Chapter 63

Meng Wenxuan was the first to recover, stating firmly, "Absolutely not!"

Xia You stepped down from the platform, promptly pushing Latiao onto it. Holding onto Latiao's forelimbs, stretching the tiger out in length, he casually asked Meng Wenxuan to measure Latiao, inquiring, "Why not?"

Meng Wenxuan, keeping a stiff face, switched the detector's target from human to companion beast and pressed the start button.

"Firstly, high-grade energy stones are extremely rare. The one you absorbed was likely taken by the marshal from his own prince's scepter."

Meng Wenxuan was indeed among the few who knew the origin of that high-grade energy stone.

Glancing at the white

However, apart from the day of the ennoblement ceremony, no one had ever seen Lu Yinghuai in that outfit again, let alone the unique sapphire embedded in it.

It wasn't until a few days ago in the protected forest zone that Meng Wenxuan saw that sapphire in Xia You's hand, witnessing its swift disintegration into dust in a blink of an eye.

Had no one known that the gem was an energy stone?

No, everyone was aware.

But no one believed there was any benefit to absorbing it.

"When the Marshal initially gave you that energy stone, it wasn't intended for absorption. Later on... it likely served more as a safeguard for you."

It was to ensure that if a day came when Xia You needed to absorb an energy stone and there wasn't enough in the space knot, the high-grade energy stone would serve as a temporary solution.

But no one expected Xia You to be capable of consuming a whole high-grade energy stone in the mere blink of an eye.

Consider this: disregarding its purity, just the energy value within a high-grade energy stone is comparable to a quantum nebula cannon capable of decimating half of the Blue Star base.

"Mm-hmm," Xia You responded, then strained to ask, "Is the scan done? Latiao is really heavy."

The little tiger, feeling slighted, snuggled his fluffy body even closer to Xia You.

With the tiger pressed against him, Xia You felt as if he was draped in a fur coat, making him break out in a sweat.

Meng Wenxuan accessed the panel, glanced at it, and remarked, "His Highness's height has increased from 1.2 meters to 1.6 meters. Congratulations."

Hearing this, Latiao gleefully released Xia You and descended from the platform with his head held high and chest puffed out.

Though the medical room was spacious, the abundance of equipment and two medical pods made it feel a bit cramped with two people and three cats inside.

The white tiger, always disliking confined spaces, wandered out.

Latiao took a glance back at Xia You and decided to follow the white tiger.

The white tiger was without restraints or a muzzle. While it was expected to behave within the Marshal's mansion, in case of any scuffle, Latiao could at least jump in and hold back its powerful jaws.

After Latiao exited, the black panther walked over, shut the door with its hind leg, then sat beside Xia You, its golden eyes fixed intently on Meng Wenxuan.

Compared to other companion beasts, Lu Yinghuai, with his distinctive beastly eyes differing from human eyes, was more discernible in terms of consciousness.

But despite the cold, golden gaze, Meng Wenxuan felt a familiar pressure, as if he was being urged by a family member to deliver medical advice, leaving him momentarily choked up.

This felt very different from the Marshal's previous companion beast.

Suddenly, Meng Wenxuan inquired, "Are you certain the Marshal hasn't awoken?"

Xia You paused, looking down at Yuan Yuan.

The black panther flicked its tail and looked up at Xia You.

Bending down, Xia You gently cradled the panther's large head, their golden and blue eyes meeting.

After a moment's thought, Xia You leaned in and planted a kiss on the panther's forehead.

Noticing that the panther's tail began to sway more rapidly, yet without any intention to evade, Xia You turned to a dumbstruck Meng Wenxuan and asserted, "It's Yuan Yuan."

If it were His Highness, he would certainly dodge, perhaps even raising a paw to block his mouth.

Meng Wenxuan: "..."

Taking a couple of deep breaths, Meng Wenxuan dismissed his earlier suspicions and returned to their prior topic, "Regarding your previous intention of absorbing another high-grade energy stone, setting aside whether we could find another of similar quality, even if we could, I'd advise against absorbing it."

Meng Wenxuan moved behind his desk, authenticated his iris and fingerprint, entered a password, then opened a drawer and handed Xia You a stack of data.

"This represents the trajectory of your psychic energy's growth and consumption since you entered the protected area," Meng Wenxuan explained.

