Chapter 108

After being led away from the rose garden by Luyinghuai, Xiayou noticeably relaxed, taking a deep, relieving breath.

Luyinghuai chuckled, "Were you that nervous?"

Xiayou nodded sheepishly, honestly saying, "His Majesty... seems so aloof."

"That's just how he is. He's a bit more down-to-earth when his sister is around; otherwise, he loves to tease others."

Luyinghuai spoke with a casual tone, devoid of any seriousness, making it sound like he was referring to a pesky family member.

Yuan Yuan walked ahead, his leopard tail perked up and swaying, seemingly uninterested in any vegetation other than roses.

Xiayou acknowledged him, lowered his head to dodge a flower branch, and took a step closer to Luyinghuai.

"But His Majesty didn't notice that his sister had actually awakened."

Shouldn't someone who truly cares notice even the slightest changes in the ones they care about?

Luyinghuai slowed his pace slightly.

The two, initially walking hand in hand one behind the other, gradually walked side by side.

Luyinghuai: "My sister isn't like His Majesty. She never deceives."

The one who's genuinely cryptic in words and deeds, who expertly deceives, isn't the Great White Tiger, but the Smiling Tiger beside it.

"The only one ever deceived by my sister has always been His Majesty."

Compared to deception, Lu Jiuzhu excels in direct domination. Of course, when it comes to charisma, Lu Jiuzhu truly outshines this emperor by light years.

Originally, Lu JiuZhu had said they could marry, but he did not want to reveal his identity. His Majesty did not object in the slightest, ensuring everything was perfectly arranged. It was as if he feared that on the wedding day, royal battleships might genuinely be needed to rescue someone from the military department.

Xia You seemed to half-understand, but she found it intriguing: "So, did His Majesty genuinely get deceived or did he just pretend to be?"

After pondering for a few seconds, Lu YingHui shook his head and earnestly replied, "Who knows? Either way, they've enjoyed the situation for many years."

Laughter bubbled up from Xia You as sunbeams, filtered through blooming branches, played across her eyes and brows.

*

Upon returning home, both Wei Cheng and Meng WenXuan were there, along with several familiar-faced medical professionals in the living room.

Fan YuXin and Cheng ZhiNian were also present, standing a bit away near a window, engaging in a quiet conversation in front of a holographic screen.

Xia You playfully poked Lu YingHui in the palm of her hand.

The elder reluctantly let go, internally lamenting and becoming discontent with the stern persona he had maintained in the past.

The corners of Xia You's eyes still carried an undeniable joy as she twiddled her fingertips, rubbing away the faint moisture.

Uncle Zhou returned from the backyard, cradling a listless little red panda, with a fluffy entourage trailing behind.

Seeing this, Xia You approached, picking up the lead lynx kitten and extending its long, cookie-like legs.

Cookie stood upright before Xia You, with both of its front paws held in her hands, its expression blank, exuding an unrelated yet irresistibly cute charm.

Snowball's tail adorned with a blue butterfly ribbon swished as it hopped onto a nearby couch. Curling up with its tail as a pillow, it radiated an elegant beauty, resembling a queen.

Uncle Zhou, chuckling, placed TangGao on a cushion on the side and whispered to Xia You about the dazed red panda that had earlier tumbled into chocolate sauce.

After Xia You burst out laughing, TangGao wrapped its tail around itself, eyes widening as it fluffed up like a big cotton ball.

Lu YingHui reached out to adjust the robot stuck in the corner. The medical assistant robot promptly wheeled back to Meng WenXuan.

Meng WenXuan, with furrowed brows, finally located the missing data, his expression easing.

Every time he woke up, Lu YingHui would undergo a psychic assessment. Not only was it aided by a medic, but the data also had to be uploaded to the mainframe for final computations and analysis.

—Advanced stages of psychic disarray syndrome could pose a danger of psychic self-detonation if not intervened early on.

Previously, a Class S psychic exploded, and even with prior preparations, the resulting energy waves nearly devastated half a planet. However, Lu YingHui's psychic ability had already reached Class SSS.

A psychic level about which humanity knows next to nothing.

Xia You sat beside Lu YingHui, with Yuan Yuan sprawled on the sofa, its leopard-like head resting against her arm, eyes half-shut.

