Chapter Eleven: Old Ding, Watch Closely—This Is How I Kill (Combined Chapter)

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When Gu Fangchen unexpectedly met Gu Yuye’s lean, icy face, he was genuinely startled.

For one thing, Gu Yuye’s arrival had been sudden, and he had already been in a state of extreme tension.

It was like being engrossed in a horror movie, admiring the heroine’s magnificent chest, only to be hit by a sudden jump scare.

It was hard not to flinch.

More importantly, this was an instinctive reaction rooted in the body’s memories.

In the original owner’s heart, Gu Yuye was a shadow in the truest sense of the word.

Back when Gu Fangchen had still been able to cultivate, he had been unwilling to admit defeat. He had worked hard and trained diligently.

That was because every time Gu Fangchen was secretly harmed by someone, Gu Yuye would return to the estate without offering so much as a word of comfort. He would merely glance at him with cold, disappointed eyes, deal with the matter, and leave.

Again and again, this had made Gu Fangchen feel that he was simply not strong enough, and that was why he disappointed his father.

All he wanted was to win his “father’s” approval.

Although his efforts had achieved very little—especially when compared with Gu Lianxian, beside whom they seemed even more futile—they had nevertheless been sincere.

He truly had tried.

Yet after his dantian was destroyed, all of Gu Fangchen’s efforts became a joke.

It was not only his dantian that had been destroyed. His state of mind had been shattered as well.

The estate’s confinement chamber had been prepared solely for Gu Fangchen, and its construction was extremely crude.

There were only walls on all four sides. It was completely soundproof and entirely without light.

Whenever Gu Fangchen made a mistake, he would be locked inside to kneel facing the wall and reflect on his actions.

Each confinement lasted three days.

To the present-day Gu Fangchen, it was clearly a form of torture designed specifically to destroy a person’s will.

But in the original owner’s eyes, it had instead been an expression of his father’s leniency.

He had not been beaten or scolded. Wasn’t that merciful?

Yet at some point, whenever he thought of Gu Yuye, he began to tremble and shrink back instinctively.

He had believed this was a sign of his own weakness and had grown increasingly disgusted with himself.

Little did he know that this was precisely Gu Yuye’s method—and his aim.

…

Gu Yuye stood there with his hands behind his back, looking down at the fool he himself had created.

When he noticed Gu Fangchen trembling, he felt immensely satisfied.

On the battlefield, Gu Yuye was a War Sage known as the “Inner Demon,” a man whose very name struck terror into the hearts of his enemies.

As everyone knew, there were only names given incorrectly, never nicknames chosen incorrectly.

To his enemies, Gu Yuye was an inner demon they could never escape. He could always toy with them as easily as a specter, sending them into confusion until, without realizing what had happened, they abandoned their armor and weapons and fled in utter defeat.

And when he applied those same methods of psychological assault to this “son,” their effectiveness did not diminish in the slightest.

He had successfully created the target he wanted.

He had also ensured that when the time came to erase this stain completely, all he would need to do was wave his hand, as though “brushing away a speck of dust.”

Gu Fangchen.

From the moment that name had been given to him, his tragedy had already been destined.

Gu Yuye looked at him and said coldly, “You ungrateful beast. You colluded with the Demon Cult, occupied another’s place, and passed off a fish eye as a pearl. You still refuse to repent? Come here and kneel!”

His voice was not loud, yet when it reached Gu Fangchen’s ears, it exploded like thunder, shaking even his internal organs.

Gu Yuye gave a cold snort.

The pressure of a third-rank cultivator descended with a thunderous force.

In an instant, Gu Fangchen felt an invisible force pressing down on his neck and shoulders, trying to force him to his knees.

His vision went black. He let out a muffled groan, and the injuries he had suffered earlier from the backlash of the Returning Tide Formation were immediately aggravated.

I knew it. Gu Yuye absolutely wants to silence me on the spot!

Gu Fangchen was secretly alarmed.

Although the false heir in the game had already died at the beginning, the fragmented clues scattered throughout the game made it obvious that Gu Yuye and his son had been inextricably connected to his death.

Gu Fangchen could even conclude that the original owner had not committed suicide.

From the moment father and son recognized each other, the counterfeit had lost all value. Worse, because of Ning Caiyong’s feelings for him, he had become a time bomb.

Gu Yuye was the kind of man who calculated a hundred steps ahead after taking only one. He was domineering, tyrannical, and accustomed to making all decisions alone.

The thing he hated most in life was any unstable factor that slipped beyond his control.

At their very first meeting, he had wanted to use the information that Gu Fangchen had “deliberately deceived” Ning Caiyong with to intimidate her. Then, while she was still caught off guard, he would kill Gu Fangchen outright.

Gu Yuye was truly trying to kill him!

Gu Fangchen attempted to resist that force, but the harder he tried to straighten his body, the greater the power descending from the void became.

Crack. Crack.

He could clearly hear his flesh and bones groaning beneath the immense pressure, gradually reaching their limits as the tissues within began to tear apart.

It was easy to imagine what would happen if this continued.

He would burst like a water-filled balloon beneath a hydraulic press, exploding with a bang and becoming nothing more than a heap of mangled flesh.

