I’ll Definitely Play the Stand-in Villain

Chapter 12: Breaking the Gu Poison

“Since the Saintess hails from the Southern Frontier, surely you can recognize what this is.”

Shen Yanzhou did not waste words.

He directly lifted his wrist, rolled up his sleeve, and revealed the inner side of his arm, where a distinct pattern lay exposed.

Faint streaks of dark purple lines spread like creeping spiderwebs.

The mark was about the size of a thumbprint, not particularly conspicuous.

“This is?”

“The Nether Curse?”

Fu Yuying’s gaze fell upon the mark, staring intently at it.

With a single glance, she recognized it at once.

Through a third-grade Gu insect—the Nether Cicada—this curse could be implanted.

Even across a great distance, the curse would slowly erode the victim’s vitality and allow the controller to sense their condition.

Of course, not many people could identify the Nether Curse, for it was a rather advanced technique recorded within the Southern Frontier’s witchcraft arts.

To implant it was no easy task either—it required direct contact with the Gu insect.

“For the son of the Demon Suppression King to have the Nether Curse implanted on his body…” Fu Yuying fell silent.

“Now, Saintess, you should believe my words.”

Shen Yanzhou slowly pulled down his sleeve, covering the mark once again.

Within the entire Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion, only three people knew he bore the Nether Curse:

The Demon Suppression King, the Princess Consort, and an elder who had long lived in seclusion.

From Shen Yanzhou’s knowledge of the original plot, that very Nether Cicada had been procured by the reclusive elder and handed over to the Demon Suppression King.

Fu Yuying gave Shen Yanzhou a complicated look.

With the Demon Suppression King’s peerless abilities, it was impossible that he had not discovered the Nether Curse on his own son.

With his status and power, if he wished to resolve it, it would not be difficult.

“The Demon Suppression King truly harbors ruthless intent. If this truly is part of his scheme, then he must be plotting something far greater.”

“It seems, however, that even the Demon Suppression King could not have imagined that Young Master Shen, shrewd and far-sighted, has already seen through everything.”

At this moment, countless thoughts surfaced in Fu Yuying’s mind.

She recalled how, in recent days, the Demon Suppression King had sent troops under the pretense that the Southern Frontier’s hidden sects threatened its stability, systematically suppressing them.

Unable to withstand the pressure, many hidden sects had no choice but to submit to the Great Qian Dynasty.

“For these past twenty years, I, a false heir, have blocked countless assassination attempts meant for the true heir, and have borne all of the suspicion of that one within the Hall of Virtuous Enlightenment. Had I not been quick-witted, I would have long since perished with no grave to claim. Now that the true heir is about to step from the shadows to the forefront, this stand-in must naturally step down from the stage.”

“But no one wishes to die. I am no exception.” Shen Yanzhou lifted his eyes and fixed his gaze on Fu Yuying as he spoke.

Hearing this, Fu Yuying fell into silence.

To be able to survive within the whirlpool of power in the imperial capital, under the watchful eyes of both the Emperor of Great Qian and the Demon Suppression King—two figures of near-divine power—and still maintain the facade for so many years, required extraordinary courage and intelligence.

It was enough to stir genuine admiration in her heart.

What baffled her even more was how Shen Yanzhou knew that the Luofu Cloud Cavern planned to use the true heir to force the Demon Suppression King into retreat, or how he had discovered her arrival in the imperial capital.

“How does Young Master Shen propose we cooperate?”

Fu Yuying was a clever woman.

She did not press further, instead steering the conversation toward cooperation.

If Shen Yanzhou spoke the truth, then indeed, they were both grasshoppers tied to the same rope.

“It is simple. You must help me dispel the threat of the Nether Curse, and free me from the constant surveillance of the Demon Suppression King.”

“Then, I will tell you the true heir’s identity and whereabouts. If necessary, I can even provide you with further assistance.”

