Every cultivator has a sea of consciousness that serves as the foundation of the cultivation base.
Wang Fuyin's sea of consciousness was a blackness surrounded by colorful nebulas and twinkling stars, akin to a small cosmos. Amongst the swirling galaxies was a gigantic river made of Qi that flowed nonstop within the world residing in Fuyin's mind. Standing atop this majestic picture of rotating starfields and the torrential waters were two figures, their eyes peeking out into the real world without needing to physically set their sights upon it.
The first of the two figures was that of an azure-eyed boy's: this person was identical to Fuyin in all aspects, except he did not have any of his characteristic scars. Instead, his whole body was covered by a perfect layer of skin, pale and soft as if that of a baby, finally allowing his handsomeness to truly shine. This was Fuyin's mental projection, a strand of will shaped the way the youth truly perceived himself. In this ethereal form, Fuyin's pupils were perennially in their inverted triangle setting, the irises a bright cobalt color that only served to augment the azure glow surrounding the Eyes of Yama.
The second silhouette on the other hand was not as clearly detailed as was the youth's: it was merely a blurry humanoid white blob, barely retaining the shape of a female body wrapped in voluminous robes. Only her eyes were visible, two orbs the color of finely forged metal, her two bright silver irises holding within the distinct inverted triangles in the place of the pupils; a second pair of pitch-black Eyes of Yama!
The female figure's name was Lu; She had been Wang Fuyin's companion in his journey from the lurking dangers and deadly wonders of the Outside World to the relative safety of the Nine Heavens Planary System.
[Indeed, your Uncle was right; he truly is an old monster!] Lu's voice, full of feminine grace, rang out in Wang Fuyin's mind. She was currently rubbing her temples, a frown barely visible on her unclear forehead and the triangular pupils shining with both admiration and helplessness. [All it took were two sentences to be sure about my existence. I'm glad he is not an opponent. In our current state, even if we were to go all out it would be a blood bath!]
[I'm sorry senior, I unknowingly blurted that out loud…] In the real world, the azure-eyed youth gulped as he could see a firm golden blade pointing straight at his glabella, [However, I can just deny it, after all, he has no proof! With a little taste of my excellent acting, I'm sure he will let it go! Then, we will be able to reap the benefits off of his tutelage while not exposing ourselves!]
[Foolish Yin! Do you really believe that would work?] Lu reprimanded the scarless Fuyin, at the same time forcefully stopping the white-haired youth's body on the outside dead on its tracks, forcing him to close his mouth before he even had the chance to speak a word.
[Ah! Senior, what are you doing! Why are you controlling my body?]
Ignoring Fuyin's cries, Lu merely pursued her lips, [This might actually not be bad. It was all bound to come out sooner or later anyways, might as well do it now! "Live on to fight another day" might be our motto, but that doesn't mean we aren't willing to take a couple of risks every now and then!]
[Senior!] The youth's panicked voice rang out in his consciousness as he witnessed his own body moving beyond his control, [Give control back to me! I can deal with this guy's wit myself! He's just another arrogant old man, haven't we made it past many of those just to get here?]
[Shut up you stupid Junior of mine!] Lu reprimanded, [As you said yourself, that 'acting' of yours could only fool those old idiots because of their arrogance and lack of immunity towards the schemes of the weak! This guy built up a rebellion from the dirt, leading an army that even this Planary System's peak existence could not take lightly! What kind of schemes wouldn't this more than three hundred year old master tactician not be aware of? Don't think you will be able to pull your tricks off here as well! Just leave it to your Senior here! Now stop your wails, I need to concentrate…]
[But-] Fuyin gritted his teeth, unwilling to reveal this one weakness of his to an outsider. The stress and tiredness from his endeavors erupted at this moment in the form of red eyes and a sharp stinging sensation on the tip of his nose: before he realized it, he felt like crying.
