Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Marshal's Wife

The comment silenced the entire hall. Everyone turned to the speaker, and next to him, they noticed a man with a disapproving and uneasy expression.

Xia You lifted his gaze in their direction.

The one speaking was Xia You's cousin, Xia Jiayang, and standing beside him was Li Xu.

“I wasn't aware that I had such a lover,” Xia You lounged on the sofa, legs crossed, the half-human-sized leopard in his embrace turning with him to face the same direction.

“Putting all else aside, Xia Jiayang, if you want to use me to insult the Marshal, you should at least find someone decent,” Xia You glanced disdainfully at Li Xu, “This gentleman... which noble house does he belong to?”

The attendees, all young aristocrats, chuckled derisively at this clear slight on illegitimacy.

Li Xu's face instantly turned beet-red. On the fringes of the crowd, Xia Qing, too, seemed to have hit a sore spot, his face ashen.

“Xia You, don't play innocent! Look at those paintings you've posted on your social account. Each one bears Li Xu’s signature seal. Weren’t they tokens of affection he gave you?”

“Moreover, this is between you two. You're merely the Marshal's match. Don't you think it's shameless of you to drag the Marshal into this?”

Xia Jiayang, apparently coached beforehand, tactically avoided mentioning the Marshal, focusing his attack solely on Xia You.

“Firstly, I bought the paintings, and he sold them. My transaction history is crystal clear, with every single payment being substantial, a straightforward transaction of goods for money.”

Whenever Li Xu “gifted” him a painting in the past, Xia You would generously transfer him a significant amount of money.

According to Li Xu... yes, it was meant for his future wilderness expeditions.

"Secondly, forgive my directness, but the lack of calluses between Mr. Li's fingers suggests he's hardly the artist capable of producing such artwork. Perhaps, would Mr. Li care to paint something for us on the spot?"

Li Xu's expression darkened instantly, forcing himself to say, "Artistic creation requires inspiration. It isn't something one can just casually produce!"

"Oh, almost forgot. Mr. Li did mention on social media that one has to face their fears to paint such a lifelike depiction of a beast."

Xia You lifted her hand to pat the big black panther beside her, caressing its triangular ears.

In the very next moment, before anyone could react, a shadow darted towards Li Xu like lightning, pinning him to the ground with a swift swipe.

A chorus of screams echoed in the banquet hall, while Li Xu trembled uncontrollably, his face as pale as parchment.

Xia You rose and walked over, looking down condescendingly at the disheveled man. "So, Mr. Li, inspired yet?"

"I... I..."

"If this isn't enough," Xia You's fingers traced the edge of the panther's muzzle, "then perhaps..."

"I won't draw! Those... those paintings aren't mine!"

Li Xu was nothing more than a gold-digger, deceiving rich young ladies and gentlemen. Deep down, he was spineless. Feeling the panther's breath grow closer and its claws tearing through his clothes, he broke down and yelled.

Xia You glanced at Xia Jia Yang, whose eyes sparkled with mischief. From a distance, her gaze met Xia Qing's in the crowd.

"It seems I must seek justice for my favorite artist from Mr. Li, right?"

"Oh, I almost forgot..."

The young man leisurely tapped a few commands into his holographic computer, sharing the mainframe notification of his impending marriage to the marshal directly onto the interstellar social network.

After intimidating the foul-smelling bipedal creature, the big black panther scratched at the immobilized man with its claws. Seemingly bored, it growled softly, retracting its paw and heading back towards Xia You.

Suddenly, the golden beast's eyes flashed a vivid purple.

Lu Yinghuai awoke from a lengthy darkness, his consciousness sharpening after a brief moment of disorientation.

He shifted slightly, instantly realizing he was within his spiritual body. Before he could open his eyes, a clear, youthful voice spoke leisurely—

"Now, as the wife of the marshal, do I have the right to address the slanderous remarks made against him and me?"

Lu Yinghuai, who was single before losing consciousness: "?"

Glancing up at the young man in the distance, a red light flickered on the edge of the panther's muzzle guard. The marshal's consciousness dimmed, and in the next second, he found himself plunging into a damp sensation.

***

Marshal's Residence

A piercing alarm sounded. Lu Yinghuai slowly opened his eyes in the stasis chamber, his fingertips brushing against the chamber's exterior, causing a slight frown.

Was that vision just now — an illusion?

"Marshal!"

"Quickly inform Dr. Meng, the Marshal is awake!"

……

The man sat up from the stasis chamber, the nourishing fluid on his body evaporating instantly upon contact with the air.

Without a word, Lu Yinghuai glanced at the agitated Wei Cheng and Meng Wenxuan, then activated the holographic computer on his wrist, going through the alerts one by one based on their urgency levels.

Minutes later, Lu Yinghuai's fingers paused on the marriage compatibility report and notification from the mainframe displayed on the screen.

Meng Wenxuan and Wei Cheng held their breaths, not daring to utter a word.

After a brief silence, instead of questioning the two, Lu Yinghuai simply said, "Prepare the aircraft."

"Huh?" Wei Cheng didn't catch on immediately.

Meng Wenxuan raised an eyebrow, a glint in his eyes. "Marshal, Young Master Xia just went to attend a birthday banquet. He should be back in a couple of days."

Closing the holographic screen, images of the resplendent young man, akin to a dazzling diamond, and the bloodied, disheveled state before he passed out, simultaneously flashed across Lu Yinghuai's mind.

Lu Yinghuai collected his thoughts and began processing the accumulated tasks and messages from the past few days. "Get everything ready. Also, bring me the auxiliary device."

Lu Yinghuai wasn't sure how long he'd remain conscious this time, but his intuition and instincts compelled him to see this young man for himself.

For a fleeting moment, Lu Yinghuai felt somewhat dazed, even... incredulous.

Due to his high level of psychic energy, no healer had ever approached him, and no medical practitioner could aid him. On this journey, Lu Yinghuai had always been alone.

However, just as he felt he was at a dead-end, starlight graced him.

No one understood the changes occurring within Lu Yinghuai better than he did himself.

Each time, he would struggle to wake from a nightmare of blood and smoke, his psychic energy feeling like countless

But this time, it felt as though he had merely taken a peaceful sleep in the darkness, and upon opening his eyes, effortlessly returned to the world of the living.

—— A hundred percent psychic energy compatibility.

Such a phenomenon, which seemed only to exist in fairy tales and imperial history, felt nothing short of a miracle.

A gracious gift.