No banquet ever ends well. Gu Yuye, publicly embarrassed and unable to vent his anger, turned so red his face resembled a lump of pig's liver.
As soon as the feast ended, he hurriedly offered thanks and left with a sweep of his sleeve, taking with him the month-long storm that had filled the capital.
When Gu Fangchen stepped out from the Hall of the Purple Extremity, a crowd of officials immediately surrounded him, their voices full of flattery and congratulations.
"Congratulations, Your Highness the Heir, for having your injustice redressed!"
"Truly admirable! I heard the Seven Sects and the Sword Pavilion were locked in a stalemate, but as soon as Your Highness took action, you wielded that Supreme-Grade Sword and swept across the realm, shaking all heroes into awe! This humble official admires you deeply!"
"Your Highness, I was once deceived by vile rumors and nearly believed false gossip. Please be magnanimous and do not hold it against me..."
Once, as a mere Sixth-Grade cultivator, even with his identity as the heir of the Northern Garrison Prince's Manor, Gu Fangchen was not enough to make these high-ranking court officials lower themselves.
Among them were men of high station and lofty pride; to them, a crude martial man was hardly worth bending their backs for.
But now, the Sage of Confucianism had personally acknowledged that Gu Fangchen bore a scholarly meridian, and even the most arrogant of scholars could not help but look upon him with newfound respect.
After all, since the suspicion of collusion with the Demonic Sect had been cleared, it proved that the poetry recited at the Qionglin Banquet was not from him personally, so where had that extraordinary talent come from? They could only remain in the dark.
In short, though no one could yet see where the heir's talents lay, since the Sage himself had spoken, he could not possibly be wrong.
Such was the influence of Sage Xie Qian.
Among those now flattering him was also Zhao Wei, the Minister of War and father of Zhao Wenyuan, Gu Fangchen's disreputable friend.
Zhao Wei had long turned a blind eye to his younger son's friendship with the Northern Garrison heir, occasionally scolding him only to maintain appearances and please Gu Yuye.
Before this, everyone knew Gu Fangchen was the Northern Garrison Prince's weakness; the prince's indulgence and affection for him were known throughout the land.
But Zhao Wei's favored elder son, Zhao Wude, served as a gate-commander under Princess Xiao Yinghao.
As Minister of War, Zhao Wei was a master of balance, offending neither side but leaning ever so slightly toward the princess's faction. Zhao Wenyuan's friendship with Gu Fangchen had merely been opportunistic convenience.
Yet now, Zhao Wei felt nothing but relief.
Although Emperor Yong'an had not spoken openly, it was obvious he intended to support Gu Fangchen, to replace Gu Yuye.
That meant all who had stood on Gu Yuye's side would soon be purged once he fell.
By sheer luck, Zhao Wei's useless younger son's friendship with Gu Fangchen had become a masterstroke!
His only regret now was that he hadn't been born a daughter,
That foolish son of his could only drink and play with the heir; the bond existed, yes, but it was far too shallow.
Thinking back, Zhao Wei realized that eight out of ten times Zhao Wenyuan had tried to sneak out for mischief, he had personally caught and beaten him back.
Zhao Wei: "..."
Ah well, young people are thin-skinned and poor at socializing. Understandable.
He smoothed his beard, plastered on a broad smile, and squeezed through the crowd to bow.
"Your Highness, my unworthy son has often spoken fondly of the days you spent together before your departure from Huangtian City, to the point of losing appetite and sleep! Might Your Highness find time to visit him again?"
Gu Fangchen's lips twitched. That sounded as if the brat were pining with lovesickness...
In truth, Zhao Wenyuan probably wished he'd never return to Huangtian City.
After all, the boy had been forced to help him pull off that colossal blunder at the Qionglin Banquet, becoming his accomplice.
And the pair of Yin–Yang Jades were still in Zhao Wenyuan's possession, a burning-hot burden he'd surely rather be rid of.
Gu Fangchen forced a polite smile.
"Of course. I've been weary these days; a bit of relaxation would do me good. I'll be sure to pay a visit soon. Tell Young Master Wenyuan to prepare some tea and snacks."
Of course, Zhao Wenyuan was not the real reason he intended to visit.
The one he truly sought was Monk Shenxiu, currently a guest at the Zhao Manor.
The man appeared to be a quiet, ordinary disciple of Garan Temple, but in truth, he was one of its most vital hidden figures.
Without contact with him, Garan Temple would collapse within three years,
and Garan Temple was the foremost power guarding against the Nine Netherworlds.
If the Netherworlds invaded successfully, the world would fall into the "A Thought of Compassion" ending.
