ABRIWMTHM Chapter 94

Chi Yao’s words prompted a large group of medical staff and attendants to file out. Tan Jue and Xiang Fei thought for a moment and then followed suit, leaving only Fei Chu and Fu Qing, the therapist Er Ya, and the two attendants Xu Jin and Yan Changyue.

Once everyone had left, Chi Yao couldn’t help but sway a little, releasing a breath.

Er Ya knew why.

“You should rest now. Shi Xing hasn’t woken up, and you’ve consumed a lot of energy; you need to recover.”

Xu Jin then nervously stepped forward to support Chi Yao and began to inquire.

They had discussed Shi Xing’s situation and reached a conclusion, so Er Ya also had time to explain Chi Yao’s condition, “It’s nothing serious; it’s just that self-healing consumed a large amount of mental energy.”

“Self-healing?” Xu Jin expressed surprise.

Others in the room, who were unaware of the situation, also looked astonished.

Er Ya nodded, “Yep, self-healing.”

“Shi Xing absorbed the violent energy from a rift. The Beirman gene is powerful, and right after that, he started self-healing.”

Feeling it necessary to provide a conclusion, Er Ya added, “When Shi Xing was in trouble, Your Highness immediately severed his mental power. The rift didn’t completely vanish, but it has shrunk considerably and should still retain some energy.”

Chi Yao’s face showed no signs of joy.

He glanced at the unconscious Shi Xing on the bed and said in a deep voice, “I don’t know how much he absorbed.”

Er Ya encouraged, “Be content; the situation hasn’t reached the worst.”

Chi Yao frowned slightly, clearly disagreeing, “What do you consider the worst?”

Er Ya answered without hesitation, “For instance, back in the day when the star beasts didn’t attack you so many times, and all your mental energy was concentrated in one place, your mental sea only had one rift. You’ve seen how Shi Xing is taking in this energy in a problematic state. If it hadn’t been dissipated, who knows how much more he would have absorbed? What do you think?”

Chi Yao struggled to catch his breath, “I appreciate your scenario.”

Er Ya shrugged, “Just being polite.”

Fei Chu: “…”

Fu Qing: “…”

Yan Changyue: “…”

Chi Yao changed his tone and gestured at Er Ya with a nod, saying coldly, “Get up; let me see Shi Xing.”

Er Ya, sitting on the edge of Shi Xing’s bed, was indeed obstructing Chi Yao’s examination.

Er Ya stood up and moved aside, stretching a bit and patting his shoulder, “I’m going downstairs to grab something; I’ve worked up an appetite with all this fuss.”

Only then did Xu Jin glance at the time, noticing it was nearly mealtime.

Chi Yao reminded, “Don’t forget to return to check on his mental sea in the next hour.”

As Er Ya walked out, he waved his hand, “Got it; I won’t forget.”

Fei Chu followed Er Ya out the door.

Once outside, Fei Chu suddenly said, “Don’t keep speaking to my cousin when he’s in a bad mood.”

Er Ya raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

“You’re worried I’ll anger him?”

After a brief silence, Fei Chu replied, “After all, he’s the Emperor of the Empire; his anger can be quite terrifying.”

Oh, so that’s what he meant by fearing Chi Yao taking it out on Er Ya.

Er Ya laughed lightly, “Not to that extent.”

He stated clearly, “Your cousin won’t genuinely be angry with those he isn’t close to.”

Fei Chu paused for a moment, scanning through past memories, realizing Er Ya was indeed correct.

The atmosphere grew awkward.

Inside the room, Chi Yao reached out to touch Shi Xing’s forehead; the temperature was normal, and he couldn’t help but sigh.

When he released his mental power to sense, the frustration became even more difficult to shake off.

Shi Xing’s mental sea was self-sealed. He couldn’t sense anything anymore, let alone others.

Moreover, there was still a connection between them.

Meanwhile, Xu Jin was still immersed in the excitement of witnessing Chi Yao’s rift shrink. However, when he finally looked at Shi Xing, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him, bringing him back to his senses.

Before knowing the cost, it was indeed impossible to be purely delighted.

