Chapter 62

Whether it was the result of growing wild in the reserve or the benefits of rigorous training, in less than a year, Xia You's features had matured remarkably.

Fan Yuxin saw the shadow of Lu Yinghuai in Xia You.

This wasn't necessarily a good thing for Fan Yuxin.

Back when he applied to join the First Legion, Lu Yinghuai had straightforwardly declared, “The First Legion welcomes all imperial citizens who wish to serve, but we will not show favoritism to any young master of noble birth.”

Marshal Lu Yinghuai, who had managed to balance the tumultuous undercurrents between the nobility and the emperor for so many years, was more than just a military leader skilled in combat.

He was also the head of a noble family. And now, in such a short span of time before his deep slumber, he had groomed a successor for the Lu family who bore a striking resemblance to him.

Xia You had many choices and would have an increasing number of allies in the future. Thus, this moment, when he was unguarded, was the best opportunity for Fan Yuxin.

Perhaps, it was also the only one.

During Xia You’s pensive silence, Fan Yuxin did not glance towards Cheng Zhi Nian, showing no intent of having Cheng, who was obviously favored by Xia You, speak on his behalf. Instead, he occasionally sipped his tea and stroked his companion beast to ease his tension.

The black panther yawned, lifting its paw to trap the hand that Xia You had been using to play with its ear, using its head as a cushion against it.

After a couple of unsuccessful tugs, Xia You could only rub the heavy panther's head in resignation.

The ever-aware snack bar snake, after observing Fan Yuxin for a few moments, suddenly approached the civet, sniffing it curiously.

The once young tiger cub and the now lanky adolescent tiger weren't the same. The civet recoiled, its fur visibly standing on end.

From the tiger's clear eyes, Fan Yuxin discerned its lucidity, realizing that the creature before him was the Imperial Crown Prince in essence, which made him stiffen up.

At that moment, Xia You spoke.

“Colonel Fan,” Xia You smiled at Fan Yuxin, “Frankly, because of your keen intelligence, I find it hard to trust you.”

Fan Yuxin refrained from immediately defending himself, choosing instead to await Xia You’s next words.

The snack bar snake seemed to tease the civet for a bit, then swished its tail and returned to Xia You’s side, its ears twitching.

Xia You continued, “However, if the ‘Fan’ in Colonel Fan refers only to Fan Yuxin and not the current Fan family, then I might be inclined to trust you.”

“After all, we first met in a reserve that was outside the protection of the Fan family, didn’t we?”

The civet remains adorable, but when mixed with too many extraneous elements, it can be somewhat prickly to handle.

Xia You had no interest in politics and did not wish to be involved. Whatever aspirations Fan Yuxin had for the prosperity of the Fan family were his own; Xia You would neither participate nor support them.

The corners of Fan Yuxin’s mouth turned slightly bitter.

To be honest, he did have some ulterior motives. When he visited Xia You today, he carried with him a calculating mindset.

He assumed that his presence would be a godsend to Xia You, who was now showing his capabilities yet seemed vulnerable. Yet he hadn’t expected Xia You to place such trust in the Marshal’s Mansion, giving him a choice almost identical to the one once given by Marshal Lu Yinghuai.

If he wished to stay by Xia You’s side, he could only be Fan Yuxin, as he was before. But if he ever harbored personal ambitions for the benefit of the Fan family, he would have to leave the First Legion and Xia You’s side.

Fan Yuxin leveraged his skills and abilities to earn training opportunities, military honors, and rank within the First Legion. By Xia You's side, he obtained priority treatment and access to the connections of the ailing yet prominent figures in the empire.

Fan Yuxin always prided himself on being smart, but even the smartest people can be stumped when faced with a superior who merely presents options without negotiation.

Cheng Zhi Nian glanced at Fan Yuxin and lowered his eyes.

Xia You didn’t seem intent on making Fan Yuxin decide today. He smiled and said, “Colonel Fan can take some time to think it over. Once you've made your decision, you can visit again.”

“However, in the meantime, Professor Cheng will be staying at the Marshal’s Mansion.”

Fan Yuxin was taken aback. “Why?”

Xia You responded matter-of-factly, “Because Professor Cheng is the captain of my guard team and will continue to tutor me in my lessons.”

Cheng Zhi Nian’s eyes sparkled, and he nodded in complete agreement. When Xia You asked if he had any belongings to pack, he promptly replied, “No need. Everything is in my spatial ring.”

Fan Yuxin, utterly clueless about this, thought, “...?”

You already packed your bags?

Fan Yuxin stared at Cheng Zhi Nian in disbelief.

Cheng Zhi Nian met his gaze calmly, “It’s a job interview, I thought you'd have packed as well.”

A defeated Fan Yuxin: “...”

With a dejected silhouette, the young Mr. Fan and the civet cat left the Marshal’s Mansion with heavy steps.

Watching his departing colleague, Cheng Zhi Nian whispered, “Although he may seem cunning like a fox, he’s actually quite naive.”

The Fan family was nothing more than a shiny facade hiding internal decay. Given Fan Yuxin’s current abilities and rank, if he distanced himself from the Fan family, he’d be highly valued and wouldn't find himself in such a difficult position.

Xia You thought of the civet cat that looked adorably dazed, feeling soft to both the eyes and touch, and sighed.

The form of a spiritual entity is closely related to its inherent personality. Civets are sly and cautious creatures, yet they differ from most of the solitary, introverted feline species.

