Chapter 33

By the time Xia You returned from changing her pants in the car, the civet had taken her former seat, with Lu Yinghui engrossed, tapping on a holographic screen.

Seeing Xia You approach, the civet straightened up, shaking its head. Its soft ears and fur billowed, evoking a fluffy, gentle sensation.

As Xia You sat in front of the civet, a wave of anxiety surged within her.

Noticing her unease, Lu Yinghui placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, applying slight pressure.

Xia You looked at Lu Yinghui, drawing strength and courage from the ever-composed elder. She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.

The civet lifted a paw and gently placed it on Xia You's knee, tilting its head slightly, giving the nervous young man a cheeky wink.

Xia You chuckled, reaching out to grasp the civet's front paw. As she turned her palm over, the tiny tendrils of mental energy stored within her spiritual sea followed the civet's paw, delving deep into the larger feline's being.

While these spiritual beings now had animalistic forms, they remained, at their core, manifestations of psychic energy.

As Xia You's mental energy entered the civet, its gaze became instantly aggressive, and its sharp teeth began to show.

Lu Yinghui, prepared for this, reached out and clamped down on the civet's snarling mouth.

The civet's growl morphed into a whine as it tried desperately to wriggle away from Xia You.

With eyes closed, Xia You focused entirely on guiding her delicate mental tendrils into the big cat. Mindful of the potential pain the creature might feel, she slowed the process, ensuring it was as gentle and soft as possible.

The tender tendrils of mental energy skimmed over blood vessels, meridians, and bones, gradually reaching the extremities.

The panther, observing from the side, extended its claws. Its hefty paw pressed the struggling civet firmly to the ground. Seeing the commotion, the tiger cub joined in the fray, clambering onto the civet's back, pinning it down with a playful thud.

Once the tiger cub intervened, Lu Yinghui released his grip. With a mere thought, the panther then let go of the civet, took a few steps around, and positioned itself behind the civet, using its paws to immobilize the injured leg, preventing any sudden movements.

The greyish-brown large cat lay pinned underneath, pitifully raising a front paw, which Xia You held gently in her hand.

As she continuously channeled her psychic energy, fine beads of sweat formed on Xia You's forehead.

The force within the civet was indeed similar to what Xia You had previously encountered in zombies. It was an energy that her psychic tendrils found both hypersensitive and repulsive.

These murky, varied, and irregularly shaped spots, with blurred edges and inconsistent sizes, clung to the civet's blood vessels and flesh.

Each time, Xia You's tendrils had to encircle these murky marks, prying them away after considerable effort. After removing them, wounds that oozed blood would instantly appear, and Xia You instinctively knew the pain the civet must be feeling.

The process was akin to the excruciating bone-scraping treatment.

By the time Xia You felt a throbbing pain at her temples, forcing her to retract her psychic tendrils, her back was drenched in cold sweat.

A warm, soft sensation settled on her back, its fluffy texture warmed by the sun's unique touch.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Xia You nuzzled the coat with her cheek, recognizing it as the plush blanket she loved to bask under in the marshal's mansion. She hadn't expected the Highness to bring it along.

While speaking, Xia You subconsciously squeezed the marten paw pad in her hand, her gaze lowered slightly, eyebrows furrowed, looking somewhat dazed and unresponsive.

The marten had slumped into a soft heap. The panther moved its paw and gently picked up the tiger cub, setting it aside. It then approached Xia You, its long whiskers quivering slightly with her breath.

Lu Yinghuai placed an energy stone into Xia You's other hand, gently pulling the marten's paw from her grasp. The moment her hand was empty and she looked lost, he placed the panther's paw within it.

"Take a moment to rest."

"Oh."

Xia You seemed slightly out of it, but her action of squeezing the paw pad didn't stop. Her spiritual tendrils swiftly drained the energy from the stone. After finishing, they leaned towards Lu Yinghuai, affectionately nuzzling against his wrist.

Lu Yinghuai chuckled and presented another energy stone, watching as the spiritual tendrils eagerly began nibbling on it.

When the tiger cub clambered onto Xia You's lap, its hind paws on her thigh and its body nestled against her, Xia You finally snapped out of her daze.

The gray spots within the marten were pulled and dragged away by her spiritual tendrils, which then instantly incorporated them.

