Chapter 23: Little Chicken Brother, Ni-hao~
“Clean this area more thoroughly, and change that set of ornaments over there…”
When Shen Lin woke up early in the morning, he found his room completely refreshed. Head maid A-Mei was leading the servants in a flurry of activity, with several mechanical insects hovering in mid-air to sweep the nooks and crannies that were usually impossible to reach.
Everyone was very busy.
Shen Lin let out a small yawn, preparing to go back to sleep.
“Little Master, you’re awake.”
A-Mei picked the cub up. The cub, forced into “rebooting,” was still dazed, his pink fur standing up in a messy tuft.
“The Emperor of the Ikaruosi Empire is visiting today. You can’t sleep in today, okay?”
“En-ying?”
The cub became wide awake in a second. He pointed his fat little paw outside, his expression anxious as he urged the head maid.
Understanding what the cub wanted to express, A-Mei smiled. She reached out to take a warm, damp towel to wipe the cub’s face, saying softly: “The stylist has been waiting outside all along. A-Mei promises that the Little Master will be beautiful today.”
The little cub didn’t want to leave a bad impression on his good friend, so he had instructed A-Mei early on to find a stylist for him.
The cub was dressed in a tiny pink suit, a little bowtie was fastened, and a pacifier for teething was popped in to complete the look.
The cub felt he looked incredibly cool today~
The surrounding servants let out low squeals:
[Little Master is so cute! (Voice cracking slowly.jpg)]
Outside the gates of the Shen residence, except for Marshal Shen—who was unfit to be seen while recovering—and the eldest brother Shen who couldn’t return from the border planet, all the masters of the Shen family were present.
A fleet of aircraft shaped like birds flew in at a low altitude. The lead aircraft was crimson, with a phoenix perched at the nose, wings spread as if to take flight, wearing a crown and looking down with a disdainful gaze.
The first to step out was a familiar face. Shen Lin recognized him; it was Little Chicken Brother’s captain of the guard, Sang Hu.
Sang Hu opened the door of the aircraft behind him, and the red-haired boy stepped out. Today, the red-haired boy had traded the approachable clothing style he usually wore in front of the cub for a crimson brocade robe that was solemn and majestic.
Large clusters of nebulae were embroidered with gold thread, and the stand-up collar was outlined with mithril in the pattern of a phoenix, symbolizing the power and strength of the Ikaruosi Imperial Family. The eyes of the head-lifting phoenix shimmered with red light—it was actually a phoenix brooch inlaid with countless tiny gemstones.
If the silver-white robes worn by the Federation’s White Tower councilors represented a simplified solemnity, then the Ikaruosi imperial robes were the definition of opulence and luxury.
Shen Lin watched as the red-haired boy, standing out like a crane among chickens, faced the group of White Tower councilors with composure, exuding imperial grace.
He was like light. Radiant and magnificent. It was as if he was born to stand within the light.
“Your Majesty Li Heng, regarding the peace treaty between our two nations…”
“Oh, that. I can explain it.”
A white-bearded minister took the initiative to drape an arm around that White Tower councilor’s shoulder and led him elsewhere. All the councilors surrounding Li Heng were separated by the ministers of the Ikaruosi Empire.
The red-haired boy took the initiative to walk toward the cub.
“Bingbing, you look so handsome today!”
Shen Lin adjusted the little tie at his collar, his small face kept strictly serious.
Li Heng couldn’t help himself; he reached out and ruffled the fur. The neatly combed pink fur immediately exploded into a mess.
Shen Lin slapped away the hand making trouble on his head, his little eyes constantly glancing at him.
“Welcome, Your Majesty Li Heng. A banquet has been prepared at home and you may take your seat at any time.” The reliable Second Sister Shen rescued the pink ball’s fur.
“Having waited all morning, Bingbing must be hungry. Let’s go eat.”
Li Heng was quick with his hands and eyes, scooping up the cub a step ahead of Third Brother Shen before striding inside.
Seeing the cub he was about to grab disappear, Shen Zejue was filled with frustration. Truly, all red-haired beastmen were annoying!
At the dining table, Li Heng held the little cub and personally fed him. The careful and serious way he looked after the cub almost made the jaws of the Ikaruosi ministers drop to the floor.
Even the White Tower councilors hadn’t expected this newly succeeded Ikaruosi sovereign to show such exceptional favoritism toward this little young master of the Shen family.
