Ning Songjun hurried here out of fear that someone might be impersonating Gu Fangchen and might harm Ning Caiyong.
The basis for his judgment rested on two things: cultivation and temperament.
When he possessed that Fifth-Rank grandmaster's body and briefly exchanged blows with Gu Fangchen, both aspects were utterly different from the original.
Apart from that reckless, fearless scoundrel-like disposition and faint traces of the old Gu Fangchen's shadow, they were two completely different people.
A man who could not cultivate at all suddenly became a Sixth-Rank expert.
A useless fool suddenly turned shrewd and calculating.
That was not a transformation achievable in a mere few days.
And when Gu Fangchen had mentioned Ning Caiyong at that time, Ning Songjun immediately realized he had done it deliberately.
That ability to manipulate hearts so precisely was far more terrifying than Sixth-Rank cultivation.
Others, perhaps because they had lived closely with Gu Fangchen, were blinded by long-standing impressions and could not see clearly.
But for someone like Ning Songjun, who was neither too close nor too distant, his first instinct was the most accurate.
Now, one of Ning Songjun's doubts was resolved.
With the "Martial Saint" as backing, even if he could not fully comprehend the situation, it was not impossible that a man standing at the peak of martial cultivation could have some method. Judging by appearances, his elder sister was also aware of the matter.
This meant that the other party had made long-term preparations and would not, as Ning Songjun had feared, exploit his sister's affection to harm her.
But that did not mean Ning Songjun trusted him.
The change in temperament was the most direct and the most dangerous sign.
The old Gu Fangchen, though foolish, was openly mischievous, and his reliance on and affection toward Ning Caiyong were genuine.
But this one now..
Even if everything seemed better on the surface, even if Ning Caiyong's appearance was far less haggard than before, even if her eyes sparkled more when she looked at Gu Fangchen, free from the constant frown,
Ning Songjun still felt a strange unease.
He had always trusted his instincts.
"I understand... Elder Sister, let me go. At least give me some dignity before outsiders."
Ning Songjun's tone softened slightly. His face remained dark as he spoke in a low voice.
Ning Caiyong, driven by sudden emotion earlier, hesitated briefly upon hearing this. Considering Senior Ding was present, she assumed her younger brother would not act too rashly and released her grip.
Yet the moment she did, Ning Songjun seized the opportunity, he stepped forward, raised his sword, and pressed it directly against Gu Fangchen's throat.
His strike was so swift that even Ding Xingfeng caught only a flicker of movement.
If he acted with full force, of course, Ding could have stopped him.
But he immediately sensed that Ning Songjun's sword carried no killing intent. So he merely arched an eyebrow and waited to see how Gu Fangchen would respond.
To be honest, he too was curious whether Ning Songjun could expose Gu Fangchen's true identity.
Ning Caiyong, unaware of this, turned pale with fright and instinctively raised her hand to block.
But Ning Songjun had anticipated that. Using his spiritual power, he gently repelled her hand.
Ning Caiyong bit her lip and said, "Songjun! Senior Ding himself said that Chen'er is a martial prodigy. Perhaps his inability to cultivate before was only because he had not yet found a true master..."
"Even Master Juehui once said Chen'er's prospects were slim, not nonexistent."
Ning Songjun remained unmoved and replied coldly, "Elder Sister, I do not doubt the words of the Martial Saint, nor the judgment of Master Juehui."
"But I trust my own instincts even more, and I believe that beyond every man, there are others, and beyond every heaven, another heaven."
"In this world, there might well be someone capable of deceiving even the Martial Saint, just as the so-called 'Holy Master Buddha's Son' Nie Xu once deceived the entire world."
Gu Fangchen looked left and right and couldn't help but think this pair of siblings truly were cut from the same cloth.
At least, in terms of stubbornness, they were exactly alike.
He shrugged, met Ning Songjun's gaze, and smiled. "So, what exactly is your doubt? You merely suspect I am not Gu Fangchen?"
