Chapter 71

[Honestly, just watching this is so relaxing.]

[Relaxing? Seriously? That little panda looks like it's about to faint, right?]

[Oh, I understand what the previous person meant. Although it might not sound great, having a healer as a safety net is invaluable for an army.]

[Speaking of which, that panda is the one, right?]

[Who else could it be? From the military academy to the corps, who hasn't seen this panda when trained by Instructor Zhuo Xi?]

[I won't lie... Every time I think of Instructor Zhuo's baby face and the panda on his shoulder, my bones ache.]

In the live stream, a young man with delicate features gently holds a panda's paw, his eyes downcast. Not far behind him sits a majestic black panther. The frame's edge faintly shows some black and white tiger fur, and occasionally, a small tiger with orange and black fur strolls by.

[Speaking of which, the furry scarves have been selling well at the base these days... I'm thinking of getting one. I wonder if Lord Xia You likes those serpents.]

[Serpents? With your size, do you really think you can get close to Lord Xia You?]

[Most of Lord Xia You's treatments involve bonded beasts, right? With so many people lining up in the sanctuary, don't daydream.]

[Well, smart people create opportunities, understand? Recently, the vicinity of the Marshal's Mansion has almost turned into a free-range zoo. Let's not pretend we don't have our little schemes.]

[Ahem...]

[Cough...]

For a moment, the live stream was filled with awkwardness until a golden bullet comment appeared, lingering in the middle for a while.

[Friendly reminder: Lord's treatments can be painful. Beasts pretending to be furry, remember to wear your sweaters.]

[On that note, I think Major General Wei will tighten the security around the Marshal's Mansion. Thanks for the heads up.]

People clicked in, and were immediately met with a high-resolution profile picture of a bear. Scrolling down, they were blinded by the dazzling display of military achievements and ranks, quietly exiting after.

It's Major General Jiang Nan... Well, no worries then.

The bear, who had previously intervened multiple times between a panther and a white tiger in the chat, left a deep impression on many.

Over the past few months, Jiang Nan, with surprisingly high rehab efficiency, frequently brought his bonded beast to randomly visit training army squads, challenging them. His full defense combat style left many rookies doubting their life choices.

Outside the live stream, Wei Cheng, who was also watching, quietly pulled up the defense map of the Marshal's Mansion. On top of guarding against assassins and spies, he added the task of repelling bonded beasts.

—— Particularly those peculiar creatures like snakes in sweaters, giant lizards with scarves, and golden-haired tarantulas.

When Xia You withdrew his psychic tentacle from the panda, the little creature had already curled up using its tail as a pillow, fainting.

Gently stroking the reddish-brown furball, Xia You delicately lifted it and placed it into the small basket that Uncle Zhou had brought over.

The basket was woven from bamboo, lacquered on the outside and cushioned with a soft layer inside, complete with a fluffy pillow.

The panda fit perfectly into the basket, making the once-empty container feel heavy.

Uncle Zhou effortlessly lifted the basket with the panda, chuckling, "This basket was originally prepared for Young Master Sun back in the day. Never thought it would come in handy now."

Young Master Sun?

Xia You immediately looked over at the large tiger head, affectionately known as Spicy Strip, edging closer.

Spicy Strip lifted a paw to the side of the basket, poking the little panda with its claw.

He didn't mind that the unused cradle had been given away.

But now, the increasingly affectionate little tiger turned to Uncle Zhou, nuzzling against him repeatedly, making the elderly butler's eyes twinkle with amusement, "Alright, alright. I'll weave an even bigger and better one for our little tiger."

Xia You: "..."

To save face for the Crown Prince, Xia You reached for the live-stream orb and promptly shut it off.

Absolutely no adherence to a typical live-stream protocol.

The live stream's motto seems to be "Random, casual, take it or leave it".

After being ignored for quite a while, Lu Yinghuai, letting go of his reservations, approached Xia You just before Spicy Strip intended to. He took a seat next to her, casting a glance at his nephew.

Spicy Strip visibly hesitated for a moment, shrunk its head slightly, and with shimmering eyes, turned and walked away.

Xia You didn't notice the silent interaction between uncle and nephew. Feeling she still had some psychic energy left, she casually grasped Lu Yinghuai's panther paw, sending her psychic tentacles into the black panther.

