Zhao Wenyuan might indeed be a small fry now, but that was only in comparison to the kind of monstrous power Gu Fangchen faced these days.
This so-called harmless wastrel was, in truth, one of the twenty-eight A-Class members of the Sky-Eye Division.
He was responsible for intelligence across the Hedong Circuit in the Central Plains and also oversaw part of the information network within Huangtian City.
To collect intelligence in the heart of the imperial capital without being discovered was proof enough of his remarkable skill.
While Emperor Yong'an's tendency to turn a blind eye did make the free flow of information possible, Zhao Wenyuan's actual position within the Sky-Eye Division was still among its very core members.
Otherwise, at over twenty years of age, if his strength were truly as weak as it appeared, how could he ever have become Chancellor later on?
After all, not everyone could leap several major cultivation realms within a single month like Gu Fangchen.
When Gu Fangchen revealed his true identity with a single sentence, Zhao Wenyuan was startled at first.
But recalling this man's past deeds, especially his total mastery over all of the Sky-Eye Division's surveillance nodes, he could no longer find it strange.
This fellow was even more absurd than the Grand Preceptor, who claimed to know five hundred years into the past and five hundred years into the future.
That Gu Fangchen could know his true identity was hardly surprising.
Besides, the moment Zhao Wenyuan discovered that the two jade pendants he'd handed over contained image-recording formations, he was already under complete control.
So another threat of "You wouldn't want your Thousand-Eyed A-Class Division identity exposed, would you?" hardly mattered anymore.
Resignation washed over him; with a long sigh, he gave up resisting altogether.
"Fine," he said, "just tell me, what do you want this time?"
Gu Fangchen chuckled.
"Old Zhao, must you look so grim? You're acting like someone just died."
Zhao Wenyuan's face darkened. He almost snapped back, "You're the one acting like a mourner!" But then he realized that, for the false heir before him, the phrase might actually fit, and so he swallowed his words.
Gu Fangchen continued, "It's nothing difficult. I just need your help arranging a meeting, with your Division's Yang Bureau. I only need half an hour."
The Sky-Eye Division differed from other organizations; it was more like a vast server, and the Yin and Yang Bureaus were its central processors.
They constantly gathered, filtered, and verified intelligence flowing in from all branches, determining what was true and what was false.
Leaders of other factions could be approached freely, but the Sky-Eye Division required careful scheduling, or its entire network could collapse under the load.
That was why meetings needed to be reserved in advance.
"That's all?" Zhao Wenyuan asked, relieved. "That's easy enough. I'll inform them when they're free and let you know."
But as he said this, he suddenly sensed the disturbance that had occurred in the Bureau of Entertainments earlier. His gaze toward Gu Fangchen turned strange.
"I thought you'd left all that behind. That Xiuxiu girl... she really is a pitiful soul."
Among Gu Fangchen's many past misdeeds, Zhu Xiuxiu was far from the only victim. And yet instead of distancing himself, he had gone out of his way to make amends.
In doing so, he was essentially admitting that all those crimes had indeed been his own.
In Zhao Wenyuan's view, the wiser move would have been to push the blame onto servants and protect himself.
This behavior did not fit the Gu Fangchen he once knew.
"Do I look like a heartless man to you?" Gu Fangchen asked.
"Not exactly..." Zhao Wenyuan murmured.
Ever since his identity had been exposed that night, the so-called false heir had changed completely, less like someone concealing his brilliance and more like someone reborn.
Reviewing the last twenty days in his mind, Zhao Wenyuan found the man almost inhuman.
And yet, at this moment, he seemed just a little more... human.
Gu Fangchen had no idea what Zhao Wenyuan was thinking. He only shook his head and lowered his eyes to his tea.
He had once said that since he'd crossed into this world, he had no interest in cleaning up the original Gu Fangchen's mess.
He'd always believed they were not the same person, and thus bore no obligation to take responsibility for the other's sins.
