The fake prince was exposed at the beginning, and I took office as emperor on the spot

Chapter 163 Secret Meeting with the Eldest Princess (Part 2)

Zhao Wenyuan is indeed a small-time Karami now, but that's relative to the average combat strength that Gu Fangchen is currently facing.

This seemingly unassuming playboy is actually one of the twenty-eight Class A members of the Eye of Heaven Division.

He was responsible for intelligence gathering on the Hedong Circuit, one of the five circuits in the Central Plains, as well as some intelligence gathering within Huangtian City.

The fact that he could gather intelligence in the heart of the capital without being detected was enough to prove his exceptional abilities.

Although Emperor Yong'an may have turned a blind eye and deliberately allowed the intelligence to circulate, Zhao Wenyuan was in fact one of the core members of the Eye of Heaven Division.

Otherwise, he would have been over twenty years old. If he were really as weak as he appeared on the surface, how could he have become the prime minister?

After all, not everyone is like Gu Fangchen, who can advance several major realms in a month...

When Gu Fangchen revealed his identity, Zhao Wenyuan was initially taken aback.

But considering this guy's past deeds, especially the fact that he knew all the locations of their Eye of Heaven Division's spy points, it wasn't surprising anymore...

This guy is even more outrageous than the so-called imperial advisor who claims to know five hundred years into the past and five hundred years into the future.

It's not surprising that they would know their true identity.

Anyway, by the time he discovered that there were still image-recording arrays on the two jade stones, he was already completely under their control.

Adding another line like "You don't want to know that your identity as a Thousand-Eyed Soldier has been exposed, do you?" doesn't seem to make much difference.

Zhao Wenyuan even felt a sense of despair. The thought flashed through his mind for only a moment before he chose to give up resistance, letting out a long sigh.
"Fine, just tell me, what do you want me to do this time?"

Gu Fangchen smiled and joked:

"Hey Lao Zhao, why are you so serious? You look like you've lost your parents."

Zhao Wenyuan's face darkened. He wanted to retort, "You're the one who's grieving like you've lost your parents," but then he thought about it and realized that the fake heir opposite him was indeed grieving like he'd lost his parents... so he stopped talking.

Gu Fangchen continued:
"It's nothing difficult, I just want you to help me get in touch with your 'Yang Si' so we can chat for half an hour."

The Eye of Heaven is different from other forces; it's more like a large server, with the Yin and Yang Divisions acting as the central processing unit.

They had to constantly gather and process the intelligence passed up by their subordinates, determining which information was true and which was false.

Leaders of other factions can spare time at any time, but the Eye of Heaven Division needs to arrange the allocation of computing power carefully.

Otherwise, if too much information accumulates, the entire EyeCyber ​​system will crash.

That's why you need to make an appointment in advance.

"Is that all? What's so difficult about that? I'll let you know when the time comes and tell you."

Zhao Wenyuan breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly blinked, sensing what had happened inside the brothel, and looked at Gu Fangchen with a very strange expression:

"I thought you wouldn't care about these past events anymore. That Xiuxiu girl... she was quite a tragic figure."

Gu Fangchen used to bully men and women and commit all sorts of evil deeds. Besides Zhu Xiuxiu, there were quite a few other people involved. Now, Gu Fangchen not only doesn't cut ties with them, but she also takes the initiative to make amends to them one by one.

In effect, it was a tacit admission that he had done it all.

In Zhao Wenyuan's view, the best course of action now would be to push everything onto the servants and protect himself.

This is not like Gu Fangchen's behavior in the previous events.

Am I such a heartless person?

"Not really..."

However, ever since they recognized each other and the night her false identity as the prince was exposed, Gu Fangchen has become a completely different person, more like someone who has possessed another's body than someone who hides her talents and shines brightly.

Zhao Wenyuan sometimes felt horrified when he reviewed Gu Fangchen's experiences over the past twenty-odd days.

This guy doesn't seem like a human being at all.

At this moment, it seems to have become a little more human...

Gu Fangchen didn't know what Zhao Wenyuan was thinking. She just shook her head, lowered her gaze, and took a sip of tea.

He had previously stated that he didn't want to clean up the mess left by the original owner of this body or do anything unnecessary after transmigrating.

Because he always felt that he and the original owner were not the same person, and he had no obligation to take on responsibilities that did not belong to him.

But now it has been discovered that the past life may not have been the past life at all.

Gu Fangchen recalled her familiarity with formations and various spells, only to realize with a start that it was not something that could be achieved by mouse operation and a vague memory of the original body.

Before he grew up to be a spoiled brat, the original owner of this body had spent a period of time systematically and seriously studying and cultivating various miscellaneous subjects.

