The brief holiday soon came to an end. Their parents returned to Borealia Tower to guard the border, while the two brothers went back to the academy to continue their studies and training.
In order to accelerate his progress in mental energy training, Shen Tangmo not only applied for more time in the sandbox system for mental reinforcement training but also repeatedly attempted self-observation after returning to his dormitory. He planned to try observing Huaiyun’s condition once he could fully visualize his own mental landscape.
During his observations, his mental tendrils would often involuntarily extend. Perhaps due to the therapeutic mental energy they contained, these tendrils had an effect on Shen Huaiyun akin to the sound of a bowl being tapped to a dog no matter what he was originally doing, he would come closer and allow the tendrils to wrap around him.
The overflowing therapeutic mental energy could relax something deeply tense within his body, though unfortunately, he still didn’t know what that something was.
The pressure of third-year coursework increased sharply, and with more things to consider each day, Shen Huaiyun gradually pushed this matter to the back of his mind, focusing solely on the additional classes, increased training loads, and the extra tutoring sessions his mentor provided after class. Of course, those dreamlike illusions never ceased.
Occasionally, during his free time, he would continue to briefly record the content of the dreams that lingered in his memory, roughly categorizing them by time periods and piecing together the life trajectory of the “him” in the dreams.
The sun sank earlier and earlier each day, and the temperature suddenly dropped one day to the point where sweaters were necessary. The tall trees lining the roads lost more than half their leaves after one particularly windy night.
It wasn’t until Shen Tangmo stopped him before heading out and insisted he put on a down jacket that Shen Huaiyun suddenly realized winter had arrived.
Snow was rare in their city, but because it was near the sea, the winter winds were especially fierce. If the quilts hung in the academy’s drying area weren’t securely clipped, by the time they returned from training around four in the afternoon to collect them, they would find more than half of them dragging on the concrete ground. Even if they were clipped properly, they wouldn’t have the warm, fluffy feel of summer only a chilling coldness.
Fortunately, the scent left by the sunlight hadn’t completely faded, and the texture was still much better than the usual damp quilts.
For this reason, the two brothers were keen on seizing a good spot to sun their quilts on sunny days, rushing to bring them back to their dormitory while they still retained some warmth, which greatly improved their sleeping comfort.
For instance, today, with a rare free afternoon, they unanimously agreed to take a break. Not only did they hang their quilts out to dry, but they also brought out the reclining chairs they had brought from home, filling the balcony to the brim and basking themselves in the sun as well.
Last week, Shen Tangmo hit a bottleneck in his mental energy training. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t delve any deeper, so he had no choice but to seek help from his mentor, Lin Ziyan.
After some persuasion (and scolding), the mentor forcibly suspended his mental energy training, forbidding him from further exhausting his mental energy. She demanded he rest for two weeks until his mental energy fully recovered to normal levels before resuming training according to the schedule she had prepared.
Even if he disagreed, it was useless. His mental energy had indeed been depleted to a critical point, with constant pain and coldness throughout his body, especially at the back of his head. His mental tendrils could no longer be constructed. If he continued like this, once his mental energy dried up, his still-unstable mental core could very well be damaged.
These past few days of rest hadn’t done much to replenish his depleted mental energy, but the overwhelming sense of emptiness from barely being able to feel his mental energy had lessened considerably.
Wrapped in the winter’s warm sunlight, it seemed to dispel the chill and fatigue, leaving the entire body feeling refreshed.
Shen Tangmo glanced at Shen Huaiyun beside him, who was sprawled out with every inch of his body bathed in a faint golden glow. As usual, he attempted to construct his mental tentacles.
Though he couldn’t observe or treat his illness now, a guide’s healing mental energy would surely benefit him. Besides, he knew Shen Huaiyun loved touching those soft tentacles.
He gathered and extended his faint mental energy.
Snap. The slender tentacle extended only a few centimeters before abruptly breaking and dissipating into the air.
