ABRIWMTHM Chapter 130

After leaving the residence, Chi Yao walked towards the direction where the spaceship was docked.

After a moment, he spoke.

“If Shi Xing asks you about this afternoon or anything related to Lu Lu, you just tell him directly.”

This was addressed to Fu Qing.

After all, there were only a few people who resided in the living quarters.

Currently, Chi Yao’s past escort officers had almost been assigned to Shi Xing in name. Wherever Shi Xing went before his maturity period, it was Fu Qing and Fei Chu who accompanied him. Now that the maturity period had passed, Fu Qing and Fei Chu’s daily escort became flexible, no longer always accompanying Shi Xing. Chi Yao would still have escorts if needed, like today.

Of course, calling Fu Qing also had deeper considerations.

If Shi Xing asked about this matter in the future, Chi Yao would not avoid it. But if he did not directly come to ask him, he needed to ensure that there was a reliable person to convey the truth.

Fu Qing nodded in acknowledgment.

After walking a few more steps, Chi Yao suddenly asked, “How is the monitoring of beast activity along the boundary line recently?”

Fu Qing replied, “A lot of unidentified energy has been detected in scattered measurements. It’s too far away to determine if it’s a group of beasts, and not only is it heading towards the Empire’s boundary, but other planets’ boundaries have also detected multiple sources of unidentified energy. There is no conclusion yet.”

The only certainty is that it seems to be aimed at their star system.

Chi Yao nodded.

“Let’s head back.”

Shi Xing, Er Ya, and Fei Chu arrived at the Tree Nest just before noon.

Shi Xing’s status was no longer ordinary, and the reception standards at the Tree Nest were also adjusted accordingly to match those for Chi Yao.

Before Shi Xing arrived, he had not notified them, so everything was kept simple. After some hassle, during lunch with the staff, he found an opportunity to express that all ceremonial receptions for the afternoon were to be canceled, and it was fine for the Tree Nest to not disturb the three of them.

After all, they were here for serious business.

Only a few people in the living quarters knew about Shi Xing’s return to Blue Star. The qualities of Blue Star humans that he brought back from time had all been relayed through Er Ya.

The staff showed great interest, and since Er Ya had her own home planet and traveled throughout the star system, the Tree Nest did not pursue the source of the information, presuming it was fragmented knowledge gathered by Er Ya from various planets.

“Have the sick Blue Star humans used the new treatment methods yet?” Shi Xing inquired.

The staff, excited, replied, “They have tried it. Some methods worked, while others had little effect.”

Shi Xing commented, “That suggests that in addition to a lack of widespread energy intake, there might be other pathogenic factors.”

The staff nodded, “The doctors said the same thing.”

Lunch was pleasant, and after resting in the lounge for a while, the three went to the tree garden.

As they stepped into the tree garden, within the rich spiritual energy of the Mother Tree, Fei Chu observed, “The flow of energy seems a bit different.”

Er Ya looked up, “Perhaps that’s the reason?”

Shi Xing and Fei Chu followed her gaze, and what they saw made the branches and leaves of the Mother Tree shake.

This was a rare and noticeable large-scale movement visible to the naked eye.

Er Ya asked, “Is it trying to get you to come closer?”

The branches directed towards them made gestures that truly resembled a human waving.

Shi Xing responded, “It’s possible.”

Fei Chu remarked, “Get closer to find out.”

As they approached, sure enough, within reach, the branches of the Mother Tree lowered and rubbed against Shi Xing forcefully, tickling him and making him want to laugh. When he pushed the branches away, he was instead surrounded by more of them.

“Hey, on your head…”

Just as Fei Chu began to speak, several thick branches from the Mother Tree wrapped around Shi Xing, then inexplicably and speedily lifted him up towards the treetop.

Fei Chu was speechless.

Er Ya was the same.

If it weren’t for knowing that the Mother Tree wouldn’t harm Shi Xing, Fei Chu would have acted by now. But at this moment…

Fei Chu looked at Er Ya, “What should we do?”

Er Ya paused, “Let’s wait.”

She had never seen the Mother Tree make such swift and uncharacteristic movements.

As she finished speaking, one branch fell and soothingly brushed over Er Ya, guiding them inward.

