Chapter Twelve: Inviting the Crown Prince to Visit (Part One and Two)

The abbot of White Horse Temple is named "Yuan Xin," a wandering Buddhist monk who possesses seventh-grade divine cultivation. Being a "wandering monk" means he does not belong to either of the two great Buddhist immortal sects. This is precisely why he was able to become the abbot of White Horse Temple.

In the Great Wei Dynasty, the three traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism stand as the most formidable powerhouses. The Confucian school boasts the "Sage of the Ages" at Yaoshan Academy, one of only two grandmasters to have reached the First Grade realm, the other being the legendary sword saint of the previous generation who cleaved open the Heavenly Gate. Thirteen hundred years ago, it was the Confucian Sage who drafted the covenant that established "half the realm," allowing the Great Wei to be founded. Every successive Emperor of Great Wei, upon ascending the throne, must travel to Yaoshan to pay respects to that very document, a tradition that has persisted through the ages.

As for the Taoists, the "Mandate of Heaven Sect" currently holds absolute power, simply because the current leader of the sect is the Imperial Preceptor—the "Sage of Fate," Xu Fu. Legend has it that she truly controls the rise and fall of the Great Wei’s national destiny over the next five hundred years with a mere wave of her hand. A single thought from her can turn the world upside down.

Regarding the Buddhists, the Garan Temple and the Mother Goddess Sect claim orthodoxy, their rivalry as fierce as fire and water. White Horse Temple serves as a semi-official post station under the jurisdiction of the Imperial City, and it naturally requires someone with a neutral and untainted background to serve as abbot; otherwise, it would be easily infiltrated and exploited. Yet, even with a neutral stance, it is difficult for a seventh-grade itinerant cultivator to hold his head high when facing the Saintess of the Mother Goddess Sect.

Yuan Xin knelt on the ground, swallowed hard, and reported truthfully: "Yes... half an hour before the Princess arrived, the Princess Consort of the Prince of Zhenbei came with the Heir to visit Her Highness."

"I thought the Heir was just talking nonsense, so I settled them into a meditation room within the temple. Who would have thought... that you would truly come."

The person hidden behind the heavy curtains was none other than Princess Prajna. She reclined casually on a couch, her waterfall of black hair cascading down, her soft white robes blossoming like lotus petals. The magnificent, cold gemstone ornaments draped over her chest rose and fell with her breathing, showcasing a graceful figure. Armlets and anklets clung to her slender limbs like shackles, yet no matter how dazzling the jewelry, it paled in comparison to the breathtaking beauty of her face, partially hidden behind a veil. A delicate, hazy gauze covered the upper half of her face, making it impossible to read her eyes. Even so, that half-face alone was enough to topple empires.

"Princess Prajna" is a title, for she was once the cherished daughter of a golden-branched and jade-leaved lineage in an ancient kingdom of yellow sand in the Western Regions. Legend has it that when the ancient kingdom suffered from a catastrophic sandstorm, with thousands dying in the parched land, Princess Prajna, moved by compassion, made a great vow. She gouged out her own eyes as a sacrifice to the heavens, moving the Dao to show mercy and send down sweet rain. The kingdom turned into an oasis, and all surrounding lands submitted to its prosperity. Yet, for reasons unknown, shortly thereafter, this powerful ancient kingdom vanished overnight into the desert, becoming nothing more than a legend. Princess Prajna was then brought into the Mother Goddess Sect as their Saintess; her true name is now known to few.

Princess Prajna rested her head on a slender, jade-like hand and asked with interest, "It sounds like it wasn't the Princess Consort who sought me out, but that notorious Heir of the Prince of Zhenbei—that dandy... who cannot cultivate?"

"Yes."

"What does he want with me?"

"Judging by the Princess Consort's tone, it seems to be regarding the poison in the Heir's body, and they wish to request the Princess's intervention."

Yuan Xin broke into a cold sweat, his forehead pressed to the floor, wishing he could bury himself in the dirt. Everyone in the world knows that Gu Fangchen is a notorious evildoer with a penchant for beauty. What legitimate business could he have with Princess Prajna? "Curing the poison" is most likely an excuse. Even thinking about it was a grave blasphemy against the Princess. She was merciful, so she might ignore it usually... but now, not only had they come to her door, they had even tracked her movements in advance! Amida Buddha, he only hoped the blood wouldn't splatter on him.

