ABRIWMTHM Chapter 47

With Chi Yao’s final decision, this matter was settled.

After the banquet, Chi Yao told Shi Xing about the undercurrents that had occurred.

Shi Xing listened in surprise and hesitantly said, “Isn’t the Tan family giving too much in this case?”

Chi Yao laughed, “You’re worrying too much.”

It happened to be when Shi Xing was treating Chi Yao. Chi Yao had always been able to multitask with no issues, but Shi Xing was… struggling a bit.

Sensing the little one’s efforts, Chi Yao stopped teasing him, “It’s okay; you’ll need to get used to it.”

“Besides, you’ve already put in quite a lot; you’ve done your best to treat Tan Chi. If they want more, it’s only natural they should give something in return.”

After thinking for a moment, Chi Yao summarized, “Shi Xing, don’t underestimate your contributions.”

“Otherwise, if others see your soft heart, this quality will be exploited in the future.”

“The Tan family is indeed quite nice, but don’t underestimate the malevolence of human nature.”

Shi Xing was stunned by this.

Having not heard from Chi Yao for a long time, he raised an eyebrow, “Did I say something wrong?”

Shi Xing came back to his senses, caught up with the treatment, and shook his head.

“No, you… you are absolutely right.”

His expression was somewhat dazed, and with a hint of regret, he said, “I just wish someone had said these things to me earlier.”

This made Chi Yao curious.

Shi Xing didn’t speak any further, not wanting to detail the losses he had incurred in this regard.

Moreover, he understood in his heart that even if he could recognize it now, he still hadn’t handled it well. When facing those with ill intentions, his reactions were always somewhat reflexive, never managing to respond calmly.

Chi Yao was much more perceptive than Shi Xing imagined. “Does it relate to that dream you had?”

After leaving the Star Tree Nest, Shi Xing rarely dreamed anymore.

But the scenes in the Nest were something Chi Yao could not forget.

Shi Xing was taken aback by the question.

Chi Yao reminded, “Your healing mental power has interrupted again.”

Shi Xing hurriedly said, “I’m sorry, Your Highness, I…”

Before he could finish, Chi Yao interrupted him, “I’m not blaming you.”

His tone was flat, “Do you not want to bring it up?”

Upon hearing this, Shi Xing held his breath for a moment. Seeing this, Chi Yao nodded, “I understand.”

“Then let’s not mention it.”

Shi Xing felt he should say something, but for a moment, he didn’t know what to say…

After a long pause, Shi Xing sighed in resignation, following his heart, and said, “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you; I just don’t know how to say it.”

It was all too incomprehensible, regardless of the experiences upon returning or…

Shi Xing’s voice was very soft, tinged with guilt as he said, “It’s not that I want to hide it from you.”

Chi Yao was calm, “Then I will wait for the day you want to tell me.”

His words had no fluctuations in tone, but the inherent stability in Chi Yao’s character calmed Shi Xing’s turmoil.

Shi Xing slowly looked at Chi Yao, who smiled back, “Why do you look so aggrieved?”

Shi Xing felt some grievance in his heart but still managed to force a smile, “I feel honored to be with you.”

However, Chi Yao did not smile in response, and in his gaze towards Shi Xing, there was something that a Blue Star human couldn’t comprehend. He finally said, “I hope you can say the same in the future.”

Not wanting Shi Xing to remain anxious for too long, he returned to the original topic, “The Tan family is clever. I had originally prepared to call off your treatment for Tan Chi at any time during this period.”

The purchase of the Red Ore mining planet had been negotiated earlier. Chi Yao didn’t know the extent of the price Lady Campbell had to pay, but regarding Shi Xing’s treatment effectiveness on Tan Chi, Chi Yao didn’t think the Tan family had lost out. To put it in detail, the level of treatment Shi Xing provided had no price; he was only charging a cost price.

“Even if we can’t completely heal Tan Chi this time, he can wait until after your maturity period to seek treatment. I wouldn’t refuse, and the Tan family knows it in their hearts.”

“Since the Tan family is afraid of prolonging matters and unwilling to wait, then they must pay some price.”

The price was for the Seventh Army to take charge and actively hunt beasts to support Shi Xing’s ability growth.

