ABRIWMTHM Chapter 43

The next day, after a week of continuous examinations with no issues reported, the doctor informed Chi Yao that Shi Xing had finally been released from the daily one-hour full medical check-ups.

At the same time, it also meant the end of his recuperation, and the daily routine of study and ability training would resume.

After arriving in the Northern Territory, Chi Yao accepted Tan Bai Shan’s invitation to inspect the Seventh Army.

Logically, Shi Xing, given his identity, should have attended as well, but due to the extreme climate of the Northern Territory and his still-recovering body, Chi Yao ultimately brought only several high-ranking military officers from the royal guard, including Qi Jue and Xiang Fei.

Fu Qing was tasked with protecting Shi Xing and stayed behind at their residence.

Shi Xing felt a bit guilty towards Fu Qing. “What do you mainly look at during the military inspection, Major General? Do you want to go?”

Fu Qing was quite earnest. “The welcoming parade, arms display, and there will usually be a meeting with newly promoted officers and the prince. In short, it’s all pretty much the same; I’ve seen enough.”

Shi Xing: “…”

Well, at least Fu Qing didn’t want to go.

Noticing something from Shi Xing’s reaction, Fu Qing asked, “Do you want to go?”

Shi Xing: “I’ve never been.”

Naturally, he was curious about things he hadn’t seen before and had some desire to go.

Fu Qing: “Well, when we return to the Imperial Capital, there will be plenty of opportunities. Not to mention the royal guard directly under His Highness, the Second Army and the Third Army are stationed around the Imperial Capital as well. When His Highness stays in the Imperial Capital, they will take turns inspecting every two or three months. The Fifth Army isn’t far from the Imperial Capital either. There are four army corps here. Once we return to the Imperial Capital, the weather conditions won’t be too bad. By then, His Highness can take you to inspect one army after another; seeing four army corps in succession might make you want to vomit.”

Shi Xing: “…”

Speaking of the Third Army, he was already physiologically not looking forward to it.

Not wishing to bring that up, Shi Xing shifted the topic, “Major General, will you still come to the training room to help me train this afternoon?”

Shi Xing expressed his intention, “I want to record how deep my current mental power intensity can reach into the depths of different levels of mental seas, and what those levels are.”

Fu Qing, who was present at last night’s banquet, immediately asked, “Is it to prepare for treating Tan Chi?”

Shi Xing: “Not just him.”

He had a good understanding of the application of his first talent and the extent to which he could achieve it.

But he still needed to explore his specific healing abilities, mental power intensity, and what his second talent was and how to utilize it.

He…

Shi Xing lowered his long lashes, concealing his sea-blue eyes, with resolute determination in his gaze beneath his feather-like lashes.

He had his own plans.

In the afternoon, after normally absorbing a beast core and several ores, Shi Xing didn’t use his healing ability; instead, he swept through Fu Qing’s mental sea with his mental power. From the outside in, it was unimpeded. In the central area, Shi Xing’s mental power could even dive deep into the very bottom of the mental sea.

Shi Xing joked, “It seems that treating you in the future won’t be a problem at all.”

Fu Qing was also pleased with Shi Xing’s transformation, expressing his hope, “I hope one day, I can see your mental sea’s disturbance resolved.”

Fu Qing, as an individual sample, clearly wasn’t enough. Fortunately, in the afternoon, Qi Jue, Xiang Fei, and other officers returned to the residence with Chi Yao. After testing with Fu Qing, the transition was seamless with Xiang Fei’s mental power of 3s. Shi Xing’s mental power entered most areas of his mental sea, though it was more strenuous in the central area.

After all, at that moment, the testing value of his mental power intensity was only SS.

But that was still good news.

After pondering repeatedly in the evening, Shi Xing boldly knocked on Chi Yao’s door.

“Come in.”

Shi Xing pushed the door open, still holding a cushion. Chi Yao sat at his desk, as usual, looking over documents.

“Your Highness, are you very busy right now?” Shi Xing asked.

Chi Yao didn’t raise his head, highlighting several places on the holographic projection with a marker, and said to Shi Xing, “Not really, I have two or three reports left; I’ll rest after reading them. You can sit for a moment.”

Shi Xing obediently went to the sofa by the side of the desk.

He didn’t browse the star network but instead watched Chi Yao.

Through the projection screen, Chi Yao furrowed his brows, clearly encountering some difficulties, focusing intently on his official duties.

After waiting for a while with no sign of Chi Yao finishing up, Shi Xing thought for a moment. Without informing Chi Yao, he gently spread out his mental power.

