Chapter 111

A family breakfast concluded with the emperor's brother-in-law agreeing to the terms Xia You proposed.

Xia You, who was already committed to the task, secured benefits for his household. After finishing the walnut buns on the table, Lu Yinghuai silently doubled his training regimen during his rehabilitation sessions.

The emperor, with a desolate silhouette, approached the dozing white tiger. After successfully feigning pity and touching the tiger's paw pad, he delegated the task to the tiger's son, who was overwhelmed in the imperial city.

Shutting off the incessantly popping communication box, His Majesty effortlessly coaxed his beloved tiger off the sofa, and began to enjoy his daily walks with his wife.

In the afternoon, Lu Yinghuai and Xia You visited Meng Wenxuan's laboratory together.

After hearing Lu Yinghuai's statement, Meng Wenxuan turned in surprise, "Are you suggesting— that Lord Xia You's psychic advancement hasn't concluded?"

Lu Yinghuai nodded, activated the mainframe's assessment report, and shared it with Meng Wenxuan.

Meng Wenxuan glanced over the report and then at Xia You. He hesitated, glanced at the report again, and seemed to wrestle with his words.

Xia You rolled up his sleeve, offering, "Do you need a blood sample?"

Meng Wenxuan's eyes lit up instantly, "Really?!"

His hand already reached for the blood collection device.

Lu Yinghuai didn't intervene, "Regardless of the data results, there's no need to upload it to the mainframe."

The fervor in Meng Wenxuan's eyes dimmed slightly, sensing a catch, he cautiously inquired, "And the second psychic assessment? It won't be conducted?"

"No need," replied Lu Yinghuai, "It won't be necessary henceforth."

Cold sweat appeared on Meng Wenxuan's forehead.

Due to the massive energy burst from high-level psychics self-destructing, such psychics are obligated by military law to periodically submit psychic evaluations — a binding regulation.

Xia You chuckled, "Why so tense, Doctor Meng?"

But Meng Wenxuan didn't share the amusement.

If this matter got out, his own fate wouldn't concern him, but he couldn't jeopardize his family.

His family were the chains binding him, and it was these very chains that, despite Meng Wenxuan's burning desire to study Xia You, had previously made him restrain himself.

"Doctor Meng, have you forgotten? Although I am His Highness's companion, I've never been affiliated with the military."

Xia You's statement left Meng Wenxuan momentarily stunned.

That's right.

Since Xia You's appearance before everyone, due to his close ties with the First Legion and arrangements made by the Marshal's mansion, everyone had naturally assumed Xia You was part of the military.

In reality, Xiayu was not affiliated with the military department, but belonged to the Lu family. Despite producing two imperial marshals, the Lu family wasn’t simply synonymous with the military.

From the corner of his eye, Meng Wenxuan caught a glimpse of the imperial marshal, who stood nearby exploiting a loophole in the military laws, and he felt a surge of mixed emotions.

Although he couldn’t understand why the marshal wanted to hide Xiayu’s psychic power level, he had a premonition that it was related to Xiayu's secret.

After having her blood drawn with Meng Wenxuan's assistance, Xiayu left a sample of her psychic energy. As she was about to leave, a thought struck her, and she hesitated before advising Meng Wenxuan, “Doctor Meng, ensure you have proper isolation protection during the research.”

Meng Wenxuan abruptly looked up.

However, the silhouettes of Xiayu and Lu Yinghuai had already disappeared behind the door.

—— Isolation protection is a measure only activated during contamination experiments.

*

Xiayu's livestream was always casually scheduled and she rarely interacted with viewers. Regulars in her stream had grown accustomed to days without her broadcasting.

Among these viewers, however, some had spent high-grade energy stones to reserve treatment slots and were growing increasingly anxious.

Before the mercenaries started blackmailing them using the trading planet as leverage, some nobles had been adopting a wait-and-see approach. After the blackmail, many shifted from observation to eagerness.

—— No one wanted to see their money used by others for treatments, feeling like they lost their energy stones without any benefit – a complete loss.

As a result, the already limited visiting slots to the Blue Star were booked out for the next six months within just a few days.

Xiayu, through Fan Yuxin, declined the nobles who came sniffing around, stating that she would only treat visitors in the upcoming half year, with the next batch being informed later.

This led to another influx in her livestream: viewers who, failing to get the grapes, claimed the grape seller was a fraud.

While Xiayu didn't livestream, the chat in her stream room was always bustling with activity every day.

That day, Yuanyuan went to the hibernation center for a check-up. Xiayu, while adjusting her livestream orb on the sofa, unintentionally opened the stream and saw the chat messages scrolling vigorously. She tilted her head slightly, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

Viewer: [!!!!]