Yan Changyue advised, “Your Highness, perhaps you should organize yourself.”

Chi Yao remained still. In such close proximity, he didn’t respond, so Yan Changyue didn’t dare to say more.

Chi Yao suddenly said, “Before, we were anxious when he had fever; now it feels like we’d prefer the fever.”

Every time Shi Xing had a fever, it indicated rapid growth in his mental sea. Yet now, even though everything seemed fine, it was too unsettling for them.

Chi Yao spoke softly, “Perhaps I shouldn’t have let him attempt…”

Upon hearing this, Xu Jin knew Chi Yao was genuinely upset.

Growing up under the educational concept that “errors are meant to be corrected rather than regretted,” Chi Yao had always sought solutions at the first sign of issues, and even if none were available, the emotion of “regret” rarely occurred.

But at this moment, Xu Jin could clearly feel that Chi Yao regretted.

“Your Highness, take care of yourself. We’ll soon have lunch together. Only by taking care of yourself can you better care for Shi Xing.”

Xu Jin, with his higher status, spoke, and upon finishing, Chi Yao nodded and stood up to head for the bathroom.

Fortunately, the beds were movable; after negotiation, Xu Jin managed to separate the two beds in the master bedroom.

Considering Shi Xing’s special circumstance of being in a coma, the two would temporarily sleep separately until he completely recovered.

The afternoon passed as usual, and in the evening, after another round of perception, Er Ya’s face turned heavy as she said, “The energy on the outer layer has increased, and the layering of energy in the mental sea is significant; the mental power is continuously flowing out to the outer beach.”

Chi Yao asked, “What does that mean?”

Er Ya replied, “I tend to think it indicates an increase in the suppression force.”

In other words, that energy was challenging for Shi Xing to absorb.

Er Ya continued, “I understand now why he has sealed his mental sea; he likely wishes to contain that highly destructive energy to prevent it from dispersing and causing harm.”

Chi Yao asked, “Is it possible to release mental power to assist him within his mental sea?”

Er Ya replied, “I tend to believe not.”

“Why?”

Er Ya stated seriously, “Because the situation hasn’t reached its worst yet, and his mental sea is in a very strange state now. I’m not sure if the suppression will be effective, if he’ll accept it, nor if after I release my mental power, his mental sea may also close off to me.”

Chi Yao fell silent.

Er Ya added, “I believe waiting until he cannot control it will be the best opportunity for me to release my mental power.”

If it fails at that moment, it wouldn’t be a loss, and if successful, it would be for the best.

Chi Yao accepted this.

The intervals for Er Ya’s investigations shifted from one hour to half an hour.

Shi Xing’s mental sea underwent increasingly intense changes; Er Ya’s vague perceptions could even sense an unusual wave of action surging in the mental sea.

But ultimately, it remained within Shi Xing’s tolerance, fluctuating from weak to strong and back to weak, until it finally settled down around midnight.

When the mental sea’s fluctuations were at their peak, fortunately, due to their connection, Chi Yao couldn’t enter Shi Xing’s mental sea. Still, he was finally able to faintly sense the changes within.

This allowed Er Ya to have time to breathe, returning to sleep for three hours.

After three hours, she swapped places with Chi Yao.

Chi Yao went to sleep for three hours.

Unbeknownst to them, in another realm, Shi Xing dreamt.

It was a dream that was both opaque and brilliant, everything immersed in dazzling colors, including the air.

Even the wind had its distinct colors, and each gust was different.

Shi Xing saw countless Mother Trees swaying in the misty colors, each tree burdened with countless blue fruits.

He also heard a strange language or rather, messages carried through energy.

He couldn’t speak it, but oddly, he understood.

He even heard the blue fruits making sounds, engaged in simple communication.

Crossing over the dense region of Mother Trees, he saw—people, various kinds of people.

Their facial features were widely diverse, and they passed through his body.

He heard them conveying messages through energy as they exchanged ideas.

“Suddenly recalled, without explanation, why is everyone so tense.”

“Not sure; I asked the priestess, but she wouldn’t say.”

“She doesn’t dislike us darting out, does she?”