He didn't realize at the time that it was just his own instinct.

In the mirror, outside the mirror, which is real, which is fake... he doesn't know.

But Gu Fangchen guessed that he was most likely just a wisp of soul separated from this Gu Fangchen, which had now returned here.

When Gu Fangchen realized this, her self-perception underwent a subtle change, which is why she impulsively did this "unnecessary thing".

Whether he felt any comfort or not, he didn't know.

But since I wanted to do it, I did it.

For him now, it's just a matter of talking.

Gu Fangchen put down her teacup and revealed the true purpose of her visit:

"Where is the monk Shenxiu who was a guest at your house?"

"What's wrong? As far as I know, he's just a true disciple of the Garan Temple. Apart from the 'Heart-Planting Poison,' the other two poisons in your body shouldn't pose a threat, right? His medical skills probably won't be of any help."

"Just to put my mind at ease, I had him take my pulse."

Gu Fangchen said this, but Zhao Wenyuan clearly did not believe it, his eyes filled with suspicion.

This request is perfectly normal, so normal that it's almost abnormal...

Don't you have enough experts around you? Why do you need a true disciple with only a sixth-grade cultivation level to take your pulse?
However, he had no reason to refuse.

Zhao Wenyuan couldn't think of any other tricks, so he simply invited the monk Shenxiu, who had been a guest at their house for some time, over.

It even thoughtfully retreated automatically.

Of course... he definitely had eyes and ears in his house.

Unfortunately, Gu Fangchen raised her hand with a half-smile and cast a spell, directly blocking his eyes.

Zhao Wenyuan: "..."

Well, he knew it would be like this.

“Amitabha Buddha, I am Shenxiu, and I pay my respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

The little-known disciple of the Garan Temple had a handsome appearance. Even with his bald head, the monk's good looks could not be concealed. When he lowered his eyes and put his hands together in prayer, he exuded a sacred Buddhist radiance.

No wonder he was able to get along so well in Huangtian City.

So many young ladies and wives... have a taste for this.

Moreover, this monk Shenxiu is said to be from a prominent family in Jiangnan, and can be considered a noble young man from a good family background.

However, it was this seemingly unremarkable individual who led to the destruction of Garan Temple and the entire city of Futu.

Of all the side quests in the game, the sect-specific side quest at Garan Temple is the most inexplicable.

After traveling for six years, the monk Shenxiu returned to Garan Temple and began a debate on the "origin of the world." Initially, this debate was only conducted among the disciples, but later it spread to the entire Garan Temple and Futu City.

The discussion lasted less than a month, and then the Buddha Kingdom's Floating City was sealed off, forbidding outsiders from entering and those inside from leaving.

Seven days later, the Floating City reopened.

People then discovered that it had been transformed into a ghostly realm...

Throughout the entire city, all the monks and residents perished tragically, without exception!

After repeated attempts by players, it was discovered that this tragedy could be avoided simply by preventing Shenxiu from approaching a small village near Tianmen Mountain.

However, players have not been able to figure out exactly why.

Gu Fangchen didn't have it either.

Gu Fangchen had never understood the significance of this side quest before, feeling it was just something the production team used to annoy people. But now, he had a new understanding.

That small village near Tianmen Mountain might hold clues to Ying Baishou's last words.

Ying Baishou sealed the Heavenly Gate with his own body, and Shenxiu suddenly discussed the "origin of the world," which should all be due to the information contained in that last sentence.

Unraveling this secret could drive someone mad, or even to death.

Shenxiu was somewhat surprised that Gu Fangchen had suddenly found him:
"May I ask, Your Highness, what brings you to me?"

Gu Fangchen was very direct:

"I've heard that you plan to travel around in the future. I hope you will stay away from Tianmen Mountain."

"This...why is this? Tianmen Mountain is a place of pilgrimage, I..."

"One hundred thousand taels."

“Your Highness, I am a monk, and my devotion to the Way cannot be measured by money.”

"gold."

"it is good."

That's right, this Shenxiu is also a lay Buddhist who pays extra.

If someone with such a character were to suddenly cause the destruction of the Garan Temple and turn the Floating City into a dead zone, even saying it would be considered madness...

But this only made Gu Fangchen realize how terrifying the Heavenly Gate was.

……

For the next three days, due to Gu Yuye's silence, Gu Fangchen spent a rare period of leisurely life indulging in cockfighting and dog racing.

The next day, Ding Xingfeng couldn't hold back any longer and jumped out, seemingly reluctantly handing over his cultivation technique to Gu Fangchen.

He practiced a martial art called "Shuangquan Fa" (Double Perfection Method).

As the name suggests, this is a style of boxing that aims to achieve the best of both worlds.

