[He's sure about to find out. Nie Mingjue doesn't know all of his fate yet - certainly not about the fierce corpse and Jin Guangyao keeping his head like a trophy - but he does know where he was and what he was going through before he woke up in this dream.]

You cannot be unaware of my reputation, or the reputations of past Nie Sect Leaders. Before I arrived in these caverns, I was in qi deviation. [So, dead. Should be dead.]

I cannot be certain if I am still at risk of it here. If I am, then it could affect Xichen as well, were we to Bond. [That's... the easiest explanation, anyway.]