“What do you mean? Doesn’t the priestess not want to go out? She clearly dislikes it.”

Playful banter swirled around him.

Shi Xing went with the flow, joining the crowd until he arrived at a place that initially appeared to be a gathering spot, but the architecture was very… unique, how should he put it, all black.

Suddenly, a light pat on his shoulder made him jump.

Turning around, a strikingly beautiful woman smiled at him, “You’re here, what a pity…”

At the same time, someone stepped out of a spaceship that had just landed behind him, arms stretched wide, loudly declaring, “Ah, finally back to Blue Star…”

Blue Star? Is it the Blue Star he was thinking of?!

As Shi Xing’s emotions surged, everything around him suddenly twisted.

He had slept for four to five days, and during these four to five days, his mental sea was continuously active.

Each time the fluctuations in the mental sea became too intense, either Chi Yao or Er Ya would be there watching over Shi Xing, lest something go wrong.

On two occasions, Er Ya nearly released her mental power, but Shi Xing’s mental sea always stabilized at the final threshold.

Day after day, even iron willpower could be tested.

On the fifth day, Er Ya fell asleep beside Shi Xing’s bed after a nap, waking up with two dark circles under her eyes. After sensing, she said to Chi Yao, “I have good news and bad news; which do you want to hear first?”

Chi Yao replied, “Do as you wish.”

Well then, he had to listen regardless.

Er Ya said, “The critical phase should have passed; his mental sea has returned to normal fluctuations.”

Chi Yao remained calm, “What’s the bad news?”

Er Ya admired his poise, “Prepare the medical staff and attendants, as well as crystals and beast cores; once he fully absorbs that energy, his mental sea will begin to grow again. If things go as expected, he’ll directly enter the second phase upon waking.”

“Once he enters the second phase, I certainly can’t let him attempt to treat you again.”

Remembering something, Er Ya lowered her eyelashes and hinted, “You need to keep your limits in mind as well.”

Chi Yao nodded, feeling relieved internally, although it didn’t show on his face.

He responded, “Got it, but I initially didn’t plan to let him attempt to treat me again during his maturity period, so it isn’t really bad news.”

Er Ya stretched, “I’m exhausted; is there a hovering device that can carry me out? I could sleep for days.”

“I can summon a human-floater for you.”

Er Ya, worn out, didn’t react immediately, but after a moment, she saw Fei Chu entering the room and finally realized what Chi Yao meant.

Er Ya said, “Thank you.”

Chi Yao replied, “In return for kindness.”

Er Ya: “…”

Er Ya still chose to walk out on her own.

Later, Shi Xing started feeling feverish again, and in the evening, Xu Jin insisted that Chi Yao take some rest. Chi Yao, fearing something might go wrong, stubbornly endured another night, confirming that Shi Xing’s metrics aligned with the characteristics of the mental power growth phase rather than any other abnormalities.

In the following days, Chi Yao maintained his routine, sleeping six hours a day. As the New Year approached, he hardly dealt with public affairs, discussing the arrangements for Shi Xing’s birthday and New Year preparations with Xu Jin.

Yes, Chi Yao believed Shi Xing would wake up before his own birthday.

Indeed, that was the case, though the reality deviated from Chi Yao’s expectation.

Once the high temperature had subsided, and the fog cleared, no longer rejecting mental power, Shi Xing still didn’t wake up.

Er Ya observed for a whole morning and noticed something, “It will take a little more time to stabilize.”

“What do you mean?” Fei Chu didn’t understand.

Before Er Ya could clarify, Chi Yao interjected directly, “After the first phase, Blue Star individuals’ mental seas roughly stabilize. The growth of mental power in the second year mainly comes from increasing the depth of the mental sea and the re-densification of mental threads.”

After saying that, he looked at Er Ya, “Are you sure?”

“Not completely, but likely, Shi Xing’s mental sea has two components. I feel it’s adjusting the surface area; the outer layer is still increasing, while the inner layer has been fixed.”

Er Ya added, “This should be due to the fact that destructive sources of mental power have been minimal in daily life.”

Treating Chi Yao was certainly a one-shot deal.

