Lu Yin was lost at this moment. “Another personality? Are you saying that she now has two personalities?”
Mister Mu nodded. “Master once obtained a secret technique known as Strip. It is able to strip away everything that has ever happened to one’s body, such as battle techniques, arts, innate gifts, and even injuries, emotions, and personalities. Anything that ever happened to someone can be stripped away once this secret technique has been comprehended. Of course, the body also has to pay a corresponding price.
“The only way to save that child was to Strip away her poison, but she does not know this secret technique. Thus, when Master used the secret technique for her, the only possibility was for a Dual-Soul Body to appear, as I needed to use the second personality to take all the poison. What you just saw was that second personality.”
Lu Yin’s eyes went wide upon discovering that such a secret technique actually existed. Even a person’s personality, emotions, and even injuries could be stripped away. That was too mysterious.
“Master, Ming Yan… She’ll be fine, right?” Lu Yin asked apprehensively.
Mister Mu shook his head. “Master does not know for certain, as this is also Master’s first time using the Strip secret technique on another person.”
“How did her personality change to that?” Lu Yin asked.
Mister Mu looked over at Ming Yan, who was leaving the courtyard. “That’s the price that must be paid. The secret technique saved her life, but something must be paid in return. That is how the universe works—you must pay for what you obtain.”
Lu Yin stared at Ming Yan in disbelief as she moved further and further away from him. This sudden change in personality was too drastic. Additionally, the white-haired Ming Yan’s rune lines had almost reached those of an Explorer, but she had clearly not actually cultivated.
“Right, Master, is this Strip secret technique that you just mentioned what you had prepared to impart to this disciple?” Lu Yin asked Mister Mu.
Mister Mu nodded. “This secret technique is one that can only be passed on, as it cannot be learned. Master has used it on that child’s body, so she has inherited this secret technique. However, it will be up to her if she can comprehend it or not. However, her second personality has rather strange emotions, though her natural talent is exceptional. Not only can that personality comprehend the Strip secret technique, but it can also use the poison that was sapping her vitality as a weapon in combat. Even if she doesn’t cultivate, her destructive ability will still be very powerful. Few within the same realm will be her opponent.”
Lu Yin was pained, as he did not wish for Ming Yan to become too powerful. No matter what, it seemed that her second personality would not be easy to deal with, and the more powerful she became, the harder that personality would be to deal with.
Mister Mu looked at Wu Shang’s corpse and sighed. “It looks like you’ve been targeted by the Neohuman Alliance.”
Lu Yin’s heart lurched, and he looked over at Mister Mu. “Master, Disciple encountered one of the Seven Skygods.”
Mister Mu’s expression changed. “Which one?”
“Blackless God.” Lu Yin was gloomy.
Mister Mu pondered this matter and then shook his head. “What you spoke with wasn’t Blackless God itself, but rather a strand of its spiritual force. If it had been Blackless God itself, you wouldn’t have been even able to resist.”
“Disciple was indeed completely unable to resist.”
“What Master means is that you wouldn’t have been able to even preserve your own sense of self. The Neohuman Alliance’s Seven Skygods are dominating masters, and even the Sea King whom you’ve met before wouldn’t be a match for a single one of them.”
Lu Yin was astonished by this information, and he felt his blood suddenly run cold. “What should Disciple do now?”
Mister Mu raised a hand, and another jade talisman appeared that flew into Lu Yin’s hand. “Take this. If Blackless God seeks you out again, this jade talisman will be able to protect you.”
Lu Yin’s eyes flashed. Even the Sea King was not able to deal with Blackless God, but Mister Mu was clearly confident that he could protect Lu Yin. It appeared that he had underestimated Mister Mu, as it was very possible that Mister Mu’s strength greatly surpassed the Sea King’s.
“Master, when the Sixth Mainland invaded the Innerverse, was the Innerverse able to withstand their invasion?” Lu Yin could not stop himself from asking this.
Mister Mu calmly replied, “You don’t need to know about that. This universe is not as simple as you believe it to be, and neither is it as simple as the Sixth Mainland imagines. Alright, Master is leaving, and the next time we meet, Master will check your destined opportunities once again. If they are sufficient, Master will reward you with good luck.” Mister Mu then vanished without any sort of warning.