A sharp, needle-like pain pierced the back of Shen Tangmo’s head, causing his fingers to curl momentarily. He carefully shifted his position, trying not to let the young man beside him notice anything amiss.
But how could Shen Huaiyun, who had been closely watching his condition, possibly miss it?
“Brother, could you lean closer?” Shen Huaiyun reached out to wrap an arm around his shoulders. Unable to pull him closer, he instead leaned in himself, pressing against the sun-warmed fabric of Shen Tangmo’s clothes and grasping his cold fingers.
“…” Shen Tangmo took a deep breath, knowing he couldn’t hide it from him. He shifted back slightly, feeling the warmth of Shen Huaiyun’s chest and abdomen against his spine. “I just wanted to see if I could release my mental tentacles, but I failed. I didn’t try to probe the mental landscape further.”
The young man used his own body heat to warm Shen Tangmo’s hands. “Mm.”
“I might be a bit too anxious,” Shen Tangmo said, tightening his grip on the young man’s hand. I feel quite useless. At the very least, this so-called rank of mine doesn’t seem to be of much use.”
“Everyone says I’m powerful and highly ranked, but I still can’t fully see my own mental landscape. The training these past few months has yielded almost no results. I don’t know when I’ll be able to assess your condition or when I’ll be able to cure you.”
Shen Huaiyun listened quietly, repeatedly rubbing Shen Tangmo’s knuckles.
Shen Tangmo asked, “How are you feeling now? Is your mental energy stable?”
“Much better than yours.” Finally having warmed Shen Tangmo’s hands, Shen Huaiyun withdrew his own.
After a rustling sound, Shen Tangmo lay on his back, their two dark-haired heads resting close together.
He closed his eyes. The anxiety that had long simmered in his heart seemed to vanish briefly after sharing warmth, leaving behind a tranquil lake.
Shen Huaiyun raised a hand to shield his eyes from the overly bright light. “Brother, I want you to help me, but I also need you to be well.”
“If, in the end, trying to cure me ruins your own health, I”
His hand covered his eyes, so Shen Tangmo couldn’t see his expression.
But Shen Tangmo understood he was blaming himself. It was a feeling Shen Tangmo often experienced himself.
“I swear, there won’t be a next time. I’ll follow the teacher’s training plan and never do this again,” he said, removing Shen Huaiyun’s hand and looking into his eyes.
“Mm.”
“Let me get the blanket. Shall we take a nap together? I feel like when we lie together, the recovery rate is much faster than before.”
“Alright, I’ll go get it.”
The soft, light-gray woolen blanket enveloped their bodies. Like many nights before, they nestled close, falling asleep to the sound of each other’s breathing and heartbeat.
As if sinking into warm water, Shen Huaiyun, for once, glimpsed a fragment in his brief dream one that had never appeared before.
In the dream, the dim sunset glow was reflected in the window. He stretched lazily, and a small orange-and-white cat leaped onto the bed, meowing at him. He scooped it up, gave it a couple of affectionate sniffs, then threw off the covers and got up to open a can of food for it.
Afterward, he walked over to the induction cooker, took out a cutting board, chopped a few side dishes, and cooked himself a bowl of noodles.
An interesting science video played on his phone while the little cat scratched at its scratching post in the corner. Suddenly, it darted over, nipped at his calf, and then scurried away. He pulled his leg back, laughing as he scolded, “Naughty cat.”
Just an ordinary slice of life.
Shen Huaiyun saw that the rental apartment was tidy and orderly, with a cat bed and an automatic feeder tucked in the corner narrow yet cozy.
So this was what it looked like when it hadn’t been maliciously vandalized.
So that little cat originally had orange fur on its head and back, with snow-white fur everywhere else.
After being woken up by his brother, while the memory was still as warm as his body, he found his notebook and wrote this part down too.
“Huaiyun, let’s go. If we don’t bring in the blankets now, they’ll get cold.”
Shen Huaiyun closed his notebook, threw on his down jacket, and headed toward the door. “Coming!”