[Not a Leaf Touches the Body (Passive)]
Description: You are always at ease, composed, and unflustered. When a "scrutiny" action is triggered, if you are the prime suspect, your suspicion level will automatically drop by one rank; if you are not, the likelihood of being suspected will greatly decrease.
The moment Ning Songjun grew suspicious of Gu Fangchen, it meant that the "scrutiny" action had been triggered.
To Ning Songjun, his sword had gone missing, and the nephew sitting across from him, drinking wine together for who knows how long, was naturally the primary suspect.
After all, when Gu Fangchen first brought wine over, he had that very "unsolicited kindness must hide ulterior motives" air about him.
However, Gu Fangchen cleverly used the excuse of wanting to borrow a magical artifact to mask his real intention.
Yet Ning Songjun frowned and thought again.
This nephew of his, what cultivation realm was he even in? Would he really have the ability to steal his sword right under his nose without him noticing?
And besides, what would Gu Fangchen gain from stealing his sword?
There was neither motive nor reason!
It couldn't be Gu Fangchen...
Ning Songjun shook his head, speaking in a low voice.
"My sword is gone."
Gu Fangchen, still flushed from the wine, looked at him blankly.
"Huh?"
He blinked, leaned in, patted Ning Songjun's shoulder, and sighed.
"Uncle, that joke isn't funny at all. You should go back and practice it again."
Ning Songjun: "..."
Gu Fangchen exclaimed in shock.
"Wait, you mean it's real? That's, this is way too strange... Who on earth would suddenly steal your sword?"
Ning Songjun said nothing, his face expressionless, his gaze steady and deep.
For someone to steal his sword in an instant without him noticing a single thing beforehand, that person's cultivation must either far exceed his own, or their Dao must be unique in nature.
The former? If there were still another Saint walking this world, how could he not know?
Which left only the latter.
As for the purpose of stealing his sword...
Lately, the Seven Sects had been making strange movements. The Sword Pavilion had sensed this as well, and had even been planning to use the opportunity to wipe them out in one sweep.
"Heh."
Ning Songjun sneered coldly in his heart.
If they thought stealing his sword would cripple his strength, then they were gravely mistaken!
He used the Dao as his sword, not the sword as his Dao.
Those thieving vermin were utterly ignorant, crawling insects daring to act against him!
It was his own fault for not having eradicated them completely before, letting them live to entertain such foolish delusions.
Gu Fangchen glanced at him, confirming that rather than being worried about the loss of his sword, Ning Songjun's killing intent had been stirred.
If the Seven Sects knew what was going through Ning Songjun's mind at this moment, they would certainly cry injustice, because their plan was far more intricate than this!
Their entire operation targeted Ning Songjun's Dao Heart itself; using his sword was merely a means, not the true objective.
But with Gu Fangchen's little stunt, the situation was already twisted beyond repair, a pot of dirty water poured right over them. Even if they jumped into the Yellow River, they wouldn't be able to wash it clean.
Ning Songjun shook his head.
"I already know who did it. Don't worry. Go to your grandfather and enter the Forbidden Grounds with Xu Yuexiu as planned. You don't need to concern yourself with other matters."
In his mind, the convergence of the Seven Sects was still a minor issue.
Even if the heavens collapsed, he would bear the weight himself.
That was the bearing of the foremost sect in the Southwest, calm, unshaken, everything proceeding as usual.
Gu Fangchen nodded, watching Ning Songjun transform into a streak of light and disappear. His eyes glinted.
Half of Ning Songjun's Dao Heart problem was now solved.
A Sword Saint with a damaged Dao Heart might no longer be a Sword Saint, but a Sword Saint without the sword "Linked Stars" was still a Sword Saint.
The other half of the issue lay in the sword "Linked Stars" itself.
Because it had been forged using Yin-Yang Magnetite, if the same trick were used against it again, it would still be effective. The root of the problem needed to be addressed.
That meant... the old swordsmith.
In the original course of events, that old swordsmith had been swayed by the Dao of "Righteousness," seeking justice for his son who perished during the Sword Pavilion's internal strife.
Afterward, he took his own life.
But now, Gu Fangchen could let him reforge "Linked Stars."
After all, Gu Fangchen's skills in metallurgy and forging were... not exactly stellar.
At least, not good enough to tinker with a divine-grade sword.
With Ning Songjun holding the front line, the "Seven Sect Uprising" would be mostly subdued, though the Confucian Sect would likely resort to underhanded tactics.
Thus, even with the unexpected "Lord of the Four-Phase Calamity" lending aid, cough, passive aid was still aid, it was still not enough.
That was why Gu Fangchen had spent time circling around outside, choosing this exact moment to visit Ning Songjun.
He needed entry into the Forbidden Grounds to complete the final piece of his plan.
Next, there was Gu Yuandao.
That man, ironically, was the least of his worries...
The Seven Sects' misunderstanding was already enough to block him from entering Donglong Prefecture and even turn the two sides against each other.
As for Juehui's test...
Gu Fangchen curved his lips into a smile, leisurely finishing the remaining half-glass of wine before walking toward the central hall of the Sword Pavilion.
Heh, he had said it before,
The one capable of dealing with Juehui was right there, in Huangtian City.
And that person was none other than Gu Yuandao himself!
That hypocrite, who reversed cause and effect to the point of deceiving even himself, once exposed before the truly virtuous and enlightened Master Juehui, would have nowhere left to hide.
And that feeling, that helpless exposure, was precisely what Gu Yuandao feared and despised the most.
He thought that by lurking in the shadows for over a decade, he could continue to wear that human mask, radiant and untouchable.
But when the truth within was finally laid bare, that would be when Gu Yuandao's composure shattered.
...
"Damn it... weren't they supposed to wait in secret? Why would they suddenly appear and say all that now?!"
Gu Yuandao's expression twisted as he staggered back, his mind racing.
The situation was too sudden, too strange, yet somehow, faintly familiar...
"Someone made them believe my intentions were impure, so they came to test me!"
Gu Yuandao gnashed his teeth, roaring in his heart.
"Gu Fangchen, it's you again!!!"
Seeing Gu Yuandao suddenly lose his composure, Yang Qing and the others immediately concluded that he indeed had something to hide.
Otherwise, why would he react so violently when there was clearly no one else around, and they had approached with such caution?
Even if he intended to mediate, there was no reason to oppose them so absolutely from the start.
Unless...
He had already done exactly what Gu Fangchen said, leaked their plan to the "War Saint" Gu Yuye, and sided with the Sword Pavilion.
Yang Qing and the others made a quick decision: no matter what, they had to stop Gu Yuandao outside Donglong Prefecture, preventing him from disrupting the "Dragon and Serpent Rise to Land" formation.
Juehui had yet to appear, but his voice came through by transmission.
"Do you require this old monk's assistance?"
Gu Yuandao retreated a hundred meters, throwing out a landscape scroll that blocked their advance. He paused, then shook his head solemnly.
"No need. Thank you for your concern, Master. These people are utterly unreasonable, beyond redemption."
"I suspect they've been bewitched by the Demonic Sect and lost their senses."
Juehui glanced once more at the few Seven Sect experts trapped within the scroll.
He pressed his palms together, looking steadily at Gu Yuandao, and spoke in a low voice.
"But... this old monk can tell, they are not lying."
Master Juehui of Garan Temple had already mastered the divine ability of "Telepathy," allowing him to hear the voice of one's heart and discern truth from falsehood.