Chapter 82

Xia You's psychic tentacles didn't have a specific count, but among the constantly splintering small tentacles, there was one that left an indelible impression on her.

To be honest, Xia You was both envious and jealous of that particular small tentacle.

While she diligently attended classes and studied hard alongside His Highness, that mischievous little tentacle would lazily curl around His Highness's wrist in plain sight. His Highness would gently pinch that small tentacle, but when he looked up at her, he was all business, checking her work.

As he trained his psychic strength with an idle enthusiasm, that little tentacle lounged lazily on His Highness's knee, basking in the sun and becoming as limp as noodles — the epitome of idleness.

Before His Highness confessed to her, Xia You constantly kept her burgeoning feelings in check, reminding herself not to harbor any unrealistic hopes. Just living a calm and happy life was enough. Yet, deep down, she yearned for closeness with Lu Yinghuai, and even the slightest touch would bring her joy for the whole day.

Aside from during treatments when she could hold Lu Yinghuai's hand openly, the demure Xia You would never dare to take his hand boldly. After all, an accidental touch could be excused with an innocent smile, but if it happened too often... well, it might seem too deliberate.

However, once Xia You noticed that Lu Yinghuai didn't seem averse to her psychic tentacle, she took every chance to let one touch him.

Not that she had ulterior motives — it's just that doing so would lift her spirits for the entire day.

— It was also an opportunity for her psychic strength to connect more with His Highness. Every little bit counts, and who knows, maybe it could lead to a significant breakthrough!

Over time, that particular tentacle of Xia You's got used to slacking off. Whenever she projected her psychic strength, the tentacle would either seek out the leopard or Lu Yinghuai.

If one were to say the small psychic tentacles were a physical manifestation of Xia You's psychic strength, then that particular one best symbolized a certain aspect of Xia You's inherent character.

But now — that tentacle was nowhere to be found!

Xia You held the remaining psychic tentacles in her arms, her face somber and her gaze vacant.

Seriously, how can one just lose a part of their psychic entity?

No, the how isn't important. What matters is where has it gone?

A fierce determination flashed in Xia You's eyes.

The little tiger behind her, who had heard the entire conversation, leaned forward with a serious look instead of its usual playful demeanor.

The Empire had never encountered an incident of a lost psychic entity since its discovery, especially not from someone like Xia You with unique psychic abilities — even if it was just a single split-off tentacle, it was a grave matter.

Originally, Wei Cheng insisted on overseeing Meng Wenxuan to ensure he didn’t make unauthorized copies of Xia You’s psychic data, let alone a sample of her psychic entity.

"I intended to request footage from the day you returned from the protected area aboard the battleship. However, I was informed that the recordings were copied and the original files were destroyed."

Meng Wenxuan too was concerned about the lost fragment of Xia You's psychic entity. However, his motivations differed slightly. Frankly, with his hopes and future tied to Xia You, if someone else were to obtain her psychic sample, the thought would keep him awake at night in agitation.

Xia You puzzled, "Even the battleship's recordings can't capture the presence of a psychic entity, can they?"

Meng Wenxuan clarified, "The warship His Majesty used that day belongs to the royal fleet, equipped with psychic detection imaging lenses. Although they can't capture detailed psychic entity data, they can determine potential timeframes where your psychic entity might have had issues based on fluctuations in your psychic data."

Xia You paused in thought for a moment.

At that moment, a large tiger with black and white stripes approached Xia You from the other side. The two big cats stood on either side of her, staring intently at Meng Wenxuan.

Inside the window, Meng Wenxuan clutched his stomach, feeling its dull ache intensify under the tiger's gaze.

The events of that day flashed through Xia You's mind. She began, "I might have a clue about who took the footage. If you really want to know, shall I ask—Doctor Meng?"

Meng Wenxuan, who was initially leaning against the window, suddenly toppled forward, plunging down from the second floor.

"Spicy sticks!"

In her panic, Xia You instinctively released her mental tendrils, which swiftly wrapped around Meng Wenxuan, slowing his descent.

Thanks to Xia You's psychic intervention, a young tiger managed to catch the unconscious Meng Wenxuan.

Xia You sighed in relief and hurriedly checked on Meng Wenxuan's condition.

She found that without his glasses, Meng Wenxuan looked deathly pale with a faint blue tint in his eyes, resembling someone who had been severely sleep-deprived and was on the brink of collapsing.

