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

Chapter 240 What if I feel guilty? (Part 3)

The exact time when the "Snail Book" existed in the Sea Kingdom is impossible to verify, but it is certain that it appeared in ancient times.

In other words, this is something that has existed since at least the so-called "Great Age of Furnace".

The protective array built by their power is enough to seal off the entire Sea Kingdom, and even a first-rank official cannot enter. Otherwise, with such huge profits from smuggling alone, how could the Great Wei have kept the Sea Kingdom for so many years?

If outsiders want to break through, the only way is, as mentioned before, to use the skin of the witch people.

The Wu Clan had been hiding in the Great Wei for so many years, and now they were finally exposed by the "Extinction" Dao and wiped out by Gu Fangchen.

Now, all these witch clan members are under Gu Fangchen's control, and no one else can enter the Sea Kingdom.

Xu Fu has temporarily forced Xie Qian and Shi Qingguang to retreat, but only temporarily. Moreover, Gu Fangchen has no intention of fighting them at this moment. He needs to wait for the most suitable opportunity to resolve all the problems. Therefore, he must safely delay for a while longer.

At this moment, only the sea kingdom can be considered safe.

After handing the "animal skin" of the Wu tribe to Xu Fu, Gu Fangchen looked at "Yu Baigong" who was standing silently in mid-air.

"Bad Lord" had just been fighting with "Joyful Lady" and was also affected by the Ancestral Lady, leaving his body in a terrible state.

The raincoat that was originally made of rusty swords was now completely shattered, revealing the body that had been covered by the raincoat. In the center of his chest was a huge, dark hole.

However, at this moment, only half of the hole remains.

To be precise, only half of the body of "Yubai Gong" remained.

Half of his body, one hand, one foot, and half of his face had disappeared, like a tattered sack that could not contain his internal organs.

In his remaining hand, he held a longsword that was covered in cracks and bloomed with scarlet poisonous flowers, but his fingers did not waver in the slightest.

Gu Fangchen solemnly clasped her hands in a fist salute to him and said in a deep voice:

"Thank you."

Although "Bad Gentleman" only wanted to obtain clues about his daughter, the extent to which he went was equivalent to destroying a second-grade puppet, which was enough for Gu Fangchen to sincerely thank him.

In a two-on-two situation, if he only wanted to save Gu Fangchen's life, he would only need to exert six-tenths of his strength. Even though Gu Fangchen might have been seriously injured just now, if he wanted to, that would actually make it easier to control Gu Fangchen later.

However, "the corrupt official" did not.

Gu Fangchen's injuries are not fundamental; given his strong physique, he will recover after a period of rest.

The two leaders of the demonic sects attacked together, but the battle did not affect Gu Fangchen at all.

Prajna Lotus Moon and Gu Fangchen had a deep bond, so she put in her utmost effort.

The "Bad Gentleman" was originally motivated by his daughter's interests, but his actions went beyond what he could possibly gain.

Previously, although "Yu Bai Gong" cooperated with Gu Fangchen, he basically only touched on the surface of things. It is unknown whether it is because the current situation in the world has reached the point where it is necessary to choose a side completely, which made "Yu Bai Gong" make up his mind.

However, the outcome of today's battle proves that "Defeated Duke" made the right choice.

The deaths of the two leaders of the Demonic Sect, "Jie" and "Sheng," here signify the formal collapse of the entire "Ten Supreme Paths."

The evil cult is beyond saving.

What remains is the contest between the Great Wei and the Qingman, and between the Confucianists and Gu Fangchen.

"Bad Gentleman" turned his head, and his half-headed head seemed to still have "gaze" as he looked at Gu Fangchen.

Because his neck was also torn, his voice was broken and intermittent, like a rusty, stuck piece of paper:
"No...no, it's not necessary...the knot must still be untied..."

Halfway through his speech, his neck finally gave way, and under the influence of the remaining "life" power, clumps of flesh suddenly grew out, pushing off half of his head.

