Chapter Seventeen: Crushing the Heart (Combined Two Parts)

The moment Gu Fangchen collapsed, the veil covering Princess般若's eyes fell back into place, returning to its original hazy, mist-like appearance.

Having suffered a backlash from the Heart-Poison and taken a strike from the Princess, Gu Fangchen had only managed to hold on for that fleeting moment before losing consciousness. Though the blow was hardly fatal, in his current frail state, even a punch from an ordinary person might have knocked him out.

Princess般若 stood with a cold expression, pressing a hand against her eyes, silent.

The attendant Xiyin stepped forward, glancing at the unconscious Gu Fangchen before turning to her Saintess, asking respectfully in a low voice, "Princess, the Heir Apparent will likely not last for the duration of an incense stick."

The implication was clear: was she to save him, or not?

The Princess remained expressionless, though her chest heaved visibly. If she could, she would certainly not save this wretch. She had long heard that the Heir to the Prince of Zhenbei was a profligate playboy who spent his days in pleasure houses; if not for the Princess Consort’s strictness, he would likely have kept dozens of concubines at home.

Yet tonight, Gu Fangchen had suddenly anticipated her movements and come to visit, leading her to wonder if this fake heir might have a hidden side. Who would have thought that after only a few words, his true colors would be revealed! He was nothing more than an insatiable, shameless rake.

Princess般若 truly wanted to satisfy his wish and let him experience what it meant to "die beneath the peony flower." However... the most infuriating part was that, just as he had said, she could not let him die. The whereabouts of the holy relic were of monumental importance, and she could not afford to overlook any clue. Especially since Gu Fangchen, even while his consciousness was under her control, had claimed that finding the relic was a simple matter. This meant he was confident and clearly knew where it was.

Getting Xu Fu to act was no easy task. The female Grand Tutor was eccentric and devoid of desire; a visit would likely end in failure. Furthermore, Gu Fangchen himself was a link that hindered their communication with Xu Fu.

"...Save him," the Princess said, her voice sounding as if she were grinding her teeth.

"Understood."

Attendant Xiyin bowed her head, knelt beside Gu Fangchen, and untied her cloak, revealing a slender body wrapped in bandages. She embraced him, chanting in an ancient language. The bandages around her began to seep a blood-red color, resembling rotting earth, slowly forming countless obscure and profound scriptures.

As Xiyin pressed her chest against Gu Fangchen’s torn garments, his mangled wounds began to heal at an incredible speed. On the bandages over Xiyin's chest, a matching depression appeared, oozing blood, yet the blood was immediately absorbed upon touching the fabric.

Eventually, Gu Fangchen’s wounds were completely healed, restored to their original state. Xiyin tilted her head back, gasping for breath; the corners of her eyes were slightly red, and her golden lotus-pupils looked distant.

When Gu Fangchen woke up to this sight, he was momentarily stunned before he couldn't help but sigh. The Matriarch Sect—a cult that treated torture as indulgence—was indeed as twisted as ever.

Seeing he was awake, Xiyin lowered her head, nodded, and retreated a step to put her cloak back on. Only then did it dawn on Gu Fangchen: the Matriarch Sect’s method of transferring wounds required skin-to-skin contact. In the game, this felt like nothing, but in reality, it meant he had just been embracing this attendant with only a thin layer of bandages between them.

The attendants were meant to serve the Saintess and were supposedly pious, pure virgins. To them, their bodies were offered to the Matriarch of the World, and their souls were destined for the Paradise. This act of healing was merely a trial bestowed by the Matriarch. But for Gu Fangchen, it was a bit awkward.

He coughed dryly and scrambled up. "My lady, thank you."

Xiyin, having donned her cloak, stepped back and said coldly, "It was the Princess’s will."

Gu Fangchen smiled, unbothered by her attitude. "If you are concerned about the scars, I have the recipe for the Jade Refining Pill."

