"Your Highness the Heir?"
Everyone turned to look at Gu Fangchen.
, The reason Gu Fangchen had suddenly run to White Horse Temple tonight was because he had somehow heard that Princess Prajna was there, and he wanted to ask the Xiyin Attendant for help in curing his poison.
However, everyone, including Ning Caiyong, thought this was just another one of Gu Fangchen's foolish stunts.
And even if Princess Prajna truly was at White Horse Temple, what kind of person was she? How could she possibly spare attention for a notorious good-for-nothing like Gu Fangchen?
Especially Gu Yuandao, his face alternated between green and pale.
Not long ago, he had even said, "Princess Prajna is not someone just anyone can meet. How could she possibly see a drunken wastrel?"
And now, an actual Xiyin Attendant had appeared!
Not to mention the others, even Gu Fangchen himself was stunned.
No way. This can't be real, right?
Could the Mandate of Heaven really control even this?
He only vaguely remembered that the Tara Sect had arrived in Huangtian City around this time, but he couldn't recall the exact date.
After all, that was just part of the background lore.
As a player who had written the game guide, no matter how strong his memory, he wasn't a walking computer. He had to rely on notes, or on related events that helped him recall details more clearly.
Originally, Gu Fangchen's plan had been to use Princess Prajna's name as an excuse to leave the Prince's Residence.
His true goal from the beginning had always been Ding Xingfeng.
Whether she was present or not, he hadn't planned to contact the Tara Sect at this time.
Because during this period, the Tara Sect was going through a major incident.
However, compared to the uproar in the Northern Garrison Prince's Residence about the fake heir scandal, the Tara Sect's issue, though far greater, was kept under such strict secrecy that no word had spread.
That incident was recorded in the Tara Sect Red Secret No. 23.
Originally, it had nothing to do with Gu Fangchen.
But now the problem was,
He had arrived first at White Horse Temple to request an audience with Princess Prajna.
And Princess Prajna had evidently arrived only moments later!
That difference in timing made Gu Fangchen instantly break out in a cold sweat.
His earlier reasoning had been perfectly correct. Whether Princess Prajna was present or not tonight didn't matter either way.
But now the situation had changed, when he made his request, she hadn't yet arrived; right after he asked, she came.
That completely changed everything.
Gu Fangchen forced himself to keep a straight face, feigning indignation.
"The Princess wants to see me? But that bald donkey just said she wasn't here, so he lied to me!"
He secretly glanced up at the glowing script above his head.
[Emperor (16 hours 19 minutes)]
His active skill, Power of Life and Death, had already been used. What remained was only the passive effect of his supernational-level luck.
He could only rely on himself now...
The Xiyin Attendant looked at him, her golden lotus eyes tranquil as still water, her voice soft and ethereal.
"The abbot did not lie. The Princess had matters to attend to earlier and left temporarily. Upon hearing that someone sought an audience, she ordered me to come."
Ning Caiyong's face lit with hope. She quickly asked,
"Then is the Princess moved by compassion and willing to save Chen'er's life?"
The Xiyin Attendant said indifferently,
"That will depend on His Highness the Heir's own will."
At first, the words seemed strange.
She was the one offering salvation, how could it depend on the patient's will? But everyone knew Princess Prajna's moods were unpredictable; perhaps there was some condition involved.
Only Gu Fangchen knew,
Princess Prajna must believe he was connected to that secret incident.
This invitation was a Hongmen Banquet.
With wolves before and tigers behind, Gu Fangchen's mind spun rapidly as he reviewed all the secrets related to the Tara Sect. He made his decision quickly.
By comparison, returning to the Prince's Residence was far more dangerous.
He had no cultivation at all. In Gu Yuye's domain, even Ding Xingfeng might not be able to protect him.
The Martial Saint's combat strength was unquestionable, but as a straightforward man, he was no match for Gu Yuye's scheming.
Otherwise, how could he have been deceived by Mohe Wuliang back then, shaken in his Dao heart, and forced into seclusion?
Contacting the Tara Sect now was not ideal timing.
But if he could gain the Xiyin Attendant's help, the three deadly poisons in his body and his crippled dantian could be cured sooner.
His path of cultivation could resume.
This was truly a hell-difficulty start.
Gu Fangchen's three poisons could only be cured by three possible means, and the Xiyin Attendant was one of them.
She was also the simplest method.