Chi Yao said, “This proposal is good, and I’m satisfied with it too; it’s a win-win situation.”

It was inevitable that Shi Xing would need fresh beast cores.

If it weren’t for Shi Xing’s second talent awakening in the previous period, Chi Yao would have planned to bring Shi Xing back to the capital for a while, moving hunting of beasts up the agenda. Once the hunting team was trained, they would start capturing the most basic non-mutated S-level beasts from the border, gradually moving from lower level to higher ones to see what changes there were in Shi Xing’s abilities.

Now, with the Seventh Army actively doing part of this job for him, Chi Yao naturally wouldn’t refuse.

Plus, the Seventh Army had previously supported Yun Wu, who was one of the earlier Blue Star humans, so between the Tan family and the Seventh Army in hunting beasts, they should have ample experience. The accompanying escort team could also learn from this hunting process, complementing each other’s strengths, providing the First Army with better beast capture techniques in the future.

It was a mutually beneficial situation.

Now that Chi Yao had put it this way, Shi Xing naturally couldn’t say anything further.

Moreover, after carefully considering it, as the Emperor of the Empire, Chi Yao had seen all sorts of good things. This bit from the Tan family might really not be something he cared about. Among their group, it seemed that he was the one who had seen the least of the world… Thinking this way, since he had chosen Chi Yao, he should indeed adjust his mindset to align with him.

Shi Xing completely fell silent.

The subsequent treatment was quiet. After finishing the treatment, Shi Xing said happily, “In a few days, I should be able to completely resolve the issues with the outer layer of your mental sea.”

Chi Yao felt it and nodded.

Just now, he had said the Tan family was giving too much; when it came to Chi Yao’s situation, Shi Xing couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander, “If the fresh beast cores are useful, do you think my mental power can penetrate deeper into your mental sea?”

“Ah, my mental power still can’t fully enter the outer layer right now. With your level being this high, what should I do!”

Bringing up this topic, Shi Xing couldn’t help but feel troubled.

Chi Yao chuckled, “You weren’t saying that during the matching banquet.”

Shi Xing stood up and sprawled on the sofa. Having spent a long time together, he had learned to talk back, “This is a different situation.”

Shi Xing covered his eyes with his arm, tiredly saying, “Back then, I was only thinking about how to stay by your side…”

Chi Yao also got up, poured a glass of water, took a sip, and casually said, “And now?”

Shi Xing, unguarded and entirely honest, replied, “Now, of course, I’m thinking about how to completely heal you.”

Chi Yao’s lips curled up slightly.

He felt he had been quite bored lately.

He knew some of the answers in his heart without needing to ask, but whenever Shi Xing brought them up, he always instinctively guided the conversation a bit more, wanting the little one to express his true feelings.

Somehow, it just felt nice to listen.

A cold compress came to his face again. This was not the first time, and Shi Xing obediently opened his eyes to accept the cup that Chi Yao handed over, drinking obediently half a cup before yawning.

With today’s share of mental power consumed, he felt sleepy.

Seeing Shi Xing rubbing his eyes, Chi Yao pointed to the door with his chin, saying, “You should go back and sleep.”

At the door, Shi Xing felt he had forgotten something. He took two steps back, and Chi Yao thought he had something to say. But instead, Shi Xing lowered his hands, stunned for two seconds, and spat out four words, “Your Highness, good night.”

Chi Yao smiled and waved, “Good night, quickly go back to sleep.”

“Mm.”

His voice became so slurred it was barely understandable.

Since they were capturing beasts, Shi Xing’s training needed to keep up as well. There could always be emergencies on the battlefield. Although Chi Yao was protecting him, Chi Yao and the Tan family’s thinking were quite aligned: some necessary defensive skills were essential for Shi Xing to learn, just in case.

Additionally, since Tan Chi’s treatment had recently hit a bottleneck due to his mental power rank, they discussed it and decided to temporarily stop the treatment, allowing Shi Xing to learn from the officers accompanying the Seventh Army and Chi Yao.

However, Shi Xing had actually… learned before.

In his previous life, he attended military school with Lu Lu. Although his physical condition hadn’t kept up, he remembered many techniques and tactics, having made some adjustments according to his circumstances.

