—
Xu Yin had just finished tending to the injuries of his Lao Gong and was attempting to help him get dressed.
However, halfway through, his Lao Gong suddenly transformed back into his beast form. Not only did the half-dressed clothes tear, but with a quick swipe of his paws, he pinned Xu Yin to the ground, eagerly starting to lick his face.
Xu Yin quickly raised his hand to block, but the silver wolf simply redirected its attention to licking his hand.
Xu Yin: “…………”
018: “So this is the true nature of this stubborn wood’s instincts, huh? [Resting chin on hand.jpg]”
Xu Yin couldn’t help but laugh. He moved his hand away, and the silver wolf tried to shift its focus to another target. However, Xu Yin simply straightened up and hugged the wolf into his arms, gently coaxing, “Good boy, no more licking. Stop for now.”
The silver wolf paused for a moment before making a soft “woof” and stopped, beginning to nuzzle against his neck.
The wolf’s fur was soft and ticklish, both soothing and slightly itchy at the same time.
Just then, the Queen returned. Seeing Yuzhou in his beast form, she quickly became anxious. “He’s turned back again?”
Xu Yin said, “It’s fine, this is a normal transformation.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the silver wolf transformed back into a fully naked man. Xu Yin quickly covered him with his clothes.
The man held Xu Yin tightly, turned to look at his mother, and let out a low growl: “Awoo!”
In his eyes, wildness seemed to be written in three bold words: ‘I’ll handle it’.
The queen: “…………”
Alright then.
Xu Yin cleared his throat and seized the opportunity to say, “Your Majesty, with me here, the crown prince won’t cause any more problems. So, it might be better to move the beast cage away.”
Before he met the crown prince, it might have been one thing, but now that he knew the crown prince was his Lao Gong, Xu Yin couldn’t bear to have him confined to that small cage again.
Yes, it was an obvious double standard.
And how could the Queen possibly allow her son to be kept in a beast cage?
However, she also had to consider the safety of everyone in the palace.
With Xu Yin’s reassurance, she felt inexplicably at ease. After a moment of thought, she finally said, “Then I’ll leave it to you… Xiao Yin.”
Xu Yin smiled and said, “It’s nothing, it’s what I should do.”
The man refused to put on clothes again and transformed back into the silver wolf.
The guards quickly poured into the room, moving the beast cage away, and with great effort, they brought in a king-size bed—it was truly a king-size bed, and Xu Yin immediately thought of those descriptions in some Mary Sue novels. He felt like he could swim in that bed.
This room had originally been for Jun Yuzhou’s rest, so it was now being returned to its original purpose.
After the guards followed Xu Yin’s instructions—also to help Jun Yuzhou’s nerves relax—they gradually left. The Queen turned to leave as well.
Before stepping out, she hesitated and turned back to say, “Xiao Yin, if Yuzhou does anything to you… you should immediately call for the guards, they’ll come right away. Although he is my son, I can’t allow you to get hurt for his sake.”
Xu Yin understood the Queen’s concern but just smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
The Queen gave them one last look, nodded, and left the room.
The door slowly closed.
The room fell into complete silence.
The silver wolf, originally lying on the bed, shook his ears and suddenly transformed back into human form, pulling Xu Yin into his embrace.
Xu Yin let him hold him, smiling lightly, “Transforming back and forth like this, aren’t you tired?”
The man made a soft howl, his gaze intense as he looked at Xu Yin. He raised his hand and gently cupped Xu Yin’s chin.
Xu Yin narrowed his eyes, and the man leaned closer, lightly kissing his lips.
Xu Yin obediently followed his lead, slowly lying back on the bed, his hand gently rubbing the man’s head as he closed his eyes.
What an unruly creature.
Clearly out of his mind, looking like a fool, yet so clever.
Outside the door, the guards stood with their backs to it, fully attentive to any sounds from inside, prepared to rush in at the slightest noise from Xu Yin.
However… The room remained unexpectedly quiet, not a sound to be heard.
