—while Xue Yi had fun playing with them, he was always rolling around on the floor because of them.

Silver Snow Dragons were naturally cold-blooded and needed warm environments; besides, Xue Yi was so small that even a minor oversight could lead to a cold.

Xi Huai sat motionless in his chair until a servant came to knock.

“Your Highness, when will you be leaving?”

Xi Huai hadn’t even eaten lunch, and no one knew what he was busy with; it was almost time for the afternoon classes.

“I’m not going,” Xi Huai said in a low voice. “I have a headache. Don’t bother me.”

His tone was poor. Hearing the muffled voice from inside, the servant had to comply: “Yes.”

About half an hour later, Xi Huai felt Xue Yi’s forehead; the temperature had dropped. His tensed nerves finally relaxed slightly, and he closed his eyes against the back of his chair.

An unknown amount of time passed. Outside the window, the sun was no longer intense, and the leaves were being blown by a cool breeze.

The little dragon cub inside the towel moved, stretching out a claw and yawning with his eyes closed. The medicine from the physician was very effective; upon waking, Xue Yi’s fever was basically gone.

Xi Huai gently squeezed the warm claw. “Still feeling bad?”

Xue Yi licked his fingertip, and his stomach let out a “gulu” sound.

Xi Huai hadn’t eaten either and immediately had a meal prepared. During the wait, he used warm water to wipe Xue Yi down completely before switching to a new towel.

The towel had been infused with demonic energy, making it soft and warm. Xue Yi lay comfortably inside, not wanting to move at all. Because of the illness, Xi Huai held Xue Yi the entire time and fed him personally.

There were meatballs, which Xue Yi loved, as well as steaming sweet soup—and the hated carrot sticks were there too. Since the fever was gone, Xue Yi’s appetite had mostly recovered, and he obediently ate quite a bit.

Once he was full, the little dragon cub turned his head away from the spoon, indicating he couldn’t eat anymore. His cry carried a bit of a nasal sound: “Wu…”

Xi Huai set down the spoon and finally picked up his own chopsticks.

Hearing that Xi Huai had missed classes again in the afternoon, the adjutant came to inquire about his status. He was unable to see Xi Huai, being stopped at the perimeter by the servants of the side palace.

“The Prince says he doesn’t want to see anyone,” a servant said awkwardly. “Also, he said he will make up the missed schoolwork.”

Xi Huai’s talent as a member of the Heteromorphic Demon Race was very high, and he performed well in various written assessments, so the adjutant wasn’t worried about that. He looked toward the quarters and said, “Alright, I’ll come check again tomorrow.”

He vaguely felt that since returning from Ghost Valley, Xi Huai had been a bit strange. Requesting leave twice in two days and saying something about wanting to raise a dragon. If he was just in a bad mood and wanted some peace and quiet, that would be manageable. He just feared that with a momentary lapse in supervision, the boy might cause some other trouble.

Before leaving, the adjutant looked back at the door of the sleeping quarters with a worried expression.

On the other side, Xi Huai was sitting on the balcony with Xue Yi in his arms. He had draped a coat over himself, blocking the wind from outside.

Xue Yi curled up in his embrace, peeking through a gap in the coat with his golden eyes at the busy servants inside. At Xi Huai’s request, the servants were covering the room with the most expensive plush rugs and wrapping the bedposts and table legs in soft cotton.

Most of the Heteromorphic Demon Race favored luxury, and the weather had indeed turned cooler recently, so no one questioned Xi Huai’s sudden decision.

Once the room was finished, a servant came to the balcony. “Your Highness, does this area also need to be covered?”

As the stranger approached, Xue Yi immediately buried his head to hide.

“Cover it.”

Xi Huai stood up and walked into the bedroom. Several servants were outside the openwork door; Xue Yi was placed on the bed, sniffing curiously at the soft fabric on the bedpost and unable to resist taking a lick.

Xi Huai reached out to stop him, saying softly, “No eating random things.”

The wooden floor, which had been cold, was now covered in plush rugs. Xue Yi really wanted to go down and play, but Xi Huai wouldn’t let him.

He cut the sleeve off a coat and made a simple little vest with several holes for Xue Yi to wear. The vest was very crude, but it didn’t much affect his movement. Xi Huai waited until the servants left before setting Xue Yi down. “Wear this for now.”

Suddenly having a piece of fabric on his body was a bit unusual for Xue Yi. He lowered his head and nibbled on the edge, but finding Xi Huai’s scent on it, he let it be.

Xi Huai, meanwhile, took the scissors to the wardrobe and searched through more clothes. Xue Yi watched curiously for a while before being distracted by the plush rug. The rug was thick, and its pure white color almost made Xue Yi blend in; it felt soft under his claws.

Xue Yi stepped from one end of the room to the other. Taking advantage of Xi Huai not paying attention, he quietly took a bite of the long pile. The only downside was that the cloth balls didn’t roll very well on the rug. Looking at the stationary ball and then the room full of rugs, he still preferred the latter.

After dinner, Xue Yi took his second dose of medicine. The taste was bitter, like grass juice. Xue Yi didn’t like it at all, but he had to finish it. The little dragon cub closed his eyes and swallowed the last drop, pawing at Xi Huai’s sleeve with a “wu wu.”

Xi Huai picked Xue Yi up and fed him a small piece of sweet bean paste.

The next day, when Xue Yi woke up, several little vests were laid out by the bed.

