ABRIWMTHM Chapter 58

Shi Xing didn’t quite understand.

He… didn’t even fully comprehend.

It was incomprehensible.

But his mental power swept through again. Indeed, the mental sea he sensed was not whole; there were several deep cracks penetrating the entire core, splitting it into several pieces. Looking down from above, the cracks were pitch black…

Without thinking, Shi Xing’s mental power dived down through the cracks, but at some point, he was rebounded back by a domineering force.

At the moment of contact, Shi Xing felt a shiver from his soul.

So strong, so overbearing…

In terms of destructiveness, it was completely off the scale compared to any energy he had encountered before.

This was…

That energy wanted to entangle Shi Xing’s sensing mental power, moving with such rapidity that Shi Xing didn’t have time or ability to react. His pupils contracted… and the next moment, the patterns on the surface of the mental sea erupted with intense light, instantly batting away the chaotic energy from the edge of Shi Xing’s mental power.

Shi Xing became aware of more; this shattered mental sea seemed to be coalescing thanks to the power of this imprint, preventing it from falling apart.

Shi Xing did a lot, but in reality, it was merely the blink of an eye.

When Shi Xing’s shocked wide-open eyes looked at Chi Yao, the latter had already reacted to what he had done, pulling his hand and frowning, “Shi Xing, let go, you…”

Before he could finish speaking, with the retrieval of the mental power, Shi Xing was instantly expelled from the inner layer of Chi Yao’s mental sea due to the rank difference.

The sudden explosion of energy left the surrounding people bewildered.

Chi Yao: “Shi Xing…”

Before he could act further, because of the connection, Chi Yao’s mental power did not push Shi Xing away again.

Chi Yao’s hands slid slowly down from his cheeks.

Chi Yao’s heart rose with a rare sense of tension, an emotion he hadn’t felt in many years outside of battles.

Shi Xing’s sea-blue eyes stared wide at Chi Yao, their gazes locked. Chi Yao was dumbfounded at being looked at like that; just as he opened his mouth to say something, Shi Xing shook and suddenly collapsed onto him.

“Shi Xing!”

“Star Star.”

“Star Star!”

Soon after, Xu Jin and Fei Chu witnessed this scene, with Yan Changyue beside Shi Xing suddenly shocked as they all thought something had happened to Shi Xing due to the star beast.

Running to Chi Yao’s side, they found the prince’s expression strangely indescribable, and he spoke, “He’s fine.”

Pausing, he said seriously, “Just now when my mental power opened, he might have sensed something in the Northern Territory. He wasn’t scared; instead, he took the opportunity to contact and took a look at my mental sea.”

“…Hmm, as you can see, with my mental power retrieved, he was swept out and fainted.”

Blue Star humans were recognized as fragile.

Moreover, he hadn’t previously told Shi Xing about the real condition of his mental sea; under the double burden of body and mind, it was no surprise that he fainted.

After Chi Yao finished speaking, the expressions of the gathered people became subtle.

Xu Jin was the first to ask, “So, what about Star Star…”

“With the contract in place, and since my mental sea is open due to full mobilization, even if he can’t reach the capability, the contract would still pull him in.”

Just like how he would always pull Er Ya during each treatment.

In other words, Shi Xing saw all of what happened in Chi Yao’s mental sea, and he saw it clearly.

But it was always Chi Yao who willingly cooperated before; today was indeed unguarded and careless.

The last shred of hope Xu Jin held was crushed.

For a moment, everyone present didn’t know what to say.

The condition of the mental sea was a personal secret.

Shi Xing had never known the entire situation of the prince’s mental sea, but the prince’s privacy was his to keep, and they couldn’t overstep their boundaries and run to tell Shi Xing!

After a while, Xu Jin’s sigh broke the silence, “The little prince does act decisively.”

Not only was he daring, but when he seized an opportunity, he really succeeded.

Fei Chu felt he shouldn’t speak at this moment, but he thought, “Courageous and wise.”

