After putting Tu Shuangshuang away, the next person Lu Yin brought out was Shi Wuzhang.
It was time to talk with this old friend.
Shi Wuzhang stepped out and met Lu Yin's gaze. "You're Lu Yin."
Lu Yin was still wearing Xuan Qi's appearance. He was surprised by Shi Wuzhang's words. Though he'd intended to speak to him in his true form, Shi Wuzhang had already seen through him. "When did you recognize me?"
"The first time we met, in Cliff Town," Shi Wuzhang replied.
Lu Yin frowned. "Cliff Town? You recognized me back then?"
Shi Wuzhang replied calmly, "I consider myself strong-willed, but I'm still human. And humans have weaknesses. I want to return to Earth, to the place where I first set out on the path of cultivation. I miss the water of my hometown and the people there. I dream about them. Of course I'd remember you vividly. I've thought of you countless times."
"After all these years, I'm surprised you still remember me," Lu Yin said with a smile, resuming his own appearance.
Shi Wuzhang's expression turned wistful. "A fellow hometowner."
Those three words filled Lu Yin with an inexplicable warmth.
"Why didn't you acknowledge me at the Lost Academy?" Lu Yin asked, puzzled.
Shi Wuzhang replied, "The circumstances were unusual. I wasn't completely free to do as I pleased."
"Was someone keeping you in check?" Lu Yin's gaze shifted.
Shi Wuzhang shook his head. "Not exactly. You could call it... an evaluation. Because of me, my name was entered into the Wood Person Scripture."
"The Wood Person Scripture?"
"It's the supreme tome of Wood Space-Time, created by the Wood Master. Anyone whose name is entered into it might be accepted as a disciple by the Wood Master. Everything I say and do is being watched."