Chapter 4: The Incident at Flowerless Palace (6)
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The Martial Arts Hall was as quiet as a library on a Monday morning.
Recently, Master Sister had been hogging the place for her cultivation, leaving all the other Inner Door Disciples too scared to disturb her. I mean, really, who wanted to make Master Sister unhappy? It could lead to serious career-ending consequences at Heavenly Sword Sect.
Luo Ying was decked out in her usual light pink skirt, with her darklight sword casually strapped on her back, looking like she had just come off a victorious battle. But her gaze was sharper than a frying pan left on the stove too long, burning right through Lin Nan.
It seemed like she wanted to see straight into his soul, bypassing all that pesky skin and muscle in between.
As for Lin Nan’s occasional mood swings and his wildly different personalities, Fatty had a rather modern diagnosis for that.
Dual personalities, schizophrenia, psychological illnesses — you name it, he tossed it all at Lin Nan, effectively solving Luo Ying’s bafflement.
Fatty used to think that the chattier second personality was a riot and they got along like peanut butter and jelly, but once they hit the Luminous Sunset Peak, that guy switched from joking around to desperately trying to charm Luo Ying with no holds barred.
What an annoying guy! And here Fatty had thought of him as a brother.
Now he found himself wishing for the original moody personality to pop back up instead.
Meanwhile, to Luo Ying, the second personality surprisingly hit all the right notes. At first, she saw him as just a clown for her entertainment and a way to unwind. Yet their shared experiences on the East Sea islands revealed a hidden resilience within Lin Nan’s second personality — a relentless optimism even when things got tough.
She had almost forgotten about the existence of his “first” personality until today, when it awkwardly reappeared, like a surprise visit from a long-lost relative.
This made her ponder deeply.
Was this first personality that had taken over Lin Nan just another fragment of his consciousness, like Fatty suggested?
At that moment, a terrifying thought flashed through her mind.
She remembered her Master, Ling Xiaozu, mentioning something from ancient times, about powerful cultivators being able to turn their consciousness into a primordial spirit. Even if their body was wrecked, as long as the spirit remained, they could be reborn through possession.
Heck, they didn’t even need to focus on their physical body if they put all their effort into cultivating their spirit. This way, they could live as long as the heavens themselves!
If her Master’s words were true, then the one occupying Lin Nan’s body right now could potentially be an ancient cultivator’s spirit!
When it was asleep, it would hand over control to the second personality, but once it woke up, it would take over Lin Nan’s body and act in his name.
The more she thought about it, the more chills ran down her spine.
When they recruited disciples at Luminous Sunset Peak and set up intense tests in the Martial Arts Hall, no one, not even her, believed that two obscure newbies could pass the final assessments.
But reality gave everyone, including her, a slap across the face.
Lin Nan smashed through six challenges, elbowing Fatty along to get past the entrance test.
She thought it was just plain impossible for a newcomer to achieve such results. She herself couldn’t do it when she joined Heavenly Sword Sect!
Looking back, how could he have succeeded in defeating all those strong opponents in such a short time without some insane combat skills and awareness?
The answer became painfully obvious.
In a situation where his original soul couldn’t possibly do it, only an external primordial spirit could unleash every ounce of potential in his body, paving the way for his success in joining Heavenly Sword Sect.
Even a powerful primordial spirit couldn’t just swap hosts on a whim; it needed a stable physical environment to cultivate.
That was why it would help Lin Nan enter Heavenly Sword Sect, aiming to prolong his body’s survival for a win-win situation.
Maybe, once things calmed down, it would completely replace Lin Nan’s original consciousness, seizing control until his dying breath.
The thought alone sent Luo Ying into a tailspin.
She hadn’t realized this before, but now that it had clicked, she needed to confront it head-on.
Just the idea of the chattering second personality, who had shared such a perilous time with her, potentially disappearing sent a pang through her heart.
For a moment, she hesitated, afraid that bringing it up might provoke the primordial spirit, triggering unpredictable consequences.
But as the Inner Door’s chief, her resolve was steely — far stronger than her inner thoughts let on. She would have to face this question sooner or later. Ignoring it would only bring trouble later.
So, inhaling deeply, she fixed her gaze on Lin Nan, whose demeanor was markedly different from before.
Voice firm, she faked a calm facade, “Who exactly are you?”
Lin Nan wasn’t surprised by her inquiry.
Didn’t he know that his personality shifts and differences would raise eyebrows?
Thanks to Fatty’s theory, he’d managed to keep up appearances in front of Luo Ying and Fatty a little longer.
But now that he was facing Luo Ying’s serious expression, he realized he couldn’t really keep playing dumb anymore.
In this world, nobody was an idiot.
Even NPCs might lack players’ knowledge, but when it came to emotional intelligence, they could easily wipe the floor with players.
Luo Ying needed an explanation.
And he needed a solid reason to keep using this male character.
Otherwise, if she turned hostile, he could kiss his freedom within Heavenly Sword Sect goodbye.
He just wanted to avoid trouble.
Returning to Heavenly Sword Sect was to unravel some mysteries hidden in history’s dust.
After a moment’s thought, he replied, “I’m indeed Lin Nan, but I don’t often use this body, so I occasionally let another consciousness you’re familiar with take over. Does that make sense?”
Luo Ying’s mind rang with a thunderous shock — bingo, bingo!
Just as she had suspected, the entity controlling Lin Nan’s body was an unknown primordial spirit. When it was focused on cultivation, it would return control to Lin Nan.
Generally, the spirit wouldn’t change hosts unless the body was in danger, meaning if Lin Nan succeeded in his cultivation, that darn spirit might stay in his body for a hundred years or more.
How could she bear that?
The thought of another soul hiding inside Lin Nan felt like her reliance on him was now also shared with that annoying spirit.
“What do you need to do to leave him?”
Luo Ying gritted her teeth and asked.
Lin Nan blinked, momentarily stunned.
Had his previous words created some confusion?
“How can I explain this so you get it? Both the other consciousness and I are Lin Nan. No, in a way, he’s the newcomer, while I’m the original.”
So you don’t need to get hung up on my identity, because I am Lin Nan, and he is too.”
Luo Ying’s tone turned icy, “Your ultimate goal is to completely take over this body, making him disappear forever, right?”
Lin Nan, “…”
Why on earth did I suddenly find myself tangled in this philosophical debate about my identity?
Completely take over the body? You’ve thought too much!
But going deeper into the explanation would only confuse them both even more.
However, it did seem that Luo Ying cared deeply about the male character, which might be a breakthrough point.
“No, it’s exactly the opposite of what you think. I will leave him at a specific moment and never come back.”
Luo Ying’s entire body jolted, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
“Is this… really true?”
……
P.S.: Afternoon tea is served!
