Not wanting to test if any of the oaths to secrecy he had given during this week, Wu Guang only transferred a few bits of his memories. Anyway, there were enough for Chun Hua to get the overall picture.

As he entered what looked like a hut, he indeed ended in some kind of enormous formation. Afterward, a cold, detached, voice told him to walk a few feet to the front and then sit down while expanding his aura.

Doing as instructed, Wu Guang felt that the formation began slowly siphoning his qi and soul power via the aura, something that he immediately voiced out.

"Do not get alarmed, this is to bind you to the key" The same voice sounded again.

"Mmm, will it take long?"

"A few days, but do not worry, it will not use up more than half of the normal amount a cultivator of your realm has"

And so, Wu Guang spend a full day in silence while his extended aura was slowly siphoned. It was only on the next day that he felt that something a few feet under him began to resonate to his aura. "Is that the key?" Wu Guang thought, but even so, he decided against trying to do anything, after all, he wasn't sure that would not affect the process.

On the third day of his practically forced seclusion inside the formation, Wu Guang felt that his mind was getting hazy. But before he reacted, an aged voice entered his mind via qi transmission.

"Just sitting there will be boring, and I had wanted to speak with you. Let your mind flow and meet me"

A mental meeting was the voluntary touching of two consciousness. Knowing about them, Wu Guang did not resist and complied.

The entire meeting, which took almost four days was sworn to secrecy by himself, and so the next thing Chun Hua saw was his awakening.

When Wu Guang opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of a small key. There was nothing uncommon about the form, looking like it was meant for a normal lock. Still, the sheer spirituality that could be felt and the qi disturbance around it instantly made him recognize that the materials used to refine it were... at the least very rare. With the key feeling as an extension of him, and having received a few instructions during his meeting, Wu Guangwith a simple thought called for it. And on this instruction, the floating key flew towards him and landed on his palm. It then dissolved, or entered his dantian, leaving only a tattooed image on his palm.

Afterward, he was instructed by the detached voice from the start to stand up and leave, which he did.

"..." Chun Hua did not say anything, but Wu Guang could practically read her mind.

"Disappointed? Don't be. I can share some of the things we talked about, albeit only the ones that I was not forced to include into the oaths"

"And?"

"Let me explain..." Wu Guang resumed the allowed information in three more-or-less understandable short explanations.

________________________________________________________________________

Forty years ago, a boy was born in one of the branch families related to one of the most important clans of the Empire, the Chen's. This boy was born with a very rare blessing, having an innate consciousness comparable to at least a peak Sage realm cultivator. Still, such blessings had always some kind of curse accompanying them, which in this case was the lack of any cultivation talent. Even after dozens of rare resources and methods were used, his cultivation stagnated in the Spirit realm.

Normally one would think that the boy, at that point a young man would be dispirited, but such was not the case. Using his consciousness, and learning everything he could from different masters, he created his own path. A path that no one could imitate, that he called 'Speaking with the Earth'. As the name implied, it allowed him to communicate with the land, finding any rare resources, hidden caves, and even mapping all the land he could feel... instantly.

Such power was something not only unheard of, but also extremely valuable, so what he had missed as a cultivator, he began gaining on this new path.

When he turned 24, the head of the branch family brought him to meet with the head of the main one. The latter was and continued to be the Minister of War. It seemed that the Emperor had a plan, and for its completion, the Minister gave him a mission... To leave the island and journey the entire plane.

Doing so under the guise of selling his talents for finding resources, he would create a map of every island and power.

The mission was accomplished in a few years, but to avoid leaving any clues of his actual involvement, the now-grown man decided to not return to the empire. He even married, settled down, and had a son... on Half-Island.

"This man name was Chen Heng, later changed to Wu Heng"

"The father of the body you took over? But wasn't he part of a clan from that port city you showed me in your memories?"

"It seems that he once saved the life of the head of the Wu family and with the latter having no male heirs, invited into the family. Initially, he was meant to marry the woman that in my memories was my aunt, but met the one that turned out to be the mother of Wu Guang and so was simply adopted"

"Humans have such difficult relationships"

"Hah, and that is not the worse of them. Still, this is one of the things that I learned and the reason for the sudden change in my status from guest to Lord for the soldiers"

"So you now have a... family?"

"There are no close-kin, which is good for me. As for the overall branch and main families, I have met only two. And hopefully, I'll not meet others" Wu Guang did not lie when saying this. He obviously did not feel close to any kin of Wu Guang nor wanted to interact with them.

"Two?"

"Well, it turns out that my so-good luck with getting backers is easily explained. The one that we know as Deng Zian, is called Chen Zian. He was severely crippled during an accident and has resolved to use corpse puppets. Still, he is part of the same branch family as me and the only person on Half-Island that knew about everything since the start"

"And the second?"

"It's the person that I mentally met inside the formation. Regretfully, I can not share anything about his identity" Indeed, even though their connection wasn't really talking, Wu Guang still considered that it would be a breach of the oath of not telling a single living soul. And so, the fact that he had met the same person that had sent 'his father' to the mission, practically the second man in the Empire, the Minister of War and Head of the main family... Chen Jiahao.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"So you are changing your name as well?"

