"You... you... how did you get out? Weren't you in my sea of consciousness?" I stammered, looking at the man in the black robe before me.
My head was buzzing. The news from Wu Gege was shocking enough, but this black-robed figure appearing before me was even more so. He was the mysterious senior who had been hidden within my consciousness.
His ability to manifest in person was completely beyond my understanding. I had always believed he existed as pure consciousness, a spectral presence within my sea of consciousness, much like Wu Gege's manifestation.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, he had appeared as a real person. Though his face remained a blur, his mocking, teasing tone was undeniably real, as if he were standing right beside me.
"What, can't I come out for some fresh air?" the senior in the black robe grumbled. He continued, "Don't you know how to handle things with a bit more flexibility? Do you know how much effort I put into finding you a heaven-defying treasure just so I could catch my breath? And you're just going to throw it away after a few words?"
"Treasure? What treasure?"
I was utterly bewildered. I looked all over myself, seeing no treasure. Could he be referring to the Half-Yin Realm? I cautiously asked.
"What else? Do you think you're the treasure?" Before I could see him move, I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head, as if my master had just slapped me.
It was better when he didn't mention the Half-Yin Realm. His mention of it actually made me quite angry. When Hu Sixi had sealed me, I was utterly helpless, calling out to the senior countless times. If you had appeared even half a day earlier, would I have had to plant a ticking time bomb in my heart?
Now you appear and tell me this is an opportunity, a great treasure you found for me? Isn't that like tricking a fool with a carrot and calling it a gold nugget? Do you really take me for an idiot?
Before I could even voice these thoughts, another blow landed on the back of my head. "You little brat, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Such rare heavenly treasures are encountered by chance. Do you think everyone has the ability to find them? If I hadn't stumbled upon it, you'd be crying your eyes out for the rest of your life."
I clutched the back of my head, looking at the black-robed senior with a mixture of fear and confusion. Was he a mind reader? How did he know what I was thinking? And with nothing behind me, why did it feel like someone was hitting me? Was I hallucinating?
I glanced at the blazing sun. This shouldn't be happening! Could it be that Wu Gege opening my heart bridge had caused me to hallucinate? This was just too unlucky!
*Slap—*
"Ouch..."
"What are you thinking? I am me, not some hallucination. Are you even listening to me?"
This time, I was absolutely certain. The black-robed senior before me was the same person I had seen in my sea of consciousness. I just didn't know how he manifested, but his ability to know my thoughts was something I had only witnessed in him so far.
Ignoring the pain, I didn't even bother to brush off the dirt from my clothes. I quickly bowed and stood up, a sincere smile on my face. "Senior, whatever you say is right. This junior has no objections. I thought I was dreaming just now, so my thoughts were all over the place. Please don't mind me."
This time, I focused my gaze on my nose, my nose on my heart, and my heart in a state of tranquility, without a ripple of disturbance. After being hit twice, if I didn't learn my lesson, I deserved to be beaten again.
"Not bad. You've already mastered a tranquil mind so quickly."
"Thank you for your praise, Senior."
Seeing that he seemed to be in a good mood, I continued, "Senior, weren't you in my sea of consciousness? How can you appear in reality?"
This was a question I had to ask. If the black-robed senior could freely emerge from my body, did that also mean Wu Gege could escape? And if so, could the Yin souls from the Half-Yin Realm also come out?
If they could use me as a "door" anytime they pleased, how could I possibly live? My own body becoming a gateway for them to enter and exit at will, what would that make me?
A doorman?
"Senior, can you help me disarm that bomb? Anyone carrying a bomb would be terrified..."
Before I could finish speaking, another blow landed on the back of my head, stinging so much that tears welled up in my eyes.
"Who told you that was a ticking time bomb? I just said it was a treasure I painstakingly found for you. How did it become a ticking time bomb in your mouth?"
Being hit repeatedly, it was impossible not to feel angry. Even if you are a senior expert, you should at least be reasonable, right? Besides, you're living in my body, and I haven't even collected rent from you yet. Isn't it a bit too much to beat up your landlord like this?
The moment this thought crossed my mind, I regretted it. Immediately, a series of pains coursed through my body, as if my master were whipping me with a bamboo strip.
However, unlike my master's whipping, which allowed for some evasion, though it might result in more punishment, the black-robed senior used some unknown method. I couldn't see or feel anything, only the pain.
Even a clay Buddha has its temper. After being beaten so many times, I also became "angry."
"Enough! You're not my master, why are you hitting me?" I jumped up from the ground and shouted at him.
I expected to face an even more furious barrage of blows, but instead, I was met with the black-robed senior's surprised exclamation.
"Hmm? You're standing up so quickly? Not bad. It seems you're still a promising talent."
This, however, left me confused. He had been hitting and scolding me, but now that I resisted, he called me a promising talent?
"Confused? Wondering what's going on?"
I nodded without speaking.
"That young lady earlier used the power of the small world to help you break the seal, causing a large amount of external Yin energy to invade your body. This led to an imbalance of Yin and Yang within you, with Yin energy being dominant and Yang energy being weak. You are a living person, so you naturally need Yang energy to be strong. The blows I gave you were to force out all the Yin energy from your body. Feel your body now."
Although I was somewhat skeptical, I followed his instructions and tried to sense the changes within my body. Upon checking, I discovered numerous faint marks within my meridians. These marks were very small, the largest being only the length of a needle.
Earlier, I was too focused on the joy of my increased strength and the vigorous flow of my Xuan Yang True Qi that I hadn't noticed the changes in my meridians. These minor injuries seemed to have no impact on my body, but if my Xuan Yang True Qi were to become insufficient, my body would become like a sieve with holes everywhere, allowing Yin energy to surge in at any time, making recovery impossible.
"Senior, if you had injuries, you should have just told me! Why did you have to hit me?" I complained with a hint of grievance.
"I just don't like the look of you, alright? I found a treasure for you, and you called it a ticking time bomb. Thinking about that still makes me want to hit you..."
I quickly ducked my head, feigning fear, and eagerly pressed for details, as this was a matter of life and death and could not be taken lightly.
"The Half-Yin Realm you mentioned actually has another name: the Small World."