Why has the stream suddenly started—?!

The streaming access permissions had not been modified, remaining exclusive to the high-ranking psychic individuals within the military.

However, since Xiayu had scheduled treatments that day, she figured streaming wouldn't hurt, so she left it running.

Before the viewers in the live stream could react, Xia You stood up and returned holding a civet cat familiar to the audience.

Qu Qi, who had been sulking and unmoving since his punishment a few days ago, was just basking in the sun leaning against a snow leopard. In a blink, he was moved next to Xia You.

Yet, he affectionately nuzzled Xia You's hand.

[Oh, isn't that Colonel Fan? Hahaha]

[Whoever posted the above comment is brave.]

[I saw Colonel Fan heading to a meeting earlier. He's definitely not watching the stream now.]

[Let me chime in – I've always wanted to tug at those black hairs on the ears of Colonel Fan's companion beast!]

For once, Xia You didn't ignore the comments. Seeing the flurry of messages, he kindly reminded them, “He might watch the replay, though.”

The comments abruptly paused, and when they resumed, they were full of praise for the civet cat, commending its agility and fierceness, declaring it a good cat.

It was clear that most of the active commenters were young, lively individuals currently at the Blue Star base.

Xia You chuckled, "Alright, let's proceed with today's treatment."

Upon hearing 'treatment', Qu Qi shifted from his lounging posture to a formal seated one, his gaze showing the candid closeness typical of companion beasts.

With practiced ease, he lifted a paw and gently placed it in Xia You's palm.

……

In the military conference, Fan Yu Xin, who was daydreaming at the end of the table, suddenly changed his expression. His S-level psychic energy leaked abruptly, triggering the psychic detector alarm in the room.

This drew the attention of several deputy marshals attending the meeting via holographic screens from other corps.

The chief, Lu Yinghuai, lifted his gaze and inquired, "Colonel Fan?"

“Marshal, Lord Xia You is currently performing a psychic soothing treatment on me.” Fan Yu Xin’s expression wasn't of pain but a subtle endurance, his eyes looked odd, "My psychic sea seems to be getting out of control."

At those words, every officer in the room sat up straighter, all eyes on Fan Yu Xin. The quicker thinkers had already accessed their holographic computers, redirected by the recent broadcast notification to Xia You's long-neglected live stream.

"Marshal, given the special circumstances..."

Lu Yinghuai raised his hand to interrupt, "Let's assess the situation."

The speaker, attending the meeting remotely via video projection, was from the Blue Star Base. Besides Zhu Zaiyuan, he was the other Deputy Marshal and was once a contender for the Marshal succession against Zhu Zaiyuan.

Zhu Zaiyuan, seated below Lu Yinghuai, glanced at his pale-faced old rival across the table and smirked.

Lu Yinghuai's abrupt awakening turned the previously deadlocked marshal succession voting into a joke.

As long as Lu Yinghuai lived, no one could wrest the reins of Imperial Marshal from him.

Zhu Zaiyuan, one of the succession candidates, clearly didn't mind—in fact, he seemed to relish it.

But not everyone felt that way.

The Deputy Marshal seated opposite, despite having S-tier mental strength, was a rare figure in the military with stable psychic powers, not even having awakened his psychic form.

He was the Senate's preferred choice for the Marshal's successor.

To that end, he had navigated the military landscape skillfully, leaving a good impression everywhere.

Had it not been for Xia You intervening and backing Zhu Zaiyuan, causing the Senate to temporarily postpone the marshal succession decision, this man would have already been the confirmed next Imperial Marshal.

Should Lu Yinghuai mentally collapse and die, he would immediately assume the role.

Not only did Xia You propel Zhu Zaiyuan into a deadlock for a succession that was almost certain, but she also awakened Lu Yinghuai who should have remained dormant. To this man, the name Xia You was likely more irritating than a splinter in the eye.

Remembering the treatment invitation Xia You sent this morning, Zhu Zaiyuan's eyes sparkled mischievously. Yet, he maintained an upright and kind demeanor, shifting to a more comfortable sitting posture.

This drama was worth watching closely, something to share with his wife for a good laugh later.

As Fan Yuxin's psychic energy continuously overflowed within the conference room, everyone realized that the treatment he underwent this time was unlike any before.

*

After a long absence, Xia You's psychic tendrils once again delved deep into Quqi's brain.

This was also the core of Fan Yuxin's psychic sea.

Xia You had visited this place several times before, but the accumulated grey matter here was like sand on a shoreline, constantly producing new grey matter with the fluctuations of Fan Yuxin's psychic energy.

Xia You had once felt helpless against it.