Fei Chu asked, “What does that mean?”

Er Ya replied, “It’s probably asking us to wait under the trunk…”

Hardly were the words out of her mouth when the branches moved violently again.

Fei Chu: “……”

Alright, it’s not impossible.

On the other hand, as Shi Xing was lifted higher by the Mother Tree, all branches cleared their way for him. He could sense the joy radiating from the Mother Tree’s mental energy, especially from the branches nearby, which shook particularly vigorously.

Eventually, Shi Xing was placed in the center of the tree crown, a strong branch arranged for him to sit on. As soon as he sat down, countless branches and leaves began to rub against him enthusiastically.

Shi Xing couldn’t help but laugh at the ticklish sensation. After some playful moments, he finally stopped resisting and pushed away all the branches with his mental energy. The Mother Tree continued to rub against his shield for a while before finally retracting its overly enthusiastic welcome upon seeing Shi Xing’s firm resolve.

Shi Xing was puzzled, as he had never seen the Mother Tree this excited before during his returns.

Could it be because he had passed through the maturity period?

That made sense, but Shi Xing felt it wasn’t quite right.

After all, every batch of Blue Star humans returned to the Tree Nest after passing through their maturity period, and he hadn’t seen the Mother Tree behave this way before; it had never shown this kind of reaction to Er Ya either.

Suddenly, something flashed in his mind, and Shi Xing realized.

Opening his shield, he touched the branches of the Mother Tree and whispered, “Did it sense the aura of Blue Star on me?”

Shi Xing was taken back to Blue Star by the priest and should have collected quite a bit of energy unique to Blue Star.

His words carried mental energy, reflecting the traditional communication method of Blue Star.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Mother Tree trembled all over, as if in agreement, or perhaps in lament.

Shi Xing stroked the trunk, feeling the flowing mental energy of the Mother Tree, and told her, “I saw other Mother Trees and the place where you once took root.”

“They… all miss you a lot.”

The branches swayed.

“Do you miss them too?”

The leaves rustled, giving off soft sounds.

The branches oscillated, and Shi Xing, perceptive of the Mother Tree wanting to convey something to him, remained still and allowed the Mother Tree to guide him upward.

The Mother Trees on Blue Star were often pruned, mostly kept clean and simple. When Shi Xing reached the treetops, he discovered that the branches of the Mother Tree in the Empire were quite numerous, probably because Blue Star had disappeared so abruptly, and the Empire’s people were not accustomed to caring for Mother Trees. Moreover, since they bore Blue Fruits, they wouldn’t dare to cut them easily.

After touching the trunk, Shi Xing asked her, “Does it need pruning?”

The Mother Tree responded with an overwhelming wave of sound.

Shi Xing patted the trunk, “I’ll inform them before I leave.”

The leaves brushed against him gratefully, leading to a ticklish feeling as Shi Xing laughed and pushed them away.

Upon reaching the location the Mother Tree had taken him to, however, Shi Xing’s laughter faded.

It was a Blue Fruit.

But it was… a Blue Fruit from which he could no longer sense energy flow.

He reached out to touch it, and it fell onto him.

It had been dead for a long time, almost ready to drop naturally before Shi Xing touched it.

The Mother Tree guided Shi Xing around the treetop once. He collected five or six Blue Fruits that no longer had energy fluctuations, and the Mother Tree emitted a long, mournful sound, filled with sadness and helplessness.

Holding the fruits, Shi Xing understood why.

Even though the Mother Tree was rooted above a vein of crystal in the Empire, the density of energy in the air was too low, leading to a persistently low maturity rate for the Blue Fruits. Each batch had many empty fruits.

Leaning against the Mother Tree’s trunk with the fruits in hand, Shi Xing asked her, “Do you really want to return to Blue Star?”

The rustling sound echoed beside him.

After all, that was the place where the Mother Tree could grow, take root, and sprout.

Shi Xing whispered, “I understand now.”

Slowly, but determinedly, he declared, “That day will come.”

The rustling of the leaves continued.

Once again, the voice of the priest resonated in Shi Xing’s ears.

——“Once you return to Blue Star, all answers will naturally reveal themselves before your eyes.”

——“The flame of civilization has already been left behind. After Blue Star returns to the star system where it was born, everything will flourish anew.”

