Ning Caiyong's heart ached deeply. Her once-rigid body slowly relaxed.
She raised her hand and gently caressed the back of the child she had raised for nineteen years.
Ever since Gu Fangchen's dantian was destroyed at the age of twelve, his temper had grown increasingly violent and erratic. Over the years, she had often been heartbroken and exhausted by him, unable to suppress her growing disappointment.
She came from a noble and righteous sect, her nature gentle and kind. Faced with such a wayward, incorrigible son, how could she truly be without even the slightest knot in her heart?
Ning Caiyong had tried to persuade him countless times, but what she received in return was only Gu Fangchen's irritation and coldness.
In the past two years, the relationship between mother and son had grown increasingly distant.
Even with her lingering guilt, there would always come a day when such endless torment exhausted everything.
When she learned that Gu Yuye had acknowledged his true son,the newly appointed Zhuangyuan,before the court, Ning Caiyong could not deny that a fleeting sense of relief had passed through her heart.
Yet now, Gu Fangchen's display of weakness, his dependence, and his trust,
They pulled her mind back to that day when Gu Fangchen was twelve years old, when she saw the small boy lying on the ground drenched in blood, a gaping wound almost cleaving his body in half.
The blood that had flowed ceaselessly then seemed now to surge back, drowning her in waves of guilt.
She was a mother. How could she abandon her own child?
Even if he was not born of her flesh, he was raised by her hand! Nineteen years of affection,could that be false?
To even harbor a trace of such a thought would make her unworthy as a mother.
Ning Caiyong, ashamed, spoke softly,
"Do not be afraid, Chen'er. Mother is here. Mother will take you away. I will not let anyone hurt you again."
Hearing this, Gu Fangchen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He was just a gamer, not a professional actor. Facing the person who knew the original host best, it would be easy for her to see through any pretense.
So he chose to seize the initiative.
First, he used the closeness of the embrace to hide any flaws in his expression.
Second, he used her guilt, letting emotion cloud her judgment so she would not think too deeply.
Still, when he spoke, an unexpected wave of complex feelings welled up in his chest, his nose stinging slightly.
It was, perhaps, eighty percent genuine emotion.
It was as though the host's feelings had merged with his own memories.
That thought eased him somewhat. After all, in this world, the soul was a real thing. If he had truly "borrowed a corpse to return a soul," there could have been aftereffects,
And if someone saw through it, it would be a fatal risk.
This, then, was the best possible outcome.
Supported by Ning Caiyong, Gu Fangchen stood up.
As soon as he did, he doubled over and spat out another mouthful of blood.
Ning Caiyong's face turned pale. "Chen'er!"
The old woman who had been observing from the side stepped forward and placed her hand on Gu Fangchen's wrist.
Gu Fangchen immediately felt a surge of cold, dense spiritual power flow into his body, suppressing the burning pain in his chest.
After a brief examination, the old woman said quietly,
"Miss, do not worry. The young master is not in danger. The Flower-Grasping Seal remains intact. It was only an external impact that caused his qi and blood to surge, agitating the toxins in his meridians."
"With a few days of rest, he will recover."
Ning Caiyong, disregarding all propriety, reached out her slender jade-like fingers and wiped the blood from Gu Fangchen's lips. She muttered softly,
"Granny Cui, how can you tell me not to worry?"
She had just received word of trouble, and yet those people in the Prince's Residence had dared to defy orders and harm her Chen'er in secret.
If this continued...
How could Chen'er survive in this household?
Gu Fangchen, unlike Granny Cui's calmness, immediately clutched his chest and cried out miserably,
"Mother, I don't want to die! Am I about to suffer a relapse of the poison?"
Ning Caiyong hurried to comfort him, but Gu Fangchen only looked more pitiful.
"It hurts so much! It feels like there's a fire burning in my chest!"
"I knew it! Now that Gu Yuye's real son is back, he wants me to give up my place and die for him!"
He rolled up his sleeve and showed her his arm, his tone full of conviction.
"Mother, look! The poison line must have darkened!"
