Seeing Bailang race toward the black coffin, the tree demon hurriedly split off countless vines, launching them directly at Bailang. In the heat of the moment, Gu Zhaoyan found himself instinctively executing the Myriad Swords Technique that Yang Jian had taught him, though he had never quite grasped the knack of it until now. Countless swords materialized from pure spiritual energy, all hurtling straight toward the vines intercepted by the tree demon. With a flurry of rapid slashes, the vines lunged at Bailang snapped in half midway. In a high-stakes duel between masters, victory or defeat could pivot on a mere fraction of a second’s distraction, let alone when Bailang was already lightning-fast; the moment the vines severed, it had already snatched the coffin away.
Without hesitation, Bailang popped the coffin lid open, revealing a young boy clad in brocade robes sleeping soundly inside. With a flick of its paw, the boy flipped over and landed squarely upon its back. Utilizing its demonic energy, Bailang conjured a rope of condensed aura, tightly securing the boy to its spine.
With the young boy out of danger, Gu Zhaoyan shed all remaining reservations and unleashed the Myriad Swords Technique once more, aiming straight for the heart of the tree demon’s trunk. A blinding glare erupted as the tree demon thrashed its thick vines in a desperate attempt to form a barrier before its trunk, but it was all in vain. With a thunderous boom, the entire ancient tree exploded into pieces! Shattered vines, flying splinters of bark, and assorted debris rained all over the ground. This tree demon was leagues behind Seventh Granny in terms of raw power.
Gu Zhaoyan had always favored pulling weeds by the roots to prevent any stray shoots from remaining, so he tossed a spiritual fire talisman onto the pile of garbage, reducing the tree demon’s remains to absolute nothingness. Watching with his own eyes as the debris burned down to fine ash, he finally stepped forward to scoop the boy up from Bailang’s back before departing the gloomy underground realm.
A gust of eerie wind swept past, and within the pile of cooling ashes, a faint trace of green flickered briefly before vanishing completely, restoring absolute stillness.
When they emerged, the evening glow draped across the western sky had painted half the heavens in brilliant crimson. Standing upon a high ridge with the child in his arms, Gu Zhaoyan felt his spirit lift and his state of mind elevate, proving that rigorous practical trials genuinely benefited one’s cultivation. It was an auspicious omen. With this matter settled, he could finally enter the city to see the mother from whom he had been separated for many years. Once this circle of karma was squared away, he could resume his path of cultivation in earnest.
Upon reaching the city gates, the guards were stunned to see Gu Zhaoyan carrying a brocade-clad boy alongside a towering silver wolf. Seized by panic, they retreated step by step with eyes full of dread, frantically raising their long spears. “This…” Staring at the prayer beads hanging around Gu Zhaoyan’s neck, an accessory exclusive to Buddhists, they didn’t dare act rashly. After all, the person before them looked thoroughly abnormal, and what normal human being walked around accompanied by a giant, ferocious wolf? Besides, looking at how massive and imposing the beast was, they were genuinely terrified it might make a snack out of them on a whim!
Gu Zhaoyan gave a slight nod and chanted a Buddhist greeting: “Amitabha. This child was saved by this poor monk through sheer coincidence.” He glanced at Bailang, which spat out a jade pendant toward the guards. The jade was carved with a soaring dragon, marking it as an imperial item bestowed by the crown.
The moment the guards laid eyes on the jade pendant, their complexions shifted dramatically. Bowing low and respectfully, the guard said, “Please wait a moment, Master! I will go notify My Lord immediately!” With that, he hurriedly instructed his peers before bolting into the city in a frantic rush, leaving the remaining guards staring in shock and awe at the silver wolf.
As Gu Zhaoyan was pondering how to approach Concubine Zhou, he felt the child in his arms stir. Looking down, he met a pair of grape-round, innocent eyes filled with pure innocence. Gu Zhaoyan offered a gentle smile, and the boy responded with a bright, beaming grin.
“Good child, what is your name?” Gu Zhaoyan asked, only to notice the boy blinking without uttering a word. He paused for a moment; the child’s gaze was bright and clear, hardly looking like someone with an intellectual disability, so why wasn’t he speaking?
“Why aren’t you speaking? Were you frightened?” Gu Zhaoyan set the boy down on the ground, but unexpectedly, the child wrapped his arms tightly around his neck, refusing to let go. Smiling lightly, Gu Zhaoyan patted his head. “Do not be afraid. The bad men have already been driven away by me. What is your name? I have already notified your family to come pick you up.”
