The chief maidservant of the Prince's Residence, Jing'er, frowned slightly when she heard this.
"Does the Eldest Lady mean that someone acted from the shadows... to help the Heir?"
She paused deliberately.
Although everyone in the Prince's Residence already knew that Gu Fangchen was without question a fraud, until the imperial decree was issued, he remained the official Heir.
Jing'er, despite her personal dislike for this libertine who spent his days chasing women, would never break protocol as a senior maid of the household.
Gu Youren waved her sleeve, dispersing the pearl powder, her voice cold and composed.
"How could any of the Prince's household enforcers do something so foolish? Besides, Qi Rong's formation cultivation was only of the seventh rank,he didn't have the ability to construct a fourth-rank formation."
Qi Rong was the name of the now-decapitated enforcer.
The Eldest Princess's eyes darkened.
"Furthermore, even a fourth-rank formation alone is not enough to call someone a master."
"What matters is this person's extraordinary understanding of formations and their effortless execution."
"The differences between restrictions and formations are vast. To be able to seamlessly convert one into another,such mastery would require at least a second-rank level of attainment in the Formation Path."
She murmured to herself,
"But within the Great Wei, there are only three recognized masters of formation arts."
"And all three are not presently in Huangtian City."
Jing'er hesitated.
"The formation was engraved on pearls? It's impossible for anyone to infiltrate the Prince's Residence. The chamber was completely sealed at the time..."
Her heart trembled as her thoughts reached a shocking conclusion.
Could it be that the Heir himself had done it?
Gu Youren caught the fleeting thought in Jing'er's eyes and gave her a faint, dismissive glance.
Jing'er immediately forced a laugh.
Of course, that was absurd. How could that be possible?
A man's personality could be faked,but a destroyed dantian could not.
He was incapable of cultivation. How could he conceal such a thing?
And besides, with Gu Fangchen's useless, uneducated, glue-brained nature, learning formation arts? That would be the greatest joke under heaven!
Gu Youren shook her head and gazed toward the night sky outside the window, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"The room may have been sealed tonight, but the things within it might not have appeared tonight."
"That little wretch doesn't have the brains for this. He must be someone's pawn. Mother must not be deceived by him again."
"Send orders to the Shadow Guards accompanying her,have them report back immediately on where they go."
Jing'er bowed her head.
"Yes, my lady."
Gu Youren tapped her palm lightly with the scroll in her hand.
"By the way, when will Father return?"
"When Grandmaster Pei examined the bloodline, he discovered that this matter seemed tied to the Demonic Sect. His Lordship is currently petitioning His Majesty. He should return within the hour."
As for the result of the bloodline examination, there was no need to mention it.
Gu Youren exhaled slowly, thinking of how her real younger brother was the newly appointed Zhuangyuan, and her chest swelled with pride and satisfaction.
"That worthless beast who disgraced the Prince's Residence for so many years,finally, justice is restored, and all is set right again."
"Clang! Boom,boom,boom!"
In the stillness of the night, the deep toll of a temple bell echoed through the mountains, startling flocks of birds into flight.
By the lakeshore at the mountain's base, a small fishing boat rocked gently. An unattended fishing rod rolled twice across the planks, scattering circles of ripples across the water, reflecting the wavering glow of the fisherman's lantern.
Granny Cui reined in the dark spirit horse at the mountain path before the temple.
Gu Fangchen leapt off the carriage first and, out of habit, turned to offer his hand to Ning Caiyong.
Ning Caiyong froze for a moment, her gaze falling on Gu Fangchen's hand, freshly rebandaged. For an instant, her eyes flickered with emotion.
When she didn't respond, Gu Fangchen urged,
"Mother, what are you standing there for?"
He muttered, "I heard that Princess Prajna possesses the bearing of a celestial maiden. When she was born, golden lotuses bloomed beneath her feet, her body exuded divine fragrance, and her beauty was beyond mortal measure. I wonder if that's true..."
Ning Caiyong finally came back to herself. With a faint smile, she reached out and tapped his forehead.