As this gray energy accumulated within Xia You's spiritual tendrils, she felt as if she glimpsed some scenes—vague and indistinct, but the sensations of smoke, solemnity, coldness, and bloodshed were overwhelming.

Accompanying these images were feelings of profound guilt and sorrow, an inescapable melancholy.

Was it an illusion?

Xia You strained to see more clearly, but the scenes shattered like fragmented glass, fading away bit by bit, leaving behind only a lingering sense of sadness.

A tear slid from Xia You's eye, landing on the tiger cub's head and rolling down its orange and black fur.

The tiger cub opened its mouth and licked the fur around its lips, looking slightly puzzled.

The panther let out a soft growl, pressing its head affectionately against Xia You's cheek.

"I'm fine," Xia You whispered, nuzzling the panther in return.

But shortly after, recalling the scenes her spiritual senses had detected, suspicion clouded Xia You's eyes as she gazed at the marten.

However, seeing the marten on the ground, curled up tightly with its ears hidden, Xia You's suspicion faded. She rushed forward to check on it.

"The marten is okay, probably just fainted," Lu Yinghuai remarked, returning with freshly caught prey.

"It must have been painful earlier," Xia You murmured, gently stroking the marten's fur, faintly feeling its body still quivering.

For the first time, the panther gently bit onto Xia You's clothes and tugged lightly in the direction of Lu Yinghuai.

The tiger cub also hopped off Xia You's lap and scampered toward the prey.

It's mealtime!

Amused, Xia You allowed herself to be guided by the panther away from the marten. But before leaving, she thoughtfully retrieved a small blanket from her space ring and draped it over the marten.

The panther had never favored bowls when eating. If it hunted, it tore into its prey; if Xia You prepared the food, it preferred being fed by her.

But with more felines in the house, Xia You now set out three feeding bowls, one of which had previously been used by the marten.

Lu Yinghuai glanced at his own spirit form, then looked at the large bowl before him and remained silent.

Xia You divided the meat among the three bowls. The tiger cub, following her movements, paced in front of them.

Perhaps sensing a residual scent in the one used by the marten, the cub sniffed at it, snorted in disinterest, and moved away.

Likely driven by hunger, the cub shook its head and dove into the middle bowl, eating with gusto.

In contrast, the panther sat regally in front of Xia You, not even sparing the bowl a glance.

Xia You waited for a while, even tapping the bowl's edge a few times to signal the panther.

Lu Yinghuai's gaze flickered for a moment before he shifted his attention to the distant snow-capped mountains, their peaks veiled by the clouds.

The panther, however, ignored Xia You's attempts and remained still, showing no intention of eating.

Puzzled, Xia You wondered aloud, "Is Yuan Yuan not hungry? But that shouldn't be the case... Did he eat while hunting earlier?"

However, she was well aware that the panther never hunted, ate, and then hunted again. He always brought his prey straight back to her.

Could it be...

Suspecting something, Xia You cautiously picked up a piece of meat from the bowl and offered it to the panther's mouth.

The panther's long whiskers twitched gracefully. Opening its mouth, it carefully took the meat, avoiding Xia You's fingers.

After eating, it simply gazed at Xia You in silence.

Xia You: "..."

Finally grasping the situation, Xia You commented, "Yuan Yuan, this habit of yours..."

Her words were interrupted as the panther raised its paw and placed it on her shoulder.

If it's not to his liking, the panther won't listen.

Resigned, Xia You fed another piece to the panther.

The panther snapped up the meat, but not before playfully licking Xia You's fingers with its tongue.

All feline tongues have tiny barbs; a kitten's lick feels like gentle, soft hooks. But the affectionate licks of a big cat can be best described as intensely palpable.

However, while the marten was temporarily staying with them due to injuries and the tiger cub was soon to be released back into the wild—

Unlike them, Yuan Yuan was their own domesticated big cat. What could Xia You do?

Although verbally teasing, "Yuan Yuan is so spoiled, acting like a baby even now," her feeding actions became even more vigorous. Occasionally, she'd cheekily pinch the panther's rough tongue and tap on its sharp, pointed fangs.

Only those who have cats can understand the contrasting joy of a usually aloof cat that shows affection and demands attention at home, which multiplies the happiness of cat owners.

