ABRIWMTHM Chapter 19

Before Chi Yao could call again, Shi Xing’s voice softly began to sound.

“I’m… I’m exhausted…”

The consumption of mental power was too great; he was drained.

As he spoke, warm breath brushed against Chi Yao’s neck, causing the man to pause again.

Such a moment of distraction allowed the turbulent mental power within the mental sea to start attacking the cracks again. Chi Yao dared not get distracted; he concentrated on self-control.

The mutated star beast that had seriously injured Fei Chu was naturally of a high level, and in the process of slaying it, Chi Yao could not have escaped unscathed.

The mental power of a C-level mutated star beast was similar to that of Blue Star humans; it could invade another’s mental sea. The difference was that the mental power of Blue Star humans was gentle and healing, and after treatment could be absorbed by Imperial citizens, while the star beast’s mental power was purely violent and destructive. If a wound was left at the bottom of the mental sea, it would be hard to completely cure.

Having dealt with mutated star beasts for years, Chi Yao’s mental sea was fraught with many energy whirlpools caused by such injuries.

When he was in good condition, these whirlpools were suppressed by the mental threads of the mental sea and wouldn’t cause any issues.

But when he was in poor condition, a slight inattentiveness would connect these whirlpools, breaking the calm of the mental sea and causing turmoil.

This incident of mental power leakage should have been due to the mental power of the star beast not yet completely dissipating at the wound site.

Moreover, the wound was located deeper inside, which Yun Wu and Hua Li couldn’t handle.

As he dispersed the undercurrents disturbing the mental sea, the fluctuations within began to gradually calm.

Chi Yao’s mental power was strong enough to be well-contained, and normally Shi Xing wouldn’t have sensed it. Now, at such close proximity, he could merely instinctively perceive, due to his racial advantage, that his counterpart had managed to control himself.

Shi Xing wanted to give Chi Yao some help. However, although his mental sea was not much different from before he lost his abilities, the strength of the mental power he could condense was still limited by his body, not much better than a Blue Star human just entering maturity.

In other words, there was too much of a gap between their mental power levels; he was powerless.

Shi Xing sighed softly and shifted slightly, causing Chi Yao to feel as if his entire face was buried in his shoulder.

The breath was humid, penetrating the fabric, and sprayed onto his shoulder.

Shi Xing didn’t weigh much, but having physical contact in such an intimate position made Chi Yao forget that the last time it happened was decades ago.

Knowing Shi Xing couldn’t get up, Chi Yao focused on self-control and didn’t move. In their embrace, a rare subtle atmosphere of ambiguity spread, as if they were relying on each other.

When he thought of this metaphor, Chi Yao froze for a moment and laughed silently.

The crowd outside the building sensed the convergence of mental power and did not rush in immediately, fearing the possibility of a stoppage period before another explosion of mental energy.

It was not until this tranquility lasted for a while did they finally rush in quickly.

Fu Qing and Xu Jin led the way, rushing to Chi Yao’s room, where they found him pushing Shi Xing away from an embrace.

“Your Highness.” Fu Qing called out.

“Are you alright?” Xu Jin scanned Chi Yao and then turned to Shi Xing, inquiring.

Chi Yao hoarsely replied, “You came at the right time; come see him.”

This was directed at Hua Li and Yun Wu.

Yun Wu was surprised, just starting to speak a word, “He…”

But was interrupted by Chi Yao, “Be quiet; he’s too tired and has fallen asleep.”

Indeed, before Chi Yao sensed that the mental sea was about to settle down, he had called out to Shi Xing. At that time, Shi Xing had drowsily replied, and a few minutes later, when his mental power truly calmed down, Shi Xing’s breathing followed suit, becoming drawn out.

—He had fallen asleep due to exhaustion.

After checking Shi Xing, Hua Li said, “It’s mental power depletion.”

Xu Jin hesitated, “Should we send him to the hospital?”

Chi Yao: “Yes, have someone come to take him for an examination.”

Without Shi Xing’s knowledge, he was sent to the Tree Nest Hospital again, with the attending physician being the same as before.

However, this time, Xu Jin had also brought along a doctor from the Imperial Capital, part of Chi Yao’s dedicated medical team. Before coming, they had pulled Shi Xing’s talent assessment data from the Tree Nest for detailed analysis.

The examination was quick, and apart from mental power depletion, there were no major issues.

The doctor piled crystals on Shi Xing’s body, allowing him to absorb them. The doctor from the Imperial Capital observed something on the side and added two more tests.

At the same time, Chi Yao was in the adjacent ward undergoing a mental power examination by the medical team.

Once everything concluded, the ward was left with Chi Yao, Xu Jin, and the two doctors. One doctor reported, “Your Highness, the bottom of the mental sea is quite unstable and the whirlpools have increased; it’s possible that this year’s turmoil period will come early.”

This was within Chi Yao’s expectations as he nodded; meanwhile, Xu Jin took a deep breath, unable to exhale.

The other doctor continued, “As for this Blue Star human, there’s also a slight situation.”

Chi Yao: “What happened to him?”

The doctor: “It’s not a big problem; it should be due to the level being too high. His energy requirements during the maturity period may exceed all the Blue Star humans currently in the Empire.”

“As for the extent of it, I’ll contact Er Ya to refer to her situation before reporting again.”

Chi Yao pondered for a moment and nodded again.

With the medical team present, after the examination, Shi Xing was escorted back to his residence by two nurses, and before parting, Chi Yao noticed Shi Xing still not awake and asked again.

After receiving the response that Shi Xing’s mental power depletion and slumber were self-protective measures, Chi Yao reminded the nurses to watch over Shi Xing closely in the night and report any situations.

