The Sword Pavilion's Master, Ning Wuzhen. the original body's maternal grandfather. had one son and one daughter.
They were Ning Caiyong and Ning Songjun.
Ning Caiyong was five years older than Ning Songjun. Her younger brother, now known as the Sword Saint, was thirty-three years old this year.
The Pavilion Mistress had passed away early. As the saying went, "the elder sister is like a mother." Ning Songjun was practically raised by Ning Caiyong herself, and their sibling bond ran unusually deep.
Ning Caiyong being voted by players as "the kind of woman who could be my mother" wasn't without reason; her motherly aura was overwhelming.
That was why, when Ning Caiyong got married, the so-called "Little Sword Saint" Ning Songjun personally carried her on his back from the Sword Pavilion all the way to Huangtian City.
Of course, given Ning Songjun's cultivation at that time, even walking there on foot would not have taken much effort.
He did so to show everyone just how highly the Sword Pavilion valued its eldest lady.
Even though Ning Caiyong possessed no cultivation, she represented the influence of the entire Sword Pavilion.
The recent commotion surrounding the Northern Garrison Prince's supposed true and false heirs reached the Sword Pavilion quickly.
At first, however, the truth of the matter remained unclear.
Since it involved the Academy, the Demonic Sect, and because the Sword Pavilion's impression of Gu Fangchen. the good-for-nothing they saw as a disgrace. was already abysmal, they naturally leaned toward Gu Yuandao's side.
After all, if the true heir turned out to be the new top scholar of the Imperial Examinations, a righteous Confucian scholar who rose from poverty through diligence, then his reunion with his father in the Purple Extremity Hall would be a perfect tale of virtue and destiny.
In comparison, Gu Fangchen only brought worry and shame to Ning Caiyong. His conduct grew ever more erratic and uncontrollable, tarnishing even the Sword Pavilion's name.
Still, however disappointing he was, he was the child Ning Caiyong had carried for ten months. If she insisted on doting on him, no one could stop her.
Thus, the Sword Pavilion decided to observe quietly.
But before long, a piece of news came that almost made the old master explode in fury.
When Gu Yuanye tested their bloodlines, he discovered that Gu Fangchen was also his biological son. meaning he was Gu Yuanye's illegitimate child!
This, the Sword Pavilion could not ignore.
If the matter had merely been about mistaken identities, that could have been blamed on the Demonic Sect's machinations. Rectifying the Origin and Returning to the Source would solve it easily.
But if Gu Yuanye had fathered an illegitimate son and handed him over to Ning Caiyong to raise, then it was no longer a misunderstanding. it was humiliation.
When Gu Yuanye had courted Ning Caiyong, he swore that she would be the only woman in his life.
Now, not only had he fathered a bastard, but he'd actually made Ning Caiyong raise him herself!
If that were true, it was utterly intolerable. an insult not only to Ning Caiyong but to the entire Sword Pavilion.
Even when Gu Yuanye sent letters explaining there were strange circumstances involved, the old master was unconvinced. He ordered him to uncover the truth within three days or the Pavilion would personally demand justice.
Yet after those three days, the truth was still unknown. and chaos kept piling on, each incident more absurd than the last.
First came the news that Gu Fangchen had been replaced by someone from the Demonic Sect, creating a massive spectacle during the Qionglin Banquet.
Then Ning Caiyong left the Prince's Mansion in the middle of the night.
To the Sword Pavilion, however, that part was good news.
Their greatest fear was that Ning Caiyong would be too gentle to sever ties with Gu Yuanye, even after such betrayal.
Now that she was returning to her maternal home, the entire Pavilion could have broken out the lanterns and celebrated.
Unfortunately, before they could rejoice, the incident with Gu Lianxian occurred.
Gu Lianxian's situation had an even greater impact than the true-false heir scandal.
The question of heirs might have been shocking gossip, even a turning point for political factions within the court, but for cultivators, it was merely entertainment.
