Chapter Twenty: The Counterfeit and the Little Thief (Combined)

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Gu Fangchen glanced at the new profession displayed above his head and raised an eyebrow, already forming his plans in his mind.

His luck wasn’t too bad.

The “Angler” profession was one he had envisioned as a useful tool in his current predicament.

Though not the best choice, it was certainly a solid middle-ground option.

This profession enjoyed a fairly good reputation among ordinary players, and even better among strategy content creators.

Unlike rare professions like “Emperor,” which were nearly impossible to obtain by the end of the game, the Angler was relatively easy to acquire.

The requirement was simple: “Catch a fish with a fishing rod” to immediately qualify.

Even a novice in the real world could fulfill this task easily, given the game’s simplified fishing mechanics.

Moreover, the Angler’s two skills were quite practical.

The first skill, “Constant Baiting,” was the quintessential gambler’s divine technique.

Though the chance of drawing high-quality items was slim, the skill’s strength lay in the fact it placed no restrictions on the range or level of items obtainable.

In other words, even if you tossed in a low-grade gray item, you still had a one percent chance to gamble your way to a top-tier, colorful item!

Thus, the correct approach was to acquire as many low-quality items as possible, then start the “card draw,” leaving the rest to fate.

This method was common among ordinary players.

However, for a strategy content creator like Gu Fangchen, the second skill was far more reliable.

In his current dilemma, it was the second skill that would prove invaluable.

With sufficient money, he could transform a counterfeit item into a genuine one. When an essential item was too troublesome to obtain by normal means, what could be more convenient and stable than this?

Of course, this skill came with conditions.

First, you needed to have a counterfeit item.

To maximize the value of this skill, there was a must-meet NPC: the “Nameless Toothsmith,” a mysterious craftsman who appeared randomly on the map.

Despite the name, this NPC did not fix teeth but could forge the items you desired.

Give him a complete blueprint, and he would produce a genuine article; otherwise, only worthless fakes would result.

Trading with him required various teeth—human, beast, or demon—anything would do.

Gu Fangchen knew where the Toothsmith was most likely to appear, but currently, he had no means of approaching him.

The reason he considered the second skill useful was because…

Gu Fangchen himself was a counterfeit.

This was not a fanciful thought nor an attempt to turn fiction into reality.

The Angler’s second skill did not possess such reality-altering power; otherwise, this profession would be considered top-tier, not merely above average.

Rather, the character of Gu Fangchen carried numerous signs and clues indicating he was deliberately created as a tool.

He was neither the Crown Prince of the Northern Town nor the son of a coachman colluding with the demon cult.

If a player delved into the Northern Town Prince’s mansion, uncovered the secret of the true and fake princes, and met a deranged beggar to accept the “Moonrise, Sundown” side quest, following the trail would lead to the discovery of a long-buried infant’s corpse in the beggar’s well.

This grim and eerie side quest concealed the greatest secret about the fake prince.

Together with other story analysts, Gu Fangchen concluded that the mad beggar was likely the coachman involved in the child swap, and the infant was the coachman’s child.

But who was the fake prince who later died in the stables?

Since the side quest had no continuation, only “Honglu” might know the answer.

This was why Gu Fangchen had previously mentioned that this character might harbor a crucial hidden storyline.

However, as this character had died before the main story began, that thread was severed.

Even a completionist like Gu Fangchen could not uncover the truth behind it.

Now that he had transmigrated into Gu Fangchen himself, he had the chance to study it thoroughly.

Returning to the question of who Gu Fangchen really was—there was still no definitive answer, but one thing was certain: he was not the Northern Town Crown Prince.

Years ago, the demon cult had employed causal fate manipulation on both Gu Fangchen and Gu Yuandao to successfully swap them.

Not only had it severed Gu Yuanye’s bloodline connection, but it also muddled the causal lines between the two.

In this world, causal lines were tangible entities that divine cultivators could capture, alter, and collect.

This was key—

Causal lines were “items.”

Therefore, the causal line residing within Gu Fangchen was an item he possessed.

This meant that the “Not Bought” skill could take effect on causal lines!

At present, the causal line on Gu Fangchen was a fabricated fate belonging to the “Northern Town Crown Prince”—a solid counterfeit.

