"Dead?"
"Yes, Godfather, Consort Yi is indeed gone!"
"Xiao Guizi, then have someone come in and clean up!"
A voice came from the darkness, seeming to travel from a distant sky straight to the ear, high up and far away.
He thought in a daze.
Did he fall asleep watching TV again?
Still, why a brain-dead palace harem drama?
He had never liked that sort of thing.
The sound of hurried footsteps rang out, growing closer and closer, accompanied by rustling noises and heavy breathing. Soon, the chaotic footsteps rang out once more, moving further and further away until they finally faded into nothingness.
A moment later, voices echoed again—the very same two people.
"Godfather, this one is still breathing..."
"Still breathing?"
A pair of cold fingers brushed against his nose and quickly pulled away.
He could not help frowning.
"A mother's love makes her strong!"
"Without a midwife, without an imperial physician, with nothing at all in the Cold Palace, Consort Yi still managed to bite her teeth and give birth. Even while suffering from massive hemorrhaging, she wiped the child clean, dressed him in an inner shirt, and placed him in the swaddling clothes before she passed away..."
"She must have wanted this child to live a good life!"
The elderly voice sighed.
"Unfortunately, His Majesty is in closed-door cultivation with no regard for the passage of time. This child is not even registered on the imperial lineage records..."
No!
This didn't feel like a television show!
A dream?
He struggled to open his eyes.
A face forced its way into his vision, sallow and covered in wrinkles, withered somewhat like a dried-out orange peel.
An old fogey!
He was startled.
And couldn't help letting out a curse.
"Waa, waa..."
What came out instead was an infant's cry.
What was going on here?
He hurriedly shut his mouth and turned his head to look around.
He seemed, as if...
No!
He was actually inside swaddling clothes.
He had truly and properly turned into a baby.
Who am I?
Memories of his past life surfaced.
He was already dead!
After death, his residual soul drifted through boundless darkness. He had no idea how long he drifted until he suddenly collided head-on with something.
That was a Demon Seed of the Formless Heavenly Demon.
A creation of the void, a wondrous transformation of the formless.
They became entangled and devoured each other.
After who knows how long, he achieved ultimate victory, completely devouring and transforming that heavenly demon into a part of himself.
Following that, he left the darkness, slipped into a glowing tunnel, and slid out along the path.
Seeing the light of day once more.
He had become an infant.
"Quite well-behaved!"
"Knowing that this old servant dislikes crying, you shut your mouth and don't give this old servant any trouble..."
The old fogey chuckled and walked away.
Another person also materialized.
That was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth dressed in plain cyan robes and wearing a black, wingless gauze cap. He stood respectfully before the old fogey—who wore a blue robe embroidered with longevity patterns—not far from Gu Xinchao's side.
In his past life, his name had been Gu Xinchao.
"Godfather, how should we deal with this one?"
The youth pointed at Gu Xinchao.
"Xiao Guizi!"
"Do you know why I kept you by my side?"
Wu Dafu stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes with a smile.
Xiao Guizi shook his head.
"I, Wu Dafu, have been in the palace for over twenty years and have taken in quite a few adopted sons. Of all of them, you, my adopted son, are the most filial, the most diligent in your work, and the most hardworking in your cultivation. On occasion, one can even catch a gleam in your eyes..."
"You can't even hide the ambition in your eyes," Wu Dafu laughed heartily.
"Godfather!"
Xiao Guizi hurriedly dropped to his knees before Wu Dafu.
"What are you afraid of!"
"Get up!"
"Having ambition is a good thing. A eunuch who doesn't want to become the Directorate of Ceremonies or the Grand Superintendent is not a good eunuch..."
Wu Dafu gave Xiao Guizi a kick.
Xiao Guizi rolled over and remained on his knees.
He said with a flattering smile, "It's been so long since I knelt before Godfather. It feels comfortable to kneel. Godfather, just let Xiao Guizi stay on his knees and listen to your teachings!"
"You little rascal!"
Wu Dafu made a feint of kicking him again and chuckled.
He simply let Xiao Guizi kneel before him.
"Having ambition is a good thing, of course, but it must be matched by ability. Beyond that, fate and fortune are also crucial. Without an opportunity, without a noble benefactor to help you, no matter how ambitious or capable you are, you can only cower obediently inside the palace."
