Growing Up with the Demon King Tyrant - Chapter 9

Dried fruits and vegetables contain no moisture and are essentially snacks.

Xi Huai, concerned that the hatchling shouldn’t overindulge, stopped the feeding and wiped away the crumbs lingering on Xue Yi’s cheeks.

Queen Wei hailed from the Wood Elf tribe. Aside from being skilled in healing magic, this race loved researching recipes, so it was no wonder Xue Yi enjoyed the treats.

Logically, Xi Nian should also possess the talents of the Wood Elf tribe, but the bloodline of the Heteromorphic Demons was too dominant; there were no true “half-bloods” within the clan.

There was still an entire bag of dried fruit on the table. Xi Huai unceremoniously put them all into a drawer.

Xi Nian hadn’t left yet. Seeing that Xi Huai was in a good mood, he tentatively asked, “So what exactly is going on? I haven’t heard any news of the Dragon Clan coming to the capital.”

Xi Huai kept his head down and confessed frankly: “Ghost Valley.”

Because of his punishment, he had been confined in Ghost Valley and happened to pick up the newly hatched Xue Yi.

Learning the backstory, Xi Nian’s eyes widened.

The fact that the Dragon Clan had surrendered three dragon eggs was no secret within the tribe. It was considered a great humiliation left behind by the dragons, and occasionally people would bring it up to mock them.

But mockery aside, no one would have imagined that a dragon egg abandoned in Ghost Valley for so long could actually hatch successfully.

“But… Father and the others don’t know yet, right?”

Xi Nian quickly pinpointed the heart of the matter. “If you’re discovered, you’ll definitely be punished again. I bet you want to go stay in Ghost Valley for another half-month…”

However, he could roughly understand Xi Huai’s actions.

The Heteromorphic Demon Race hated dragons, and the other races within their territory followed suit. Xue Yi was a hatchling dragon with no parents or siblings, alone in the territory of a rival race.

On the bright side, if the Dragon Clan found out, they might negotiate to take Xue Yi back as soon as possible. Otherwise, Xue Yi would certainly face ostracization and hatred—he might even be imprisoned…

Xi Nian didn’t dare think further, his face full of worry.

Of course, he certainly didn’t like dragons. But Xue Yi was so small and looked so well-behaved and obedient… Without any prejudice, Xi Nian felt the little dragon before him was even cuter than the little white cat Queen Wei raised.

Xi Huai looked down. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

He had thought about this problem but hadn’t found a suitable solution yet. A simple illusion was too low-level; even Xi Nian could easily see through it. Xue Yi was also too small for his body to handle a transformation spell.

For now, he would just raise him well. At worst, he would take Xue Yi outside the capital and find a secluded place to live.

Xue Yi watched the two talk, vaguely sensing they were discussing matters regarding him. Phrases like “being discovered” and “punishment”…

Xue Yi hurriedly moved to the edge of the table and leaped down, landing accurately in Xi Huai’s lap. He buried his head, seeking a sense of security. “Wu…”

Xi Huai looked down and pinched one of the dragon cub’s front claws. “What’s wrong?”

Xi Nian watched and suddenly asked, “Can it transform into human form?”

He had heard that most dragons were ugly and coarse after transformation, and didn’t pay much attention to their appearance.

“I don’t know,” Xi Huai stroked the cub’s chin. “Alright, if there’s nothing else, get out.”

He returned to his usual cold demeanor. Xi Nian wanted to take a few more looks at Xue Yi, but was swept away by the youth’s gaze.

Xi Nian curled his lip. “I even found books for you… If you get caught later, I absolutely won’t speak up for you.” He retreated to the openwork door before turning to leave.

Xue Yi’s quiet eyes watched him walk away until the door closed again. Xi Nian’s face shared some similarity with Xi Huai’s, but their temperaments were entirely different.

Xue Yi looked back up at Xi Huai, lying down to rub against his palm and licking his fingertip. The little dragon cub relaxed, squinting his eyes as if wanting to nap.

Xi Huai’s mind wandered briefly, still thinking about Xi Nian’s last question. Xue Yi could certainly have a human form, but none of the books he found mentioned specifically when dragons transform.

Did they have to wait until adulthood? Surely it wouldn’t take that long.

Looking at the little dragon in his lap, Xi Huai whispered, “Xue-bao, can you talk?”

Xue Yi wagged his tail. “Wu?”

The dragon cub’s response was tender and crisp, but unfortunately, he couldn’t form complete words yet. Xi Huai had never imagined raising a dragon and couldn’t picture what Xue Yi would look like after transforming.

His attempt having failed, he estimated that dinner time was approaching and took a set of bowl and spoon out of the drawer.

After several consecutive days of classes, the Academy reached a two-day holiday.

Xue Yi woke up earlier than Xi Huai. He fished out a cloth ball from under the pillow and played by himself for a while. Suddenly, footsteps sounded in the corridor outside, and a servant came to knock.

Xue Yi hurriedly lay down, using the corner of the blanket to hide himself.

“Your Highness,” the servant called out, “Adjutant Rin will be coming by this morning.”

Xi Huai opened his eyes. “For what?”

The servant was only responsible for delivering the message and didn’t know the reason for the visit.

Once the servant left, Xi Huai thought quickly for two seconds, threw back the covers, and got out of bed. The Adjutant coming to see him certainly had Hemonya’s intention behind it; he might even ask about the reasons for recent class-skipping.