Though the name sounded like a neutral or even peaceful conclusion, in truth it was a disastrous one, worse, in some ways, than the "Descent of All Demons."
The latter was at least a conflict between human forces; the former meant the realms of the living and the damned fusing together, ghosts and malevolent spirits crawling everywhere.
The Demonic Sect could still be reasoned with. Ghosts and wraiths could not.
That ending had to be prevented.
Moreover, if he wished to evade pursuit from the Lord of the Four-Phase Calamity, he had to first walk this line.
For now, Lu Fuyi had merely been deceived temporarily. With two Second-Grade powerhouses escorting him, she hadn't had a chance to act.
But the instant Gu Fangchen stepped outside Huangtian City, she'd probably rush in and twist his head off within a second.
Of course, Zhao Wei knew none of this.
He only thought the heir's friendliness toward his son unexpectedly genuine, and after a few more rounds of polite chatter, he excused himself delightedly.
Soon, however, the crowd fell silent and parted as a crimson figure approached, her attendants keeping all others far at bay.
Gu Fangchen smiled.
"Your Highness the Princess."
Princess Xiao Yinghao curved her lips in a playful smirk.
"Oh? No longer pretending now? Weren't you bold before, speaking of long-held admiration, and playing so freely with your hands?"
Gu Fangchen coughed twice, adopting a grave face.
"I did not know Your Highness was already married. As the saying goes, 'A fair lady is the desire of a gentleman.' I was moved in the moment and could not help myself."
He sighed regretfully.
"But now that Your Highness is wed, I must not covet what belongs to another. I can only bear the pain and give up."
Princess Xiao stared, speechless.
You were the one who impersonated the husband, how can you say that with a straight face?!
Hah. Trying to brush it off just because your disguise hasn't been exposed? As if I'd let you off that easily.
A single Fire Essence Array Core isn't nearly enough...
"Oh?"
Her beautiful eyes glinted. She suddenly laughed, drew close, and flipped her palm to reveal a piece of transparent jade.
Gu Fangchen instantly recognized the Recording Formation etched upon it.
And upon its surface, a scene began to play, one clearly filmed from an "improper angle."
It showed a leg sliding under a table, his leg, boldly intruding beneath her skirt.
Pff!
Gu Fangchen nearly choked on his own saliva.
Fortunately, his mental fortitude was strong enough to prevent the tragic death of a Fifth-Grade cultivator by drowning on spit.
Princess Xiao slung an arm around his shoulders like an old comrade, but her phoenix eyes gleamed with mischief as she leaned close to whisper against his ear.
"I thought perhaps the heir enjoys flowers already claimed by others, snatching what belongs to another?"
Her breath was warm and fragrant, tickling his ear and sending a shiver down his spine.
Damn it, the prettier they are, the more dangerous.
Then again, my mother is the most beautiful woman alive, so I suppose that checks out...
Curse this game! Only fixed heroines, no free NPC romance. Who could've guessed Xiao Yinghao's affection points would lead to this kind of playstyle?
Still, she held all the leverage now.
So all he could do was cooperate. Sigh.
He sighed and protested weakly.
"Your Highness, this is... improper."
Princess Xiao sneered softly.
"Gu Fangchen, don't refuse the wine offered only to drink the punishment instead. You wouldn't want everyone to learn what sort of lewd acts you committed during the palace banquet, would you?"
Gu Fangchen: "..."
Wait, that's my move! Since when did you start using it on me?
And lewd? I didn't even do anything!
He sighed again.
"What does Your Highness want?"
Since the damage to the mining array had been repaired, and since the "husband" situation wouldn't drop affection points, this could only mean... this was just her personal kink.
Better to play along than get forcibly tied into her faction.
She chuckled lowly.
"I'll remain in Huangtian City for about seven days. Three nights from now, at midnight, you will come to my palace."
Then she added sweetly,
"Don't worry. My husband won't know."
Gu Fangchen: "..."
She really is playing this out!
But what could he do? Refusal wasn't an option.
So he nodded.
Seeing that, Xiao Yinghao put away the recording jade, waved her hand, and left grandly with her attendants.
The officials still present looked at each other in confusion, guessing the princess and heir must have been plotting some major affair of state.
Gu Fangchen only shook his head.
From the crowd, Xiao Yi suddenly stepped out, glaring furiously.
"I don't believe it! You must have schemed something again!"
He hadn't dared oppose Gu Fangchen in front of the princess, but now that she was gone, he leapt out like a vengeful cat.
After impulsively attacking Gu Fangchen in the palace earlier, his father had confined him for seven miserable days, only deepening his resentment.