Wu Dafu's expression turned stern and cold.
Xiao Guizi buried his head even lower.
"Now, an opportunity lies before you," Wu Dafu said.
"Of course, this opportunity is also fraught with unknown dangers. It's just that in this world, there is no such thing as perfection. To gain something, one must always pay a price—especially within the palace, where ambiguity is most taboo."
"Learning to pick a side is crucial!"
"Godfather, this humble servant understands!"
Xiao Guizi pressed his forehead against the floor, knocking his head against the ground with a resounding thud.
The meaning behind their conversation was obscure, but since Gu Xinchao was no ordinary infant, he naturally caught the subtext.
Were they planning to do away with him?
His entire body was bound inside the swaddling clothes, making it difficult even to lift a hand. He appeared utterly powerless to resist, yet Gu Xinchao felt not the slightest bit of fear.
He was a human.
He was also a heavenly demon.
Though trapped in an infant's body without physical strength, he possessed an innate divine ability: the Formless Heavenly Demon Wondrous Transformation Body.
Restricted by this physical body and lacking energy right now, he could only split off a single Demon Seed. Once his strength increased and energy became abundant, he would be able to divide off even more Demon Seeds.
A Demon Seed could merge into another person's consciousness sea.
It could control the host's thoughts.
It allowed him to observe the world through the host's perspective.
When the host cultivated, the energy generated would be transmitted back by the Demon Seed, allowing him to reap the rewards without effort and advance his cultivation by leaps and bounds.
If he so desired, he could completely control the host.
Though this was not soul-seizure, it was far better than soul-seizure.
In the future, he might be able to manifest thousands of magical avatars, transform wondrously in all directions, leap beyond the Three Realms, step out of the Five Elements, and achieve eternal, carefree immortality.
"Understand?"
Wu Dafu stroked his chin, his fingers lightly rubbing together.
"Understood!"
Xiao Guizi's expression turned resolute, his eyes filled with madness.
Wu Dafu shivered slightly, crossed his arms over his chest, and said with a smile, "This Cold Palace is filled with gloomy, ghostly Yin-energy. I'm getting old and can't quite handle it anymore, so I'll take my leave first. Xiao Guizi, you stay behind to clean things up..."
"When you're done tidying up, wait for me at my courtyard."
With that, he strode out of the hall.
"Respectfully seeing off Godfather!"
Xiao Guizi kowtowed once more, then hurriedly got up to see him off.
Escorting him out to the veranda, he watched Wu Dafu leave before turning back inside the hall, walking straight toward the bed and standing before the swaddled Gu Xinchao.
Gu Xinchao lay within the swaddling clothes, opening a pair of clear, black-and-white eyes, gazing coldly at Xiao Guizi.
Xiao Guizi felt a pang of guilt.
He averted his gaze.
"Don't blame me!" he muttered, staring at a blank space in the void.
"His Majesty is in closed-door cultivation and sees no outsiders. When Consort Yi was favored, she offended quite a few people. Without anyone to back her up, she was cast into the Cold Palace even while pregnant. Right now, the Crown Prince is acting as regent, and the Empress is in control of the inner court..."
"Dying in childbirth can be considered fortunate!"
"Otherwise, she wouldn't have escaped the scarlet beating either."
"No one will give a direct order to kill an imperial prince!"
"However, since certain people don't want you to live, little people must be self-aware and proactively share their masters' burdens."
"Only then will there be an opportunity!"
With that, Xiao Guizi turned around and locked his eyes on Gu Xinchao.
"Your Highness, Consort Yi has already passed on!"
"Remaining alone in this world is only going to be a torment for you."
"How about you let me send you on your way?"
He let out a sigh and leaned downward.
Fool!
Have you never heard of silencing someone by murder?
To the great figures, a black glove can be discarded at any time, and their deaths are of no consequence. After all, even if a little person dies, countless other little people will rush forward one after another, just like simps surrounding a goddess.
Gu Xinchao sneered.
In an instant, his divine ability activated.
The Formless Heavenly Demon Wondrous Transformation Body!
A single Demon Seed silently slipped into Xiao Guizi's consciousness sea, merging with his soul and taking complete control of him.
Xiao Guizi wore a dazed expression.
Slowly, he pulled back his hands.