Lu saw the tears welling up on the side of her junior's eyes and felt her heart warm up a bit. She sighed and her harsh gaze softened. The blurry silhouette moved over and stroked his cheeks, adding with a gentle tone, [He already saw your Trial Of The Gate chart, Yin. He is no easy foe for a fifteen year old, even for a member of our Dinasty, whose speed of growth exceed any other's. I understand you are worried for our safety, but you need to trust your Senior this once as well. Haven't I lead us to safety all this while?]
[… promise me.]
[Yin… I promise you, we'll be okay. We are surnamed Wang, we are the Underworld Kings, for goodness' sake! Let alone a Xu Ling, even if that Tian were to come, I have the confidence of getting us both out of here!] Wang Lu nodded, but she knew deep in her heart, that was simply boasting: in her current form, let alone the peak existences Tian and Xu Ling, any Deathless Foundation (Ageless Realm) cultivator could spell the end of them. However, she had still said those words. As for whether that be to calm down Fuyin or herself, Lu did not dare look for an answer.
…
During this whole time, merely a few breaths had passed in the real world. After all, Fuyin and the mysterious lady Lu had been communicating mentally, the whole conversation taking less than a few blinks of an eye to complete. At this time, Cheng Hao was beginning to feel irritated: he was very aware that if the second being were here they would choose to mentally connect with the youth before him.
Firstly, that way it would be impossible for Cheng Hao to know the content of the conversation, or even if such a conversation had taken place at all.
Secondly, the total time it would take to exchange huge amounts of information would be basically instantaneous.
So why in the world are these two taking so damn long? Are the two of you reciting a poem or something?
Cheng Hao's eyelids were slightly twitching in annoyance. Just as he was about to explode, a change in the youth's expression made him stare in shock: indeed, thanks to his experience helping him discern the occasional vacant gaze of the white haired boy, it was a piece of cake to determine that he had been locked in a mental discussion regardless of its supposed secrecy.
However, how could he have ever guessed that the second person was in Fuyin's sea of consciousness to begin with? However, that information could only elude him for a few instants. Putting together the clues, to an experienced old devil such as him it merely took the bat of an eyelid. After that short time, his gaze immediately sharpened and his eyes widened in appreciation: witnessing any shock therein disappearing so quickly, Lu was even more surprised within.
"You two are so full of secrets! I had the pleasure of talking with Fuyin, I believe. You are…?" Cheng Hao chuckled.
A single glance and he could tell I was a completely different person!
"Name is… Lu." The white-haired youth smiled, purposefully stretching the last word out. Even if it's just a little, a bit of the golden-eyed child's attention would inevitably be occupied trying to discern truth out of lies: the more she could distract him, the less she would reveal. With the same thought in mind, she threw another curveball, "Now then, how can you say with such certainty that we are only two? That's pretty far fetched."
Cheng Hao smiled, intrigued. "I said that because I have already met both the original consciousness of the boy as well as the main brainpower of the group. Anyone else is an addition."
"Be it one personality focused on battle experience or another expert in the usage of cultivation techniques, in an all-out fight I am confident in defeating both thanks to this." Cheng Hao waved the golden blade of blood, "For that reason, the only real threat and other personality of notice would be the scheming one… the one to come out first the moment there is a conversation to be held! As such, to me there are only two I should be concerned about… the original owner and the witty one, you. Therefore, there really are only two of you in my perspective."
"As for whether that really is your true identity or not it doesn't faze me much. I only asked because I wished to label the different 'you's, don't think too much about it, ahahah…"
"Ahahaha, I see…" Wang Lu shed a drop of cold sweat, scared out of her wits that even those little distractions that could barely be called schemes and yet were even subtler than a scheme could ever be seen through so easily.
Just how sharp was this guy?
She could only get straight to the point and avoid any kind of battle of wits with him. Although she had enough confidence to hold her ground, that would mean way too much revealed on her part. Even the tiniest bit of knowledge regarding her and Fuyin would probably be incomparable even to this guy's biggest secrets, she would never accept such a disadvantageous deal!
Cheng Hao's eyes gleamed, a tinge of disappointment flashing by his pupils, "I see you don't wish to drag this out anymore. Speak, why do you need my help and why should I give it to you?"
It's time!