Moreover, he had actually also been on the battlefield.

Thus, somewhat concealed, Shi Xing appeared to learn especially quickly in the eyes of the officers.

The week’s training was originally only supposed to teach self-defense skills. After four days, Fu Qing found himself unconsciously beginning to teach Shi Xing some combat techniques.

Tan Yan and Tan Mei, being young, weren’t heavily tasked in the military, and during this week they also trained with the officers, preparing Shi Xing.

Yun Wu, as a therapist, had naturally come from the maturity period and shared insights on avoiding combat from a Blue Star human’s perspective.

By the fifth day, the Seventh Army relayed the news that the arrangements for baiting the beasts at the border were complete, and they could commence the hunting operation at any time.

On this day, Shi Xing cautiously proposed a hypothesis he knew the answer to, “The core abilities of the Empire’s people and Blue Star humans are both the mental sea, while the core of the beasts is the beast core. The mental sea is untouchable, but the beast core can be attacked. If the beast core shatters, it’s equivalent to the beast’s mental sea collapsing, so… isn’t there a possibility that…”

Everyone looked at him, and Shi Xing closed his eyes, knowing how absurd his suggestion sounded. Still, he continued, “I can actually kill low-level beasts using weapons.”

Fu Qing: “?”

Xiang Fei: “?”

Tan Jue: “?”

Tan Yan, Tan Mei, and Yun Wu: “？？”

Seeing everyone with bewildered expressions, Shi Xing knew this would happen and added, “I just… thought of it suddenly.”

Shi Xing continued to discuss the facts, “Have you all forgotten what my first talent is? I can see the mental sea and visualize energy, which also means…”

After hesitating for a moment to give everyone a bit of time to absorb, Shi Xing summarized:

“I can see where the beast’s core is located in its body.”

If the beast core shatters, even if the beast doesn’t die, at least it will lose its combat ability, just like someone from the Empire.

Even if it’s not a fatal injury, at that moment, it is undoubtedly extremely vulnerable.

Without the backing of their mental power, beasts become ordinary, indistinguishable from poultry or livestock without energy fluctuations, making it easier for subsequent slaughter.

While such operations sound simple, the challenge lies in the fact that the location of each beast’s core is different, and it’s difficult to judge based on experience, making it hard to use this method in actual combat.

However, Shi Xing’s talent perfectly resolved this difficulty.

Once Shi Xing finished, there was a long silence in the room.

Fu Qing was the first to speak, “I find it ridiculous, but the theory… doesn’t seem problematic.”

Xiang Fei said, “The theory is fine, but it’s ridiculous +1.”

Tan Yan was speechless, “Am I the only one who feels it’s ridiculous without being able to think logically?”

Tan Mei cheered for her brother, “No, I feel the same!”

Yun Wu, who had been silent, suddenly added, “Actually, the term ‘star beasts’ refers to animals with mental power, but because the monsters invading the Twin Star Galaxy are too powerful, this term has evolved into their exclusive designation.”

Everyone turned their attention to Yun Wu, who continued, “Not all star beasts have beast cores. Many animals in the Northern Territory have them too. Since you say you can see the beast cores, let’s bring back some harmless crystal frost fish for you to identify the positions of their cores.”

Everyone thought this proposal was good.

From the Seventh Army, together with the Tan family and Shi Xing’s residence kitchen, they found over ten crystal frost fish. Shi Xing grabbed a knife and sliced each fish open. They examined the wounds, and indeed, all were fatal injuries from shattering the beast cores.

As Shi Xing looked at the last four fish, he asked, “Do I need to prove it again?”

Fu Qing expressed concern, “Are you feeling strained?”

Shi Xing shook his head, sincerely stating, “I just feel that if tonight’s dinner is all fish, it might be too monotonous, and I’m afraid we won’t finish it, and Your Highness wouldn’t like it.”

Everyone: “…”

That made sense!

In conclusion, Shi Xing proved that he could see the beast cores, and there were differing opinions among them regarding whether he could kill star beasts. Due to the peculiarity of Shi Xing’s maturity period, they were all indecisive. In the end, naturally, this proposal was raised to Chi Yao.