The boy remained silent, merely gazing at him with wide, twinkling eyes. Feeling rather perplexed now, Gu Zhaoyan scooped the boy back up, reached out to feel his throat, and then checked his pulse, his brows gradually furrowing into a tight knot. This pulse…
“Are you unable to speak?” Gu Zhaoyan looked down at him. The boy nodded slightly, a hint of curiosity flashing in his clear eyes as he reached out a small hand to touch the red lotus mark between Gu Zhaoyan’s brows. Gu Zhaoyan tilted his head back slightly and smiled. “Be a good boy, you cannot just touch this place casually.”
The boy looked at him in confusion, failing to understand why he couldn’t touch it. Before Gu Zhaoyan could say anything further, the sound of rapid hoofbeats reached his ears. Turning around, he saw a man galloping toward them on horseback, dismounting almost instantly upon arrival and rushing straight toward Gu Zhaoyan.
“Jin’er!” With reddened eyes and trembling hands, the man reached out to embrace the boy. Gu Zhaoyan sidestepped slightly, meeting the man’s bewildered gaze as he asked, “What relation do you bear to this child?”
Realizing the intent behind Gu Zhaoyan’s caution, the man didn’t take offense and replied, “Forgive my haste, Master. I am the reigning Prince Jing, and he is my son, named Jinyu.”
Without blindly trusting his word alone, Gu Zhaoyan lowered his gaze to look at the boy, asking in a gentle tone, “Is he your father?”
The boy glanced between Gu Zhaoyan and Prince Jing, gave a small nod, and then reached his arms out toward Prince Jing. The prince pulled him into an emotional embrace. “As long as you are back safely, nothing else matters.”
After a short while, Prince Jing managed to steady his emotions and turned his attention back to Gu Zhaoyan. Only then did he have the composure to properly appraise him, instantly struck by Gu Zhaoyan’s extraordinary looks. He had seen countless beauties in his lifetime, but someone like Gu Zhaoyan, whose allure was striking yet unsullied, possessing a face like an Avalokitesvara or a descended Buddha, was a first for him.
“May I ask where the Master rescued my son?” Prince Jing inquired, though his expression betrayed no overt trace of suspicion. While Gu Zhaoyan didn’t look like a villain, one could never judge a book by its cover.
Choosing to overlook the underlying caution in his tone, Gu Zhaoyan calmly replied, “Today, this poor monk arrived near the capital alongside Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Yan Wenqing, and we encountered a mourning procession outside the city gates. Because this poor monk possesses sharp hearing and detected breathing coming from inside the coffin, out of mere curiosity, I followed them, which is how I managed to rescue this young benefactor.”
“A mourning procession?” A flash of doubt crossed Prince Jing’s eyes. The gate guards nearby turned pale with terror, instantly dropping to their knees to plead for mercy: “Pardon us, Your Highness! It was simply our momentary negligence that allowed a funeral procession to exit the city, enabling those villains to abduct the young prince!”
Rage flared within Prince Jing, but mindful of Gu Zhaoyan’s presence, and given that his son had already been safely recovered, he refrained from administering an overly harsh punishment on the spot, declaring instead, “It was indeed gross negligence on your part! Capital punishment is spared, but corporal punishment is inevitable! Go take twenty strikes of the board after your shift!”
“Thank you, Your Highness!” The guards rejoiced immensely. Keeping their heads attached to their necks was what mattered most! They owed everything to this eminent master for rescuing the little prince, otherwise they would have undoubtedly met an inescapable doom.
“Since the person has been safely returned, this poor monk will take his leave.” Gu Zhaoyan pressed his palms together to bid Prince Jing farewell. Prince Jing tried to detain him to host a banquet of gratitude, but Gu Zhaoyan declined: “There is no need. As a cultivator, this poor monk holds compassion above all else, so no thanks are required from Benefactor. Farewell.”
Just as he was about to depart, Gu Zhaoyan hesitated for a moment before speaking up: “This poor monk noticed some abnormality around the young benefactor’s throat. If Benefactor is so inclined, you may wish to have a physician examine him.”
Having said his piece, whether to believe it or not was entirely up to Prince Jing. To Gu Zhaoyan’s surprise, however, Prince Jing deduced from those words that the monk possessed medical expertise, promptly extending an invitation for him to enter the estate and treat Jinyu.
Ultimately unable to turn away from a healer’s benevolence, and planning to seek out Concubine Zhou after nightfall anyway, Gu Zhaoyan figured it was still early, so he nodded in agreement. At the very least, it provided a convenient place to stay the night. Little did he expect that entering Prince Jing’s estate would lead him to cross paths with an acquaintance who wasn’t quite an old friend.