Within the Prince's residence, if one were to name the person who hated Gu Fangchen the most, it would undoubtedly be Gu Lianqian. Yet, the one who looked down on him the most, was Gu Youren.
The eldest princess, Gu Youren, was only twenty-one this year, and already a fourth-rank master of the Divine Path. In the thirteen hundred years since the founding of Great Wei, there was barely a handful of people who could compare to her.
What's more, she was both a disciple of the Sage of Fate and an instructor at Yaoshan Academy, an honor of utmost distinction.
She had once stood at the Ironthorn Mountain frontlines thousands of miles away, planted a single peach blossom, and overnight changed the very season, melting the bitter snows of winter, turning the tide of battle, and saving tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians.
To this day, at the foot of Ironthorn Mountain, a living shrine dedicated to Gu Youren still stands, where the locals revere her as the "Goddess of Spring."
In cultivation, in status, and in virtue, she surpassed the fake heir Gu Fangchen beyond all measure.
Naturally, she had every reason to look down on him.
Of course, given the original Gu Fangchen's atrocious character and beastly conduct, even an ordinary person would despise him.
Comparing Gu Youren to him was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito.
But Gu Fangchen had not returned to the Prince's residence to repent for the original's sins.
Even if Gu Youren had every reason to disdain him, he could not afford to show the slightest hint of guilt, shame, or retreat.
On the one hand, he needed to maintain the original's persona. On the other, since he had already torn off all pretense with Gu Yuye, trying to cozy up to the household was pointless.
The impressions these people had built over nineteen years could not be changed by a few words of apology or humility.
While Gu Fangchen did intend to win them over eventually to weaken Gu Yuye's influence, there was no need to grovel just yet.
He hadn't crossed worlds to be bullied.
Better to give them a little... player shock first.
Gu Fangchen knew well that Gu Youren's defining trait was her righteousness.
Cold and aloof, prideful and exacting, she was the type who did everything by the book.
Her moral standards were higher than anyone else's.
This disciple of the Sage of Fate, the first female instructor of the Academy, had lived her entire life practicing the Way of the Gentleman.
Her fate, however, was a tragedy that lingered in many players' hearts.
In every route of the game, Gu Youren would ultimately fall on the battlefield, giving her life to protect the world and the common people.
Her body would transform into a thousand-mile peach forest, blessing all living beings, becoming the true "Spring Goddess, Lord Dongjun."
There were six possible endings.
In the good ending, the player had to face the Southern Barbarians, rebellion, and the Demonic Sect all at once, internal and external crises piling up, enemy troops overwhelming every front.
Her death would cut down one major enemy force, securing one warfront's complete safety.
Even if she survived, she would be gravely wounded, and the player's own defenses would soon collapse.
No matter how much the player adored this cold beauty, fifth on the Rouge Index, they would, after careful weighing, have to let her go.
In the bad endings, the player either failed to develop or outright defected to the enemy, the situation utterly one-sided.
Given Gu Youren's lifetime of spotless righteousness, there were only two ways to raise her affection.
First, the honest way, walk the righteous path.
Do good deeds, gain reputation, and gradually earn her admiration.
It took longer, but it was stable, and righteousness reputation was required for the good ending anyway.
The second way was the reverse path, turning righteousness on its head.
The method was simple: make Gu Youren misjudge you, both your character and your actions.
Let her think you were doing evil, then reveal the truth, forcing her to feel shame for her mistake.
That sharp emotional contrast would make her affection soar.
Of course, there was risk.
First, performing in front of a fourth-rank Divine Path master required passing a deception check.
Fail it, and she'd see through you immediately, your affection rating would plummet instead.
Second, you had to gauge the degree of the misunderstanding. Overdo it, and she might just kill you on the spot.
After all, to play the villain before someone who abhorred evil... one misstep could be fatal.
But Gu Fangchen's current identity put him in an ideal position.
Gu Youren's poor impression of the original made her naturally prejudiced.