But this time, through her psychic tendrils, Xiayu "saw" for the first time the intertwined dark gray glimmers within the companion beast’s brain and flesh.

These shadowy glints were subtle yet deeply entwined within the creature's flesh and bones, parasitically residing there like dodder vines, sinking into the depths.

Xiayu tried to use her psychic tendrils to gently peel away these dark strands, but this action provoked a strong resistance from the beast.

The small tendril's tip poked at the flesh infested with the gray matter, even covering the whole area, yet it showed no signs of being able to consume it.

The small tendril twisted itself in contemplation for a while, then suddenly attached itself to the beast's flesh.

Just as a true healer would, Xiayu gently infused her soft psychic energy bit by bit into the creature's flesh and bones.

A companion beast is the physical manifestation of a psychic entity, and the psychic entity is the consolidation of the host’s psychic energy.

What Xiayu was doing was akin to using her own psychic energy to stimulate the growth of another's psychic energy.

It’s worth noting that advancing in psychic power is a daunting task. Generally speaking, once a psychic entity reaches maturity, the human's psychic realm ceases to expand.

Yet now, Xiayu was stimulating Fanyu Xin's psychic energy to generate even more, expanding Fanyu Xin's original psychic sea.

Fanyu Xin's psychic sea, as if recognizing something, began eagerly absorbing Xiayu's healing psychic energy.

As Fanyu Xin's psychic sea became unprecedentedly active, the gray matter that had been parasitically entwined within was gradually being expelled.

They seemed alive, desperately trying to reattach, only to be instantly ensnared by the psychic tendrils that were waiting nearby and consumed whole.

After all the gray matter was completely extruded, the tendrils, having eaten too much, became several times rounder than before, appearing as if they were about to collapse from the excess weight.

Xiayu retracted her psychic tendrils and couldn't resist covering her lips, letting out a soft burp.

[?? Did Lady Xiayu just... burp?]

[It seems like...]

[Holy crap, look at Colonel Fan's companion beast!!!]

Quqi, which normally resembled a standard civet, didn't display the weakness it had after previous treatments. Instead, it energetically stood up, shook its fur, but its size now—

[Is it just me or did this civet just grow three or four times larger?]

*

Fan Yuxin had never felt such exhilaration and ease.

It was as if the shackles that had bound him all along had vanished; even his breath, with each rise and fall of his chest, felt transformed.

"Marshal, I... I..."

Tears glistened in Fan Yuxin's eyes. He looked down at his trembling fingers. For the first time, this scion of nobility was at a loss for words.

Meng Wenxuan, having received the news, rushed in. With a grave expression, he and other medical experts surrounded Fan Yuxin with various medical robots, initiating a psychic energy assessment.

No one left the conference room. Even the vice-marshal, whose face was the most grim, didn't switch off the projection screen.

They were waiting.

Waiting for a verdict.

Half an hour later, Meng Wenxuan, after repeatedly verifying the test results, cleared his throat and hoarsely announced, "Colonel Fan's psychic sea... shows no abnormal readings."

Cheng Zhiyan, sitting beside Fan Yuxin, asked, "Are you implying that his psychic disorder has been completely cured?"

Everyone remained silent, with many starting to breathe more rapidly.

In the conference room, all eyes were fixed on Meng Wenxuan.

Meng Wenxuan lifted his gaze, looking past a long table filled with officers, towards the head of the table where Lu Yinghuai sat.

"Yes."

His answer was concise and unequivocal.

Like a gavel of fate suspended at a crossroad, after countless twists and turns between despair and hope, it finally descended with a definitive thud.

Resounding and momentous.

Lu Yinghuai took in everyone's reactions and said calmly, "Once Colonel Fan's psychic energy stabilizes, conduct another psychic energy level evaluation and report it to the mainframe."

"Understood!"

Given the unexpected turn of events, Lu Yinghuai understood the group's reluctance to continue the meeting and decided to reschedule.

Just as everyone was about to disperse from the meeting, Cheng Zhiyan, who had just stood up, swayed unsteadily. Placing his hand on the table for support, an icy psychic energy suddenly filled the conference room, once again setting off alarms from the psychic monitors.

“？！”

A familiar reaction, a familiar process—could it be?

Everyone looked at Cheng Zhiyan in astonishment, even Lu Yinghuai's expression showed a hint of unexpected surprise.

Cheng Zhiyan himself hadn't anticipated that Xia You would begin treating him right after healing Fan Yuxin.

Yet, he cleverly spoke up, giving Xia You some credit: "Marshal, Lady Xia You is currently administering psychic soothing therapy on me."

Lu Yinghuai paused momentarily.

Another half hour passed.

Meng Wenxuan announced the full recovery of Cheng Zhiyan from his psychic disorder.