But lately, he had begun to wonder if that was truly the case.
Recalling his instinctive mastery over formations and spellcraft, he realized such proficiency could not come from mouse-click muscle memory or faint inherited memories.
Before the original had turned into a wastrel, he had clearly undergone years of structured, serious study and training in miscellaneous disciplines.
What he had dismissed as residual memory was, in fact, his own instinct.
Which side of the mirror was real, and which false, he no longer knew.
But he suspected that he was merely a fragment of the same soul, now returned to where it belonged.
That realization subtly shifted his self-perception. It was on that whim that he had decided to do this "extra" thing.
Whether it comforted him or not, he couldn't say.
But if he wished to do it, then he would.
After all, with his current power, it was hardly any trouble at all.
Setting down his teacup, Gu Fangchen finally revealed the true reason for his visit.
"That monk staying at your residence, Venerable Shenxiu, where is he?"
"What about him? From what I know, he's just a true disciple of the Garan Temple. Other than your Heart-Poison Mark, the other two toxins in your body should be harmless now. His medical skills won't help."
"I just want peace of mind. I'll have him take my pulse."
Zhao Wenyuan looked skeptical. The request was ordinary, so ordinary it was suspicious.
With so many experts at Gu Fangchen's disposal, why insist on a mere Sixth Grade monk?
Still, he had no reason to refuse.
Finding no potential trap, Zhao Wenyuan called for the monk who had been their guest and thoughtfully excused himself.
Of course, he had eyes planted throughout his own home.
Unfortunately for him, Gu Fangchen merely lifted a hand and activated a formation, cutting off every line of surveillance.
Zhao Wenyuan sighed.
"Figures."
"Amitabha. This humble monk Shenxiu greets His Highness the Heir."
The handsome young monk of Garan Temple bowed with palms together, his downcast eyes serene, radiating a faint holy light. Even his shaved head could not mar his almost ethereal beauty.
No wonder he thrived in Huangtian City, many noble ladies were known to favor such charm.
Besides, he came from a prestigious Jiangnan family and was, by birth, a refined nobleman.
And yet, this unremarkable-seeming man would one day bring about the annihilation of Garan Temple, and the destruction of the entire Floating Pagoda City.
In the game's narrative, the Garan Temple questline had always been the strangest of all.
After six years of wandering, Shenxiu returned to his temple and began a public debate on the "Origin of the World." At first, it was limited to true disciples. Soon, it engulfed the entire temple and city.
A month later, Floating Pagoda City sealed itself off completely, no one allowed in or out.
Seven days after that, the gates reopened.
Inside lay only a nightmare realm of death.
Every monk, every resident, slaughtered without exception.
Players eventually discovered that if they prevented Shenxiu from approaching a small village near Heaven's Gate Mountain, the catastrophe could be avoided.
But the reason why remained unknown.
Gu Fangchen had never figured it out either.
Back then, he had thought it was just a cruel joke from the game developers.
Now, he understood differently.
That small village near Heaven's Gate Mountain might hold the key to Ying Baishou's final words.
If Ying Baishou had sealed the Heaven Gate with his life, and Shenxiu had suddenly begun preaching about the world's origin, then both must have stemmed from something hidden in that message.
A secret so deep it could drive men mad, or kill them.
Shenxiu blinked at the unexpected visit.
"May I ask, Your Highness, what business you have with me?"
Gu Fangchen was blunt.
"I've heard you plan to travel soon. I want you to stay away from Heaven's Gate Mountain."
"This... why? It's a sacred site of pilgrimage. I, "
"Ten thousand taels."
"Your Highness, I am a monk. The pursuit of the Way cannot be measured by, "
"Gold."
"...Deal."
Indeed, this monk was nothing but a layman in disguise, one who could be bought with a handful of gold.
It was hard to imagine that such a man would one day cause the fall of Garan Temple and turn Floating Pagoda City into a land of ghosts.