Xia You's psychic energy had always been a focal point of observation, and just like Lu Yinghuai, within the protected zone, Xia You's psychic condition was under close watch.

Given Meng Wenxuan chose to print this data on paper, he must have destroyed all digital copies available on any electronic terminal.

"The Marshal ordered this data to be destroyed and only a single paper copy retained. He mentioned earlier that if he couldn't review it in time, it should be given directly to you."

Initially, Xia You wasn't sure why this long-term data required such caution. However, after examining it for a while, he realized something. Flipping back a few pages and comparing dates on his personal device, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Psychic energy usually intensifies through intentional training, consumption, and recovery cycles, increasing in grade once a certain quality is achieved. Xia You had assumed his psychic energy functioned similarly.

Yet this data clearly conveyed to Xia You— it didn't.

His psychic energy differed significantly from the typical healer's. While the consumption and recovery processes made his psychic energy control more adept, they didn't notably contribute to its grade enhancement.

In the protected area, Xia You frequently channeled his psychic energy into Lu Yinghuai's mental realm to alleviate his pain and discomfort. But over these two days, though Xia You's psychic energy was exhausted and slowly replenished, its upper limit showed little change.

After each treatment of the accompanying beast, the curve representing the boundary values peaks to a new number.

Xia You's gaze flickered on and off. Based on his conjecture, he meticulously reviewed the psychokinetic data curve in his hand once again.

Meng Wenxuan did not interrupt Xia You's thoughts, nor did he voice any questions.

After becoming Lu Yinghuai's primary healer, has Meng Wenxuan truly never noticed anything unusual about Lu Yinghuai's mental sea?

Certainly not.

He simply never asked.

The Marshal isn't an ordinary patient. As the Marshal's healer, whatever condition the Marshal reveals, he knows. Yet what the Marshal conceals is, for him, safer not knowing.

Meng Wenxuan deeply respects Lu Yinghuai, but he also has his parents and loved ones to consider; he has a duty to protect them.

After reading, Xia You tucked the curve document into his spatial knot.

Meng Wenxuan timely remarked, "Based on the data from this curve, I'm inclined to believe: Your psychokinetic rank advancement and the secondary physical development are more due to the accumulation of some substance. When it just reached the critical point, the energy contained in a high-tier energy stone triggered it, resulting in this advancement."

In a year, from C to A, Xia You's psychokinetic rank-up speed was unprecedented.

This news would inevitably spread, and once it does, the name Xia You will represent not only a healer but also a method of rapid psychokinetic advancement.

"So, if I want to elevate my rank in a short period again, I need to keep accumulating that substance and... find an energy stone of similar or even better quality?"

Xia You looked at Meng Wenxuan.

Meng Wenxuan paused and then nodded.

"Alright, I understand," Xia You smiled and stretched, "It's getting late, I should get going. Thank you for the checkup today, Dr. Meng."

After Xia You left, Meng Wenxuan stared blankly at the floor, so lost in thought that he didn't even notice when the medical room's door was opened again.

Wei Cheng approached and slapped Meng Wenxuan's back, startled by the wet sensation, "What happened? You're drenched... Isn't this room temperature-controlled?"

Meng Wenxuan irritably shrugged off Wei Cheng's hand, walked to the earlier body scanner panel, and encrypted the data from Xia You and the little tiger into the Marshal's mansion database.

"What's going on? Not hot?" Wei Cheng touched his chin and raised an eyebrow, "Whoa, were you startled by young master?"

Meng Wenxuan remained expressionless and silent.

Wei Cheng chuckled, patting Meng Wenxuan's shoulder, "Come on, don't overthink. Weren't you so discerning with the Marshal's matters back then? It's the same now with the young master."

Meng Wenxuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly slammed his fist on the instrument's exterior, growling, "It's not the same!"

What does Xia You represent?

He's the beacon of hope their late mentors yearned for, possibly a pivotal turning point for the existence and evolution of psychokinetic energy.

Xia You's existence is truly exceptional. Such individuals only belonged to history in textbooks. Yet now, he stands right in front of Meng Wenxuan.

For anyone in the medical field, this is an allure nearly impossible to resist.

He's already come close to the core data, just missing the last bit... that last piece of information only known to the Marshal and Xia You.

"It's different, and then what?" Wei Cheng's tone remained steady. "Wenxuan, I don't want to see your name on an indictment one day."

