Chapter 31: The Grand Preceptor's Tiger Skin (Two-in-One)

Gu Fangchen coughed twice.

"As for the whereabouts of the 'Six-Duty Star Lord'... I do not know."

"But!"

Xu Fu’s eyes, which had just turned cold, suddenly froze at these words. She felt quite like she was being toyed with.

She pondered for a moment, silently raised her hand to form a seal, and stared quietly at Gu Fangchen. It was a clear posture: if you say one more wrong word, I will immediately scatter your body and soul.

Gu Fangchen: "..."

Fine, no more joking. One, no one understands my humor; two, someone actually wants to kill me.

Gu Fangchen acted as if nothing had happened, maintained a grave expression, and continued:

"What I mean is, the whereabouts of the 'Six-Duty Star Lord' cannot be directly determined."

"You must have tried to divine his location, but the results were chaotic and messy. The locked-on targets shifted—sometimes a youth, sometimes an old man, sometimes even an infant."

"That is because he has cut his own causal threads into six segments and cast them into the cycle of reincarnation."

Xu Fu frowned.

"But this means his memories would also be lost as the causal threads are severed. Once lost in reincarnation, he would forever be missing a part of his causality."

As far as she knew, the existence of the "Six-Duty Star Lord" was far more ancient than the birth of the Demon Sect. This meant that at least one segment of his life had absolutely nothing to do with the Demon Sect. If he did not remember his own purpose, he could become an entirely different, independent person within reincarnation, let alone mask the movements of the Demon Sect members.

Furthermore, those who practice causal arts fear the loss of their own causality above all else. Because to use heaven and earth as a命盘 (destiny plate) for calculation, one must anchor the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches with oneself as the central pivot. If the pivot itself is unstable, the results obtained could never be true.

Gu Fangchen nodded.

"That is true, but what if... he could weave a destiny plate of his own using those six causal threads, across a sufficiently long time and a sufficiently vast distance of reincarnation trajectories?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Fu’s pupils constricted. What Gu Fangchen said did not exceed the scope of her understanding. And precisely because of that, it shook her to the core.

Simply put, a normal person uses themselves as the origin of a coordinate system to observe and measure everything between heaven and earth. A human is merely an insignificant point in this mortal world.

But according to Gu Fangchen, the "Six-Duty Star Lord" was preparing to directly embody the coordinate system, or even... to embody this very heaven and earth!

The "Six-Duty Star Lord" intended to use his six causal threads, with time as the warp and distance as the weft, to encompass the heavens and the earth, ultimately becoming the invisible Master of Heaven and Earth. No causality would be able to escape his grasp.

This was the "Six-Duty Star Lord’s" Latitude and Longitude Destiny Art!

He did not need those severed segments of causality to remain conscious in reincarnation; it was enough that they simply remained within the cycle. His destiny plate was already woven from time itself.

Xu Fu also realized the crux of the problem, her gaze deepening.

"Therefore, to break his destiny art, one must first find out who currently bears his six segments of causal threads?"

Gu Fangchen nodded.

"That shouldn't be difficult for you."

In the game, this quest was a classic, soul-crushing trolley problem. The "Six-Duty Star Lord" was the Daoist Master of the Demon Sect, but the causal threads he split off had long since become independent people in the cycle of reincarnation. Before you reached the "Six-Duty Star Lord" quest, the game would give you several small, daily tasks involving these people. You would think they were just ordinary NPCs living in the Great Wei, perhaps even raising your favorability with them or building relationships. Then, at the end, you would be forced to kill them with your own hands.

Moreover, every time you restarted, their identities were randomized, making it impossible to guard against. To complete the quest, you either had to harden your heart or avoid taking unfamiliar tasks from the start. But if you wanted to level up quickly, you couldn't avoid doing tasks.

Regarding this, Gu Fangchen’s decision was: delete them. As for the missing experience points, let the Grand Preceptor make up for it.

Xu Fu had had her own doubts after years of divination. Now, combined with Gu Fangchen’s explanation, she immediately knew his words were not false. But this brought up another problem...

Xu Fu said in a deep voice:

"Since the causal threads of the 'Six-Duty Star Lord' have been reincarnating in this world for so long, his Latitude and Longitude Destiny Plate... should be mostly formed by now."

"In recent years, I have felt my divinations frequently interfered with. I initially thought it was due to celestial anomalies, but now that I think about it, it must be the 'Six-Duty Star Lord' misleading me."

"In other words, he can already sense my divinations."

Gu Fangchen had expected this and raised an eyebrow.

"Is the Grand Preceptor afraid that the 'Six-Duty Star Lord' will learn of your actions in advance and flee?"

He said nonchalantly:

"Actually, it’s not difficult—a feint to the east while attacking in the west should work."

