Gu Chengming, of course, was unaware of the alliance formed by his True Monarch and his Director.
He, however, had discovered a new clue regarding Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch.
To be honest, the process of searching for Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch was quite a headache.
Her ability to make lies into truth was quite effective against the Red Dust Technique. Furthermore, to seize the Dao Throne, she had laid many contingency plans in the capital, so any investigation had to start from this point.
Gu Chengming was currently sitting in his Night Guard Division office, with three registers spread before him. To his left was the complete Night Guard Division roster, which he had personally transcribed when he first took office as Director, along with personnel transfer documents from the past three months and the newly submitted duty roster.
This was the clue he had found regarding Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch. A junior Night Guard Division official named Chen Er had joined three years ago.
However, he was not on the original register when Gu Chengming took office, nor were there any records of his transfer in the past three months' documents, yet his name appeared on the latest duty roster.
Gu Chengming suspected this was one of the arrangements made by Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch. Although he wasn't sure why she would do something so akin to a provocation, there was no doubt the entire matter had the distinct flavor of the Babbling Branch.
Making lies into truth, inserting non-existent people into reality, and then letting the Night Guard Division's own documentation system fill in the details.
【The 《Red Life Phantom Step》 reminds you that if the opponent is indeed connected to Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch, acting rashly might cause the trail to go cold again.】 This indeed reminded him.
Gu Chengming became thoughtful. In the current situation, capturing the opponent alive would be best, and it had to be done before she realized she was being pursued.
To avoid alarming the opponent, he couldn't use official Night Guard Division orders.
Gu Chengming didn't call anyone or use his Director's token. He simply stacked the three registers, put them into his sleeve, and casually took the talisman ash left at Chen Er's duty sign-in spot to track with his Red Dust Technique.
He extinguished the lamp in the office and pushed the door open.
...
The night in the Night Guard Division was always deeper than outside. The evil-suppressing talisman lanterns hanging under the eaves cast a cold white light, and the patrolling captains moved silently. Only the occasional faint clink of chains from the distant Enforcement Hall echoed, perfectly fitting the organization's atmosphere.
Gu Chengming followed Chen Er's patrol route, investigating all the way.
In the capital's southwest corner, Liuyi Lane was quite secluded. Most of its residents were artisans, rogue cultivators, and foreign travelers escorting goods, a real mixed bag. The lights in Liuyi Lane were sparse, and the wind rustled through the old cloth banners at the alley's entrance.
Gu Chengming stood on a low wall, looking down at the small courtyard below.
The courtyard was very ordinary. Two bundles of firewood were stacked by the door, a half-dead orchid sat under the window, and two strings of dried chili peppers hung from the eaves. It truly looked like the home of a junior official who returned home after work each day to cook porridge.
Gu Chengming swept his divine sense lightly over it. Although a figure inside the house was concealed, Gu Chengming's Red Dust Technique still detected her true cultivation of the Third Realm.
—As expected, something was amiss!
With this thought, Gu Chengming raised his hand, deploying the Tenfold Sword Array. He drew a wisp of Entanglement Sword Intent from it, spiraling it into the courtyard. Then, with a flick of his finger, the courtyard gate silently opened.
The person inside seemed to sense something was wrong and was about to get up.
But it was already too late!
Gu Chengming's figure had already appeared behind her. The Entanglement Sword Intent rose from the ground, instantly binding her wrists, ankles, shoulders, and neck. The Red Dust Phantom Step followed, suppressing her aura. The entire sequence was clean and precise, like a skilled veteran player backstabbing an NPC upon entering a room.
Just as she reached into her sleeve to act, she was pressed against the table.
“Don't move.”
As Gu Chengming spoke, his fingertips were already pressed against several spirit acupoints on the back of her neck. If she made any sudden move, he could instantly seal her meridians.
The room fell silent for a moment. The restrained person didn't struggle, but slowly turned her head.
A pair of lively, large eyes blinked. They first held confusion, then shock, and finally, the awkwardness of being caught red-handed.
Gu Chengming, looking at the familiar small face, also froze for a moment.
“Nuo Tao?”
The young girl's mouth twitched. “Little Gu.”