The key, after all, was to first step foot on Blue Star.

So many years had passed; he did not know what kind of world Blue Star, occupied by beasts, had become now.

Shi Xing closed his eyes against the Mother Tree. The branches and leaves leaned in, as if embracing him, surrounding him in stillness.

Carrying the empty fruits, Shi Xing bid farewell to the Mother Tree and exited the garden with Er Ya and Fei Chu, who were waiting.

After handing the empty fruits to the staff at the Tree Nest, Shi Xing received several astonished faces in return.

Having returned from Blue Star, he knew what to do and hinted, “Just cut them open and bury them outdoors.”

There was still some residual energy inside.

The staff at the Tree Nest naturally understood what cutting open meant.

Fei Chu, curious, wanted to see. After consulting with Er Ya and Shi Xing and receiving their consent, he asked the Tree Nest staff to bring a knife and directly cut open the empty fruits in the open space.

Once sliced open, all that appeared in Fei Chu’s and Er Ya’s view was nothing but empty fruit.

Moreover, since they had stopped growing, many didn’t even reach the size to hold an infant; they just withered.

From Shi Xing’s perspective, everything was quite different.

Opening it revealed chaotic energy streaming out of the blue fruit, all high-level energy that easily dissipated, with very little remaining in the air.

The empty fruits varied slightly from one another; those that had been empty for a long time released thin energy upon opening, having already dissipated some, while those that had just emptied retained more energy.

It must be an environmental issue; the Empire’s environment prevented the energy within the empty fruits from sustaining themselves. Once development was halted, the energy would begin to dissipate, sooner or later.

On the return journey, Fei Chu mused, “If you pay close attention, you can feel the flow of energy, but it’s so subtle that without asking, you’d almost miss it.”

Er Ya replied, “That’s because you are within the coverage area of the Mother Tree’s mental energy. Those energies were nurtured by the Mother Tree; under the cover of mental energy, it’s strange how you can perceive them without being told.”

Fei Chu thought for a moment and agreed, “That makes sense.”

Er Ya asked, “Why has Shi Xing stopped talking?”

Looking outside the window, Shi Xing finally came to his senses.

Facing Er Ya’s concern, he candidly replied, “I was thinking that the Empire’s environment isn’t very suitable for the Mother Tree’s growth; the Mother Tree on Blue Star wouldn’t have such a high empty fruit rate.”

Er Ya lowered her gaze, softly saying, “After all, it is a native plant of Blue Star, fitting into the biological chain of Blue Star.”

It shouldn’t be growing in the Empire.

Shi Xing agreed, “You’re right.”

Although they were apart, Shi Xing then asked the question Chi Yao had previously inquired about, asking about the recent situation along the boundary line.

Receiving an answer, Shi Xing turned his gaze back outside.

Without speaking, for a couple of moments, neither Er Ya nor Fei Chu disturbed him.

There was an indescribable feeling that Shi Xing was contemplating something very important.

Later that evening, when Shi Xing met with Chi Yao, he recounted the day’s experiences, as well as the Mother Tree’s movements.

Chi Yao responded, “Yeah, I received news in the evening that the Mother Tree had been pruned; it seems she was quite happy.”

Shi Xing nodded, but his expression suggested a tranquility that was different from usual.

“What’s wrong? Are you unhappy?”

Shi Xing shook his head, gazing at Chi Yao for a moment before pushing the documents in front of them aside and lying down on Chi Yao’s lap.

Chi Yao, surprised, said, “Acting spoiled all of a sudden?”

His tone was playful, eliciting a laugh from Shi Xing, though the smile quickly faded.

Shi Xing opened up, saying, “Your Highness, I don’t know if I can do it.”

His voice was low, not too serious in tone, yet he was particularly earnest.

Chi Yao reached out to stroke Shi Xing’s cheek, prompting a tender nuzzle in response.

Shi Xing half-lidded his eyes, feeling a sense of fatigue—not physical, but emotional.

Chi Yao’s voice was gentle, “Just do your best.”

“Isn’t that your usual catchphrase?”

Nestled in his lover’s embrace, Shi Xing truly closed his eyes and murmured, “I’m afraid doing my best might not be enough.”

