Then are you a Daoist or not?
That was the question that rose instinctively in both of their minds before they immediately snapped back to alertness.
This man was far too suspicious.
He appeared out of nowhere, calling himself "Not Daoist."
Qi Linghua's face hardened as she barked coldly, "Utter nonsense. What is your purpose? If you refuse to speak, then we will test you first!"
Gu Fangchen shook his head, waving a hand.
"I have not come down from the mountains to fight, but because I divined that someone would suffer calamity due to me. I came here to save a life."
Qiu He frowned, taken aback. "Who?"
"You were just talking about her, weren't you?"
Gu Fangchen said, "The Northern Garrison Prince's youngest daughter, Gu Lianqian."
Qi Linghua and Qiu He exchanged wary glances. Their tone grew colder. "And why would the little princess suffer calamity because of you?"
Gu Lianqian was clearly being hunted because information from the Sky-Eye Division had leaked.
Could this man be one of them? But he didn't look like it.
The intelligence brokers of the Sky-Eye Division were greedy, but they didn't play at mysticism.
Gu Fangchen's expression remained calm. He sighed lightly.
"The Sky-Eye Division was mistaken. The 'Lotus Concealed in the Womb' is not on Gu Lianqian, it's with me."
As he spoke, he turned his palm over, revealing a translucent lotus.
Veins of blood coursed through its petals. At its center, a lump of red flesh pulsed like a heart, releasing a sweet fragrance that diffused into mist.
At once, the plants beneath Gu Fangchen's feet grew wildly, blooming into brilliant flowers, strange and wondrous.
The Jian Pavilion disciples and the rest of the group widened their eyes, staring in disbelief at Gu Fangchen, faces full of shock.
"This... this is the 'Lotus Concealed in the Womb'?!"
Qiu He and Qi Linghua were stunned.
Qiu He gripped his sword tightly, taking several deep breaths to calm himself, half-convinced he was hallucinating.
Yet when he probed the lotus carefully, he felt the immense vitality surging within it.
This aura, these signs,
The two exchanged a look, and Qiu He immediately crushed a transmission jade slip, sending a mental message to his master, the Gentleman Sword, Cheng Chang.
This type of jade could only be used in emergencies and lasted for no more than thirty breaths.
Cheng Chang's reply came swiftly and briefly.
"Eighty percent genuine. Probe his origins. If he can be a friend, avoid enmity. Rescue comes first, bring him to the Jian Pavilion afterward."
Qiu He took a deep breath.
Even commoners knew the saying: do not flaunt your wealth.
Yet this man had so casually displayed such a supreme treasure right before their eyes.
And it was real.
This was beyond recklessness, it was sheer lack of self-preservation.
Still, that actually fit with his earlier words about "coming down from the mountains."
He truly seemed like some reclusive disciple who had just wandered out of an ancient sect deep in the wilds.
After all, wasn't Xu Fu, disciple of the Celestial Fate Dao, said to have appeared just like that, and later became Grand Preceptor of the Great Wei Empire?
Qiu He gave Qi Linghua a meaningful glance, then stepped forward, clasping his hands respectfully. Looking at the lotus, which still glimmered with divine effects, he quickly said, "We understand. Daoist, you may put it away first."
Gu Fangchen held up the lotus. "So you believe me?"
"We believe! We believe!"
"Good."
Gu Fangchen withdrew the lotus and said solemnly, "I came down from the mountains to return this lotus to its rightful owner, to the Tara Sect."
"But I did not expect to find the world flooded with rumors that the 'Lotus Concealed in the Womb' was in the hands of the Northern Garrison Prince's daughter, causing her to be hunted by all sides."
"My heart could not bear it. I hurried here to clear up this misunderstanding, to save Gu Lianqian, and to correct the karmic cause and effect. Yet I could not find her."
"I was just fretting over it when I met you all."
He looked earnestly at them.
"I ask for your assistance."
Logically, if they truly meant to help, their first reaction should have been to escort him directly to the Tara Sect, returning the lotus and letting the sect suppress the rumor.
But if they had other intentions, they would try to befriend him, to stay close and travel together in search of Gu Lianqian.
That was exactly what Gu Fangchen wanted.
He intended to find Gu Lianqian and place this fake "Lotus Concealed in the Womb" on her, destroying Gu Yuye's bargaining chip with the Tara Sect.
He had no idea where Gu Lianqian might have gone.
But the Jian Pavilion people surely did.
Ning Wuzhen's love for his daughter, and by extension, for his granddaughter, was such that he would certainly have marked her location.
Of course, except for Gu Fangchen, the troublemaking wastrel.
He was not worried that they wouldn't be tempted. After all, Qiu He's master Cheng Chang's nickname was "The Gentleman Sword."
That man was a hypocrite through and through, one face for the world, another behind the back.
Otherwise, how could he deserve the title "Gentleman Sword"?
Qiu He's expression turned grave. "We are indeed searching for the princess. If the Daoist would join us, it would be most welcome."
Gu Fangchen nodded, smiling as the others introduced themselves one by one, thus blending into the group.
However, several among them kept glancing toward the ring on his hand, a Heaven-and-Earth Ring.
Gu Fangchen didn't care.
During a rest stop, Xu Zhenguan fetched water and prepared food, his expression calm but cold as he muttered under his breath, "Be careful."
Then he went back to work as if nothing had happened.
Gu Fangchen looked at the grey-robed youth and broke into a warm, bright grin.
As expected of his destined teammate, still so considerate.
Along the way, they encountered several waves of enemies hunting Gu Lianqian.
Xu Zhenguan, being only a Ninth Rank servant disciple, struggled the most.
And because he had warned Gu Fangchen earlier, the others conveniently sent him to the front lines, where after a few fights, he was covered in wounds and even broke his sword.
"Here, take this."
While Xu Zhenguan was dressing his injuries, a voice came from beside him.
He reached up instinctively and caught a long sword of extraordinary quality.
Stunned, he looked up, meeting Gu Fangchen's smiling eyes.
"You've lost your sword," Gu Fangchen said. "I'm giving you a new one."
...
Elsewhere.
The Demonic Sect had also begun to move.
The Sixth Division Star Lord continued to track Gu Fangchen's location. But because his future could not be predicted, the interference made accurate positioning impossible, they could only narrow it down to a broad area.
The sect's forces began to scour the region.
At Gu Fangchen's current pace, in half a day he had already crossed from Autumn Peace Road to the border of the Southwestern Province and was about to enter it.
The Demonic Sect knew his appearance. But at the Qionglin Banquet, he had demonstrated the Mirage Formation, meaning his face could not be trusted.
They needed a more reliable identifier.
Through intelligence channels, they had also learned that at the Qionglin Banquet, Gu Fangchen had taken the sword once belonging to Li Wangji, "The Finest Stream."
"Remember," the order went out, "whoever carries 'The Finest Stream', that person is Gu Fangchen!"