The situation inside the black panther, like other bonded beasts, showed the accumulation of grey matter. Even after Xia You cleared it, it would reappear over time — and notably, the black panther's grey matter production was much faster than other beasts.

As expected, the moment Xia You's psychic tentacle entered, it encountered the forming grey matter. Xia You frowned and directed her tentacles to cleanse the panther's body.

This was the first time Lu Yinghuai, in his panther form, was comforted by Xia You's psychic power. He suddenly understood why the other unconscious beasts seemed to faint in pain, yet were willing to go through the process again.

The sensation was both painful and refreshing, much like a swift waterfall washing away internal ailments. The pain of tearing off a wound gave a heightened sense of being alive.

Uncle Zhou, observing Lu Yinghuai's tense body trying to maintain his composure, thoughtfully carried away the little panda and tactfully distracted the white tiger with a catnip ball.

Wei Cheng, engrossed in the device displaying fluctuating data, led the data-focused Meng Wenxuan back to the medical room, always working behind the scenes.

Soon, only Xia You and Lu Yinghuai remained in the small living room.

The once tense and upright panther now relaxed, sprawling on the carpet. Its shiny tail curled around Xia You's wrist, its tip instinctively brushing gently against her skin.

As Xia You exhausted her psychic energy and opened her eyes, she was immediately met with the sight of a massive, glossy-furred black panther seemingly enjoying itself in a half-lounging position.

Xia You: "!"

Unable to resist the temptation, Xia You's eyes sparkled, and she lunged towards the black panther.

Lu Yinghuai, who initially wanted to stand up, was startled. Without thinking, he lifted his forelimbs, catching Xiayu in his embrace.

Xiayu sank into the soft and warm fur of the leopard's belly, letting out a comfortable sigh.

Lu Yinghuai, on the other hand, tensed up his leopard tail, rigidly standing in place, unsure of what to do.

By the time Lu Yinghuai finally mustered the courage to push Xiayu away, the young man in his arms was already breathing deeply, comfortably slipping into an afternoon nap.

Lu Yinghuai: "..."

To push him away or not, it was a dilemma.

Lying on his back in such a manner was rather undignified; being seen like this was truly unseemly.

But Xiayu always gets sleepy after a psychic treatment and if awoken, he suffers from intermittent headaches making it hard to fall asleep again.

If he were to change his position, even if there's a carpet below and Lu Yinghuai beside him, there's still the risk of catching a chill...

With his leopard's paw, Lu Yinghuai pondered for a while, carefully and slowly stretching out his sharp claws to hook the edge of the blanket, pulling it over them without waking Xiayu.

Feeling the weight of the blanket, Xiayu gripped its edge and snuggled deeper into the leopard's embrace, sleeping even more soundly.

Lu Yinghuai, after some time, began to feel drowsy. Just as he used his strong forelimbs to protect Xiayu from rolling around and was about to close his eyes, he felt a gaze upon him.

Turning his head, his sharp eyes met the window, where a golden eagle, with its wings tucked in, perched on a branch, openly staring at him.

The golden eagle is one of the most fierce raptors, spanning almost four meters with wings extended; a rare sight among spirit entities or companion beasts.

Yet, Lu Yinghuai had seen this particular eagle many times throughout his life.

At this moment, the eyes of the eagle outside the window were neither fierce nor cold but rather teasing and gentle.

Lu Yinghuai chose to ignore it, turning his leopard head back and mimicking Xiayu's earlier reaction to awkwardness; he closed his eyes and lay down.

After all, the Grand Marshal of the Empire was still in his hibernation chamber; all that was here was a black leopard.

***

On regular days, meals at the Marshal's Mansion are prepared by a dedicated chef. However, recently, Uncle Zhou has been fascinated by a recipe book acquired from the black market and has been experimenting with various dishes.

Most of the time, they're delicious, except for...

Xiayu stared at the vibrant green pot brought out by Uncle Zhou, eyes widening in alarm, instantly gripping the leopard tail wrapped around her wrist.

Your Highness, save me!

But as Uncle Zhou returned to the kitchen, he soon emerged again, placing a dark, murky pot in front of Lu Yinghuai.

Treating both human and leopard with equal "affection".

Xiayu: "..."

Lu Yinghuai: "..."