Sure enough, he received a roll of the eyes from Chi Yao.

Chi Yao glanced down at Shi Xing, who was in his arms, eyes closed as if he had fallen asleep, long eyelashes framing a seemingly well-behaved expression. He gently patted Shi Xing’s head and adjusted him to lean against himself. Chi Yao also exhaled lightly, though he still felt a little rebellious inside.

Chi Yao held him horizontally, back straight, and finally commanded, “Fei Chu and Fu Qing stay behind to clean up; get the beast core extracted, and have the whole star beast… send a refrigerated container to the town to preserve it. When Shi Xing wakes up, let him decide if he wants to absorb the mental power from the star beast.”

“Xu Shu and Chang Yue return to the mothership with me; call the doctor to guard the main ship.”

The others complied.

Shi Xing dreamed, but the content was unrelated to the Lu family.

He dreamed of the first time he met Chi Yao before coming back…

Shi Xing suddenly sat up, cold sweat on his forehead, breathing heavily.

“Star Star, are you awake?”

Yan Changyue’s mental power entwined around Shi Xing, carefully watching every move he made.

Shi Xing was stunned for a moment; only then did he realize the brightness of the environment, instinctively using his hand to shield his eyes, “What time is it? What happened to me?”

“You last night…”

Yan Changyue started, and Shi Xing remembered: oh, he had forcefully peered into Chi Yao’s mental sea interior.

Tan Baishan was indeed not unfounded; the condition of the prince’s mental sea still held things he was unaware of.

Thinking of the core’s shattered appearance, Shi Xing couldn’t help but feel dazed…

How could it be shattered?!

Xu Jin then entered the room, noticed Shi Xing was awake, called for a doctor, and after a round of examination, Shi Xing remained exceptionally silent. Once the doctor confirmed there was no harm and left, Xu Jin dismissed Yan Changyue, “I’ll take over; you go rest for a bit.”

After Yan Changyue left, he kindly closed the door behind him.

With a click, only Shi Xing and Xu Jin remained in the room.

After a brief silence, Shi Xing picked up a cup, asking, “Did the prince get angry?”

His actions yesterday had indeed been bold, and he ended up fainted by Chi Yao’s mental power swipe. Although he was focused on something entirely else, his first words were about Chi Yao’s attitude.

Xu Jin answered skillfully, “The prince is more concerned about your physical condition.”

“Today, in the imperial capital, the long-serving document officer who works with the prince on official matters has arrived with his deputy. Alliance officials will soon visit the empire for diplomatic discussions, and everyone in the capital, including the prince, is busy receiving them.”

“Earlier, it was agreed that they’d have a meeting as soon as the document officer arrived.” He paused and added, “Last night, I advised the prince to sleep early, but he insisted on guarding you until midnight.”

Shi Xing lowered his head.

He knew Chi Yao cared for him.

But…

“Isn’t it that everyone knows?” After a long while, Shi Xing asked.

Hearing his tone, even without Shi Xing finishing his sentence, Xu Jin understood what he was referring to.

Shi Xing wanted to ask if everyone knew about the true condition of the prince’s mental sea—the state of it being shattered.

After a moment of silence, Xu Jin did not evade and replied, “I watched the prince grow up, so naturally, I know. As for the others, each has their own circumstances. Fei Chu is the prince’s cousin and learned from his parents. Yan Changyue, whom I brought up as a servant, was initially unaware, but after various treatments, it was unavoidable. I consulted the prince and only told him after a long time.”

“Fu Qing is in a similar situation to Chang Yue, initially also unaware. After three to five years together, even if not explicitly said, they could infer something from context and hints.”

“If you want to ask me, I still say the prince’s mental sea condition is his privacy. Given your relationship, you can just ask the prince directly; it would be overstepping for a servant to discuss such matters…”

Xu Jin knew how the prince’s mental sea was shattered, but due to his identity, he shouldn’t speak on it to others.

Shi Xing sat up in bed, took a deep breath that didn’t come out, and after a long time, nodded.