Meng Wenxuan's fist tightened against the medical equipment, his breaths becoming rapid.

Wei Cheng extended his hand to Meng Wenxuan.

Moments later, Meng Wenxuan straightened up, lowered his gaze, and connected his data terminal to Wei Cheng's.

Wei Cheng is Lu Yinghuai's deputy. His data terminal access was second only to Lu Yinghuai's. Now, Xia You has been added, yet compared to Zhou Shu and Meng Wenxuan, his access level is still higher.

After ensuring that Meng Wenxuan had neither copied nor retained unauthorized data, Wei Cheng disconnected their terminals, retrieved his own, and casually draped his arm over Meng Wenxuan's shoulder, saying with a light laugh, "Alright, stop dwelling on it. The cafeteria has tilapia today. Aren't we getting some?"

Meng Wenxuan smirked, shrugging in an attempt to shake off Wei Cheng's arm, "I'm not going."

Regardless, Wei Cheng practically dragged Meng Wenxuan out of the medical room.

"I'm doing this for your own good. You've been cooped up in that medical room for days, soon you'll start growing mold..."

*

Today's dinner supposedly features a unique ingredient, so Zhou Shu decided to cook personally.

Not wanting to let the old man down, Xia You specifically selected a cat to indulge in a pre-dinner therapeutic session.

The package includes claw pinching, ear rubbing, a psychokinetic energy release for both the body and mind, and a final paw pad massage.

Through some surreptitious maneuvering that wasn’t entirely above board, Xia You set her sights on the beautiful snow leopard.

Cheng Zhi Nian sat nearby, with his data screen enlarged, diligently working on lesson preparation, an activity he wasn't particularly skilled at.

Xia You sat cross-legged on the sofa, caressing the snow leopard cat she hadn't touched in a while. The dense feel of this long-haired large cat was distinctly different from that of a tiger or panther.

"Professor, there isn’t always a need for intensive lesson preparation; hands-on practice works too."

Watching Cheng Zhi Nian type for ten minutes only to delete it all in a second, Xia You couldn’t help but interject.

Cheng Zhi Nian, who usually acted on instinct in fights, looked serious, his eyes full of resolve, "We can't be careless in our teachings."

Just as Xia You was about to speak, the snow leopard playfully covered her mouth with its paw.

Alright then.

Xia You shifted her attention, focusing on inspecting the condition of the snow leopard cat.

Although both Cheng Zhi Nian and Fan Yu Xin had regained their consciousness and awakened from the hibernation chamber, their psychokinetic disorders hadn't been cured. The gray matter in their psychic realm persisted, and their psychic entities remained in their beast forms.

Xue Bing (Snow Cake), the leopard, was as fond of Xia You as ever. This time, while Xia You treated her, she comfortably lay on Xia You’s lap, slipping a paw into her hand.

Suddenly, with Xue Bing on her lap, Xia You froze for a moment, cleared her throat, and asked, "Professor... about Xue Bing... is there anything I should be aware of?"

Cheng Zhi Nian briefly looked up from his preparations, replying indifferently, "Like what?"

"You know, psychokinetic resonance or something," Xia You whispered.

Realization dawned on Cheng Zhi Nian, "It’s fine. The professor and Fan Yu Xin hold her often."

Xia You, puzzled: "Huh?"

It’s one thing for his sister to hold the snow leopard, but Colonel Fan...?

A hint of surprise flickered in Xia You's eyes.

Surely, Qu Qi isn’t jealous of the leopard getting attention from within its own clan?

Cheng Zhi Nian changed into a fresh outfit, his hair now loose. He was engrossed in a mech video, occasionally pausing it and distractedly saying, "He doesn’t talk about it, and I don't bother to ask."

"The Fan household is a mess; I don’t have the time for their drama."

"Either he settles matters with the Fan family and marries me, or I'll offer a dowry to the Fan family and marry him."

"If he's willing, using a mech to abduct someone isn't out of the question."

Xia You: "..."

Holding the snow leopard, Xia You glanced at Cheng Zhi Nian, who sat on the sofa with a carefree posture, and silently gave him a thumbs up with a look of admiration.

How should I put it... Truly, he is a student worthy of being taught by my sister.