If he remembered correctly, he had seen a peach blossom embroidered on the inside of her cloak; she must be "Qingjian," one of the three Xiyin attendants. In her personal questline, players were tasked with finding the lost recipe for the Jade Refining Pill to heal her scars. Many players had been eager to see what she looked like, but in the end, she perished in a sea of flames alongside the Princess, leaving their hopes unfulfilled.

The attendant with golden lotus eyes froze, looking at Gu Fangchen with trembling pupils.

Princess般若 offered a cold, mirthless smile. "I never expected the Heir to the Prince of Zhenbei to be so lecherous that he wouldn't even spare my maid."

Qingjian lowered her head upon hearing this. It was clear the Princess did not want Gu Fangchen getting close to her attendants.

Gu Fangchen: "..." *I was just annoyed at being trapped in an illusion and snapped at you a bit; is all this sarcasm necessary?*

He took a deep breath, turned, and spread his hands with a grin. "Oh, what was I saying? You have to beg me not to die. Look, didn't that just come true?"

The Princess sneered, "Done pretending?"

Gu Fangchen shook his head. "What do I have to pretend about?"

The Princess paced around him. "You’ve played the part of the profligate for nineteen years; don't tell me you’ve grown addicted to it, daring to be disrespectful to me? I see now—this is your true nature: extremely arrogant, haughty, and fearless..."

Gu Fangchen grinned, not denying it. In truth, neither was his real personality... but if he didn't wrap himself in the tiger's skin, dealing with these people would be much harder. The Princess was saying so much now simply because she realized she had no leverage over him.

Originally, Gu Fangchen should have been the one begging the Matriarch Sect for help with his physical condition. But if he did that, the bargaining chips in his hand would lose their value. In their eyes, his status was too low. If they found him easy to manipulate, the exchange wouldn't be a trade, but pure oppression. Thus, he had to hide his needs as much as possible, turning the situation into an opportunity for him to negotiate with the Princess—he had other goals.

For instance, the Princess now realized that this madman didn't care about his own life, let alone the poison in his body. Moreover, he possessed no Dantian or meridians, yet he could conjure up Ninth-Rank Divine cultivation out of thin air to shatter her illusion. Who could still think of him as a waste? She no longer believed she could use his condition to control him.

Regardless, this game of wits was still a victory for Gu Fangchen. Though it was a bit awkward to ask the Matriarch Sect to detoxify him now, establishing dominance from the start was more important for long-term development. That was the experience he had gained from countless playthroughs.

Since he was already involved in the search for the holy relic, he might as well... seize it. The "Lotus Womb Treasury" was one of the top-tier items for resetting stats and talents. Not only could it reset points, but it could also unlock the best innate divine bodies; using it early would yield twice the result with half the effort. Gu Fangchen calculated that it seemed feasible. As for the poison in his body, he could use another method: instead of removing it, he could refine it into a magical artifact. It would be troublesome, but if successful, he could create an incredibly powerful, invincible divine weapon.

Princess般若 did not know that the man before her was already eyeing her holy relic. She said coolly, "Speak. What is your, or rather, your group's objective?"

Gu Fangchen was silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "You are not qualified to know my objective yet."

The Princess's face darkened again. Since she perceived him as arrogant, he would be arrogant for her. He folded his arms and sneered, "I am very dissatisfied with your attitude earlier; using an illusion array on me was overestimating yourself. Originally, I came to White Horse Temple to tell you the location of the relic directly, but now, I think it is necessary to observe further. Until I am in a better mood, you can find it yourself."

The Princess's chest heaved violently. Since becoming the Saintess, no one had ever treated her this way. Even the Emperor bathed and burned incense to meet her, acting with the utmost solemnity and respect. To think this guy dared to be so haughty!

Yet the more he acted this way, the more the Princess doubted herself, wondering if a certain theory might be true. Gu Fangchen didn't seem like someone who had been possessed, nor someone who had been biding his time for years. He acted more like a reincarnated soul, carrying out some important agenda, which prompted his sudden change in behavior. If that were the case, there was a very logical explanation: "Tan Yuan"!