"Myself? No. I am already stressed enough with Wu Guang's life to maintain. Still, being related to such a family means a different treatment and maybe, just maybe, being referred to as Lord Chen Guang by some"

Chun Hua did not answer, seemingly not caring in the slightest. And right, why would she? For her, Wu Guang was the Wu Guang she met and was bound to. So whatever was his original self, his new name or status... It did not affect or interest her at all.

"Wait, did that girl know about it?" Suddenly Chun Hua asked

"You mean Xue Ru?"

"Yes"

"No, seemingly no one except a few one's from the clan knew about 'my' father's real identity"

"And did you find out why she was asking if you remembered her?"

"I almost forgot about it, but, yes. Albeit she calls the person I met with uncle, she is far less related to him than that. Her Xia family are part of the families aligned to the Chen's, and by chance or a stroke of luck, she was noticed by the latter and became their close retainer. As for when we met, it turned out that a few people from the Empire had come to visit my father several times even after I was born. On one of these visits, she was brought along"

"Oh"

"Mmm, it's impressive that she still remembers the young mortal Wu Guang"

"And the reason for her trying to keep you on this plane?"

"It comes from the fact that she read all the reports and information about me, or to be sincere was allowed to do so. I think that maybe, just maybe, it was part of a plan. I am allowed to do whatever I want, but if I stay, would it not be for the better? So why not tempt me with a beauty?"

"But why did you mentally call it a honey-trap? What even is a honey-trap?"

"I will explain to you later, for now, let's continue" Wu Guang did not want to delve into the matter of teaching Chun Hua such things, and so decided to change the theme.

________________________________________________________________________

With the second explanation, Wu Guang was far briefer.

The Emperor that had led the Empire during the war was still in power and so always expected that the war could restart. He made several plans, most of which depended on the timing and cause. One of these plans, the one that was already set into motion was to utilize the advantage of being the only power with formations and the maps created by Chen Heng. Simply put, hiddenly and speedily plant an elite corp of soldiers on every island and as soon the main hostile armies departed, capture their seats of power.

"...And as you can guess, it has just begun. There are another three task groups like this one preparing. Their destinations being the Flaming Sun Island, the Fiery Island, and Green Pastures"

"..."

"It seems that the Empire considers everyone except the Holy Light Monastery as opponents as soon as they start, and well, I can not say they are wrong"

"I do not care about what happens to the human powers and such"

"Mmm, thought so"

Whatever anyone could think about the moral side of this, the plan was indeed good.

________________________________________________________________________

The third part of his explanation was basically about what he was meant to do, where he stood, and what were the current plans.

"In short, right now I will be returning to Half-Island and completing the task of unsealing the Sect's leadership. I will also help them activate the formations hidden by the Empire during the Sect's establishment. Afterward, I am free to do whatever I want"

"You said something about your... friends? And don't forget about my body"

"Mmm, both are something that I plan to resolve. I'll stick around Half-Island for a few weeks and see how goes the war. I am no hero, but if I may help a few people then it's good. My friends can come along with me and escape the island, but I doubt most of them will do so. So I will probably wait until the Empire's plan works out and the invading forces retreat or surrender"

"...My body" Chun Hua reminded again

"I did not forget about it! As soon as I see someone who can be killed and used by you, I will fulfill that obligation"

"Can be killed?"

"Well, remember that we talked that this method would be considered evil?"

"Yes"

"But it would be passable if we kill a criminal, or maybe an enemy. Fewer people, if anyone, will complain"

"Oh, it is like that?"

"Indeed"

________________________________________________________________________

Wu Guang omitted a lot of things either because they were unrelated, sworn to secrecy, or simply not needed for Chun Hua. Still, during this improvised retelling, he had recalled one.

The favor he was asked by Chen Jiahao.

It was more akin to a command, but as it could be refused, Wu Guang preferred to think of it as a favor, and one with a good reward.

The matter was to leave the Sect after finishing with the two errands and after assembling a small team, move towards the Demonic Plateau. The Black Eagles had been very interested, and even used the death rain, so he was meant to check for any signs of their further intrusions into that forbidden land. Especially as the yearly week during which the rain would fall would start in a few days.

Plus, Wu Guang's presence in the Wildlands would serve to keep an eye on the situation. After all, the Sect planned to move most of the mortal population behind the 'Boundary Hill City' walls, which meant that several dozens, if not hundreds, thousand people would take refugee in the Wildlands. The clans had accepted it, at least openly, but that did not imply there would be no incidents. Especially if there were a few Black Eagles or Underhill members around.

*Knock* *Knock*

A sudden knock on the door brought Wu Guang back to reality. He quickly dispelled the alarms, partially recalled his aura, and opened the door.

Outside, a sailor stood. And right as the door opened, saluted while reporting

"We are about to reach the point where Lord has to change ships"

"Understood, thank you"

When the sailor left, Wu Guang exhaled while muttering

"Such a difference in speed between formation ships and rune ships is sure an enormous advantage for the Empire..."

And indeed, less than a day had passed since the ship set sail and they were already close to Half-Island!