Gu Fangchen had already made his intentions clear and laid out his intelligence.
His goal was simple,to ensure that the two of them could speak on equal footing.
Or rather, that "the organization behind him" could stand as an equal before the Martial Saint.
Don't be fooled by how he seemed to be leading Ding Xingfeng by the nose throughout the exchange.
In truth, it was only because this Martial Saint's temperament was one of the more reasonable kinds.
As long as a conversation could be triggered, he usually wouldn't make things too difficult afterward,his mouth might be venomous, but his heart wasn't crooked.
He always did things by the book. Truly an honest man.
Some high-level NPCs, on the other hand, were monsters,you could find eleven lies in ten sentences, and even the official in-game dialogue text couldn't be trusted.
Players had to interpret and deduce everything on their own.
One careless mistake, and you'd get yourself killed on the spot...
Even a pragmatic NPC like Ding Xingfeng could still kill you with a single stroke if he happened to be in a bad mood.
Gu Fangchen was familiar with the process, but this time, he was no longer behind a screen,he was facing the man himself.
That uncertainty made him just a little uneasy.
Fortunately, he was performing well. In fact, he hadn't realized until now that his mental fortitude was quite strong.
And his current identity helped a lot too.
Ding Xingfeng surely knew that he had come with Ning Caiyong. Even if the title of "Heir of the Northern Garrison Prince" was false, Ning Caiyong's affection for him was not.
Even if the War Saint Gu Yuye no longer acknowledged him, the Sword Saint Ning Songjun was still his uncle!
It is known,when you have multiple Saints in the family, you can basically do whatever you want.
Otherwise, if he were just some random passerby, there really was a chance he'd have been chopped in half already.
At the bow of the ship, Gu Fangchen and the Martial Saint sat facing each other across a small fire stove.
Not far away, Granny Cui finally sensed something wrong.
At first, she thought the young heir was simply being mischievous again,perhaps idly playing with a fisherman by the lakeside, competing at skipping stones. So she merely stood back, keeping her distance and watching over him.
She had always known the young heir disliked being followed too closely by his servants; otherwise, he'd throw a tantrum.
But only now did she realize that she hadn't heard a single word of their conversation this entire time.
Even from a distance, that was impossible!
Just as she was about to step forward, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended upon her, pinning her where she stood, her entire body rigid and immobile.
Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Cold sweat poured down her forehead in sheets.
The opponent's strength was beyond that of a Grandmaster,far beyond!
How could the young heir possibly know someone like that? And even speak with him so casually?
...
Gu Fangchen looked up at the timer above his head.
[Emperor (22 hours, 12 minutes)]
"I possess a Star Secret Art. No matter the target's cultivation, as long as the timing is right, I can make them die instantly."
"But I must be close to them for it to work."
Gu Fangchen's face did not change. He spoke with utmost seriousness.
"If we are to kill Maha Wuliang, Old Ding, you'll have to take me straight into the heart of the Qingman Central Golden Tent,at least within thirty zhang of him."
Old Ding?
Ding Xingfeng raised his eyes and gave the impudent youth a blank look.
Then he thought about it.
This kid had started out calling him "Old Man Ding." Calling him "Old Ding" now was at least a step up in respect.
Forget it, let him be.
Gu Fangchen paused, then spoke in a low voice.
"Besides, only then can you slay Maha Wuliang before the eyes of all."
Ding Xingfeng's smile didn't reach his eyes. He narrowed them slightly.
"What, you're offering me the credit for killing Maha Wuliang? Do you think I'm some greedy hypocrite who lusts after fame?"
The aura of the Martial Saint surged forth, manifesting visibly,mountains of corpses, seas of blood, overwhelming and dreadful.
Anyone else would have thought he was enraged and immediately tried to flatter him.
But Gu Fangchen, noticing Ding Xingfeng lightly tapping the bottom of his bowl, blinked and said,
"Isn't that the case?"
"But really, who doesn't like praise? Liking fame doesn't make someone a hypocrite. On the contrary, it makes them genuine."
