Inside the room, the Princess Royal, who was bathing, of course wore no clothes.
A pair of long, slender legs stepped out from behind the screen, followed by towering, flawless peaks that seemed to glow like twin moons, illuminating the entire room in a flash.
Gu Fangchen's eyes widened instinctively. Though he could swear to heaven it was just an accident, this wasn't a game, since there was no "undo," he might as well make the most of it.
What the game never allowed, he finally got to experience today.
After all, the "Great Furnace" Company's code had been unbreakable; no player could even install a mod.
As the saying went: He who fails to seize Heaven's gift, deserves Heaven's punishment.
His gaze dropped slightly. Hmm... was that natural, or had the Princess simply wanted to feel cooler?
"Presumptuous!"
The Princess reacted instantly. Her cold voice cut the air as she spun, wrapped herself in a wide bath towel, and delivered a punch with crushing force.
"Boom!"
Gu Fangchen saw a blur, wind slammed into his face, and his scalp tingled, but thankfully, there was no killing intent.
Otherwise, he'd be making another trip to the Yellow Springs, to play hide and seek with his ancestral grandmother again.
Having received Ding Xingfeng's personal instruction these past few days, Gu Fangchen's understanding of martial arts had advanced by leaps and bounds.
By sheer instinct, he could tell that Xiao Yinghao's punch was meant only as punishment, not to kill.
Realizing this, his heart relaxed slightly.
But his body didn't stop. Seeing her fist come at him, he instinctively ducked low and countered with a punch toward the open spot beneath her arm.
The Perfect Pair Technique was purely offensive, no retreat, no defense.
After two days of brutal drilling by Ding Xingfeng, Gu Fangchen even dreamed of fighting. To be able to exchange a blow with a top-tier Third Grade martial artist thrilled him on instinct.
Of course... the fact that he had just seen something he shouldn't have, and his blood was still boiling, also played a role.
Unfortunately, while his move was sound in principle, to Xiao Yinghao it was nothing.
She gave a cold snort, clamped her arm downward, twisted, kicked, and swept his leg in one smooth motion,
"Thud!"
Gu Fangchen was slammed onto the floor. As he rolled to get up, his vision darkened and something heavy pressed down on his waist. The radiant "twin moons" once again dominated his field of view.
In sheer grandeur, it rivaled the Sky-Piercing Sword of the Seventy-Two Peaks when it tore free from the mountains.
Truly a sight to behold.
From his current angle, Gu Fangchen had to tilt his head back slightly to see the Princess's peerless face in full.
Each breath brought him the faint fragrance of her skin, mingled with the rising mist, dizzying his senses.
Oh wait, no, that dizziness was from being hit.
The Princess Royal, towering above, had him completely pinned, no, rather, the "guest she herself had summoned" was now subdued beneath her.
Only two layers of his clothing separated them, and she could easily sense the state of his body.
"Oh?"
Xiao Yinghao narrowed her eyes in surprise.
"Inner Breath... Fifth Grade?"
Just a few days?
At the banquet, Gu Fangchen had barely reached the peak of the Sixth Grade, newly advanced, his aura sharp and proud enough to defy the Northern Garrison Prince to his face.
The Sixth Grade, the Martial Courage Realm, represented "Release", a realm of fearless dominance, where a single glance or shout could kill.
That night in the Hall of the Violet Extremity, Gu Fangchen's martial courage had reached its peak, his spirit burning like a blade, over a spilled cup of wine.
Few present had dared meet his gaze.
But the Fifth Grade, the Refined-Heart Realm, was "Restraint", the transformation from outward explosion to inward refinement, a return to calm purity.
Such a drastic change was unmistakable to the eye.
Earlier, caught off guard, Xiao Yinghao hadn't noticed. She'd only been focused on teaching the insolent little thief a lesson.
Now she suddenly realized: Gu Fangchen had broken through again!