Lu Yin called out, as he still wanted to ask about Ming Yan, but his master had already disappeared.
The spot where he had been standing remained empty, though traces of scorching heat continued to radiate up from underground, and a pungent smell pervaded the entire area.
Shanhai City was in the midst of collapsing from the previous battle.
In the distance, the white-haired Ming Yan’s voice was heard. “Haven’t you heard Her Majesty’s words? Immediately execute them.’
Bei Hong and the others replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Lu Yin felt that something was off, as it had only been a brief moment since Ming Yan had left the courtyard, but they were already calling her, “Your Majesty.”
He stepped out of the courtyard and approached the white-haired Ming Yan, who suddenly turned around to look at him. “You are not allowed to approach me.”
Lu Yin was stumped. “Yan’er.”
“You’re not allowed to call me that either. My name is taboo to others, and no one is allowed to call out to me so casually,” the white-haired Ming Yan declared.
Lu Yin pursed his lips. “Then- that- how’s your body?”
“That is none of your business,” the white-haired Ming Yan barked. She then turned around and looked sternly at the two Cruisers who were some distance aways. “You two good-for-nothings, Shanhai City has already been destroyed to this degree, but you two are still doing nothing.”
Those two Cruisers exchanged glances, feeling quite uncomfortable. Even Ming Zhaoshu had spoken quite courteously to them when he had been alive, and they did not yet view Ming Yan in the same light as her father.
Her eyes turned cold. “What? Can you not hear Her Majesty talking to you? Or do you not understand human words?”
One of the Cruisers stepped forward and spoke in a gloomy voice, “Princess Ming Yan, please speak more courteously. I-”
He was interrupted by white-haired Ming Yan before he could even finish speaking. “You will refer to yourself as ‘your subject’ when before Her Majesty.”
That Cruiser’s eyes changed, and he snorted. “I’m quite old, and I am no longer able to work for the empire. Princess Ming Yan, please find someone more qualified than me.” He then turned to leave.
Bei Hong looked at Lu Yin in worry, afraid that Lu Yin would act.
Lu Yin indeed wanted to do something, as the white-haired Ming Yan was Ming Yan’s second personality. This personality’s emotions were very fickle, and she seemed to act without reason. Lu Yin could not allow this white-haired Ming Yan to destroy the seeds that Ming Yan had caringly planted when it came to the empire. He felt compelled to stop her despite not caring about the Shenwu Empire, and a part of him even wanted to take Ming Yan away.
However, before he could act, the white-haired Ming Yan moved first, and she slapped out at the leaving Cruiser with a palm. The surrounding people did not see anything happen, and only Lu Yin was able to see the rune lines streak through the void and strike the Cruiser. After the attack landed, the man visibly aged before everyone’s sight.
This scene caused the onlookers’ scalps to turn numb.
The Cruiser was terrified, as he had not felt anything happen to him, but he had begun to age rapidly all of a sudden. What was going on?
Lu Yin stared at the white-haired Ming Yan in shock. Was this what Mister Mu had been referring to? Was this how she could use the vitality draining poison to bolster her own strength? She could actually formlessly cause one’s vitality to flow away, and she could even be thought of as a humanoid poison. This white-haired Ming Yan reminded Lu Yin of the Limiteer Mistchild, but compared to the young assassin, this white-haired Ming Yan was even more terrifying, especially because this poison had no cure.
The crowd stared at the princess in terror, and the Cruiser was also alarmed. He watched as his body shriveled up, and he hurriedly started begging for mercy.
The white-haired Ming Yan snorted and retracted her hand. She then sternly looked around at the surrounding people. “Who still dares to ignore Her Majesty’s words in the future?”
The crowd knelt down together. “Your subjects dare not. We greet Her Majesty.”
“We greet Her Majesty.”
…
Out of everyone present, only Lu Yin remained standing, and he stared at the white-haired Ming Yan with a complex gaze.
The white-haired Ming Yan glanced back at Lu Yin. She then snorted, but her body suddenly quivered as she fell to the floor.