They had heard that internal struggles in the Ikaruosi Empire had led to the disappearance of the Crown Prince. When he was found not long ago, he happened to cross paths with Lieutenant General Shen when he went to pick up the little young master. They had originally thought they were just nodding acquaintances; the councilors of the White Tower never expected this sovereign, who possessed the only SSS-grade Fierce Beast bloodline, to treat a “waste” cub so differently.
It seemed they needed to re-evaluate the value of this cub.
At this banquet, no one was truly there for the food; everyone had their own hidden agendas.
After the meal, Shen Lin led the red-haired boy back to his residence. Shen Zexi had originally arranged accommodations for Li Heng, but the young sovereign claimed he was a guest invited by the cub and followed him without looking back.
As the banquet ended, the ministers were settled into the envoy villa under the arrangements of the White Tower councilors. Sang Hu and the others, being both the guard of honor and the imperial guard, stayed behind specifically to protect the Emperor.
Shen Lin took his good friend on a tour of his small castle. He even specifically dug out things he had treasured under his nest to share with the red-haired boy.
Li Heng managed to get a rare good night’s sleep at the cub’s place.
Today, he had to go back. Ikaruosi was not yet fully under Li Heng’s control, and he had to return to oversee things. Although their time together was brief, the bond between the two had grown deeper.
The cub was reluctant to let Little Chicken Brother leave.
Little Chicken Brother’s mental sea defense was the strongest Shen Lin had ever seen; a single night was simply not enough time for him to conquer it. Fortunately, he had entered Little Chicken Brother’s mental sea before, and the mark he left would prevent the mental sea from generating significant rejection.
He cleared away all the black pollution attached to the periphery and left behind a trace of his healing power to slowly merge into the deeper layers for soothing.
When Li Heng woke up in the morning, he found that the pain in his brain had dissipated slightly. He subconsciously thought of the scene that had occurred on the ship. At that time, his consciousness had suffered a heavy blow, and suppressors were useless for him; he could only endure the agony of the blood backflow in his body.
Unexpectedly, an unfamiliar force had brushed over him unintentionally. The pain of the reverse blood flow in his body eased, and like a puppy receiving a reward, he wagged his tail and chased after it, wanting more.
He had originally thought the source of that power was the cub, but subsequent days of contact had revealed nothing unusual. Li Heng felt regretful but didn’t intend to search stubbornly, treating the pleasing cub exactly as before.
He was worried the cub would be bullied upon returning to the Shen family, so he chose to come with great fanfare, showing his favoritism for the cub before the Federation councilors without any concealment. He wanted everyone to know that even if the Shen family declined, the cub still had someone backing him up.
“Bingbing, don’t be sad. I will come to see you anytime in the future.”
The red-haired boy rubbed against the pink ball’s chubby cheek before reluctantly handing him over to Third Brother Shen.
Having caught the cub, the tension in Shen Zejue’s face finally gave way to a smile, and he even cast a subtle, provocative look at the red-haired boy.
Shen Zexi, witnessing the whole process: “…”
Childish.
The red-haired boy came and went quickly, seemingly adding nothing to the cub’s peaceful days. But looking closely, the small castle now had five whole rooms filled with toys. There were clothes, pants, shoes, socks, and even cub diapers printed with the cub’s image… enough that the cub wouldn’t be able to use them all even after reaching adulthood.
The young sovereign specifically left behind an official to keep an eye on the delivery of Golden Bamboo.
As mentioned before, the young sovereign had purchased a planet for the little cub. Although its resources were average, it was abundant in the Golden Bamboo that the Star Bear race loved to eat. Golden Bamboo was the “assassin” among bamboo species; a single leaf could sell for the exorbitant price of a hundred stars. Even though the price was ridiculously high, many herbivorous beastmen still bought it, making that group of pandas in the Star Bear race earn money until their pockets were bursting.
Li Heng had obtained a planet that produced Golden Bamboo from the powerfully combative Star Bear race. Not only did he reduce the trade tax for Star Bear merchants on planet Ikaruosi by 50%, but he also traded a planet that produced medium-grade energy stones to them.
This matter was no secret; anyone who investigated could find out.
When Shen Zexi learned that Li Heng had given a planet to her younger brother, she went to check. This investigation revealed many interesting things. She hadn’t expected a dignified sovereign to truly be putting his heart into making friends with her younger brother.
