Chapter 22: Ten Thousand Taels of Gold (Two-in-One)

Xu Fu’s cultivation realm was profound. Although she was only manifesting her divine sense through a maidservant of the Prince’s residence, evading Gu Fangchen’s movements would have been effortless. However, the problem was precisely that she was currently inhabiting the body of a maid. Even if Gu Fangchen’s identity as an impostor was a settled matter, he remained, for the moment, the Heir Apparent. It was not appropriate for a maid to dodge his touch. Thus, the moment Xu Fu sensed Gu Fangchen’s intent, she stiffened for only an instant before forcing herself to remain still, allowing the young man to clasp her hand.

Yet, deep inside, she felt a trace of imperceptible irritation. Despite having heard rumors of Gu Fangchen’s poor reputation, she had never imagined he could be this absurd. The entire residence was currently waiting to judge him, a trial that would determine his very survival. Even with Ning Caiyong’s protection, the status of the Heir Apparent to the Prince of Zhenbei commanded vast resources, including the various medicinal elixirs that sustained his frail, crumbling body. If not for the residence providing these supplies, Gu Fangchen would not have lived to this day. And yet, at a time like this, he still had the leisure to harass a maid! Regardless of anything else, such a rebellious madman surely needed to be taught a lesson.

Xu Fu lowered her head expressionlessly, staring at the hand held by Gu Fangchen, unable to avoid the unfamiliar sensations it brought. The youth’s cold fingers pressed firmly against her palm; the tactile presence of another’s skin was vivid and impossible to ignore. Whether as a disciple of the "Heavenly Mandate Path" or as the lofty State Preceptor, no one had ever held her hand—let alone a member of the opposite sex.

Xu Fu suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, but in that same instant, her thoughts raced as she suddenly noticed something amiss. This should not be. Normally, women were prone to cold extremities, while a man’s body temperature was often higher. Yet, the temperature of Gu Fangchen’s hand was far lower than her own!

Xu Fu looked at Gu Fangchen, a flash of divine light in her eyes, and immediately discovered the anomaly. Though a cluster of soul-fire burned in the void within Gu Fangchen, and his divine sense appeared vigorous and thriving to her perception, his physical body was emitting the scent of decay and withered vitality. This was the aura of a dying man!

After reaching this conclusion, Xu Fu frowned. How could this be? In theory, Gu Fangchen should have had five more years of life; how could his vitality have been burned away in an instant? This moment of confusion stayed her hand from delivering the intended lesson. Then, the next second, she heard Gu Fangchen’s words—utterly profane—and her expression froze.

To any listener, these words were blatant harassment, merely confirming that this fake Heir was a complete scoundrel, daring to speak without restraint in the presence of the Prince of Zhenbei. But the listener was Xu Fu.

"Peace..."
"What a pity, peace."

Xu Fu’s own heavenly mandate was, in fact, "Universal Peace." Was this a coincidence? No, it was absolutely not a coincidence. As the head of the Heavenly Mandate Path, Xu Fu was the last person in the world to believe in coincidences. Moreover, the tone of the latter half of his sentence contained no lewdness, only deep regret—as if he were mourning the fact that universal peace could never be achieved.

Xu Fu looked up, meeting Gu Fangchen’s gaze. Gu Fangchen raised an eyebrow, fearlessly stroking her hand while continuing his wicked, smiling commentary: "But peace has its benefits. With your delicate features, if you had a red mole between your brows and were dressed as a Taoist nun, you would certainly have a unique charm."

Xu Fu glanced at him blankly. Gu Fangchen appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, he was breaking out in a cold sweat. His actions, while bold, were the most effective way to alert Xu Fu to the method he had used to identify her. He had gambled that Xu Fu would come to investigate the clues regarding the Demonic Sect. Furthermore, the State Preceptor rarely appeared in person, preferring to manifest her presence unexpectedly within someone else. This habit was a secret, one of her divine abilities that even other second-rank masters could not detect. The only sign of her possession was that unique, cold fragrance. Since Gu Fangchen knew every maid in the household intimately, any change in their scent was immediately obvious to him—hence his precise judgment.

However, teasing the State Preceptor, even through the skin of another, was incredibly stressful. Fortunately, she did not pull her hand away. It was only when Gu Lianxian, standing nearby, could no longer endure it that she slapped his hand away. Her delicate, pretty face was flushed with anger. "Gu Fangchen! Do you think you are still the Heir? Understand this—you are nothing but a fake who has usurped a nest! How dare you continue to act so arrogantly in the Prince’s residence!"