The guards exchanged confused glances.
…
By evening, it was known throughout the palace—The crown prince, who had been in a berserk state for over half a month, had finally been released from the cage!
The crown prince, not only released from the cage, was now joyfully running wild on the palace lawn!
When the King arrived to observe, he saw the silver wolf sprinting across the grass, its expression dazed and disoriented.
Was that really his eldest son? The same eldest son who was usually so composed, his expression colder than his own, stoic and unyielding?
Yet here, the silver wolf was large and muscular, its silver fur fluffy and beautiful. The once cold and sharp icy eyes had lost their former fierceness, and just one glance was enough to give a sense of awe and intimidation.
It was indeed the crown prince, Jun Yuzhou.
But now, this creature that usually exuded nothing but coldness, was happily running in circles on the lawn. It skidded to a stop in front of a large tree, where a handsome young man was resting in the shade. The wolf wagged its tail furiously at him?!
The King was momentarily stunned by the absurdity of the scene.
At that very moment, a guard hurried over, whispering that Xu Rusu and You Yuan had arrived and requested an audience.
The King, still processing the bizarre sight, cleared his throat, quickly regaining his composure.
Xu Rusu and You Yuan?
It wasn’t hard to guess why they had come to see him.
Speaking of which, the King never expected that You Yuan, a genius illusionist, would be outdone by a relatively inconspicuous child from the Xu family.
Earlier, he had met with the Queen and the court illusionists to discuss the situation. He learned that not only had You Yuan failed to treat Yuzhou, but his reckless actions had caused Yuzhou, who had just calmed down, to fall back into a violent state.
The King had a deep friendship with the Xu family. In the past, whenever he fell ill, it was Xu Rusu, who was still a court illusionist at the time, who treated him and cured him. The King remembered his kindness.
Normally, if Xu Rusu had wanted to take credit for You Yuan’s work, the King would have turned a blind eye. But You Yuan not only failed, but also made the situation worse. And since the one who was sick was his eldest son, he couldn’t allow Xu Rusu and You Yuan to mess things up.
Additionally, he had heard from the court illusionists that Xu Yin’s abilities were actually quite strong. He had been able to restore Yuzhou to human form with just one treatment. This young man’s control over energy was probably on par with You Yuan’s, and perhaps even stronger.
As a young man, Xu Yin might still be a little awkward in terms of technique, but with a bit of guidance, it shouldn’t be an issue.
If he could treat Yuzhou entirely on his own, that would be the best outcome. Having others interfere could cause more problems. This was why the Queen later gave up on the idea of having the court illusionists assist Xu Yin.
So it was impossible for Xu Rusu and You Yuan to interfere.
However, simply refusing to meet them didn’t seem quite right either.
After some thought, the King finally spoke, “Let them come.”
When Xu Rusu and You Yuan met with the King, they hurriedly tried to speak—
They weren’t trying to do anything other than have You Yuan try again!
You Yuan absolutely could not accept Xu Yin thriving in the palace like this, but since the Queen had made the decision, they had no choice but to comply.
As for Xu Rusu, after all the effort he had put into You Yuan over the years and his disdain for Xu Yin, how could he accept that he had been wrong about people all along?
Both of them were on the verge of leaving the palace, feeling miserable as if they had swallowed something unpleasant, when suddenly You Yuan grabbed Xu Rusu and said, “Grandfather, why don’t we go try speaking to the King?”
Though You Yuan was afraid of the violent state of the eldest prince, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that if Xu Yin could do it, surely he could too.
He still wanted to give it one more try!
Xu Rusu thought about it for a moment and nodded, and the two of them turned back into the palace.
At this moment, Xu Rusu saw the King and immediately said, “Your Majesty, you must have heard about the situation with the Crown Prince. Xu Yin is my grandson, and I understand his abilities. He may be able to calm the Crown Prince temporarily, but he certainly cannot sustain the entire treatment. Although You Yuan made a mistake today, his foundation is far deeper than Xu Yin’s. I think You Yuan should try again. The Queen was too hasty today.”
