Prajna Lanyue had always harbored suspicions about Gu Fangchen's true identity, and deliberately had Qingjian observe him in secret.
This maid was not assigned to him for nothing. The greatest purpose of placing her at Gu Fangchen's side was to monitor his actions and probe into who he really was.
And now, these two fourth-rank cultivators who had suddenly appeared from nowhere fully corroborated his story.
At present, there were fewer than a hundred fourth-rank cultivators alive. As Tara Sect's Xiyin Attendant, Qingjian served the Saintess personally. Even if she did not know every single one of them, she could at least count most by name.
Yet before her stood two people she had absolutely no recollection of!
That was utterly impossible, for once one reached the fourth rank, Refining Tribulation Realm and Spirit Dao Master Realm alike, one would begin to undergo the heavenly tribulations. Whether on the martial or divine path, tribulations must be faced, though they emphasized different aspects: internal and external.
The inner demon tribulation concerned the mind and would not be mentioned for now.
The external tribulations, however, were the Six Great Calamities of Heaven and Earth, "Calamity of War," "Calamity of Dream," "Calamity of Decay," "Calamity of Wandering Souls," "Earthly Calamity," and "Heavenly Calamity."
By the fourth rank, a cultivator had already transcended the human condition and begun to emulate Heaven and Earth, seeking to comprehend a personal Dao.
In other words, they seized the fortune of Heaven and Earth for their own use.
Even if it was merely imitation, they would still encounter the resistance of Heaven's Will.
Call it punishment, call it a trial, it was all the same.
Only after overcoming all six tribulations could one advance to the upper three ranks.
The first four tribulations were relatively quiet, but the last two were enormous heavenly events.
Once initiated, they would shake heaven and earth, it was impossible for anyone not to know.
Qingjian herself was one step short of the "Heavenly Calamity" and ready to ascend to the third rank.
Yet these two before her, their auras even thicker than hers, were undoubtedly her equals or betters.
At such a realm, any tribulation they underwent would be known to all.
Moreover, how could fourth-rank cultivators so casually recognize another as master?
Thus Qingjian could be certain, these two were servants Gu Fangchen had brought out from the "Pool of Lament."
Suppressing the storm in her heart, she bowed respectfully and said,
"Sir, during these seven days, the Sword Saint and the Princess have both come by. Just earlier, the Sword Saint returned again, saying that an outer disciple named Xu Zhenguan has returned injured and wishes to see you."
Now it was Hu Wenxin and Si Jian who were astonished.
They had already noticed Gu Fangchen's strangeness, such as the mysterious "Sword-Playing Method" he had somehow learned, his inexplicable familiarity with the Sword Palace, and his rapid rise in strength.
Setting aside their assumptions about his cultivation rank, they had realized he wasn't some reckless sixth-rank brat at all, but more like an old monster reborn from their own era.
But they hadn't expected that outside this place, he would even have a fourth-rank maid!
They had thought themselves humiliated to be serving beneath him. Now it seemed... this was simply his way of life?!
Qingjian's deferential manner made the two old monsters' hearts shift subtly.
But truth be told, even without her, they would have soon found their own justification.
After all, as the saying went, if you can't resist, you might as well enjoy it.
Gu Fangchen nodded and asked, "Where is he now?"
"In the main hall of Ask-Sword Cliff... down in the dungeon," Qingjian replied.
Gu Fangchen paused. "...What?"
He twitched the corner of his mouth. "How did he end up in the dungeon?"
Well, he'd left for a few days, and his good brother had already managed to lock himself up.
Qingjian, not in a position to comment on Sword Pavilion's internal matters, simply explained, "It is said that this concerns the incident in the Stone Forest. A Sword Pavilion elder suspects he murdered fellow disciples. He claimed it was the work of the Demonic Sect, but with no witnesses and the sword from that day missing, the elder took the matter to Pavilion Master Ning and refused to let it go."
"Xu Zhenguan, unwilling to cause the Pavilion trouble, volunteered to go to the dungeon for punishment."
"However, Pavilion Master Ning suppressed the matter, so for now Xu Zhenguan is merely confined."
"Oh."
Gu Fangchen narrowed his eyes, so it was about that incident.
Among the group that Qiu He and Qi Linghua had led into the Stone Forest, there had been several who coveted "The Finest Stream" and kept belittling Xu Zhenguan. One of them had been the son of a Sword Pavilion elder.
