Xu Fu pursed her lips, recalling the look on Gu Fangchen's face in that final moment.
It hadn't been directed at her, not really, it had been spoken to that little maid instead, a look of restrained longing, as though through the girl's body, he was gazing at someone else...
And thinking of that last time, when he had asked the maid to dress like her just to console himself, in other words, this man had once again used his personal maid as a substitute.
He had been imagining the "Grand Preceptor" in his heart.
At that realization, Xu Fu's expression softened slightly.
Of course... If that little thief had known it was really her, would he have dared to act so boldly?
From what Xu Fu had seen of him these past days, though he appeared reckless and daring, every move he made was actually carefully planned, with an escape route prepared in advance.
That meant he wasn't impulsive at all, quite the opposite. He was calculating and deliberate.
And in this case, with something so brazen and improper, no matter how audacious he might be, he would never have done it on a whim.
Besides, Xu Fu's discerning eye told her that what had happened tonight was indeed an accident, as Gu Fangchen had said, a mishap during cultivation.
She didn't know what he had done, but his body carried a faint chill of the Nine Netherworlds, and he was clearly gravely injured.
There was no sign that it had been intentional.
Forget it.
As for the matter with Cao Tianzhou... she would tell him about it tomorrow, when daylight came.
The Grand Preceptor's face remained cold as she glanced down once more at her own hand and let out a frosty snort.
That lecher!
She absolutely, absolutely must not go to him again at night!
...
Gu Fangchen caught the fainting Xuexiang in his arms and looked up at the ceiling, feeling his blood and qi flowing smoothly once again. His eyes were clear and sharp.
He had reached the Fifth Grade. That alone meant he now had the right to leave his name in the chaos soon to come.
A Fifth-Grade Grandmaster was a figure of importance anywhere, someone few would dare to slight.
Even if, given his current circumstances, surviving was already a challenge...
Still, it was a remarkable achievement for something he had accomplished in less than a month!
Even by the standards of speedrun players, this was impressive progress.
After all, most started from zero. His body might have been flawed, but his connections were far superior.
The status of the Northern Garrison Prince's heir truly was a balance of peril and opportunity.
Gu Fangchen turned over, lifting Xuexiang in his arms, and walked into the adjoining room, where, as expected, a bath had already been prepared in advance.
He tested the water with his hand. The moment he placed the stripped-down Xuexiang into the tub, the girl stirred awake, still dazed.
Xu Fu had been careful, her possession would not harm the soul of the host body. At most, it would leave the person a little confused, not unconscious.
The reason Xuexiang had fainted was simply that she had been startled out of her wits when Gu Fangchen suddenly fell on top of her.
She blinked her eyes open and realized she wasn't wearing anything. Her face flushed as she found herself wrapped in the arms of her lord.
But then she noticed he was adjusting the bathwater, and that she was the one sitting in it. Alarm spread across her face.
"Your Highness... this-this isn't right! How can you do this? It should be this servant attending to you instead..."
She tried to stand up on tiptoe, attempting to climb out.
Gu Fangchen raised an eyebrow. "You've already attended to me. What's left to serve?"
Xuexiang froze.
Attended... already? But she had no memory of it at all!
She tried hard to recall. She only remembered entering the room to find him, then looking up, and suddenly being thrown onto the bed...
The little maid glanced around. Her lord indeed wasn't wearing clothes, his body covered in sweat.
It did look like what the princess had once teased her about.
But... she didn't feel any of that supposed discomfort?
Xuexiang blinked, raising her hand. Something sticky seemed to be spreading between her fingers.
Huh? What was that?
Had she accidentally touched some sweet osmanthus paste?
The little beauty frowned in puzzlement, lifted her hand to her lips, and gave it a small lick. Her face scrunched up instantly. She looked up at her lord, pitifully.
"Your Highness, this tastes awful! What did the kitchen even make for you?"
Gu Fangchen: "..."
His mouth twitched. He glanced down, took a deep breath, and leaned in close to whisper a few words in her ear.
Xuexiang's lips formed an "O" of shock, her cheeks turning crimson.
So that's what that was...
She had seen such things in the picture book before, with vague descriptions, but she'd never truly known what they meant in practice.
Well, technically, she'd just completed half her "assignment."
Her eyes lit up as she looked at Gu Fangchen, speaking softly.
"Your Highness, once I finish washing... may I sleep with you?"
This little maid was even more impatient than he was.
Gu Fangchen chuckled, amused. He thought for a moment, then reached out to pat her head.
"You can sleep beside me. Nothing else. We'll talk again once my cultivation stabilizes."
He had only just recovered from severe injury, and his internal circulation was still unstable. That earlier fall had already caused trouble.
If he overexerted himself now, it could leave lingering damage.
Xuexiang was a little disappointed, but thinking of her "great first step" made her breathe a sigh of satisfaction.
She would work harder next time!
As a personal maid, perhaps one day she might be promoted to concubine. Then her family's life would finally be secure.
Gu Fangchen had no idea that this seemingly timid little maid was harboring such ambition.
Being a personal attendant wasn't enough, she wanted to be a concubine.
Still, given his current situation, with no one else at his side, he didn't particularly care either way.
After their bath, they slipped into bed together.
Xuexiang still had thoughts running through her head, but having fainted earlier and been possessed by the Grand Preceptor afterward, she was exhausted. Before long, she drifted off to sleep, curled up like a kitten at the corner of the bed.
Gu Fangchen, too, had no mind for anything else.
Though their "episode" had been interrupted, the Grand Preceptor's appearance proved one thing, she had already deduced the whereabouts of the Sixth Division Star Lord.
That would be the most crucial step in striking against the Demonic Sect.
No room for mistakes.
However, since the Grand Preceptor had been startled off by him... he would have to wait until she calmed down before contacting him again.
...
It was another sleepless night.
Ever since that terrifying ancestor had begun haunting him, forcing him to live like a guerrilla fighter, good rest had become a luxury.
So, rising early the next morning, he decided to train with Old Ding, but the old man was nowhere to be found.
Just as he'd said himself, it depended on his mood.
Qingjian was also missing, though her whereabouts were clear. She had gone outside the city to the White Horse Temple, likely summoned by Princess Prajna.
After all these days, the woman had surely realized she couldn't locate the sacred relic on her own.
Soon enough, she would come to him for help.
Gu Fangchen wasn't in any hurry. Dressed in a white robe embroidered with a qilin pattern, fan in hand, and with Xuexiang at his side, he leisurely headed toward the residence of the Minister of War, seeking his old friend Zhao Wenyuan.
Meanwhile, in the noble circles of Huangtian City, uproar had already erupted. The shocking revelation about the true and false heirs had spread through every household.
Many young lords who once held grudges against Gu Fangchen gathered at the Bureau of Entertainments, arguing heatedly over the affair.