Which option offers the best of both worlds?

It's very simple; it's about "both strength and speed".

Simplicity and unpretentiousness, the greatest truths are the simplest.

In reality, the content is indeed quite simple, consisting of only two punches.

One punch to kill, but show mercy.

Kill him with one punch, leave no survivors.

According to Ding Xingfeng, practicing raw boxing in daily life can help strengthen the body, but when it comes to real combat, one must use dead boxing.

This boxing style emphasizes the unity of essence, energy, and spirit. With each punch, it's a matter of life and death. With each victory, one's essence, energy, and spirit rise by one point, until it reaches its highest possible level.

Therefore, this fist technique is extremely deadly.

Gu Fangchen initially wanted to challenge herself and try to train on her own without relying on the [Night Watchman] buff.

But the result was, naturally, a complete mess...

Of course, his progress in training wasn't too bad, but he was far from being a genius.

Even compared to a true martial arts prodigy like Ding Xingfeng, he is incomparable.

Ding Xingfeng, with a dark expression, immediately dismissed him as a piece of rotten wood, questioning where he got the audacity to ask him to teach him.

"Wait, I'm not in the right state of mind right now. It will be more atmospheric in the evening."

Gu Fangchen very seriously grabbed Lao Ding, who was about to turn and leave, her eyes full of sincerity:

"I really feel it at dusk."

Ding Xingfeng: "..."

The Martial Saint's eyes clearly showed disbelief, as if he felt this kid was trying to fool him.

However, considering that the stronger Gu Fangchen was, the faster the secret technique would recover, he reluctantly endured it.

As dusk fell, seeing Gu Fangchen's behavior completely different from before, a world apart, Ding Xingfeng felt even more strongly that the kid was playing him for a fool.

Does anyone really need to observe time to gain insight?

Gu Fangchen glanced at the passive status above her head; some brothers, some.

[Hum: You had a flash of inspiration; your comprehension has greatly improved.]

There are only three hours each day when one can enjoy such a significant increase in comprehension...

Otherwise, Gu Fangchen would feel like she was completely lost, like someone taking ballroom dancing as an elective in college physical education, not knowing what to do with her hands and feet.

Fortunately, what you learn during the period of improved comprehension will not be forgotten.

Six hours is enough.

In just two days, he had already learned the basic training methods of the "Double Perfection Method".

The second set of cultivation within his body has also advanced to the peak of the ninth rank.

On the third night, Gu Fangchen secretly went to the princess's residence as promised and had a private meeting with the eldest princess... no, a secret meeting.

Although it was for serious business, sneaking in like a thief in the middle of the night still felt strangely like role-playing.

It's as if he's some kind of petty thief, trying to pluck a young lady from the Imperial City, but accidentally stumbles into the residence of the "God of War," the Princess.

Gu Fangchen, who had been hiding in the corner to avoid the patrolling guards, climbed through the window into the bedroom and glanced at the buff above her head.

[Night: You blend into the light, your presence is greatly diminished.]

Oh no, it looks even more like it now.

My professional buff came at just the right time... no, not at all.

It ruined my image.

Gu Fangchen's expression was subtle.

That doesn't seem right either... Where would he get the image of a spoiled, rotten young master?
The current situation is simply a shift from shamelessness to vulgarity; it's a mere transfer of power.

Thinking of this, Gu Fangchen's inexplicable guilt vanished instantly. Well, anyway, it was the princess herself who invited me to play the NTR game in the middle of the night, so what am I afraid of?
He looked around the bedroom and found that the princess's residence was much simpler than his room, but the items inside were all equally valuable.

The room was filled with a faint, pleasant fragrance, exactly the same as the one worn by the princess.

Gu Fangchen found no one on the bed, took two steps inside, and suddenly realized something was wrong.

Several pieces of underwear and a towel were hanging on the screen in front.

She wore a light, peony-colored long dress, loose white underwear, and a simple bralette, clearly her everyday undergarments or pajamas.

To Gu Fangchen's surprise, the eldest princess wasn't wearing a bellyband...

But it seems quite reasonable.

She'll definitely need to wear armor on the battlefield, so a smooth surface is more important than comfort.

wrong!

Gu Fangchen came to her senses and heard the sound of rushing water behind the screen.

He had just taken two steps back when he saw Xiao Yinghao walk out from behind the screen with great efficiency, reaching out to grab a towel.

She suddenly paused, turned her head and met Gu Fangchen's gaze.

The little thief she had invited had a snow-white light reflected in his dark pupils.

Xiao Yinghao: "..."

Gu Fangchen: "..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: These chapters are meant to clear up some side plots; they should actually have been placed at the end of the previous volume.
(End of this chapter)