Yu Hua, the immortal, straightened her slender frame slightly, solemnly sizing up the ordinary-looking young man before her for the first time.
Her eyes, tranquil as ancient wells, rippled slightly. Without his bamboo hat to hide his gaze, Gu Wen would have seen that the goddess from beyond this world, who transcended secular imperial power, was looking at him with a mix of wariness and incredulity.
She exhibited apprehension toward a mere household servant, a common mortal stripped of opportunities.
Yu Hua, as part of the Three Pure Sect and backed by it—a saint land of the Cultivation World with two venerables supporting it visibly—if not for the peculiarities of the Immortal Land, could eradicate the entirety of Bianjing with a mere lift of their hands, leaving no trace between heaven and earth.
In a single day, they could exterminate a nation.
Should the venerables act together, they could sever ley lines, turning vast lands into realms of death; conversely, they could also protect the masses, blessing countless citizens.
Outside Daqian, there was never a term for "Emperor," with the highest title attainable by mortals being "King."
Daqian was a special dynasty, and it was a distinctive period; it was normal for talented individuals to emerge. But why did Gu Wen, clearly a common mortal, possess such fortitude and perseverance?
"Therefore, heaven, when about to place great responsibilities on a man, always first hardens his heart and spirit, labors his muscles and bones, starves his body and skin, empties his body, and dishevels his actions. By these, it stimulates his mind, tempers his nature, and increases his limitations."
Yu Hua silently recited to herself. The more she savored and practiced it, the more knowledge she gained of his situation, the more astonished she became.
This was not a mnemonic of the Miracle Method, but it surpassed myriad heart-cultivating methods. Even she couldn't fully comprehend its essence instantly, comparing the world to a whetstone, the hardships detailed between the lines.
If penned by a great power of cultivation, it would become an invaluable literary treasure.
These were the words of a great sage, yet they came from the mouth of a mortal.
Could someone skilled be guiding him?
Yu Hua's thoughts shifted, but she shook her head in denial. Those who could evade the attentive ears of Divine Skills were few and far between; it was absolutely impossible to allow Gu Wen to be so oppressed by the Zhao family, nor would he need to be so forbearing.
Gu Wen's experiences supported this statement well.
Her master had said that the great Dao was not exclusive to cultivators; all beings possessed it, thus every sect sent their disciples to gain experience among mortals. Mortals could utter truths too, but only cultivators could perceive the great Dao from them.
Perhaps Gu Wen was the benefit she gained from experiencing mortal life.
He was indeed talented; having gained benefit, he should now return what was due.
At this thought, Yu Hua gently pulled the reins and turned her head, approaching Gu Wen.
"Yu Hua, the immortal?"
Beside her, Zhao Feng asked in confusion, but Yu Hua did not reply, instead, she repeatedly turned back towards Gu Wen. After several times, Zhao Feng had somewhat grown accustomed to this eccentricity of the immortal, viewing it as characteristic of an immortal's nature.
Nonchalant, free-spirited, transcending the mundane.
Last night, the royal palace had issued a decree summoning Yu Hua, but she shook her head and refused. The angel who came with the decree dared not complain, even courteously bidding farewell.
"I will impart a cultivation technique to you, to test the descendants of the Gu family."
Yu Hua, once again in front of Gu Wen, spoke in a lofty tone, extending her hand from her wide sleeve in a calm, melodious voice.
"Hold my hand, just for a moment."
His meridians were as clogged as most mortals, but it wasn't entirely impossible for him to cultivate; it was just highly unlikely he'd manage to draw Qi into his body in his lifetime.
Gu Wen hesitated as he looked at the delicate palm, understanding for the first time what was meant by "jade bones and icy skin"—even the oiran of brothels could hardly match this skin's quality.
He wasn't so destitute as to be mesmerized by a single hand, but cautiously wary, he dared not act rashly.
Seeing his qualms, Yu Hua spoke again, "I will not harm you, I never have."
If she wanted to harm me, she wouldn't need to beat around the bush.
Gu Wen's excellent mental fortitude quashed his doubts, he cautiously adjudged the situation and subsequently extended his hand gently, careful not to be overly bold.