Gu Fangchen leaned back lazily, acting like a scoundrel. "What’s wrong? The results aren't out yet, are they? The Imperial Edict hasn't been issued, so I am still the Heir. Besides, even if I weren't, I am still the only true disciple of the Martial Saint. Can I not be a little arrogant?"

Gu Lianxian was stung by this, her teeth gritting. "You!"

Gu Yuye took a sip of tea and turned to Ning Caiyong, saying coldly, "Look at the 'good son' you’ve raised."

These words from Gu Yuye were actually a reminder to his wife to consider the harsh things he had said to her earlier—how much was spoken in anger, and how much might actually be true. Was it appropriate to keep such an unruly "son" in the residence? But Ning Caiyong had already made up her mind the night before; she merely tightened her fingers around her handkerchief, ignoring her husband’s sarcasm, and turned to Gu Fangchen to chide him softly: "Chen'er! Focus on the matter at hand. No more nonsense!"

At such a life-or-death moment, Gu Fangchen’s behavior would have seemed jarring coming from anyone else. But thanks to the persona of the original body, the reactions of those present varied, yet none showed surprise or suspicion. It was evident just how deeply his reputation for debauchery had taken root.

"Oh." Gu Fangchen sat up straight with a look of feigned obedience, but suddenly, a faint, unfamiliar female voice echoed in his mind: "You have never seen me before."

Xu Fu spent her years sitting atop the Canliao Pillar, gazing at the stars and the earth; aside from the Emperor, no one had seen her face. Yet, Gu Fangchen knew about the red mole between her brows. Gu Fangchen calmly replied via divine sense, smiling: "You are mistaken, State Preceptor. Not only have I seen you, but I have also had long conversations with you throughout the night."

Divine path cultivators could communicate through thoughts. Of course, as a fellow divine path cultivator, Gu Youren would generally be able to sense this. But the one initiating the conversation was Xu Fu—Gu Youren’s own master! Thus, Gu Fangchen was even bolder in his deception. Since no one else could hear them, no one could call his bluff.

Xu Fu: "..."

The State Preceptor fell silent. In soul-to-soul communication, a lower-cultivation practitioner could hide no emotion from one of higher cultivation. She could easily tell that Gu Fangchen was not lying. But this was an impossibility; how could she not remember chatting with someone? Unless the other party’s cultivation was so unfathomably high that they could peer into the other versions of causality in this world and traverse them at will. But clearly... that was even more absurd.

Xu Fu’s true body opened her eyes and reached out to stir the river of stars in the water, searching for Gu Fangchen’s destiny. But when her fair, slender hands emerged from the water, they held nothing but emptiness. The State Preceptor was no longer composed. When the Emperor of Yongan had approached her earlier, she had roughly deduced Gu Fangchen’s fate, and the results had not been this. He was indeed a fake Heir swapped by the Demonic Sect, destined to die in half a year. That was the result then. But now, Gu Fangchen’s fate... seemed to have vanished! He stood right before her, and the threads of causality around him were tangled like hemp, yet his destiny was impossible to deduce. His past was so clear, so why had his future disappeared?

Xu Fu’s expression shifted unpredictably. She suddenly thought of the national fortune that had been stolen without warning, and then disappeared just as abruptly. How similar were the two? Such causal fate-weaving must surely have reached the first rank! Was Gu Fangchen an agent of the Six Divisions Star Sovereign? No, that seemed unlikely; the Star Sovereign was extremely cautious and not the type to come out and provoke others. Was there a third person in the world who could elevate the mastery of causal fate-weaving to such a degree?

Gu Fangchen asked, "Well? Did you calculate anything?"

Xu Fu lifted her gaze, looking through the maid’s eyes at Gu Fangchen, who seemed to be expecting an answer. She did not reply, instead stating: "Since you know who I am, you should also be clear that your life and death are currently within my grasp."

Gu Fangchen chuckled. "But State Preceptor, haven't you also seen that my days are numbered? Threatening a dead man with death is the most useless thing one can do."

Indeed, Gu Fangchen’s condition was truly beyond divine salvation. Even Xu Fu could not imagine how he could survive. Xu Fu fell silent for a moment. Seeing this, Gu Fangchen knew she hadn't managed to glean anything useful from him. The identity of a transmigrator must have transcended the rules of this world, leaving even Xu Fu speechless. The State Preceptor was one of the most decent individuals among all the NPCs; otherwise, she wouldn't have raised a student as upright as Gu Youren. Unable to calculate anything through causal arts, her final resort was a death threat.