“I… still carry the expectations of the priest and the entire Blue Star.”

Rebuilding the civilization of a planet, the fleeing past beast king, countless mutated beasts…

Whenever he thought of Blue Star, these were the first things that came to Shi Xing’s mind.

It wasn’t out of a desire to escape; it was just that… each item felt particularly daunting.

Chi Yao chuckled, “If you were to ask me anything else, I wouldn’t know the answer; but ask me this, and it’s something I’m familiar with.”

Chi Yao had grown up similarly, carrying the hopes of countless people and bearing the future of the Empire.

Shi Xing buried his face in Chi Yao’s embrace.

Chi Yao held him gently.

In a plain tone, Chi Yao said, “During my own growth, there was a period when I struggled as well, but it didn’t last long.”

“Because this is a matter of two dimensions; the expectations of others and responsibilities are just external perceptions that others have of you.”

“They are something imposed on us.”

“Things that we did not create ourselves and cannot change.”

“Things that cannot be changed, I generally do not concern myself with. Just do what I can; it’s enough to have done my best, regardless of whether or not I meet others’ expectations.”

Shi Xing understood this logic.

Chi Yao knew he understood.

But sometimes, it’s just like this. Those in the thick of things are often perplexed; even knowing no better solution exists, they still cling to some semblance of stability amidst turbulence.

Shi Xing spoke in a muffled tone, “Your Highness, I have some worries.”

Chi Yao’s long fingers brushed over Shi Xing’s cheek. His tone was calm yet unwavering.

“It’s alright; I’m with you.”

Realizing the meaning behind this, Shi Xing looked up.

His blue eyes sparkled, revealing a hint of confusion and an unexpected fragility, shimmering with a luster that stirred the heart.

Something was silently communicated in their gaze, and thus confirmed.

Shi Xing’s eyes fell again, resting his chin on Chi Yao’s body.

When he spoke again, the anxiety in his voice faded, becoming steady and assured, “Mm.”

He turned slightly, kissing Chi Yao’s long fingers that rested against his face.

Shi Xing was proficient in using his talents, and there was no further delay in treating Chi Yao.

After half a day of discussion within the palace, they finally settled on a treatment time.

The situation along the boundary line was uncertain and could become dangerous at any moment, so the sooner they treated him, the better.

Thus, they scheduled the treatment for the next day.

This decision was not limited to the palace.

Half an hour after it was finalized, it swiftly spread through the Senate and the Elders Council, as well as the high-ranking officials of the First Legion.

Not daring to disturb Shi Xing and Chi Yao, everyone, without exception, contacted Xu Jin.

Receiving confirmation from the Chief Attendant.

On the second day, Ren Yan Yong, Wei Zhen, and the old generals of the First Legion, such as Zhuang Yuan Yin and Ye Jun, came up with various excuses to wait outside the palace, all bearing dark circles under their eyes, indicating their poor sleep quality from the night before.

Everyone was both eager and concerned.

When Xu Jin heard the number of visitors expected, he was too lazy to stage a performance and arranged to host all those with different excuses in one palace for a unified reception.

Ren Yan Yong was not concerned when he first saw Wei Zhen. However, upon seeing familiar faces one by one, he gradually realized that everyone had come together to know the treatment results as quickly as possible.

It was unknown which old general first sighed, “The talent displayed by His Majesty during childhood is among the strongest in the modern royal family.”

But unfortunately, after being damaged when he was just over ten years old, his mental power had never again been freely displayed.

This remark also invoked memories for Ren Yan Yong, who sighed, “Indeed, during the reign of the late king, his mental power always enveloped the capital.”

This was not difficult for individuals of their caliber.

In fact, it was merely a lift of the hand.

But to the common people, the experience was completely different.

Under the royal mental energy, it represented safety and stability, showcasing the power of the Empire’s leaders.

Wei Zhen chuckled, “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten.”

It had been quite a long time since then.

Just as Ye Jun was about to speak, suddenly a surge of mental energy erupted from behind the palace.

The air around them began to swirl chaotically, forming drafts indoors.

Zhuang Yuan Yin, who had been silent, spoke up, affirming, “That’s His Majesty’s talent.”

“The treatment has begun.”