She tried to remain calm, but she was still bound to the table by the Entanglement Sword Intent, in a rather undignified posture. “What a coincidence.”
Gu Chengming looked at her, then at the Night Guard Division Patrol Map still on the table, and then at the waist token hanging on the wall.
“Indeed, quite a coincidence.” His tone was subtle. He withdrew his hand from the back of her neck, but didn't immediately release the Entanglement Sword Intent. “Care to explain?”
Nuo Tao coughed, trying to appear like a profound Worldly Walker of the Myriad Thief Sect. “This is a long story.”
“Then make it short.”
Nuo Tao: “...”
She hated men who completely refused to set the mood.
She struggled with her wrists, finding that the Entanglement Sword Intent was bound incredibly skillfully; it wouldn't harm her, yet it perfectly prevented her from using the Dust Merging Escape Art. It was so professional it would make any thief cultivator curse.
“Untie me first.” “You speak first.”
“Little Gu, you've changed.” Nuo Tao puffed out her cheeks.
Speaking of which, this misunderstanding began two months ago.
At that time, Daoist Don't Know had dealt with Gu Chengming regarding the unborn Dao Throne. After returning to the Myriad Thief Sect, he naturally recounted the entire story, their past collaborations, and Gu Chengming's current achievements to his last disciple.
Returning to the topic, Nuo Tao hadn't seen Gu Chengming since their farewell at the Northern Border Falling Snow Pass, but after hearing her master's account, her longing for him was rekindled.
With her Gu-addiction flaring up, she naturally came to the capital to find him.
She had originally imagined many reunion scenarios.
For example, Gu Chengming would be in his Night Guard Division office, reviewing documents. She would enter from outside, carrying papers, humbly calling out “Director,” and when he looked up in confusion, she would dramatically shed her disguise, elegant and charming, enjoying his surprised expression.
Or, Gu Chengming would be out investigating a case, caught in some crisis. She would make a grand entrance from the shadows, casually helping him out of trouble, then maturely say, “Little Gu, long time no see.”
—Alright, considering Little Gu's cultivation, this scenario was only something to imagine.
The words she'd spoken to Little Gu before their farewell, promising to protect him once she reached the Third Realm, now only made her face flush with embarrassment.
She had thought being outpaced in cultivation was shameful enough, but it turned out there was something even more embarrassing.
Her reunion plan had fizzled out before it even began, and she was tied up here like a dog.
The more Nuo Tao thought about it, the more indignant she felt. But then she reconsidered, her first meeting with Gu Chengming had been somewhat similar.
Back then, at the Northern Border Exchange, she had set her sights on the Azure Bird Token in Gu Chengming's storage pouch, but her attempt to steal it failed, and she was caught instead.
Now, she had traveled thousands of miles to the capital, intending to give Little Gu a long-awaited reunion, only to be caught again.
Thinking about it this way, there was even a damned sense of echoing beginning and end.
Gu Chengming watched her expression shift from guilt to grievance, then from grievance to self-conviction, finally settling into a bizarre relief, as if thinking, “This counts as a nostalgic moment.” He found himself unable to keep up with the girl's thought process.
“Miss Nuo?”
Nuo Tao snapped back to reality and immediately put on a serious expression. “Alright, I admit it. I used Dao Throne authority to forge an identity and infiltrated the Night Guard Division.”
Gu Chengming raised an eyebrow. “Dao Throne authority?” “The blessing Grand-Patriarch gave, of course.”
At this point, Nuo Tao finally regained some confidence, even lifting her chin.
“Although Grand-Patriarch clearly favored you, I'm still the legitimate successor. Even if I don't have the powerful blessing Grand-Patriarch gave you, it's still easy to infiltrate the Night Guard Division with a disguise.”
Gu Chengming's mouth twitched slightly. “And the purpose of infiltrating the Night Guard Division?”
Nuo Tao's gaze began to wander again. “Experience.”
Gu Chengming didn't speak, just watched her quietly.
Under his gaze, Nuo Tao felt considerable pressure. Her earlobes reddened slightly, and her imposing demeanor diminished by half.
“Alright, alright, I just heard Master say you were in the capital, so I wanted to come see you.”
