Liu Xuan was still stunned when, in a shadowed corner, Zhao Wenyuan suddenly felt something stir within him. He reached into his robes and touched the two pieces of jade marrow hidden inside.
At this moment, the two pieces were drawn together, merging into one.
The restriction inscribed on them was instantly released, and a voice long sealed within echoed in Zhao Wenyuan's mind.
It was Gu Fangchen's calm, unhurried voice.
"If you don't want these two jade marrows to fly out shouting, 'The plan is exposed, Zhao Wenyuan, run!', then do exactly as I say..."
Zhao Wenyuan's face twitched. Without revealing any emotion, he began to move slowly, step by step, toward a scorched and blackened table.
...
The entire Qionglin Banquet had descended into chaos. Several academy disciples who had recovered from shock rushed forward in panic.
"The spirit tortoise! Save the spirit tortoise!"
"To dare injure the Saint's spiritual beast before so many witnesses, how reckless! Quickly, seal Huangtian City and search with divine sense! Do not let that criminal escape!"
Someone sneered with delight.
"Well now, not only is Gu Fangchen not the Northern Garrison Prince's true heir, he's actually colluding with the Demonic Sect!"
"Sigh, revealing his identity like that, it seems he panicked when the situation turned against him, just a cornered rat biting the cat!"
But the Golden Crow Flame still lingered in the air. Those who tried to approach and soothe the writhing, roaring "Rules" were burned by the searing heat, crying out in agony.
"Ordinary techniques don't work! Fall back!"
One person stared at the golden flames, pupils contracting, and shouted in shock:
"The Golden Crow Flame! This is the Golden Crow Flame! Isn't this the unique ability of the 'Sun Tamer,' Wu Hui?!"
At those words, Gu Yuandao's heart skipped a beat.
His face darkened. He strode forward and reached out to grasp a wisp of fire.
The golden flame instantly took the form of a small bird. It twisted its body once, scattered into countless sparks, and vanished into the air.
The remaining flames also gathered together, transforming into golden birds that soared toward the sky clearing after rain, merging into the sunlight pouring through the clouds.
Everyone present was well-versed in the ways of the world; they recognized it instantly.
This was indeed Wu Hui's unique power.
Someone nearby hesitated and said,
"Then... since he claimed to be from the Demonic Sect and used the Golden Crow Flame, could it be that he wasn't Gu Fangchen at all, but Wu Hui in disguise?"
At that, the crowd froze, and then erupted into noise.
Gu Yuandao immediately refuted,
"Impossible. Wu Hui cultivates the Dao of the Five Elements, not the Dao of Literary Talent. How could he possibly produce those poems?"
The man wavered, "But... wouldn't it be even less possible for that foppish Gu Fangchen to compose such verses?"
"..."
Gu Yuandao was momentarily speechless. For a brief instant, he found himself thinking that the question was actually quite reasonable.
Realizing that, his expression darkened further.
If even he found it plausible, what about everyone else?
He looked around. The crowd, upon hearing that suggestion, were all wearing faces of sudden enlightenment.
Indeed, how could a spoiled, ignorant wastrel like Gu Fangchen possibly compose those six poems?
Even if the Demonic Sect had been involved in the heir-swapping incident years ago, why would they go to such elaborate lengths to make Gu Fangchen show off with poems? Wouldn't it make more sense to have him keep a low profile to erase suspicion?
Only that way would Gu Fangchen have a real chance to keep contending with Gu Yuandao for the title of heir.
Otherwise, what happened today was handing the top scholar a perfect excuse, to use the "Rules" to test his heart and expose his true identity.
And if those poems were truly Gu Fangchen's own creations, that would be pure fantasy.
Absolutely impossible!
All the doubts they had harbored earlier about the extravagance of the Six Lotus Poems now transformed into certainty.
Lord Lin, who had been carried out unconscious, suddenly awoke midway and tottered back to the front. His voice trembled as he said,
"So it was a Demonic Sect impostor all along! No wonder... no wonder!"
His tone grew grave.
"The most mysterious branch of the Demonic Sect is the 'Revelation Path.' Among them are many scholars who took extreme turns, one of whom was once the 'Poetry Demon.' If it was a Demonic Sect disguise, it all makes sense."
Those around him quickly echoed:
"Lord Lin speaks true, then it all makes sense!"
So it wasn't that they were too incompetent, being toyed with by a wastrel.
Their opponent had been the enigmatic Revelation Path of the Demonic Sect, no wonder they'd lost.