In this slumber, more days passed, and just when the nutrient solution was about to require additional components, Shi Xing finally awoke two days before his birthday.

And he woke up gasping for breath.

Upon opening his eyes, Shi Xing noticed a cold sweat on his chest, and Chi Yao called out his name until he was embraced, finally regaining composure as he explained, “It wasn’t a nightmare; it was a very strange dream.”

“It seems I dreamt of Blue Star, Your Highness…”

Suddenly breaking free from Chi Yao’s embrace and face-to-face with him, Shi Xing was about to say something when he was abruptly distracted by what he saw, exclaiming, “Your Highness, why do you look so pale?”

“You…”

Noticing Chi Yao didn’t seem too well mentally either, Shi Xing later realized, “How long did I sleep?”

The hoarse response was, “The day after tomorrow is your birthday; it’s nearly half a month from the day you fell into a coma until now.”

Shi Xing opened his mouth in silence.

Learning that he hadn’t had nightmares eased Chi Yao’s mind, prompting him to call for others to come in.

After half a month, Shi Xing finally had dinner with everyone again.

As he walked, his entire body felt weak. Er Ya immediately pointed out the root cause, “Your body hasn’t recuperated yet; in a couple of days, you’ll be fine.”

After dinner, once Shi Xing’s body was checked and his mental sea confirmed to be in good condition, Er Ya finally remarked, “Oh, by the way, you’ve entered the second phase of your maturity period.”

Shi Xing, surprised, confirmed multiple times and then smiled.

Er Ya added, “Don’t be too happy too soon; there’s still a matter I need to discuss with you.”

“The variables in the second phase are too great; treatment will no longer continue.”

Shi Xing’s expression shifted. Just as he was about to argue, Chi Yao’s following words caught in his throat.

Chi Yao replied, “This is the result of a discussion among everyone. You must first ensure your own well-being; since your mental sea can be repaired, so can it after your maturity phase.”

Er Ya chimed in, “Moreover, even if we try again, we can’t guarantee continued repair; absorbing this kind of energy is still quite challenging for you. You’re on the thinnest rift; the remaining few are relatively wide. This rift still hasn’t disappeared, so it’s best you wait until you become a therapist before considering how to completely heal Your Highness.”

Shi Xing grew anxious, blurting out, “Then… what if I can’t become a therapist?”

Er Ya was momentarily stunned.

Chi Yao’s face visibly crumpled.

Er Ya glanced back and forth between the two, then nudged, “Maybe you should first figure out this issue together?”

At this moment, Shi Xing realized Chi Yao’s complexion was glaringly bad. Chi Yao said nothing and turned to leave.

Shi Xing suddenly understood he had misspoken and angered Chi Yao.

He wanted to chase after him but was stopped by Er Ya, who pointed out, “I really can’t endure this for half a month. For the past few days, I’ve been watching over you, sleeping three hours at a time; your family member has been sleeping all this while. His mental sea has just been repaired… fighting is nothing compared to this. If you care about him, don’t say such pessimistic words.”

“But…”

“There’s no ‘but.’ Even if he can’t be healed, as long as you’re around, he won’t die.”

“And you? Do you understand the consequences of failing to undergo your maturity phase?”

Shi Xing fell silent.

Er Ya patted Shi Xing’s shoulder, “Don’t overthink it. You worry about him, but he also worries about you.”

Her gaze revealed a fleeting sense of melancholy, existing for the briefest moment, “Cherish it.”

Shi Xing felt Er Ya held back something unspoken.

After Er Ya left, Shi Xing noticed Fei Chu standing behind him. He didn’t know how long he’d been standing there. As soon as Shi Xing saw, Fei Chu approached and stuffed a crystal fruit into his hand, smiling as usual, “Chang Yue asked me to give this to you, saying you like it.”

“You’ve been having nutrient solutions daily; you’ve lost some weight, so eat well for the New Year.”

Shi Xing nodded and thanked him.

The crystal fruit was truly sweet.

That night, Shi Xing couldn’t manage to soothe Chi Yao; there was no opportunity. He returned to his room and found Chi Yao already asleep. Thinking of Er Ya’s words, he sighed lightly, washed up, and crawled into bed.