“Thank you, Xu Shu.”

Thank you to Xu Jin for explaining so detailedly and considering his feelings.

After asking Xu Jin, Shi Xing stayed for a while longer before getting up.

People had arrived at the palace; Chi Yao was busy. In reality, on the way back, most of the documents Chi Yao looked through were related to receiving diplomats. He was clear that this visit held significant political implications for the empire.

In the afternoon, Chi Yao had a meal in town with the mayor and the document officer.

The mayor extended a warm invitation.

In the afternoon, after Shi Xing received the beast core, Fei Chu asked him about the processing of the star beast. Shi Xing thought for a moment and accompanied Fei Chu to the temporary storage of the star beast. After absorbing the frenzied mental power of the star beast, they had a meal in the city.

That night, when Chi Yao returned to the battleship, he didn’t see Shi Xing at the dinner table. After asking, he simply nodded upon learning.

The next day, Chi Yao had official business from the afternoon until evening. At the lunch table, Shi Xing was still absent. When questioned, Yan Changyue reported, “The little prince said he wanted to go out for a walk today, and General Fei and Major Fu are accompanying him.”

Chi Yao realized, “Is he avoiding me?”

Xu Jin played the mediator, “Not necessarily; it could just be…”

“What is it? Feeling down and going out to clear his head?”

This remark aimed at Chi Yao; everyone could guess the implied reason behind Shi Xing’s mood—naturally because Chi Yao hadn’t informed him of the real condition of his mental sea, causing Shi Xing to feel something was off after discovering it for himself.

Xu Jin fell silent.

After lunch, noticing Chi Yao had been asking about Shi Xing these past two days, he suggested, “Since you’ll all be in the city tonight, should I have Fei Chu bring Star Star? We could add him to your dinner…”

Xu Jin meant to include Shi Xing during the official dinner.

Chi Yao rejected this.

“No need.”

“Don’t force him.”

“He will come when he wants to see me.”

Xu Jin was taken aback.

Chi Yao had implicitly accepted that Shi Xing was avoiding him.

He wanted to say something but felt everything seemed pale. Although Shi Xing hadn’t inquired about the matter lately, it was evident he was in low spirits, and the reason for his gloominess, aside from seeing Chi Yao’s mental sea, was too obvious.

Chi Yao then asked again about Shi Xing’s mental state, and upon receiving the reply, his hand, holding the cup, paused.

Thinking of something, Chi Yao said, “Oh right, I made a deal with Wei Wan.”

Wei Wan was the document officer from the capital, who had already worked in the palace for several decades.

“Assign Tang Mi to Shi Xing; any issues regarding domestic affairs can be directed towards Tang Mi from now on.”

Tang Mi was a deputy document officer and Wei Wan’s capable assistant. Xu Jin didn’t expect Chi Yao to be so direct, managing to pull someone as meticulous as Tang Mi from Wei Wan’s side to Shi Xing. However, since Fei Chu and Fu Qing had already been given, Chi Yao had always been generous towards Shi Xing. Having one more Tang Mi was nothing surprising.

“You’ve taught all you can, so let Tang Mi handle the teaching in this area.”

“Okay.”

After dinner, Chi Yao took a short break as he usually went out to handle official affairs.

In the afternoon, after Shi Xing returned to the battleship, Tang Mi was brought to him.

Tang Mi appeared refined, with low mental power but proficient in political matters. When Shi Xing learned of Tang Mi’s position in the palace, he was momentarily speechless and let out a long sigh.

Tang Mi, puzzled, asked, “Does the little prince find something wrong with me?”

Shi Xing shook his head, “No, you’re fine.”

In fact, you were too fine, to the point where he felt unworthy.

The document officer would begin his return to the palace the next day, and Tang Mi would follow Shi Xing from now on, explaining the relations between the empire and the alliance, as well as the specifics of the alliance’s visit to the empire for negotiations and its potential impacts.

Everyone had dinner together, and in the evening, Xu Jin arranged a room for Tang Mi.