It was very weak and couldn’t penetrate the walls of the room; once outside, it dissipated and became impossible to capture.

Resting his chin on the cushion, Shi Xing quietly watched Chi Yao from a distance.

For several minutes, it seemed Chi Yao finally sensed a change in the room, looking towards Shi Xing and asking, “Did you spread out your mental power?”

Shi Xing didn’t deny it. “Yeah, it’s not strong. Very weak.”

Shi Xing: “Once outside the room, it pretty much dissipates into the air; if I leave the villa, it should be completely untraceable.”

“I’m not worried about attracting anything.”

After listening to Shi Xing’s response, Chi Yao said in a low voice.

Because when accompanied by Shi Xing, every place they stayed had mental power shielding devices. Even if Shi Xing’s mental power dispersed strongly, it could be blocked within this space.

Shi Xing understood. “Are you asking why I’m spreading out my mental power?”

Chi Yao nodded.

Shi Xing: “Your Highness, do you remember the plan I mentioned when I last interrupted your disturbance?”

Before Chi Yao could recall, Shi Xing prompted, “I said at that time that I was planning to try using my mental power to soothe your mental sea every night.”

“But then I encountered talent awakening, and I had the intention but was powerless. Everyone’s focus shifted.”

“Now that I’ve returned to normal, I feel the plan is ready to be put on the agenda.”

Chi Yao was momentarily speechless.

As his fingers slid down, all holographic projections in front of him extinguished.

Their gazes connected, and there were no more barriers between them.

The lights in the room did not shine particularly bright at night, and under their gaze, Shi Xing couldn’t discern any subtle emotions on Chi Yao’s face. Or perhaps, Chi Yao was as expressionless as he appeared.

“Your Highness?”

After a long silence, Shi Xing couldn’t help but call out.

Chi Yao repeated his words slowly, taking a couple of steps forward before speaking, “Do you know what you’re saying?”

His tone was neither assertive nor imposing, but rather a question familiar between people.

Even so, Shi Xing seemed to hear some uncertainty within.

Shi Xing’s answer was firm. “I do.”

Clearly, “I have ample mental power now, and there are no patients in the First Army that require my treatment. The daily intensity of my mental power usage isn’t too high.”

After considering, he asserted, “In the training room, the mental power needed to activate the talent ability is actually not much; I feel like at my peak, it didn’t even consume a quarter.”

“In such low-consumption circumstances, I believe I can completely spare part of my mental power daily to soothe Your Highness’s mental sea.”

Chi Yao sensed this and confirmed that Shi Xing was indeed not lying; his mental power was indeed abundant.

Shi Xing spoke methodically, “Last time when I forcefully interrupted the disturbance, the places my mental power swept through should have been very stable for the following days, right? Healing mental power has a deeply calming effect.”

“The mental power I had that day wouldn’t be consumed and would circulate in the mental sea. Whether I sleep or not, new mental power would grow to replace it. Instead of letting it naturally dissipate, wouldn’t it be better for me to use it on you every night? Regardless of whether the effect is good or bad, it won’t be completely useless, what do you think?”

Chi Yao couldn’t find the words.

Standing in front of Shi Xing, the innocent child’s eyes sparkled, and his reasoning came clearly and logically, revealing a proposal that had clearly been weighed before presenting.

Even if his first reaction was to refuse, upon further thought, he seemed to find no reason to decline.

Just as Shi Xing said, no matter how much use it had, as long as it didn’t harm him, the soothing effect of the healing mental power would always have a positive impact on Chi Yao.

It couldn’t be a bad thing.

Chi Yao looked at Shi Xing, feeling a sense of novelty, as if he were getting to know him anew.

The prolonged silence made Shi Xing a bit anxious, and then Chi Yao finally articulated, “You can definitely wait a little longer.”

At least from his perspective, Shi Xing’s body was well enough, and there was no need to rush.

Shi Xing’s response was amusing, “But I’ve already recovered; waiting will just keep me in this state. What about you…”

Chi Yao’s level of mental power was too extraordinary; if he didn’t actively disclose his condition, others couldn’t perceive it from the side.

And coincidentally, Chi Yao’s status was also exceptional; everyone dared not ask, and he rarely revealed his condition easily.

Shi Xing stared directly at Chi Yao, bluntly stating, “I’m more worried about you.”

“Everyone is worried about you.”

Shi Xing: “Didn’t you tell me to be nicer to you? This counts as treating you well, right?”

After saying that, he emphasized, “I’m just here to consult your opinion; I’m not making arbitrary decisions!”

Chi Yao looked at that youthful face and smiled faintly, feeling… very peculiar.