Fortunately, Xu Jin and the others were efficient and had already pushed the two beds together, allowing Shi Xing to sleep closely beside Chi Yao.

Murmuring a few words to his prince, perhaps sensing someone beside him, Chi Yao reached out subconsciously.

At the moment of being embraced unintentionally, Shi Xing felt an indescribable warmth in his heart, alleviating all worries. He buried his face against Chi Yao’s shoulder and whispered goodnight, drifting off to sleep together with him.

The next day, Chi Yao dealt with the backlog of official duties. Only then did Shi Xing learn that in recent days, Chi Yao had declined unimportant documents.

He had awakened, while Chi Yao didn’t have the chance to rest before diving back into work.

Fortunately, the work wasn’t prolonged, and with a longer lunch break, they finished early. The rest of the time, everyone gathered in one place, so Shi Xing couldn’t find a moment to whisper to Chi Yao.

Shi Xing had slept too long and needed to move about. In the evening, he was pulled into the living room by Er Ya, who engaged him in activities. When they returned to the room, Chi Yao was asleep again.

Shi Xing resignedly climbed into bed.

On the third day, Shi Xing was startled awake by the sound of colorful paper rustling.

It was his birthday; Xu Jin had planned it for a long time, and today was the celebration.

New clothes, new accessories, and new itinerary arrangements.

In the morning, they went to the Star Sea Pavilion. Standing in the underwater corridor, Shi Xing looked up at the massive prehistoric flying shark that soared above his head, mouth agape.

Looking down, he was handed a sweet fruit by Chi Yao.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

Not catching the tone in Chi Yao’s voice, Shi Xing bit into the fruit, chewing without time to respond before being called forward by Xu Jin again.

As Shi Xing followed, he even touched the huge fish in the Star Sea Pavilion, which was one of the exhibits. Not wearing a diving suit, Chi Yao enveloped him in his mental power, creating an air channel underwater to keep him buoyant and encased in air.

For lunch, they dined at a scheduled family restaurant specializing in Star History. The food was incredibly delicious, and Shi Xing felt somewhat stuffed from overeating.

Had it not been for knowing they wouldn’t take it out, Shi Xing would have genuinely wanted to ask before leaving.

In the afternoon, they went to the gaming center in the Imperial Capital. Shi Xing had visited once before but only to one place; this time, they went to three, playing with mechs and starships of various models. Shi Xing felt disappointed that Er Ya was unexpectedly good at them, making him the worst player.

But in games, winning or losing was secondary, and Shi Xing didn’t mind much.

After returning to the palace in the evening, they blew out candles and ate cake before finally accepting everyone’s gifts.

Chi Yao’s gift was the last to be unwrapped. When taken out, it was a pendant, not small, about half the size of his palm, but surprisingly light in hand.

It was made of crystals and beast cores, and the technology used to assemble numerous high-grade crystals and beast cores presented a beautiful pattern. There was another transparent layer over it, which Shi Xing couldn’t quite tell, stretching his neck to examine repeatedly.

“Would you like to touch it?” Chi Yao asked.

Before Shi Xing could respond, Chi Yao slipped the necklace into his hand, and Shi Xing discovered that through the transparent medium, he couldn’t absorb the energy of the crystals and beast cores.

“Is it a pendant?” Shi Xing hesitantly questioned.

“It’s a pendant, and it’s also for emergencies,” Chi Yao explained as he draped the pendant around Shi Xing’s neck. “This outer layer will peel off when you desperately need to absorb energy; once the outer layer is gone, the inner part can be disassembled. Due to size constraints, I could only fit seven pieces in it, but all seven are of considerable quality and are usually sealed, so there won’t be energy leakage. Should you ever need it, it can temporarily be used to absorb…”

Pausing, Chi Yao’s tone became displeased, “to save your life.”

“You have that habit of carrying a few crystals, right? You can take this instead.”

Hearing that tone, Shi Xing realized that Chi Yao must have recalled those seemingly careless words from that day.

Looking at the shimmering crystals, Shi Xing was left speechless.

