Chapter 57

Finally getting close to the white tiger, an overly excited La Tiao skipped entering the tent that evening. Instead, under Xia You's amused gaze, he grabbed a soft pillow and snuggled up beside the white tiger.

The white tiger, having been bothered by La Tiao for a while, breathed a sigh of relief seeing him leave. But then, she saw him trotting back, holding something in his mouth.

Xia You, who stood by watching the spectacle, swore he saw a mix of resignation and a hint of wanting to scold the cub on the white tiger's face.

Patting the panther by his side, Xia You smiled, "Let's go, Yuan Yuan. It seems it's just the two of us tonight."

With the orange-black big cat suddenly gone from the tent, Xia You felt a sense of emptiness as he looked around.

Perhaps having over-napped in the afternoon, Xia You was now extremely awake. He lay on the black panther for a while, lost in thought, before raising his head to look at Lu Yinghuai, who had just changed into his pajamas.

"Your Highness."

Lu Yinghuai slightly turned his head: "Hmm?"

"How about an impromptu midnight lesson?" Xia You's hands brushed the fur of the black panther, and he looked up at Lu Yinghuai with sparkling eyes.

Lu Yinghuai paused in the act of unfurling his sleeping bag and after a moment of silence whispered, "Xia You, I have a feeling."

"Hmm?" Xia You was taken aback by Lu Yinghuai's cryptic comment, "What do you mean?"

Lu Yinghuai put back the sleeping bag he had just opened and sat down on the carpet.

On this matter, Xia You really needed a proper lesson.

Seeing the teacher ready to begin, Xia You, though initially confused by Lu Yinghuai's words, got up from the panther and seated himself.

— Only one of his hands still squeezed the thick, dark paw pad of the panther beside him.

Lu Yinghuai looked at the young man and the panther across from him, a hint of resignation flashing in his eyes. He began softly, "Spiritual entities emerged during the most tense period between the Empire and the Federation."

"Initially, the manifestation of these spiritual entities was random and spontaneous. But because they lacked physical attributes, no camera or scanner could detect them. Consequently, they began to be artificially trained and catalyzed, becoming the Empire's secret weapon."

Xia You was indeed curious about the spiritual entities and their companion beasts.

He asked what he had been pondering, "But if that's the case, wouldn't individuals with high-level spiritual power, even non-military ones, potentially manifest these spiritual entities?"

"And why didn't the Empire disclose the existence of these spiritual entities after the war ended?"

Under such circumstances, there seemed to be no need for secrecy.

"Indeed, after signing a border treaty and initiating trade with the Federation, the Empire initially intended to publicly announce and promote the existence of the spiritual entities."

What Lu Yinghuai mentioned wasn't a secret within the military or the Senate; it was even semi-public knowledge among some well-informed individuals.

But because of the awkward position of Duke Xia and the fact that Xia You had been just a noble young master, his knowledge about military matters was as limited as that of an average Imperial citizen.

"Yet, on the eve of the resolution's passage, the Imperial Research Institute discovered that numerous individuals who had registered their awakened spiritual bodies exhibited simultaneous anxiety, irritability, and even episodes of uncontrollable aggression."

Surprise flitted across Xiayu's face. He hadn't expected the issues with the spiritual bodies to surface this soon.

Lu Yinghui elaborated, "Initially, most of these affected individuals were hospitalized at the Capital's First Hospital for observation. Aside from the symptoms I've just mentioned, some of the more physically frail among them even slipped into unconsciousness and became delirious."

The more Xiayu heard, the more familiar it all seemed, "Isn't this..."

Realizing what Xiayu was alluding to, Lu Yinghui nodded in affirmation, "Yes, this was the precursor to the Spiritual Force Disorder."

Xiayu appeared reflective.

Did that mean this ailment only manifested in high-ranking spiritual users possessing a spiritual body?

Could it be that individuals with superior physical conditioning were more resistant to the disease?

As Xiayu pondered and voiced his speculations, unexpectedly, Lu Yinghui refuted them.

"No, the stronger one's physical constitution, the later the symptoms manifest. They would lapse into their dormant state later, but when the disease does strike, its severity is intensified."

Lu Yinghui spoke.

"In reality, among those who have entered the dormant state, the physical metrics of high-ranking non-military spiritual users are significantly better than those of the military personnel in stasis. Upon their awakening, their subsequent treatments and rehabilitations will be much smoother."

Take Jiang Nan as an example. After emerging from the hibernation chamber, just achieving free movement might take considerable time, let alone restoring his physical capabilities to a level where he could rejoin the legion.

The medical chambers can heal the physical injuries they've sustained, but the longer the mind remains dormant, the more significant the impact.