However, the reappearance of the "Lotus Concealed in the Womb" affected everyone.
For all cultivators, it was a matter of interest and gain.
While the great sects might not lower themselves to act openly, to the smaller sects, it was a gamble worth their lives.
And though small, when united or desperate, even those sects could bring forth considerable power.
That was why Ning Songjun had come here.
Gu Lianxian might not be weak, but she was pampered from birth and lacked true battle experience. especially against so many opponents of her level.
These were veterans who had thrown away pride and restraint, ready to use every underhanded means.
It was no exaggeration to say that her first appearance in the martial world had thrown her straight into a life-and-death trial. Of course her dear uncle had to intervene.
However, Ning Songjun had not come in person.
Otherwise, his cultivation would not appear to be only fifth rank.
When Gu Fangchen blurted out "Uncle," the man's startled pause gave him away.
To Ning Songjun, Gu Fangchen's disguise was already useless the moment he entered his divine perception.
After all, this man was none other than the contemporary Sword Saint of the second rank, a cultivator of the Heavenly Sovereignty Realm. one who cultivated the Divine Path.
Though he had not descended in person, he was using his divine sense to control the body of a fifth-rank martial cultivator from the Tianyuan Sect who had been after the Lotus Concealed in the Womb.
The vessel might be weak, but his divine sense was not.
Gu Fangchen's illusion array could fool others, but not Ning Songjun.
What truly stunned Ning Songjun was that his useless, supposedly crippled nephew. or now, most likely a fake. had somehow become a sixth-rank cultivator!
Sixth rank!
A mid-three-grade cultivator was no small fry in the martial world. They were not common.
Otherwise, why would Gu Lianxian, also sixth rank, be hailed as a peerless genius?
But Gu Fangchen's body had been examined countless times in both Huangtian City and the Sword Pavilion. His meridians were destroyed, his dantian shattered, beyond cure.
How could he suddenly become a sixth-rank expert?
Ning Songjun narrowed his eyes, recalling the rumor that Gu Fangchen had been replaced by a Demonic Sect impostor.
It seemed the rumor was true.
And this impostor actually dared recognize him, even calling him "uncle"?
Even the real Gu Fangchen had never dared address him so familiarly.
Because Ning Caiyong's constant worry for that boy had worn her down, Ning Songjun's attitude toward him had always been cold, even harsh.
During training, he had shown no mercy. if the child wouldn't die, then beat him to the brink of it.
Gu Fangchen had always feared this uncle to his bones. How could he greet him so casually now?
Expressionless, Ning Songjun stared coldly at the impostor before him.
"You dare?"
He didn't know how the other had recognized him, but since his cover was blown, there was no point pretending.
The two purposes of taking this body had been simple:
First, to investigate the intelligence leaked by the Sky-Eye Division and find the true culprit behind it.
Second, to frighten his naive little niece, who was always dreaming of playing hero, so she would learn caution.
He had never expected to meet a fake Gu Fangchen here.
Since the man was here, he must also be after the Lotus Concealed in the Womb. and perhaps, he was the very culprit.
Gu Fangchen merely shrugged, unafraid, even smiling cheekily.
"How am I not worthy? If my mother is Ning Caiyong, then naturally the Sword Saint is my uncle. She told me herself that when I'm outside, I can rely on my uncle just as I do on her. that my uncle would always protect me."
"If I'm not worthy, who is? Gu Yuandao?"
He sighed, shaking his head.
"So even in my uncle's heart, Gu Yuandao is a better son for my mother. I wonder what she would think of that. When I see her, I must ask her myself..."
Against others, Gu Fangchen might have needed a disguise.
But against an ultimate sister-obsessive like Ning Songjun, that was unnecessary.
The name "Gu Fangchen" itself was enough.
He knew, of course, that his words wouldn't make Ning Songjun believe him.
The change in his cultivation was too drastic, his appearance too suspicious. No amount of explanation would erase Ning Songjun's doubts.