He didn't even have to act, she would automatically assume he was up to no good. A bit of subtle guiding would create the misunderstanding perfectly.
And she couldn't kill him outright.
Hence, Gu Fangchen provoked her deliberately.
, To make a righteous person err, that was the best way to deal with them.
When Gu Youren heard his words, she immediately said coldly,
"Of course I said it. What, do you intend to complain to Mother again?"
Gu Fangchen looked at the cool beauty before him in her plain white robes, then turned to Ning Caiyong with an innocent gaze.
Ning Caiyong hesitated, looking at her eldest daughter's indignant certainty, unaware she was being teased by Gu Fangchen. It made her want to laugh, yet she felt helpless.
This child, Chen'er, was being naughty again...
But indeed, it was Gu Youren who had judged rashly this time.
In the past, when Chen'er had erred, Ning Caiyong would still take his side and protect him.
Now, her eldest daughter was adding false accusations to him over such baseless assumptions, as if he were beyond redemption.
She had just quarreled with Gu Yuye for this very reason, that he never cared to teach Gu Fangchen, only labeled him a born sinner.
Gu Youren had made the same mistake.
To punish without teaching, was cruelty.
Disappointment stirred in Ning Caiyong's heart.
At the White Horse Temple ferry earlier, it hadn't been Chen'er who was aggressive, but Gu Yuye and his son.
So this time, Ning Caiyong chose silence.
Gu Fangchen saw that she said nothing, and knew she tacitly approved his actions. He smiled inwardly.
Outwardly, however, he appeared indignant and frustrated, as if seeking protection and finding none.
Suppressing his smile, he said irritably,
"Fine, let's say you're right. Princess Prajna is compassionate and knows right from wrong, whoever she guards against must indeed be the despicable one."
Gu Youren was puzzled why he yielded so easily today, but assumed he was out of words. She lifted her chin and scolded coldly:
"I knew it, such petty behavior! After all these years, you still haven't changed your habit of stealing what isn't yours!"
"Now that the rightful heir has returned, you feel no shame or fear, instead, you harbor malice!"
"I once thought you were foolish but not depraved enough to consort with the Demonic Sect, but clearly, I overestimated you!"
"Even Princess Prajna, an outsider, saw it clearly, otherwise she would never have sent Attendant Xiyin to protect Yuandao."
"Today may well be your last in this residence. I advise you to confess the truth while you still can."
Her eyes glinted with icy light. When she had seen Gu Yuandao return pale and coughing blood, and heard Gu Yuye's insinuations, she had already concluded Gu Fangchen was colluding with the Demonic Sect.
Otherwise, how could a man who couldn't even cultivate nearly destroy Yuandao's Dao heart?
The traces of formation mastery left in Gu Fangchen's room confirmed it.
There must be someone powerful guiding him from behind.
Everything he did now was merely desperate resistance, exploiting Ning Caiyong's love for him.
A thought flickered through Gu Youren's mind, and an invisible manifestation appeared behind her,
, a translucent figure of herself, dressed in white, holding a peach blossom, eyes radiating righteous divine light.
"Silence!"
The spirit's voice echoed, a sound that struck at the very soul.
Invisible waves rippled through the air, divine pressure falling upon Gu Fangchen to shake his spirit.
Such divine-soul techniques were commonly used for interrogation or coercion.
Ordinary people, or even martial cultivators, had fragile souls.
A sudden shock could make them break and confess the truth instantly.
In the past, Gu Youren had never used this on him, out of respect for his title, Ning Caiyong's protection, and the fact that he hadn't committed true evil.
But now, since he had ties to the Demonic Sect and wasn't her brother, this was not excessive.
Gu Youren's cold gaze fixed on him, waiting for the divine pressure to take effect.
Yet the moment the wave touched him, it vanished like a droplet into the sea.
Gu Fangchen's soul only trembled faintly, then stabilized.
Gu Youren froze.
No effect? Impossible!
She focused her sight and saw a faint white aura surrounding him, one only Divine Path cultivators could perceive.
