Chapter Three: A Mortal Encounter

Gu Fangchen could easily analyze the situation from the merged memories. The reason why the original owner—a fake heir—became so "profligate and wicked" was inseparable from his upbringing and family environment.

Because the Great Wei and Qingman were locked in years of war, the Prince of Zhenbei remained stationed at the border and rarely returned to the princely mansion in the Imperial Capital. In the nineteen years Gu Fangchen had lived in the mansion, he could count the number of times he had met his father on the fingers of one hand. And in those rare instances, it was either because Gu Fangchen had been poisoned or because he had committed a grave disaster that required damage control. In the eyes of the son, there were only two paths to gaining the attention of the father he both respected and feared: either destroy himself or destroy others. Obviously, Gu Fangchen had chosen the latter.

Great Wei was a nation founded on martial prowess, where the entire populace revered strength. Once his dantian was crippled, Gu Fangchen became the greatest laughingstock among the noble circles of the Imperial Capital. People often crave what they lack, and the self-esteem Gu Fangchen missed was compensated for by an outward display of arrogance, luxury, and cruelty.

More importantly, the Princess of Zhenbei, Ning Caiyong, indulged and tolerated him almost without limit. Because Gu Fangchen was frequently harmed and Ning Caiyong had a gentle nature—coupled with her deep sense of guilt toward him—she would do everything in her power to clean up his messes and satisfy his demands, no matter how unruly he was. This directly led to Gu Fangchen being raised as a giant infant. Internally empty, he had to endlessly demand from the outside world. The more mischievous he was, the more emotional value he extracted from others; naturally, as time went on, his behavior only worsened.

As the saying goes, "a doting mother ruins her son." Ning Caiyong was that doting mother without a bottom line. One could even describe her as "demented in her doting." Of course, for players, this character trait was far from a negative tag; instead, it solidified Ning Caiyong’s popularity as "the woman who could be my mother."

In short, within the entire mansion, she was the only person who might still stand by Gu Fangchen and believe in him unconditionally. She might tolerate him being placed under house arrest, as the matter was of great importance, but if he were to be injured because of it, Ning Caiyong would never stand for it.

...

Outside the Xie-Fang Courtyard, which belonged to the heir, a group of the mansion’s retainers and shadow guards were blocking a beautiful, luxuriously dressed woman. She had a complexion like peach blossoms and eyes as cold as frost. Her flawless, fair face was delicate and elegant, and her gold-embroidered, dark-patterned red dress exuded a subtle sense of majesty and nobility. Her hair was piled in a cloud-like bun with golden hairpins set aslant, revealing a sliver of neck as smooth as congealed fat.

The "Rouge Records" published within the game once ranked the unmarried Ning Caiyong as the number one beauty. A poem once claimed, "The moon goddess is hard to dream of in the distant sky, but one sight of Ning Caiyong is enough in the world of men." Looking at her appearance, one might take her for a girl of sixteen; it was impossible to imagine she was a woman nearing forty who had already given birth to three children.

The Princess of Zhenbei, Ning Caiyong, came from the Sword Pavilion—the greatest sect of the Six Hua Path—and was the daughter of the Pavilion Master. The "Sword Saint" Ning Songjun, known across the world for carving a path through land to create a boat with a single stroke of his sword, was her own younger brother. Although Ning Caiyong possessed no cultivation herself and was merely a delicate lady of the boudoir, when she first married, her younger brother—then still a youth—had carried her on his back from the Sword Pavilion all the way to the gates of the princely mansion.

From the Six Hua Path to the Imperial Capital, a distance of 120,000 li, the young Sword Saint had bent his knees and bowed his back. Since then, the world knew how powerful the Princess of Zhenbei’s backing was. One would rather offend the Sword Saint than offend his older sister!

"Please, Your Highness, calm your anger," the lead shadow guard knelt on the ground. Though his words were polite, his tone was firm. "We are only acting on the Prince’s orders, setting these restrictions to prevent the Heir from acting impulsively."

Ning Caiyong pursed her lips, her voice filled with indignation: "So, because I am a woman who remains deep within the inner courtyard, everyone thinks I am foolish and shortsighted? Even a few shadow guards and retainers dare to deceive me!" She let out a cold laugh. "Since when has the Prince ever cared so deeply about my Chen'er? If he were truly afraid that Chen'er would do something foolish out of impulse, could the dignified Prince of Zhenbei really not stop this news from spreading?"