Apparently, that elder had come seeking vengeance for his son.
Still, this matter would be simple enough to resolve.
After all, that elder's own record was far from clean.
Gu Fangchen continued, "And the old swordsmith?"
Qingjian replied, "Also imprisoned in the dungeon. He has confessed to betraying the Pavilion and wishes to atone by reforging the 'Linked Stars' sword. But he says he wishes to see the sword in your hand first."
Gu Fangchen's eyes narrowed. "Just as well. I have questions for him, too."
This old swordsmith might be the only one who knew Lü Ping's true identity and had remained in contact with him.
Aside from Yi'er, only this man might know what else Lü Ping knew.
...
Before anything else, Gu Fangchen went to Ning Caiyong's residence to report his safety.
Ning Caiyong gripped his shoulders, looking him over from head to toe. Only after confirming he was unharmed did she breathe a sigh of relief.
"To think you shut yourself away for seven days! If I hadn't forced the truth out of your uncle, I wouldn't have known you'd injured yourself wielding that Supreme-Grade Sword."
She used to worry that her son could not cultivate. Now that he could, she found herself worrying even more.
Afraid that at any moment, some accident might hurt him again.
Gu Fangchen had actually been perfectly fine, he'd simply needed an excuse to seclude himself.
He shook his head. "It was only a minor wound. I had some insights during cultivation and advanced a bit, so I took a few extra days."
Looking at Ning Caiyong, his voice softened.
"Mother, though I could cultivate before, my meridians still bore hidden injuries. But this time, after my seclusion, both my meridians and my dantian are fully healed, no different from anyone else's."
Ning Caiyong froze, tears instantly welling up in her eyes. "Truly?"
She had worried herself sick over her son's inability to cultivate for more than ten years, yet never found a solution.
Though she could not cultivate herself, she understood enough to realize the situation's gravity.
Even the reactions of Gu Youren and the others had shown how shocked they were that Gu Fangchen possessed any cultivation, meaning, in their eyes, he still should not have been able to.
Thus they had assumed he'd taken some improper path.
So Ning Caiyong had vaguely known that her son's cultivation might not be a permanent cure.
She had secretly asked Ning Songjun these past days, but his replies were evasive. From his tone, it seemed Gu Fangchen's condition remained unstable.
Now, hearing these words, the great weight on her heart finally lifted.
"Truly!"
Gu Fangchen nodded seriously and said with mock sternness, "If Mother does not believe me, once we return to Huangtian City, we can have that monk Shenshow take my pulse for your peace of mind."
He reached out, wiping away the tears from the corner of her eye, teasing gently, "Otherwise Cousin Lianqian will see you crying again and blame me for upsetting you, her wicked, unfilial cousin."
Ning Caiyong blushed, pursing her lips in embarrassment as she brushed his hand aside. "When you were little, you'd wail whenever you couldn't see me. Now that you're grown, do you despise your mother for crying too easily?"
Gu Fangchen chuckled. "How could I despise Mother? I only wish that from now on, Mother cries only before me."
Ning Caiyong couldn't help but laugh through her tears, thinking fondly, "This silver-tongued rascal... to use his charm on his own mother, and to tell that Xuexiang girl she could be his concubine, truly shameless."
But for some reason, she didn't voice that thought aloud.
Gu Fangchen, unaware, chatted with her a while longer before leaving.
After reassuring his mother, he went to see Ning Wuzhen on Ask-Sword Cliff.
There, he exposed the Sword Pavilion elder who had been falsifying the forge logs and selling inferior swords, along with the list of accomplices.
Ning Wuzhen's beard practically bristled as he read it. "Are you certain this list is accurate?"
Gu Fangchen raised a brow. "If Grandfather doesn't believe me, simply shadow them for a few days. By my estimate, the next batch of swords should be coming out soon."
He grinned. "And given the Seven Sects' recent chaos, perhaps some of these names are quite cozy with them. You might even get a pleasant surprise."
Ning Wuzhen sighed. "The greed of men truly knows no bounds."
He looked at Gu Fangchen and warned quietly, "If you're returning to Huangtian City, you must be careful. I'll have your uncle accompany you, "
Gu Fangchen shook his head. "With Sword Pavilion taking over the Seven Sects, without Uncle there, more trouble will arise. Please rest assured, Grandfather, I'll be cautious."
