Gu Fangchen placed the scroll of scripture on the stone table in the courtyard, opened it, and began the first step of his grand plan for leveling up,
He separated every single character from the text.
That's right. According to the rules of "I Keep Throwing Things", each individual item thrown into water could be activated separately.
And every character written by Xu Fu carried an extraordinary divine rhythm, capable of inducing sudden enlightenment.
In other words, what she had written were not just words, they were individual packets of experience.
Given the extreme freedom within Mirror in the Dust, one complete scripture counted as a single item.
Therefore, if he dismantled all two thousand or so characters, that meant over two thousand items!
That was precisely the most outrageous application of "I Keep Throwing Things" that players had discovered.
Each character tossed into the water could trigger one transmutation.
This way, the odds and efficiency of gambling for higher-grade characters would both increase dramatically.
However, this method of dismantling characters did not come without a price.
Because once separated, it was irreversible.
Sixty-six percent yielded nothing, meaning that more often than not, whatever was thrown in would simply be gone.
And a book missing even one character could never be recombined into its original form again.
Once this method was used, it meant complete abandonment of the original scripture.
Moreover, even after dismantling, one couldn't just randomly reassemble the characters; only when they were rearranged into a meaningful sentence would the system recognize it as a whole.
Under normal circumstances, players could only obtain calligraphy scrolls or letters, with relatively few characters.
In extreme cases, dismantling could easily result in a loss outweighing the gain.
But Gu Fangchen didn't need to worry about any of that, this was exactly why he had demanded an entire scroll of scripture.
Two thousand three hundred and sixty-six characters; no matter what, there would always be enough left to form sentences.
Rip... rip... rip...
Gu Fangchen used a short jeweled dagger brought by Xuexiang and carefully sliced each tiny character apart, one by one.
Xuexiang blinked curiously beside him, completely unable to understand what His Highness the Heir was doing.
She only held a box in her hands, carefully placing each detached character inside as instructed by Gu Fangchen.
She was so afraid the light slips of paper might be blown away that she often held her breath without realizing, her cheeks puffed up red from the effort.
Gu Fangchen glanced up, chuckled quietly, then said seriously,
"Since you're idle anyway, how about I teach you a spell for moving objects from a distance?"
"A spell?"
Xuexiang was startled and quickly shook her head.
"That's a cultivator's divine ability, my lord. I have no cultivation, how could I possibly learn it?"
Gu Fangchen replied,
"It's not hard. This one anyone can perform. It just requires a few tools and a simple process."
Xuexiang's eyes widened.
Anyone could perform it?
Gu Fangchen continued,
"Put the box down first. Go fetch a glass hairpin and a silk handkerchief."
Xuexiang nodded rapidly, ran off, and soon came back panting.
Clutching the pin and the cloth, her face flushed, she stammered softly,
"I borrowed them from the Princess Consort. She told me to remind you to be moderate, not to play too hard, and to mind your health..."
"???"
The corner of Gu Fangchen's mouth twitched. His gaze landed on the slender pin and the smooth handkerchief, falling into silence.
Mother, what exactly are you imagining?
Looking again at the young maid, he suddenly felt her face wasn't red anymore, it was yellow.
He said irritably,
"You're still young. Keep your thoughts decent."
Xuexiang gave a small "oh" but didn't really understand what "decent" meant.
She was, after all, His Highness's chamber maid; serving him was only natural, wasn't that decent?
Her clever little head spun quickly and soon came to a conclusion.
It must be that His Highness's body was still weak and couldn't handle strenuous movement, so he was unhealthy... meaning she had to be even more gentle and considerate of his difficulties.
The little maid secretly nodded to herself, making a fist, feeling she had perfectly grasped her lord's hidden meaning.
Unaware of her thoughts, Gu Fangchen went on:
"Wrap the pin in the cloth and rub it up and down several times."
As he spoke, his expression turned strange.
Why did what was originally a simple experiment suddenly sound so wrong?
Especially when he saw Xuexiang's slender fingers clasping the translucent silk around the pin, moving it gently up and down.
Come to think of it, with the level of silk craftsmanship here, stockings could probably be replicated easily, couldn't they?
"What next?"
Her question interrupted his thoughts. He cleared his throat and said seriously,
"Harder, faster."
Xuexiang obediently rubbed harder.