Fan Yuxin and Cheng Zhi Nian were among the first to wake up, yet their Spiritual Force Disorder wasn't cured. Therefore, they couldn't return to the frontier, let alone remain in the Imperial Capital Star. Instead, they had to spend most of their time on Blue Star for continuous data monitoring.

Awakening indeed signifies rebirth, but it also means starting anew.

"Thus, after suspecting that this wasn't a random phenomenon, the Empire temporarily halted the announcement of the existence of spiritual bodies. Is it because of this... in public perception, Spiritual Force Disorder is merely an incurable disease that randomly appears among high-ranking spiritual users?"

Xiayu pieced the information together, finally feeling everything made sense.

"So, is a spiritual body essentially a companion beast that can be seen but cannot be touched or captured using technological means?"

"Not exactly," Lu Yinghui opened his palm towards Xiayu, signaling him to observe the small tentacle in his hand.

Xia You looked at the psychic tendril that had unknowingly reached out and entwined itself around Lu Yinghuai's palm, laughing sheepishly.

He really wasn't sure why his spiritual tentacle was so fond of getting close to His Highness. It wasn't like he personally felt that way...

Lu Yinghuai raised his eyes to Xia You, a complex look in them, and softly said, "Healing spiritual power was later discovered as an immensely soothing type of spiritual energy. However, the Empire also found that even the most advanced known healers couldn't manifest a spiritual entity."

"Nor do they have a tangible representation of their spiritual power."

Hearing this, Xia You reached out, prodding the little spiritual tentacle lounging in Lu Yinghuai's palm, staying silent for a moment, then whispered, "Then what about mine...?"

Lu Yinghuai looked down as the tiny spiritual tentacle, under their gaze, playfully twisted its somewhat translucent body into a coil.

Lu Yinghuai remarked, "It seems much like your spiritual entity."

Unique and belonging solely to a healer.

Xia You: "…?"

Despite the young man's effort to remain composed, Lu Yinghuai detected a range of emotions on Xia You's face, from shock to regret, and surprisingly ending in mild disdain.

Observing Xia You's habitual handling of his leopard paw, Lu Yinghuai reached out, sensing Xia You's thoughts and subtly turned the tip of the tentacle away from him.

As Xia You petted the black leopard, he stealthily puffed his cheeks.

It wasn't that he disliked his spiritual tentacle – at times, it appeared rather cute, and its many appendages were handy. However—

Why did everyone else's spiritual entities or familiars seem so fluffy and sizable, when he, a lover of all things soft, ended up with a slippery, glossy tentacle?!

The black leopard, whose paw was being held, shifted its body, its tail gently brushing against Xia You's back before curling back to its side.

Feeling the soft touch behind him, Xia You turned to look, but the leopard's tail was already neatly coiled beside its paw.

Xia You chuckled silently, reaching out to pinch the black leopard's tail.

Lu Yinghuai's eyelid twitched.

After a few moments of silence, the composed gentleman raised his hand, gently pinching the psychic tendril in his palm.

Xia You felt a chill down her spine.

Lu Yinghuai said, with a hint of mystery, "The host can share the sight, hearing, and touch of their psychic entity, just as we experienced now."

Xia You was about to speak, but a realization struck her, her expression freezing instantly.

Wait.

Share with the psychic entity?

So... the familiars that were once psychic entities...?

The hand that Xia You had continually been using to play with the panther's paw froze.

Lu Yinghuai remained silent, cupping his hands together, gently massaging the psychic tendril in his palm, much like how Xia You would pet her panther.

Xia You's pupils contracted. She quickly withdrew her psychic tendril, retracted the hand that had been touching the panther, and blurted out with red-tipped ears, "I-I-I didn't mean to!"

What else had she done?!

What had she done?!

Had she also touched Yuan Yuan's... Oh, no, no, no!

Xia You wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole right then and there.

She opened her mouth, then closed it, repeating this several times.

After struggling internally for a while, Xia You murmured, covering her flushed cheeks, "I thought familiars, once they gained a physical form, were different from psychic entities..."

Initially, Xia You hesitated to touch the fluffy creatures, wrestling with her feelings. However, once Latiao approached her and even encouraged her to pet and stroke his head, she grew comfortable.

Now that Latiao was fully conscious and being the crown prince of the Empire, he had a wealth of knowledge and was particularly considerate of etiquette and privacy.

Xia You had assumed that Latiao's willingness to let her touch

With that suspicion in mind, Xia You dared to shower the black panther with affectionate cuddles and embraces, yet who could've foreseen—

Lu Yinghuai: "It is indeed different, but it varies by circumstance."

