Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

In the carriage, the eldest prince Ji Nian had a handsome face, with long, narrow eyes. He was dressed in a bright yellow robe and exuded a strong presence as he scrutinized Gu Chen back and forth.

Seeing this, Gu Chen just stood there, silent, pretending not to recognize the prince.

When the eldest prince Ji Nian noticed this, his eyebrows rose slightly and his slender eyes narrowed as he looked at Gu Chen and said, "Do you not recognize me?"

Gu Chen feigned confusion and asked, "May I know who you are, sir?"

Hearing this, the prince, expressionless, simply responded, "Ji Nian!"

Gu Chen acted as if he had just realized, "Ah, it turns out to be the Crown Prince himself, what brings you to seek this humble official?"

Seeing that Gu Chen finally acknowledged him, the prince's expression darkened slightly as he said, "Sit down and we'll talk."

Thereupon, Gu Chen, without any ceremony, boldly took a seat. The eldest prince Ji Nian frowned slightly at the sight, but refrained from commenting.

He was aware of his purpose, so despite being somewhat displeased by Gu Chen's impolite behavior, the prince grudgingly accepted it.

He asked, "Have you just returned to Tiandu?"

Gu Chen nodded and replied, "For the Crown Prince to dress like this and visit the Gu Mansion, what urgent matter brings you?"

With no change of expression, the prince inquired, "Are you aware of the events that recently transpired in Tiandu?"

"Which matter is the Crown Prince referring to?" Gu Chen looked at him.

The prince frowned slightly, feeling that Gu Chen was playing dumb, but still, with barely contained impatience, said, "The matter of our father's tribulation!"

Gu Chen nodded and said, "The matter of the Emperor's tribulation has been all the buzz, spreading far and wide; who in all of Da Xia does not know?"

The eldest prince Ji Nian nodded and asked, "What is your opinion on this matter?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen laughed, shaking his head, "The Crown Prince truly overestimates me. This is a matter of the state; what opinion could I possibly have?"

The prince nodded slightly, seemingly quite pleased with Gu Chen's attitude, and said, "Let's not beat around the bush. You may belong to the Jing Tian Department, but you are not an outsider; you too are a subject of our Ji family and work for our Ji family. Let me ask you, what do you think will happen to Da Xia now that the Emperor has disappeared?"

Gu Chen, feeling a vague premonition, answered, "Great chaos throughout the land."

"Correct!"

The prince said gravely, "After the Emperor's tribulation, his whereabouts became unknown. Although the Crown Prince and King Huai are currently concealing the news, they can keep it hidden for the moment but not forever. Once this information is revealed, and should the Great Yuan and the barbarian tribes learn about it, they will surely not miss this chance to send troops to attack Da Xia!"

Gu Chen, with a calm demeanor, looked at the prince and said, "Your Highness, what exactly are you trying to say?"

With a faint smile, the prince asked, "What do you think of my younger brother?"

The "younger brother" he referred to was the current Crown Prince of Da Xia, ranked fourth among all the princes.

Gu Chen shook his head and answered, "The status of the Crown Prince is too exalted; how could I possibly judge him? The Crown Prince should not jest with this official."

The prince's face turned cold, his long, narrow eyes narrowed as he said, "I know my brother's nature better than anyone else—timid and indecisive, completely lacking the manner and spirit befitting the royal family and a Crown Prince!"

"Still, since our father chose him as the Crown Prince before his seclusion, I naturally hold no grudges. After all, the world was peaceful then, and everything was in harmony. Moreover, if our father had ascended to the Returning to True Stage, the whole of Da Xia would have been unified, and it wouldn't matter who became Emperor. But now, things are different!"

Hearing this, Gu Chen immediately frowned and said, "Crown Prince, as a member of the royal family, is it appropriate to discuss this with me?"

"Inappropriate? Why would it be inappropriate?" the prince Ji Nian asked with a smirk, not at all afraid that Gu Chen might spread his words.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

After all, who was Gu Chen and what was his status, and who was he, and what was his status? How would Gu Chen dare to spread such words?

Even if Gu Chen did spread them, all the prince had to do was vehemently deny them, and who would believe them anyway?

Da Xia was currently amidst troubled times; the Crown Prince and King Huai also lacked the energy to deal with him, and in the prince's view, this presented the best opportunity for him!

Otherwise, once the Crown Prince ascended to the throne after some time, it would be difficult for him to do anything.

The reason the prince sought out Gu Chen today was to recruit him.

After all, he had heard of Gu Chen's reputation and martial arts talent. Having met him today, he found the man's reputation well-deserved and felt an eagerness to recruit such talent under his command.

The prince said, "My brother's martial arts talent is truly dreadful. If he had even inherited a tenth of our father's talent, he would not be so lacking. In peaceful times, he could be a peaceful Emperor, and I wouldn't object.

But now that Da Xia is on the brink of chaos, we urgently need someone with both cultural governance and martial prowess, someone at the pinnacle in the world like our father, to stabilize the state and pacify the land!"

Hearing this, Gu Chen said indifferently, "The Crown Prince believes you can achieve everything you've just described?"

The prince replied, "I dare not claim certainty, but I will definitely do much better than what my younger brother is doing now!"

His tone was filled with confidence, clearly looking down on the current Crown Prince's actions.

Eldest prince Ji Nian, now thirty-two, showed extraordinary martial arts talent from a young age. With the support of the royal family's resources, he had now achieved the Returning to True Stage and secured the status of a True Person!