A Daughter's Debt to Repay

Sitting in the carriage heading back to the Crown Prince's Palace, Gu Chengyin closed his eyes to focus, his mind racing.

He already had a rough idea of the Qingjian Sect's objective.

They were looking for the descendant of the Qingyun Immortal Clan to complete their legacy and immortal path.

And he needed to bind himself to a sect.

Leaving aside the other cultivation sects, one could say the two sides were a perfect match.

A cold smile curled the corners of Gu Chengyin's lips.

How could there be such a good thing in this world?

Although he still didn't know exactly how the Qingjian Sect planned to complete their legacy.

He certainly wouldn't hand over the Qingyun Incantation on his own initiative.

Moreover, the other cultivation sects obviously wouldn't allow the Qingjian Sect to succeed so easily.

No matter where, even in the cultivation world, everyone had their own interests.

If the Qingjian Sect truly completed their legacy, or even produced a Nascent Soul expert, the balance would be instantly broken.

At that time, the Qingjian Sect would unify the cultivation world, and the remaining sects would either submit or be destroyed.

To prevent this situation, assassination was undoubtedly the best choice.

As long as he, Gu Chengyin, died, the descendant of the Qingyun Immortal Clan would be gone.

Then the Qingjian Sect would lose its legitimacy and return to the same starting line as everyone else.

Gu Chengyin's heart chilled. Looking at this situation, he had to go get another protective talisman.

It wasn't that he couldn't fight them, but if the other sects joined forces, even an elephant could be bitten to death by enough ants.

If a Golden Core expert was forced out, he couldn't really go up and trade his life for theirs.

The carriage stopped in front of the Crown Prince's Palace.

By the time Gu Chengyin stepped out, the moon was already high in the sky.

He glanced in the direction of Luo Zhao's sleeping quarters; the lights there had already been extinguished.

Without overthinking it, he turned and walked toward his own side hall.

...

The next morning.

As the sky grew faintly bright, Gu Chengyin had already circulated the Qingyun Incantation for nine cycles.

With his power and influence gradually expanding, the converted true qi was practically surging in.

Now, having been refined and purified over and over by the Qingyun Incantation, Gu Chengyin could feel that he was not far from the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Retracting his energy and exhaling, Gu Chengyin opened his eyes. Starlight swirled in his pupils before slowly fading a moment later.

It was time to make a move.

During this night, apart from circulating his cultivation method, Gu Chengyin had also figured out who to seek out for his new protective talisman.

He changed into casual clothes, fastened his token at his waist, and double-checked everything. After confirming there were no mistakes, he immediately left.

A carriage was already prepared at the entrance of the Crown Prince's Palace.

"To the imperial palace," Gu Chengyin instructed briefly after getting in.

Yes, the person Gu Chengyin was looking for was Emperor Luo.

This old fox had plotted against him so many times; it was about time he coughed up some benefits.

Including this position of Right Vice Minister of Rites—it was obvious that Emperor Luo knew about the orthodox immortal clan lineage and deliberately threw him into this role.

He even blocked the news from the Internal Affairs Department to keep him in the dark.

Could an honest person like him, Gu Chengyin, actually defy an imperial decree and refuse to accept it?

What a good scheme.

Gu Chengyin silently noted down another grudge against Emperor Luo in his heart.

He planned to get it back from Luo Zhao later.

A daughter paying her father's debts was perfectly justified.

The carriage drove down the main street and turned into the square in front of the imperial city.

The palace walls gleamed with a dark red luster in the morning light. The Golden Imperial Guards stood solemnly before the city gates, exuding a formidable aura.

Because Gu Chengyin was now the Chief of the Internal Affairs Department and had the right to enter and exit the palace grounds, he did not encounter much obstruction.

Soon, Gu Chengyin arrived at the side hall of the warm pavilion, which was the usual station of the grand eunuch Lyu Fang.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered the hall, he saw Lyu Fang sitting behind a wooden desk, flipping through a booklet.

Seeing Gu Chengyin enter, Lyu Fang put down the booklet and stood up to cup his hands in greeting. The smile on his face was just right—neither sycophantic nor distant.

"Chief, you have arrived. Please take a seat."

Lyu Fang pointed to the chair opposite him. "His Majesty is currently reviewing memorials and should not be disturbed. If the Chief has any matters, you may just tell this servant."

Gu Chengyin lifted his robe and sat down, his posture relaxed and natural. He smiled and said, "Eunuch Lyu Fang, there is no need to be so polite. This junior only luckily obtained the position of Chief; there are still many matters I need to consult you about."

