Once he had a name, Zhiyang immediately grew much livelier. He asked:
"Are you coming out of seclusion right away?"
"A little over ten years is rather short, but still within the bounds of reason."
Jiang Yang nodded and said after some consideration:
"Let's wait. I'll consolidate my cultivation a little more before coming out."
"Divine powers, divine powers! I've been itching to go out and try them."
Zhiyang paced around the quiet chamber with his hands behind his back, clearly even more impatient than Jiang Yang.
Ignoring him, Jiang Yang sat back down on the meditation cushion and said calmly:
"What do you take divine powers for? Something you can toy with whenever you please?"
"How could divine powers be something so inconvenient?"
Their minds were entirely as one. Zhiyang promptly sat beside the desk, crossed his legs, and said:
"There's no point fooling yourself. After cultivating so hard for so long, now's the time to test the results. Who wouldn't want to try their hand?"
Zhiyang's thoughts actually represented some of Jiang Yang's own hidden thoughts. He had simply kept suppressing them—or rather, turning a blind eye to them—and now Zhiyang happened to bring them up.
"Even so, we can't amuse ourselves at the disciples' expense."
Jiang Yang shook his head, rejecting the idea.
Zhiyang did not mind. He leaned closer with interest and said:
"How about this? Lend me your divine powers, and I'll go find a few demonic cultivators or monsters to practice on. Surely that would do?"
Indeed, although Zhiyang had no divine powers of his own, this was precisely where the wonder of Plum Takes Peach's Place lay.
If Jiang Yang wished, this avatar of his could borrow some of his true body's divine powers and walk the world just the same.
Jiang Yang