So engrossed in the joy of feeding the big cat, Xia You failed to notice Marshal Lu, seemingly admiring the distant snow mountains, had the tips of his ears under his black hair turning bright red.

Initially concerned the panther might still be hungry, Xia You contemplated fetching some preserved raw meat from her space ring. However, after she finished feeding him, the panther leisurely began grooming itself, appearing satiated.

Yuan Yuan truly was the world's most intelligent, understanding, and well-behaved cat.

Unable to resist, Xia You reached out and stroked the panther's soft, furry ears again.

As the marten regained consciousness from its stupor, it first twitched its nose, lifting its head, causing a bulge under the blanket.

The gray-brown cat tried to stand, but lingering pain and a drained feeling left its limbs weak, and it flopped back down.

Both Xia You and Lu Yinghuai heard the commotion and quickly approached the marten's side.

Xia You partially lifted the blanket, revealing the marten's fluffy head and ears tufted with dark fur.

Lu Yinghuai used a light computer to scan the marten's psychic wave data, uploading it for analysis.

Although their concerns were different, both Xia You and Lu Yinghuai were deeply invested in the marten's well-being.

The marten lay on the ground, twitching its ears, too weak even to make a sound.

Yet, it mustered the strength to extend a front paw, brushing Xia You's hand with its pad in gratitude. It then lifted its large head, looking at Lu Yinghuai with eyes full of excitement and joy.

Flames blazed in the marten's eyes. They weren't the straightforward and clear eyes of a beast but instead held human determination and spirit.

Since sinking into the spiritual form, he had never felt so lucid.

Lu Yinghuai's lips curved, and relief shone in his eyes.

A scratching sound ensued. Looking up in confusion, Lu Yinghuai saw a little tiger, with its face still messy from eating, clumsily approaching with the marten's food bowl nudged by its head.

Lu Yinghuai: "..."

After spending some time together, Lu Yinghuai had come to understand certain behaviors of his spiritual nephew.

Like right now.

Fan Yuxin looked at the large bowl pushed in front of him: "?"

Was he supposed to eat it?

But... now that he was awake, wouldn't bending down to lick raw meat from a bowl seem... barbaric and impolite?

Moreover, spiritual forms didn't really need to eat.

He could skip this meal.

With that thought, Fan Yuxin nudged the food bowl with his head, pushing the meat towards the little tiger.

The tiger, paw resting on the edge of the bowl, paused in confusion before pushing it back to the marten.

The two cats, one large and one small, kept pushing the bowl back and forth, treating it like a ball of yarn.

Initially, Xia You sneakily captured this scene with her light computer. However, playing with food was behavior she didn't want to encourage.

Not wanting to reprimand the unfamiliar big cat, Xia You gently tapped the back of the little tiger's head, saying, "You shouldn't play with food."

The little tiger, feeling wronged that Xia You only scolded him and not the marten, began to wail at her. In the process, it mischievously tugged at Xia You's trouser leg with its claws.

The black panther trailing behind Xiayu stepped forward, letting out a low growl, casting a disapproving glance at Xiayu.

Xiayu glanced at the lynx, realizing she couldn't bring herself to strike it.

There's a peculiar feeling in the air.

As Xiayu tried to soothe the little tiger, she squatted down and whispered to the lynx, "Going hungry isn't good for wound recovery. You can't hunt right now; would you consider eating our food?"

Hearing Xiayu converse with the lynx, the little tiger became even more relentless, its mewling growing louder.

As a family dispute seemed imminent, the lynx, met with the genuine and concerned gaze of the healer, quietly extended its paw to retrieve the bowl of meat.

Eyeing the raw chunks of meat, after a lengthy mental preparation, the lynx looked up at Lu Yinghuai. Its gaze shifted abruptly from rational mildness to a beast's candidness.

Without any hesitation, it then delved into the bowl to eat.

Lu Yinghuai: "..."

After all, being a noble's son, how did Fan Yuxin manage to act without any human restraint?

But what could the lynx do?

Though his conscious moments were fleeting, Fan Yuxin discerned an unusual relationship between the marshal and the healer.

That black panther had often been seen at the marshal's residence; it was probably the marshal's elusive spirit form.

If he dared to let the healer feed him, the moment he'd open his mouth, the marshal's spirit form would likely snap at him.