Xia You pinched the snow leopard's soft cheeks, unable to curb her curiosity, "But what if... just hypothetically, neither of these options works out?"

So, we just wait?

Cheng Zhi Nian's expression shifted from surprise to concern in an instant. He pushed his data screen aside and fixed his gaze on Xia You, saying solemnly, "Xia You."

Xia You: "...Yes?"

"There are plenty of men out there," Cheng Zhi Nian stated deliberately, "You can always find another."

"Xia You, I know the Marshal is exceptional, and it's hard to find someone better, but you must learn to move on."

Xia You: "...?"

Xia You looked at Cheng Zhi Nian, utterly baffled.

Seeing Xia You's expression, Cheng Zhi Nian furrowed his brows and continued, "Both the professor and the Marshal would agree with you remarrying. The Lu family isn’t that selfish and narrow-minded—"

"Professor!" Xia You, swallowing hard, interrupted Cheng Zhi Nian.

At that moment, Cheng Zhi Nian felt an oppressive sensation emanating from behind, tinged with a hint of murderous intent.

Murderous intent? In the Marshal's residence?

Cheng Zhi Nian's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his blade. He swiftly turned, shielding Xia You behind him, only to meet the gaze of a panther.

The black panther stood behind Cheng Zhi Nian, its eyes deep and piercing.

Cheng Zhi Nian released his grip on the weapon, ignored the panther, and turned back to Xia You, "Xia You, you can enjoy the joys of singlehood, but you must never entertain any absurd notions of lifelong mourning, understood?"

Xia You: "Uh... ahem, alright."

Speaking of which, if His Highness awakens... he should remember this conversation, shouldn’t he?

That sensation, like her toes were grasping at the ground, began to envelop Xia You again.

Fearing that Cheng ZhiNian might utter something else, Xia You hurriedly extended her mental tendrils into Xuebing's body, commencing a long-overdue health check.

As expected, due to the residue of grey matter in the brain not being fully cleared out, over time, much of this substance had accumulated and adhered to Xuebing's blood vessels.

Whether it was because Xia You’s psychic power had strengthened, or the newly formed grey matter was still fragile, wherever Xia You’s tendrils passed, the grey substance was entirely shattered and devoured, leaving no trace behind.

The mysterious substance that caused peaks in Xia You's psychic power, which Meng Wenxuan knew nothing about but wanted to, was precisely the grey matter causing severe illnesses in the companion creatures.

This matter was akin to the incident where Lu Yinghuai consumed the Queen of the Bug Race in his psychic sea. Xia You's elevation by devouring the grey matter causing psychic disturbances would become a vulnerability if discovered by adversaries.

Xia You had no intention of disclosing this to anyone other than Lu Yinghuai.

Xia You’s psychic tendrils, full of vigor and enthusiasm, rolled up their non-existent sleeves and charged into Xuebing's mind realm, ready to redeem their past errors.

This time, the tendrils did not employ the previous brute-force method but spread out like a web, directly covering the grey matter in Xuebing's brain and gnawing at it as if it were an energy stone.

Xia You hadn’t previously considered this straightforward approach because she instinctively dreaded the grey matter, thinking it might be akin to a zombie virus.

However, once she realized that this grey matter might nourish her psychic power, she consumed it without reservations.

Indeed, using this method allowed her to devour even the grey matter firmly attached to the companion creature’s body or brain. She just needed to be cautious not to damage the creature's nerves.

Easier said than done, simultaneously controlling so many tendrils felt like performing dozens of brain surgeries at once. Within twenty minutes, Xia You felt a throbbing pain in her temples.

Withdrawing her psychic power, Xia You opened her eyes to find Xuebing had fainted on her lap and Cheng ZhiNian was also unconscious on the sofa, with a muted screen still displaying visual data in front of him.

A slender tendril, about two fingers wide, emerged, pinpointing the location of the black panther, wrapping around it twice, and positioning its tip right between the panther's ears.

Xia You placed Xuebing next to Cheng ZhiNian, covered them both with a large and a small blanket, made a hushing gesture to the panther, and tiptoed out of the living room.

There were many such guest rooms in the Marshal's mansion. Xia You didn't fancy being holed up in a study or bedroom; on regular days without guests, she liked to wander freely.

Just as she stepped out, she ran into Uncle Zhou.