The white-haired youth smiled and took out a piece of parchment. Under Wang Lu's control, Fuyin cleared his voice and read out, "Hey there Evil Saint, how are you doing? It's Yama, King of Hell, savior of your life! Say, you can say you owe me a favor after I helped you come back from the dead and all, right? In that case, how about you help me out with this: as King of the Underworld in our Planary System (As well as the one that let you live again) I am wrapped in many strange circumstances. A couple of these found me a few weeks back in the form of my cute little relative Fuyin and his Senior Lu. In remembrance of our friendship (and the favor you owe me), I hope you can help them find their footing in the cultivation world and keep them safe until the waters within the family have grown safe again for them to swim freely within again. Thanks in advance! Love, Yama, the guy you owe your life to and that didn't reveal your current location to that Tian guy that is scouring the countless Planes in search of you (Not my fault he found out by the way)!"
"T-this guy…" Cheng Hao's eyes widened at the mention of Yama and he felt like spitting blood after hearing the whole request, "I understand I might have pissed him off last time, but he didn't have to rub it in like that…"
"Oh, I omitted a couple of those due to time constraint. That was just the gist of it after cutting out a few pages of material," Fuyin took out a few more parchments, these a lot more refined and ancient-looking than the one she had brought out again, "He was very adamant about the fact that he saved your life, esteemed Xu Ling."
"Cheng Hao, it's Cheng Hao!" the golden eyed youth hissed.
"Of course, esteemed… Cheng Hao. Then, do we have a deal?"
"Yes, yes, how could I possibly refuse?" Cheng Hao dejectedly dismissed the boy with a wave of his hand, his eyes gleaming with a trace of helplessness. "Now get the boy to come out, I'd like to talk this out with him."
"Sure thing! See y- FINALLY!" Fuyin's expression changed once again, bursting out with rage as he pointed his finger at Cheng Hao's face, "Now that you know who I am, you should know better than not give my Trial Of The Gate chart back!"
"…your Trial Of The Gate chart will be part of the compensation for my tutelage young man." Cheng Hao furrowed his brows. "The other will be a detailed explanation of the Gate's working and your cultivating requirements, as well as the most truthful recount of your circumstance as that Lu person will allow you to tell me." He rubbed his temples with a sigh under Fuyin's stunned gaze. "I give you until tonight to think it all up: some time this evening I will come and get you, compensate the caravan leaders for your expenses and maybe pick up whatever treasure they will hand out to repay you for saving their lives, and then escort you back with me to my hut."
"Now then, leave me some time to think about what do with you. Your appearance and the knowledge that Tian knows I am alive might have just ruined most of my plans, I will have to think them all up again and figure something out…" Cheng Hao waved his hand and the lotus hairpin took the place of the butcher knife. After fixing his hair and straightening his robes he turned around and walked away. Just as he was about to leave Fuyin's sight he turned and added with a livid expression, "For the next few hours, don't come looking for me unless it's urgent. I'll be at the tavern, drinking my sorrows away and cursing your uncle for never taking that stick out of his ass and enjoying a masterfully crafted joke." He took out a wide bamboo hat and slightly nodded, "Have a good day."
"…"
[I guess… we succeeded?] Fuyin was staring with wide eyes, his triangular pupils revealing a confusion that stemmed from the soul.
[Mh.] Lu nodded, still taken aback by the last few developments.
After a few shorts moment of silence, the cobalt-eyed youth asked, "Then, what should we reveal and what should we keep from him?"
Lu furrowed her brows pensively, rubbing her chin. After a few minutes, she started [Alright Yin here's my take on this-]
This time around the conversation took two full hours before they could come to an explanation they concluded would be satisfying for both sides. After that, they moved their attention back onto the rice paper and the strange markings. Fuyin once again picked up a wooden stick, sat by the carriage, and resumed the calculations Cheng Hao's arrival had interrupted, looking for more efficient solutions to the Trial Of The Gate.
Like so the hours passed, and the youth with the Underworld King's eyes patiently awaited for the golden eyed child to take up his part of the deal and appear again…