Gu Fangchen pressed his advantage, sighing, "It’s just a pity that in my remaining time, I fear I won’t see universal peace..."

Xu Fu’s sole obsession was the phrase "Universal Peace." To move her, one had to speak of ideals. Although she knew he wasn't lying, she remained unmoved. "In this world, those who truly desire peace are few, and those with the capacity to bring it about are even fewer."

Gu Fangchen had exceeded her expectations in many ways, but she trusted what she saw. In the end, his cultivation was only at the ninth rank of the divine path—a castle in the air. Without the support of actual cultivation, obscuring his destiny might just be a small trick. Now that the sliver of national fortune had vanished without a trace, Xu Fu could not determine if it was related to him.

Gu Fangchen curled the corners of his mouth. Xu Fu’s response meant she was weighing whether she could trust him and cooperate. If it were the original body, he wouldn't even have entered the State Preceptor's eyes, let alone be weighed. In just a few sentences, Gu Fangchen had increased his value a hundredfold.

He pushed further. "State Preceptor, I did indeed use some small tricks, but what if I could calculate the whereabouts of the Six Divisions Star Sovereign?"

Xu Fu’s pupils constricted. Even if Gu Fangchen were an agent of the Star Sovereign, the latter would never reveal his own tracks; such betrayal was absolutely forbidden. Thinking of the irrational anomalies surrounding Gu Fangchen that even she couldn't fathom, Xu Fu wavered. Yet she still said coldly: "Just with these small tricks of yours?"

"Just with these small tricks of mine." Gu Fangchen smiled, sounding certain. "You and the Six Divisions Star Sovereign are both of the 'Heavenly Mandate Path,' walking the righteous path of causality. You calculate me, I calculate you, and in the end, neither can calculate the other. But I am different. I walk a crooked, evil path, specializing in finding loopholes, so naturally, I cannot be guarded against."

Although he knew exactly where the Six Divisions Star Sovereign was, he couldn't just say it. Packaging it as his own unique power was clearly better for deceiving the State Preceptor. You have to know how to "paint a pie" to keep people hooked. Xu Fu was deeply concerned about the Star Sovereign, her greatest threat. How could she pass up such an opportunity?

Gu Fangchen added, "I might as well reveal a bit—as you suspected, I am not truly Gu Fangchen; I have merely borrowed his causality. I drew you here because I have some unavoidable difficulties..."

Xu Fu didn't bother with the useless question of who he really was. She asked directly: "What do you want?"

"The State Preceptor is truly straightforward. I originally wanted to help you achieve peace, but my own future is uncertain, and I truly have no confidence..." Gu Fangchen paused.

"Speak plainly."

Gu Fangchen chuckled. "As long as you give me ten thousand taels of gold right now, I will be your loyal servant!"

Xu Fu: "...?"

The State Preceptor was stunned. She had thought of many requirements the other party might propose, but she had never imagined he would want the most vulgar, useless yellow-white metal! For cultivators of their level, gold and silver were easily obtained. The fact that this was his demand shocked her more than any of his previous anomalies. It left her speechless for a long time.

It seems this fellow impersonating Gu Fangchen is truly, as he said, a vulgar scoundrel who only knows how to use small, crooked tricks. But the world is full of strange people and events, and Xu Fu wouldn't dwell on such things. She wanted to see exactly what this fellow was trying to do. Knowing Gu Yuye as she did, even if Gu Fangchen used her name, that man would not abandon his own agenda.

...

Regardless of Gu Fangchen’s antics, the moment finally came for Gu Youren to examine his causal arts. Just as Gu Youren reached out, a soldier walked in quickly and whispered a report to Gu Yuye. Gu Yuye frowned. "The alchemy boy from the Canliao Pillar is here? He brought many crates—what for..."

He waved his hand to let them in. Outside, a young, clear voice soon rang out: "Bring them all in!"

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Crate after crate of heavy gold was carried in and placed on the floor, kicking up dust. Gu Yuye’s frown deepened. "May I ask, little attendant, what is the meaning of this from the State Preceptor?"

The exquisitely carved, doll-like boy in Taoist robes bowed and said loudly: "The State Preceptor’s instruction: A gift for the Heir—ten thousand taels of gold."