ABRIWMTHM Chapter 22

As Shi Xing finished speaking, he believed he had expressed his thoughts thoroughly and powerfully. However, to Chi Yao’s ears, it seemed to have stirred no ripples.

In their gaze, Chi Yao lowered his head again, focusing back on the documents.

Chi Yao: “Xu Jin has sought you out, hasn’t he?”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement, a certainty.

Chi Yao: “I’m curious, what did he say to you?”

Shi Xing’s eyes flickered for a moment, and he responded honestly: “The attendant didn’t say much, just two things.”

“One is that you are on the list of candidates for matching.”

“Two is that the reason you haven’t been matched previously is partly because there haven’t been any Blue Star humans of suitable rank.”

As for the second reason, it had already been validated by Chi Yao’s reply earlier that evening.

Chi Yao thought for a moment. “So you think you’re suitable, do you?”

The abruptness and directness of this question caught Shi Xing off guard, leaving him unsure how to respond.

After a long pause, instinctively tightening his fingers, Shi Xing said, “I’ve heard that I’m the first Blue Star human whose mental power you don’t reject.”

Rather than an answer, it was more of a statement of fact, using the fact to indirectly support his qualification.

Chi Yao’s pen marking the documents paused again. It seemed multitasking was a bit difficult for him at the moment. He closed his eyes for a moment, then finally let the pen drop.

His gaze remained fixed on the document, and he spoke again, repeating the question, “So, do you think you’re suitable?”

He merely repeated it, with no emphasis, his tone could even be described as quite normal.

But the repetition itself implied dissatisfaction with Shi Xing’s response.

Chi Yao wanted a more direct answer.

This question was meant for Shi Xing to answer… straightforwardly.

Shi Xing felt his breath tighten; he was struggling to grasp what Chi Yao was thinking and couldn’t figure out how to reply to truly satisfy him.

He also didn’t understand what kind of answer Chi Yao was seeking…

Silence filled the room, and the two resumed their silent standoff.

Facing Chi Yao required immense courage, and after two experiences on the commercial street that night, it was evident that Shi Xing was currently lacking in this regard.

Since he couldn’t uphold a tough exterior, he decided to expose his softer side, answering as his thoughts came.

“Your Highness, I would like to give it a try.”

Once he said this, he solemnly pledged,

“Although I’m weak right now, I have great potential, and I will work hard to qualify.”

Even if he was currently unsuitable, he would strive to make himself suitable.

It wasn’t a complete positive answer, but Chi Yao understood the meaning.

The study fell silent again.

After a while, Chi Yao quietly asked, “Why?”

Just three words left Shi Xing feeling dizzy.

Why “why”? Why did he want to choose him? Why did he think he was qualified? Or why did he want to give it a try??

In an instant, too many possibilities flashed through Shi Xing’s mind, causing a momentary pause in his thoughts.

Chi Yao didn’t speak further, clearly having no intention of clarifying the specific nature of his question.

In this atmosphere, Shi Xing swallowed, feeling a nervous tension, hesitating to inquire recklessly.

After what felt like dozens of seconds, or perhaps a minute, Shi Xing felt confused by all the possibilities swirling in his mind.

His throat felt dry from nervousness and seriousness.

When he spoke again, it was instinctive.

His answer was his immediate thought on the matter.

Shi Xing followed his heart and said, “I understand you, Your Highness.”

Chi Yao shook his head for a moment, chuckling, “You understand me?”

The light-hearted retort suddenly surged a tide of unease in Shi Xing’s heart.

In the next moment, Chi Yao locked his gaze on Shi Xing, standing up from behind his desk. A powerful mental force instantly filled the entire room, sweeping over—no, “enveloping” would be more appropriate—Shi Xing felt utterly exposed, with no thought of resistance arising in him.

The gap in their strengths was too vast; it seemed with just a thought, he could be erased, leaving him with no capacity to resist.

But this mental force was only unleashed for an instant, and as it was about to retract, Chi Yao appeared to have already made up his mind.

There was no time to feel more emotions, no time to delve deeper; in a split second, while Shi Xing was stunned by its might, that force was withdrawn.

Chi Yao stepped out from behind the desk, his tall figure straight and confident, declaring, “No, you don’t understand me.”

“In fact, you don’t even know what you’re saying!”

Shi Xing instinctively wanted to refute, but Chi Yao didn’t give him that chance.

With a strong presence, he took a step toward Shi Xing and asked, “Do you know who I am?”

“Do you know my true identity?”

Taking another step closer, his voice stable, almost devoid of emotion, it carried a sense of formal impartiality that felt brutally serious.

Chi Yao: “Do you know what it means to choose me? Do you know which faction of the Empire you are siding with?”