Of course... it wouldn't. If the "Six-Duty Star Lord" could be deceived by such simple tactics, he wouldn't be a Daoist Master of Causality. Gu Fangchen actually had a way to shield against the reverse-divination of the "Six-Duty Star Lord's" destiny art, but he deliberately kept it to himself, wanting to test the suspicion he had earlier.

Xu Fu bit her lip, lowered her eyes, and said somewhat stiffly:

"No. Success depends on secrecy; words lead to failure. The more people who know about this, the greater the chance the 'Six-Duty Star Lord' will find out."

She looked up and said sternly:

"You do it."

Gu Fangchen was surprised.

"The others can't? I don't even have any cultivation, and besides, didn't the Grand Preceptor say you don't like me wearing your 'tiger skin'?"

He teased, "Could it be... that it must be me?"

Xu Fu was silent for a moment before saying:

"It must be you."

Even she could not calculate Gu Fangchen's future, and the "Six-Duty Star Lord" could not either. Only by having Gu Fangchen act would it be the safest. Since the other party loved beauty, she would just use that to her advantage...

Once these words were out, Gu Fangchen immediately understood.

He sighed, patted his chest with righteous indignation, and said:

"Very well. Since the Grand Preceptor favors me so, I naturally cannot refuse. I am willing to work for you."

"However... I cannot act without a title."

Gu Fangchen looked at Xu Fu with a grin:

"Grand Preceptor, I have a presumptuous request..."

Asking for a reward again? Truly motivated only by profit. However, as long as he did his job well, giving him a little sweetness was only reasonable. Xu Fu convinced herself in her heart, bit her lip, and said faintly:

"Speak."

Gu Fangchen raised a finger and said:

"I have heard that in the Canliao Pillar, there are three hundred volumes of scriptures personally transcribed by the Grand Preceptor."

"I have long coveted your authentic work. I don't want much... just one volume. To admire it daily would soothe my longing."

He was impressed with himself; the nonsense was coming out more and more smoothly.

Xu Fu was stunned. The psychological preparation she had just made for herself inexplicably turned into a flush of annoyance. The person is already right in front of you, and you want scriptures to soothe your longing?

Gu Fangchen thought she was unwilling and added:

"Although I don't have much wisdom, I will study the scriptures written by your own hand diligently every day. Perhaps, with your enlightenment, it might just open up my blockheaded mind."

Written by her own hand?

Xu Fu scoffed internally. So, it had to be her personally. He even dared to be picky about her currently being an avatar—how insatiable!

Seeing her remain silent, Gu Fangchen grew nervous. Xu Fu always prioritized the peace of the world, but those scriptures were the true legacy of the Heavenly Destiny Dao. Her favorability was clearly not high enough; he didn't know if he could get his hands on one. If it really didn't work, Gu Youren seemed to have two notebooks; that might not be impossible either.

After waiting for a long time, Gu Fangchen finally heard a soft, delicate voice, timidly and confusedly asking:

"Your Highness, what’s wrong? I—I’m sorry, I woke you up!"

He looked up and saw Xuexiang almost in tears, about to kneel.

She left?

Women’s hearts are indeed like needles at the bottom of the sea...

Whether she's giving it or not, she could at least say something!

Gu Fangchen sighed toward the sky and reached out to support her:

"It's nothing. Mother told you to come, right?"

The little maid nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Gu Fangchen thought for a moment and said:

"Stay here and serve me from now on. Tell everyone you are a concubine."

Xuexiang opened her eyes wide, first happy, then confused. Why tell everyone?

Gu Fangchen reached out and pressed her shoulders, saying seriously:

"Also, you don't need to dress like that next time. I still like how you looked before."

Xuexiang said "Oh." She felt even stranger. Didn't His Highness think she looked better dressed as a Daoist nun? But the nobility were always fickle, one thought after another.

Xuexiang’s face flushed as she bowed to Gu Fangchen:

"Yes, Your Highness."

Gu Fangchen smiled and pushed the door open to leave, only to hear a servant rushing over from outside.

"Your Highness, the Grand Preceptor has sent someone to deliver a scroll of scriptures."

...

When Gu Fangchen reached the entrance, he saw the familiar Daoist boy again. He waved his hand and gave a natural greeting.

The boy looked him up and down, this time with genuine surprise. He handed the box containing the scriptures to Gu Fangchen and said solemnly:

"These were transcribed by the Grand Preceptor herself; you must preserve them with the utmost care."

Uh...

Gu Fangchen felt incredibly guilty thinking about what he was about to do. He wore an enthusiastic smile on his face:

"Definitely, definitely."

Ning Cayong, who had followed him out, was stunned, feeling a bit strange. What has gotten into the Grand Preceptor... Sending gold, and now sending scriptures? She knew exactly what kind of person her child was—no, the entire Imperial Heaven City should know exactly what kind of person Gu Fangchen was. Why would the Grand Preceptor favor him so much?