At this point, a weight lifted off Lu Yinghuai's heart, yet there lingered an ineffable sense of regret.

"When the body is in a dormant pod and the consciousness attaches to a familiar, external touches feel more like how animals perceive them. Touching the fur, ears, or paw pads is usually fine, but different familiars have areas they don't like being touched."

Lu Yinghuai paused for a moment.

Across from him, Xia You grew visibly restless, but she still steeled herself, her ears perked up attentively.

Lu Yinghuai continued.

"Another situation is after administering the drug in the advanced stages of Psychic Disturbance Syndrome, where the psychic entity gradually materializes into a familiar. When the human body isn't dormant, aside from the physical animal form, the familiar's attributes remain consistent with that of a psychic entity."

Lu Yinghuai's tone was calm and measured, as if he were reciting from "The History of the Empire."

Xia You: "..."

This wasn't hard to grasp, but it was challenging to face.

Xia You's hands fidgeted, and she seemed at a loss for words.

Lu Yinghuai kindly explained, "You've seen Marshal Zhu Zaiyuan's familiar, the mature Tu Sun."

"He and his wife will undoubtedly care for the young Tu Sun. Not only because their purification environment is conducive for Tu Sun, but also because Marshal Zhu understands the young Tu Sun's expressions when their consciousnesses are linked."

Tu Sun, young Tu Sun.

While a wealth of information seemed to pass through Xia You's mind, she keenly latched onto a particular term.

"Consciousness link?" Xia You repeated, her voice strained.

Lu Yinghuai: "...Yes."

Xia You could relate. After all, when she treated familiars, she used her consciousness to manipulate psychic tendrils.

However...

After a moment, Xia You pointed to her eyes and asked, "Do you mean the kind of consciousness link where the eye color changes?"

The voice sounded dry and flat.

Lu Yinghuai lowered his gaze, murmuring, "Hmm."

Xia You: "..."

In other words, while His Highness was attending to official duties, holding meetings, and greeting guests, Xia You had constantly been 'harassing' him, albeit indirectly, through a series of actions like squeezing, hugging, and leaning against the panther.

And once they entered the protected area, His Highness had to watch her pillow the panther, rub it, bathe it, and even pinch the fluff on its belly, hiding...

Xia You's lips parted slightly, looking like a plaster statue on the verge of cracking.

Lu Yinghuai: "Before entering the protected area, I injected a psychic block agent. During this period when I can't use psychic power, the connection between me and my familiar is very weak."

Hearing this, a slight relief washed over Xia You.

At least it was just regular harassment, not of a sexual nature.

Xia You felt like a young tiger learning that its embarrassing past was broadcasted in HD. Her mind went blank.

But would their actions qualify as... well, marital harassment?

Does the Empire's marital law address this?

"No," Lu Yinghuai's response startled Xia You.

Xia You covered her mouth, mumbling in distress, "Did I say that out loud?!"

Lu Yinghuai nodded, then calmly replied, "If both parties are in the process of divorce application or proceedings, such a judgment might be possible. But within a marriage, there's no legal definition of such."

Xia You's toes clenched against the ground; she felt like saying nothing, only nodding vigorously.

Lu Yinghuai observed Xia You, a hint of amusement in his eyes, and asked softly, "Feeling sleepy now?"

Xia You nodded vigorously, resembling a chick pecking at grains.

Tired! She was so very tired!!

She wished she could dive into a warm, secure, and enclosed sleeping bag, away from this awkward predicament, and drift into a deep, undisturbed sleep.

"Goodnight, Your Highness!"

Xia You had already freshened up before entering the tent and had changed into his nightgown. Now, he dove into his sleeping bag, wrapping himself snugly into a cocoon, leaving only strands of golden hair exposed.

Lu Yinghuai reached out, slightly unzipping the top of Xia You's sleeping bag, and murmured, "Goodnight."

The lights in the tent dimmed gradually until they were completely extinguished.

Over half an hour later, Xia You cautiously peeked out of her sleeping bag, stealthily glancing at the one beside her in the darkness.

She could only faintly discern the undulating curve on the surface of the sleeping bag.

In the obscurity, Xia You carefully turned over, lying flat on her back in the sleeping bag, adopting a position she often saw Lu Yinghuai in, with her hands placed in front of her.

She managed to hold that posture for only a few seconds before feeling unbearably stiff all over.

"Does His Highness always sleep like this without feeling tired?"

Speaking of which, Yuan Yuan always sleeps in such a graceful and poised manner, always lying still...

They really do seem alike...