Uncle Zhou glanced at the small living room, nodded in understanding, and whispered, "I've asked the kitchen to save a meal for you."

Xia You nodded repeatedly, rubbing her now-empty stomach that yearned for food after the exhaustion. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Uncle Zhou, "I'm so hungry. Uncle Zhou, what delicious food have you prepared today?"

Uncle Zhou chuckled, "Remember you were curious about the lolo duck? I had someone bring one, and we've made crispy roasted duck..."

"Wait... an entire... roasted duck?"

"Lolo ducks are quite large..."

Listening to the conversation, the black panther yawned and began to walk toward the dining room, a little tendril still hanging from its body, occasionally brushing against the panther's head, resembling a limp salted fish.

*

Night.

The wrist-mounted computer jolted. Xia You jerked awake, retreating further under the blanket to switch off the device's alarm.

Peeking through a gap in the blanket, Xia You saw the black panther sleeping on the sofa, the white tiger sprawled on the balcony, and a baby tiger on the carpet, covered with a small blanket, smacking its lips in sleep.

All three cats accounted for.

Sliding out from under the covers like a pupa, Xia You tiptoed carefully.

The black panther's ear twitched.

Xia You held her breath.

The black panther's tail swayed slightly.

Xia You's breathing faltered.

The black panther opened its eyes, staring intently in Xia You's direction.

Without hesitation, Xia You darted into the bathroom.

The panther resumed its lounging position.

Xia You peeked through a crack in the bathroom door and only then let out a sigh of relief.

With no option to go elsewhere, this will have to do!

Xia You rubbed her hands together and from her spatial node, she retrieved the coveted catnip seeds. She then produced a small pot and the nutrient-rich soil Uncle Zhou had prepared. Squatting in the bathroom, she busily began planting the catnip.

Yuan Yuan was extraordinarily sensitive to the presence of catnip. Every time Xia You brought it out, he would pounce on it, crushing it under his paw.

Usually, Yuan Yuan would be by Xia You's side whether she was sleeping, brushing, eating, or walking, not leaving her even for a moment. Because of this, Xia You never really found an opportunity to plant the catnip.

Uncle Zhou tried planting it once but to little avail. These seeds, which normally sprouted easily, seemed to depend on Xia You's spiritual energy. She had to plant them herself.

More than half an hour later, Xia You washed her hands and placed the potted plant back into the spatial node, planning to hand it over to Uncle Zhou for safekeeping the next day.

When she opened the bathroom door, she found a dark silhouette waiting right outside.

Xia You: "!!!"

The black panther, originally with golden eyes, now had irises glowing eerily green in the dark, giving Xia You, who was already feeling guilty, quite a scare.

Blocking the panther from entering the bathroom, Xia You dragged it onto her bed. Pinning it down with her arms and legs, she exclaimed, "Ah! No matter what, Yuan Yuan, you're sleeping with me tonight!"

Whatever the prince would think once he woke up, it didn't matter now. He wouldn't be aware of what she was doing to Yuan Yuan at the moment!

The black panther had no choice but to lie down on the bed, letting Xia You do as she pleased.

Xia You playfully stroked the panther's soft belly while swinging her legs on the bed.

Soon, she thought gleefully, she'd have an abundance of catnip!

Considering Yuan Yuan's disciplined and aloof nature, his unexpected affection towards the catnip last time was not out of distaste but perhaps a reluctance towards the uncontrollable feeling it induced.

It's okay; with more exposure, he'd surely get accustomed to it.

As Xia You stroked the black panther's soft belly, her fingertips inadvertently brushed against a bump.

Huh?

Oops...

Feigning nonchalance, Xia You quickly retracted her hand, thinking to herself—

It's a good thing the prince is in a deep sleep without any shared sensations right now, otherwise...

*

Marshal's Mansion: Underground Slumber Chamber

Within the hibernation pod, a man with black hair lay with his hands folded across his chest, deeply asleep.

Suddenly, a small, transparent tendril peeked out from Lu Yinghuai's collar. It paused as if receiving a message. The tip of the tendril then darted toward the inside of Lu Yinghuai's shirt.

It settled over an area where it could feel a rhythmic heartbeat and remained contentedly still.

Seemingly sensing an unusual touch, Lu Yinghuai, who should've been in deep slumber, slightly retracted the tip of his elongated finger.

Barely noticeable.