Chapter 125

As it turns out, with the right romantic guidance, the bond between two partners can significantly strengthen in a short period.

Uncle Zhou was delighted and made quite a few treats for Cookie these days.

The emperor stared at the lynx for a long while, and ultimately, on Cookie's way out to the base, he had his guards bind Cookie tightly and took him to a room.

Even though he didn't return home often, Cookie, who always stayed on top of things, looked at the emperor, who had closed the room's door and pulled the curtains shut, seeking guidance with a humble heart, and had too many things he wanted to comment on.

Aren't these... essential courses for nobility?

So neither the marshal, the eldest son of a duke, the emperor, nor the empress had attended their classes during their adolescence?

Moreover...

Cookie bowed his head, sorrowfully licking his paw.

Still a lone cat himself, he's stuck teaching romance to these two lovey-dovey, clingy, married couples!

Is this a way to torment the cat? It is, isn't it? It has to be, right?

However, recalling the secret task Xia You gave him a few days ago, Cookie sighed deeply, ruffled his fur, and sat up straight, beginning his lecture to His Majesty the Emperor.

*

Lu Yinghuai was called away by Wei Cheng and Zhuo Xi. He's likely to be confined at the base for the next few days and won't be able to return.

Rumor has it that Zhuo Xi might have blown something up... Xia You didn't dare to ask further. Thinking about the bill from the last time La Tiao and White Tiger Sister blew up the dormancy center gives Xia You a headache.

Thankfully, the emperor's brother-in-law covered the costs afterward.

Avoiding the two from the family who always stick close to their partners, Xia You and White Tiger Sister secretly convened.

Lu Jiuzhu raised his paw and stroked the adorable Xia You for a while, then naturally stretched his ear out, signaling Xia You to pat the tiger's head.

The touch of the big tiger was unique. Its fur was thick yet rough, and regardless of how one petted it, it didn't betray the tiger's gentle temperament; it felt prickly.

Hmm... compared to White Tiger Sister, La Tiao's fur feels slightly softer.

Xia You sighed.

Truth be told, he kinda missed La Tiao.

Lu Jiuzhu knew what Xia You wanted to do. The tiger placed his two paws beneath his massive head and tapped his tail gently on the ground.

Xia You whispered, "Sister, I'm starting."

Lu Jiuzhu tilted his head and nuzzled Xia You.

——What's there to fear? Go ahead.

Xia You's eyes curved into a smile. Psychic tendrils emerged from his palm and, through the physical contact with the tiger's fur, entered the body of the White Tiger.

In terms of psychic chaos, Lu Jiuzhu's mental ocean was far more problematic than Lu Yinghuai's.

While Lu Yinghuai's issues stemmed from indigestible impurities in the core of his mental ocean, Lu Jiuzhu's psychic powers had gone haywire. His mental ocean appeared bombarded, riddled with spider-web-like cracks, and fragments could be seen scattered about.

This resulted in Xia You, after cleaning up the obstructive gray matter inside the White Tiger, looking at the near-mangled internal organs and vessels, momentarily uncertain about how to proceed.

Xia You gently touched the White Tiger with a tender tendril, aching for it.

One can only imagine the pain.

No wonder Sister always preferred lying down, reluctant to move.

Initially, Xia You attempted his prior method, channeling his psychic energy bit by bit into the White Tiger's body, hoping to stimulate Lu Jiuzhu's psychic strength and thereby regenerate the tiger's flesh.

However, likely because Lu Jiuzhu's mental seascape was shattered too chaotically, when Xia You channeled in a significant portion of his psychic energy, it seemed as fruitless as pouring water into an ocean.

Recognizing that this wasn't working, Xia You frowned in thought and then opened his holographic computer.

Lu Jiuzhu turned to look at him, eyes shimmering with questions.

Xia You accessed the star-net, searching for the anatomical structure of tiger muscles, veins, and bones. He found a particularly clear, 360-degree comprehensive holographic image and studied it intently for over twenty minutes.

Recalling it vividly in his mind and cross-checking with the holograph to ensure total retention, Xia You closed his eyes, metaphorically rolled up his sleeves, and got to work with zest.

If Sister's mental seascape collapsed, then he would find a way to mend it. If the internal bones and veins in the White Tiger broke, he would find a way to realign them.

After treating so many companion beasts, Xia You's most significant realization was that, while these beasts might possess instincts similar to animals and resemble them, they fundamentally differed.

The essence of a companion beast is not animalistic; it's the physical manifestation of a psychic entity.

Therefore...

Xia You focused, using his psychic tendrils to meticulously mend and bind each fractured bone, letting the psychic energy seep into every fissure, acting like a glue.

Lu Jiuzhu, who hadn't initially felt anything amiss, showed a flash of surprise in his eyes.

His sharp claws sprung out, slashing a tear in the carpet.

The sensation of reconstructing a psychic seascape felt like countless brushes tickling the tiger incessantly. Lu Jiuzhu exercised immense restraint to stay calm, but he'd rather take several stabs than endure this tickling all over.

Sensing Lu Jiuzhu's faint struggles, Xia You released his initially restrained psychic tendrils, which swiftly and mercilessly bound the massive White Tiger, leaving only its four helpless paws and fuzzy tiger head exposed.

The White Tiger attempted to move a paw.

Perfect, it couldn't move at all.

Lu Jiuzhu: "…"

She suddenly understood the origin of the red mark she had seen on Ying Huai's wrist the day before.

Xia You spent an extended period treating the White Tiger. While consuming the grey substance to replenish his psychic energy, he focused on reshaping Lu Jiuzhu's psychic seascape. Only when he felt his energy waning and concentration faltering did he withdraw his psychic connection from the tiger.

"Sister, although your condition slightly deviates from my initial predictions, it seems about five treatments should suffice. I will make arrangements with the dormancy center in advance—"

"BOOM!"

An earth-shattering explosion resonated, making the vast Marshal Mansion tremble.

Instinctively, Xia You clutched the White Tiger in his arms, casting a wary and stern gaze toward the smoke-filled window.

Guards from the Marshal Mansion swiftly mobilized, sealing off all exits, and a protective shield enveloped the entire mansion the next instant.

Lu Jiuzhu, with his massive form, gently patted Xia You's shoulder with his paw, standing by his side with a fierce gleam in his eyes.

After a while, Ying Huai rushed in, gripping Xia You in a thorough check.

Seeing his younger brother's arrival, the White Tiger rose and headed towards the garden, where the explosion had originated.

In the garden, a quantum laser cannon, which shouldn't have been there, lay discarded. A dark, wounded owl lay gasping for breath, its wings stained in blood, with a golden eagle's talon flashing menacingly at its throat.

A man with golden shoulder-length hair stood amidst the lingering smoke. Oblivious to the surrounding guns aimed at him, he nonchalantly tucked a petrified hamster into his jacket pocket.

The man was dressed in a tailored butler's uniform, his hair braided into a small plait that hung from his shoulder.

He bent down to retrieve a broken chain pocket watch from the ground, letting out a resigned sigh.

Xia You and Ying Huai stepped outside. Ying Huai signaled the guards to fall back, instructed the medics to attend to the injured owl, and then discussed the situation with the arriving Wei Cheng, emphasizing the importance of containing the news.

Xia You's attention, however, was fixed on the tall man in the distance, a look of uncertainty on his face.

A familiar butler's uniform, but an unfamiliar face.

Xia You remained somewhat uncertain until he noticed a tiny hamster peeking out from the man's pocket.

"... Uncle Zhou?"