Seeing him act as timid as a frightened mouse, Yu Hua couldn't help but smile, taking the initiative to grasp his palm.
The touch was delicate and cool. Immediately, this strand of coldness traveled from his palm up his arm and directly into his brow, with countless azure scriptures emerging in his mind.
In an instant, Gu Wen felt the world spin, as the scriptures transformed into stars revolving around in his thoughts, sometimes like clouds, sometimes like seas, sometimes like mountains.
He couldn't understand at all.
As his vision gradually returned, a distant breeze moved through her white clothes, the immortal was already fading into the distance.
Beside him, Jiang Fugui tugged at his sleeve, bringing Gu Wen back to his senses. Jiang bowed respectfully and said, "Sir, your insight is profound; I am utterly convinced."
"Hmm?" Gu Wen looked puzzled.
"No wonder you never entertain the girls at the brothel, even ignoring invites from the oiran. I thought maybe you were considering going to the elephant house, but it turns out you hardly care for mortals and have set your sights on that immortal of the Nine Heavens, losing your wits without even seeing her face. It's just a pity."
Jiang Fugui shook his head and sighed, his conniving expression more apparent.
"That immortal dares not to get too close to the Ninth Prince, let alone you, who is probably in for unrequited love."
"Scram."
Gu Wen kicked Jiang Fugui in the backside, sending the skinny guy tumbling down face-first.
"The immortal is of such high caliber, how could I dare to leer at her."
Whether he liked Yu Hua or not wasn't important, his preferences were not of concern. The point was whether such words could spread to others' ears and invite trouble, including but not limited to Yu Hua and Zhao Feng.
Words can be frightening; the higher one's position, the more cautious one must be in their speech.
Besides, beauty brings disaster. Just looking at Zhao's sycophantic manner, he feared being bitten by the dog.
Gu Wen turned to observe the ten trusted aides. Contrary to the inner gloom, his face was all smiles as he had the servants bring over bars of silver, saying, "Brothers, since today you've come to serve in house Gu, naturally we must properly receive and cleanse you of travel dust."
Upon receiving the silver, the expressions of the trusted aides softened significantly.
"Let's go find a brothel to wash off the dust of travel."
————————————
That night, in the Dragon Bridge night market, the bright moon shone high above.
Gu Wen sat in a private room of a brothel, which was known for its poor sound insulation, where the sounds of men's and women's pleasures constantly reached his ears; however, it was also the place least concerned about being eavesdropped upon.
Among the ten trusted aides around him, some were drunk unconscious, some were still dazed, and the few who remained sober were utterly captivated by the Oiran Gu Wen had paid a handsome price to hire.
Shortly thereafter, a group of girls came in and led all the trusted aides away.
Only Gu Wen and Jiang Fugui remained in the room.
Jiang Fugui took out a pill, swallowed it to sober up, and said in anger, "Mr. Wen, those men came to spy on you. Even though you've become a Marquis, Zhao Feng still dares to treat you this way."
"It's just a nominal title; without land and military power, I'm still a lamb awaiting slaughter," Gu Wen said with a cold laugh. "But that's all Zhao Feng can muster, sending ten men to see if I contact the immortal from the Three Pure Sect in secret."
He was truly amused by the pettiness.
He had prepared for the worst, thinking that the Zhao royal family had discovered his Fate Diagram or, more mysteriously, calculated that he was some kind of massive disaster, the demise of Zhao at the hands of Gu.
Unexpectedly, it turned out that Zhao Feng was merely jealous that he might compete with him for the immortal's favor, fearing that he would gain the approval of that immortal.
Simply put, it was all about jealousy and petty rivalry; unbelievable, this Zhao dog! Calling him a sycophant couldn't be more apt; how insecure must he be to guard against me like this.
Gu Wen found it hard to believe that despite his careful distancing, he had still unintentionally wounded the sycophant's fragile ego.
"Sir, do you think the immortal really took a liking to you? Otherwise, why would a prince be so cautious about you?"
Jiang Fugui found it somewhat incredible too.
It wasn't entirely so; it all came down to having an illegitimate status.