Chi Yao: “It seems I have no reason to refuse.”

Shi Xing quickly protested, “Then please don’t refuse!”

He embarrassingly lowered his head and said, “I rely on you, and I also want to be of some use to you, Your Highness.”

That was more than just a little use.

But Chi Yao didn’t say that.

He gently patted Shi Xing’s head, a complex expression crossing his face as he contemplated something. Noticing Shi Xing’s tension, Chi Yao finally spoke, “Then let’s try it as you suggested.”

“The major premise is that it cannot affect you. I won’t worry about anything else.”

Shi Xing’s eyes lit up, and he grabbed Chi Yao’s hand, saying, “Then let’s get started now!”

Chi Yao’s gaze fell down to the hand being held, feeling a subtle sensation.

His earlier silence had not been due to pondering any proposals; he simply couldn’t remember when was the last time he relied on someone else. Strangely, Shi Xing gave him a similar sense of entrustment in this moment.

Regardless of strength or weakness, Shi Xing always seemed very brave, which was a trait in his character.

Slowly, Chi Yao realized he might expect even more from Shi Xing.

The attempt that night was very successful.

Shi Xing also made some other discoveries.

His healing mental power could not penetrate deeply into Chi Yao’s mental sea, as it would be quickly absorbed.

Without the healing ability, he tried using his mental power and could only reach about halfway into the outer layer of Chi Yao’s mental sea.

That was also the position he sensed during his last injection of a large amount of mental power.

In this aspect, after the awakening of his talent, his ability had indeed been enhanced; at least in a relaxed state, he could reach levels that required effort before.

Some frustrating aspects remained unchanged; Chi Yao’s level of mental power was too high and his mental sea too vast, posing challenges for Shi Xing in the future. He couldn’t determine how much he could grow, or whether he could…

However, for now, Shi Xing only needed to steadily address the problems he could perceive.

Not to mention that there were quite a few issues at the periphery of Chi Yao’s mental sea. Just looking at the amplitude and density of the mental threads he could sense, solving the external problems would take considerable time.

But since Chi Yao was Shi Xing’s responsible party, the one thing they had plenty of in their interactions was time.

Since Chi Yao agreed to his plan, they could continue treating him while growing. Eventually, the small problems on the outside could be fully resolved.

Shi Xing only briefly worried about Chi Yao’s predicament that evening, then tossed it to the back of his mind, focusing on the present.

And compared to whether he could completely heal His Highness in the future, the more pressing issue was Tan Chi’s condition.

After staying in the Seventh Army for several days and everyone was thoroughly rested, Shi Xing scheduled a check-up with Tan Chi as promised.

The location was chosen to be within the energy confinement room of the Tan family.

Having practiced with Fu Qing and Xiang Fei, Shi Xing easily utilized his talent ability to clearly observe the situation of Tan Chi’s mental sea.

Seeing clearly was easy, but the feeling after getting a clear view was not.

After repeatedly confirming and disregarding the urgent expressions of Tan’s family wanting to ask, Shi Xing went straight outside to find Chi Yao.

Pulling Chi Yao aside, he whispered, “Your Highness, I have two not-so-good pieces of news.”

Chi Yao raised an eyebrow, remaining unfazed as he asked, “Then which one do you want to discuss first?”

Shi Xing felt both amused and helpless.

Still, he proceeded with his own thoughts.

His voice was low, wrapped in Chi Yao’s mental power, inaudible to those outside.

“The first is that General Tan’s mental sea is truly drying up. I felt the rate of his mental power loss; if it goes quickly, it could be in six months, at a slower rate, it wouldn’t be more than a year, and it will completely dry up.”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but glance back, meeting Tan Chi’s calm expression. Shi Xing didn’t know whether his feelings upon just learning this were as complex as his own.

“The second is that the condition of his mental sea is something I have never seen before. The subdivision of his mental power level should also be higher than that of Major General Xiang Fei. I’m not sure if I can completely cure him.”

He paused, feeling he shouldn’t have said that.

But after looking closely at Chi Yao for a long time, perhaps the eager anticipation in his eyes revealed something, Chi Yao spoke before he could. “Say what you want to say.”

His tone was gentle and forgiving, filled with complete understanding.

Shi Xing opened his mouth, feeling his voice pleading, “I want to try treating General Tan…”

“I believe the outcome of a drying mental sea is not what he deserves.”

Pausing for a moment, his expression became resolute as he gazed into Chi Yao’s grayish eyes, Shi Xing boldly said:

“Your Highness, please allow me to try.”