When Chi Yao heard it for the first time, he reacted similarly to everyone else, “Kill a star beast?”

Chi Yao felt it was bizarre; he didn’t know how strange it truly was, but at least that’s how it sounded.

Shi Xing nodded, “Yes, by destroying the beast core.”

Chi Yao pressed two fingers to his forehead. After a long pause, he said, “Theoretically, it’s possible, but what weapon would you use?”

Shi Xing replied, “A folding crossbow activated by mental power.”

“It may need to be custom-made to fit my hands, so that it can serve as a lifesaving weapon at critical moments.”

“I opt for mental power activation rather than crystal energy because my mental power can penetrate others; it should be able to penetrate the mental barrier of star beasts, allowing the weapon to attack the beast core.”

Thinking for a moment, he added, “At least for low-level star beasts.”

For higher-level star beasts, this tactic wouldn’t work well, as hiding and escaping would be more suitable.

Chi Yao furrowed his brows for a moment and looked at Shi Xing with a somewhat scrutinizing gaze, “Didn’t you say it was an idea you suddenly came up with? Have you figured out what weapons to use?”

Shi Xing stammered, “I… I don’t have enough strength.”

Chi Yao asked again, “Is a ‘gun’ not suitable?”

Shi Xing wanted to say he didn’t know, but when those ash-gray eyes looked at him, he didn’t want to deceive the other party and said honestly, “It can hit, but it might not shatter the beast core.”

The beast cores, like the mental sea, possess self-repair capabilities.

Even if a bullet pierces the beast core, it’s not as effective as a specially-made arrow that can cleave the core in half.

However, Shi Xing had already exposed so much; he knew when to keep his mouth shut about modifying weapons.

Chi Yao nodded, suddenly saying, “You seem to know quite a bit about the structure of the beast cores.”

This caused Shi Xing’s heart to race.

But Chi Yao merely brushed over it and did not delve deeper, lightly tapping the table with his long fingers as if contemplating the feasibility of Shi Xing’s proposed method.

In theory, because of the uniqueness of Shi Xing’s talent, it was indeed a convenient method, but practical implementation definitely could not be covered by theory—Chi Yao was momentarily uncertain.

Yun Wu suddenly suggested, “How about we look for a snow bear in the snow forest to try?”

Snow bears were a type of star beast that could eat humans. If any activity traces of them were found on the outskirts of the forest, the Seventh Army would drive them away.

Over the years, the Empire’s people have operated around the periphery of the snow forest, with snow bears stationed deep within, creating a harmonious coexistence between people and animals.

Compared to the invading monsters, this kind of star beast was relatively insignificant to the Seventh Army, even to everyone present. However, since Shi Xing was a Blue Star human in his maturity period, using a snow bear for practice carried its risks. While its size and lethal abilities were inferior to low-level star beasts, it was still quite close, making it suitable for risk-free training.

Chi Yao thought it was a good idea, “Then let’s give it a try.”

At Shi Xing’s request, the Northern Territory Armory provided him with a crossbow based on his specifications. Since it was only for experimental use, Shi Xing didn’t ask for much and was careful to avoid sounding too peculiar; he simply said to make adjustments based on actual circumstances after it was used.

Three days later, Chi Yao brought a small team, with Xiang Fei as the commander, into the depths of the snow forest to lure two snow bears into the hunting zone.

By the time the snow bears reached Shi Xing, they were already exhausted and posed little threat.

Shi Xing shot two arrows from the crossbow.

Seeing Shi Xing’s overly perfect movements, Chi Yao’s frown deepened.

When the two snow bears fell, Chi Yao was the first to approach, with everyone following suit.

The wind mixed with mental power instantly sliced through the wounds of the snow bears. The first one had its beast core shattered, and the second followed suit.

Chi Yao moved his fingers, and the wind extracted the two beast cores intact. Both arrows had delivered lethal blows, accurately embedded in the center of the beast cores. Following Shi Xing’s adjustment instructions, the arrows opened up once inside the cores, splitting them apart along the fissures they created.

Chi Yao looked at the two snow bears with an unreadable expression.

Fu Qing and the others were also shocked by the scene before them.

Chi Yao straightened up and waved, “You all stay here; I have a couple of words to share with Shi Xing.”