Ning Caiyong could see clearly. Since Master Juehui's Flower-Grasping Seal remained undisturbed, the poison could not possibly flare up again.
But Gu Fangchen's wide, pleading eyes looked straight at her.
She could see through him perfectly well, feeling both helpless and pained.
This child must be stirring up trouble again,seeking reassurance that his place in his mother's heart had not changed.
Normally, Gu Fangchen's tantrums were cruel and destructive, things that harmed others and strained their relationship.
But tonight was different. He had truly been hurt.
At least, on the surface, it appeared that way.
So Ning Caiyong thought it perfectly natural for him to seek comfort.
After a moment's thought, she said softly,
"If that is so, I will take you to the Minister of War's residence to see the monk Shenxiu. He is a direct disciple of Garan Temple, deeply versed in both the Dharma and the healing arts."
"I heard he once cured a foreign king of a strange poison. Perhaps he might have a solution."
Gu Fangchen shook his head firmly.
"No! Mother, those bald donkeys only preach moral platitudes,they don't actually heal anyone!"
His eyes flickered as he lowered his voice.
"Mother, I heard that the Princess Prajna of the Tara Sect has secretly come to Huangtian and is now staying at White Horse Temple outside the city."
Ning Caiyong froze. Princess Prajna had secretly arrived in Huangtian?
How did Chen'er even know that?
Gu Fangchen continued without pause,
"There's no healing art in the world that can compare with the divine powers of Tara Sect's attendant, Sister Xiyin."
Ning Caiyong fell silent.
That was true. Unfortunately, the Tara Sect would never act for the sake of a mere prince.
Moreover... the current one was only a false prince.
"Very well," Ning Caiyong said softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from his temple.
"Mother will take you there."
It would at least let them avoid the storm for now.
As Ning Caiyong helped Gu Fangchen toward the door, she looked back at the enforcer who had laid the restriction earlier and shook her head.
She said coldly,
"In this residence, there is no place for deceitful servants. You have earned your punishment,take it and leave."
The enforcer knelt, his face ashen.
The princess spared his life out of mercy, but once such betrayal became known, how could he ever survive?
Without the protection of the Prince's Residence, his old enemies would swarm like flies to blood.
Knowing he could not escape death, he still could not fathom why the restriction he set had suddenly turned violent.
Gritting his teeth, he lunged toward Gu Fangchen, eyes filled with hatred.
"You little,"
Before he could finish, Granny Cui appeared in a blur, lifting his head from his shoulders.
His body fell forward, lifeless.
Ning Caiyong turned her face away, unable to bear the sight, and sighed softly.
She took Gu Fangchen's hand, ordered someone to summon the eldest princess to handle the aftermath, and then walked toward the gates of the Prince's Residence.
The Flower-Grasping Courtyard soon fell quiet again, servants calmly scrubbing away the bloodstains.
Inside Gu Fangchen's ravaged bedchamber, a woman dressed in plain white stood gracefully, her steps light as a lotus. Her eyes swept coldly across every corner of the room.
Her features bore a seven-part resemblance to Ning Caiyong's, yet were sharper, her beauty colder and more refined. Her gaze gleamed like reflected moonlight, filled with disdain. Merely standing in Gu Fangchen's chamber seemed to her the greatest humiliation.
She was none other than Gu Fangchen's elder sister, the Eldest Princess of the Prince's Residence,Gu Youren.
A teacher of Yaoshan Academy, she had reached the Spirit Dao Master realm at a young age and was famed throughout the world.
Even the Sages had praised her:
"Among the living flows the grace of the ages; in her lies the brilliance of three hundred provinces."
Suddenly, Gu Youren's gaze halted.
She lifted a hand, and the pearl powder scattered across the floor floated into the air.
The blood on it had long since dried, staining the powder a dull brown.
A faint bluish light flickered and faded away.
The powder fell back to the floor.
Her brow twitched as she murmured,
"A fourth-rank formation,Reversal Wave Array... When did a Formation Master of this level appear within Huangtian City?"