Tang Manqing had been pondering whether the Monarch in Yanluo could possibly be her Aunt, Tang Hengshu.
She had never considered this before; she had only been busy guessing whether the other party was the true Monarch, never thinking about the question of who they might be if they weren't.
Even if she had thought about it, she wouldn't have connected it to her Aunt.
Now, thinking carefully, it did seem somewhat suspicious, but it was only suspicious. There was no substantive proof that the Yanluo Monarch was her Aunt. Moreover, Tang Manqing didn't dare hold out much hope, fearing it would only lead to disappointment.
Just as she was thinking this, suddenly,
Tang Manqing realized something else, her heart jolting as she stared at Gu Qingfeng and said sternly, "You are so despicable and treacherous!"
"Me?"
Gu Qingfeng had also been wondering if the one impersonating him in Yanluo could be Tang Hengshu. Now, with Tang Manqing suddenly saying this, he was utterly confused. "Little Niece, how am I despicable and treacherous?"
"Great-Grandfather, this fellow is far too cunning. Don't fall for his tricks!"
Tang Manqing spoke with great seriousness. "He just said the Yanluo Monarch might be Aunt, deliberately diverting our attention. As long as we focus on that Yanluo Monarch, we won't pay attention to him, the imposter. It's truly despicable!"
Old Monster Tang and Gu Qingfeng exchanged a look, both finding the situation both laughable and exasperating.
"I say, girl, can you please stop making wild guesses?"
Perhaps Old Monster Tang was genuinely getting impatient, as he spoke with some annoyance. "Your great-grandfather guarantees with his own head that this kid is Gu Tianlang. Why won't you believe me, you silly girl!"
"Great-Grandfather, I..." The fact that her words weren't believed left Tang Manqing feeling equally exasperated. Besides helplessness, she felt mostly worry—worry about what nefarious purpose this fellow might have for deceiving her great-grandfather. She simply couldn't understand why her great-grandfather was so utterly convinced. She said, "Great-Grandfather, you don't know this, but when this fellow was in the Great Northwest, he killed dozens of Immortal Dynasty nobles. Here in our Yanluo, he crippled another Dynasty noble and even extracted the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant from Tan Tong and over a dozen other Chixiao members of the Mingyu branch of the Crimson-Letter Manor."
"There's that too?"
Old Monster Tang raised an eyebrow. "What's so strange about that? Isn't that perfectly normal? Didn't this kid kill plenty of Immortals in the past? He even overturned the damn Immortal Dynasty himself. Killing a few dozen Dynasty nobles is nothing to make a fuss about."
"Great-Grandfather, he is not the Monarch!"
Tang Manqing shouted anxiously. "Right now, both the Yanluo Immortal Prefecture and the Crimson-Letter Manor are looking for him. His identity as Gu Qingfeng hasn't been exposed yet, but if it is, the Immortal Dynasty will definitely not let him go. Given the current sensitive state of our relations with the Dynasty, if you're seen associating with him, wouldn't that give the Dynasty an even bigger excuse to target our Yanluo royal family?"
"Relax, girl. This time, our Yanluo royal family will have a noble benefactor to help us, and that benefactor is this kid Gu."
As he spoke, Old Monster Tang looked at Gu Qingfeng again. "Right? You definitely won't just stand by and watch, will you, kid?"
"Didn't you say you didn't need me to intervene?"
"That was just my polite way of speaking! Couldn't you tell? Besides, you've already killed so many of those damn Dynasty nobles anyway. The Dynasty won't let you off regardless, so you might as well help us out while you're at it. For someone like you, it's just a matter of lifting a finger."
Gu Qingfeng was speechless. He picked up his wine cup and drained it in one go. "Here we go again..."
Beside them,
Tang Manqing felt powerless to persuade Old Monster Tang any further. Even though she didn't understand why, she could see that her great-grandfather was absolutely convinced of this fellow's identity. She took a deep breath, her expression especially solemn, and addressed Gu Qingfeng.
"Gu, I don't know what methods you used to fool my great-grandfather so completely, but I beg you, for the sake of the fact that I once saved your life, do not bring calamity upon our Yanluo royal family."
"Little Niece, just treat me as if I'm fake, alright?"
"What do you mean 'treat you as if'? You *are* fake!"
"Alright, alright, alright. I am fake. Are you satisfied now?"
"Don't get cocky. I warn you, my father will be arriving in a couple of days. He is very familiar with the Monarch. Let's see how you keep impersonating him then."
"Oh? Tang Yunhao is coming back? That's great news."
"What's so great about it! That brat Yunhao spends all his damn time wandering around the mountains and rivers with his wife. As a descendant of the royal family, he completely disregards the life-and-death struggles of the clan. Such an unfilial descendant!"
Mentioning Tang Yunhao seemed to irritate Old Monster Tang. He scolded, "That brat even stole a lot of my fine wine before he left! If he dares come back, I'll break his damn legs."
Faced with Old Monster Tang's scolding, Tang Manqing felt a bit embarrassed. She said softly, "Great-Grandfather, my father... he's coming back soon, isn't he?"
"Now that the Yanluo royal family is facing a great calamity, with the fire burning his eyebrows, he finally remembers to come back. Where was he earlier? That brat has been unreliable since he was a child!"
Tang Manqing pursed her lips, unsure how to plead for her father.
"Tang Yunhao was born to be a wanderer. You insist on forcing him to guard your Yanluo royal family—isn't that asking too much? Besides, wandering the mountains and waters with his wife, what a blissful life. So enviable."
Back when Gu Qingfeng was in Yanluo Kingdom, aside from spending time with Tang Hengshu, most of his time was spent hanging out with Tang Yunhao. The two were birds of a feather and got along famously. In his memory, that man was definitely a 'playboy'—drinking, listening to music, visiting brothels, flirting with girls, he never missed a beat. Back then, to help his brother, the current Yanluo Emperor Tang Yunqi, 'open up', he specifically found a bunch of prostitutes. Asking a fellow like that to stay home and guard the family business? He wouldn't have time for you.
"Gu, don't pretend to be familiar with my father. I warn you, you'd best leave our Yanluo Kingdom. Stop causing trouble everywhere using the Monarch's name. Once your identity is exposed, you will implicate many people, especially Fairy Hua. Back then, to protect you, she lied and claimed you were completely dead, and only then did the Immortal Dynasty back off. If your identity is exposed, not only will Fairy Hua's reputation suffer, but she will also face questioning from the Dynasty."
Gu Qingfeng said unhurriedly, "Su Hua didn't claim I was dead to protect me back then. She probably genuinely believed I had died."
"Kid Gu, how are you connected to Fairy Su Hua? What's going on here? Did you relapse into your old habits? Did you go and seduce Fairy Hua?"
"Seduce my ass. That little lady has been the one looking for me."
"Looking for you? Oh, right! I have indeed heard that Fairy Hua has been looking for you. But why is she looking for you? As far as I know, Fairy Hua had no connection with you in the past, did she? I heard Fairy Hua used to be the Mysterious Maiden of the Nine Heavens. Could it be that when you were messing around in the Heavenly Realm..."