His tone now was entirely different from the playful whining he had shown Ning Caiyong earlier, calm and distant.
Ning Songjun sneered. "So you're done pretending?"
Gu Fangchen, now backed by the strongest possible protector, had no fear that Ning Songjun might suddenly strike him down.
Still, he did not wish to turn his uncle into an enemy without reason.
He shook his head, saying casually, "What's there to pretend about? I am Gu Fangchen, always have been, always will be."
"With your Second-Rank Divine Path cultivation, surely you can tell whether I'm lying or not?"
Ning Songjun's expression shifted, his features tightening, but he still did not lower his sword.
Gu Fangchen continued, "What you find strange is only that I suddenly seem smarter, not as stupid and vile as before, as if I've become someone else entirely."
He glanced at Ning Caiyong, who froze and looked visibly tense, and sighed helplessly.
"Uncle, isn't the reason obvious?"
"I was stupid and bad, and still Gu Yuye refused to spare me, he poisoned me, gouged my core, and seized every chance to lock me up to crush my spirit."
He grinned, though his eyes were devoid of warmth.
"If I'd kept acting like a fool, he'd have killed me outright and replaced me with a puppet."
Gu Fangchen's words were light, yet the weight behind them was immeasurable.
Ning Caiyong, utterly unprepared, stood frozen. Then, as if struck by lightning, she staggered back two steps.
Had this been said before, she would not have believed a single word.
But after the recent events, her understanding of her husband had changed completely.
And because it came from Gu Fangchen's mouth, the impact struck her like the collapse of her entire worldview.
Ning Songjun's pupils contracted sharply. In that instant, his thoughts connected the dots to Gu Yuandao, who had suddenly been acknowledged by Gu Yuye, and after a brief silence, he said heavily, "Do you understand what your words mean? The matter of the heir is not yet settled. Are you not afraid you'll ruin everything?"
In Ning Songjun's mind, all of this, the deception, the maneuvering, had one clear goal: to secure the position of heir.
Yet with those words, Gu Fangchen had exposed himself completely.
Gu Fangchen, however, spoke plainly, "Indeed, I am not Gu Yuye's son. Everything I've done was simply to survive. There is no 'effort' to be ruined."
"Gu Yuye believes I only learned the truth three years ago, but in reality, I knew it when I was three."
He could not forever mimic the original's personality. Now that Gu Yuye's game was temporarily lost and his own safety assured, it was time to give his transformation a reason, and to draw new allies to his side.
"So what?" Ning Songjun said coldly. "Now Gu Yuandao is my true nephew. If I testify, his succession as heir would serve the Sword Pavilion's interests best. Do you really think you can still protect your life?"
His voice hardened. "Don't bring up my sister. In this world, choices must be made. I am not only her younger brother, I am also the next Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion."
So resolute, if I hadn't seen your character records, I might actually believe you, Gu Fangchen thought wryly.
Let's see how you'll kneel on durians later.
Gu Fangchen smiled pleasantly. "Then by all means, try it. Let's see what Gu Yuye does when the Sword Pavilion one day obstructs his interests."
"Gu Yuandao may be his biological son, but he's lived outside for nineteen years. He may not see himself as your true nephew."
He smirked and looked toward the still-unconscious Gu Lianqian, his tone chilling.
"Today's Gu Lianqian is tomorrow's Sword Pavilion."
Gu Fangchen had gone to great effort to have the Sky-Eye Division spread this information, not merely to block Gu Yuye's alliance with the Tara Sect, but more importantly, to expose more of Gu Yuye's true face.
To strike at the heart, that was not a tactic Gu Yuye alone could employ.
Ning Songjun fell silent for a long time before finally lowering his sword.
He stared at Gu Fangchen and asked his final question, "You knew all this at the age of three?"
Gu Fangchen coughed lightly, looking up at the sky.
"There are always some people in this world who can easily grasp the fates beneath this sky..."
Ding Xingfeng: "..."
He twitched the corner of his mouth, watching Ning Songjun's expression grow solemn.
How familiar those words sounded...