"The Degenerate Duke" was silent for a while, then a sigh came from somewhere.

Then, crimson puppet threads appeared on the broken body of "Decadent Lord".

These strands of silk extended backward, converged, and fell into a pair of extremely slender, delicate hands with distinct knuckles.

The exquisite craftsmanship of these hands is breathtaking; every detail is flawless and without any imperfections, making them truly beautiful hands.

But these are a man's hands, and even more so, the hands of a craftsman.

A peerless craftsman who crafted a second-grade puppet.

Seeing those hands, Gu Fangchen felt a bit of PTSD flare up. Her first instinct was to check her inventory and start stacking buffs, preparing for a pre-battle "monkey king" routine—

Every time I saw those hands before, the next thing I would see was a long health bar.

This health bar belongs to the second stage of "Decadent Lord".

The true form of Guagua Gong.

"Yanshi", Xuanming!

Gu Fangchen twitched her lips, controlled her instincts, and looked up following the hands.

Behind the dilapidated "Decadent Lord" puppet, holding a red thread, floated in mid-air a handsome young man with a refined appearance and pale skin.

The boy looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old. He was dressed in simple black clothes and his face still had a childish look. Only his white hair and his expressionless, gloomy and cold demeanor could still be matched with the age and identity of the Dao Master of the "Death" Dao.

Why do players like to call him "Guagua Gong" in such a cute way?
Aside from not being able to read, it's because his true form... is indeed somewhat different from the terrifying, mysterious, and frightening image of "Yu Bai Gong".

He is one of the few male bosses in the game "Dust in the Mirror" who has a relatively high appearance value, and he is quite popular among female players.

Of course, the puppet "Yu Bai Gong" is also cool and pretentious. Apart from being too difficult to defeat, it has no other flaws.

At this point, some people might ask:

Why does Guagua Gong maintain his youthful appearance?
According to the secret records in the game, it was because Xuanming once entered the border of the Nine Netherworld from the extreme of the "Death" path, and touched another "Life" path. The two combined to create a living puppet.

In other words, he was once a practitioner of the "life" principle, and at the same time, he grasped two completely opposite principles.

Through the puppet created by the fusion of these two paths, Xuanming once reached the first rank.

His true realm is higher than that of other Dao Lords.

As we all know, the current cycle of the world is simply the crushing and reorganization of the existing divine souls, without creating anything new.

But Xuanming was a puppet created at that time.

The divine souls within it are truly created from nothing!
In the instant he created the puppet, Xuanming saw something he shouldn't have seen, knew he had touched something he shouldn't have touched, and in order to save his own life and his creation...

He had no choice but to use a secret technique to reverse his own karma, regress his cultivation level, and freeze himself to remain at this age forever, thus deceiving the heavens.

However, it was too late in the end.

The initial "Heavenly Gate" opened for only a moment, but Xuanming's daughter had already come into contact with it and fell into a deep sleep from then on, never to open her eyes again.

This is the mistake that Xuanming once made!

That's also the reason his daughter has been in a deep sleep.

Indeed, that artificial puppet, created out of nothing and now alive, is Xuanming's greatest masterpiece—Xuanling.

Xuanming regarded her as his own daughter and spent countless years trying to awaken her, but to no avail.

Until... that day, he discovered that someone was impersonating him by claiming to be a "magician".

The white-haired youth, Xuan Ming, looked at Gu Fangchen and continued what he hadn't finished saying earlier, calmly stating:
"No need to thank me. 'The one who tied the knot must untie it.' As long as you can truly solve the problems of this world, then I, as a puppet, have been used correctly."

With a flick of his wrist, the red thread quickly retracted, bringing back the "Bad Gentleman".

In fact, judging from the fact that this puppet has the strength of a second-rank, and his own body is also a second-rank, it can be seen that his true strength far surpasses that of others.

However, like Shi Qingguang and Ying Baishou, he was also trying to avoid becoming a first-rank official, and he avoided it even more thoroughly than they did.