Shi Xing wandered back and forth between the living room and his bedroom.

Yan Changyue asked, “Are you looking for something?”

Shi Xing hesitated to speak.

After a while, he finally instructed, “If the prince comes back, let me know.”

Xu Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief, though he didn’t show it, and promised.

“Wait,” Shi Xing suddenly reconsidered, “Is the prince very busy recently?”

Tang Mi, resting outside, didn’t understand the recent tensions between Shi Xing and Chi Yao and answered honestly, “Yes, the alliance diplomats are coming. Even before their arrival, issues have already surfaced, causing disputes between the Senate and the Elders Council. The prince has to handle foreign diplomatic affairs and act as a mediator for the Senate and the Elders Council internally… if it were me, I would feel exhausted.”

Negotiating international relations while dealing with cacophony within a nation would be troubling for anyone.

Shi Xing sighed, “Then, after the prince finishes with his duties, please inform me.”

After finishing, he inquired further, “What kind of troubles has the alliance brewed up?”

Tang Mi pondered for a moment, feeling that stating the details might confuse Shi Xing, and decided to provide a thorough discussion in tomorrow’s class. Shi Xing agreed.

After Shi Xing left, Tang Mi looked at his retreating figure and suddenly remarked, “The little prince has quite a strong sense of autonomy.”

Xu Jin and Yan Changyue exchanged glances, pondering the bold action Shi Xing took in intruding on Chi Yao’s mental sea, shaking their heads and laughing.

Indeed, he had his own ideas, sometimes appearing quite daring.

Tang Mi felt a bit strange to be surrounded by everyone’s inexplicable smiles, asking a couple of times, but no one told him the reason.

As it approached dawn, Yan Changyue finally informed Shi Xing that Chi Yao was likely asleep.

Shi Xing walked to Chi Yao’s door, raising a hand to knock but then dropping it, only to raise it again, repeating this several times. Chi Yao’s voice came first from behind the door, “If you don’t want to see me, there’s no need to be so conflicted.”

Oh, Chi Yao’s mental power was of such a high level that he could sense Shi Xing’s silly actions.

Ultimately, Shi Xing pushed the door open.

Dressed in formal attire, without having washed up, he appeared especially formal.

Chi Yao had just dealt with affairs, sitting on the sofa where the lights were dimmed, looking somewhat tired as he pinched the bridge of his nose with eyes closed.

Shi Xing closed the door, standing against it for a while; for a moment, neither spoke.

After a long while, Shi Xing broke the silence, politely asking, “Your Highness, is handling diplomatic matters very tiring?”

Previously, Shi Xing had also asked Chi Yao about official matters; Chi Yao often responded with a casual “it’s okay.”

He expected to hear the same answer today, but after a moment of silence, the man on the sofa said, “A little.”

Shi Xing: “…”

Chi Yao: “The outside world is troublesome, and there’s chaos at home, which is mentally exhausting.”

Shi Xing suspected Chi Yao was implying something, but he had no evidence.

Another long silence passed, and Shi Xing looked down at his toes before suddenly saying, “I want to ask you some things.”

Having anticipated this, Chi Yao was not surprised, “You can ask.”

After thinking, Shi Xing avoided the core conflict of the destroyed mental sea and began with something he didn’t understand, “There’s something in the core of your mental sea, that pattern, is it…”

Shi Xing asked, and Chi Yao answered, “Yes, it’s a contract.”

“The direct lineage of the royal family carries it in their mental seas, as does Bi Zhou. Its functions are complex, cannot be fully explained in one or two sentences, but its origin is clear: it’s the contract signed between the Blue Star humans and the imperial royal family.”

Shi Xing was stunned.

He initially thought that those patterns were merely some means to help consolidate Chi Yao’s mental sea.

