Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Psychic Entity

The panther's fur was smooth, delicate, and even, feeling like satin to the touch.

Xia You became increasingly engrossed, and without realizing, he leaned closer to the panther.

Mere touching wasn't enough. Xia You swiftly activated his light-computer and began taking a series of photos and videos of the panther.

After all, this was the Marshal's Mansion, second only to the Imperial Palace in terms of tight security on the Capital Star. Once he left, he doubted he'd get another chance to return.

If not for his persistent intuition alerting him, Xia You might have been hugging the panther's head by now.

The elegant panther lazily lying on the ground flicked its tail slightly. Its golden eyes mirrored two miniature reflections of Xia You, and its sharp fangs peeked out.

The mysterious and powerful predator sheathed its fangs, reined in its aggression, and seemed to carelessly allow its prey to approach. Its moist nose slowly neared the prey's neck—

"Be careful!"

An alarmed shout echoed from nearby. Xia You abruptly turned his head, his cheek brushing against the panther's whiskers.

The black panther nonchalantly closed its previously opened mouth. Its cold eyes darted to the entrance, its muscles tensed, clearly adopting an aggressive stance.

The paralyzed deputy: "..."

"No, Marshal, you nearly clamped down on the young master's neck just now. How could he stay silent?"

This is indeed the healing expert you rescued, but surely not to be your reserve food, right...?

"Hello, may I assist you?" Xia You stood courteously, his gaze briefly noting the rank on the newcomer's uniform before adding, "Lieutenant Colonel?"

To reach the rank of Lieutenant Colonel at such a young age, he must be from the First Legion, or perhaps a confidant close to the Marshal.

Since graduating from the military academy, Wei Cheng has always been at Marshal Lu Yinghuai's side. Being a rare S-class psychic warrior himself, he began assisting the Marshal with many affairs after the latter's psychic disturbances worsened. As a result, he's privy to numerous secrets.

For instance, a few warriors in the interstellar realm possess exceptionally high psychic levels and unique talents, enabling them to have singular psychic entities that drastically enhance their combat capabilities.

Another example: the Marshal's psychic entity is a sleek black panther.

Wei Cheng's eyelid twitched as he watched the muscular black panther gracefully leap onto the sofa, its movements silent and fluid.

Yes, this very one in front of him.

"Lieutenant Colonel?" Xia You approached the newcomer, raising his voice in confusion.

Wei Cheng tried his best to ignore the watchful panther, focusing his attention on the young man before him.

"I am Marshal Lu's aide-de-camp, Wei Cheng." Wei Cheng offered a smile, "If Mr. Xia feels uncomfortable about anything, you can come to me directly."

"Thank you, but there's no need for formalities. Just call me Xia You."

Xia You glanced at the device in Wei Cheng's hand, noting the taut muscles that had been evident since Wei Cheng appeared. Reflecting upon the panther that patrolled the area as if it owned the place, he suddenly inquired:

"Are you here for the panther?"

Wei Cheng chuckled awkwardly.

"Yes, I had official matters to attend to today, and when I returned... well," grappling for the right term, he eventually settled for a formal one, "The esteemed panther seemed to have eluded its caretakers and vanished."

Fortunately, the Marshal had previously equipped his psychic entity with a locator. Otherwise, in the vast Marshal Mansion, even with the Marshal's consciousness attached to the psychic entity and his mind not entirely lucid, locating him would prove a tremendous challenge.

The panther... esteemed...?

Xia You paused, slightly taken aback.

"The man before me appears young, but he is the Marshal's deputy and holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Yet, he addresses a panther with such respect?"

After pondering a moment, Xia You had a sudden realization.

He should have thought of it sooner.

This is the Marshal's mansion, after all. Who else but its owner would be allowed to keep such a beast here?

"Is this black panther the Marshal's pet?"

Wei Cheng's expression contorted briefly. After a momentary loss for words, he stammered, "Pet might not be the right word... This esteemed creature has fought side by side with the Marshal..."

Understanding dawned on Xia You's face.

"Ah, I can see that," Xia You lavished praise on the panther, "This black panther exudes both power and dominance, clearly wild with an innate hunting instinct. Was it raised in the wild before coming here?"

In the Empire, the conditions for raising wild beasts are strict. Firstly, due to the uncontrollable nature of these animals, and secondly, with the advancement of interstellar technology, ecosystems have been disrupted. The Empire encourages the preservation of wild animals' ability to survive in their natural habitats.

With a deadpan face, Wei Cheng managed, "You could say that..."

Rumor had it that the Marshal grew up alongside the previous Marshal, battling on the front lines. In a way, it sort of...well.

He caught himself, thinking that this wasn't very respectful toward the Marshal.

"However, black panthers are usually loners, a bit aloof by nature. With their keen sense of smell, too many people would undoubtedly irritate them."

"You know, encountering a black panther in broad daylight in the wild is an exceptionally rare event."

As Xia You spoke, his eyes sparkled. He reached out and embraced the approaching panther, his fingers naturally brushing its fur.

In his previous life, Xia You was a pampered young master. Truth be told, besides his innate healing ability, the only thing he had ever really studied was the nature of beasts he loved.

The fact that Xia Qing managed to introduce malicious individuals to Xia You by exploiting this very love, introducing him to a wilderness artist.

While the man's character was questionable, he had traveled widely and painted an array of lifelike wild animals, which had caught the discerning eye of the young master Xia You.

Wei Cheng's eyes narrowed as he watched the panther move closer to Xia You's neck, preparing to strike again. "Watch out—"

With agility, Xia You evaded the panther's lunge. However, he didn't attempt to touch the panther's head or mouth, keeping his hand on its body, caressing its fur.

With a nuanced expression, Wei Cheng inquired, "Did you notice something earlier?"