She quickly added, “Of course, I didn't come specifically for that. I just happened to be passing through the capital, happened to think of looking into the Night Guard Division, and happened to find it more interesting to appear as a subordinate.”
Gu Chengming: “Happened to forge an identity?” “Yes, happened to.”
“Happened to live in such a secluded place?” “It's a thief cultivator's habit; living in a bustling city isn't safe.”
“Happened to even change the duty roster?”
“Go all out when putting on a show; that's professionalism.”
Gu Chengming was silent for a moment. “Indeed, so professional that I almost thought you were Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch's contingency plan.”
Nuo Tao guiltily shrank her neck. “I didn't know you were investigating that.”
Gu Chengming raised his hand and released the Entanglement Sword Intent.
Nuo Tao finally regained her freedom, immediately rubbing her wrists and muttering under her breath, “Quite skilled at tying knots.”
Gu Chengming pretended not to hear. “Does your method of forging identities leave any traces?”
Nuo Tao immediately entered professional mode, her expression becoming much more serious.
“Yes, but the traces are very faint. My authority leans towards exploiting the gaps of 'what should have existed but no one remembers,' inserting a false identity. The longer it goes on, the more people around will automatically fill in the impressions for this identity, but it cannot create real experiences out of thin air, so it runs into problems when it encounters someone like you, who remembers the original register clearly.”
Gu Chengming was thoughtful. This was somewhat similar to Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch's methods, yet not entirely the same.
Nuo Tao steals gaps, Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch alters reality.
One is like slipping in through an unlocked door, the other is like directly declaring the door belonged to her from the start.
“Can you discern similar traces left by Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch?”
Nuo Tao blinked. She had been embarrassed by the failed reunion, but upon hearing this, her eyes suddenly lit up.
“Of course!”
She cleared her throat, finally finding a justifiable reason to stand confidently before Gu Chengming.
“Little Gu, you should have told me you needed help earlier. When it comes to fighting, I certainly can't compare to you, but when it comes to forging identities, swapping karma, or tracking down these subtle traces hidden in ledgers and registers, there are very few people in the entire capital stronger than me.”
Gu Chengming couldn't help but smile. “Then I'll trouble you, Miss Nuo.”
Seeing him smile, Nuo Tao's earlier embarrassment instantly vanished, and her tail almost wagged.
“No problem, no problem.” She walked two steps around the room with her hands behind her back, putting on the air of a great master. “However, if I'm helping the Night Guard Division with a case, I need an identity, right? Chen Er definitely can't be used; it's too embarrassing.”
Gu Chengming asked, “What kind of identity do you want?” Nuo Tao's eyes darted. “How about the Director's personal secret agent?”
Gu Chengming looked at her, and Nuo Tao immediately changed her suggestion. “A temporary secret agent would also work.”
Gu Chengming sighed helplessly. “Alright.”
Nuo Tao immediately became happy again. She pulled a small copper coin from her sleeve, flicked it, and the coin spun three times in the air. When it landed back in her palm, several thin golden threads appeared on its surface.
“Then I'll first check if there are any similar loopholes in your Night Guard Division's registers.”
Gu Chengming reminded her, “Be careful; Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch's ability is very troublesome.”
“Don't worry.” Nuo Tao lifted her chin. “I am the legitimate successor of the Myriad Thief Sect; what I'm best at is taking things from other people's tightly hidden pockets.”
“Oh really? How come I remember someone getting caught by me the very first time they tried to steal something?” “That was an accident!” She retorted stubbornly, putting away the copper coin, yet couldn't help but secretly glance at Gu Chengming.
After so long, Little Gu seemed to have grown even stronger, and more like the protagonists in storybooks that one couldn't help but think about repeatedly.
Oh no.
Her Gu-addiction seemed to have worsened.
...
Each has their own specialty. Gu Chengming's Red Dust Technique found it somewhat difficult to locate Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch, but for Nuo Tao, it was quite straightforward.
Nuo Tao used a few copper coins to reveal the clues and hints within the Night Guard Division's documents that Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch had tampered with. Combined with Gu Chengming's Red Dust Technique, the whereabouts of Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch, which had troubled him for several days, gradually came to light.