The large black leopard sat upright in his chair. After a moment of silence, he closed his eyes and hastily gulped down the nourishing soup from the pot, then sprang up, bolting toward the washroom.

Xiayu, still hesitating with her soup spoon in hand: "??"

Glancing around, Latiao was nowhere to be seen, while a white tiger had a similar pot of soup in front of it, seemingly savoring every sip.

Latiao sneakily peeked out from the staircase to the second floor, casting a pitiful look at Xiayu, who sat rigidly at the dining table, quickly withdrawing before Uncle Zhou could notice.

Xiayu and Lu Yinghuai had slept all afternoon, but Latiao, who had roamed around the entire mansion, had seen Uncle Zhou personally making the soup.

The clever little tiger certainly knew what to do.

Xiayu tightened her grip on the spoon, took a deep breath, and sampled a small sip.

“……”

Logically, with Uncle Zhou's culinary skills, his soup should be delectable. However, he always added peculiar herbs to it, resulting in a sour, astringent, bitter, and spicy taste—utterly indescribable.

But admittedly, after drinking it, Xiayu always felt a warmth throughout her body and a noticeable boost in vitality.

The affection from the elders weighed heavily on her. Bracing herself, Xiayu swallowed hard.

Casting a glance at the pot that Lu Yinghuai had drained in record time, Xiayu steeled herself. Lifting the pot to her lips, she closed her eyes and downed its contents in one go.

She then sprinted to the washroom, joining Lu Yinghuai in a frantic bout of mouth-rinsing.

Inside the washroom, both the golden-haired youth and the black leopard leaned over the sink, taking sips of water, swishing vigorously, and then spitting it out.

It took over a dozen rinses to barely dilute the sour taste in her mouth.

Xiayu grabbed a towel to wipe her mouth, and handed the other end to Lu Yinghuai.

Lu Yinghuai used the tip of his leopard paw to delicately dab at his own mouth.

As they wiped, both human and leopard looked up at each other and burst into laughter.

After dinner, Xiayu and Lu Yinghuai headed to the upstairs study. Along the way, Xiayu checked on the red panda in her bedroom.

Lu Yinghuai glanced at the bamboo basket in Xiayu's room but remained silent.

In the study, Xiayu instinctively nestled into the spacious chair behind the desk, while the room's original occupant, the leopard, gracefully settled on a nearby couch.

Xiayu reviewed the list of letters organized by Uncle Zhou. As she read, her gaze drifted over the edge of her screen towards Lu Yinghuai.

Floating before the black leopard were three or four screens, likely pertaining to legion matters.

Ten minutes later, Xiayu, with a bundle of letters and her own screen in tow, squeezed onto the long couch where Lu Yinghuai lounged.

He shifted naturally to the side, adjusting his posture so Xiayu could lean comfortably against him.

Resting against the warm, fuzzy leopard, Xiayu contentedly continued her work.

……

Though she had napped in the afternoon, the day's mental exertion made Xiayu yawn on cue with her biological clock, her eyelids drooping heavily.

A thought crossed Lu Yinghuai's mind. He propped up Xiayu's body with a paw, hopped off the couch, and gently tapped her leg with his tail.

Rubbing her eyes, Xiayu checked the time and rose from the couch. As she and Lu Yinghuai headed to the bedroom, she pondered whether to take a bath before sleeping a little later.

She had slept so much in the afternoon. While she felt drowsy now, she might wake up after a short nap, which would be rather discomforting...

Perhaps she could play with Latiao for a bit. Maybe in a few hours, the red panda would wake up too.

The accumulation of the gray substance inside the red panda wasn't severe. During today's treatment, he had also cleared some of it from the panda's brain, which should significantly influence its consciousness...

With various thoughts and plans swirling in her mind, Xiayu opened the bedroom door and paused.

Latiao and the white tiger, who should've been there, were nowhere to be found. Only the red panda, still slumbering in its bamboo basket, remained.

Xiayu raised an eyebrow, glanced at Lu Yinghuai, then grabbed her pajamas and headed to the bathroom for a bath.

The black leopard approached the bamboo basket, eyes narrowing mysteriously.

By the time Xiayu emerged from the bathroom, not a single strand of red panda fur could be found in the room.

The only presence was a poised, regal black leopard, resting with eyes closed on the couch.