Lost in a jumble of thoughts, Xia You vigorously rubbed her cheeks a few times.

"What am I thinking about! Stop it! Time to sleep!"

Xia You forced her eyes shut, counting in her mind: one big cat, two big cats, three big cats, four Yuan Yuans... And as she counted, all the big cats turned into Yuan Yuans. By the time she reached the forties, she was already drifting into slumber.

The panther opened its eyes, the tip of its tail curling up to rest on Xia You's sleeping bag, then closed its eyes once more.

*

Perhaps she had overslept the day before, as Xia You woke up exceptionally early the next day.

When Xia You opened her eyes, the panther, who usually waited by her side for her to awaken, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Lu Yinghuai, who usually woke up earlier, was uncharacteristically still asleep.

Xia You turned her head to look at Lu Yinghuai.

She rarely got to see His Highness's sleeping face; most of the time, she was the only one in the tent when she awoke.

However, as she watched, Xia You suddenly realized something was amiss.

Xia You quickly reached out to feel Lu Yinghuai's forehead, but before his fingers could approach, Lu Yinghuai gripped his wrist tightly.

Alarmingly hot.

Xia You wrestled out of his sleeping bag swiftly, gripping Lu Yinghuai's hand in return, "Your Highness?"

Lu Yinghuai merely held onto Xia You's hand with a furrowed brow, neither opening his eyes nor responding.

Panic seized Xia You for a moment before he forced himself to calm down. He quickly fetched a psychic energy detector from his space node, rapidly connecting it to Lu Yinghuai's finger, neck, and temple. The other end was linked to his light computer, where he pressed the detection button.

Concurrently, Xia You took a temperature scan of Lu Yinghuai, confirming a feverish reading.

A high fever.

Psychic energy monitoring takes time. Xia You hesitated to touch Lu Yinghuai further, let alone move him recklessly. Glancing at the emergency communicator on his wrist, Xia You pursed his lips.

Xia You was aware of the concerns Lu Yinghuai had always harbored.

The White Tiger had yet to regain consciousness. If they left the protected forest area at this juncture, the wildly fierce White Tiger might not be willing to return with them to the base and would have to be released again.

It would be a wasted effort.

But His Highness's condition...

Xia You found himself caught in a dilemma.

Suddenly, light streamed into the tent from the entrance. Turning his head, Xia You saw the massive head of "Spicy Stick" squeezing in from outside.

Spicy Stick growled softly, wriggling through the tent flap. Pausing beside Xia You, he gently nudged Lu Yinghuai's hand with his head.

The young tiger settled opposite Xia You, with Lu Yinghuai's sleeping bag separating the two.

Spicy Stick glanced at his uncle, then at Xia You, and for the first time placed a paw on the light computer on Xia You's wrist.

Xia You activated the screen of his light computer, presenting the input side to the young tiger.

The big cat's sharp claws emerged, tapping out his message bit by bit.

——Uncle's psychic energy has always been unstable. Persistent fever is a precursor to a deep slumber. There will be a psychic energy surge before the slumber. Staying here is too dangerous.

"You should take my uncle and leave first."

The tiger cub finished typing, its amber round eyes gazing at Xia You, then bowed its head to gently nuzzle her hand.

Xia You caressed the tiger cub's cheek in response, whispering, "What about you?"

Latiao's tail curled up, rubbing Xia You's palm twice before it lifted a paw to type again.

"Don't worry, I also have an emergency communicator. If there's any danger, I can react in time."

"There's plenty of catnip left. You and uncle have brought me so far; I'd like to take the final steps on my own."

Xia You looked across at the young tiger sitting upright.

Through the succinct, logical, and courteously articulated words, Xia You saw for the first time, beyond this normally endearing tiger cub, the royal prince raised in the imperial education.

However, there was one thing, understood by both the human and tiger, that remained unspoken.

That being, while the improvement in Lu Jiuzhu's condition might indeed be due to the stimulating effect of the catnip, it was largely attributed to Xia You's spiritual healing.

Once Xia You leaves the sanctuary temporarily with Lu Yinghuai, their return becomes uncertain.

Lu Jiuzhu's condition might deteriorate further. Whether he remains friendly with Latiao and whether Xia You will encounter the elusive white tiger upon her return is uncertain.

Xia You tightened her grip on Lu Yinghuai's other hand, paused for a long moment, then turned off the screen. Gently caressing the tiger's cheek, she whispered, "Alright, but His Highness is sweating profusely. I'd like to wipe him down to cool him off. Could you wet this towel for me?"

With a hint of helplessness, Xia You pointed to her restrained wrist.

The tiger cub bit onto the towel Xia You handed over, stood up, and silently exited the tent.