When Ning Caiyong saw the young man stagger and blood suddenly pour from all seven orifices, her heart clenched. She instinctively moved to catch him.

“Chen’er!”

But the moment she raised her foot, Gu Yuandao blocked her path.

Gu Yuandao spoke sharply, “Mother! Do you still not understand? Three years ago, he was already in contact with members of the Demon Cult. Not only did he know about what happened back then, he may very well have been a spy for the Demon Cult!”

The beautiful woman stopped, drew a deep breath, and said quietly, “I know.”

“What?”

Gu Yuandao froze, thinking he must have misheard.

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Ning Caiyong looked at the handsome, distinguished young man before her.

At first glance, she had known that this was the child she had carried for ten months and given birth to herself.

In appearance, bearing, and achievements, Gu Yuandao was far more like the heir of the princely estate. He could be called flawless.

But when she saw Gu Fangchen’s pain and remembered the little child who had once tugged at her hand and told her that he hurt…

She could not bear it.

Ning Caiyong repeated, “I have always known about this. Chen’er never colluded with the Demon Cult. I can testify to that.”

The Northern Suppression Prince’s Consort, a woman who had been gentle and meek all her life, looked calmly at Gu Yuye. Lifting her skirts, she walked around Gu Yuandao, turned, and placed herself between the two men.

She said each word distinctly, “If Your Highness came here for this matter, then please leave.”

Gu Yuye remained silent for a moment before his hard expression eased slightly.

“Since the Princess Consort has spoken…”

The immense pressure filling the air vanished abruptly.

Gu Fangchen was like a drowning man who had finally reached shore. He suddenly exhaled in relief, only to choke on the bloody sweetness surging up his throat and begin coughing violently.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Ning Caiyong hurriedly turned around and gently patted his back.

“Mother, I’m fine…”

Gu Fangchen bared his teeth in a crooked grin and raised his hand to touch his ears and eyes.

As expected, his fingers came away covered in blood.

Gu Fangchen sighed.

Before meeting Gu Yuye, he had wondered whether he should temporarily avoid confrontation and pretend to submit.

After all, this was a third-rank powerhouse who held overwhelming influence at court.

No matter how one looked at it, directly clashing with him before he had even begun to grow was not a wise decision.

But now, Gu Fangchen felt there was no need.

Gu Yuye wanted him dead, and he wanted Gu Yuye dead as well.

What else was there to say?

“Ptooey!”

Gu Fangchen spat a mouthful of blood to the side.

When he touched his chest, he sensed the anger and resentment of another soul.

The position of heir had always been reserved by Gu Yuye for his biological son.

Yet Gu Fangchen, an outsider, had borne all the karma that came with the name of heir, only to prepare the way for the rightful successor in the end.

Poison had entered his blood. His dantian had been destroyed. He had been left utterly powerless to resist.

What a fine scheme.

Why should he accept that?

Gu Fangchen looked at Gu Yuye and said in a soft, mocking tone, “I’m guessing you’re already holding a Soul-Searching Technique in your hand, just waiting for Mother’s attention to shift so you can slap it onto my forehead and dig the answers you want straight out of my mangled brain. Am I right?”

Gu Yuye’s right hand abruptly stiffened, and his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

How could that be possible?

“Gu Yuye, you’re really easy to read!”

There was not the slightest trace of amusement in Gu Fangchen’s eyes, yet he looked at him with a broad, cheerful grin.

“Two-faced, fickle, treacherous, vicious, sinister, and calculating. Which part of you could possibly be called holy?”

Gu Yuye had not yet spoken when Gu Yuandao became furious and shouted, “Shut up! What right does a villain like you, who has committed every evil under the sun, have to accuse others of the very same things?”

“Father is merely acting for the sake of the nation, ensuring that the Demon Cult cannot use disloyal individuals to destabilize the Great Wei Empire. Even if his methods were somewhat forceful, that only shows his forthright nature and his urgent desire to protect the country.”

“You, on the other hand—if you truly have a clear conscience, you should let Father search your soul and verify the truth.”

“Father is a dignified third-rank Grand Sage. How could a mere Soul-Searching Technique possibly harm your spirit? You are clearly feeling guilty, aren’t you?”

What the hell did he mean, “forthright nature”?

If the people who had died at Gu Yuye’s hands could hear that, they might laugh themselves back to life.

Still, one had to admit that the top scholar truly had a silver tongue. He could make either side of an argument sound convincing.

No wonder he was the rhetorical specialist of the protagonist’s later entourage. Whenever they encountered a difficult character, sending him out to negotiate would succeed eight or nine times out of ten.

In just a few words, he had shifted the blame back onto Gu Fangchen.

Unfortunately, Gu Fangchen had no intention of reasoning with him.

Gu Fangchen shook his head and said in astonishment, “If I remember correctly, today should be the first time the two of you have met, right?”

“Then why does our Great Wei top scholar keep calling him ‘Father’ so naturally?”

“Did you grow up without a father, so now you’re in such a hurry to perform your filial duty?”

He had honed his verbal combat skills arguing with people online every day.