After Lu YingHui removed the suppressor, his overpowering psychic energy immediately filled the entire living room.

While it was non-aggressive, the sense of pressure was astonishing.

All the medical professionals wore psychic shield devices, yet they were still significantly affected. In no time, cold sweat beaded on their foreheads.

Uncle Zhou positioned himself in front of the sofa, protecting the fluffy creatures behind it.

Cheng ZhiNian and Fan YuXin were further away, but their bodies were clearly tense, indicating the effect on them.

Even the capybara lady, who appeared no bigger than a fist from a distance in the corridor, couldn't help but shift and glance back.

Xia You looked at Lu YingHui, and with a mere thought, erected a psychic barrier for the first time while he was conscious.

Those around Lu YingHui suddenly felt a weight lift off them, and they turned in surprise towards Xia You.

"Will this affect the test?" Xia You asked, a touch uncertain.

Recovering, Meng WenXuan adjusted his glasses, "Of course not — how long can you maintain such a psychic barrier, Miss Xia You?"

Xia You: "How long do you need?"

Meng WenXuan hesitated for a moment, "…What if I said, indefinitely?"

Xia You responded calmly, "If we have enough energy stones, it's possible."

Wei Cheng and Lu YingHui exchanged glances.

Previously, Lu YingHui seldom appeared in public. Partly because he personally didn’t prefer it, but on certain occasions, his presence could have a positive impact — yet he couldn't.

Even with multiple psychic suppressors on him, the inadvertent psychic energy that Lu YingHui emitted would still affect those around him.

But Xia You's psychic barrier perfectly addressed this issue.

Without the influence of psychic energy, the movements of the medical professionals became noticeably quicker.

Several minutes later, the mainframe's evaluation report was sent to Lu YingHui's holographic computer.

Lu YingHui accessed it and projected the report onto an enlarged screen for Meng WenXuan, while naturally turning to view the mini display alongside Xia You.

Xia You only understood a few of the values. Compared to before, it wasn't necessarily worse, but there wasn't significant improvement either.

So, he looked up at Meng WenXuan.

Before submitting the data to the mainframe, Meng WenXuan had run his own calculations and was not surprised by the results.

He nodded to the other medical professionals to step aside. Once only the couple, Uncle Zhou, and the other members of the personal guard remained in the room, he pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Based on the recent studies on the zombie virus and psychic disorder, combined with Miss Xia You's psychic characteristics..."

"I have a hypothesis."

Xia You sat up straight, focusing intently.

Lu YingHui's gaze sharpened slightly.

"Compared to the typically soothing healing psychic energies, Miss Xia You's psychic power has a pronounced aggressiveness and predatory nature, which..."

Meng WenXuan paused, realizing that once he said this, his fate would be forever tied to the Marshal's residence, but he pressed on regardless.

All for the vision he now sees – a light belonging to the new era ahead.

"... closely resembles that of humans once infected with the zombie virus."

Having voiced his most sensitive thoughts, Meng WenXuan now spoke without reservation, laying everything out.

"Due to the absence of virus samples, we can't conduct live experiments with the zombie virus, only simulations."

"I'm certain that when faced with energy clusters, Miss Xia You's psychic power exhibits an almost instinctive predation and hunger."

"This is further evidenced by the fact that with each elevation in her psychic level, she requires even more advanced energy stones than the previous level."

"The purer the absorbed energy, the better it can satisfy Miss Xia You's needs for psychic advancement."

Meng WenXuan accessed an image on his holographic computer and enlarged it — an image even Lu YingHui had never seen before.

"This is the Marshal's psychic sea."

Lu YingHui cast a glance at Meng WenXuan.

Realizing that he had indeed withheld a significant amount of information on this matter, a cold sweat broke out on Meng WenXuan's back, but he continued nonetheless.

"The core of the Marshal's psychic sea encompasses incredibly complex energy fluctuations, comparable to the cumulative strength of tens of thousands of advanced energy stones."

Being Lu YingHui's primary physician, how could Meng WenXuan not have noticed the anomalies in Lu YingHui's psychic sea? But he hadn't wanted, nor felt it appropriate, to mention it before.

After all, the issue was evident, and he had no solution. Admitting that he knew the Marshal's secret offered him no advantages.

"I have been monitoring the Marshal's stasis pod data and found that even during hibernation, his psychic energy fluctuations consistently differ from others."

