Gu Fan's gaze narrowed from behind the rock. Emerging from the morning mist were two figures whose mere auras could paralyze an ordinary mortal.
One of them was a young woman seemingly sculpted from a ten thousand year old glacier, Gu Ling.
For the past few days, she had been the one making the entire Gu Clan dance on her fingertips.
Her black hair flowed like a river of ink beneath the heavens, falling neatly along her back and brushing against the pale blue robes that wrapped around her tall, slender figure.
The robes swayed gently as she elegantly moved along the stone path, perfectly complementing the icy nonchalant look on her face, as though she stood above mortal emotion itself.
Her skin was flawless and smooth like an untainted jade, radiating a cold, pristine beauty that felt distant and unattainable.
Her soft red lips remained calm, merely existing in quiet perfection.
She was tall and thin, and her breasts were modest, small and flat, barely raising the fabric of her robes, giving her an austere and restrained charm.
There was no exaggerated curve, no deliberate seduction, only pure, unembellished elegance.
She stood there in silence, her expression entirely detached from worldly desires, like an immortal fairy who had long abandoned mortal attachments.
She was undeniably breathtaking. The very same Jade Beauty that Gu Fan had once spent thousands of words describing in his past life.
Yet now, standing before the real thing, he realised those words had merely been shadows.
However, the man walking beside her was Gu Fan's true prize.
Gu Chen.
The Protagonist of his novel, the Poison Sovereign, the Eye of the Gu Clan, the Heaven-Chosen Hero blessed with the fabled Heavenly Eyes.
'My Son!' Gu Fan could not help but feel emotional at the sight of Gu Chen.
Gu Chen stood beside Gu Ling like a divine sword in human form.
His sharp, sword-like eyebrows slanted slightly upwards, carrying a natural dominance that did not need to be expressed.
And his eyes, they looked so deep and vast, as though with a single glance, he could see through falsehood, pierce illusions, and judge the very soul.
His face was flawless, sculpted as though by the hands of the heavens themselves. Every line was balanced to perfection, carrying both youthful sharpness and an innate nobility that ordinary men could never hope to imitate.
He was tall and straight, his posture flawless.
Clad in pristine white robes, he resembled a young immortal who had descended into the mortal realm.
His hands rested calmly behind his back as he walked, his movements unhurried, steady, and filled with absolute confidence.
An invisible aura radiated from him.
He felt Righteous. He looked Noble. He seemed Untouchable.
It was the kind of presence that made others lower their heads unconsciously.
The kind of presence that made servant girls steal glances at him, with their trembling hearts.
Simply by existing, Gu Chen did them a favour.
"Sister Ling," Gu Chen spoke in his deep and soothing voice that was like a warm spring breeze melting the winter frost.
"You must not let the demons of your heart disturb your breakthrough. With me standing guard, no harm shall fall on you during your tribulation."
He paused, turning to her, and placed a gentle, reassuring hand upon her shoulder.
Watching from the bushes, Gu Fan felt a tingle in his stomach. Was this the fabled charisma of the Protagonist? Even he couldn't help but want to take a few notes.
"This is your first major breakthrough, the opportunity to step onto the true path of immortality," Gu Chen continued. His hand wasn't merely resting there. A faint, almost imperceptible pulse of suppressive Qi flowed from his palm directly into Gu Ling's meridians.
'He's suppressing her anxiety,' Gu Fan realized, his fingers digging into the dirt. 'By subtly suppressing her Frost Qi, he is subduing the chaos in her body. He is stabilizing her Dao Heart!'
'I didn't waste three years writing you, my son,' Gu Fan thought, mentally wiping an imaginary tear as he looked at his creation with overwhelming pride.
Under Gu Chen's touch, Gu Ling visibly relaxed. A rare flicker of vulnerability crossed her eyes, "Thank you, Brother Chen. I do not know what I would do without your guidance."
Gu Chen smiled looking at Gu Ling with a warm expression, "We are family, Sister Ling. Your success brings glory to the Gu Clan as well."
"Now, go. The Spirit Spring awaits your refinement. I will make sure not even a fly will be able to disturb your peace."
Gu Fan took a deep, steadying breath.
'Not a fly, you say, dear son?' Gu Fan thought, snapping out of his proud-dad mode and returning to the mission at hand, 'But what about your own father? Let's see you stop me'
This was the climax of the scene.
The window of opportunity was rapidly closing.
Once Gu Ling stepped into that cultivation chamber, the arrays would activate, sealing her away. More importantly, Gu Chen would leave as well, inaccessible for days.
Gu Fan needed to plant the Parasitic Seed now, and Gu Chen was his primary target. The pure, unadulterated Qi of a Protagonist was simply too tantalizing to pass up.
Gu Fan rubbed dirt fiercely over his face, ensuring his disguise was flawless. He messed up his hair until he looked like a deranged, possessed lunatic.
'Showtime.'
As Gu Ling turned toward the pavilion doors, Gu Chen watched the sway of her hips for a fraction of a second too long before his starry eyes returned to that righteous look.
Suddenly, the bushes rustled violently. Gu Chen's sharp eyes darted toward the sound.
"Brother Chen! Brother Chen, Save me!"
A figure burst onto the pristine bluestone path, stumbling, and falling on his feet.