Gu Fangchen's reputation as a brainless scoundrel now ironically made the theory that "he himself was a Demonic Sect member" completely untenable.
These proud scholars' instinct for face had been triggered, and once that happened, they would cling to it to the bitter end.
Losing to the Demonic Sect was far less humiliating than losing to the kingdom's most infamous fop.
Gu Yuandao thought quickly and added,
"But Wu Hui, master of the Golden Crow Flame, belongs to the Death Path, not the Revelation Path."
"And knowing the pride of scholars, how could they willingly hand over six poems capable of summoning Omens of Heaven and Earth to someone else?"
He said gravely, "Ask yourselves, what reason would they have to do that?"
"Would they truly go to all this trouble just to humiliate us all at this Qionglin Banquet?"
"In my view, only Gu Fangchen himself had the motive. He's been pretending to be a fool all these years..."
Just then, a sudden exclamation broke out beside them.
Everyone turned their heads and saw Zhao Wenyuan bending down to pick something up from the ground.
Two pieces of jade marrow, one black, one white, shaped like the yin-yang fish.
"What's this?"
Gu Youren approached, saw the two jade pieces, and froze. Her pupils constricted sharply before she stepped forward.
"The two Yin-Yang Jade Marrows from my master's invitation!"
Zhao Wenyuan spoke solemnly,
"I saw it clearly, these two jade marrows seemed to have fallen from that 'Gu Fangchen' just now."
The earlier chaos, along with the raging Golden Crow Flame, had made it impossible to see what exactly Gu Fangchen had done before vanishing.
Gu Youren took two steps forward, lifted the fused jade marrows, studied them for a moment, and her expression changed.
"This is a Mirage Formation!"
No one present was skilled in formation arts, and the term was unfamiliar.
"Master Gu, what is a Mirage Formation?" someone asked.
Gu Youren explained,
"A mirage that veils the five senses, turning illusion into truth, truth into illusion, that is the Mirage Formation."
"It is a third-rank array, unique to the Demonic Sect's Emotion Path. It can create illusions nearly indistinguishable from reality. Its only flaw is..."
She suddenly paused mid-sentence, then snapped her head toward Ding Xingfeng and Qing Jian, who stood motionless by the table.
These two had come with Gu Fangchen, yet the normally proud Martial Saint had been silent the entire time.
Even after Gu Fangchen's self-revelation and departure, they had shown no reaction, standing calm and still like true masters.
Gu Youren inhaled sharply. In the next instant, she appeared before Ding Xingfeng and thrust out her palm.
"Senior, forgive me."
As she spoke, her hand passed straight through Ding Xingfeng and Qing Jian's bodies.
A breeze whispered by.
The Martial Saint dressed as a servant and the cloaked Xiyin Attendant both dissolved into dust, scattering like sand.
The crowd's eyes widened in shock.
"What, what's happening?!"
Gu Youren drew a deep breath.
"The greatest flaw of a Mirage Formation is that once an illusion is touched, it collapses."
Zhao Wenyuan suddenly understood.
"So that heir was actually an Emotion Path member in disguise!"
Everyone caught on immediately.
"The Emotion Path cultivates by stirring and manipulating the seven emotions and six desires of others, and delights especially in deception, no wonder he was so provocative just now!"
It all made perfect sense.
With that realization, the situation became perfectly clear.
Zhao Wenyuan shouted loudly,
"We must thank Scholar Gu for exposing the Demonic Sect's plot to impersonate the heir! For now, we must quickly locate that demonic criminal's whereabouts!"
Gu Yuandao's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. By this point, he knew he had been completely played by Gu Fangchen.
His supposed "heart trial" for Gu Fangchen had instead become Gu Fangchen's perfect way to sever all ties to the Demonic Sect.
But if the Gu Fangchen here had been a fake from the start,
Then where was the real one?
And where were Ding Xingfeng and Qing Jian?
There was still a chance!
If he could uncover Gu Fangchen's true whereabouts, prove that the Gu Fangchen here was genuine, perhaps he could still turn the situation around!
Grasping at that final thread of hope, Gu Yuandao said quickly,
"Master Zhao, that is not the key point. What matters now is to confirm the true Gu Fangchen's location!"
"Inform the Prince's Manor, investigate his recent movements at once!"
...
Gu Fangchen looked at the expanse of the "Between the Weft and Warp." Countless crisscrossing threads of light wove together, resembling a higher-dimensional space from the depths of the cosmos.
With a thought, he descended. The next instant, he landed at the coordinates in his memory.
Before him stood a hunched old man, the tooth maker.