At this, a genuine smile finally surfaced on Shen Yanzhou’s face.

Fu Yuying looked at him with faint surprise.

“The Nether Curse comes from the third-grade Gu insect, the Nether Cicada. Even though I hail from the Luofu Cloud Cavern, it is not certain I can resolve it. Why is Young Master Shen so sure I can?”

Shen Yanzhou smiled.

“Because you possess a Nirvana Gu. Though it has not yet matured into its full form, as a second-grade Gu insect, it is more than sufficient to suppress the Nether Cicada and dissolve the Nether Curse.”

Hearing this, Fu Yuying’s pupils involuntarily contracted.

Her once-languid posture, leaning lazily against the soft couch, straightened instinctively.

If before, his knowledge of the Luofu Cloud Cavern’s schemes could be explained by an extensive web of informants that allowed him to detect the slightest stirrings…

Then how had he learned that she had obtained a Nirvana Gu larva?

Even her own master was unaware of this secret opportunity.

“Young Master Shen, truly boundless in your means.”

“This cooperation—I accept.”

After a long moment of silence, Fu Yuying finally gave a slight nod, concealing the flicker of astonishment in her eyes.

Shen Yanzhou, however, was not surprised at all.

Everything had unfolded exactly as he had foreseen.

In the original plot, after the Demon Suppression King returned to the capital, he had planned to form a marital alliance with the Marquis of Divine Might’s residence.

On the eve of the wedding, Fu Yuying used a secret technique to put the young lady of the Marquis’s household into a deep sleep, disguising herself as the bride, and abducted the original Shen Yanzhou from the wedding chamber.

Not long after they departed the imperial capital, she learned to her fury that he was only a false heir.

In her anger, she abandoned him in the wilderness, where he was later retrieved by the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion.

“Xiuer…”

Fu Yuying rose to her feet and spoke.

“My lady.”

The plain-robed woman—Chu Xiuer—had been standing guard at the doorway, keeping a wary eye on Chunchao.

At the sound of her mistress’s call, she hurried inside.

Chunchao, too, entered with a faint look of surprise.

“Change the water in the Jade Pool. Prepare Cloud Resting Leaves, Musk Incense Charcoal, and Heartwood Ash as well,” Fu Yuying instructed.

Chu Xiuer looked startled, her eyes filled with confusion.

“Do not ask questions, simply do as I say,” Fu Yuying replied.

Shen Yanzhou had not expected that dispelling the Nether Curse would require such a process.

As though sensing his doubts, Fu Yuying explained softly, “Though the Nether Curse may sound like witchcraft, it is in truth a venomous Gu poison. To resolve it, one must first purge the toxins from the meridians and viscera. The Nirvana Gu can only suppress the Nether Cicada from afar, restraining it so that it dares not transmit the victim’s condition back to its master.”

Shen Yanzhou nodded.

Of course, he understood all this already.

To him, it was only necessary to conceal his present state.

Once his strength increased, even if the Demon Suppression King discovered his cultivation, he would have no need to fear.

“Young Master Shen, remove your outer robe and sit quietly in the pool.”

“In a moment, I will use the Nirvana Gu to dissolve the Gu poison within your body.”

As Fu Yuying spoke, she raised her slender hand.

From her pale fingers appeared a Gu insect, pure white as carved jade, radiating a sacred and flawless aura.

It resembled a silkworm, exhaling threads of crystalline mist like fine white fog.

The atmosphere in the room became inexplicably refreshing.

Shen Yanzhou nodded, showing no discomfort.

With ease, he shed his outer robe.

At the center of the room lay a pool carved of bluestone, a fish’s head spouting a gentle stream of water.

Once Chu Xiuer had replaced the water and brought the items Fu Yuying requested, casting them into the pool, the water’s color shifted, growing dark as though infused with deep jade.

Shen Yanzhou sat quietly within, his five centers aligned to the heavens, closing his eyes in meditation.