Zhu Zaiyuan, who always seemed invisible in military meetings, was enjoying the spectacle when suddenly, a familiar and gentle psychic force invaded his mind, making his body go rigid.

All eyes immediately turned to Zhu Zaiyuan, where the psychic energy was overflowing.

Zhu Zaiyuan: "?!?"

Wasn't his companion beast with his wife? Why was he part of today's excitement?!

Following Zhu Zaiyuan's incident, there were successive exclamations from outside the conference room. The base's psychic detectors repeatedly went off, creating a cacophony akin to an energizing symphony.

Everyone turned to Xia You's live broadcast. The golden-haired healer was seen squatting by the roadside, holding a husky's paw in one hand and patting its head with the other.

Such terrifyingly fast and effective healing left many attendees transitioning from astonishment and joy to sheer numbness.

Their attention then shifted back to Lu Yinghuai.

It seemed that this healer was not as unapproachable as rumors suggested.

The marshal from the Second Army, who was seated nearby, was the first to speak up with a cheerful tone, "Marshal, our Second Army has been stationed at the border for fifty years. We've faced numerous challenges. Would there be an opportunity to send some of our best soldiers to Lanxing to share insights on border defense?"

The deputy marshal of the Third Army quickly chimed in: "Marshal, our Third Army..."

"The fourth..."

"The Fifth Legion also..."

The once orderly conference room suddenly became as chaotic as a marketplace.

Lu Yinghuai: "..."

The Marshal glanced at his holocomputer.

There were many messages, but none from Mister Xiao.

Lu Yinghuai closed his eyes for a moment.

One could already imagine Xia You using treatment as a pretext, confidently making her way from the Marshal's Mansion, gleefully grooming all the way to the neighbor's house.

***

Imperial Capital Star: The Royal Palace

The study was filled with layers of projection screens. A young boy in fine clothes sat behind the desk, his handsome face filled with utter despondency.

Beside the desk, on the carpet, lay an orange-black tiger. As the crown prince's companion beast, it always followed him. Now, its head rested on its paws, looking listless, a stark contrast to its previous vitality at the Marshal's Mansion.

The crown prince, who once enjoyed his carefree time as a little tiger, let out a long sigh. He realized it was improbable to expect his father to return and help. He wondered if he would ever have a younger brother or sister in this lifetime...

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, followed by the voice of the Secretary-General, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince?"

Qin Anhong sat up straight instantly and said in a deep voice, "Enter."

The Secretary-General quickly entered, summarizing the recent changes in Xia You's live stream and the events at the military meeting.

Qin Anhong nodded subtly, but his fingers were restlessly fidgeting with the tablecloth beneath the table.

Had he not been deceived by the emperor, his father, to return and handle affairs, he surely would've been the first tiger to receive treatment!

His uncle dotes on him the most!

Thinking of the previous contract sent by the emperor regarding the royal family and his uncle, a glint flashed in Qin Anhong's eyes, a plan forming in his mind.

"Is the previously drafted agreement ready?"

The Secretary-General hesitated slightly, "Drafting the terms isn't the issue, but the compensation for Miss Xia You..."

Qin Anhong understood immediately.

He pulled out a piece of paper, first wrote down a figure, pondered, then added another zero, paused, and added several more zeros. After contemplating for a while, he crossed out the number and wrote down a sentence instead.

The Secretary-General watched, sweating profusely.

Qin Anhong smiled, "Miss Xia You is the only special healer in the entire galaxy. Doesn't she deserve such a price?"

The Secretary-General looked troubled, "But with such a price, the national treasury..."

"That's for the elders of the Senate to propose." Qin Anhong responded with a decisive smile, showing the same assertiveness as his uncle Lu Yinghuai, "Haven't the elders always claimed that the Senate is the indispensable brain of the empire?"

"Now, when the citizens of the empire need treatment, the empire's brain should think of a solution."

"After all, the elders are most adept at making proposals, aren't they?"

Qin Anhong increasingly missed Xia You.

His uncle owns energy stone mines, and the scale of his profits is vast. Financially, he faces no challenges, and his uncle certainly isn't short of money.

Making such a request must be his uncle's way of helping him out, knowing how much Qin Anhong detests the meddlesome old men of the Senate.

The orange-black tiger lying beside Qin Anhong swirled its tail like a little windmill. The frustrations bottled up for days dissipated in an instant, feeling utterly refreshed.

Uncle is the best!

Author's note:

A light-hearted tidbit:

That night, the Marshal returned home with a stern and icy expression. Everyone thought there would be a serious discussion, but they watched as the Marshal led Xia You to the bathroom, meticulously washing her hands for half an hour.