A/N: From here on out, when Cyrus is on his own to some extent, the POV will refer to him as Cyrus. While around the Gu Family or people who know him as Gu Yangde, the POV will refer to him as Gu Yangde. This is essentially to signify which identity he is portraying himself as to others, if that makes sense.
_____________________
Shortly after Gu Yangde left the room, Gu Chenggang slouched down on his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. Then, he looked at his grandfather with questioning eyes.
"Are you sure you want him to try taming that basilisk, grandfather? Its core could definitely allow you to break through to Nascent Soul and ascend to the Second Heaven to join father in strengthening our foothold there. Letting Yangde have that opportunity with the creature… Even if he got an inheritance, I still can't see it as anything but a waste. I'm worried he'll go back to being the embarrassment he was the moment he gets his memories back."
"You don't need to worry about that. Back when I was young, somebody obtained a similar inheritance and turned out quite well. I'm not sure what happened to that guy in the end, but he greatly matured and became nigh unstoppable within the lands of the First Heaven in less than five years, ascending shortly after. I don't know how our little Yangde's memory inheritance compares, but even if it is only a quarter as good, it can only benefit him and our family."
"...If you say so, then I'll see how things play out. Until he changes my mind after getting all his memories back, he will still be treated as our black sheep. You can help him with the basilisk if you want. Feel free to relay that to him."
"Tell him yourself, you brat," The older man snorted in response.
* * *
Following behind the maid, Cyrus thoughtfully observed her with a hand on his chin. As though she could feel his gaze, she occasionally shivered and avoided looking in his direction. Unhappy with the idea of a woman fearing him, he decided to nip the problem in the bud.
"Let's speak for a moment, if you don't mind," Cyrus said.
The maid froze in her tracks. She hesitantly turned her head and quietly asked, "...Can I help you with something, young master?"
Cyrus briefly frowned at the hint of revulsion in her tone and sighed. Then, he looked around to check for any eavesdroppers. Upon seeing nobody in the vicinity, he stared at the maid's deep brown eyes, causing her to immediately avert them.
"Can you give me your hand for a moment?"
The maid's eyes trembled. She almost forgot to respond, but then took a sharp breath as if recalling her duties as a maid and quietly stuttered, "Y- yes, young master."
With clear hesitation, she slowly extended her left hand, yet kept a closed-off stance with the rest of her body, perhaps without even realizing it. Ignoring that, Cyrus gently grasped her soft and slightly sweaty palm within his right hand. Her hand felt small and weak within his own even though he could finally sense a cultivation base within her that exceeded his own by a decent margin. Utilizing what little Qi he could, he focused on the maid's Qi flow. Not even a moment later, his lips lowered into a deep frown.
'Although the game blew everyone away with how realistic it felt, this is just another level. Tch. I can't even get excited about that, though, thanks to what I'm seeing here. She's obviously in Foundation Establishment, but it feels like not even as much Qi as an 8th Layer Qi Gatherer would have is channeling through her body.'
Opening his eyes and releasing the maid's hand, Cyrus said, "I'll get straight to the point. I'm a very different Gu Yangde from who you knew. Due to some complicated circumstances, I've lost most of my memories and gained new ones. However, I can tell you have an aversion toward me. I might not remember what this body of mine did, or how it acted, but I'd like to make things right where I can."
'Especially when it involves a nice young lady who deserves some love and affection instead of what this bastard did,' Cyrus inwardly added.
The maid's eyes blanked, and her mouth opened without making any noise. Then, she blinked, pinched her thigh, and winced. After affirming the reality of the situation, she asked, "...I'm not sure what you mean by saying such a thing, young master."
"Let's start off from the beginning. I'm Gu Yangde, a guy with no memories about himself. May I ask your name, miss?"
The woman remained silent for a moment with brows creasing out of pure confusion. Eventually, she blinked a few times. Almost as though she thought she was playing along with a rude prank, responded, "This servant's name is Lulu, young master."
"Do you have a surname?"
"...This servant is a commoner, young master."
"I see. You seem rather puzzled, and still a bit suspicious, perhaps? Well, whatever happened between us in the past, I apologize for it, and I'll do my best to make up for it."
Struggling to hide a repugnant grimace, Lulu replied, "You don't need to do such a thing, young master."
"Well, that's a lie, if I ever heard one. Anyway, just know that whatever bad things have happened to you here, I'll make sure good is returned to you many times that. I won't be able to live comfortably if I don't try to make it up to you."
Unsure how to respond, the maid pressed her lips together in silence.
"You might not believe my words now, or maybe you think I'm messing with you, especially if my assumptions about your experiences with me are even slightly accurate, and that's fine. Time will show you otherwise. Anyway, that's about all I've got to say. I'll let my actions communicate my intent from here on out, so just watch and wait for things to get better. You can continue taking me to my mother, now."
Slightly dazed, the young woman took a few seconds to recompose herself, bowed slightly, and responded, "Understood, young master."
Lulu quickly turned and led him through the halls with a slightly faster pace than before, though she didn't show signs of realizing how fast she was walking now. Not minding her quick pace, Cyrus followed her while observing paintings, decorations, and even the scenery outside the many windows lining the left wall.
'I don't know if it's because things feel more modern than what I got accustomed to in the game, but this world, if it is truly from Seventh Heaven, just doesn't feel as beautiful as I remember it now that I'm in this city. Makes me want to go back to that swamp.'
After another few minutes, they arrived at another wing of the mansion that had more homely and relaxing decorations and furniture in the halls and rooms. Lulu led Cyrus to a large door near the end of the widest hallway within this wing.
"This is your mother's room, young master. My status is too low to disturb her without her permission, so you will have to do so."
"Alright."
He stepped toward the door, but then noticed the maid still standing in the same place with an uncomfortable vibe in her body language.
"You can go back to your duties."
"Thank you, young master."
Cyrus' eyes followed the maid for a short time, during which he mentally noted, 'She obviously doesn't fully believe what I told her, but she is acting like she does. Or maybe she just wants to believe it. Either way, smart girl. She knows how to survive among tyrants.'
Setting the situation with Lulu to the back of his mind, Cyrus took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself to act in the persona of an amnesiac Gu Yangde again before knocking on the door. He heard scrambling on the other side for a few seconds. Then, silence. Finally, footsteps rushed up to the door. The door swung open, revealing a young woman with slightly disheveled dark brown hair reaching just past her shoulders and anxious eyes of a color akin to honey and chocolate melted together.
"Is there any news ab-!" The woman exclaimed, halted her words, then teared up a little. "Yangde? You're back?"
"Hi."