Xi Huai didn’t want to face questioning and planned to sneak away with Xue Yi. He immediately washed up, wiped Xue Yi’s face and claws, and put the thickest vest on him.

Breakfast was delivered promptly. Xue Yi drank several sips of meat porridge and finished a small piece of rice cake. Xi Huai had just said they were going out to play, so the dragon cub ate heartily and filled his stomach quickly.

Before the Adjutant arrived, Xi Huai took Xue Yi and quietly climbed out through the balcony.

When the servant and Adjutant arrived, they knocked but received no response. Opening the door, they saw the room was empty; Xi Huai was nowhere to be found.

The servant looked embarrassed. “I told the Prince in advance. Maybe… maybe the Prince is busy right now. Would you like to wait a bit?”

“If he’s busy, then never mind,” the Adjutant said, holding a cage covered with a black cloth. “When the Prince returns, give this to him.”

The servant took it, and the Adjutant added, “Tell him it’s… something the King prepared specifically for him.”

The cage wobbled slightly; something living seemed to be inside.

In another direction from the side palace, Xi Huai had already exited through the back gate. He specifically avoided the crowded corridors, heading toward the most secluded corner of the entire palace complex.

Xue Yi peeked out from the coat and saw a quiet courtyard ahead. The gate was locked and overgrown with weeds. While no one was around, Xi Huai broke the lock and entered.

He walked through the front hall to a certain room. No one seemed to live here, and the dust was thick; Xi Huai raised his hand and cast two cleaning spells. Then, he went to a cabinet by the wall and took out a wooden box.

Since no one was there, Xue Yi boldly pushed aside the edge of the coat and saw Xi Huai open the box. It was filled with small toys of various kinds: a cloth rabbit doll, a miniature carriage that could be driven by magic, building blocks that could be pieced together, and so on.

“Ao—”

Xue Yi took a fancy to the little rabbit doll at once. Without waiting for Xi Huai to pick him up, he jumped down on his own. The dragon cub circled the wooden box, biting the rabbit’s ear and pulling outward.

Xi Huai gave him a hand, saying, “This is where I used to live.”

Before the age of six, he had been placed in this secluded courtyard; only after six did he move to the sleeping quarters. Xi Huai had a general impression that back then, Hemonya would often visit him, as would a white-haired man whose eyes were covered.

Though the living environment didn’t compare to other parts of the palace, his requests were basically all granted, and this box of toys had been prepared back then. Unfortunately, Xi Huai didn’t like them much, so most of the toys were still brand new. Later, when he moved away, the box was left behind and went untouched for a long time.

Leaving the palace would be noticed by the Adjutant and Hemonya; Xi Huai had temporarily remembered this place, and it was perfect for Xue Yi to play with these things.

The rabbit doll was dragged to the floor. Xue Yi leaned in to sniff it and pressed his claw against one of its eyes.

Only then did Xi Huai notice that Xue Yi didn’t seem to like the doll itself, but was interested in its eyes. The two eyes were made of red crystal with two circular facets cut into them, looking as beautiful as gemstones.

The dragon cub squatted before the doll, pawing at the crystals, then looked down at the gemstone buttons on his vest as if comparing which was prettier.

Xi Huai immediately thought of the book Xi Nian brought yesterday and the description of “Dragon Disease.” The content was surely exaggerated and biased, but dragons indeed loved sparkling jewels.

Xi Huai picked up the rabbit doll and used a blade to cut out the crystals. The scene was somewhat eerie; Xue Yi hid behind Xi Huai, peeking out with one eye.

After removing the crystals, Xi Huai tossed the doll aside and opened his palm to Xue Yi. “Do you like these?”

Xue Yi let out an “ao-wu,” his tail wagging happily. The dragon cub sniffed Xi Huai’s palm, then suddenly picked one up in his mouth and looked around nervously.

Xi Huai didn’t know what Xue Yi wanted to do and waited patiently. The surroundings were quiet and safe, but this was still a foreign environment.

Xue Yi struggled for a moment, then brought the crystal to Xi Huai and dropped it into his coat pocket. The other piece was dropped in as well. The dragon cub squatted by the pocket as if guarding his treasure.

Xi Huai thought for a moment and roughly understood Xue Yi’s meaning.

“Alright, I’ll hide them for you,” he patted the wooden box. “Come look again, see which one you like.”

Throughout the morning, Xi Huai accompanied Xue Yi in the courtyard. Few people passed by outside, so the dragon cub could dash through the grass—which had been treated with demonic energy—to his heart’s content, and even tried climbing a tree once.

It wasn’t until nearly lunch time that Xi Huai quietly returned to his quarters. A servant was waiting in the corridor. Seeing Xi Huai finally appear, he stepped forward: “Your Highness, Adjutant Rin was here.”

The items left by the Adjutant were temporarily placed in the storage room; another servant brought them over promptly.

Xi Huai looked at it. “What is this?”

The servant answered truthfully, saying they hadn’t opened it.

At that moment, Xue Yi, inside the coat, looked alert and sniffed the air with his nose. The hem of the coat moved accordingly. Xi Huai first dismissed the servant.

The door was closed tightly, and Xue Yi immediately jumped out, circling the object covered by the black cloth. Xi Huai knelt down and lifted the cloth.

An iron cage appeared, containing a spirit beast hatchling. The hatchling seemed to be of the feline variety, with slightly long pure white fur; it was only a bit larger than Xue Yi. Its green eyes watched the outside with both curiosity and timidness.

After seeing this little beast clearly, Xue Yi froze and looked up at Xi Huai: “…Wu?”