Xu Jin took all of this in.

Perhaps still not wanting to match, but His Majesty definitely did not dislike Shi Xing, Xu Jin was certain.

Afterward, Shi Xing was monitored by the medical staff for two days. Yun Wu sent him a beast core, which he absorbed, finally dispelling the deficiencies in his mental sea. The doctor recorded this.

A week passed, the application forms were reviewed, and Chi Yao instructed the Senate to issue a deadline notice. From those who came for Shi Xing, Shi Xing selected nearly ten forms. When they reached Chi Yao’s hands, he strictly set aside three, including Xiang He Ze and Tan Yan, leaving a total of five candidates for Shi Xing to choose from.

That was already a lot.

Xu Jin had been very low-key during this week, mostly working silently, arranging everyone’s schedules.

Just as Fu Qing felt the other party would not bring up matching anymore, Xu Jin had a lengthy discussion with Chi Yao one evening about something Fu Qing couldn’t know. After it ended, Chi Yao showed no sign of rejection; he simply had a complex expression.

The next day, Fu Qing and Shi Xing met with Chi Yao together. Whether it was Fu Qing’s illusion or not, it seemed that Chi Yao’s gaze towards Shi Xing had a fleeting similarity to that of the previous evening, leaving one bewildered.

Time passed like this, after the deadline for the application form, the official timing for the matching banquet was determined, set for a week after the deadline. During the interim week, the Tree Nest urged candidates who had not yet arrived in Ancheng to do so, and those who had not undergone mental power level assessments had to complete them one day before the matching banquet began.

Most of Shi Xing’s previous time was spent on filtering the application forms and undergoing physical exams, and he hadn’t spent much time with Xiang He Ze and Tan Yan. In retrospect, he realized he had seen Chi Yao, Xu Jin, and Fu Qing more often than them.

“The time for the matching banquet has been set; have you thought about who to choose?”

After personally informing Shi Xing of the timing, Xu Jin asked him.

After a week of interactions, Xu Jin’s kindness and approachability had already won everyone over. Like an elder, he inquired, and Shi Xing, like a junior, smiled shyly and shook his head.

“By now, you should have a rough idea. If you’re still unsure, it might lead to disputes later.”

This was something Chi Yao and Fu Qing had also mentioned. After all, all five military officers had high mental power levels and impressive backgrounds; Shi Xing truly couldn’t be picking like selecting groceries.

The best strategy was to have a clear idea in mind, releasing signals in advance, which would make it pleasant for everyone in the end.

Shi Xing: “I understand, but… I just haven’t figured it out yet.”

Xu Jin stepped into Shi Xing’s room, half-closing the door, and suddenly asked while facing away from him, “What do you think of His Highness as a person?”

Shi Xing was startled, “His Highness is… very good, very nice to me, and to… everyone as well.”

Xu Jin smiled, “I’ve watched His Highness grow up; I can assure you that his character and conduct are absolutely fine.”

Shi Xing hadn’t picked up on the undertone.

Xu Jin turned around and spoke straightforwardly, “So, how would you feel about following His Highness?”

“Ah?” Shi Xing was confused, “Following… His Highness?”

His mind raced, rolling through the backgrounds of the five military officers he was well-acquainted with, yet he couldn’t find one who was under His Highness’s command. Could it be, “Is there any officer who would be assigned to His Highness?”

Xu Jin laughed, naturally and calmly saying, “No.”

“I mean it literally.”

“If you could follow His Highness long-term, how would you feel?”

Shi Xing frowned, instinctively saying, “Well, that would be wonderful, but I should…”

Xu Jin struck at the heart of the matter, “Don’t you know that His Highness is also on the candidate list for matching?”

Shi Xing was genuinely shocked.

Words seemed to escape him as he stared straight at Xu Jin, thoughts racing with bold ideas breaking through.

Xu Jin: “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Would you like to choose His Highness as a partner?”

“I’ve been here for this long, and I’ve seen how everyone interacts; you don’t dislike His Highness.”

“After living here for a week, I felt you’ve adapted well; future interactions should definitely be fine with some adjustment.”

“And most crucially, your level is high, making you very suitable for His Highness.”

Shi Xing thought of something, “But… His Highness has never matched with a Blue Star human before.”

Xu Jin anticipated this question, answering nimbly, “I can only explain it halfway. To be clear, there hasn’t been a Blue Star human with a level as high as yours before. An S-grade therapist wouldn’t be useful even if matched with His Highness.”

“As for the other half, there are considerations in His Highness’s mind regarding his privacy. If there’s a match, I believe he will tell you in the future.”

Shi Xing stammered, “But… does His Highness want to match with a Blue Star human?”

Seeing the interest in Shi Xing that he himself wasn’t aware of, Xu Jin, who had watched Chi Yao grow up, smiled, “You know, His Highness is very good to Blue Star humans; he wouldn’t easily get angry with them, would he?”

“Because the Tree Nest signed a contract with the vanished Blue Star, the responsibilities of the Tree Nest fall to the royal family.”

Xu Jin’s words explained the feeling Shi Xing had been sensing since their encounter, that he had been treated particularly well by Chi Yao.

So, it was indeed that he treated all Blue Star humans well…

“I heard Fu Qing say that tomorrow you’ll go out to play together.”

After the application deadline, Chi Yao and Shi Xing had been seeing less of each other, and their most recent opportunity to interact should be during this outing.

“So,”

Xu Jin softly suggested, as if opening some Pandora’s box, “if you have this confusion, why not ask His Highness directly?”

At a loss for words,

Shi Xing surprisingly felt a stir of excitement within.