The Daoist boy took out another token.

Gu Fangchen was startled. He reached out to take it and saw the character "Xu" written on it.

The boy bowed:

"This is the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion Token. With this, you may freely enter and exit the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion and command the troops of the mansion."

Ning Cayong covered her mouth, shocked:

"This... this is also the Grand Preceptor’s intention?"

The boy nodded:

"The Grand Preceptor’s intention. She is away from the mansion year-round and needs someone to help manage it."

"She thinks the Young Prince is quite capable."

Gu Fangchen: "..."

He twitched his mouth. No, he knew this was Xu Fu "donning her tiger skin" for him. But the Grand Preceptor, who almost never dealt with people and had zero emotional intelligence, clearly did not understand how much of an outrageous misunderstanding her wording would cause...

Beside him, Ning Cayong’s pupils shook, and her original anxiety was diluted quite a bit. What does the Grand Preceptor mean by this?!

Gu Fangchen managed to send off the Daoist boy, then turned to find Ning Cayong looking at him thoughtfully.

"Mother, what’s wrong?"

Ning Cayong shook her head and said faintly:

"Perhaps Mother is overthinking it..."

She reached out and touched Gu Fangchen’s cheek:

"Chen’er, no matter how this matter ends, I have decided to return to the Sword Pavilion for a period of peace. Will you accompany me?"

Gu Fangchen was startled, then immediately nodded:

"Naturally. Where you go, I go."

He thought to himself that the Sword Pavilion was a great place; the best sword in the entire game was there. Of course, the premise was whether his awkward identity would make that sister-obsessed Sword Saint draw his sword immediately...

...

"Great Princess, you need not worry about this."

A noblewoman close to Gu Youren comforted her:

"Even if the Young Prince has obtained some opportunities, the fact that his character is base is an indisputable truth. The position of Young Prince will definitely have to be returned to Young Master Gu."

If she hadn't said anything, it would have been fine, but mentioning "Young Master Gu" made Gu Youren feel even more unspeakable. Provoked by that evil seed, she had made a mistake. Now, even facing Gu Fangchen, she didn't seem to be able to condemn him with any justification.

Gu Youren sighed, frowned, and said softly:

"Old Master Ding is eccentric in nature, and Princess Banruo is unpredictable; it is not strange for these two to do things that are out of the ordinary."

"But what I find strange is, why would even Master..."

The woman smiled and mocked:

"How noble is our Grand Preceptor? How could she send someone something as vulgar as gold?"

"In my opinion, this is clearly a satire."

Gu Youren was stunned at these words, and her brow relaxed. That’s right; she had over-interpreted Master’s intentions. Thinking carefully, although Master had a strange personality, it was certainly not the case that everything she did had to have some profound meaning. Since such a secret had occurred in the Prince’s Mansion, it was impossible for Master not to have known. Perhaps she had heard of this and was using it to express her mockery of Gu Fangchen’s base, playboy nature.

Yes, even Master had expressed such a clear attitude; it must be to express injustice for Yuandao.

Gu Youren shook her head, her thoughts suddenly clear, and she sighed with amusement. So, she had been thinking too much. She only needed to wait for Master Juehui to arrive and expose Gu Fangchen’s conspiracy, and everything would naturally return to the right track.

She stood up, the restlessness in her heart finally settling. After thinking for a while, she let the attendant play the zither while she took out Xu Fu’s notes, calmed her mind, burned incense, and watched with a peaceful heart, trying to grasp Master’s profound ideas from them. The more she pondered, the more she felt Xu Fu’s transcendence, not flowing with the secular world.

"Really, how could I have thought that Master sent him ten thousand taels of gold because Gu Fangchen liked it? I must have been muddled."

Gu Youren held her forehead and curled her lips.

But then, she heard a commotion outside. She immediately frowned and shouted coldly:

"What is the noise about?"

The noise outside stopped, and someone reported:

"Reporting to the Princess, the Grand Preceptor’s people have come again."

Gu Youren was overjoyed:

"Is Master looking for me?"

With Master’s abilities, she must have discovered her misunderstanding and come to resolve her inner conflict.

The person outside paused and said with difficulty:

"No... it is to see the Young Prince again. This time, they brought a volume of scriptures transcribed by the Grand Preceptor, and also... also the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion Token."

Gu Youren’s happy expression froze, and the notes in her hand fell to the ground with a thud.

————

PS: It’s so miserable. I woke up this morning with sudden chest tightness and shortness of breath, severe pain in my trachea, and wheezing when breathing. I’ve been feeling terrible all day. This happens from time to time since I recovered from the infection. It’s bitter.

Working hard to type, begging for a ticket (╥╯^╰╥)