“It’s well known that the more powerful a Blue Star human is, the more vulnerable they are during their maturity period. Since the matching banquet began, the Empire has produced 28 Blue Star humans evaluated as A-grade for their abilities; currently, only 11 S-ranked therapists remain in the Empire, and one has left due to special circumstances while 9 died from unknown illnesses during their maturity periods.”

“With my status, I can’t stay in the Empire indefinitely.”

“My responsibilities lead me to places much farther than any military officer you could possibly match with, all the way to the outer edge of the star system boundary, potentially to uncharted territories. If you were to fall ill along the way, and if the medical team and equipment you had brought could not provide treatment in time, we wouldn’t have enough time to return to the Empire!”

Indeed, Blue Star humans during their maturity period were fragile, and due to the different race and disappearance of Blue Star, the Empire’s understanding of them was limited.

The pathology of Blue Star humans before or after their maturity period is somewhat similar to that of the Empire’s citizens, but during the maturity period, it’s an entirely different matter.

It was a peculiar and strange time; there were some diseases that the Empire’s medical methods could not even detect. Many Blue Star humans appeared fine physically but if they felt discomfort in their mental sea and existing medical methods could not alleviate that discomfort, within one to two days, or at most within a week, they would die.

Chi Yao: “The remaining 9 were killed by high-ranking star beasts during surprise attacks, and their partners and teams sacrificed themselves to protect them.”

“My team goes to many dangerous places; encountering C and D-grade mutated star beasts is common, and even royal star beasts are not out of the question. Given that premise, the burst of mental power from Blue Star humans during maturity tends to attract star beasts fatally…”

“With your rank, do you know how delectable you appear in the eyes of these high-ranking star beasts?!”

Chi Yao stepped even closer, “Do you really understand the risks you face by choosing me?”

The keywords “mutated star beasts,” “devour,” and “Blue Star human,” once pointed out, instantly pulled up deep-seated memories within Shi Xing, causing a momentary haze in his eyes and… deep terror.

But Chi Yao still had more to say.

Chi Yao: “Lastly, you don’t understand the condition of my mental sea. If I’m not mistaken, you currently cannot fully utilize your talents to probe my mental sea.”

The gap in their mental power was too large; Shi Xing was completely suppressed.

Shi Xing realized that his talent was detected by Chi Yao that night when he had used it.

“Yes, my mental power does not reject you.”

“But that has nothing to do with your ability to completely heal my mental sea.”

“Your talent rating from the assessment is SS+, and I can’t be sure how far you will develop, but one thing I can tell you with certainty is that SS-ranked therapists cannot completely heal my mental sea.”

As he stepped even closer, Chi Yao finally stood before Shi Xing, his features deep-set, his expression resolute, the ash-gray tint of his eyes gleaming with an inorganic light as if… devoid of any emotion.

There was no fluctuation of feeling—only pure rationality.

Chi Yao: “Do you know what kind of patient you’re facing, and realize what price you have to pay to heal me?”

“And do you understand that if you remain at SS rank and can’t heal me, you will face immense pressure from countless factions within the Empire?!”

Perhaps Chi Yao’s words were too conclusive, or perhaps this question touched on areas Shi Xing was unable to reach in his past life, tangled in past events that plagued his mind.

One after another, questions he had never conceived of crashed down upon him, leaving Shi Xing’s mind blank.

When Chi Yao’s towering figure fully stood before him, he felt something pressing down closely, gripping his heart and making it hard to breathe. Unintentionally, Shi Xing took a step back.

Upon taking that half step back, Shi Xing realized he had shown weakness.

He halted again, but it was too late; even that slight retreat was noticed by Chi Yao.

The implications of that deep meaning and the non-verbal cues were naturally understood by Chi Yao as well.

Seeing the fear in Shi Xing’s eyes, Chi Yao paused his steps, no longer advancing forward.

But he didn’t retreat.

With a softened tone, he asked, “Which of these questions can you answer?”

Shi Xing opened his mouth but found himself speechless; he… couldn’t respond to a single one.

Silence reigned in their standoff.

Chi Yao: “Can you still tell me, do you know what you’re saying?”

Chi Yao: “Can you still say now that you understand me?”

At that moment, Chi Yao’s gaze lacked any oppressive quality but gently landed on Shi Xing’s face.

His voice wasn’t harsh; compared to the time they watched fireworks, it could even be described as gentle. But the implications of these two questions resonated in Shi Xing’s ears like a deafening wake-up call.

Shi Xing’s breath grew heavier and more rapid, his chest beginning to heave.

Emotions were accumulating.

He felt a strong urgency to prove himself, to show that he hadn’t spoken carelessly and that it wasn’t merely a whimsical thought to choose him.

At the very least, his choice wasn’t a whim; he had seriously considered it.

He had his reasons.

Shi Xing met Chi Yao’s gaze, clenching his teeth as he struggled to speak.

“Even if I don’t understand all of you, at least I can see parts of you.”

At the moment he spoke those words, something resonated deep within Shi Xing, and he no longer faltered.