Honestly, Chi Yao didn’t have to go through all this effort to give him crystals, after all, the crystals and beast cores would just be absorbed by him, and ordinary gemstones wouldn’t. But…

Shi Xing suddenly realized that his presence might hold significant meaning for Chi Yao.

Important enough for Chi Yao to notice tiny habits in his life, significant enough that even gifts designed to be both ornamental and practical would lead to such efforts.

Thinking that this gift probably took at least a month to prepare, it seemed that Chi Yao might have started considering this long ago…

At that moment, Shi Xing deeply felt what it was like to be loved.

He was loved.

That night, Shi Xing finally captured Chi Yao while he was still awake, before he could close his eyes.

After a whole session of apologies and reassurances, seeing Chi Yao remain silent, Shi Xing was unaware of how he learned to go down this route.

Chi Yao subdued Shi Xing’s mischief-making hand, asking in confusion, “Who taught you these things?”

Shi Xing felt a bit shy, “Sister Er Ya said so.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Chi Yao: “What else did she say?”

Shi Xing, with innocent naiveté, replied, “The headboard fight at both ends?”

Chi Yao closed his eyes momentarily, “I thank her.”

He slightly pushed Shi Xing away and exhaled heavily, “I’m not angry.”

“Just… a bit uncomfortable.”

Normally, if Shi Xing said something like this, Chi Yao would be upset. However, this time, after a long period of stupor, the sentiment was markedly different. The chronic lack of sleep gave him an uncanny sense of reality, as if…

For a brief instant, Chi Yao wrinkled his brow, shaking away those thoughts, feeling weary, “Don’t say such things; I might take it seriously.”

His voice was soft, yet the tone contained immense helplessness.

Shi Xing felt his heart tighten.

For a while, he spoke in a muffled voice, “I originally thought this time, I could heal part of it.”

Not only did that not happen, but it also led everyone to worry for him.

“Is it because of this that you’re upset?”

Shi Xing nodded.

Chi Yao laughed, “That’s convenient; we’ve settled our scores.”

After a pause, Shi Xing realized that Chi Yao was referring to his feelings regarding Shi Xing’s coma and that remark.

Shi Xing still had a degree of self-awareness, “I’m afraid we still can’t equalize; I… won’t say that again next time.”

Chi Yao disagreed, “Wrong.”

Shi Xing was taken aback.

Chi Yao corrected him sternly, “You should say, there won’t be a next time.”

Those grayish eyes locked onto him, compelling him to repeat it. Shi Xing followed through, and only when he did did Chi Yao nod to release him.

After chatting a few more exchanges, Shi Xing felt that Chi Yao truly wasn’t mad, enabling him to breathe more easily. However, he still sensed an undercurrent of Chi Yao’s low spirits but couldn’t pinpoint the reason.

As he hesitated to question further, Chi Yao bid him goodnight.

Two days passed, and Shi Xing noticed his feelings weren’t mistaken; Chi Yao indeed seemed unhappy.

He suspected he had angered Chi Yao, so he didn’t dare to directly question him.

Subtly hinting in circles, only Er Ya understood his insinuations.

“Still not okay?”

Shi Xing struggled, “It’s not particularly anger, per se. It’s just that His Highness doesn’t seem as happy as before; I…”

Er Ya inquired, “You want to cheer him up?”

Feeling a momentary embarrassment from being seen through under Er Ya’s gaze, Shi Xing still nodded.

He cherished the gift from Chi Yao and thought he could perhaps do something to make him happy.

Er Ya chuckled, “That’s simple. You can check the last thing I sent you.”

Shi Xing was confused.

Er Ya merely hinted with those words and said no more.

During the lunch break, Shi Xing finally recalled sending it, realizing the key lies in the first word.

After so long, Er Ya had only sent him something once, which was…

During the lunch break, Shi Xing was in his room. Since their rest periods didn’t align with Chi Yao, they had separated.

He pulled the book out, hesitating briefly before finally reaching for it.

Expanding his horizons was always good, and it didn’t necessarily have to be done this way…

Last time, Chi Yao didn’t seem to like it much and had even refused him…

Shi Xing thought only in such a simple way as he opened it.