But that only deepened Gu Fangchen's sense of the Heaven Gate's terrifying nature.
...
The next three days passed in rare leisure, as Gu Yuandao remained quiet.
Gu Fangchen spent his time indulging in the idle amusements of a noble scion, cockfights and hound races.
By the second day, Ding Xingfeng could no longer restrain himself. Pretending reluctance, he handed over his martial art to Gu Fangchen.
It was a boxing style called the Perfect Pair Technique.
As its name suggested, it pursued perfection in both strength and speed.
Simple, direct, the Dao in its purest form.
Its content was equally minimalistic, only two punches.
One to spare life.
One to take it.
According to Ding Xingfeng, the "Life Punch" was for training and tempering the body, while the "Death Punch" was the only one used in real battle.
It demanded unity of essence, energy, and spirit. Every true strike was a fight to the death; with each victory, one's spirit rose higher, until it could rise no more.
It was, therefore, a technique steeped in killing intent.
At first, Gu Fangchen had wanted to test himself, training without relying on the Night Warden buff.
Naturally, the result was disastrous.
His progress wasn't terrible, but he was no prodigy, certainly nothing like Ding Xingfeng, a true martial genius.
The old man scowled and called him "a block of rotten wood unfit for teaching."
"Wait, that's just because I'm not in the right state. I'll do better at dusk!" Gu Fangchen protested earnestly, grabbing the man's arm. "I really feel like enlightenment comes easier at twilight."
Ding Xingfeng stared, speechless.
The Martial Saint's eyes clearly said: Liar.
Yet, remembering that Gu Fangchen's growing strength meant faster recovery of his secret arts, he grudgingly endured.
By dusk, however, watching the young man's performance leap from clumsy to flawless, Ding Xingfeng was even more certain he was being fooled.
Who in the world only gained comprehension at certain hours?
Gu Fangchen glanced at the passive status above his head.
[Dusk: A sudden flash of insight greatly boosts your comprehension.]
So yes, some people did.
Those six hours of boosted perception were enough for him to master the foundations of the Perfect Pair Technique within two days.
By then, his second cultivation base had advanced to the peak of Ninth Grade.
On the third night, Gu Fangchen secretly slipped into the Princess's residence for a private meeting, no, a secret one.
It was official business, of course. But sneaking in at midnight still gave the act an odd sense of... roleplay.
He felt like some thief about to pluck a noble maiden from her chamber, only to realize he had broken into the "War Goddess" Princess's palace instead.
Crouched in a corner to avoid the patrolling guards, Gu Fangchen climbed through a window and glanced at the buff floating above his head.
[Night: Your presence fades into dust and shadow; your existence becomes nearly invisible.]
Great. That only made him look more like a burglar.
Perfect timing, or the worst possible timing.
His expression twisted.
Then again, what image did a depraved heir like him even have left to ruin?
This wasn't character destruction, it was a lateral transfer from shameless to lewd.
Remembering that this midnight meeting had been the Princess's idea in the first place, her own little self-inflicted act of forbidden play, his guilt evaporated.
He scanned the room. The furnishings were much simpler than his own chambers, though every item was of fine make.
A faint fragrance filled the air, the same scent the Princess herself wore.
Noticing the bed was empty, he took a few steps forward, then froze.
Hanging over a nearby screen were a few pieces of intimate clothing and a towel.
A light peony-colored gown, a pair of loose white inner trousers, and a plain chest wrap, clearly her everyday underclothes or sleepwear.
What surprised him most was that the Princess didn't wear a dudou.
But then, it made sense.
She was a warrior, armor demanded flatness over comfort.
Wait...
He suddenly realized something was off.
Water splashed softly from behind the screen.
He took two steps back just as Xiao Yinghao emerged briskly, reaching for the towel.
Her movement froze. Their eyes met.
In the thief's dark pupils, her snow-pale form was perfectly reflected.
Xiao Yinghao: "..."
Gu Fangchen: "..."