The sight was absolute filth.
Covered head to toe in foul mud, and rotting leaves, the intruder looked less human and more like a swamp-dwelling pig. A pungent stench immediately polluted the pavilion's pure air.
Gu Chen's flawless composure cracked for a brief second as he took a step back, and his nose wrinkled instinctively in disgust before he rapidly masked it with concern.
Gu Fan lunged forward, with his dirty hands reaching out desperately for Gu Chen's pristine white robes.
Just one touch.
One touch was all the system needed to plant the parasite.
"Brother Chen! Save me! I am dying!" Gu Fan rasped, his fingers mere inches away from Gu Chen's waist.
'Son, you won't mind giving your father a hug, do you?' Gu Fan could not stop himself from feeling giddy inside. But before he could celebrate his success.
Whoosh!
Before Gu Fan could make contact, Gu Chen flicked his sleeve.
A dense, invisible barrier of Qi erupted between them.
Gu Fan's outstretched hand that was just inches away from touching Gu Chen slammed into the barrier that was solid as a brick wall.
Gu Chen wasn't afraid for his life, he was only ensuring that the filth wouldn't get anywhere close to him.
"Who dares trespass on forbidden grounds?!" Gu Chen demanded, his voice ringing with suppressive might.
Gu Fan almost collapsed onto his knees before he steadied himself.
He looked up, and gave the performance he has always been holding back all his life.
Tears formed in his eyes, "Brother Chen! It is me the Seventh Brother..." he coughed, deliberately spitting a glob of dark, foul phlegm onto the marble floor, "I have been poisoned... Now only you can help me…"
"Just one touch… Only you can save me…"
Gu Chen looked down at the pathetic figure, and instantly his eyes flashed with a cold, piercing blue light as he swept his spiritual sense over Gu Fan in an instant.
He had heard of the illegitimate Young Master of the Gu Clan, son of the current Patriarch. A cripple with no cultivation base, and completely blocked Meridians.
Pure trash as they say.
And his Heavenly Eyes told him the same.
He was a festering blemish on the Gu Clan's "immaculate" reputation.
"Seventh Brother," Gu Chen sighed, his voice dripping with profound, tragic pity, "Dear Heavens! How did you end up in such a wretched state? It pains my heart to see you suffer like this."
Yet as he spoke, the Qi barrier remained firmly in place. He offered no hand, staying safely three feet away behind his wall.
Gu Fan gritted his teeth inwardly, 'Damn it. You are the Protagonist. Why are you acting like a germophobe? You should be helping those in need.'
'You unfilial son! How dare you treat your father this way?'
Just then, a fragrant scent of winter plums reached Gu Fan's nostrils. Gu Ling had walked back towards them to check out what was happening.
"Gu Fan?" She asked coldly, her perfect brow furrowed in slight disdain, "I heard the servants whisper that he was already dead."
Gu Fan's eyes darted toward her, and another idea struck in his head.
'If I can't get the Protagonist... the Jade Beauty is right there. A High-Grade target. She should do just fine.'
"You should not be here," Gu Chen said gently to Gu Fan, "Sister Ling is at a critical juncture in her Dao. Your chaotic presence is an ill omen."
He shifted his gaze toward the outer perimeter, "Guards! Take Seventh Brother back to his quarters immediately. And summon a physician to take care of his wounds."
He paused, adding with a benevolent smile that entirely failed to reach his eyes, "And ensure he rests thoroughly. If he wanders out again in this delirious condition, I will hold you personally accountable. Make certain he learns to value his bedrest."
The guards instantly understood the hidden meaning.
"Yes, Young Master Chen!" Two burly guards, radiating 3rd Stage of Origin Realm cultivation, rushed forward with menacing strides.
Gu Fan's heart hammered against his ribs. He had to force the contact. Now. Somehow.
"Brother Chen! Mercy!" Gu Fan shrieked, lurching to his feet with a terrifying burst of hysterical adrenaline as he tried to dodge the guards.
"Grab him!" Gu Chen barked.
A guard lunged, thrusting out a heavy boot to trip the filthy trespasser.
Gu Fan saw the boot coming. Instead of dodging, he leaned into it. He deliberately caught his ankle against the guard's shin, launching himself forward with exaggerated, flailing momentum.
Whoops!
He pitched forward violently, sailing through the air like a mud-slicked cannonball.
Gu Ling who was standing right in his projectile instinctively raised her hand, trying to push him away, but her reaction was a tad bit slow.
Smack.
Gu Fan crashed heavily into her, his face slapping right against her breast.
To break his fall, his hands shot out, and his right hand clamped firmly onto the soft, perfectly round, perky ass of hers.
His left hand expertly slid up her pale blue robes, as he held tight onto her notably flat chest.
For a split second, time itself seemed to freeze within the pavilion.
Gu Fan inhaled the intoxicating scent of winter plums, feeling the warmth of her skin from beneath the robes.
On the other hand, Gu Ling's mind went completely blank. Her eyes widened in absolute, paralyzing horror as the hands of a filthy, repulsive man ruthlessly squeezed her most intimate areas.
[Ding!]
The crisp, mechanical sound was the sweetest symphony Gu Fan had ever heard.
[Target: Gu Ling]
[Grade: Heaven]
[Parasitic Seed Planted Successfully]