Chi Yao: “Currently, only the empire has Blue Star humans in the entire star system. During negotiations for the transplantation of the Mother Tree back then, it wasn’t just the empire conversing with Blue Star; the alliance also negotiated, but since they are a multi-political entity, when it reached the stage of creating a contract in the mental sea, none of the leaders wanted to bind their mental seas. So… in the end, the empire secured the deal first, and the Blue Star Mother Tree was transplanted to the empire.”

“Although the alliance later reached an agreement, they didn’t arrive in time for the transplantation; Blue Star disappeared…”

“The empire’s direct lineage is responsible for the tree nest, and the other end of the contract connects to the Mother Tree. I can tell you the contents of the contract later; in short, there are several terms.”

Shi Xing couldn’t understand, “So, it also constrains the imperial royal family?”

Chi Yao nodded, “It brings us benefits while indeed also constraining the actions of the royal family.”

As a small illustration, he added, “Because the number of direct descendants in the royal family has always been small, the quantity of fruit the Mother Tree bears has decreased over the years, as they fear there might be too many people in the tree nest for the royal family to manage.”

“If the Mother Tree suffers damage to a certain extent, the contract would be torn, which is said to dry up the mental sea. However, the imperial royal family has always taken good care of the tree nest; such incidents have never happened, and I don’t know the truth.”

Shi Xing was at a loss for words, and after a while, hesitantly said, “But I feel like it is condensing your mental sea?”

“It also has this function.”

Specifically, this function emerged after Chi Yao’s mental sea shattered.

“But for a normal direct lineage’s mental sea, it provides faster self-healing capabilities and stronger protective functions. Because of the existence of the contract, the mutated star beasts’ mental power finds it harder to penetrate.”

Shi Xing’s heart sank again.

Hard to penetrate, but Chi Yao’s mental sea also…

After a long while, Shi Xing said, “I saw that your mental sea core is shattered; it… is it?”

Chi Yao replied succinctly, “Yes.”

“What you saw is all true.”

With that acknowledgment, Shi Xing felt his heart tighten, as if an invisible hand was constricting it. For a moment, he found it hard to breathe.

Shi Xing furrowed his brows deeply.

Chi Yao remained silent.

In the dim light, something was brewing, both of them could sense it.

After a moment, Shi Xing found it difficult to speak again, “Previously, during the hunt for the star beast, you and Xu Shu didn’t tell me you had entered the chaotic phase; it was only after talking with the Marshal that I knew… you…”

Shi Xing closed his eyes, “You deliberately concealed this from me, right?”

Including the matter of the shattered mental sea, you also intentionally didn’t tell me…

Chi Yao did not answer immediately; Shi Xing didn’t know if this was a difficult question for him.

But he eventually spoke, admitting, “Yes.”

His voice was light, yet could not hide the weight behind its meaning.

Shi Xing: “Then this time…”

Before he could finish, Chi Yao replied in one breath, “So is this.”

Shi Xing was at a loss for words for a long time.

This time it was Chi Yao who inquired, “Are you angry?”

Shi Xing didn’t know, but he could affirm, “I do feel some emotions regarding this concealment.”

Emphasizing: “Negative ones.”

Chi Yao: “Experiencing emotions is normal; people generally dislike being kept in the dark. Even if I have many reasons, the handling of this matter has not been appropriate.”

Shi Xing felt distressed, “Is that all you want to say to me?”

Chi Yao was silent for a moment, his voice becoming even softer.

“If you really are angry, don’t hold it in…”

Shi Xing pressed further, frustrated, “And then?”

Chi Yao: “You don’t have to deliberately avoid me; you…”

Pausing, he spoke with unparalleled indulgence, “Can let your anger out on me.”

Chi Yao: “If doing so makes you feel better, I’ll accept it.”

Before Shi Xing came, he was filled with discomfort with no outlet for it.

But with Chi Yao’s gentle words landing, it was like someone poked his inflated anger with a needle, and the pent-up frustration suddenly deflated.

Shi Xing took a deep breath, feeling deeply annoyed, yet from the bottom of his heart, he couldn’t get angry at Chi Yao.

So annoying, how could someone grasp the nuances so well!

Cannot outplay him!!