Chapter 104: The 104th Day of Being a Salted Fish

Xiao Lu left quickly.

Before departing, she drained the wine in her glass. Consequently, Geshu Qing was forced to finish his own as well.

However, when Geshu Qing took another glass from a passing waiter, he found it contained a juice of unknown origin.

The waiter explained that it was Wangshu Juice, brought over at Madam Xiao’s request.

Geshu Qing glanced toward the distant figure of Xiao Lu, feeling utterly baffled.

But the juice tasted surprisingly good. Geshu Qing also believed that Xiao Lu wouldn’t be stupid enough to blatantly poison him at his own family’s banquet… Furthermore, the waiter serving the drink was a familiar face, one Geshu Ming had specifically pointed out to him, so it was unlikely he would be served anything strange.

Thus, Geshu Qing couldn’t help but take two more sips.

…It really was quite delicious.

He wondered what kind of fruit a Wangshu Fruit was.

Thinking this, Geshu Qing walked toward the crowd, diverting a portion of his focus to reflect on Xiao Lu’s words.

This was the first time Geshu Qing had heard such a theory.

Regarding the emergence of Mental Power characteristics, the vast majority of records simply stated they were hereditary and innate; there was no deeper explanation of the underlying principles.

Even Lu Yuan’s understanding of the subject seemed to end there.

At that thought, Geshu Qing paused slightly.

Lu Yuan knew a great deal, especially compared to the knowledge-starved people of the Desolate Planet. After spending so much time with Lu Yuan, Geshu Qing had almost developed an illusion – that Lu Yuan was omniscient.

While this was obviously not the case, whenever he heard something novel or unknown, he still subconsciously tried to recall if Lu Yuan had ever mentioned it.

This mindset isn’t great, Geshu Qing thought. It needs to be corrected.

He made a mental note, telling himself he couldn’t keep treating Lu Yuan’s words as the definitive answer.

Lu Yuan wasn’t necessarily always right. For instance, regarding the matter of Mental Power characteristics, Geshu Qing instinctively felt that Xiao Lu might be correct.

At first glance, her theory was remarkably persuasive.

For example, if one applied this theory, Lu Yuan’s ability to learn any characteristic became very easy to understand.

He was likely very skilled at establishing Resonance.

Of course, Geshu Qing didn’t just blindly believe Xiao Lu. After all, the woman was rather eccentric. If a theory wasn’t common knowledge, it was either because someone was deliberately suppressing the information or, more likely, because it was simply wrong.

And yet.

There was no harm in trying.

But… if this theory were true, how exactly did one establish this so-called Resonance?

Geshu Qing ended his conversation with a guest and, finding an excuse, moved closer to a member of the Geshu Family.

He spoke to this clan brother with a smile, but his gaze was fixed on the Tide Flower pinned to the man’s chest.

–

Xiao Lu had already returned to Nan Mu’s side.

With a slight blink of her eyes, Nan Mu understood her meaning. With a few words, he dismissed the people around them and quietly slipped away from the crowd.

“Is it all done?” Nan Mu asked.

“Mhm.” Xiao Lu nodded, watching Geshu Qing in the distance. “Do you think he’ll succeed?”

“I don’t know.” Nan Mu smiled. “But… if he said it’s possible, then it probably is, right?”

He deliberately omitted the name from the sentence. But Xiao Lu knew exactly who he was talking about.

The theory Xiao Lu had given Geshu Qing was not incorrect, but it harbored a significant problem –

Almost no one could change their ability to Resonate through acquired effort.

The establishment of Resonance occurred at the level of consciousness, something far more advanced and complex than Mental Power. Human research into it was still superficial, and there were almost no instruments capable of detecting things at the conscious level, making it impossible to directly verify whether a so-called Resonance had been established.

Therefore, although this theory had been proposed during the early stages of Mental Power research, it had been gradually dismissed as false or meaningless due to the lack of proof. Its supporters grew fewer and fewer. Conversely, other theories, supported by small amounts of experimental evidence, gained far more acceptance.

It wasn’t until modern times, with the appearance of several Experimental Subjects including Lu Yuan, that the theory gained recognition within a small circle.

But because those experiments were shameful and hidden… in the eyes of the public, this theory remained a long-discarded, ancient hypothesis.