"Even when the Marshal's consciousness awakens within his companion beast, the pattern remains."

"A few days ago, when the Marshal was transferred out of the stasis pod and the companion beast fell into a deep slumber, the psychic energy fluctuations, while still stable, showed a significant increase compared to when he was in the pod."

Meng WenXuan turned to the Marshal, his eyes filled with scholarly intensity, "So I speculate, during your time in the stasis pod, even though your body was reduced to minimal activity due to drugs, was your consciousness not fully asleep?"

At these words, the fluffy creatures hiding behind Uncle Zhou on the sofa immediately poked out their heads, their eyes betraying keen interest as they gazed in the direction of Lu YingHui and Xia You.

Uncle Zhou stood protectively in front of the fluffy creatures, patting the head of the little panda with his calloused hand, his eyes half-closed, concealing a mischievous glint.

Xia You took a moment to process.

What did he mean by the Marshal's consciousness not being fully asleep in the stasis pod?

Lu YingHui remained silent for a long while before slowly nodding.

Xia You: "..."

"When the majority of my consciousness awakens in the companion beast, I'm not particularly sensitive to what happens around my primary body, but I do... vaguely remember some things."

Xia You dared not meet Lu YingHui's gaze.

He desperately suppressed his psychic tendrils, which were trying to reach out and connect with those around him, forcing them deep into his psychic sea.

He wanted to ask just how "vague" were the Marshal's recollections.

As if hearing Xia You's unspoken question, Lu YingHui turned his face slightly and cleared his throat, "If someone touches me, I can still sense it."

Xia You: "...It's good, safe."

His tone was dry and curt.

In the sea of consciousness, the tendrils of psychic energy twisted like braids, ensnaring the previously formed psychic panther, writhing amidst the soft psychic ocean.

"As expected." Meng Wenxuan jotted down on the holographic computer, then asked, "How long did it take for your consciousness to fully awaken after emerging from the hibernation pod?"

Lu Yinghui looked at Meng Wenxuan with questioning eyes, wondering if that question was really necessary.

Meng Wenxuan was puzzled but persistent.

Lu Yinghui chose his words carefully and cautiously replied, "...Not too quickly."

Meng Wenxuan, a dedicated and meticulous researcher, pressed, "On which day, specifically?"

Lu Yinghui closed his eyes momentarily, "The second day."

Upon seeing the sleeping beauty, Xia You couldn't resist and gently stroked her: "..."

"During this period, your consciousness remained clear, unaffected by any psychic influences, and you never experienced chaos or uncontrollable states?"

Lu Yinghui struggled to answer, "...Yes."

Xia You hung her head low, focusing intently on maintaining her psychic barrier. Her earlobes turned a deep shade of red.

Fortunately, this awkward moment didn't last long, and Meng Wenxuan quickly voiced his suggestion.

"You might try nourishing Ms. Xia You with your own psychic energy."

Lu Yinghui was taken aback.

Xia You suddenly lifted her head, eyes wide in astonishment.

Meng Wenxuan added, "Theoretically, it shouldn't be hard to achieve."

"In fact, the two of you have already done so."

Meng Wenxuan displayed the psychic energy values from when Uncle Zhou had placed Lu Yinghui next to Xia You. Consecutive dips in energy, already highlighted, were evident.

"As I mentioned at the beginning, Ms. Xia You's psychic energy is predatory. It will naturally discern and absorb the most beneficial energy for itself."

……

Meng Wenxuan, leading a team of medics and laden with medical equipment and support robots, hurriedly left. Despite not having slept for days, his face was flush with excitement.

Wei Cheng and Lu Yinghui quietly conversed, with the adjutant—who had handled numerous tasks during this time—handing over organized documents for Lu Yinghui's signature.

Xia You remained seated on the sofa, mechanically stroking the panther's fur again and again.

As if her soul had departed.

Cheng Zhiyan noticed that the Marshal's gaze kept lingering on Xia You, a mere two steps away, as if not wanting her out of sight for even a moment.

"It's like an old house catching fire."

Fan Yu shrugged.

Lu Yinghui cast a fleeting glance in their direction.

The lynx stepped back, its fur briefly bristling.

Cheng Zhiyan looked at his partner with a hint of pity, "The old house heard that."