The domesticated cat, unable to rely on a doting healer, had to fend for itself.

A noble heir such as him couldn't bring himself to act that way. He'd rather let his recently awakened, slightly weary consciousness take a brief rest and act on instinct.

In the meantime... well, he'd observe the true nature of the relationship between this healer and the marshal.

It's crucial.

Seeing the lynx gobbling the meat, the little tiger became frantic, standing upright, placing its two front paws beside the lynx's bowl and yowling.

A twitch appeared at the corner of Xiayu's mouth.

Lu Yinghuai held his forehead in exasperation.

The lynx, engrossed in eating its meat, paused and looked up at the little tiger. After a moment of hesitation, it picked up a piece of meat with its mouth and offered it to the cub.

The tiger cub gleefully accepted the lynx's offering, positioning itself beside it, holding the meat with its paws, and began to savor it.

The young tiger was astute. Its earlier act of nudging the bowl was due to recognizing Xiayu's method of portioning prey to prevent disputes.

The cub was actually full but wanted to gnaw to sharpen its teeth, hoping to snag a bit more food from the lynx's bowl under the guise of "helping."

Observing the lynx—meticulous in its actions but wholly at ease with raw meat—Xiayu finally let go of her lingering doubts.

If the lynx were, or once was, human... there's no way it could naturally and instinctively consume raw meat, right?

And after eating its fill, the way it would lie down and meticulously groom itself—Xiayu couldn't fathom a human soul exhibiting such behavior.

After the meal, Xiayu cleaned the bowls for all three felines and resumed their journey.

It's worth noting that after Xiayu treated the lynx with her spiritual energy, it visibly warmed up to her, albeit still maintaining its distance.

At most, Xiayu could pet the lynx's head for a few seconds or hold its paw. As for its tail, which she'd been eyeing for a while, she couldn't touch it at all.

Midway through their journey, the system warned of a change in wind direction, issuing an amber rainstorm alert.

The weather in the high-mountain forests is unpredictable, but regardless, venturing in the rain isn't wise.

The team was near the base of a mountain. Lu Yinghuai stored their vehicle in a spatial node. With the black panther's tail in hand, the tiger cub in her arms, and the big lynx following behind, Xiayu headed to higher ground where water wouldn't accumulate easily before setting up a tent.

As soon as the tent was pitched and Xiayu had set up the table and chairs from her spatial node, large raindrops began to fall, rapidly darkening the ground with moisture.

Thankfully, the injured lynx remained close to Xiayu, ensuring its bandaged wound remained dry.

Xiayu shouted out into the rain, "Your Highness, the rain's getting heavy, come inside quickly!"

A few minutes later, a chilled Lu Yinghuai ducked into the tent, trailed by the little tiger and the protective black panther.

Brushing damp hair from his forehead, Lu Yinghuai's typically affable eyes, accustomed to a gentle smile, suddenly sharpened, giving him a more austere look.

Xiayu was initially sneaking peeks at Lu Yinghuai. But when she noticed the poised panther and tiger by the tent's entrance out of his peripheral vision, her eyes widened in alarm.

"Wait—don't shake off the water!"

As he spoke, Xia You pulled two large towels from his spatial loop, wrapping the tiger cub and the black panther snugly within.

The tiger cub instinctively shook off the water on its fur, but due to the towel wrap, droplets didn't scatter everywhere.

Having failed to shake off the water, the black panther growled softly, its tail curving as it swayed from side to side.

Skilled in swimming and aquatic hunting, the jaguar's fur is naturally water-resistant. Xia You carefully dried the panther with a soft towel, ensuring even the insides of its ears and all four paws were not overlooked.

But even after Xia You had dried its body, the panther walked over to a corner and vigorously shook a few times before it seemed satisfied.

Xia You set aside the towels used for the tiger cub and panther, planning to put them into the washing machine later. That's when he noticed Marshal standing nearby, staring intently at him.

"Uh... Your Highness?" Xia You blinked, meeting those deep purple eyes, and for some reason, he pulled an unused towel from the spatial loop, offering it to Lu Yinghuai, "Would you need this?"

Though Marshal didn't receive the same gentle treatment as his spiritual form, he at least got a towel from Xia You.