In just three days, he had ascended to the level of a grandmaster.
Monstrous!
She herself had taken half a year of battlefield tempering to cross that same threshold.
Even explaining it as "accumulation bursting forth" seemed absurd.
As the number one on the Lesser Heaven List, Xiao Yinghao had always been the kind of prodigy others envied. Yet now, for the first time, she knew what envy felt like herself.
The Princess gazed at the awkward young man beneath her, her opinion of him rewritten yet again.
She had once seen him as an exceptional youth favored by the Emperor, an excellent pawn to balance Gu Yuanye, worthy of cultivation and alliance.
But given his age, even with special means to repair his meridians and dantian, his physique was fixed; Fifth Grade should've been his limit.
And yet, this was clearly just the beginning.
Such a prodigious talent, rising out of nowhere and shattering Gu Yuanye's long-laid schemes... could he really have done it on his own?
Could Father have been secretly grooming him all along?
Xiao Yinghao narrowed her eyes, a cold smile forming.
"How bold. As expected of Huangtian City's foremost wastrel, sneaking into this Princess's bath in the middle of the night. What is your intention?"
Gu Fangchen felt framed by fate itself and protested,
"Your Highness, it was you who summoned me to your residence at midnight, "
"Did I tell you to come into my bedchamber?"
"Well... no..."
He looked sincere.
"But this was really an accident. I had just entered, when Your Highness suddenly came from behind the screen. Besides, I thought with my meager cultivation, Your Highness would surely have noticed me in advance."
Indeed, she hadn't sensed his presence earlier, and she had no idea what stealth method he'd used.
But prideful as she was, she would never admit that.
With a cold snort, she glared sharply.
"So, are you saying this is my fault?"
"Wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare..."
He shook his head quickly, unfortunately, when he shook, his waist also shifted slightly.
The Princess, being far heavier and far stronger, didn't move.
Which meant the friction between their clothes was... alarmingly distinct.
Two poetic lines suddenly sprang to his mind:
"Beneath the pines, sanded paths, the stream runs clear,
Short orchids wade the shallows, unstained by mud."
Noticing his flushed face and rising heat, Xiao Yinghao arched an eyebrow. Then she leaned down, her phoenix eyes gleaming with mischief, and traced a circle on his chest with her finger.
"Wouldn't dare? Hmph. Yet here you are."
"The last time you lifted my skirt in public, this time you sneak into my chamber at night. I dare not imagine what you'll do next."
She blew softly into his ear.
"Tell me, if we were discovered like this, and the Prince Consort were informed, what then?"
"..."
Gu Fangchen couldn't help thinking, she was doing this on purpose.
Giving him a little taste, then using it to control him.
Just like the banquet, under the table.
So typical of someone who studied warfare, cunning to the core.
And she clearly enjoyed toying with the "innocent youth" act, finding pleasure in the danger.
In truth, Xiao Yinghao didn't mind him seeing her naked. In her eyes, Gu Fangchen was already her chosen consort, almost publicly declared so.
Love between man and woman was natural. And she was the one enjoying it; what shame was there?
If one day she were to sit upon the imperial throne, the Empress of Great Wei should have a heart broad enough for this.
Her earlier anger had been more at herself, for failing to notice his presence sooner.
Gu Fangchen's expression turned complicated.
So the Princess liked "younger men"... in that sense?
Unable to find the right sapling before, now that she'd found him, she was plucking with enthusiasm.
But he was struggling.
Lately, he had deliberately restrained himself, letting his blood and qi settle to prevent further instability, he hadn't even visited Xuexiang.
Now, with the Princess teasing him like this, restraint was impossible.
Worse, she was ten times stronger, he couldn't move an inch if she didn't allow it.
Trying to "discuss business" like this might actually kill him.
Taking a deep breath, he decided to push through and play along, maybe he could turn this to his advantage.