Lu Yin immediately rushed over to grab her, and before his eyes, Ming Yan’s white hair gradually turned back to black as she lay in his embrace. She slowly opened her eyes and locked eyes with Lu Yin. He felt the previous sense of familiarity between them return.
Lu Yin was delighted. This time, Ming Yan’s expression was gentle like water, and her eyes contained an unbreakable helplessness and tenderness.
“Brother Lu,” Ming Yan murmured.
Lu Yin hugged her, and they instantly vanished, leaving behind a confused crowd.
Lu Yin appeared atop a distant mountain peak, still embracing Ming Yan in his arms as he delightedly said, “Yan’er, you’re back.”
Ming Yan apologized, “I’m sorry, Brother Lu, to have said all those things to you.”
Lu Yin was surprised at this., “You remember what happened while your other personality was active?”
Ming Yan nodded. “Yes, but Yan’er cannot control her. I’m sorry.”
Lu Yin kissed her forehead. “It’s alright. As long as you survive, nothing else matters.”
Ming Yan smiled happily and hugged Lu Yin tightly.
Lu Yin’s emotions were complex, as the Ming Yan in his embrace was clearly more optimistic than she had been before. It seemed that the Strip secret technique had transferred many of the negative parts of her original personality to the second personality. Even the pain and desperation that she had felt when she condemned Ming Zhaoshu might have been transferred over. This would cause the second personality to be more detached. Now that he thought about it, the white-haired Ming Yan was like a mourning version of herself, which made Lu Yin feel rather heartbroken.
Be it the Ming Yan in his embrace or the second personality of the white-haired Ming Yan, they were both still Ming Yan. Lu Yin’s gaze firmed, as they both belonged to him.
“Brother Lu, what about Shanhai City?” Ming Yan suddenly lamented as she looked at the shattered ground below the mountain.
Lu Yin asked, “Yan’er, do you still want to stay here on Shenwu Continent?”
Ming Yan nodded without any hesitation. “Yes.”
“Why? You can return Lu to the Great Yu Empire with Brother and leave Shenwu Continent to someone else to manage.” Lu Yin tried his luck.
Ming Yan shook her head, and the light in her eyes dimmed. “Father was willing to be cursed for eternity so that I could successfully inherit the throne. Yan’er does not wish to disappoint him, and I want to inherit the throne. I will become the only female ruler in the history of the Shenwu Empire!”
Lu Yin felt helpless, as Ming Yan had changed. The feeble Ming Yan that he had once known was now gone. The current Ming Yan was stronger and also more responsible. He could not forcefully take her away. “You can bear letting Brother Lu be alone in the Great Yu Empire?”
Ming Yan looked at him. “Then Brother Lu can stay here, and Yan’er will give the empire to you.”
Lu Yin was left speechless. “I’m the Great Eastern Alliance Leader.”
“In Yan’er’s eyes, you will always be that coachman, Lu Seven,” Ming Yan said tenderly.
Lu Yin could not hold himself back any longer. He hugged Ming Yan tightly and then kissed her, fully embracing her gentle softness. But then, his body was suddenly pushed back by a tremendous force; the black-haired Ming Yan had turned into the white-haired Ming Yan, and she was now staring at him with sharp eyes. “Let me warn you—if you dare to take advantage of Her Majesty again, I will bury you.”
Lu Yin blinked. “Isn’t this change a bit too fast?”
The white-haired Ming Yan glared at him fiercely and then turned to leave. When she arrived at the bottom of the mountain, she turned back into the black-haired Ming Yan. Lu Yin was completely helpless. “Yan’er, why do you change back and forth between your two selves so frequently?”
Ming Yan apologized again. “I’m sorry, Brother Lu. I will learn to control it in time so that I can maintain personalities for a longer time.”
Lu Yin grudgingly said, “Work hard.”
Ming Yan pursed her lips, appearing rather sullen.
For the next few days, Lu Yin guarded Ming Yan at every moment. Occasionally, he was stopped by the cold white-haired Ming Yan, only to be gently comforted by the black-haired Ming Yan soon after. It was rather difficult for him to cope with these two extremes, but he forced himself to keep going for a few days, or at least until Ming Yan’s condition stabilized.