In return, Lu Yinghuai handed Xia You a plate of wild fruits he had gathered earlier.

And so, Xia You began rummaging in his spatial loop for a fruit cleaning box.

The spatial loop Uncle Zhou had given Xia You before setting out was indeed packed with many items.

Outside, heavy rain poured, spreading a damp, earthy scent as the temperature noticeably dropped.

As night approached, the rain's intensity lessened, its previously forceful noise now softened, sounding much more gentle.

Xia You reached out through a gap in the tent's entrance to test the rain before rolling up the flap and tying it above.

The forest, shrouded in a light rain, seemed as if dusted by fine sand, taking on a poetic and misty allure.

Probably because of the recent rain, Xia You could hear the distant sounds of a babbling brook.

Due to the rain, Lu Yinghuai had spread a thick moisture-proof blanket inside the tent. Now, the two sat side by side, with a plate of cleaned wild fruits and a half-drunk pot of flower tea between them.

Since entering the forest, Lu Yinghuai had truly taken a break from his duties, now leisurely flipping through some books.

Not far away, the tiger cub lay atop its rabbit-fur pouch, occasionally kneading it and letting out a soft call now and then.

The lynx, having just had its leg treated, rested silently near the tent's entrance, gazing out at the vast forest beyond.

The black panther lay beside Xia You, its massive and muscular frame almost enveloping him, with its head resting on its forepaws, eyes shut, its sleek tail occasionally flicking.

Xia You's hand instinctively caressed the panther's body, moving from its head, down the nape, all the way to its tail. The sleek, lustrous fur clung to Xia You's palm, making it hard to pull away.

Distracted by such antics, it was nearly impossible to focus on anything else. Lu Yinghuai sighed gently in resignation and placed his book aside.

The panther opened its eyes and stretched its muscles on the spot. It slowly walked away from Xia You, and with a swift motion of its paw, playfully flipped the tiger cub onto its back.

The little tiger quickly got into play mode, its front paws mimicking hunting gestures, its eyes fixed intently on the panther's paw.

The civet, too, was drawn to the spectacle and turned its head to watch the tiger cub.

After observing for several seconds, the civet leisurely walked over and sat opposite the panther.

Thus, with the rain outside, within the tent, a large cat and an even larger one patiently 'tutored' a little tiger.

Xia You, thoroughly entertained, was about to record a short video with his holographic computer as a keepsake when he heard Lu Yinghuai clear his throat.

Startled, Xia You quickly turned his head, blurting out, "Do I also have to take a lesson?"

Back at the Marshal's mansion, besides daily physical training, Xia You only had two lessons a week with Lu Yinghuai. After all, Lu was usually quite busy.

Xia You genuinely hadn't anticipated that entering the forest with the group would mean this level of intense education. The once-a-week lessons had unexpectedly turned into a daily crash course.

Xia You sneaked a glance at Lu Yinghuai, noticing a smile on his face, and figured perhaps lessons weren't set in stone. Taking his cue from the tiger cub, he dramatically flopped onto his back in feigned exhaustion.

"Your Highness," Xia You turned his head and looked at Lu Yinghuai with pleading eyes, "My head feels dizzy."

"I must have overused my psychic energy earlier. Now isn't the best time for learning. I can't take in any new information."

To demonstrate, Xia You's psychic tendrils emerged, hanging limply over the bowl of wild fruits, looking even more defeated than their owner.

Lu Yinghuai, suppressing a chuckle, pretended to ponder for a moment, and then uncorked something from his dimensional storage.

"Well... If Xia You is feeling unwell, there's nothing to be done," Lu Yinghuai said leisurely. "It's a pity, though. I guess I'll have to enjoy this bottle of wine on my own."

Attracted by the dominant aroma of the wine, Xia You quickly turned over and sat up straight, eyes wide and fixated on the bottle of red wine in Lu Yinghuai's hand. In that moment, his expression eerily mirrored that of the tiger cub.

Lu Yinghuai raised an eyebrow.

Xia You opened his mouth, then closed it, touching his nose bridge hesitantly, murmured, "Your Highness..."

Lu Yinghuai slightly lifted the corner of his lips.

Xia You raised her hand to scratch her cheek lightly, her face displaying a hint of embarrassment. She hesitated, "Well, actually... it's not that uncomfortable."