“I know, Your Highness, that you are cultivated.”

“I know you deliberate meticulously; you won’t just leave one solution or one retreat when doing something.”

“I understand you’re strong, self-sufficient, and that you can completely control your own life, not allowing others to dictate you.”

“I…”

He paused briefly.

“I see that you are good to me.”

“Even if it’s not just for me, this goodness is built on behalf of all Blue Star humans, and I’m just one of those Blue Star humans who happen to enjoy that goodness and feel it.”

Shi Xing looked deeply into Chi Yao’s eyes, with a firm and unwavering gaze into that ashen hue.

“I… can feel your respect for me.”

“Even though our statuses are vastly different, and even if you have no need to respect me, as long as I am before you, you have never looked down on me, not once.”

“Of course, maybe this is only due to your good upbringing and your high expectations for your own character.”

“But I know that achieving this is not that easy, especially under the sway of power; how one perceives people and things can change, often becoming… various forms incomprehensible to normal people. But you don’t seem to be like that; I can feel the part of you as an individual, able to see beyond the identity bolstered by power—the real you.”

In his sea-blue eyes, a layer of mist stirred, making their irises shine brilliantly. Shi Xing asked word by word, “Isn’t this… you?”

“Even if I don’t understand all of you, isn’t the part of you I can glimpse the real you?”

Those clear eyes made Chi Yao feel, for the first time, as if he had been seen into.

He hadn’t been at a loss for words like this in a long time.

Neither man withdrew their gaze, and silence once more spread, but something in the air had quietly shifted.

Chi Yao raised his hand and made an unexpected motion.

Chi Yao reached out to cover Shi Xing’s eyes.

Yes, cover them up.

As if unable to bear his gaze.

Shi Xing instinctively rejected this perception; he didn’t think Chi Yao was that kind of person.

“You’re now…” What began as a teasing remark aimed to lighten the mood turned hoarse along the way, as Chi Yao quickly realized he’d failed and took a moment to breathe out lightly, continuing, “Not the least bit afraid of offending me.”

Afterward, Shi Xing instinctively flinched as Chi Yao’s hand rested on his face, which he could feel.

“Relax, it was just a joke.”

A failed joke.

It was rare for Chi Yao to take a deep breath.

After a while, as if he had solidified a decision, he spoke again.

“Apart from in the capital, no matter where I go outside, others call me Your Highness. Not wanting to reveal my whereabouts is one reason, but another is that the Empire values martial prowess. Growing up among a bunch of military officers, I don’t like making too much of a show; it feels bothersome.”

“To have stronger descendants, royal families have had many intermarriages throughout history, aiming to incorporate strong bloodlines, and give birth to descendants with superior and stronger mental powers.”

“Thus, the royal family has many branches, with most of the important branches serving in the Elders Council, but the true direct line of the royal family is very few, so few that there are currently only two people in this branch.”

“I have two names.”

“Most royal family members have two names. One surname comes from the Empire’s royal lineage, intermixed with many names from intermarried planets, with only the last name unchanging: Beierman.”

“The other surname comes from the other side of my bloodline; my mother’s surname is Chi, and my other name is Chi Yao.”

“The ‘Yao’ in my name comes from the burning twin stars at the center of our star system.”

“I won’t say it directly; you can search on the star network when you go back, and you’ll know who I am.”

His identity and name, regardless of the circumstances, Chi Yao felt he should inform Shi Xing himself.

“As for other matters…”

After a brief pause, Chi Yao said: “Once you understand my identity, if you find anything puzzling about the questions I posed, go ask Xu Jin.”

“I understand your thoughts.”

“Listen carefully.”

“What I asked were questions you should look into; if you completely understand, after considering thoroughly…”

Chi Yao paused again, and his final words came softly, almost like a whisper.

“If by then your opinion still hasn’t changed—”

“I will give you a clear answer.”

With no time to digest the contents of royal affairs, and unable to formulate any thoughts on Chi Yao’s name, by the end of this statement, Shi Xing had only one thought in mind.

The other party had given ground!

Provided a space for both sides to maneuver.

In other words, the conversation didn’t end firmly.

Which means… perhaps, he truly has a chance…

Shi Xing couldn’t remember how he returned to his room, feeling dazed. One moment he felt overwhelmed having faced Chi Yao three times in one day, unsure how he managed to endure, and the next, he was excited that his fantasies might actually become reality.

Thus, when Shi Xing finally opened the star network and simultaneously sent a query message to Xu Jin, it was already quite late.

Just as he presumed there would be no reply.

The news search page and Xu Jin’s voice message arrived simultaneously.

[The Chi surname comes from Your Majesty’s empress’s family… Your Majesty’s true name: Yao · …Autumn Bellman]

[Did His Majesty tell you?]

Shi Xing was momentarily stunned.

Shi Xing: “?”

Your Majesty?

Wait, Your Majesty?!?!