"So that's why you know of Princess Prajna,because you're thinking of her looks, aren't you? Did those scoundrel friends of yours put you up to this again?"
Her tone grew more serious.
"Chen'er, you must not let yourself be used by such people."
"The Tara Sect is one of the two great Buddhist sects, and in terms of influence, it surpasses even your grandfather's clan."
"Princess Prajna is the sect's Holy Maiden. Her status commands obedience throughout the order, her cultivation is unfathomable, and her moods are unpredictable."
"She is not a woman you can afford to provoke. Do you understand?"
Gu Fangchen gave a careless "oh," and seeing that she was satisfied, he quietly exhaled in relief.
Damn it, the original host was such a rebellious brat that he wouldn't even offer his mother a hand when getting out of the carriage,just strutted off on his own.
When Gu Fangchen realized what he'd done, cold sweat nearly broke out down his back!
Too close. He'd have to be more cautious.
The persona could be adjusted slowly, but such habits must be preserved for now.
If Ning Caiyong grew suspicious, he'd have to activate his backup escape plan.
Though this starting point was extremely unfavorable, in terms of identity and resources, he still stood above ninety-nine percent of all cultivators in the world.
Moreover, this seemingly useless, doomed-to-die playboy might be connected to a shocking hidden storyline from the game.
To a player, that was pure gold.
If he could endure the enmity of the entire Prince's Residence and Huangtian City, there was enormous potential here,enormous!
If his identity could be preserved, it absolutely should be.
Gu Fangchen followed the two women up the mountain steps, raising his head curiously to look at the outline of White Horse Temple among the forested peaks.
The White Horse Temple had been built by the founding emperor of Great Wei, originally intended as a resting place for traveling monks and Daoists.
But over time, as the imperial court and the immortal sects entered a golden age of cooperation, the temple became a meeting hub where many factions exchanged intelligence.
In the game, it was known as a popular location for side quests to refresh,also one of the most convenient places for players to take up a monk class.
Many players would camp there early in the game to farm randomly refreshed missions.
With good luck, you could level twenty times in just three days.
Gu Fangchen felt a strange fondness for the place.
,Of course, he should. Every new save file he created, he ended up imprisoned here for anywhere from three to ten days. He even knew exactly how many hemorrhoids the abbot of White Horse Temple had.
At that very moment, the venerable abbot, revered for his virtue, was speaking with Ning Caiyong when he suddenly felt an involuntary twitch in his backside.
Ning Caiyong blinked in surprise.
"Abbot, what's the matter?"
"Nothing."
The abbot coughed twice, pressed his palms together, and said solemnly, "It seems Your Ladyship misheard. There are no visitors from the Tara Sect here tonight."
"Truly?"
"Truly. A monk does not lie."
Ning Caiyong turned back to glance at Gu Fangchen.
The young man froze, then erupted in outrage.
"How can that be?! Did they trick me?"
Of course, he hadn't truly come for Princess Prajna,he just vaguely remembered that she should be arriving at White Horse Temple around this time.
If she came, great.
If she didn't, even better.
Ning Caiyong sighed in relief. So it had been just idle talk after all. As she thought,how could her son possibly know the whereabouts of the Tara Sect's Holy Maiden?
She comforted him gently, then said,
"Since that's the case, we'll stay here for the night. The Prince's Residence is dangerous now,it's better not to return."
Late that night, Gu Fangchen used the excuse of needing to relieve himself and wandered down the mountain path, parting the grass as he walked, a stalk of wild reed in his mouth.
Granny Cui followed distantly, keeping a discreet watch.
The reeds swayed in the night wind, the desolate ferry landing empty. Only a small fishing boat floated quietly on the dark water.
Lantern light flickered faintly.
Gu Fangchen looked up at the air above his head.
[Emperor (23 hours 27 minutes)]
Still enough time.
He took two quick steps, jumped onto the boat, and lifted the straw curtain. Inside lay a white-haired old man, ragged and disheveled, snoring soundly beneath a wide bamboo hat.
Gu Fangchen grinned.
"Old Ding, how about I give you a chance at fortune?"