Xia You: "?"

She picked up Meng Wenxuan's glasses and put them back on him. To her astonishment, his complexion became rosy and healthy in a split second.

"Good heavens," Xia You stared at Meng Wenxuan's glasses in disbelief, "Such a thing exists?"

The young tiger's eyes sparkled, seemingly eager to snatch away Meng Wenxuan's glasses.

The white tiger appeared displeased with someone lying on top of the young tiger and was about to drag the human off.

Xia You swiftly intervened, quickly stuffing several catnip balls into the tiger's mouth. In the confusion, she failed to notice Meng Wenxuan's awakening eyes.

Meng Wenxuan slowly opened his eyes. Due to prolonged hunger, he had momentarily blacked out earlier. Waking up now, he found himself staring down a tiger's throat, nearly gasping for air.

"Doctor Meng, you're awake? How do you feel?" Xia You, wrapping her arms around the white tiger's head, tried to keep it at bay while speaking to the newly awakened Meng Wenxuan.

With a blank expression, Meng Wenxuan carefully climbed off the imperial prince's companion beast and dryly responded, "...I'm okay."

Alive.

Xia You: "Shall we head back then?"

Meng Wenxuan silently nodded.

On their way back, Latiao (Spicy Sticks) stared intently at Meng Wenxuan's glasses, sending chills down his spine. As he diverted his gaze, he noticed Xia You, who was trying to manage the white tiger, also occasionally glancing at his spectacles.

Meng Wenxuan hesitated for a moment, then with a reluctant tone said, "I bought these glasses from the black market a long time ago. The creator vanished many years back."

Oh…

The disappointment was clearly evident on the faces of both the young man and the tiger cub.

As they walked, Xia You tried to use her psychic tendrils to probe inside the white tiger, continuing to target the gray substance within its older sibling.

The white tiger seemed to understand Xia You's intentions. With its calm slate-blue eyes, it gently gripped her collar with its mouth, lifting her onto its back with graceful ease, continuing to walk with a steady pace.

Xia You's eyes widened.

Apart from that one time in the Snow Mountain Reserve, she had never been carried by any other large feline, let alone the majestic and regal white tiger.

Latiao instinctively retracted his neck.

He often heard his father boastfully mention how the large family tiger carried only him in its lifetime, not even his own younger brother received such treatment.

If the emperor, who had not managed to touch a single tiger hair and was diligently reviewing documents in the capital star, came to know of this scene… Yikes.

Xia You, however, wasn't overthinking. Leaning in, she gently caressed the white tiger's neck, softly coaxing, "Sis, let's put me down. It's not good for your back to carry me like this."

The white tiger let out a disdainful grunt. Instead of setting Xia You down, it hastened its pace, sprinting toward their destination.

With a startled cry, Xia You clung onto the white tiger. Her psychic tendrils fluttered in the wind like an ethereal ribbon shimmering under the sunlight.

The left-behind tiger cub glanced at Meng Wenxuan.

"So, do you want a ride too?"

The cub's gaze settled on Meng Wenxuan's glasses.

Protectively, Meng Wenxuan covered his precious accessory and made a respectful gesture, implying, "After you."

Latiao smacked his lips, choosing not to run but instead walked alongside Meng Wenxuan, step by step, towards their home.

After all, just moments ago, he looked as if he were about to collapse any second. What if he fainted in some bush?

At the very least, he's a member of the young uncle's guard, so he's essentially one of us.

Meng Wenxuan might be stubborn, but he's smart. Recognizing the little tiger's concern, he replied warmly, "Your Highness, your vitals have been improving. I believe it won't be long before they reach the awakening threshold."

Latiao couldn't resist shooting Meng Wenxuan a glare.

Why does he always bring up the most uncomfortable topics?

Perhaps I should cut back on eating for a while...

The amber and black striped tiger's face seemed to show a conflicted expression.

Taken aback by the stare, Meng Wenxuan tried to continue the conversation, "Earlier, the readings from your medical pod—"

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, as if recalling something. He quickly accessed his portable computer, swiftly scanning the previous data analyses.

Seconds later, his eyes widened in realization, and he bolted back the way they'd come.

Latiao: "??"

What's he running for?!

Has he lost his mind?!