The Tara Sect worshipped the World-Saving Mother Buddha, who had twenty-one incarnations. She had seven eyes, one at her brow to view the ten directions of Buddha Realms, and six to behold the six paths of sentient beings.
Saving the world through compassion was the sect's creed and the source of its divine arts.
In the game, it was also the best healer class.
The believers of the Tara Sect could transfer any pain or wound from others onto themselves; therefore, they always kept their bodies tightly wrapped in bandages.
The higher one's cultivation, the heavier one's own wounds. Their skin often festered and decayed, and if their special wrappings were removed, pus and blood would flow out, releasing a foul stench.
In the past, the Tara Sect's members were mistaken for demonic cultists and shunned by the world.
But to them, every wound, of body or spirit, was a trial granted by the Mother Buddha.
The greater the pain, the greater their joy.
When the body reached its limit and decayed entirely, one would enter the Pure Land.
The Xiyin Attendants, however, were different from ordinary believers.
In the Tara Sect's teachings, beside the Mother Buddha stood a Tathagata known as Heavenly Drum Sound Tathagata.
When calamity descended upon the world, the Heavenly Drum Sound Tathagata would thunder across heaven and earth, warning of disaster and pain.
The greatest sound is silence.
Ordinary people could not perceive that thunder, but those chosen by the Heavenly Drum Sound, gifted beyond mortals, could hear those omens.
Those people became Xiyin Attendants.
They could discern these signs, foresee calamities, and lead the faithful to where disaster struck, to save the living.
But that didn't mean the sect was full of saints.
They could transfer others' suffering onto themselves, so naturally, they could transfer their own suffering onto others.
And since others lacked the Mother Buddha's blessed body, they could not withstand it.
Such deaths were excruciating, twisted beyond imagination.
Gu Fangchen gathered his thoughts, took a deep breath, and looked at the Xiyin Attendant before him, feigning delight and pride.
"Since the Princess herself has invited me, I was already planning to visit her anyway. Naturally, I'm overjoyed."
"I heard that even the Emperor must bathe and purify himself before meeting Princess Prajna. Yet I am summoned without ceremony, clearly, the Princess holds me in special regard!"
He turned to Ning Caiyong with a grin.
"Mother, wait for me in the temple. I'll return right after meeting Her Highness."
Ning Caiyong hesitated anxiously.
"May I ask, attendant, could I accompany Chen'er? Or perhaps... Elder Ding?"
She glanced at the old man standing beside them, gazing at the sky.
Ding Xingfeng was pretending to admire the scenery, looking completely unconcerned, as if simply watching a show, utterly unreliable.
Still, since he had personally acknowledged Chen'er as his disciple, he should at least show some concern.
The Xiyin Attendant shook her head.
"The Princess has invited only His Highness the Heir."
Gu Yuandao clenched his teeth until they nearly cracked, his eyes bloodshot.
His Highness the Heir?
He was the true heir!
He was Gu Yuye and Ning Caiyong's biological son, the rightful blood of the Northern Garrison Prince's line.
That impostor, how could he still flaunt that title here!
And judging from his tone, he even dared to covet Princess Prajna's favor. Despicable and idiotic!
In Gu Yuandao's view, Gu Fangchen was absolutely unworthy of Princess Prajna's personal summons.
If she had invited him, there could only be one reason:
Because of his "heir" title.
"Wait."
Gu Yuye narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly.
"So the Saintess means she is inviting the heir?"
He continued evenly,
"The Saintess has long resided in the Palace of Deliverance, far removed from worldly affairs. Perhaps she is unaware that this king recently discovered Gu Fangchen is not my son at all, but the baseborn child of a servant switched by the Demonic Sect."
"Gu Yuandao is my true son."
"Once the matter is fully investigated, the title of heir will naturally be returned to Yuandao."
Ning Caiyong's body trembled. She stared at her husband in disbelief.
She had no cultivation and didn't realize that Gu Yuye had three times intended to kill Gu Fangchen earlier. She had thought he was only disciplining him, as before.
But now she understood.
Gu Yuye knew perfectly well why she had brought Gu Fangchen to White Horse Temple.
He knew the Xiyin Attendant could save Gu Fangchen's life.
Yet by exposing this now, if Princess Prajna's invitation was because of the heir's title, he was deliberately cutting off every path of survival for Gu Fangchen!
This was the son she had raised for nineteen years, the one she had vowed to protect.
She had thought Gu Yuye would at least spare her some consideration.