Xuanming glanced at the Sea Kingdom in the distance, which was shrouded in the [Snail Book] barrier.

"When you return from the Sea Kingdom, find Duan Qicang, and he will bring you to see me."

Duan Qicang, known as "General Qianmo".

The slowdown in the operation of the Demonic Sect during this period was also due to his efforts.

Without the cover of the "Six Star Lords'" destiny chart, the traces of the Demonic Sect have nowhere to hide.

Without General Qianmo's teleportation array, the Demonic Sect was crippled, as if it had lost its left and right arms.

They can no longer appear and disappear like before, going wherever they want; they can only rely on their physical bodies to run around, which is very tiring.

Duan Qicang's "Warp and Weft" covers the entire Middle Yin Netherworld. It's not just a matter of this teleportation array being unusable; even if the Demonic Sect wants to use other teleportation arrays, they will be interfered with in the same way.

Turning him to the side would be tantamount to cutting off all the sect's transportation routes, which would be fatal.

Gu Fangchen nodded, then smiled leisurely and said:
"I also see Xuanling. I have long admired your daughter for a long time."

Xuan Ming: "..."

His face darkened, he took a deep breath, gave Gu Fangchen a long look, and then turned and disappeared into the air.

……

Gu Fangchen, along with Yi'er, Prajna Lotus Moon, and Xu Fu, flew straight towards the Sea Kingdom.

With their combined cultivation levels, crossing the sea between the Great Wei and the Sea Kingdom at full speed would only take them about a quarter of an hour.

But for ordinary people, this sea country may seem close, but in reality, it feels like a long journey with no end in sight.

The reason why the sea kingdom looks close is simply because it is so large.

At the very center of that sea kingdom was the [Snail Book], which was shaped like a giant conch shell. It was like an enormous mountain, ten thousand feet high, comparable to the white skeletons lying on the Qingman Grassland.

They are clearly of the same level.

In addition, the mysterious mist generated by the national protection formation created the visual illusion that the Sea Kingdom was very close.

On the way, Prajna Lotus Moon couldn't help but frequently glance at Xu Fu.

The Grand Preceptor remained expressionless, his gaze unwavering, dressed in white with black hair, appearing incredibly aloof and otherworldly.

Gu Fangchen explained the matter of the Sea Kingdom and the Witch Clan, and she listened, responding with "um," "okay," and "sure," without saying a single unnecessary word.

But the more businesslike she was, the more Prajna Lotus Moon felt that she was being deliberate.

After all, she knew that Gu Fangchen and Xu Fu had a close relationship.

Back in the Prince's mansion, I only sent a servant named Xiyin to keep watch, but Xu Fu sent me gold, scriptures, and even the house key.

The gossip from Huangtian City has even reached Baima Temple.

Even Gu Fangchen's regicide and treason were tolerated by Xu Fu, who turned a blind eye. If Xu Fu hadn't let her get away with it, Gu Fangchen would never have been able to escape Huangtian City. And now things are even more outrageous.

Although he only came to help Gu Fangchen, Xu Fu has now descended in his true form!
Everyone knows that Xu Fu, the "Saint of Fate," has been cultivating in seclusion for five hundred years since he descended the mountain and became the Grand Preceptor of the Great Wei Dynasty under the "Peaceful" destiny. He has almost never left the Canliao Pillar.

In most cases, messages are conveyed through spirit possession or by Taoist boys or cranes.

They were at sea at the moment, and although they were not far from Huangtian City, they were still tens of thousands of miles away!

In other words, as soon as Gu Fangchen returned to the Central Plains, Xu Fu immediately abandoned the entire Huangtian City and came to save him in his true form.

The Great Wei, which had been defended for five hundred years, was abandoned just like that!

It’s incredible!
Moreover, Xu Fu came here without the slightest hesitation and immediately turned against the "Confucian Sage".

From any perspective, her relationship with Gu Fangchen is far more than just superficial.