That was... the Meditation Realm?!
Gu Youren was dumbfounded.
Because Gu Fangchen's divine aura was faint, she hadn't bothered to sense it before.
But now she realized, he had attained the ninth rank of the Divine Path!
Only those in the Meditation Realm could resist divine-soul intimidation.
For the first time, her usually calm face faltered in shock.
"You... you have cultivation?!"
The others in the hall, Ding Xingfeng included, were stunned.
Wait... cultivation?
Was she talking about Gu Fangchen?!
Wasn't this guy's dantian and meridians destroyed? Everyone knew that! How could he suddenly cultivate?
Old Ding's face twitched. He grabbed Gu Fangchen's wrist and examined him, then went blank.
Inside was still a mess, like tangled mud.
Yet strangely, his upper dantian, his spiritual platform, contained a faint spark of divine consciousness.
Spiritual energy gathered and stabilized, as if rooted from nothing.
Though Ding Xingfeng was a martial cultivator, he understood the Divine Path well enough.
This was unmistakably the mark of the ninth-rank Meditation Realm!
Impossible, utterly impossible!
Ning Caiyong's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Chen'er... you can cultivate now?"
Gu Fangchen shrugged.
"I don't know either. I was just chatting with Princess Prajna when I suddenly had a flash of inspiration and reached ninth rank in the Divine Path. Maybe I'm a genius."
He added thoughtfully, "After all, Master, you once said I was a one-in-a-million martial prodigy. If I'm gifted in martial arts, maybe I'm talented in the Divine Path too!"
Ding Xingfeng: "..."
I was kidding, damn it, and you actually did it?
If anyone had told him before today that someone without dantian or meridians could cultivate, he would have called them insane.
But now... he was witnessing it firsthand.
In two hundred years of life, he had never seen such a freak.
Ding Xingfeng clicked his tongue, his earlier suspicions now solidifying.
This "Gu Fangchen" could only be connected to Tan Yuan, no one else could pull off something so outrageous.
Gu Youren's face kept changing.
"Princess Prajna... how could that be?"
This contradicted everything she believed. If Princess Prajna had helped him cultivate, why would she also send someone to guard Gu Yuandao?
Gu Fangchen chuckled, glancing at Qingjian beside him.
"Qingjian, would you say I'm a genius?"
Attendant Xiyin looked at him calmly and replied without hesitation,
"Yes, Young Master is naturally a genius."
The moment she said it, Gu Youren's body trembled, her pupils shrinking in disbelief.
That address, "Young Master Gu", made her realization instant.
There was no mistaking it now.
She had accused him wrongly.
Gu Youren's lips parted slightly, her face paling as she realized that everything she had just said had turned into groundless slander.
Gu Fangchen grinned, then deliberately turned toward the main hall at the center of the residence.
Drawing a deep breath, he shouted with full vigor:
"Hey! Gu Yuandao! Your sister says you're a despicable, shameless man!"
At the same time, he looked upward, inhaling sharply.
All that arguing with Gu Youren hadn't been for nothing, it had served to unsettle the siblings and, more importantly...
His class refresh had finally arrived.
The moment he stepped into the hall, the timer above his head for [Emperor] hit zero.
With a flash of multicolored light, his profession changed.
[Angler (7 Days)]
Gu Fangchen muttered inwardly,
"Show details."
The profession interface unfolded instantly.
[Angler (7 Days)]
[Skill One: Keep Baiting (Active)]
[Description: You firmly believe that if the fish doesn't bite, it's because you haven't baited enough. You may choose to throw one of your possessions into the water, gaining a 1% chance to obtain a higher-quality item, a 33% chance to obtain a lower-quality one, and a 66% chance to get nothing.]
[Skill Two: I Swear It's Not Bought (Active)]
[Description: This fish definitely wasn't bought at the market, you swear it. When you possess a counterfeit item, you can spend a certain amount of money to turn it into a genuine one. (The required money depends on the fake's perceived authenticity and actual value.)]