Male civets, outside of their mating seasons, accompany their mates, leading a paired life, and jointly rear their offspring.

Mother civets also allow their young, who have reached an age of independence, to remain reliant. Even after bearing younger civets, they would move as a family unit, increasing their chances of survival.

Such characteristics lean closer to canines than felines.

Unfortunately, this civet, Fan Yuxin, hasn't found a mutually supportive family; instead, he's burdened with an impediment.

This was quite similar to Xia You's past. However, while Xia You didn't have deep ties to the Duke's Mansion, Fan Yuxin was nurtured as the successor, reaping the benefits of his family from a young age.

Xia You stretched her body and chuckled, "Regardless, smart individuals always have more considerations. How Colonel Fan convinces me is his business. I'll just await his next visit."

Cheng Zhi Nian also laughed, asserting confidently, "He will definitely come."

After saying this, as if promoting Fan Yuxin to Xia You, he added with utter seriousness, "He truly is exceptionally intelligent and very resourceful."

Xia You laughed heartily, "Really?"

Cheng Zhi Nian nodded firmly, his ponytail casting silver ripples behind him.

"Great! Then I can focus on healing everyone without worrying about matters I'm not adept at." Xia You rubbed her temples, "Just that short conversation with him earlier already gave me a headache."

Hearing this, Cheng Zhi Nian took out a large packet of energy stones from his spatial ring and stuffed it into Xia You's embrace.

Feeling the sudden weight, Xia You scrambled to hold it. Relieving a breath, she felt a surge of energy being absorbed by her. Looking down, she found the packet brimming with high-quality energy stones.

Xia You gasped, "What is this—"

Cheng Zhi Nian, sipping water from a porcelain cup, calmly replied, "A gift."

She used to hunt in the reserve. After coming out, Cheng Zhi Nian pondered what Xia You might need, given that she lacked for nothing, and sought out something essential for her.

Fan Yuxin had said, one must always bring a gift when paying a visit.

Continually taken aback by this pair, Xia You hurriedly stuffed the hefty packet of energy stones into her spatial ring. Still, she was a tad slow, failing to stifle a satisfied burp.

Xia You: "..."

Glancing at the digital clock, there was just under an hour left before dinner. With no appetite, Xia You held her stomach and decided to randomly choose a lucky cat to enjoy today's pre-dinner therapeutic session.

*

Xia You had asked Uncle Zhou to arrange Cheng ZhiNian's accommodation and, in passing, scheduled mech and combat lessons with him. Planning to organize her lessons and later check with General Wei, she walked past a glass door. Despite initially walking by, Xia You couldn't resist stepping back and spent a good while playfully looking at her reflection, moving left and right.

Hiss...

On the outside, it seems harder to deceive others than before.

Xia You rubbed her chin, recalling how acting coyly with the prince seemed rather effective last time.

A black panther leisurely strolled past Xia You.

Xia You looked at the reflection in the mirror—a person and a panther. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she dashed towards the medical room.

The panther, thinking something had occurred, quickly followed with a stern look.

The little tiger, worried, also chased after them.

Seeing both the panther and tiger rush off, the white tiger hesitated a moment but then followed suit.

When the three big cats burst into the medical room, Xia You, to the astonished and anxious Meng WenXuan, eagerly inquired, "Doctor Meng, can the equipment here measure my height?"

"I feel like I've grown by five centimeters!"

Xia You hadn't made a habit of looking in mirrors while in the reserve. Upon returning, she hadn't paid much attention, but when Yuan Yuan passed by just now, the height at which they brushed against each other was notably different from before!

He had grown taller!

And, suddenly, by five centimeters!

This was already taller than his peak height in the apocalypse!

Which man doesn't care about his height?

Latiao bumped into the suddenly stopping black panther. The white tiger, unable to halt in time, stepped on the little tiger's tail.

Poor Latiao, caught between the two, let out a pitiful wail.

Meng Wenxuan observed Xia You, who, no matter where he went, was always accompanied by a majestic beast. Silently, like an emotionless medical professional, he sent the freshly compiled mental power data to Xia You's digital device.

"Your Highness, you've come at just the right time. Your mental power rating is now available."

"Congratulations," Meng Wenxuan adjusted his glasses, his voice tinged with a numb calmness, "Your mental power level has successfully advanced to A."

"For height measurement, please stand on the platform in front."

While opening his mental power data, Xia You obediently stood on the scanning platform, eyeing the firmly pinned 'A' grade for mental power, and began to ponder.

The last time his mental power rose from C to B was due to the resonance of the Blue Star. He had several fever spells then, with his mental power being in a constant state of uncontrollable dispersion. But this time, Xia You could clearly sense the change in his mental power, and could control it, albeit with some... fluctuations.

Meng Wenxuan looked at the scan results and declared, "Congratulations, Your Highness. You've indeed grown by 5.6 centimeters."

Simultaneously, Xia You also asked, "Doctor Meng, do you think I could try absorbing another high-grade energy stone?"

"I grew by 5.6 centimeters?!" Xia You exclaimed with joy.

"You want to absorb another high-grade energy stone?!" Meng Wenxuan responded with alarm.

Their exclamations overlapped, and they exchanged surprised glances.

Author's note:

The newly employed Snow Biscuit, though not an expert, still passionately promotes the cookies: They're extremely useful! Try them and see!