Chapter 39

Majority rules. Even if Fu Shuxing objected, he lost the ground to insist further once Ji Xun had nodded.

Fu Shuxing’s expression was grim.

Ji Xun walked up to him and took a deep, nervous breath. Fu Shuxing parted his lips, about to speak, but Ji Xun had already raised his hands to gesture. Finding it tiring to hold his arms up, he said, "Brother Xing, why don't you sit down?"

Powerful guides can easily enter the mental realms of others. But a novice like Ji Xun had to muster every ounce of his focus just to perform a simple classroom demonstration, let alone attempt the real thing. He was so nervous that his palms were sweating.

Fu Shuxing shot the young guide a cold look, then walked silently to a chair and sat down. Ji Xun followed, stopped in front of him, and raised his right hand, pressing his palm against Fu Shuxing’s forehead.

The young guide’s palm was hot and damp. His fingertips trembled slightly.

Fu Shuxing pursed his thin lips. Just before Ji Xun closed his eyes, he said in a low voice, "If you can’t handle it, pull out. Don't force yourself."

"I know!" Ji Xun replied. He valued his life far too much for that!

Ji Xun closed his eyes and forced himself to concentrate. But under the immense pressure and tension, not only were his hands shaking, but his eyelashes were fluttering uncontrollably. The adults around them remained silent, waiting with great patience.

At a glacial pace, Ji Xun finally entered his state.

He felt his entire being grow light, as if he were slowly being drawn out from his palm along with his mental power, like soft, delicate tendrils. Then, he entered a world of darkness. It was quiet and soundless—just like the time he had dreamt of saving Fu Shuxing.

*I wish there were a lamp,* Ji Xun thought.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than a hand-held lantern appeared in his grasp. Ji Xun was astonished! However, he soon realized that the light could not shine even half a meter ahead; it seemed to be swallowed by the profound darkness.

Carrying the lantern, he fumbled forward a few steps in the dark, and then he heard the sound of water. It was coming from beneath his feet.

Ji Xun stopped. A sudden, overwhelming sense of familiarity washed over him! It had been daytime when he crouched down before, and beneath his feet was something like the surface of water or a mirror, reflecting scenes from another world.

*Could it be that the place I saw back then wasn't my own mental realm? Was it Fu Shuxing’s?*

No. That wasn't right. Ji Xun suddenly descended into confusion. The lantern in his hand, which hadn't been of much use, suddenly began to flicker noticeably.

In the real world, Ji’s mother noticed sweat breaking out on her son’s forehead and reached out to hold his hand. Amidst his confusion, Ji Xun noticed the flickering lantern in his hand. He held it up to inspect it, seeing the thick wick, the transparent glass, and even the patterns engraved on the metal at the top...

Once he realized this, he noticed that the surrounding darkness had quietly receded. Unnoticed and soundless, the space went from dim to bright.

Ji Xun discovered that he was surrounded by nothingness. Before him, there was only a long, unending staircase reaching toward the sky.

*What else can I do but climb?*

Ji Xun began to ascend the stairs. He walked for a long time, growing increasingly weary. The staircase felt infinite, with no end in sight. His legs began to ache and go numb, and his breathing grew labored.

Ji Xun looked back and felt a wave of dizziness. *Am I afraid of heights?* He looked up again, but it was still just the staircase, nothing else. This situation clearly wasn't right.

Ji Xun felt dejected. He considered giving up.

Ji’s mother glanced at Gao Mingyuan. Seeing her son breaking out in a cold sweat and struggling, she quietly funneled her own mental power into him.

Ji Xun gritted his teeth. *What if I’m almost there? What if just a few more steps are all it takes?* He steeled his heart and pushed upward.

But a moment later, he felt a buzzing in his ears—a sound that resonated in his heart as if it were about to shatter it. He missed a step and fell heavily onto the stairs. Instinctively, he reached out to grab something, but the entire staircase vanished. He grasped at thin air and plummeted!

As far as his eyes could see, the stairs were disappearing one by one. Before Ji Xun fell into darkness, he caught a fleeting glimpse: at the end, there was a yellowish-brown world, with a lush, thriving belt of greenery surrounding a house like a protective fence.

Ji Xun was covered in cold sweat, his lips pale, his breathing ragged. After a long time, he heard loud arguing. It was Fu Shuxing’s voice.

Ji Xun wanted to ask what was wrong, but he couldn't speak. Listening for a moment longer, he realized Fu Shuxing was arguing with Uncle Fu, not just throwing a one-sided tantrum. His fingertips twitched slightly, and he opened his eyes.

Seeing this, Ji’s mother felt her tense heart finally relax. "Xunxun, how do you feel?"

"I feel like throwing up," Ji Xun replied weakly.

"Nausea is a symptom of mental instability; it's normal. Want to drink some water first?"

"Mm..."

Ji Xun didn't even have the strength to lift the cup, so he drank half a glass with his mother’s help. It was awful; even bowing his head made him dizzy.

Ji Xun sat on the sofa to rest. The entire Fu household was quiet. Unaccustomed to such an atmosphere, he apologized to the adults as soon as he felt slightly better: "I'm sorry. I don't think I reached Brother Xing’s mental realm. I was just climbing stairs the whole time."