"Alright."
Gu Fangchen nodded solemnly.
"Now the pin has magic."
Xuexiang stared blankly at the hairpin in her hand. That... was all?
So simple?
"Of course. Didn't I say everyone could do it?"
Gu Fangchen continued,
"Now, put the pin into the box, close to the paper slips."
Xuexiang, nervous yet expectant, carefully extended the pin. Then her eyes flew wide open, and she exclaimed in excitement,
"Your Highness! Amazing! The papers are floating up!"
Gu Fangchen said gravely,
"This spell is called Static Electricity."
"Oh! Static Electricity!"
Seeing her bright-eyed delight as she played, Gu Fangchen felt quite satisfied.
Education through entertainment, introducing physical science begins with me.
Next time, maybe toss a few apples at her head and see what happens...
When Gu Youren stepped into the courtyard of the east wing, this was the harmonious scene she saw.
So harmonious that she almost thought she'd entered the wrong place.
Xuexiang was absorbed in the so-called "static magic," unknowingly seated on a stone stool.
And Gu Fangchen was right beside her, working away, sitting shoulder to shoulder with a maid!
Gu Youren halted, her eyes filled with disbelief.
That debauched and violent Gu Fangchen, since when had he ever sat on equal footing with a servant girl?!
If any servant in the princely residence had ever displeased him even slightly, he would beat or punish them on the spot, let alone tolerate such disrespectful behavior!
Yet now, Gu Fangchen was actually chatting and laughing with a maid.
She might have some looks, but compared to the famous courtesans who once served him, none of them weren't dazzling beyond compare.
Gu Youren's gaze darkened.
So, it was true then...
Just as she was about to step forward, her eyes caught something, and she froze.
What was that scoundrel cutting up with a knife?!
When realization struck, her mind buzzed, her whole body trembled, completely out of control.
She could never mistake it,
those were her master's handwriting, her master's personally transcribed scripture!
The notebook her master had gifted her, which she studied daily and guarded so carefully, terrified to so much as crease or stain,
And now this bastard had shredded the entire scroll to pieces!
"Gu Fangchen! Stop!"
Gu Youren turned pale and rushed forward, grabbing the remnants of the scripture.
But it was already too late.
She held the ruined scroll in her trembling hands.
Of the entire scripture, only a few scattered pages remained intact. Every single character had been cut out, leaving only ragged white strips fluttering in the wind,
A pitiful sight.
Gu Youren's vision went dark, her chest churning so violently with blood and qi that she nearly vomited blood.
She had once wondered why Gu Yuandao, despite his solid spiritual foundation and calm heart, could be tricked by Gu Fangchen into having his Dao heart shattered.
Now she understood firsthand the destructive power of this man.
This guy, this guy was a walking calamity!
How could anyone chew peonies and boil zithers like this?!
Utterly foolish, unbearably foolish!
Gu Fangchen clicked his tongue and held out his hand.
"Can you give it back now? It was your master who gave this to me. I can do whatever I want with it. You trying to seize it by force, is this what Yaoshan Academy calls the conduct of a gentleman?"
Gu Youren's anger reached its limit.
"My master gave you the scripture to study, and you defile her efforts like this?!"
Gu Fangchen sighed.
"Then you've misunderstood me. How could I ever burn the work of the National Preceptor? What kind of man do you think I am?"
Feigning outrage, he glared at her and slapped the table.
"You can call me shameless or a scoundrel, but you cannot slander me with baseless lies!"
Gu Youren paused, recalling how she had wrongfully accused him before, like when she assumed Princess Prajna's defense was against this so-called villain.
Indeed, she had slandered him without evidence.
His righteous tone made her hesitate, guilt creeping in.
Could it be... she had misjudged him?
After all, her master's handwritten scripture was priceless. Even a wastrel like Gu Fangchen should understand its worth.
And perhaps her master had even permitted his actions...
Pressing her lips together, Gu Youren returned the scroll and asked solemnly,
"Then what exactly are you trying to do?"
Taking it back, Gu Fangchen continued his work with grave seriousness.
"You'll see soon. Don't interrupt me."
Anger flared in Gu Youren's chest, since when did he have the right to order her around?
But trapped between outrage and uncertainty, she could only stand aside, watching him cut out the remaining characters.