……

Panting, Meng Wenxuan returned to the mansion only to find the white tiger lounging on the couch, chewing a catnip ball. Beside it stood the butler with a gentle smile.

"Xia, Xia—"

Butler Zhou politely interrupted, "The young master went to visit the master in the sleep chamber. If Dr. Meng needs anything, please wait for a moment. You look quite pale; do you need me to fetch some medicine?"

"No, I'm fine... Ugh!"

A sudden pressure on the back of his neck caused Meng Wenxuan to slump forward.

Wei Cheng, just returned from outside and still in his coat, caught him, removing Meng's glasses. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at Butler Zhou and began, "Butler Zhou, can you—"

Butler Zhou interrupted, "I've already sent a specially formulated nutrient solution to Dr. Meng's room. If the situation worsens, we can always use the medical pod as an emergency measure."

Wei Cheng shook his head, "It might be best to place a 'No Meng Wenxuan Allowed' sign on the medical pod in the future. It's clear to me now that unless he gets sick once in a while, he'll never learn."

The health-conscious old butler nodded in wholehearted agreement.

"Butler Zhou, please continue with your tasks. I'll take him home." Saying this, Wei Cheng hoisted Meng Wenxuan over his shoulder and strode out.

A little panda emerged from the kitchen, rolling two apples, tilting its head in confusion.

That special effect from the glasses earlier... looked familiar, didn't it?

Reminds me of the toy I made when I was bored...

Oh well, no big deal. Back to sketching it is.

The panda hopped onto the table holding one apple, jumped down, fetched the other apple, and then settled down in front of the screen.

*

Marshal Mansion · Sleep Chamber

Xia You made a point of avoiding the leopard as he entered, treading softly towards Lu Yinghuai's sleep pod.

After realizing which of his small tendrils he'd lost, Xia You instantly thought of where it might be.

He just hadn't shown any reaction.

Because—

This scene of the prince entering the sleep pod while his own psychic tendril also settled inside gave off an unmistakably infatuated vibe.

It was rather cringe-worthy.

Xia You squinted, reaching out to poke the leopard-patterned fabric on the pod.

It was evident the fabric had been moved. He hadn't noticed on his previous visits.

With the prince still asleep and even Butler Zhou lacking permission to enter the sleep chamber, why had the fabric been displaced?

Xia You raised his hand, gently touching the transparent lid of the sleep pod. With utmost caution, his psychic energy slowly probed into the pod's interior.

The tiny tentacle that was coiled around the man's nape suddenly jolted, standing erect in an instant. It enthusiastically intertwined with the psychic tendril that Xia You had extended.

——It then began to absorb Xia You's psychic energy in large gulps.

Xia You felt weak in the knees from the force of the consumption. Had she not been fed a significant amount of energy stones by Uncle Zhou earlier, which she hadn't yet fully digested, she might have collapsed on the spot.

Bracing herself against the surface of the hibernation pod, Xia You's psychic energy tried to pull the little tentacle out.

Sensing Xia You's intentions, the little tentacle stubbornly refused to leave.

Gritting her teeth, Xia You whispered a threat to the tentacle inside the hibernation pod: "Get out!"

Thankfully, no one knew about this yet. There was still time.

The tentacle, originally as thin as a chopstick, became plump and round after voraciously absorbing Xia You's energy. It darted to the man's hand resting in front of him, pressing forcefully against his slender and pale fingers. It aimed to touch the lid of the hibernation pod, passing through the anesthetic mist, trying to make contact with Xia You's finger through the transparent cover.

Xia You felt a tingling sensation at the tip of her finger, as if it had been burned, and she quickly pulled her hand back.

Inside the hibernation pod, Lu Yinghuai's hand was again obscured by the dense white vapor, but the plump and adorable little tentacle was pressed against the transparent lid of the pod.

The little tentacle playfully shaped itself into a heart directed at Xia You outside the pod, then twisted itself into an arrow pointing at the person asleep inside.

——Come on in!

Xia You: "..."

Just then, a verification sound echoed from the door of the hibernation room.

Startled, Xia You turned and met the piercing eyes of someone watching from above the staircase.

Xia You: "!!"

The tentacle inside the hibernation pod violently shoved the resistant little one deep inside, swiftly retreating to Xia You's psychic realm.

Yep, nothing happened.