Gu Wen glanced at him, not stating outright, "Have you been reading too many vulgar stories? Go rest. Tomorrow morning, go to the kiln and hire ten pretty girls to come back, treat them to good food and wine daily, put a little less aphrodisiac in their food, and be careful not to kill them."
Desire is the knife that cuts to the core; few in the world can withstand it.
"Yes, I'll make sure they know what 'heaven on earth, Dragon Bridge on land' means," Jiang Fugui said, a cold smile appearing on his face. They were not vegetarians either; otherwise, they wouldn't control the lucrative spot of Dragon Bridge and remain unharmed.
Murder, assassination, imprisonment, poisoning ... they had seen, encountered, and used them all.
Jiang Fugui had been with Gu Wen every step of the way, watching this sir rise from a beggar to someone many address as Marquis Wen. Sometimes he even thought that if the Zhao family's reign completely ended one day, Mr. Wen might achieve something even greater.
Only in troubled times does one's background not matter.
Everyone left the room, and the brothel madam brought in several young and beautiful courtesans to please Gu Wen, but Gu Wen dismissed them all to be alone and reassess the situation.
In his deep eyes, the events of the day surfaced.
'Zhao Feng, you are courting death.'
Gu Wen rarely got angry, not even when he knew someone else had snatched a chance of immortality, because immortality was extraneous; it might be crucial, but losing it didn't render him useless.
Since his arrival, he hadn't received aid from immortality and had still reached his current position, whereas those ten trusted aides posed a direct threat to his life.
Being watched was inevitable, and being threatened with force was normal, with countless border generals and their families living in Bianjing.
However, Zhao Feng underestimated him and overestimated his own incompetent subordinates. The capable ones in the court were nearly extinct; otherwise, regional princes like him wouldn't have been able to continuously initiate conflicts like team building exercises.
As for Yu Hua...
Gu Wen's mind unconsciously conjured an image transcending the mundane, perhaps due to her nature as a cultivator; she indeed differed from ordinary women.
Even he occasionally found his gaze involuntarily drawn to her, understandable why Zhao Feng, in just a few days, had become utterly captivated.
But his intuition told him Yu Hua wasn't the type to fall in love at first sight. Zhao Feng's foolish motivation confirmed one thing—Yu Hua might choose him.
Could it be because of that family heirloom?
Being illegitimately placed, he must remain vigilant at all times; it fit his style. I likely can't leave Bianjing; staying under the Zhao family's nose is the safest.
But what Zhao Feng desperately guarded against with such ferocity was no longer what I needed.
He wasn't the original descendant of the Gu family; he was just Gu Wen.
Gu Wen clenched his fist, then closed his eyes slightly, sinking into contemplation. A cyan scripture appeared, endlessly intricate, resembling the Fate Diagram of the universe.
When he had first acquired the cultivation technique, he felt some reaction from the Fate Diagram but didn't dare to act rashly under so many watchful eyes. Now he desperately needed a protective method and had no other cultivation techniques to practice.
If possible, Gu Wen didn't want things given by others, especially those he completely didn't understand.
But now he had no other choice.
A mild tremor came from the serene Fate Diagram, causing just a slight ripple, and a speck of golden light fell, making the once abstruse scripture suddenly clear and simple.
The Fate Diagram seemed to transform into a crucible between heaven and earth, with the Heavenly Marrow of ten years burning fiercely, melting the ancient and sturdy shell of the Dao scripture, and its profundity flowed gently into him like a warm soup.
[Yuqing Heart Method: Foundation Building Chapter]
If one cultivates Dao, first he observes his heart. The heart commands the spirit, movement and stillness follow the heart.
If the heart moves there is no stillness, if it does not move then the truth is realized. The heart is the source of calamity and the heart is the foundation of Dao.
The heart conquers all things, my will conquers heaven.
Moonlight crawled into the room like vines, little stars sprinkled down, and the lights of Dragon Bridge scattered along the street like stars.
Gu Wen's breathing rose and fell, seemingly containing a certain rhythm, his body filled with an energy that gathered in his lower abdomen and flowed throughout his body.
And just in a breath or a sigh, Gu Wen had entered the gateway of the Yuqing Heart Method.