This was implying that the Queen had given You Yuan too little time to try.
The King diplomatically responded, “But what if You Yuan is hurt by Yuzhou?”
You Yuan stiffened slightly, still feeling some fear.
However, seeing the silver wolf acting coquettishly towards Xu Yin not far away, his jealousy got the better of him. He immediately said, “For the sake of the Crown Prince, a little injury is worth it!”
The King shook his head and chuckled awkwardly, “That might not be a good idea. Besides, even if Xu Yin can’t hold up, I can have the palace magicians step in to help. Old Xu, I know you… care deeply about Yuzhou, but honestly, we don’t need to trouble You Yuan this time.”
Xu Rusu and You Yuan both visibly changed their expressions.
Not far away, the silver wolf was circling Xu Yin, looking exceptionally obedient, causing the passing guards to stare in amazement.
When the Crown Prince woke up, the one who cured him would gain immense status.
It would be like stepping straight into glory.
At this moment, a strong sense of urgency surged in You Yuan’s chest.
He suddenly lifted his head, puffed out his chest, and said with determination, “Your Majesty, I am not at all tired! The Crown Prince is the future of the entire empire, and I, You Yuan, would willingly die for him!”
The King was momentarily taken aback by his shout.
Wait… wasn’t this supposed to be some kind of ancient royal court drama? Was he really being this dramatic?
You Yuan gritted his teeth and continued loudly, “My dream has always been to become a court magician, to serve Your Majesty, the Queen, and all the princes! Now that the Crown Prince is ill, even if I can’t be his main treating magician, just being able to stay by his side and protect him would be enough! Your Majesty, please fulfill my wish!”
Xu Rusu was also stunned by You Yuan’s outburst. When he finally regained his senses, he quickly understood the intention behind it and followed suit, lamenting, “Your Majesty! You Yuan admires the Crown Prince so much—if you don’t let him stay by the Crown Prince’s side, he won’t be able to eat or sleep properly when he returns home!”
The King took a step back, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Was this… really that moving?
Seeing how determined they were, it would seem a bit inhumane not to agree at this point.
He hesitated for a moment, before finally conceding, “Alright, fine.”
You Yuan’s face lit up with joy.
Not far away, the silver wolf, disturbed by the commotion, stood up and let out an irritable growl.
You Yuan flinched slightly, but quickly regained his composure and gathered the courage to ask the king, “Your Majesty, what should I do next?”
Getting close to the Crown Prince was only the first step. Once this was accomplished, the rest would surely be easy—he would be one step closer to replacing Xu Yin in his position.
You Yuan thought to himself, suddenly filled with confidence about the upcoming events.
If the King was moved by his actions and assigned him a more prominent role, it would be even better!
With a hopeful gaze, You Yuan looked at the King, waiting for his response.
The King seriously considered the idea for a moment and then suddenly had an epiphany. He brightened up and said, “Ah, I’ve got it! Since Yuzhou gets irritated whenever he sees you, why not stay by his side with Xu Yin, and be a sort of reference for Yuzhou’s treatment progress?”
You Yuan’s expression froze. “Huh?”
The King was getting more excited as he spoke, thinking his idea was brilliant. “Yuzhou doesn’t like you, right? But you know him well enough to understand that, even if he’s irritated, he wouldn’t normally show it outwardly, right? So, if Yuzhou continues to react to you with frustration or tries to lash out, it means he’s still very ill. But if one day he can see you and suppress his irritation without acting out, that would show the treatment is working!”
Xu Rusu and You Yuan’s faces both turned green at the same time.
What kind of nonsense was this???
Realizing the implications, the King eagerly urged, “Come on, You Yuan, go over and try it out! See how Yuzhou reacts when he sees you now!”
Not far away, the silver wolf was scratching at the ground and growled at You Yuan, showing his teeth and snarling.