"If someone says they don't care for fame or fortune, that just means they crave it more than anyone."
Gu Fangchen shrugged.
"Besides, I can't kill Maha Wuliang on my own."
"And this Star Secret Art absolutely cannot be revealed to others. Even if I wanted the fame, I couldn't claim it."
He put on a pained yet magnanimous expression and sighed.
"So I can only grit my teeth and give it to you."
Ding Xingfeng raised an eyebrow and burst out laughing.
This time, it was a truly unrestrained laugh.
"The world misunderstands me!"
"So there really is someone who understands what kind of man I truly am!"
"Hero of the Martial Saints, born heartless slayer of men",neither of those labels defined him.
From the moment he joined the army one hundred and eighty years ago, all he'd ever sought was everlasting glory.
That was why when Maha Wuliang destroyed his reputation, it became his greatest heart demon.
Ding Xingfeng's laughter carried no bitterness. For a fleeting moment, one could glimpse the heroic bearing he once had as a commanding general and Martial Saint. The atmosphere between them eased considerably.
But when he set the bowl down, he said plainly,
"Still, I don't believe you."
"I've lived nearly two hundred years, and I've never heard of a Star Secret Art that could let a man with no cultivation slay a Second-Rank Saint."
He was a martial man. He knew that if such a method truly existed in the shadows, the world would have long fallen into chaos.
How could there be two hundred years of Eternal Peace and prosperity?
Gu Fangchen raised a brow, shifted a little closer, and wrapped an arm around the old man's shoulder.
"Then tell me, Old Ding,do you think there are many people in this world who possess national fate?"
Of course not.
Far from many,in fact, within the entire Great Wei, there were likely only two.
One within Imperial Heaven City, and one sitting right before him.
Ding Xingfeng gazed at the calm surface of the lake, silently acknowledging his own suspicion.
He had already guessed this before asking.
Otherwise, why would Gu Fangchen have revealed that he possessed national fate in the first place?
If such a world-defying secret art truly existed, then only by being powered through national fate could it be possible.
However...
Ding Xingfeng also wanted to test him,to gauge just how much Gu Fangchen relied on his backing, and what kind of power stood behind him.
After all, if this involved stars and destiny, there was only one place in the world where such unfathomable power might exist.
,Tanyuan.
Whenever the world approached chaos, a preacher from Tanyuan would descend upon the mortal realm to restore order.
It was a truth disguised as legend,something all cultivators tacitly acknowledged.
Ding Xingfeng had to tread carefully.
He remained silent, at ease but watchful.
Gu Fangchen furrowed his brows slightly, as if making a difficult decision, then took a step back.
"The secret art isn't easy to invoke. I can demonstrate it once, but after that, I won't be able to use it again for a long time."
"If you can accept that, then before I do it, you must swear an Oath to Your Heart Demon,to guarantee the safety of this... identity."
...
Above the Northern Garrison Prince's Residence.
Two figures streaked across the sky like shooting stars, piercing the clouds and descending toward Nightfall at a speed invisible to mortal eyes, landing before the gates of the princely estate.
The bright lanterns illuminated their forms.
One was a lean, ascetic-looking middle-aged man in a dragon-patterned robe with martial sleeves, standing with his hands behind his back. Even standing still, he exuded an imposing, awe-inspiring authority.
Beside him stood a handsome young man, a palace blossom tucked into his cap, dressed in scarlet robes. His tall, slender frame was straight as bamboo, his brows long, his eyes sharp as cold stars,an elegant, radiant scholar.
They were none other than the returning Northern Garrison Prince, Gu Yuye, and the newly renamed Gu Yuandao,the Saint's disciple and the latest Imperial Top Scholar.
Servants of the estate hurried out to greet them.
A small, red-clad figure dashed out after them, grabbing Gu Yuye's arm and shaking it playfully.
"Father, why are you only back now?"
She pouted, cheeks puffing out.
"While you were gone, that fake has almost turned the place upside down!"