Gu Fangchen arched an eyebrow.
"Oh? You don't believe what? The imperial decree, or Master Juehui's testimony?"
Just then, Master Juehui emerged and clasped his hands.
"Amitabha. Does the Sixth Prince think this humble monk speaks lies?"
"..."
Xiao Yi was struck dumb.
The facts were the facts, the emperor had decreed it, and the master was a revered monk. Who was he to question either?
Yet his pride still couldn't swallow the reversal.
Not long ago, this man had been nothing but a useless coward he could crush with ease. Now suddenly, everything was wiped clean, as though none of it had ever happened.
And what did that make him, the self-styled righteous crusader?
A clown.
He muttered, "Even so, what you've done before, does it just vanish?"
He faltered, glancing aside, and spotted Gu Lianqian approaching. His eyes brightened.
"Little Princess, don't you agree?"
In the past, the two had joined hands to "punish evil," targeting the wicked Gu Fangchen. Seeing her now felt like finding an ally.
But he failed to notice how dazed she looked, her gaze flinching away from Gu Fangchen's.
Hearing her name, she froze, bit her lip, and flushed scarlet under Gu Fangchen's steady gaze, her whole body heating like flame.
The thought of kneeling and barking like a dog to fulfill their wager made her want to sink through the ground.
Under his eyes, she felt stripped bare.
Gu Fangchen smiled faintly.
"Oh, the little princess is here. Did you hear? Have anything to say to me?"
Her lips pressed tighter. She stayed silent.
Xiao Yi gaped.
The girl who had once beaten Gu Fangchen with a sack over his head was now cowering like a quail, almost afraid of him.
What had happened in just a month? He'd only been locked up seven days, yet the world seemed to have changed entirely.
Panicking, he said, "Little Princess, didn't you hate him most? Did he threaten you? Don't worry, I'm a prince! If he bullies you, I'll protect you!"
Gu Lianqian lowered her head, trembling slightly.
She was being threatened, but not by Gu Fangchen. By another man, one who had died and returned, holding her darkest secret hostage.
She could not let him expose it. So she could only obey.
Gu Fangchen's smile faded.
"That's enough. She said she has no opinion. If Your Highness the Sixth Prince insists, take it up with His Majesty."
"What I've done before, I'll make amends for in my own way. I don't need you making my decisions."
He looked coldly into Xiao Yi's eyes.
"Even the Northern Garrison Prince can't command me. What are you? I called you a stupid mule before, did you ever stop to reflect? When you went home, did the princess not replace everyone around you?"
The scolding left Xiao Yi trembling with rage, but when his gaze met Gu Fangchen's, his anger evaporated into instinctive fear.
In that moment, he felt as though he faced his father, or even one of the great cultivators.
His legs buckled. He stumbled back and fell, staring wide-eyed as Gu Fangchen strode past with Gu Lianqian at his side.
Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
Martial Courage Realm!
With a single glance, the enemy's courage collapses. Every gesture, every breath, lethal!
Now he understood.
He sat in a daze as attendants rushed to lift him up.
"Your Highness, are you all right?"
"I, I'm fine..."
He glanced down, relieved. Good, not wet.
Looking toward Gu Fangchen's departing figure, he murmured,
"So strong..."
"Your Highness?" the servant asked blankly.
Realizing what he'd just said, Xiao Yi's face flushed crimson.
"I didn't say anything! You heard nothing!"
He stormed off, shouting,
"Hmph! Let him gloat! Just a Sixth-Grade! I'll catch up! You'll see!"
And he ran toward his sister's direction.
"Big Sister! Gu Fangchen bullied me!"
Gu Fangchen had barely taken a few steps when Gu Lianqian quickened her pace, overtook him, and then disappeared down a side corridor as if fleeing.
He chuckled softly, eyes glinting with amusement. He wondered how long the little lamb would take to muster the courage to fulfill her wager, and what excuse she would invent for the timing.
Since Gu Yuye had acknowledged defeat, his daughter would have to honor the same bet.
"Amitabha. This humble monk shall now take his leave, Your Highness," said Master Juehui, his calm voice breaking Gu Fangchen's thoughts.
Gu Fangchen clasped his hands. "Master..."
"I understand," the monk said quietly. "The heir must still harbor doubts, but this humble monk knows little more. Sixteen years ago, at the request of the Princess Consort, I suppressed the Heart-Poison Mark upon your body. At that time, I sought a drop of your heart's blood and a strand of your soul."
Gu Fangchen's eyes narrowed. "And... something went wrong?"
Juehui nodded slowly.
