Chapter 142: Who... what are you?
Having another consciousness wake up in your head is an interesting experience.
Not quite like having a conversation with Azure, who exists as a distinct presence in my inner world, or like communicating with Yggy, whose thoughts come across more as impressions and emotions than actual words.
No, this was more like... well, imagine if your reflection suddenly started talking back to you.
"Hello…? I know you can hear me. Who... what are you?"
The young master's mental voice was hesitant, almost timid – quite different from the fierce determination I'd sensed when he was fighting for his life. Then again, I supposed having your body hijacked by a mysterious entity might make anyone a bit cautious.
I considered my response carefully, first impressions mattered, and whilst they say honesty was the best policy, that didn’t apply in a cultivation world.
"I'm the reason you're not currently bleeding out in an alley," I directed my thoughts toward him. "My name is Ling Zhuo."
The name translated to Wandering Spirit, it gave him something to call me without revealing anything about my true identity. If this really was someone's inner world, I didn't want to leave any traces that might lead back to who I really was. You never know when that kind of information might come back to haunt you.
“So, Ling Zhuo," he started, and I could feel him testing the name, trying to get a read on me. "I’m Han Renyi, I thought... I thought you were a messenger of the Celestial Sovereign. Or maybe a demon." Another pause. "I'm still not entirely sure you're not."