It was only because Geshu Qing had been away from the Desolate Planet for such a short time that he hadn’t even encountered the well-founded theories yet, let alone an unsubstantiated one like this.

Had it been anyone else hearing Xiao Lu’s words, they would likely have questioned her sanity. Those who overthought things might have wondered if there was some metaphor in her speech, while the more straightforward types would most likely have put it out of their minds immediately… In short, few would likely attempt it as Geshu Qing was doing.

Besides, even if he tried, it wouldn’t yield any results.

If it were truly that easy to achieve, this theory wouldn’t have remained unproven for thousands of years.

Nan Mu thought for a moment and said, “If all else fails, I can invite him to our place for a visit and let him practice slowly. Though, the conditions won’t be as ideal as they are tonight.”

“We could also reveal a few things to Geshu Ming and have her take him to Whalefall Star,” Xiao Lu suggested. “It’s just that it would lead Geshu Ming to suspect even more.”

“She’s likely already guessing,” Nan Mu laughed. “It doesn’t matter. She won’t find any evidence.”

–

On the other side, Geshu Qing was trying his best to sense the so-called Resonance, the bond… and all those other things that sounded incredibly mystical.

And then…

Nothing.

He sensed nothing special at all by the time the banquet ended. It reached the point where Geshu Qing almost suspected Xiao Lu was just teasing him.

Still, what benefit would Xiao Lu get from making him think about such things?

After washing up, Geshu Qing, exhausted from the long day and dying for sleep, threw himself onto the bed. He intended to give it one last effort – Xiao Lu had said tonight was a rare opportunity. Even if effort seemed futile, just giving up entirely felt wrong…

However, the moment his head hit the pillow, his eyes closed involuntarily, and his consciousness sank into a heavy stupor.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself standing in an unknown place.

An endless wasteland stretched out around him. The soil was parched, the vegetation sparse. When the wind brushed against his cheeks, Geshu Qing felt the sting of grit and dust.

The roar of a wild beast echoed from the distance, a sound steeped in primal savagery and bloodlust that caused his heart to race uncontrollably.

Is this a dream? The thought crossed Geshu Qing’s mind.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been dropped into some nameless wilderness just by taking a nap. Before falling asleep, he had clearly been on the Capital Star, inside the Geshu Family’s castle.

But this dream was strangely realistic… and strangely fake.

Geshu Qing quickly revised his judgment. When he leaned down to touch the surrounding plants and soil, he found his hand passing directly through the leaves.

He couldn’t touch these plants at all… they were like phantoms.

Or perhaps it was because there was no sense of touch in dreams?

Geshu Qing’s thoughts wandered aimlessly.

However, these plants looked strangely familiar.

He tried to recall where he had seen similar vegetation, but he couldn’t place it for a moment.

It wasn’t on a Desolate Planet; the plants there couldn’t grow this robustly. It certainly wasn’t on the Capital Star either, where the plants were all specially cultivated flowers and shrubs… all of them delicate and refined, nothing this rugged.

Could it be in the Grey Triangle?

“Roar!”

A thunderous roar snapped him back from his thoughts.

It was the same sound he had heard before, but it was significantly closer now…

Just as the thought occurred to him, he felt the ground tremble, and a massive creature loomed into his field of vision.

It was an animal two or three times his height, looking somewhat like a bird with wings on its back. But it wasn’t flying; instead, it was sprinting across the ground on thick, powerful legs.

Geshu Qing suddenly realized where he had seen these plants before.

Because he had seen this giant bird before, too!

In his memories of the Desolate Planet.

He had seen a pure white city where many different-looking creatures lived together. Among them were bird-like beings covered in multicolored feathers. Although they possessed the ability to fly, they spent most of their time running on land…

His recollection was abruptly cut short.

The five-colored giant bird seemed to notice his presence. It skidded to a halt in front of him, lowered its head, and stared at him with small, beady eyes.

Geshu Qing had originally felt that since this was just a dream, he could do whatever he wanted.

But at this moment, his biological instincts screamed a warning, and the chill rising from the depths of his heart was impossible to ignore.

Then, he saw the giant bird suddenly open its beak.

A blade of wind shot from its mouth, whistling as it swept toward him!

Geshu Qing: “Aaaaaaaah!”