Gu Fangchen's performance made Qing Jian, who knew that he was no longer the same frivolous heir as before, frown slightly before relaxing again.
Although Gu Fangchen had indeed changed beyond recognition, to outsiders he still appeared to be the same arrogant wastrel.
With his current cultivation at the Sixth Grade, he already counted as an expert among the younger generation.
Only the greatest sects of the Immortal Gate could produce such talents, and even then, they were rare.
Even within Sword Pavilion, such a person would be a vital asset, nurtured with every available resource.
Yet compared to the dangers surrounding him now, that level of strength was still far from enough.
So this act of his must be deliberate, self-degradation as camouflage.
Few knew of his recent explosive rise in cultivation. Even if someone mentioned it, the tale was so absurd most would dismiss it as rumor.
By using his former reputation to his advantage, he could maintain the image of a useless playboy and mislead his enemies.
Sinister, yes, but very much in line with Qing Jian's understanding of Gu Fangchen's cunning.
To Xue Xiang and the Sword Pavilion disciple, however, the infamous heir of the Northern Garrison Prince behaving this way seemed completely natural.
Still, the method felt a little lazy.
If you're going to flirt, fine, but did you really have to recycle the exact same line as that fat idiot earlier?
The Sword Pavilion disciple's face darkened. He took a deep breath and clenched his fists.
When Gu Fangchen had swooped in to "save" the girl, the disciple had thought that perhaps evil could cancel evil, that the scoundrel had accidentally done a good deed for once.
But now, apparently, he himself was the one playing the villain's lackey!
If it had been that disgusting brute earlier, he wouldn't have hesitated to throw a punch. But to help someone commit wrongdoing? Never.
The disciple's hand crept toward the hilt at his waist, ready to send a signal back to Sword Pavilion at any moment.
If Gu Fangchen did anything truly out of line, he would stop him, even at the cost of offending this walking disaster.
Sword Pavilion disciples could not stand by and watch evil go unpunished!
Yi'er also froze for a moment, then pursed her lips and said softly yet firmly, "Young Master, this tavern was left to me by my father. No matter how poorly it fares, I will never hand it over to anyone else."
Gu Fangchen's expression darkened. He snorted coldly. "Do you know who I am? How dare you refuse me?"
Yi'er raised her hand, grasped his wrist, and met his gaze with defiant eyes. "I may be just a humble wine-seller, but I've heard of the Sword Pavilion Master's grandson, the heir of the Northern Garrison Prince's household."
"But this tavern will never be part of anyone's dowry."
Gu Fangchen's grip loosened slightly. Then he reversed it, clasping the young beauty's hand instead, a smile curving his lips. "So what you're saying is, other things could serve as dowry instead?"
Yi'er looked up at his handsome, rakishly charming face, pretended to struggle briefly, and her cheeks suddenly flushed crimson. In a small, trembling voice she murmured, "Yi'er hasn't saved much over the years..."
Xue Xiang: "!"
The little maid's expression turned instantly alert and deadly serious, oh no, she's trying to steal my job!
Qing Jian: "..."
Sword Pavilion disciple: "???"
How did things turn out like this?
When that fat lecher had used the same line earlier, the girl had been ready to stab him with her hairpin.
But now? With Gu Fangchen, it had somehow turned into a flirtatious scene straight out of a romance story.
Expressionless, the disciple watched Gu Fangchen and Yi'er retreat into a corner, where their "wall-pin" scene grew ever more nauseating. He sank into deep thought, his heart faintly cold.
Was this... the unfairness of the world itself?
Still, since both parties seemed to be enjoying themselves, there was no reason for him to interfere.
Lowering his hand from his sword, he turned away, staring up at the sky, his back radiating bleak resignation.
Gu Fangchen, of course, was only maintaining his playboy act because he understood Yi'er's personality perfectly.
In the flourishing literary culture of Great Wei, even cultivators were deeply influenced by popular tales. Many, like Gu Lianqian, spent sleepless nights reading romantic or heroic storybooks.
Yi'er, about the same age as Gu Lianqian, was no exception.
But unlike Gu Lianqian, who dreamed of becoming a wandering heroine, Yi'er preferred tragic love stories like Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.
In short, she longed for a love that began like a home invasion.
As long as the man was handsome enough, of course.
Though Yi'er herself was merely a nameless NPC without even a side quest, Gu Fangchen wasn't guessing blindly, this was all based on in-game text he had painstakingly studied.
During the half-year he spent chasing the game's true ending, he had gone mad enough to record every line of dialogue from every NPC along the road.
And now, his face, objectively flawless, was his best weapon.
After all, though his reputation was as foul as a rat in the street, almost no one had ever called him ugly.
Against Yi'er, this was almost too easy.
As he subtly guided the conversation toward her father's past, his hand still holding hers, red text prompts began popping up before his eyes:
[You have maintained physical contact with (Yi'er) for 5 minutes. Successfully stole "A String of Copper Coins."]
[You have maintained physical contact with (Yi'er) for 5 minutes. Successfully stole "A Silver Plum Blossom Hairpin."]
[...Successfully stole "A Sobering Stone."]
[...Successfully stole "A Handkerchief."]
...
[...Successfully stole "A Jar of Drunken Spring Breeze."]
Gu Fangchen kept smiling, though he had no idea how long it had been, until finally the message he had been waiting for appeared. He exhaled softly in relief.
Looking at the blushing girl before him, practically steaming, he couldn't help muttering inwardly.
If that item hadn't appeared soon, he might've had to stay the night in this tavern, talking about poetry and philosophy until they somehow ended up in bed.
Not that he particularly minded, but if deceiving a girl's affections led to the "Lord of the Four-Phase Calamity" finding out, it might trigger a very unpleasant chain of consequences.
Better to quit while ahead and just gain some favorability points.
Still, regarding that sword servant of Ying Baishou, the tavern's former owner Lü Ping, Yi'er seemed to know little.
But he did manage to uncover a piece of information he hadn't known before.
After Lü Ping went mad, he had made Yi'er swear to guard the tavern and, under no circumstances, ever leave it.
Not "shouldn't." Couldn't.
That distinction was... intriguing.
It seemed Lü Ping might have known about Yi'er's peculiarity all along.
But probing further right now would be too suspicious, this would have to be done gradually.
Just as Gu Fangchen was preparing to end the encounter gracefully, withdrawing his hand and closing this "accidental and charming meeting," another prompt suddenly appeared before him.
[You have maintained physical contact with (Yi'er) for 5 minutes. Successfully stole "Wheel of the Sea of Calamity."]
Gu Fangchen: "..."
For a moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He blinked, looked again, no, it was real.
What the hell did I just steal?!
His heart dropped like a stone and his body froze, hand and all.
The only reason he'd dared steal from Yi'er in the first place was that "Yi'er" and the "Lord of the Four-Phase Calamity" were entirely separate beings, their causes and effects independent.
So it should have been impossible to steal anything that belonged to the Lord of the Four-Phase Calamity from Yi'er!
And yet, the Wheel of the Sea of Calamity was a cultivation art unique to the Lord of the Four-Phase Calamity herself.
Which could only mean one thing.. at this very moment, he had stolen from the wrong person!