Although Ji Xun had never entered anyone else's mental realm, he knew they were supposed to be specific and detailed, like the first time he entered his own bedroom. Fu Shuxing was so powerful; his constructed mental realm should have been even more impressive, perfect, and real. It shouldn't have been an endless staircase.

"It's alright, no need to apologize," Ji’s mother comforted him. "You did very well."

Ji Xun pouted at his mother. She smiled, stroked his head, and said gently, "Truly, Mom isn't lying to you. Xunxun is very brave, and you were already amazing."

Fu Shuxing had also stopped arguing with his father and hurried to Ji Xun’s side. Looking at the young guide’s pale, weak, and pitiful face, Fu Shuxing found nowhere to vent his anger and heartache. He wanted to scold him for not pulling out the moment things went wrong, but he swallowed it all. It manifested only as an even colder expression on his face.

Gao Mingyuan looked guilty. He had placed many mental tendrils inside his son’s mental realm to prevent any accidents, but there were still areas he hadn't covered. Seeing his partner looking downcast, Fu Shen walked over and gripped his shoulder.

Gao Mingyuan asked Fu Shen to go upstairs first to avoid another argument with their son, then walked over to Ji Xun. "Xiao Xun, I'm sorry. This was my oversight, and I didn't protect you."

"No, no, it was my own stubbornness."

Gao Mingyuan comforted him warmly, "Fortunately, it’s just mental instability. You’ll recover after a good night’s sleep." He then asked, "Xiao Xun, during that long time, were you really just climbing stairs?"

"Dad!" Fu Shuxing interrupted, suppressing his anger. "Ji Xun is already like this, and you’re still asking? Can’t you wait until tomorrow?!"

Fu Shen, who had already turned to go upstairs, turned back and roared at his son, "Fu Shuxing, shut your mouth! What kind of attitude is that to take with your father?!"

Ji Xun was startled! He didn't want them arguing because of him, so he quickly said to Fu Shuxing, "It’s okay, Brother Xing, I’m fine now." He then turned to Gao Mingyuan and described what he had seen in detail: the pitch-black space, the endless stairs, and finally, the bright yellow world surrounded by greenery.

Gao Mingyuan understood instantly. No wonder he hadn't noticed; Ji Xun had encountered mental pressure at the very outermost periphery of Fu Shuxing’s mental realm. He had been "turned away" directly in another form. He had never imagined that Fu Shuxing’s mental realm would reject Ji Xun’s entry. *Doesn't my son like Ji Xun?*

Gao Mingyuan remained calm and smiled. "Alright, Uncle Gao understands. Xiao Xun, go home with your parents, get some good sleep, and you’ll be fine when you wake up tomorrow."

"Mm!"

Ji’s mother helped Ji Xun up, but he pushed her away and said, "I'm fine, Mom! I can walk myself!" She let go.

The three of them left the living room. As Ji Xun passed Fu Shuxing, he tugged lightly on the sleeve of the man who was standing motionless and looked up at him. "Brother Xing, will you see me out?"

Fu Shuxing didn't speak, but he started walking toward the door.

Stopping at the gate of the Fu residence, Ji Xun asked his parents to head back first. Once they were gone, he said to Fu Shuxing, "Brother Xing, don't argue with your uncle. Tonight was my own choice. I wanted to figure out what was going on—why my mental power was drained, and what those strange dreams at night were about."

Fu Shuxing remained silent.

Ji Xun continued, "Now that it’s failed, it proves one thing at least: I cannot enter your mental realm, and the space I saw in my dreams is not your mental realm, either."

Fu Shuxing’s voice was stiff. "It could also be because you weren't in the dream. Before, you could even hear the General’s voice inside my mental realm."

Ji Xun rarely saw Fu Shuxing being so stubborn and unreasonable. He felt a headache coming on. He tried to explain, "Do you know? Before my mother married my father, when she went on blind dates, she could hear the call of my father’s mental entity, Shiyue, all day long. Of course, I’m not saying our relationship is the same as theirs, but the logic holds—because we have a deep bond, having known each other for ten years and growing up together, it’s normal to have some telepathy or sensory connection! It has nothing to do with the mental realm."

*Nonsense.* Fu Shuxing didn't want to talk to Ji Xun anymore.

But Ji Xun continued to analyze it for him: "I’ve thought it over, and I think it’s just a case of 'what you think about during the day, you dream about at night.' The day I dreamt of saving you, you happened to have a hand injury and hadn't received emotional regulation in a long time. I was worried, and that emotion slowly turned into a psychological suggestion, leading to the dreams."

Fu Shuxing kept a straight face, clearly disagreeing. Ji Xun glanced at his expression, realized his thoughts, and sighed helplessly. "If you really don't believe me, I can tell you one more thing."

Fu Shuxing finally opened his mouth and uttered one word: "Speak."

"The night I fell asleep at the door, you asked me what I dreamt about. I didn't want to tell you then—not because I forgot, but because the dream was a bit ridiculous. I dreamt I was walking on a mirror, and inside the mirror was a strange world."

Fu Shuxing looked at Ji Xun and listened.