"If you call me Chief, that would be treating me like an outsider."

These words were spoken with great tact.

Seeing Gu Chengyin lower his posture so much, Lyu Fang finally revealed a trace of satisfaction.

He sat back down and personally poured a cup of tea for Gu Chengyin.

"Since you put it that way, then I will not decline."

Lyu Fang pushed the teacup in front of Gu Chengyin, his tone softening a bit. "You are Her Highness's Junior Preceptor, that still warrants respect."

"I wonder what brings Junior Preceptor Gu here?"

Gu Chengyin leaned back against his chair, extending one hand as he spoke:

"This junior just took over as the Right Vice Minister of Rites, and in a few days, I need to go out for a tour of inspection.

"But I heard that there are an awful lot of mountain bandits and robbers outside. For the sake of my own safety, and also for the face of the imperial court,

"I came specifically to request His Majesty for five Golden Core experts to act as my bodyguards."

"Pfft! Cough, cough!"

Lyu Fang nearly choked on his own saliva.

What kind of mountain bandits and robbers required five Golden Core experts to fight?

Lyu Fang took several deep breaths before barely managing to steady his mind.

He picked up his teacup and took a big gulp, then wiped the corners of his mouth before speaking:

"Junior Preceptor Gu, are you... serious about this?"

"Naturally, I am serious."

Gu Chengyin wore an innocent expression. "As the Right Vice Minister of Rites, this junior represents the imperial court in inspecting the sects. If any accidents were to happen on the road, wouldn't it damage the court's face and His Majesty's heavenly prestige?"

"Moreover, the first place this junior is going to is the Qingjian Sect. Eunuch Lyu Fang should know what that means, right?"

Lyu Fang's eyes narrowed slightly. Of course, he knew.

It was just that Emperor Luo had him seal the information, keeping Gu Chengyin in the dark.

Otherwise, what if Gu Chengyin found out and defied the decree by refusing to accept it?

"That's why this junior needs sufficient escorts," Gu Chengyin continued.

"Five Golden Core experts would be most appropriate."

Lyu Fang fell silent for a moment, then reassessed Gu Chengyin.

Gu Chengyin sat there with a calm posture and a smile on his face, not feeling at all that the request he had just made was outrageously absurd.

Lyu Fang suddenly understood.

Gu Chengyin wasn't here to make a request at all.

He was here to negotiate.

He knew that Emperor Luo needed him to go to the Qingjian Sect, which was why he dared to bring this up.

Five Golden Core experts was an exorbitant asking price.

Then what came next was the counteroffer.

"Junior Preceptor Gu..." Lyu Fang slowly spoke. "You should know that the highest cultivation level in the entire Great Luo is only at the peak of Foundation Establishment. There are absolutely no Golden Core realm experts. Where would we even get five to give you?"

"So?" Gu Chengyin raised an eyebrow.

"So it can only be the Foundation Establishment realm." Lyu Fang shook his head. "Furthermore...

"After all, this time you are on an inspection tour. Bringing too many experts will instead make the Qingjian Sect suspicious and think the imperial court wants to meddle in the cultivation world."

These words were spoken vaguely, but Gu Chengyin understood.

Emperor Luo wanted him to go to the Qingjian Sect, but didn't want it to be too obvious, so as to avoid provoking a full-scale confrontation between the cultivation world and the imperial court.

"Then how many does Eunuch Lyu Fang think is appropriate?" Gu Chengyin asked.

Lyu Fang extended three fingers. "Three. One at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and two at the late stage of Foundation Establishment."

"This is the greatest support His Majesty can provide."

Gu Chengyin smiled.

He picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and then said, "Eunuch Lyu Fang, you're being too ruthless. You want the horse to run, but you won't feed it any grass.

"Giving me just three Foundation Establishment experts, let alone making a report, whether I can even come back alive is a question."

"What report?" Lyu Fang asked instinctively.

Gu Chengyin's lips curled into a smirk. "That would naturally be... the Azure Sword Sect's method to complete the Immortal Dao."

A heavy silence fell over the hall.

Lyu Fang stared at Gu Chengyin. After a long moment, he smiled.

It was a complicated smile, holding a mix of astonishment, admiration, and a trace of helplessness.

"Young Preceptor Gu, you truly are..." Lyu Fang shook his head.

"This servant shall go and report to His Majesty at once. Please wait here for a moment."