"Besides, my Master is there too. The old man's probably itching for a good fight."
Ning Wuzhen studied the calm, composed young man before him, inwardly marveling. I truly misjudged this boy. His acting is so good he's fooled even us old foxes...
But if not for that, he never would have deceived Gu Yuye either.
He patted Gu Fangchen's shoulder. "As long as you know what you're doing. If you suffer any grievance in Huangtian City, just return here. If Gu Yuye dares stir trouble, your uncle and I, and the entire Sword Pavilion, will stand behind you."
Gu Fangchen expressed his gratitude, then asked, "And my uncle?"
As expected, the answer was that he was still on the top of Ask-Sword Cliff, "training his sword."
But when Gu Fangchen went up, he found his uncle wasn't training at all, he was drinking in secret.
Apparently, that jar of "Drunken Spring Breeze" had thoroughly hooked him.
Gu Fangchen approached and teased, "Uncle, you wouldn't want word to spread that you've been slacking off behind everyone's back, ruining your image as a diligent swordsman, would you?"
Ning Songjun gave him a flat stare. "Out with it. What do you want?"
Gu Fangchen grinned. "What do you think of Xu Zhenguan?"
Ning Songjun paused, then mused, "His talent's poor, but his character's commendable. Just too honest, takes every blame upon himself."
Even Ning Songjun found Xu Zhenguan's honesty exasperating.
That elder had no real evidence, merely trying to pressure Ning Wuzhen.
Yet the moment Xu Zhenguan sensed their discomfort, he had volunteered for the dungeon to spare them trouble.
Frankly, as an outer disciple, the Pavilion owed him nothing. His seventh-rank cultivation was earned through sheer luck.
Ning Songjun had nearly laughed in disbelief. Imprisoning the boy was merely a way to keep him safe until the elder could be dealt with.
He eyed Gu Fangchen suspiciously. "He's an honest lad with low cultivation. Surely not worth scheming over?"
Gu Fangchen frowned in mock indignation. "Uncle, do I really seem like someone full of deceit?"
Ning Songjun nodded without hesitation.
Gu Fangchen: "..."
Stereotype! Total stereotype!
He sighed. "On the contrary, I came to secure him some good fortune."
"I think highly of him. You haven't taken a true disciple in years, Uncle, why not make him one?"
Now Ning Songjun was truly startled.
What merit did Xu Zhenguan possess to make Gu Fangchen personally come and plead for him?
After thinking a moment, he shook his head. "The boy's heart is fine, but his aptitude... even if I took him, there'd be little I could teach."
That was the polite way of saying his talent was abysmal.
A true disciple was one who would inherit the sect's legacy, it wasn't a casual title.
Gu Fangchen, however, grinned. "So as long as he reaches the required level, you'd accept him?"
"Then you'll have to name the standard, at what cultivation would you agree?"
Ning Songjun suddenly had a bad feeling.
When had he said he wanted a true disciple?
With a resigned sigh, he answered offhandedly, "Fifth rank. If he can reach fifth rank, then I'll admit I misjudged him."
Gu Fangchen smiled broadly. "Then it's settled."
In the original timeline, Xu Zhenguan had only been accepted at fourth rank, so this was progress.
"Oh, by the way, I'll be borrowing your future true disciple as a bodyguard for a while. You don't mind, do you?"
Ning Songjun didn't, though as he watched Gu Fangchen depart with that carefree stride, he couldn't help feeling puzzled. Then he shook his head.
Xu Zhenguan had been an outer disciple for years. There was no way lightning would strike twice for him.
...
Under a disciple's guidance, Gu Fangchen entered the dungeon and released Xu Zhenguan first.
Seeing Gu Fangchen's true appearance for the first time, Xu Zhenguan hesitated for a moment, then bowed respectfully.
"Outer disciple Xu Zhenguan greets the young heir."
Gu Fangchen helped him up with a smile. "Wrong."
Xu Zhenguan blinked, confused, until Gu Fangchen added, "Call me Young Master."
His eyes widened in sudden realization. "Yes, Young Master."
"I've already spoken to my uncle. From now on, you'll serve by my side as my guard. Not too bad a post, hmm?"
Gu Fangchen nodded with easy pride, then turned toward another cell.
Inside knelt the old swordsmith, eyes closed, motionless.