She no longer obstructed her younger brother from interacting with him.
The poor Councilor Shen had no idea that because of this move, she would deeply regret it in the future.
The food the cub had worked so hard to eat finally took effect. The bones in his limbs grew strong and hardened; he could now walk normally. If he walked for too long, he would accidentally take a tumble, but that didn’t dampen Shen Lin’s good mood.
The feeling of controlling his own body was a bit intoxicating.
From toddling to running, it only took the cub a single afternoon. He ran out of the small castle, ran through the garden, and ran into a completely unfamiliar corridor. Just as he was about to turn back, he unintentionally overheard a conversation.
“Sigh, the Marshal’s condition is getting worse and worse. I’m afraid he’ll be sent to the Abyss of Blood by the end of this month.”
“Fuck, those ungrateful wolves in the White Tower can’t wait for the Marshal to die so they can annex the Ninth Legion. If the Marshal hadn’t taken the initiative to take on the mission to fight the Zerg back then…”
“Don’t be stupid. Marshal Shen’s existence is a threat. If not this time, there would have been a next time. If they don’t suppress Marshal Shen’s power, they probably won’t be able to sleep.”
The tone was mocking, but the words were filled with desolation.
The cub’s figure flashed past the corner. On the way back, the cub successfully met up with the head maid who was searching for him.
After returning, the cub remembered the scene he had caught a glimpse of before leaving.
A black tower built in the shape of a beast pierced the clouds. Within the angry, roaring mouth was a half-closed vermilion door, heavily guarded, with healers constantly entering and leaving.
Thinking of the father who only appeared in people’s words and had never shown his face… The pink ball’s thick, curled eyelashes trembled slightly.
In the following days, the cub’s figure often appeared near the entrance of the Beast Blood Pool. He didn’t stay long, usually leaving within less than a minute.
When Shen Zexi heard the news of the cub often running to the vicinity of the Beast Blood Pool, she remained silent for a moment before saying: “Let him be.”
“En-ying?”
Is it definitely here?
A fluffy head popped out from the bushes, a pair of nimble eyes alertly scanning the surroundings. The Ghost Vine emerged from somewhere, twisting its vines to form an arrow pointing forward.
“En-ying~”
Let’s go!
Shen Lin had snuck out during his nap time.
He hadn’t been doing nothing during his visits to the Beast Blood Pool these past few days. The Ghost Vine had spent several days wandering around the pool, its peripheral vines hidden in the grass—unobtrusive enough to evade the patrolling guards—and finally found a secret entrance that allowed infiltration into the Beast Blood Pool.
The entrance was very narrow. The cub’s true form was already very small, but as he squeezed in, he felt a stinging pain from the pressure on the bones on both sides.
Once the cub entered the Beast Blood Pool, he had expected it to be a subterranean space devoid of sunlight. Unexpectedly, it was a world of its own.
There were lush jungles where sunlight poured through the towering canopy, casting light beams of various sizes. In the places where the sun shone, the trees grew exceptionally lush. Shen Lin’s tiny body was covered by the tall shrubs as soon as he entered the jungle.
The Ghost Vine extended its branches to form a circle and rolled forward, flattening the grass and trees to open a traversable path for the cub. A vine bypassed the main branch, plucked a vermilion fruit from above, and offered it to the cub’s mouth.
The cub opened his mouth and bit down, a mouthful of juice bursting out, full of sweetness. Its master had a stomach of steel that was immune to all poisons, so it could feed him without worry.
The Ghost Vine was a must-have for home and travel; after he went off to wander, he wouldn’t have to worry about not finding food. The cub thought so.
There were many ripe fruits on the trees. Seeing that the cub loved to eat them, the Ghost Vine turned into an eight-legged monster, stuffing them into the small bag the cub usually wore on his back. The cub refused the Ghost Vine’s help, carrying a full bundle of fruit on his own, eating as he walked.
The cub walked for a long time. When the surrounding plants began to change, he seemed to have reached the depths of this jungle. When the Ghost Vine pushed aside the shrubs, it revealed a vast area of boulders of varying sizes. And crouching atop the boulders was a massive beastly shadow…
Plop!
The small bundle filled with fruit fell to the ground, but the cub had no heart to pick it up. He stared fixedly at the black giant beast, his eyes red. In his little milk voice, there was no longer the tone of a panda cub; instead, human words tumbled out one by one:
“Big… Mon… ster…”
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