** The Naming Incident (It wouldn't have been an incident if you just gave me a good name! Damn! - James) **

As James indulged in his daydreams about the potential gifts from the audience, his reverie was abruptly interrupted by a stirring in the cave.

His attention snapped back to the present as the young woman he had carried to the cave began to stir.

With a faint groan, the woman slowly blinked her eyes open, squinting against the dim light filtering into the cavern.

Her gaze shifted around the cave until it settled on James.

Her expression shifted from confusion to mild surprise at finding herself in unfamiliar surroundings.

"Ah, you're awake," James greeted her, offering a friendly yet cautious smile.

"Took a bit of a tumble there. Welcome to... well, wherever this is."

The young woman blinked a few more times, trying to gather her bearings.

"Where am I?" she murmured, her voice raspy from unconsciousness.

"In a cave," James replied with a shrug, trying to maintain a casual air.

"It's not much, but it's home for the time being."

As the woman slowly sat up, she shot a curious glance at James.

"And who might you be?" she inquired, her gaze flitting over him with a mix of curiosity and wariness.

"Name's James," he introduced himself with a nod.

"Found you face-planted in the forest and thought I'd lend a hand. Literally."

The woman furrowed her brow, her memory gradually returning.

"I remember falling," she muttered, then eyed James with a hint of gratitude.

"Thank you for helping me."

"No problem," James replied with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

"Just being a good Samaritan in this bizarre world of ours. Now, how are you feeling?" he asked, concern lacing his words as he glanced at her, ready to assist further if needed.

The young woman emerged from her daze, dressed in a light blue robe, the typical attire in cultivation circles for women.

The fabric draped elegantly, accentuating her lithe form.

Her pale silver hair cascaded down her back, fastened by a striking crystal phoenix hairpin that shimmered in the cave's dim light.

Her complexion matched her hair's ethereal hue, while her eyes, a mesmerizing shade of almost amethyst, held a captivating depth.

Observing her appearance, James couldn't help but acknowledge the woman's striking presence.

"Well, well," he commented, addressing the unseen audience with a hint of playful intrigue.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a 'cultivation fashionista' here. Light blue robes, crystal hairpin—very chic, if I do say so myself. And those eyes? Almost otherworldly."

He paused for effect, his tone carrying a subtle note of jest.

"I must say, audience, you've got a good eye for aesthetics. Can't help but appreciate the visual flair you've given to our sudden companion. Nicely done."

With a wry smile, James glanced back at the woman, noting her delicate features and the air of mystery that seemed to surround her.

He awaited her reaction, curious to see how she would adjust to the unusual circumstances and the unexpected company she found herself in.

As the woman observed James engaged in what appeared to be a conversation with an unseen presence, her confusion grew.

"Um, excuse me," she began tentatively, eyeing James with a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Who... who are you talking to?"

James, momentarily caught off guard, blinked and turned toward her, registering her query.

"Oh, the audience?" he replied casually, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

"You know, the invisible spectators watching our grand adventure unfold. The ones calling the shots from the side-lines." He gestured vaguely toward an empty space, as if pointing towards an unseen crowd.

The woman's brow furrowed in bewilderment.

"Audience?" she echoed, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"I don't see anyone else here. Are you alright?" She eyed James with a mixture of concern and puzzlement.

"Or is it me who's not okay?"

James chuckled softly, sensing her confusion.

"Right, sorry about that," he conceded, realizing the peculiarity of his explanation.

"Must've sounded odd. It's... it's complicated." He offered a reassuring smile, attempting to ease her apparent discomfort.

"Let's just say I'm... used to having imaginary friends around.

You're definitely okay; it's probably just me." He hoped his attempt at explanation would suffice, even though he knew it was far from conventional.

Despite the initial confusion about James's seemingly odd behaviour, the young woman couldn't shake off her wariness.

While she appreciated his assistance, a lingering concern about potential danger gnawed at the edges of her thoughts.

She assessed James carefully, noting his mortal aura, and concluded that he posed no immediate threat.

"Thank you for helping me," she offered with a nod, acknowledging his assistance despite her reservations.

"I appreciate it."

As James inquired about the circumstances surrounding her fall, the woman's expression shifted, her features tightening with a mix of worry and apprehension.

"I was being chased," she admitted, a hint of distress in her voice.

"I don't remember much, but I had a pursuer."

To her surprise, James didn't seem fazed by her revelation.

