Jia Xu also smiled slightly and said, "This is good news, isn't it? Why don't you try using your aura in your dreams to absorb that piece? Once you've confirmed its location, we can retrieve it and merge it with your mental talent. What do you think?"
"I've tried to pull it in for several days, but I still can't manage to grab it. I can vaguely sense where it is, but my mental talent is too vast," Chen Xi said, showing some joy. He had always thought that the smaller piece was something he had split off from himself, but after Jia Xu's suggestion, he realized that it might actually belong to someone like Zhuge Liang.
"Let me think. First, your mental talent is very useful, right? Anyone in the world who knows about it would want it. If it's someone like Kongming, it would make sense for there to be something similar. But Kongming has already said that he can't use your mental talent," Jia Xu said with a chuckle, and Chen Xi nodded rapidly like a pecking chick.
"So, it's likely that copying your mental talent is difficult. That would explain why there's that smaller piece beside you. His mental talent is good at piecing together reality from limited clues and achieving a high degree of accuracy. Of course, after spending time with you and understanding your mental talent, Kongming once mentioned that if he could break through your mental defenses, he might be able to link to your mental talent. With that in mind…" Jia Xu's words quickly cleared up Chen Xi's confusion.
"It must be someone from Cao Cao or Yuan Shao's side. Once we get the latest reports, we can see if any capable advisors from their camps have had any incidents," Chen Xi said with a grin. "Heh, a valuable addition! Although it's small, merging it with my mental talent could increase its effectiveness by at least 20%."
"Report!" A messenger suddenly burst into the room, shouting.
"Speak," Chen Xi said, exchanging a glance with Jia Xu.
"An urgent message from Yanzhou has arrived," the messenger replied loudly.
"Bring it here," Chen Xi said, the previous gloom lifting from his face.
The messenger pulled out a bamboo slip and handed it to Jia Xu, then quietly exited the room. Jia Xu quickly opened the slip and scanned the encoded message before decrypting it.
"Hahaha, Xizhi has passed away," Jia Xu laughed. "The report states that Cao Cao's close advisor, Xi Zhicai, died of illness not long ago. Cao Mengde personally held his funeral. Considering the timeline... hmm, the unrest in Yanzhou has delayed our intelligence network."
"I think I understand now," Chen Xi said, rubbing his temples.
"It was probably Xizhi's doing. The timing is too coincidental. This also explains why your mental talent was exposed to Cao Cao's side. Xizhi's mental talent must have involved copying others'," Jia Xu said thoughtfully after closing the bamboo slip and considering the situation.
"That makes sense. It must be because Xizhi died that the smaller mental talent piece is behaving like this," Chen Xi said, stroking his chin.
"That's not all," a voice suddenly interrupted. Left Ci appeared, taking over the conversation.
"Could you stop sneaking up on me like that?" Chen Xi grumbled. When Nanhua left, he had told Chen Xi, "If you need anything, seek out Zuo Ci; he'll protect you." After that, Nanhua disappeared. Chen Xi didn't mind if these elusive immortals stayed or left; he never noticed their presence anyway.
"If you don't like it, I'll be more careful in the future," Zuo Ci said with a smile. Unlike Nanhua, Zuo Ci had a much more agreeable personality.
"Come on, Left Immortal, explain what's going on. I've been having nightmares, and none of you seem to care. Aren't you supposed to make sure nothing happens to me?" Chen Xi grumbled.
"Didn't you already say it yourself? Absorb that piece," Zuo Ci chuckled. "Xizhi was indeed a brilliant mind, daring to gamble on succeeding with only a few clues."
"Did he succeed? But wait, that small piece feels like it's still mine," Chen Xi asked, confused. Meanwhile, Jia Xu had already pieced together the situation with his mental talent.
"Let me explain. You see, whether it's copying or fully inheriting another's mental talent, it ultimately alters the essence of the mind. If Xizhi passed away after making that change..." Jia Xu explained with a smile.
Chen Xi's face lit up with understanding. If Xizhi hadn't died, he could have reversed the process. But since Xizhi did die, that piece of the mental talent would inevitably merge with the original, becoming a complete entity. The only difference might be a slight resistance due to lingering traces of Xizhi's will, but that would fade within seven days...
"So, how do I go about reclaiming that piece of my mental talent?" Chen Xi asked eagerly, already considering Xizhi's hard-won mental talent as his own.
"That's something you'll have to figure out on your own. I can only answer small questions for you," Zuo Ci replied, sticking to his principles.
"Alright, I'll think about it myself. But can you at least tell me what that layer of light is? I noticed that the smaller piece has started to show it too," Chen Xi asked, tilting his head. "It shouldn't be an issue, right?"
"The layer of light is a protective aura formed by mental energy—it's those free-floating mental energies. The brighter the light, the more mental energy you've accumulated. This aura protects against disasters, and if it dissipates, you might fall into a deep sleep," Zuo Ci explained while stroking his beard.
"..." Chen Xi frowned. Something felt off. The smaller piece of the jade disc had already begun showing that aura. He hadn't noticed it before, but now, in his dreams, he could clearly see it.
"What's wrong?" Jia Xu asked, seeing Chen Xi wave Zuo Ci away. The immortal gave a bow and vanished, leaving Jia Xu to press Chen Xi for answers, noticing the crease of worry between his brows.
"Let's just say it's probably Xizhi. He wouldn't have been able to use my full abilities, nor should he have been able to gather free-floating mental energies. You know how my mental talent works," Chen Xi said, turning his head.
"That does make sense," Jia Xu agreed, activating his mental talent again. "Your talent relies on the people's recognition of you and our lord, and for that smaller piece to work, Cao Mengde's people would need to acknowledge..."