The whole scripture was reduced to an empty spine.
Setting down the dagger, Gu Fangchen stretched and lifted the box of paper slips with satisfaction, shaking it lightly.
Everything was ready, only the east wind was missing.
He looked up. The Princess Consort's courtyard happened to have a pond, so he walked straight toward it.
Gu Youren followed, puzzled yet curious.
Standing beside the pond, Gu Fangchen took a deep breath and upended the box. The paper slips fluttered into the water like falling pear blossoms.
Gu Youren froze, asking dumbly,
"What... what are you doing?"
Gu Fangchen turned and said matter-of-factly,
"Baiting the fish, of course. What else?"
He wouldn't burn a scripture, he merely drowned it.
Gu Youren: "..."
The academy's number-one female scholar, famed for her grace and refinement, who spent her days conversing on poetry, chess, calligraphy, and painting, was completely broken.
Expressionless, she said,
"You used a scripture personally transcribed by the Saint of Fate... to bait fish?"
Gu Fangchen immediately shouted,
"Mother! Gu Youren wants to kill me!"
Gu Youren almost fainted from fury. Her face darkened, chest heaving violently.
But when Ning Caiyong stepped out, she could only swallow her rage, grit her teeth, and storm off.
Now she could be one hundred percent certain, this was indeed that brainless wretch!
...
Watching her retreating figure, Gu Fangchen clicked his tongue.
Given Gu Youren's proud nature, once she knew Xu Fu had given him the scripture, she should have chosen to ignore him entirely. For her to come here willingly meant only one thing, she was probing for information.
And what information could that be?
Naturally, it had to concern his identity.
If Gu Yuye, the Warlord Saint himself, could devise a stratagem to undermine the truth, so could Gu Fangchen.
Ever since that encounter beneath the White Horse Temple, the Warlord Saint's suspicion toward Gu Fangchen had only grown heavier.
Gu Youren's sudden visit could only be a test.
And the deadly part was, Gu Fangchen knew that during his ascension to the Ninth Rank of the Divine Path in the illusion, he'd uncovered a massive flaw in his current self.
His present soul was complete.
But the original Gu Fangchen had once sacrificed one of his soul fragments, taken away by the Garan Temple, to suppress the deadly poison in his body.
"No rush."
"To deal with Garan Temple, there's someone perfect right here in Huangtian City."
Narrowing his eyes, Gu Fangchen and Xuexiang used a dip net to scoop the paper slips out of the water.
Counting them carefully, enough.
He blew gently across the slips, gazing at the sky.
"In the game, Gu Fangchen died miserably in a stable. But many texts hinted he hadn't killed himself, it was the Dao of Annihilation's Form-Grass Sword who did it."
"And coincidentally, around this time, the Form-Grass Sword was active near Huangtian City. Perhaps... some dogs are getting desperate enough to leap the wall."
"I wonder if Princess Prajna has received my material list yet..."
...
At the White Horse Temple.
The courtyard destroyed by Ding Xingfeng's hatchet had been rebuilt, with a fresh batch of lotus flowers planted.
Behind the gauze curtain, Princess Prajna watched the drifting silk, still restless and irritable.
That man had better truly know the whereabouts of the holy relic...
Suddenly, her expression shifted. She turned to see her maid Qingjian, cloaked and kneeling quietly beside her.
"He sent you?" Princess Prajna asked lazily, eyes half-narrowed.
Qingjian nodded and handed her several sheets of paper filled with material names.
"He said he hopes you can deliver these things to him before tomorrow."
She'd softened Gu Fangchen's tone slightly when she spoke.
Princess Prajna raised her eyes, flipping through the list casually, and said mockingly,
"He's got some nerve. How many people in the world could possibly gather all these in a single day?"
And yet, she was one of those few.
Propping her chin, Princess Prajna suddenly sneered.
"Ignorant fool. He even made spelling mistakes..."
Qingjian blinked. Indeed, several names looked bizarre, even she had only vaguely heard of them.
So they were actually spelling errors?
This really was...
The more Princess Prajna looked, the more she suspected she was being toyed with. Her face turned cold as she prepared to tear the papers, then froze.
Her eyes sharpened. She looked again carefully.
Those few "mistaken" characters formed a sentence,
"West of the city. Form-Grass Sword. Kill him."