Gu Yuanye, a martial cultivator specializing in force formations, had been unable to influence Gu Fangchen’s causal line during their lengthy meeting.

Therefore, he had to rely on Gu Youren to intervene and correct the causal line.

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In front of a crowd, Gu Youren would publicly reveal Gu Fangchen’s true identity, then find evidence of his contact with the demon cult from the repair marks left on the causal line.

These repair marks likely appeared three years ago, precisely when Gu Fangchen met the coachman and learned of his origins.

Yes, Gu Yuanye’s words were true: Gu Fangchen had known his true identity three years prior, which explained his hysterical fear when the truth was exposed.

In the original storyline, Gu Fangchen’s connection with the demon cult was confirmed, leaving him no chance of redemption.

Even if Ning Caiyong spared his life, death was inevitable.

“What nonsense are you spouting now?!” Gu Fangchen’s thoughts raced before he quickly composed himself, blinking at Gu Yuandao, who had suddenly stood up, his anger barely concealed.

Gu Yuandao had changed clothes, swapping the scholar’s robe for an expensive, embroidered garment.

His once gentle scholarly demeanor transformed into the composed bearing of a crown prince.

The handsome youth stood confidently in the grand hall of the prince’s mansion, entirely fitting the role.

Gu Fangchen’s expression remained neutral, but he immediately recognized the new attire as one Ning Caiyong had personally sewn for the original owner two days prior.

Gu Yuanye was certain he had no chance of turning things around today; giving the clothes to his son was no problem, but Gu Yuandao wearing them so naturally was peculiar.

The crown prince had grown up in poverty and solitude—how could he be so familiar with such lavish clothing?

Habits formed in childhood were hard to break.

Even if Gu Yuandao was clever and quick to learn, he couldn’t naturally adapt to this extent.

Grinning, Gu Fangchen entered, narrowing his eyes.

“I never expected that such a distinguished top scholar could be seen as a despicable villain by his own elder sister—it’s truly surprising.”

Gu Yuandao shot him a cold glance, then waved his sleeve and smiled lightly.

“If you’re trying to sow discord between us siblings, I advise you to save your effort.”

“When I studied at Yao Mountain Academy, I had a brief encounter with the Grand Princess. She knows my character well.”

“Such crude, shameless tricks are only embarrassing, even your lies are unconvincing.”

Having been humiliated by Gu Fangchen earlier, Gu Yuandao sought to regain face with a measured response.

If Gu Fangchen truly wanted to cause trouble with such poor tactics, he would be dismissed as a mere clown.

Yet… facts spoke louder than words.

Gu Fangchen shrugged and looked toward Gu Youren, who was entering behind them.

“Grand Princess, do you accuse me of lying?”

“Isn’t that what you implied just now?”

The originally serene and elegant beauty pursed her lips, her expression stiff and unwilling to meet Gu Fangchen’s gaze, clearly uncomfortable.

Sighing, Gu Fangchen turned to Qingjian, who had come to stand beside him.

“Ah, your young master has it rough.”

“To be honest, I’m shocked to learn today that the academy’s top female teacher is so domineering, she won’t even admit to her own words.”

“Perhaps her reputation for integrity and righteousness is just empty talk.”

Gu Yuandao scoffed inwardly—Gu Fangchen had truly lost his mind.

Daring to slander even the Grand Princess showed he was grasping at straws, desperately struggling.

He leisurely awaited Gu Youren’s rebuke of Gu Fangchen but noticed his elder sister biting her lip, her cold face flushed with shame.

She truly despised Gu Fangchen, looked down on his past misdeeds, and harbored a haughty superiority.

Realizing she had erred in front of Gu Fangchen made it even harder to accept.

If she herself had made mistakes, how could she admonish others?

All her previous words had become boomerangs, wounding herself…

If she did not admit it now, she would be the one without shame.

Gu Youren took a deep breath, struggling with embarrassment.

“I… spoke hastily just now.”

“I was certain the Grand Princess would… what?”

Gu Yuandao froze, his confident expression stiffening, then shifting to confusion and shock.

He looked at Gu Youren, who pursed her lips, overwhelmed with shame and unable to speak.