The principle was simple: kill with the first strike.

Where had Gu Yuandao ever encountered such personal attacks? His face flushed red as he pointed furiously.

“You!”

Gu Fangchen shook his head, turned toward Ning Caiyong, and said with a grin, “Mother, look. He’s upset.”

Ning Caiyong fell silent.

The Princess Consort covered her mouth and coughed twice, then tugged at Gu Fangchen to signal that he should not go too far.

At the same time, his words caused a faint question to surface in her mind.

That was true. This should clearly have been their first meeting.

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Why, then, did there seem to be no barrier between this father and son at all?

Perhaps blood ties could explain it… but something still felt strangely off.

Gu Yuandao’s chest heaved. He flung his sleeve aside, his eyes blazing with fury.

“I…”

He truly was upset.

He had not seen his biological mother for so many years. Naturally, he had longed to achieve distinction and make her look at him in a new light.

Yet not only had his own mother favored this counterfeit, she had also allowed him to be humiliated in front of her—and he had been unable to refute a single word.

Gu Yuye raised a hand and stopped Gu Yuandao.

He calmly looked at the “son” before him, whose face was smeared with blood. His gaze was like a lightless abyss, impossible to fathom.

No matter how one looked at him, the Gu Fangchen before him was still the same good-for-nothing.

And yet a powerful sense of incongruity suddenly arose in Gu Yuye’s heart, making him intensely uncomfortable.

This was not right.

It should not be like this.

Why was he not afraid?

Not only did he appear unafraid, he even seemed…

Fearless.

Gu Yuye was silent for a while before suddenly asking, “Who are you?”

The moment he said this, Ning Caiyong and Gu Yuandao both froze.

Gu Fangchen’s heart gave a jolt, but his face retained its cheerful grin.

“What, Your Highness doesn’t recognize me as your son, and now you don’t even recognize me as a person?”

“Then allow me to introduce myself again. I have never changed my name or surname. My name is Gu Fangchen.”

He had not lied…

Gu Yuye’s gaze grew even deeper.

Gu Fangchen wiped at the blood on his face and discovered that he could not clean it off. He simply gave up.

He walked forward and stopped before the father and son of the Gu family.

After glancing from one to the other, he picked up a branch from the ground and pointed it straight at Gu Yuye.

Gu Fangchen finally released the breath he had been holding inside and spoke plainly.

“Gu Yuye, even if everyone believes that I have abused the name of the Northern Suppression Prince’s estate to run wild, and that the estate has shown me kindness, you should still understand that I have never owed you anything.”

“There has never been rootless water or fruit without a cause in this world.”

Ning Caiyong stared blankly at her son’s back. Suddenly, he seemed somewhat unfamiliar to her, yet an inexplicable certainty rose within her heart.

This was still Gu Fangchen. He had not changed.

Even the faint sense of incongruity that had lingered ever since she brought Gu Fangchen out earlier vanished in an instant.

Gu Fangchen also felt the dull pressure that had vaguely weighed on his heart ever since he crossed into this world disappear completely.

He seemed to understand.

This was probably the original owner’s resentment.

Gu Fangchen smiled inwardly. It seemed that the original owner had realized what he truly intended to do as well…

Gu Yuandao was still sneering beside them.

“You don’t owe the estate? Then who does? If it weren’t for you, Father’s life would have been spotless. Why else would he have been saddled with the stain of ‘failing to educate his son’ and subjected to impeachment day after day?”

“If it weren’t for you…”

Gu Fangchen ignored his rambling and continued speaking to himself.

“Likewise, I’ve never liked owing other people anything. You nearly killed me twice today, though I suppose we can count it as two and a half times.”

“So…”

“Old Ding, watch carefully. This is how I kill.”

Before Gu Fangchen’s words had even finished, Gu Yuye keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Old Ding? Who was that?

The ridiculous branch in Gu Fangchen’s hand looked like nothing more than a child’s willful joke, incapable of causing the slightest harm. Yet in that instant, Gu Yuye felt an extreme premonition of danger.

Everyone present wondered the same thing.

Who was he going to kill?

The next second, they found out.

Gu Yuye’s pupils contracted. He realized what was happening and raised his hand in an instant.

This time, he held nothing back.

The moment he struck, Gu Fangchen would certainly die.

Yet without the slightest warning, in the very next instant, Gu Yuye’s expression stiffened and the light vanished from his eyes.

The towering figure of the Northern Suppression Prince, as immense as a mountain, collapsed with a thunderous crash and turned into dust.

It scattered through the air.

Gu Fangchen lightly swept the branch through the air.

The power of Life and Death at My Command was activated.

…

Within White Horse Temple.

In a secluded courtyard in the rear of the temple, the night wind stirred gently.

At the center of the courtyard, a pool of deep violet lotuses had quietly bloomed, sending waves of intoxicating fragrance into the air.

Layer upon layer of drifting white gauze curtains blocked the view from outside.

The abbot of White Horse Temple knelt on the ground in trembling fear, his forehead pressed against the floor.

From behind the gauze came the languid voice of a woman, filled with interest.

“You mean that before I arrived today, someone already knew I was coming?”