The room's arrangement differed somewhat from the studies seen on television. Other people's studies were filled with various books, and their desks adorned with calligraphy and paintings.
However, the study I found myself in was filled with all sorts of strange and peculiar stones, as well as dried flowers and plants of names I couldn't recall.
Rather than a study, to me, it felt more like a storage room.
A tall figure stood with his back to me behind the desk, making a clicking sound as if admiring something.
A single sentence, "You've arrived," made me feel as though he knew me, or rather, that he was waiting for me. Yet, I was certain, absolutely certain, that this was my first time leaving the north and coming here alone.
"Who are you? Do you know me?"
The figure slowly turned. He appeared to be around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with thick, neat eyebrows and eyes that gleamed with an unusual light. His lips curved slightly upwards, and he held a jade seal in his hand, looking at me with a half-smile.
"You don't recognize me so soon?"
I frowned and thought about everyone I had encountered, from childhood to the present. The people I knew flashed through my mind one by one. In total, I hadn't met many people, let alone someone dressed like an ancient person before me. Even including the few people I met in Molu Village, this figure was nowhere among them.
However, his tone sounded exceptionally familiar. After confirming once more that I truly didn't know him, I shook my head and said, "No."
As soon as I finished speaking, his figure shifted. Immediately, a person with tattered clothes, hair hanging down to his chest, and a full beard appeared before me again. This transformation was completely beyond my expectations.
"It's you?" I gasped in surprise, never imagining that the man who had just appeared so wise and exuded the commanding presence of a superior would be the same expert I was imprisoned with in the jail.
"Hmm, is that a bit of a surprise?"
The scene shifted again, and the disheveled expert reverted to the appearance of a majestic middle-aged man.
I nodded, "This isn't a surprise, it's practically a resurrection!"
I never dreamed that an expert who looked like a beggar could be another person, a distinguished and imposing figure.
Looking at the expert who had reappeared before me in a different guise, I asked with a hint of confusion, "I heard you weren't..."
I felt that saying "dead" sounded unpleasant, as he was originally a spirit. So, I used "missing" as a substitute.
"Did that silly girl outside tell you I was dead?"
I nodded sheepishly, "You and Zuo Quan fought too fiercely. I was knocked unconscious before I could even escape the prince's mansion. It was really a bit..."
"It's also true that I'm said to be dead. It's just that because of the Tiger Kui Seal, I didn't die, but I'm not far from it."
I frowned, looking at the expert, somewhat confused by his words. What did he mean by not dead, yet not far from it? The statement sounded so convoluted.
Seeing my deep frown, the expert continued, "Confused about something?"
I nodded, remaining silent, waiting for his explanation.
"Although I drove Zuo Quan away, I was on the brink of death. I could only drag my severely injured body into the Tiger Kui Seal. Before entering, I left a soul crystal to communicate with people outside."
I asked with some confusion, "So, you're looking for me because..."
"To help me guard the Half-Yin Realm."
Guard the Half-Yin Realm?
I was a bit stunned.
If I had reached my master's level of cultivation, where I could sleep until I woke up naturally and count money until my hands cramped, I would have certainly agreed. But I am just a minor Yin Master.
After my first deal, the intermediary abandoned me, and I am still struggling to escape the quagmire of Molu Village just to survive. How could I possibly be worthy of guarding the Half-Yin Realm for you?
Seeing the troubled look on my face, the expert continued, "Do you know who Zuo Quan is?"
"I know that. He was a general of the Fifth Prince during his lifetime. He made great contributions in expanding the territory for the Fifth Prince, and..."
Before I could finish, the expert interrupted me.
"Nonsense. The Zuo Quan you're talking about is my great general. I'm asking about the Zuo Quan *you* saw."
I froze for a moment and said in surprise, "How would I know that?"
Isn't Zuo Quan just Zuo Quan? Could there be two people with the same name in this world?
"The Zuo Quan you mentioned was indeed my trusted general, and we went through life and death together. But he is definitely not the person you saw," the expert emphasized the word "person" with a deliberate increase in volume.
"Person? Don't tell me that Zuo Quan isn't a ghost, but a person?"
A hint of a smile appeared on the expert's face, and his tone carried a tone of praise, "Not bad, not too stupid."
I felt speechless, but then I became confused. Living people are not supposed to reside in the Half-Yin Realm, but I had never heard of a living person dominating the Half-Yin Realm, as it was simply not suitable for them.
Living people, after all, need to see sunlight. The Half-Yin Realm has almost no visible sunlight. Even for a Feng Shui master, prolonged absence of sunlight would cause the internal Yang Qi to dissipate. Over time, they would become no different from ordinary people, eventually succumbing to the erosion of Yin energy and dying.
And the Zuo Quan in the green robe I saw not only had impressive martial skills but could also fight the expert. I wouldn't believe it if you told me he was a living person.
Seeing my long silence, the expert spoke again, delivering an answer that almost made me bite my tongue off, "No need to guess, he is a living person."
"How is that possible? Isn't the Half-Yin Realm..."
I stopped halfway through my sentence because I suddenly thought of a problem: if I could walk freely in the Half-Yin Realm, why couldn't others?
The true Half-Yin Realm is demarcated by the Han River between the East Village and the West Village. One could say that the East Village is a gateway established on the Half-Yin Realm. If living people can live normally in the East Village, and enter the West Village Half-Yin Realm when necessary, this is entirely possible.
"Fifth Prince, this joke of yours is not funny at all."
I directly identified the expert's identity. If I didn't know the expert was the Fifth Prince by now, I'd be more foolish than a pig.
"How did you figure it out?"
"I'm not a pig. Fifth Princess said that only the Fifth Prince could wield the Tiger Kui Seal. If you can use the Tiger Kui Seal, you must be the Fifth Prince. Who else could you be?"
The Fifth Prince smiled awkwardly, "Heh heh... I was in a special situation, I had no choice. But you really must agree to this, otherwise..."
Before he could finish, I interrupted him, "There is no 'otherwise.' I am just an ordinary minor Feng Shui master. I came here to earn some money, to make a living. Your disputes have nothing to do with me. If you want to repay me for helping you return the Tiger Kui Seal, find that old ghost for me, so I can get some information from him and then leave this cursed place."
What if you are a prince?
Damn it, in front of you, I am just an "ordinary person." You two great tigers are fighting, why should I, a small frog, get involved? Am I not dying fast enough?
The Fifth Prince sneered, "Don't think you can leave Molu Village just because you don't help me. Do you think that person will let you go?"
I retorted without backing down, "Tch, do you really think I have no way to leave? I'm just choosing not to make my path narrower, which is why I'm staying. Otherwise, I can leave whenever I want, without any hesitation."
"Kid, aren't you afraid of your tongue getting twisted by the wind? If you knew who Zuo Quan was, you'd be stunned."
I maintained an unruffled expression.
"His name is Li Zuo Quan."