But she had been wrong, he truly intended to destroy Gu Fangchen completely.
Ning Caiyong's face turned ashen. She could not even describe the turmoil in her heart.
Gu Fangchen sneered inwardly.
So, Gu Yuye really does want me dead.
If Princess Prajna truly had acted only because of the heir title, he might have succeeded.
Unfortunately for him, whether Gu Fangchen was heir or a beggar by the roadside,
Princess Prajna would still meet him tonight, if only to confirm something.
Merely because he had predicted her arrival ahead of time.
The Xiyin Attendant replied calmly,
"Thank you, Your Highness, for the information. If there is nothing else, please allow His Highness the Heir to come with me."
She gestured politely toward Gu Fangchen.
That was all?
Gu Yuye frowned slightly.
He had already said his piece; pressing further would make him look petty.
He could only nod and say to Gu Fangchen,
"Since the Princess has invited you, I will say no more. However, by imperial order I am investigating the matter of the child-swapping incident. By dawn, please have my son returned to the Prince's Residence."
Gu Fangchen's grin stiffened.
Damn it, this bastard really doesn't give up.
The Xiyin Attendant simply said,
"When the Princess is satisfied, she will naturally send His Highness back."
Gu Fangchen twitched his lips.
Why did that sound like he was some kind of hired entertainer...
He turned to Ding Xingfeng.
"Hey, Old Ding, don't forget what I said."
The old man yawned, rolled his eyes, picked up a firewood cleaver from the ground, and suddenly hurled it toward the mountain.
"How could I forget something you don't let me forget?"
"Whoosh, Boom!"
The blade sliced through the air, a burst of white force radiating from it, and then it vanished.
It seemed to have landed somewhere inside White Horse Temple.
...
Gu Fangchen followed the Xiyin Attendant back into White Horse Temple, winding his way into a secluded courtyard.
It looked utterly ordinary, but from a normal perspective, no one could have found it.
That was because it was hidden within a fifth-grade Illusory Formation.
Specifically designed to conceal secret places.
Gu Fangchen was quite familiar with such things,
In the game, clearing a single dungeon required dismantling at least seven or eight of these to collect every treasure chest.
As for this one inside White Horse Temple, it also contained a golden-grade chest.
Players could sneak in and take it when Princess Prajna wasn't around, but afterward, the Tara Sect would most likely hunt them to the ends of the earth.
He only needed one glance to identify every node of the formation.
No other reason, just experience.
Upon entering the courtyard, the first thing he noticed was the central pond.
Not because it was beautiful,
But because the once lotus-filled pond had been shattered, a huge crater blasted into it.
Water streamed everywhere, lotus blossoms toppled, chaos all around.
And in the center of the pit was a simple, plain firewood cleaver, buried deep in the pond's bottom.
Gu Fangchen: "..."
Old Ding, are you helping me, or ruining me?!
Ahead, white veils swayed softly.
The Xiyin Attendant lifted the curtain and stepped inside, her figure fading from sight, leaving Gu Fangchen alone in the courtyard.
The place was eerily silent, with only the faint sounds of wind and trickling water.
A few lamps illuminated the surroundings.
Gu Fangchen sat casually on a stone by the pond's edge, cupped some water in his hand, and washed his face.
His face had been splattered with blood from Gu Yuye's earlier pressure, sticky and uncomfortable. Finally, he could clean it off.
He looked into his reflection, the face itself wasn't bad.
Fair skin, fine features, a noble air of a pampered young master.
Except for that faint unruly glint in his eyes and brows, it made him look like a born scoundrel.
"Cough, cough..."
He couldn't hold back a few coughs. His chest tingled with the burning itch of poison.
Come to think of it, theoretically, Princess Prajna, being of the Tara Sect, should also be wrapped in bandages like the others.
But in truth, her beauty was among the top in the entire game.
That was because of her uniqueness,
She was regarded as the living incarnation of the World-Saving Mother Buddha, not a mere mortal believer.
In other words, Princess Prajna was born pure and untainted, untouched by worldly suffering, possessing innate peak cultivation.
Only her great vow, made when she once saved an entire nation, had cost her her eyes.
Gu Fangchen suddenly felt dazed.
The water before him turned to golden sand, endlessly flowing.
He raised his head, the blazing sun scorched the earth, the hot wind howled.
Shit.
Gu Fangchen's lips twitched.
Not good.
He could recognize the Illusory Formation, but with no cultivation, he couldn't resist it at all.