Guided by the Red Dust Technique, Gu Chengming quickly located a deserted Daoist temple. The temple was excessively quiet.
A plaque, its characters eroded by rain and barely legible, with only a faint “Qing” visible, hung askew on the door beam.
Inside the courtyard, weeds grew knee-high, and moss accumulated in the cracks of the stones after old rains. An incense burner lay overturned beside the steps, empty of ash, containing only a few withered leaves.
Gu Chengming stood outside the door, the wisp of red dust thread in his palm trembling slightly.
Nuo Tao hadn't come along. Gu Chengming had told her to stay at the Night Guard Division to continue examining documents and to guard against any other arrangements Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch might have.
It wasn't that he doubted her abilities, but if a fight truly broke out, a Third Realm cultivator would be too easily swept up in the aftermath of a Fifth Realm expert's word spirit power.
Gu Chengming didn't enter rashly. After all, no matter how disheveled Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch was, she was still a Fifth Realm cultivator who had escaped Love Infinite.
He first probed with his divine sense, and after confirming there was indeed someone in the Daoist temple, he grew somewhat wary.
Typically, an enemy he had severely wounded, who knew she was being hunted, would either be gravely injured and on the verge of death if she remained calmly at home, or she would have a contingency plan.
Gu Chengming felt the second possibility was more likely, so he didn't give her a chance for an opening.
The courtyard gate silently opened. Gu Chengming stepped in, a sword array following him. The Red Dust Technique condensed into a dark red thread in his palm, and the Primal Emperor Qi of Hundred Bones Resonating was already poised within his body.
Inside the house, Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch sat at a table.
She had changed into ordinary green robes, her face far paler than during the battle at the Le Palace ruins. The composure she'd had then, the way she controlled the situation, was gone from her eyes. Hearing the door open, she merely looked up at Gu Chengming.
Then, she sighed, as if she had expected this.
Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch was indeed severely wounded.
Gu Chengming could tell at a glance that several points of her Dao foundation aura were intermittent, and her word spirit power was not as seamless as it had been at the Le Palace ruins. Clearly, the phrase “I am not here!” had allowed her to avoid the direct assault of Love Infinite, but at a tremendous cost.
For a normal Fifth Realm cultivator, such injuries would require three to five years of secluded cultivation, but Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch had not immediately fled far away.
【The 《Red Life Phantom Step》 immediately grew tense, believing this place likely contained arrays, body doubles, karmic transference, or word spirit traps, and advised him to immediately seal off the surroundings.】
Gu Chengming didn't act immediately, watching Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch and slowly asking, “You knew I would come?”
Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch sighed again. “Since Lord Gu has already tracked me here, it would be too impudent for me to pretend ignorance.”
Gu Chengming's fingertips moved slightly, and the Entanglement Sword Intent had already quietly formed an array within the room. “It seems you've prepared thoroughly.”
Upon hearing this, Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch gave him a strange look.
Gu Chengming's vigilance intensified. As expected, she had a contingency plan.
He had already prepared to summon the “Infinite War God” CG and was about to make his move—
The next moment, Near Heaven of the Babbling Branch decisively bent both knees and knelt with a thud.
“Regarding the matter at the Le Palace ruins earlier, I was blind and ignorant, I was deluded, I was unaware of Lord Gu's heavenly might, and dared to oppose you. Now, I am willing to atone for my sins by performing meritorious service, I only ask that Lord Gu spare my life.”
“I swear upon my Dao foundation, I will help Lord Gu flatten the Longevity Sect!”
The next moment, a silvery-white Dao light flashed and vanished within the room, transforming into a tiny oath seal that sank into her glabella.
Gu Chengming's suspended sword paused for a moment before finally retracting.
His expression was a bit subtle.
To be honest, the opponent wasn't entirely without a contingency plan, as he hadn't intended to listen to her, but rather to punch her directly to death.
However, her arrangements in this place prevented him from acting immediately; a mysterious force had stopped him.
Gu Chengming had originally thought she planned to ambush him or escape.
But after stopping him, her first choice was... to let him watch a kneeling and begging for mercy CG?
Alright, as expected of a “former” member of the Longevity Sect.
For now, he would listen to her upcoming bargaining chips.
Rate on N.U.