After Latiao left, Xia You sat beside Lu Yinghuai, her gaze flickering.

The towel wasn't large, but Latiao struggled by the river to soak it without letting it fall into the water.

The white tiger stood by the river, watching Latiao, who was rolling around with the item, much like one would watch a clumsy cub.

Drenched, Latiao emerged from the river, shook off the water, nuzzled the white tiger, then raced towards the tent with the wet towel in tow.

The white tiger followed leisurely, seemingly curious about the cub's antics after such a prolonged absence.

Oblivious to the white tiger trailing behind, Latiao hurriedly brought the towel into the tent, then looked anxiously as Xia You wiped Lu Yinghuai's forehead and arms.

Lu Yinghuai's hand was placed back in the sleeping bag by Xia You. His skin still felt hot, but Xia You hadn't sensed any uncontrolled outpouring of spiritual energy from him.

"Latiao."

Xia You suddenly reached out, cupping the tiger cub's head with both hands, her expression grave.

Fur from the young tiger's head stuck out between Xia You's fingers. Its amber eyes always carried a hint of goofiness.

"You can locate His Highness's companion beast, right?"

When Lu Yinghuai's psychic energy becomes unstable, the first to be affected is the black panther, with whom he shares a psychic bond.

Previously, when Lu Yinghuai fell into a deep slumber, the panther left his side, instinctively seeking out Xia You.

The panther of the past would naturally gravitate towards Xia You, but this time, to avoid harming her, Lu Yinghuai must have intentionally distanced himself from his companion beast.

Latiao hesitated briefly, uncertainty evident in his eyes, but eventually nodded.

"Latiao, can you help me find him and bring him back?"

Here, in the high mountain forests, the tiger reigns supreme.

Similarly, due to the snowy mountain sanctuary and its elevated forests, Yuan Yuan, an American jaguar, absolutely cannot be left here.

Latiao quickly came to the same realization. His eyes flashed with sharpness, and after a low growl, he sniffed Lu Yinghuai and made a mental note of Xia You's scent before exiting the tent once more.

Xia You reached out and touched Lu Yinghuai's forehead; it was still burning hot.

He left a tendril of psychic energy on Lu Yinghuai's wrist, gazing at the analyzing psychic energy data on the monitor. His fingers tightened, and his resolve grew.

Xia You pressed the emergency communicator on his wrist and, as it emitted a red light, left it beside Lu Yinghuai.

Afterwards, Xia You walked to the tent's entrance and, lifting the flap, spotted the white tiger, who wanted to follow the young tiger but was restricted to the camp's vicinity by a psychic suppressor around its neck.

With no protection, the golden-haired youth approached the white tiger.

Inside the tent, Lu Yinghuai's fingers twitched. Mired in a familiar, inescapable quagmire, he managed to grasp something rope-like, struggling to crack open his eyes just a sliver.

His vision was filled with dappled light, but in his hand, he gripped a cool, tangible rope.

What is it?

No... Don't send a signal...

That voice... it's the emergency communicator...

Xiaoyou...?

This bout of mental turmoil, more intense than any before due to the potion, almost drove Lu Yinghuai to activate the emergency communicator. However, as consciousness was on the verge of slipping away, in that fleeting moment of clarity, Lu Yinghuai surrendered to his whims, gripping that piece of comforting chill.

*

Outside the tent,

The white tiger, with its cold gray-blue eyes, stared intently at Xiayou, silently refusing her approach.

Xiayou stepped closer to the white tiger, raising her hand, as dozens of mental tendrils swiftly emerged.

"Roar—!!"

The pupils of the white tiger narrowed abruptly, hinting at an aggressive intent.

Without missing a beat, Xiayou pulled out a green substance from her spatial toggle, methodically crushing it in her hand, embedding her mental energy into the catnip ball.

The white tiger paused, its whiskers twitching, showing a momentary hesitation in its eyes.

Xiayou sat down, holding a green, enticing catnip ball emitting an aroma that even tigers find hard to resist. The surrounding mental energy emanated a harmless yet equally alluring scent.

She appeared utterly harmless and gentle.

The white tiger's throat moved slightly, as it circled and lingered around Xiayou.

Finally, with the mental tendrils forcefully wafting the scent of catnip towards the tiger, despite its cautious gaze, the white tiger couldn’t resist approaching the completely non-threatening Xiayou.

Clutching the catnip ball in her hand, as the white tiger extended its tongue to lick the catnip between her fingers, Xiayou gently placed her hand on the tiger's cheek, closing her eyes.

He would surely leave, but—

Both the panther and the tiger, he would take them all.