Was she to say that she had mistakenly believed that Princess Prajna had specifically sent attendant Xiyin to protect Gu Yuandao, thus calling Gu Fangchen despicable?

Such a misjudgment would only reveal her arrogance.

Gu Youren’s resentment toward the smug Gu Fangchen beside her deepened, her expression growing colder.

Over the years, few had stirred her emotions so deeply.

Gu Fangchen had once feared her and would never have dared to trap her like this.

And importantly, the trap had worked!

How had Gu Fangchen suddenly become so bold and clever overnight?

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Gu Youren’s thoughtful silence made Gu Yuandao even more agitated; his face darkened, and, desperate, he demanded:

“Is this how the Grand Princess views me? To speak such words!”

“I am the newly minted top scholar, soon to serve in the court. How can you say such things and expect others to respect me?”

He suspected Gu Fangchen was behind this mischief, but Gu Youren’s reputation among civil officials was too high.

If her words spread, it would utterly ruin his newly forged image.

Thankfully, this was still within the mansion, and silencing the servants’ tongues was manageable.

Gu Youren knew she was in the wrong and was left speechless.

Yet she frowned at Gu Yuandao’s overly urgent tone.

His eagerness seemed inconsistent with his previously noble, unworldly demeanor.

Still, he was young and naturally cared about his future.

She forced herself to accept this, but the sense of dissonance lingered, as if something was fundamentally off.

Ning Caiyong, having just settled Ding Xingfeng in the guest room, hurried over to mediate:

“Enough, enough. We’re family—any misunderstanding can be cleared up.”

“Who’s family with him?!” a sharp voice interrupted.

A figure in red, Gu Lianqian, rushed out angrily, glaring at Gu Fangchen with a cold snort.

“Real can’t be fake, fake can’t be real. Once my sister checks, whether you colluded with the demon cult will be clear as day.”

Gu Fangchen smiled broadly at the familiar face.

Not necessarily… sometimes, the real can be fake, and the fake can be real.

Of course, there was still a crucial problem to solve.

Gu Fangchen looked at the text floating before him.

“Fake Prince’s Causal Line: Ten Thousand Gold Taels.”

He currently had not a single coin…

…

At dawn’s first light.

At the very center of the Imperial Heavenly City stood the Purple Pole Palace, symbolizing the pinnacle of the Wei Dynasty’s power.

To the far north rose a towering hundred-zhang-high building called the “Sanliao Pillar.”

At its summit stood a breathtaking female Taoist priestess, clad in a wide robe with a red mole on her forehead, expressionless before a water mirror.

Countless ripples spread across the watery star river, originating from various points like an invisible celestial rain, slowly converging in one direction.

After an unknown span of time, these once chaotic droplets densely overlapped at a single point.

Xu Fu opened her eyes, fixing her gaze on the confluence of ripples.

Only one last ripple remained to merge, narrowing the search range to a single individual.

“Got you… little thief!”

She extended her hand indifferently, pointing at that spot.

In an instant, the entire watery star river trembled slightly.

Above Imperial Heavenly City, as the first rays of sunrise pierced the clouds, an immense invisible pressure descended.

God cultivators of fourth rank and above within the city turned pale, their hair standing on end.

At that moment, the sky seemed to transform into a colossal finger pressing downward.

A true upheaval of heaven and earth!

Though they were not the target, merely witnessing this struck terror deep within them.

Yet, just as Xu Fu’s fingertip was about to touch the ripples’ convergence, the rapidly closing waves suddenly halted.

Then…

They vanished entirely!

Xu Fu’s finger froze abruptly, pupils contracting.

If the nation’s fortune had been stolen, how could it suddenly disappear?

She remained silent for a moment before gently touching the water curtain, causing ripples to spread.

The starry sky veil lifted, revealing the scene beneath the star river.

A magnificent mansion stood in full view.

The Fate Sage controlling the Wei Dynasty’s destiny spoke each character gravely:

“Northern Town Prince’s Mansion.”

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PS: Not sure what I ate, but I was stuck in the bathroom for a long time. Came out in pain but pushed through to finish the update, now back to the bathroom… Please vote!