"Of course, its mouth was wide open," observed Xia You, standing so close it was impossible not to notice the panther's movement. "But that doesn’t necessarily mean it wanted to hunt or kill me."

Having witnessed the panther's failed attempts to bite necks twice, Wei Cheng held back his words.

"Well... I'm not entirely sure, but..."

As Xia You spoke, she lowered her head to lock eyes with the panther's golden pupils for a few moments. Seizing the opportunity when the panther yawned, she quickly pulled apart its legs and took a swift glance.

The muscles on the panther tensed, and in an instant, it wriggled free from Xia You's grasp, jumping far away.

The deputy officer, who unfortunately witnessed the whole scene, froze in shock, standing still like a petrified wooden post.

Xia You dusted off her hands and stood up, her voice light and face smiling, "It's a bit dark, so I couldn't see clearly, but it's very possible that it's in heat."

Wei Cheng opened his mouth, then blankly closed it without a word.

"During their mating season, male panthers will approach and bite the neck of the female with their mouths."

Xia You chuckled, "I once read a paper from a wildlife breeding base. It mentioned that healing-type psychic powers have a certain allure and calming effect on wild beasts."

"When it approached me earlier, it didn't seem intent on attacking. It was probably drawn by the healing psychic energy I emit and got confused."

Speechless for a moment, Wei Cheng noticed the panther's retreat, fixing his gaze on the creature now perched on the balcony railing.

The panther's originally golden eyes hinted at specks of deep purple, and for a moment, a human-like struggle appeared on its furry face.

It glanced back at Xia You and the watching Wei Cheng, nodded its large head, then leapt away, disappearing silently into the night.

Hearing the commotion, Xia You rushed to the balcony and peered out for a long time, sighing in disappointment.

Wei Cheng wiped the sweat from his brow, cleared his throat, made some casual remarks, then hastily left.

Xia You bent down, picking off the panther's fur from her clothes one by one. She then meticulously searched the sofa and carpet, carefully gathering the soft black hairs in her palm.

Looking out at the garden beyond the balcony again, Xia You caressed the fur in her hand, pondering whether she'd have another chance to see that panther.

"If I could touch it a few more times, maybe I could make some kind of souvenir..."

***

On the other side of the Marshal's residence,

Wei Cheng stood in the medical room, a tracker for monitoring the Marshal's spirit form gripped in his hand.

The isolation chamber around him, specially designed, housed a sleek panther. It lay on a thick, dried tree trunk placed horizontally on the ground, resting with eyes closed, its tail still.

Meng Wenxuan, the dedicated medical specialist attending to the Marshal's condition, wearing a white lab coat, stood alongside Wei Cheng, both men intently watching the spirit form within the chamber, disbelief written on their faces.

Wei Cheng tapped a few commands on his holographic computer, pulling up a surveillance video and handed it to Meng Wenxuan.

Meng Wenxuan watched with a grave expression, pausing the moment the panther's pupils radiated a deep purple hue.

"It's already anomalous that the Marshal entered his disordered phase ahead of schedule," Meng Wenxuan paused, "This is also the first time we've observed signs of the Marshal being consciously awake while his consciousness is attached to the spirit form."

Wei Cheng pursed his lips, hesitating for a moment before admitting, "The Marshal had contact with Xia You before the onset of his condition."

"What do you mean?" Meng Wenxuan's head shot up to meet Wei Cheng's gaze, "Hasn't the Marshal been avoiding outsiders lately?"

Wei Cheng then recounted in detail the events of the recent matchmaking banquet.

However, Meng Wenxuan remained silent for an extended period after listening, his expression shifting rapidly. Suddenly, he inquired, "Did you say that young Master Xia possesses a healing-type psychic power?"

"Yes," Wei Cheng responded quickly, catching Meng Wenxuan's implication, but with a frown added, "Class C."

"You took the trouble to check his psychic power level?" Meng Wenxuan arched an eyebrow.

Meng Wenxuan was, of course, aware of the incident at the Marshal's banquet. Yet, there seemed no reason to investigate someone's psychic level just because of it.

"No, the Marshal ordered it..." Wei Cheng began but then trailed off.

Everyone in the Marshal's inner circle knew that the Marshal rarely concerned himself with trivial matters. Why would he now investigate someone just for having helped him on a whim?

With a snap, Meng Wenxuan shut down the holographic computer, saying with a serious tone, "I have a theory."

Wei Cheng remained silent, only furrowing his brows.

"Indeed, under normal circumstances, a Class C psychic power shouldn't influence the Marshal."

"But have you considered a situation where psychic powers affect each other regardless of their levels?"

"You're suggesting..." A glint flashed in Wei Cheng's eyes.

Meng Wenxuan stepped forward, raising his hand, pressing his fingertip against the glass of the isolation observation room, his eyes intense.

"Mental strength compatibility."

Author's Note:

I've explained in the comments section about referring to the leopard as "His Excellency." Given that the aide-de-camp knows the leopard embodies the Marshal at times, it would be inappropriate for him to address it as such directly. Xia You, unaware of this, continues to address the creature as a mere leopard, hence the different appellations.

Furthermore, "His Excellency" is not reserved solely for the second person.

Finance Ministers from ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea (10+3) convened the tenth Finance Ministers' Meeting in Kyoto, Japan, co-chaired by His Excellency Mr. Chalongphob Sussangkarn, Minister of Finance of Thailand, and His Excellency Mr. Jin Renqing, Minister of Finance of the People's Republic of China.

[From the "Joint Statement of the 2007 ASEAN Plus Three Finance Ministers Meeting"]

This title has also been used in various contexts, such as "His Excellency the Ambassador" or "His Excellency the Head of State." It's not restricted to the second person.