And here in the wilderness. unlike the Prince's Mansion, where Gu Yuanye's concerns had restrained him. there was no one to stop Ning Songjun from killing.
Even Gu Lianxian had been chased to the brink.
How much less mercy would there be for a stranger pretending to be family?
Gu Fangchen's words were not to convince but to provoke.
An impostor, daring to claim the identity of Ning Caiyong's beloved son, saying he would "go find her"?
That was a death sentence.
As expected, Ning Songjun's eyes turned cold.
"Die."
In the next instant, the purple-robed fifth-rank cultivator vanished and reappeared before Gu Fangchen, forming a sword seal with his fingers.
His swordlike finger struck toward Gu Fangchen's brow at lightning speed.
Ning Songjun cultivated the Divine Path; his instinct in combat was always to annihilate both body and soul.
Thus, his strike targeted the upper dantian. the seat of the spirit.
A martial cultivator would aim for the heart or throat instead.
Someone as vicious as Gu Yuanye would also strike the upper dantian, leaving no chance for retaliation.
But Ning Songjun, using a martial cultivator's body while enraged, unleashed a Divine Path technique. forgetting this vessel could not withstand it.
Gu Fangchen, of course, knew Ning Songjun's habits well.
In the game's "bad endings," these righteous figures often became final bosses. Ning Songjun, as one of the orthodox leaders, was among the hardest to fight.
He had fought him dozens of times. if not hundreds like Gua-Gua-Gong, then at least fifty.
So the moment he recognized Ning Songjun's identity, Gu Fangchen had already prepared a plan.
He steadied his breath, readying both the Thousand Tribulation Silk and his most critical tool.
Ironically, fighting Ning Songjun might actually be easier for him than fighting a random fifth-rank master.
Those unknown cultivators left little impression on him, but Ning Songjun. he knew inside and out.
The sword-finger pierced straight toward him.
Gu Fangchen's pupils shrank. His hair stood on end, the pressure equal to what he'd felt facing Gu Yuanye's deadly finger strike.
But this time, the fear didn't come from power disparity. it came from Ning Songjun's killing intent, a sword will that crushed everything before it.
In that instant, countless illusions flashed before Gu Fangchen's eyes.
But his eighth-rank Divine Path foundation allowed him to resist just long enough to remain lucid for a heartbeat.
And in that heartbeat of terror, his soul instinctively separated from his body. entering the "soulless" state.
He was, quite literally, scared out of his body.
Exactly as he had planned.
With his meager Divine Path cultivation, he couldn't possibly match Ning Songjun's speed.
But by using that fleeting moment of mortal terror, he could naturally trigger separation between spirit and flesh. exactly what he needed.
Because his body was not a normal one.
His body was a puppet.
Once his soul left, it could still act independently under his command, without immediately perishing.
His spirit retreated sharply, while his puppet body lunged forward.
The Thousand Tribulation Silk shot out, coiling tightly around Ning Songjun's extended arm.
"Explode!"
Gu Fangchen's eyes gleamed as he shouted.
At the same instant, Ning Songjun's sword-finger touched his brow.
A sharp crack split the air.
The puppet body's head was pierced through by invisible sword qi, leaving a blood-red mark between the brows.
Ning Songjun's face changed instantly.
"Impossible."
He looked up to see Gu Fangchen's soul floating intact before him.
Gu Fangchen grinned.
If it were anyone else, that strike would have killed them instantly.
But was he just anyone?
His body didn't even have an upper dantian.
All his power came from the spiritual circuit formed by Demon-Suppressing Nails.
Piercing the brow meant nothing to him.
The Thousand Tribulation Silk detonated, blasting apart Ning Songjun's arm.
For the Sword Saint, that level of damage was trivial. but remember, this was not his real body.
The fifth-rank cultivator's arm burst into blood.
The droplets splashed onto the porcelain doll that Gu Fangchen had just thrown aside.