Looking up seriously, he caught her wrist and said,
"Your Highness, such conduct may tarnish your reputation. Please, let us stop here. I once played the wastrel out of necessity; my name is already ruined. I dare not drag Your Highness down with me."
Xiao Yinghao tilted her head, squinting.
"So righteous? You claim it was all an act, yet I don't quite believe it."
Gu Fangchen straightened.
"I am no righteous gentleman, but Your Highness is the pillar of Great Wei, a goddess of war, a future candidate for the throne. Your name must never be sullied by someone like me, or mistaken for licentiousness, ah..."
He didn't finish. She had silenced him, her palm pressing down, grasping exactly what she wanted.
Seeing his composure crumble, her lips curved in triumph.
"Such pretty words, but your body is far more honest."
Then, her tone shifted back to the commanding "War Goddess."
"Fifth Grade, Refined-Heart Realm, your essence and qi should be unified, yet a mere touch disturbs your concentration. Your training is sloppy."
"If you wish to serve me, you must first be useful. With skills like this, you couldn't even defend yourself, much less lead my White Dragon Army formation."
Gu Fangchen sighed inwardly.
She was truly adept at "descending the slope" when convenient, he hadn't even agreed to anything, yet suddenly he was her subordinate.
Still, refusing now would be disastrous... in every sense.
And politically, helping her aligned with his plans.
Gu Yuanye's true advantage was his military power.
If Xiao Yinghao grew strong enough, she could absorb his Xuanhuang Army, stripping him of his foundation.
Originally, Gu Fangchen's endgame had been to overthrow Great Wei entirely and establish a new order.
But now he suspected that Six Dusts Return to Purity wasn't the true ending.
If he followed that route, he might just enter another cycle, a trap. Until he deciphered the meaning of the Heaven's Gate Mountain testament, he wouldn't decide the final path.
For now, supporting Xiao Yinghao was the best branch route, the Weight of the Human Heart ending, the most balanced of all.
Helping her had always been his intent.
And if she'd even pay him for it, so much the better.
A double win.
With a calm gaze, he said sincerely,
"My cultivation is shallow, my will unsteady. I humbly ask Your Highness to temper me further, that I may one day serve your cause to my utmost."
Pleased with his attitude, Xiao Yinghao's fingers tugged lightly at her "sapling," eyes glimmering as she slid back slightly.
A trail of moisture marked his clothes.
For cultivators like them, even through fabric, sensation was vivid.
Seeing him stiffen and blush, she chuckled softly.
"For my reputation's sake, you must not make a sound. My dear consort excels at stealth, he may well be hiding outside right now."
"..."
Gu Fangchen could only nod obediently.
The water bucket beside them steamed, fog curling through the chamber. The sound of rippling water masked the soft, breathy sounds that followed.
"Your Highness, I, "
"Shh. Quiet. Lie down."
"...Yes."
But her long bath inevitably drew attention.
Knock, knock!
"Your Highness, shall we change the water?"
"Mmm... no need. I'm retiring. You're dismissed."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The "wicked woman" Xiao Yinghao lay lazily on top of him, breathing softly.
Gu Fangchen's hand, now quite impolite, rested on her waist, but she didn't seem to mind.
In a drowsy voice, she murmured,
"Gu Yuanye's been interrogating that stable hand in the Sky Prison. He's learned something new."
"He may soon use your parentage to make another move."
Gu Fangchen froze, eyes narrowing.
"So I'm not really that stable hand's son, am I?"
....
Jiangnan, Lútái Road.
The sacred mountain of scholars, Mount Yao, stood deep within the forests there.
And the Dugu Clan of Lútái Road, from which the current Empress hailed, was the foremost cultivation family of Jiangnan.
Yet the Dugu lineage was vast, its influence stretching across Jiangnan; the Lútái branch was merely the largest.
The second largest was the Gushu branch, home of Dugu Yue.
Within the Yao Mountain Academy, several great scholars sat cross-legged upon a stone platform.