"Well, would you look at that," he remarked, his tone surprisingly nonchalant.

"Not surprised in the least, to be honest."

The woman eyed him with a mixture of confusion and concern.

"You're... not surprised?" she inquired, a hint of disbelief colouring her words.

James shook his head, a wry smile playing on his lips.

"Let's just say this world has a knack for throwing curveballs," he explained cryptically.

"Chasing, being chased—par for the course, really." He offered a reassuring nod, attempting to downplay the situation despite the gravity of her circumstances.

As the woman introduced herself as 'Li Meiying,' James suddenly found himself at a crossroads.

"Li Meiying," he repeated, nodding in acknowledgment. "A lovely name."

However, a realization dawned upon him—a disconcerting one at that.

"Wait a minute," he muttered under his breath, glancing towards the invisible audience.

"I can't just introduce myself as James in a cultivation world, can I? Are there even foreigners in these stories?" He paused, awaiting some form of confirmation from the audience, a sign that he wasn't alone in this realization.

"Have any of you seen a foreigner in a cultivation story?" he quipped, throwing the question out into the unknown void.

"Because I sure haven't. Not even a passing mention. Am I breaking some unwritten rule here?"

Faced with this newfound dilemma, James mulled over his options.

"Alright," he muttered, deliberating on a more fitting name.

"It can't be a typical name. I need something more, something better!"

But just as he geared up for a grand introduction with a chosen moniker, the author intervened with a swift decision.

"Ye Chen," echoed a voice in James's mind, cutting off his train of thought.

"The *what*?" James exclaimed, disbelief colouring his voice.

"Ye Chen? The f*ck, author?! That's not what I had in mind at all!" He shot a mock glare towards the metaphorical authorial heavens, a mix of indignation and amusement etched on his face.

"Seriously, of all the names... Ye Chen?" He shook his head in disbelief, resigned to the sudden turn of events thrust upon him by the whims of the unseen author.

Meiying's eyes widened in astonishment at James's seemingly erratic behaviour, especially his sudden outbursts directed towards the invisible void.

"Ye Chen?" she echoed, a mixture of surprise and amusement in her voice. "That's an... interesting name."

James, still grappling with the abrupt imposition of the name, shot an incredulous look towards the unseen forces orchestrating his fate.

"Bland is an understatement," he retorted, shaking his head in mild exasperation.

"More like 'plain as a bowl of rice.'"

Feeling somewhat reassured by the author's assurance that his name was not set in stone, James raised an eyebrow.

"So, what you're saying is... I've got a shot at something better?" he questioned, a glimmer of hope in his voice.

"A second vote, perhaps? Let the audience decide on something that won't make me cringe every time I introduce myself?"

The author, through the narrative, conveyed the possibility of a future name change, contingent upon the audience's preference.

James couldn't help but feel a slight sense of relief at the prospect, a chance to shed the unexpectedly lacklustre name that had been thrust upon him.

With this newfound possibility in the air, he turned to Meiying, a faint grin forming.

"Looks like we might have a chance at rectifying this naming catastrophe, after all," he quipped, a hint of optimism colouring his words.

Ye Chen, previously James, winced as a dreadful memory resurfaced—the infamous "Boaty McBoatface" debacle from the past.

The mere thought of leaving his fate in the audience's hands, especially after that infamous naming incident, sent shivers down his spine.

"Oh no, not that," he muttered to himself, recalling the chaos and absurdity that ensued.

Realization dawned upon him like a thunderclap.

"If it's left to the audience..." Ye Chen's voice trailed off, his expression shifting from discomfort to a fierce determination.

The horror of a whimsical and potentially disastrous name choice by the collective masses flashed before his eyes, leaving an acrid taste in his mouth.

Turning to the invisible audience, Ye Chen's tone turned serious, his eyes blazing with a hint of menace.

"Alright, listen up," he addressed the unseen spectators, his voice carrying a stern edge.

"I've been down this road before, and I'll be damned if I let you turn this into another 'Boaty McBoatface' situation."

A mix of defiance and warning tinged his words.

"I'm not playing games here. My name—whatever it ends up being—is off-limits for any absurd choices. None of that 'McBoatface' nonsense," he declared firmly, his gaze fixed on the unseen crowd.

"You mess this up, and we'll have bigger problems than just a name. Clear?" His threat hung in the air, a silent warning that he wasn't about to tolerate any whimsical suggestions.