Princess Prajna tapped her forehead with a finger. *Interesting.* Her movements were so clandestine that even the Eye of Heaven Department could not obtain this information, let alone a fake heir from the Prince of Zhenbei's estate. This could not be a mere coincidence.

She parted her crimson lips and asked, "Where is that Heir now?"

A maid, wrapped entirely in a black cloak, bowed and said, "At the wild ferry crossing at the foot of the mountain."

Princess Prajna suddenly chuckled. "What a wonderful play... You may go."

The maid nodded, pushed aside the gauze curtain, and walked out.

Yuan Xin asked tremblingly, "Is the Princess planning to..."

The Princess replied lazily, "Can't you tell? Go and invite our young Heir to be our guest."

...

At the wild ferry crossing, silence reigned. Only the howling night wind remained, causing the reeds to sway gently. Gu Yuandao stood with a dull, vacant expression.

Whether it was his reason or his emotions, he had been dealt a massive, crushing blow. As the wind blew, the countless ashes resulting from the disintegration of Gu Yuye landed on his face. He had opened his mouth in shock, and the ashes nearly flew inside, causing him to snap his mouth shut in terror.

Gu Yuandao's face was deathly pale. He reached out with trembling hands, but it was clearly in vain. He looked at Gu Fangchen, who stood before him with an unchanged expression, and said in a shaky, disbelieving voice, "You... you killed Father?"

Gu Fangchen raised an eyebrow, grinned, and caught a speck of ash with a twig: "A blind person shouldn't be able to become a top scholar, should they? Can't you see for yourself?" He blew softly, scattering the ash, and shrugged. "If you don't think I killed him, I can offer you the credit for this world-renowned feat. It wouldn't hurt."

"After all, I have been occupying the magpie's nest for nineteen years. Sigh, I really do owe you, so treat this as my compensation."

Killing the Prince of Zhenbei was, of course, a ticket to world-wide fame. Back then, three great experts from Qingman had surrounded and attacked Gu Yuye, yet they couldn't take his life. Anyone who could slay the "Military Sage," who held such immense power in court, would instantly become famous throughout the cultivation world.

Gu Yuandao's body swayed, and he could barely hear Gu Fangchen's words. He muttered, "A gentleman remains calm even if Mount Tai collapses before him... a gentleman... remains calm..." He had never imagined that Gu Yuye would die before his eyes. So easily, so bizarrely. He died at the hands of this waste who had never been part of their plans, someone who couldn't even cultivate!

"Snap!"

At that moment, a massive crack appeared in Gu Yuandao’s Dao heart. He had been a fifth-grade divine cultivator, using a breath of "noble energy" to suppress his spirit, his thoughts upright and invulnerable to evil. But now, he looked like a man suffering from a severe illness, pale and drenched in cold sweat, like a weak patient in a seizure.

Gu Fangchen sneered inwardly. Confucian divine cultivators focus on "self-establishment"—having a chest full of plans and the courage of a bell, which makes them hard to rattle. This is the integration of inner will. The simplest way to defeat a Confucian cultivator in the shortest time is to make him feel terror.

Gu Fangchen’s plan had three goals. First, to prevent Gu Yuye from sealing the deal tonight. Second, to bind Ding Xingfeng to his own sinking ship, making it impossible for him to jump off. Third, to strike a fatal blow to Gu Yuandao’s Dao heart and sever his path of cultivation. Now, all three birds had been skewered by the small twig in Gu Fangchen’s hand.

It was a pity, though... although he sounded so confident, he hadn't actually killed Gu Yuye. Gu Fangchen watched the ashes dissipate in the wind, a trace of regret in his eyes. Gu Yuye, known as the "Heart Demon" and the "Military Sage," was the ultimate, invincible schemer. To what extent? Let’s just say that until Gu Fangchen transmigrated, no player had ever truly managed to kill him! It was that absurd. Because the guy was so good at surviving, players nicknamed him the "King of Resilience."

Usually, when Gu Yuye appeared before people, it was two hundred percent not his true body, but a "Military Puppet" he had refined with his own heart's blood. There were three known "Military Puppets," all at the third-grade level. Thus, some speculated that his cultivation was only at the third grade because he had split his power among these puppets. Of course, there were more terrifying theories—perhaps his true body's cultivation was far beyond the third grade? But those were just player conspiracy theories, none confirmed.