Xi Huai picked one up. “Let’s try this.”

The new vest was much more exquisite than the one on Xue Yi’s body, with a layer of fine down inside; it was also a better fit and even had tiny gemstone buttons sewn on. The fabric and buttons were cut from Xi Huai’s own clothes; the stitching at the seams wouldn’t withstand close scrutiny, but it was already very good.

Xi Huai put a brown vest on Xue Yi and looked at him for a moment. “I’ll make some better-looking ones later.”

Time was tight and there was no time to find someone to custom-make them, so these would have to do for now.

Xue Yi looked down at his new clothes, especially the small, colorful gemstone buttons. There was a full-length mirror by the wardrobe; the little dragon cub jumped off the bed alone and went to the mirror to keep looking.

Dragons loved sparkling jewels most of all; it was almost ingrained in their very bones. The little dragon cub excitedly wagged its tail, touching the gemstone buttons in the mirror with its claws, its golden eyes unblinking.

Xi Huai approached from behind and picked Xue Yi up. “As long as you like it.”

“Your Highness.”

A servant came to knock. “Are you going to the Academy today?”

Xi Huai thought for a moment. “Yes.”

Then he scratched the chin of the little dragon cub in his arms and whispered, “You’re coming along too.”

Xue Yi didn’t know where they were going and looked up obediently. “Wu?”

Xi Huai had thought about it last night: he could take more days off, but he couldn’t stay away from the Academy forever. To go to the Academy, he would have to leave Xue Yi behind again, and he still wasn’t at ease.

So until he was certain that Xue Yi’s condition was stable, Xi Huai wouldn’t leave his side. The adjutant had also visited yesterday; there was no telling when the visit to the clinic might be exposed.

After weighing his options, Xi Huai decided not to take leave and would bring Xue Yi to the Academy today. This, of course, carried a risk of being discovered, but Xi Huai was confident.

He put on his storage ring, quickly packed his things, and picked up Xue Yi.

At the same time, in the corridor of the side palace, Xi Nian hurried past. He was going to find Xi Huai at Queen Wei’s request to see how he was and if they should go to the Academy together.

Xi Nian grumbled to himself the whole way; there was no way Xi Huai was sick—it must be an act. And it was even more impossible that Xi Huai would travel with him, but out of respect for Queen Wei’s request, he had to go.

He walked with his head down, and not paying attention for a moment, almost collided with two oncoming servants. The servants hurriedly set down the items in their hands. “Second Prince.”

They were carrying some clothes; the fabric looked new, but many pieces had gaps where they had been cut.

Xi Nian picked one up at random. “Aren’t these Xi Huai’s clothes? He ruined them himself?”

The servants shook their heads, saying only that they were to be thrown away; they knew nothing else. Xi Nian was curious and noted the matter, moving around the servants and continuing forward.

When he reached the sleeping quarters, however, he learned that Xi Huai had already departed.

Xi Huai sat in the speeding beast-drawn carriage, the glazed windows on both sides tightly closed. Xue Yi sat on his lap, pawing at the window to look out.

There was no one else in the carriage, and the windows were one-way; no one would discover a dragon hatchling here. It was Xue Yi’s first time seeing the sights outside Ghost Valley and his room, and his round golden eyes were unblinking.

As they neared the Academy, the carriage slowed down suddenly. The little dragon cub seemed to sense something and turned to hide inside Xi Huai’s coat.

The inner layer of the coat had a large, flat pocket sewn with stiff cloth and padded with soft fabric; it was a perfect hiding place for Xue Yi. As long as he was careful, no one would notice anything at first glance from the outside.

Xi Huai had given instructions in advance, and Xue Yi shrank into the pocket, listening quietly to the strange and noisy sounds from outside. Footsteps continued as Xi Huai walked, then climbed several flights of stairs, and before long pulled out a chair and sat down.

A crisp bell rang out across the campus, and the surroundings fell silent.

Xi Huai sat in a corner in the back row. He was the tallest, and there was no one beside him. Several books were on the table; he picked one up at random and opened it on his lap, the pages rising above the desktop and blocking part of his line of sight.

At that moment, Xi Huai’s coat moved, and a claw poked out from inside. Having confirmed that everything outside was safe, Xue Yi emboldened himself and came out of the pocket.

The little dragon cub peeked around quietly, seeing only shadows in front and an instructor speaking, so he quickly buried his head back down. Xi Huai stroked the little dragon cub in reassurance.

Xue Yi was wearing his little vest, with a piece of paper bearing a circular pattern stuck to the back. This was a very simple illusion that didn’t carry any magical fluctuations; it was easily broken, but it was perfect for now.

Except for Xi Huai, who had drawn the pattern, no one could see the little dragon cub in his arms; only by staring very closely would someone notice a small mass of shaped, translucent air.

The instructor was writing on the blackboard. Xi Huai leaned back and turned the pages of his book while keeping a constant watch on his surroundings. Xue Yi gradually adapted to the new environment and yawned while squatting on Xi Huai’s lap.

The little dragon cub seemed a bit bored; he tilted his head to look at the words and pictures in the book for a while, then scratched at them several times with his claws. The movement was very light, but it sounded a bit strange. A student in the front row heard it and turned to look back.

Xi Huai looked up coldly, his dark eyes like they were soaked in ice. The student felt a chill down his spine and quickly turned back, not daring to look again.