Chen Xi was quite frustrated with the current situation of Xizhi Cai, who was still bedridden in the inn. Although Hua Tuo had assured him that Xizhi Cai wouldnât die, seeing him in a half-dead state every day made Chen Xi uneasy. While they werenât afraid of confronting Cao Cao, it would be disastrous if a conflict broke out because Xizhi Cai died in Taishan. Being accused of killing an envoy would be a disaster.
âBrother Zhizai, please rest well and donât overexert yourself,â Chen Xi said, accompanied by Guo Jia, offering some unconvincing words to Xizhi Cai.
Xizhi Cai waved them off, too tired to respond. He wasnât a fool and had already guessed that his spiritual talent might not be as he had previously thought. There seemed to be a distinction between friend and foe in his ability.
Perhaps the spiritual talents of enemies were weaker, but merely analyzing them was costly. If he truly tried to use them, the drain on his energy would be far greater than analyzing the spiritual talents of allies or neutral parties.
He realized this when he coughed up blood after trying to use Zhuge Liangâs talent. A twelve or thirteen-year-old Zhuge Liang couldnât possibly have a greater spiritual reservoir than him. If he could activate his talent, then even if there were side effects, they wouldnât be fatal.
When Xizhi Cai activated Zhuge Liangâs talent, all the spiritual talents and abilities of Cao Caoâs subordinates appeared before him. In that instant, Xizhi Caiâs life hung by a thread.
Spiritual talents are the result of the utmost refinement of intelligence and spiritâa manifestation of oneâs instincts. As such, itâs unnatural for someoneâs instincts to produce a talent that would cause severe self-harm. This simply doesnât align with normal circumstances.
It was this near-death experience that made Xizhi Cai realize his spiritual talent wasnât omnipotent. He also understood why analyzing that personâs talent had caused such problems. It wasnât just the nature of the talentâit was also due to limitations within his own.
âZhizai, it looks like youâll be spending the New Year in Taishan,â Guo Jia quipped, his tone laced with sarcasm. âSeeing you lying there half-dead really lifts my spirits. I keep thinking youâre just going to keel over and die!â
Xizhi Cai shot a glare at Guo Jia. The last thing he needed was Guo Jiaâs reckless mouth cursing him. If Guo Jia inadvertently brought his doom with his words, Xizhi Cai might never make it out alive. He couldnât afford to die when Cao Mengdeâs great work remained unfinished!
âYou just wait, Guo Fengxiao! Iâll make sure you pay for this!â Xizhi Cai snapped, thoroughly annoyed by Guo Jiaâs jibes. The thought of being inadvertently doomed by Guo Jiaâs loose tongue filled him with dread.
âYou can still talk? Stop playing dead!â Guo Jia retorted indignantly. âI thought you were done for, but it turns out you can still speak! I came all the way here to see you, and you canât even get up to greet me.â
âIâd be better off if you didnât come at all,â Xizhi Cai grumbled. âWatching you prance around just makes me furious. Changwen, get this jinx out of here!â
Chen Qun sighed as he entered the room and dragged the belligerent Guo Jia away, leaving only Chen Xi and Xizhi Cai behind.
âWhy do this, Brother Zhizai? Though Fengxiao might wish you dead with his words, you know how he truly feels,â Chen Xi said helplessly. In his view, Guo Jia and Xizhi Cai were like bickering brothers.
Since Xizhi Cai had woken up, Guo Jia had come by every day, bringing small gifts, only to immediately start teasing him once he was conscious. On one occasion, he even provoked Xizhi Cai to the point of fainting from anger. The animosity seemed so intense that one had to wonder what kind of grudge existed between them.
âThat guyâs a jinx,â Xizhi Cai muttered from his bed, fearing that Guo Jiaâs unintended curse might actually come true.
â...â Chen Xi was left speechless, eventually sighing after a long pause. âYou two are impossible.â
Since waking up, Xizhi Cai had refrained from any reckless behavior, understanding that even if he could analyze the spiritual talents of Taishanâs strategists, he couldnât use them. Moreover, purely analyzing talents without activating them would take at least a month, making the whole process frustrating.
Nevertheless, Xizhi Cai adopted a mindset of getting whatever results he could. For over a month, he focused solely on analysis, resisting the urge to activate anything. Finally, he had some successâhe had figured out the spiritual talent of the man standing before him, Chen Zichuan.
When Xizhi Cai first analyzed Chen Xiâs spiritual talent, if he had attempted to copy it, he would have been dead by now. He couldnât have resisted the temptation to try out such a classic spiritual talent.
Because of this, Xizhi Caiâs gaze at Chen Xi was particularly complicated. This was the best spiritual talent he had ever encounteredâso powerful that even Xun Yuâs talent paled in comparison.
Thinking about this terrifying talent, Xizhi Cai realized that defeating Liu Bei would require one of three things: Chen Xiâs downfall, Liu Beiâs incompetence leading to chaos, or overwhelming force to crush Liu Bei. The first two options seemed nearly impossible, while the third, considering Liu Beiâs current strength and the potential of his army bolstered by Chen Xiâs talent, seemed incredibly difficult!
Fortunately, Chen Xiâs talent wasnât without flaws. It was because of this second aspect that Xizhi Cai could continue planning Cao Caoâs grand strategy without fear. After all, there was always the problem of managing occupied territories. One wrong move could plunge Chen Xi into a state of endless sleep, leading to a vicious cycle or even permanent incapacitation.
Just as Chen Xi was contemplating finding an excuse to leave, a messenger arrived quickly. âMilitary advisor, the lord requests your presence!â
âWhatâs going on?â Chen Xi asked, momentarily caught off guard. Then, realizing this was the perfect opportunity to make his exit, he turned to Xizhi Cai with a bow. âBrother Zhizai, please continue to rest well. Lord Xuande is calling, so I wonât disturb you any further.â