A "Military Puppet" shares the karma of the true Gu Yuye; even a causal-inference skill like [Life and Death at Will] would only target the puppet. Gu Fangchen didn't intend to kill Gu Yuye so quickly. Not only was his own ability limited, but the current Great Wei could not function without Gu Yuye. Gu Fangchen was not confident that he could stabilize the entire Great Wei landscape after Gu Yuye’s death and prevent the watchful Qingman from invading. If he could develop for another two years, Gu Yuye would have to die. But now, it was too early.

"Gen... gentleman..." Gu Yuandao was on the verge of collapse.

Ning Caiyong finally came to her senses. She looked at Gu Fangchen, then at the ashes on the ground, in disbelief. It was as if she were seeing her son for the first time.

Gu Fangchen blinked, put on an innocent expression, and tossed the twig away: "Mother, I was just about to tell you. The acquaintance I met taught me this move! He said that if I didn't do this, Gu Yuye wouldn't listen to me properly, so I had no choice. Mother, you won't blame me, will you?"

Ding Xingfeng, who was watching from the reeds, was stunned. The "Martial Sage," forced to take the fall for a massive disaster, had a dark expression on his face. This damn brat was so bold... even he hadn't expected it. In his view, even if Gu Fangchen truly possessed some secret technique capable of killing a second-grade Great Saint, it should have required at least three months of preparation. He never imagined that Gu Fangchen would choose to strike the Prince of Zhenbei tonight—without a moment's hesitation!

Because of this, when Gu Fangchen shouted "Old Ding," everything was set in stone... Gu Yuye must have heard it! Was there anyone else in this world with the surname Ding who was powerful enough to kill a third-grade Military Puppet? Ding Xingfeng was truly impressed. At this moment, even if he disliked Gu Fangchen, Gu Yuye would soon come to settle the score. Could he really say it wasn't him? That would be admitting defeat! This was the brilliance of Gu Fangchen's move—he had propped Ding Xingfeng up, and given the latter's nature, he would never look for a way out for himself!

The old Martial Sage ground his teeth. *So what if it's Gu Yuye? To me, he's just a junior.*

Ning Caiyong’s pupils contracted upon hearing this. She bit her lip and said, "Chen'er, are you saying that the 'Old Ding' you mentioned earlier..."

Gu Fangchen nodded. He pretended not to know what he had done wrong and looked at Ning Caiyong: "Mother, are you unhappy? Did I do something wrong? You saw it; Gu Yuye wanted to kill me first." Gu Fangchen muttered, "I am really in pain, but Mother, look, I’m not completely useless."

The original body’s personality was exactly like this—treating outrageous acts as a way to show off his abilities to gain attention, never knowing where he went wrong. What Gu Fangchen had done, while outrageous, was perfectly in character.

Ning Caiyong fell silent for a while, sighed, looked at Gu Fangchen with a reproachful gaze, and said, "Never be so reckless again, and do not use such extreme measures." She reached out and patted his hair. "No matter what, Mother will protect you. If Gu Yuye wants to kill you, he will have to answer to your uncle's sword first."

Gu Yuandao, who was still in a daze, was stunned by their conversation. He looked at Ning Caiyong in disbelief. He couldn't understand it. Gu Yuye was dead! Killed by Gu Fangchen! Why was Ning Caiyong reacting like this? So calm, not even blaming Gu Fangchen, just telling him not to use such extreme measures... Either the world had gone mad, or he had.

Gu Yuandao clutched his head, faintly hearing a sigh, and the noble energy in his mind suddenly emitted a bright, calm light. It was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head. Gu Yuandao instantly sobered up, grasping a third possibility. "Father... is not dead!"

Ning Caiyong then remembered her biological son and quickly turned her head, saying softly, "Don't be afraid. Your father isn't so easily killed; that was just a military puppet."

Gu Yuandao stumbled and stared fixedly at the calm Gu Fangchen. "You said that on purpose! You wanted to destroy my Dao heart!"

Gu Fangchen curled his lips into a slow smile: "What is a Dao heart? I can't even cultivate, how would I know what that is?"

Gu Yuandao’s blood surged, and he vomited a mouthful of fresh blood.

...

In a dark chamber somewhere, Gu Yuye, who had been meditating, suddenly opened his eyes. His eyes were blood-red, and his expression turned hideously ferocious, a stark contrast to his usual composure. He stood up slowly, and the surrounding stone walls and ground cracked inch by inch, turning into nothingness.

"Gu! Fang! Chen!"

"Good, good, very good. My useless son, you actually deceived everyone and gave me such a huge surprise!"

Gu Yuye stepped into the void. The next moment, he appeared amidst the pile of ashes and pointed a finger at Gu Fangchen.