However, at this moment, her attitude towards Gu Fangchen was as indifferent as if she were just passing by and casually intervening in injustice.

Because it's too normal, it's actually abnormal.

Logically speaking, they shouldn't be this cold.

Unless... she feels guilty.

The thought had barely crossed Prajna Lotus Moon's mind when her pupils constricted, and a hint of suspicion arose within her.

Although she knows how to exploit human nature, she has never truly experienced it. She can only observe the six realms of sentient beings through the eyes of the Buddha Mother, which is equivalent to an excellent academic who uses a set of question banks to answer questions.

However, if it happened to me, it would be a complete blank.

Fortunately, she is not completely ignorant about love and romance now, after all, she stayed up all night to read the entire book "The Incompetent Wife".

The various tactics employed were so shocking that they were firmly imprinted in her mind.

I can't forget it even if I want to.

The ending is particularly explosive, with the husband, who has suffered all kinds of bullying from women, finally confessing to his wife that he is determined to leave officialdom and live a secluded life in the countryside with her, never to concern himself with right and wrong again.

The wife fell silent upon hearing this, while the husband, with tears in his eyes, said with utmost sincerity:

"No matter what happened in the past, as long as we have a clear conscience, we can still be a loving couple."

Prajna Lotus Moon was initially relieved, thinking that although the story was outrageous, it still had a good ending and did not involve committing all kinds of evil deeds.

However, after a long silence, the wife finally spoke:

"What if I feel guilty?"

The entire story ends abruptly here.

When Prajna Lotus Moon saw this, she felt as if the sky had fallen.

Why did the wife feel guilty? It's simply because she was actually aware of the truth all along, and not as "incompetent" and "ignorant" as described earlier.

It is precisely because we know the truth that we feel guilty.

Banruo Lianyue had been having all sorts of wild thoughts lately, and the culprit wasn't those nonsensical story plots, but rather this unexpected ending.

Feeling guilty is naturally a sign of insecurity.

Only those who feel guilty remain silent.

That silence meant... she knew perfectly well what she had done.

Prajna Lotus Moon looked at Xu Fu, who was expressionless and didn't even glance at Gu Fangchen, and her eyes became increasingly strange.

This level of guilt... given the Imperial Preceptor's temperament, what could he have done to warrant this?
Xu Fu wasn't a blockhead, and besides, Prajna Lotus Moon's cultivation was a bit lower than hers. She immediately sensed something was wrong, frowned, and turned her head away.

Prajna Lotus Moon did not flinch or dodge; her blue, glassy eyes met Xu Fu's gaze steadily.

Xu Fu cut to the chase and asked calmly:

"Prajna Lotus Moon, do you have any questions to ask?"

Prajna Lotus Moon suddenly smiled charmingly and said:
"Lian Yue does have doubts. She heard that when they were in Huangtian City, the Grand Preceptor gave Gu Fangchen gold and a token from his residence, and that he had a very good relationship with her. So why did the Grand Preceptor seem so cold to her when they met today?"

Xu Fu was slightly taken aback, pursed her lips, and felt Gu Fangchen's ambiguous gaze shift to her. Her carefully composed emotions began to fluctuate again, and she turned her head away, saying coldly:
"It's nothing more than a mutually beneficial transaction, how can you say they have a good relationship?"

"The same applies to today's events."

Prajna Lotus Moon stared intently at her aloof face, unable to discern any flaws, but the more she looked, the more something seemed amiss:
"Is it the same even if one turns against the 'Confucian Sage'?"

"also the same."

Xu Fu glanced at her in a calm tone, then solemnly said:
"Prajna Lotus Moon, you've misunderstood something."

"The reason I became the Grand Preceptor of Wei is because it is the Mandate of Heaven that 'peace' will fall upon Wei."

"Now I realize that 'peace' has fallen on Gu Fangchen, but before, he was in the Great Wei."

"If he had been born in Qingman, there might have been two Great Heavenly Sass in Qingman."