"Yes. At that moment, the heart's blood and the soul-strand suddenly vanished."
Gu Fangchen's pupils shrank sharply. His expression hardened, his body tense and alert.
So, it came. The deviation not recorded in the original story. Perhaps this was the key to his unanswered questions.
But then Juehui's face changed, fear creeping across it like frost.
His mouth clamped shut, hands pressed together, body trembling. He began chanting sutras under his breath, sweat rolling down his brow.
Nearly a full minute passed before he steadied himself. His robes were soaked.
Seeing this, Gu Fangchen frowned deeply. The matter was turning more and more troublesome.
The original Gu Fangchen's body seemed to hide a secret even he did not know.
The monk struggled to speak, voice hoarse. "After that, it was as if I fell into a dream. I told the prince's manor that I had taken the blood and soul, though I had not.
"When I returned to the temple, I fought to keep my mind intact but remained dazed for years.
"Only when the Northern Garrison Prince contacted me again did my awareness return. Then I realized something was wrong, and came to report it to you."
Gu Fangchen took a deep breath.
This was no small matter.
That sounded exactly like possession, someone had seized control of him, body and mind, leaving him to wander in a haze for years.
And the one capable of controlling a Third-Grade cultivator of divine path level so silently, who else could it be?
Either Sage Xie Qian... or the Lord of the Dao of Constancy.
Gu Fangchen was about to press further when he froze.
Juehui's expression was changing again, from strain, to blankness, to puzzlement.
He looked at Gu Fangchen kindly and said, as if nothing had happened, "Your Highness, this humble monk shall now take his leave."
Gu Fangchen: "..."
It was bright daylight, yet a chill wind seemed to sweep the hall. His spine tingled with cold.
A living man had just... reset.
Like an emptied puppet, repeating scripted lines.
Absurd, and terrifying.
For a brief instant, Gu Fangchen nearly believed he was still trapped in that game, Mirror in the Dust.
He forced himself to breathe slowly, regaining composure. "The road is long, Master. Take care."
The monk smiled faintly, bowed, and walked away.
Gu Fangchen stood still for a long time, unmoving.
At last, from around a corner came Ding Xingfeng, appearing as abruptly as ever, face cold and unreadable.
Gu Fangchen knew that Xiao Qiu must have secretly sent word for him to stay near the Hall of the Purple Extremity, by Emperor Yong'an's order.
The old warrior gave him a dark look. "What are you standing there for? If I wanted to reminisce, I'd at least find a wine jar. What's got you staring at the tiles like some lost soul?"
Gu Fangchen turned his head. "His Majesty called for you?"
"Nothing special," Ding Xingfeng grunted. "Just old talk. Returned a few relics from back then."
His cloudy, predatory eyes drifted toward the corner of the vast palace complex where the Hall of the Purple Extremity lay hidden under roofs and courtyards.
"But what use is that now?"
He looked back, kicked Gu Fangchen in the shin, and growled, "You'd better not embarrass me, boy. If you can't kill Mohe Wuliang, I'll come for your hide myself!"
Grudge-holding old man!
So what if I tricked you out of retirement once?
Gu Fangchen winced, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Got it, got it! You still don't believe me after all this time? I'll handle it. Promise!"
Then, slyly, he added, "But... the stronger this body gets, the faster my secret arts will recover. As my master, shouldn't you, uh, contribute a little?"
Ding Xingfeng glared for a long moment, then snorted. "So that's what you're after. Fine. I'll teach you, but aren't you afraid of your methods clashing?"
Gu Fangchen grinned. "That's my problem to solve."
The old man rolled his eyes. "We'll see about that. I'll teach you when I feel like it."
A month later.
The Xiefang Courtyard, once shattered by the Reversal Wave Array, had been repaired. Servants and maids again tended the place.
After greeting Ning Caiyong, Gu Fangchen returned there, the first place he had seen upon his transmigration.
Finally, his hands clasped behind him could truly relax. He strolled leisurely through the courtyard, then into his chamber.
After a slow circuit, he frowned, stepped back two paces, and scanned the room carefully.
Then he called a maid over. "Why is there no mirror in my room?"
The girl blinked, puzzled. "Your Highness ordered it so. Since the age of three, you would cry and scream if any mirror was placed here."
Gu Fangchen pointed at himself. "Me?"
She nodded firmly. "Yes, Your Highness."
A deep, uneasy feeling stirred in his gut.
He told her to fetch one.
She brought a bronze mirror. He took it and raised it before his face, and in an instant, ice flooded his veins.
The reflection staring back at him was not the current Gu Fangchen.
It was his own face, the face he'd had before he crossed worlds.