She was a beauty who could embody the "gentle harbor," one who would not even blush when angry. Yet, when it came to Gu Fangchen, it was as if someone had touched her reverse scale. Her words were sharp enough to pierce one's very spine. The shadow guards below were instantly silenced.

"Do you have anything else to say to fob me off?" Ning Caiyong looked around and reprimanded them. "If not, then move aside."

As she made to leave, the retainers nearby hurriedly stepped forward to block her. Seeing that they could not dissuade her, one of them rolled his eyes and spoke bluntly: "The Prince did indeed issue the order to watch the Heir. Please, Your Highness, do not make it difficult for us small fry." The retainer sighed and knelt. "Forgive us, Your Highness. We are merely following orders. Since the Prince has made up his mind, how can we possibly disobey?"

"Please, Your Highness, rest assured. These restrictions only limit the Heir’s movement; they will not harm a single hair on his head!" he pleaded. "Please, show mercy and go back! The night is deep and heavy with dew. If your noble body falls ill, the Prince will surely blame us!"

It is said that entering a noble house is as deep as the sea. These retainers were experts at surviving in such an environment, possessing a level of craftiness among cultivators. Unlike the shadow guards who only knew how to follow orders, they knew the art of persuasion. The Princess was kind-hearted and soft; she responded to soft words, not hard ones. They had to present their own plight, appealing to reason and emotion, to make her hesitate. Once tonight passed and the Prince returned, the fate of this wicked little beast would be sealed, and even the Princess would not be able to protect him!

The others immediately followed suit, kneeling in a row. "Please, Your Highness, return!"

Seeing this, Ning Caiyong paused. Her heart softened, and her resolve wavered; she became hesitant. Most of these people were indeed following orders, and she knew full well how ruthless and severe Gu Yuye’s governance was. Even if she tried to explain, Gu Yuye would only punish them for incompetence. If these restrictions were truly only meant to limit Chen'er's movement... and considering Chen'er's identity was currently in question...

Seeing a glimmer of hope, the retainer hurried forward to lead the way: "Your Highness, perhaps you should first—"

Just then, from the bedroom in the distance, pale blue spiritual patterns suddenly flared to life on all sides, blindingly bright in the dark night. With a loud "bang," even the ground shook. Immediately after, Gu Fangchen’s voice rang out, high-pitched and filled with grievance: "Mother! It hurts!"

Ning Caiyong’s face changed instantly. She glared at the retainer with icy eyes and demanded, "Is this what you meant by not harming a single hair on his head?!"

The retainer was dumbfounded: "That's impossible! This restriction... this restriction clearly..." The seal he had set was meant only to limit entry and exit; why would it suddenly become aggressive?

Ning Caiyong did not want to hear any more. She called out, "Mother Cui."

The figure of an old woman suddenly appeared at the bedroom door. With a flick of her finger, the pale blue spiritual patterns disintegrated. The figure stepped back, bowed respectfully, and opened the door. Ning Caiyong rushed in anxiously, seeing Gu Fangchen collapsed on the floor, coughing up blood. She was terrified; her face turned deathly pale, as if all color had been drained from her, and her lips trembled: "Chen'er!"

Ning Caiyong knelt and gently cradled Gu Fangchen. Seeing his breath growing thin, her eyes blurred with tears. Gu Fangchen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a flash of astonishment in his eyes. In the game, perhaps due to the AI and sandbox occupying too much memory, the character models were not particularly refined. Seeing this "number one beauty" in reality, he finally understood what it meant to be a sight for the world of men.

This made his feelings even more subtle. Even though he had jokingly called her "the woman who could be my mother" countless times, actually facing such a stunningly beautiful woman and calling her "Mother" still felt strange.

In his trance, Gu Fangchen felt a few warm droplets land on his cheek. He looked up and saw tears falling like pearls from Ning Caiyong’s panicked eyes, dropping as if they were worthless.

"Sigh..." A barely audible sigh dissipated in the wind. Gu Fangchen straightened up and pulled Ning Caiyong into an embrace.

Suddenly embraced by an adult man, Ning Caiyong was startled and instinctively wanted to pull away. But Gu Fangchen held her even tighter, to the point where his grip made her arms ache, his voice muffled and sounding as if he were gritting his teeth: "Mother, it hurts so much. Everyone is trying to harm me. Now, are you going to abandon me too?"

At these words, Ning Caiyong’s body trembled. She felt her heart being torn to shreds! She felt tortured for the momentary hesitation she had felt after receiving the news. Everyone knew the Princess was kind, but when it came to a "bitter meat scheme," who could compare to him?