Gu Fangchen raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

The Imperial Advisor is quite good at telling corny jokes...

Xu Fu continued:
"Where destiny lies, there lies my stance."

"Don't think that I am of one mind with the Confucianists. Their current actions are contrary to 'peace,' so they are my enemies, nothing more."

She finished speaking calmly, then turned around and disappeared from the spot.

When Prajna Lotus Moon heard what she said, she was almost taken aback and her expression froze.

But then her expression became even stranger and more serious.

Something's not right...something's really not right!

This woman's temper was notoriously strange and aloof. When she first went to Huangtian City, she wanted to find Xu Fu to calculate the whereabouts of the "Lotus in the Womb," and at that time she was also worried that Xu Fu would be difficult to deal with.

If she is misunderstood, she will not explain anything to anyone.

Because everything is predetermined by fate, people will eventually discover the truth and witness their own destiny.

This is the true theory of the Mandate of Heaven.

However, now, Xu Fu actually started explaining things to her at length!

This matter... is clearly not just ordinary serious.

Gu Fangchen understood perfectly well why the Imperial Preceptor treated her so coldly.

The Grand Preceptor is actually a little arrogant and unwilling to admit his own feelings, using Xuexiang as a shield.

Before, I had taken advantage of Xuexiang, but since it was someone else's body, I still had an excuse to use.

Now that the real person has arrived, it's natural to stay away from the villains who bullied me...

Xuexiang is still in the Great Wei, so she has no more excuses to use this time.

Of course, Gu Fangchen wouldn't offer to help answer Banruo Lianyue's questions. He pretended to be clueless, looking thoughtful, and said:

"The Grand Preceptor's attitude is a bit cold now, but that's always been her nature, so Little Pearl need not worry."

He turned his head and said with a smile:

"The Grand Preceptor is definitely on our side; we're all in this together now."

Prajna Lotus Moon opened her mouth, but then hesitated to say that what she was worried about wasn't that, but rather that this woman might be coveting her father...

How could anyone say such a thing?

Definitely not.

Prajna Lotus Moon had no choice but to swallow her questions, and with these heavy thoughts in her heart, she and Gu Fangchen arrived at the border of the Sea Kingdom's protective array.

The ships carrying the "Extinction" Daoist followers and the Wu tribe members, who had set off earlier, had already arrived.

These ships are no ordinary vessels; they were built at great expense by the "Extinction" Dao for their current plan. With the support of formations, they move like fish in water, and their speed is even faster than that of a fourth-grade cultivator traveling at full speed.

Moreover, they were lagging behind for some time, so naturally they would arrive later than these ships.

Meanwhile, the smuggling routes of the "Extinction" Path have been well-established over the years, and they are not afraid of being discovered.

It went through a process that had already been practiced countless times.

Their ship successfully passed through the protective array of the [Snail Book] and entered the territory of the Sea Kingdom.

"Wow--"

Only when you drive inside will you discover that the mist overhead is actually a waterfall.

As you pass through, the system automatically begins to identify you. If you are not a local, the weight of the waterfall increases instantly, and the pressure of the water will crush you to pieces.

Walking through it is like having guillotines hanging over your head, ready to fall at any moment.

Moreover, the area covered by this thick fog is quite large.

Gu Fangchen also subconsciously held her breath and squinted at the front.

As soon as the boat emerged from the waterfall, the scene changed instantly. It was nighttime, and countless fishing lights flickered on the dark water.

Countless boats sailed on the water, and bright fishing lights twinkled like stars in the sky.

On their boats, fishing lights were also lit, blending in with the activity.

And following the predetermined route, they officially entered the port of the Nahai Kingdom and were inspected.

They had all the necessary identification documents and quickly passed the check.

However, a beam of light approached from afar, followed by a woman's sweet voice giving a command:

"and many more!"

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.: I'll revise it later. If there are any errors or omissions, I'll refresh the page. After a long period of writer's block, I'm finally no longer stuck!

……perhaps

(End of this chapter)