Those who came from Tan Yuan would enter the fray during troubled times and put an end to the chaos. This was too similar to Gu Fangchen’s performance. If that were true, his tone was perfectly natural—he was likely the reincarnation of some ancient monster.

The Princess's heart sank. The tempers of such ancient monsters were indeed arrogant. Now that she had offended him, the relic that had been within her grasp suddenly felt out of reach...

*Damn it.* If she didn't have the relic, how could she resurrect *him*? As for humbling herself before this guy—that was absolutely impossible!

Expressionless, she suddenly recalled how Gu Fangchen had treated her attendant earlier. She took a deep breath and said, "Qingjian, escort the Heir off the mountain. Take good care of our Heir Apparent; ensure he doesn't suffer the slightest harm. Understood?"

Qingjian was stunned. "Princess..."

The Princess had already turned and walked behind the curtain, her voice echoing: "From today on, you are the Heir Apparent's attendant."

"...Yes."

Qingjian respectfully watched the Princess leave before turning to the young man. "Heir Apparent."

Gu Fangchen blinked. "Just call me Young Master."

"Yes, Young Master." Qingjian paused, her gaze falling on his tattered clothes. "Young Master, you should change."

...

When the sky began to brighten, Ding Xingfeng finally waited for Gu Fangchen to descend the mountain.

The young man in white robes walked down the mountain path. His clothes were damp with dew, yet spotless, and his handsome, noble face remained calm. Overall, he carried an air of nonchalant elegance.

Ding Xingfeng immediately noticed that Gu Fangchen had changed his clothes. Then, his eyes shifted to the girl in a dark cloak silently following behind him. For a split second, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He watched them approach, finally realizing that this was—*what the hell*—the Xiyin attendant from Princess般若’s side? Why was she following Gu Fangchen so obediently? It didn't look like she was escorting a prisoner; it looked like she was following her master.

Gu Fangchen waved his hand. "Let's go, Master. Come home with me; I still have to serve you the tea for accepting me as your disciple."

Ding Xingfeng glanced at the golden-eyed attendant.

Gu Fangchen said loudly and carelessly, "Oh, Princess般若 saw that I was about to be kicked out of the Prince's mansion and was all alone, so she took pity on me and gave me one of her attendants to look after my daily needs."

Ding Xingfeng: "..."

This kid was truly bizarre. He went into White Horse Temple and came out with one of the Xiyin attendants as his maid.

"Fine, let's go." Ding Xingfeng snorted. "Gu Yuyao is probably getting impatient."

He reached out, grabbed Gu Fangchen by the collar, and transformed into a long rainbow, flying toward the Imperial Sky City. Qingjian followed closely behind.

...

Back at the mansion, Ning Cayong still couldn't believe it, tears in her eyes as she questioned, "My Lord, why did you want to kill Chen'er?! Even if Chen'er was unruly, I raised him with my own hands. If you don't like him, fine, but how could you disregard my feelings? He was just confused for a moment..."

Gu Yuyao’s face darkened, and he barked, "Womanly views!"

"Public opinion is a powerful force. For three years, this little beast has used the mansion's name to commit all sorts of filth! It appears now that he had this planned all along, colluding with the Demonic Sect to ruin the reputation of the Zhenbei Prince’s mansion and arouse the Emperor's suspicion. Cayong, he has known his background for a long time. For three years, a man who shares none of your blood has been harboring evil intentions and getting so close to you—are you not afraid?"

Ning Cayong was stunned, her face turning deathly pale in disbelief, her body swaying. Gu Yuyao’s words were meant to destroy her heart! It was as if she were seeing the man beside her for the first time; she never knew he could be this cruel.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Gu Yuyao knew he had lost his composure. He shouldn't have said that, but he didn't want to see Ning Cayong continue to be deluded. He had to be harsh...

*Well, let it be. I can coax her once all of this is over.*