Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

The next morning, as Gu Chen was doing his morning practice in the small courtyard of the Gu Mansion, the Duke of the Liang State and Commander Chen Yu from the Jing Tian Department came to visit.

Upon seeing these two dignitaries, Uncle Zhang from the mansion's gatehouse quickly ran to the inner yard to inform Gu Chen.

"What?! The Duke of the Liang State and the Commander of the Jing Tian Department are here in person!"

The entire Gu Chengfeng family was startled by the news; even Xu Qinge and her daughter Gu Qingyan, who were not involved in government affairs, knew that the rank of these guests was fifth in the high echelons of Da Xia.

They had not expected that Gu Chen's status had risen to such an extent that even two people of such standing needed to personally visit him.

The visit from the crown prince the day before was kept from the Gu Chengfeng family by Gu Chen to prevent them from worrying; otherwise, they would have been even more astonished.

"Big brother, this..." The Gu Chengfeng family was somewhat flustered by the visit. The stature of the Duke of the Liang State and Chen Yu was so prestigious that they had no experience interacting with such personages, and Gu Chengfeng could only look bewilderedly towards Gu Chen for guidance.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Gu Chen, upon hearing this, was also somewhat surprised and didn't know why these two would come together to his door, but he nonetheless quickly said, "Please invite them in quickly."

"Yes, yes, invite them in quickly—no, big brother, let's go out to greet them together," Gu Chengfeng said, first nodding, then shaking his head, clearly very unsettled.

So, Gu Chen led his uncle and the whole family to the door and saw the Duke of the Liang State and Chen Yu waiting there.

"I have seen the Duke of the Liang State and Master Chen," Gu Chen greeted with a bow.

At his side, the Gu Chengfeng family also followed suit in a somewhat awkward manner, greeting, "We pay our respects to the Duke of the Liang State and Commander Chen."

"There's no need for such formality," said the Duke of the Liang State and Chen Yu, with Chen Yu, in particular, casting an admiring look at Gu Chen's radiant physique, his eyes lighting up immediately.

Now that Gu Chen had reached the Gang Qi Stage, his perspective and perception had greatly expanded. He looked at Chen Yu, feeling that the other's aura was more condensed than before, many times over.

"Master Chen, have you had a breakthrough?" Gu Chen ventured to ask.

Chen Yu smiled faintly and nodded, replying, "I was fortunate enough to reach the Returning to True Stage not long ago."

"That's wonderful!"

Gu Chen was also delighted to hear this and mused silently about Chen Yu's talent. He had spent only three years at the Gang Qi Stage before breaking through to the Returning to True Stage; such speed was indeed rare in the world.

"It seems Master Chen has set another record," Gu Chen remarked with a smile.

Hearing this, Chen Yu couldn't help but laugh, responding, "Compared to you, I really can't count for much. If I'm not mistaken, you must have also broken through to the Gang Qi Stage, haven't you?"

"What?!"

At this moment, Gu Chen had not yet spoken when the Duke of the Liang State looked at Gu Chen in shock, saying with disbelief, "You've reached the Gang Qi Stage?"

Gu Chen smiled. Chen Yu's eyes were indeed extraordinary; with just one look, he had discerned Gu Chen's depth, though a big reason for this was that Gu Chen had not made any special effort to conceal it.

He had now achieved an indestructible body, with tremendous physical strength, capable of concealing all internal auras, revealing not the slightest bit.

But there was no need for such secrecy with the Duke of the Liang State and Chen Yu, as they were on his side. Moreover, since Gu Chen was interested in becoming a commander, there was even less reason to hide in front of Chen Yu, his potential superior.

Seeing Gu Chen's acknowledgment, the Duke of the Liang State was immediately overjoyed, exclaiming, "Good, good, good! With this, our plan is even more assured!"

Gu Chen, puzzled, asked, "Does the Duke of the Liang State have something in mind?"

At this point, Gu Chengfeng, looking embarrassed, carefully interrupted, "Shall we discuss this inside?"

Since the Duke of the Liang State and Chen Yu had been speaking, Gu Chengfeng hadn't found an opportunity to interject. Now that Gu Chen had spoken, Gu Chengfeng seized the moment to make the suggestion.

Gu Chen slapped his forehead, as if suddenly realizing the oversight, and said with a smile, "Right, Duke of the Liang State, Master Chen, let's talk inside. We shouldn't keep standing here."

"Agreed."

The two nodded and were then escorted inside by Gu Chen and his family.

The servants at the Gu Mansion had never seen such high-ranking figures as the Duke of the Liang State and Chen Yu; seeing them enter the gates of the Gu household, each was too scared to breathe heavily, treading carefully for fear of offending either of them.

Along the way, the Duke of the Liang State and Chen Yu walked at the front, with Gu Chen by their side, Gu Chengfeng's family followed close behind Gu Chen, daring not utter a word.

Xu Qinge and her daughter Gu Qingyan kept their heads down, sneaking glances at the Duke of the Liang State and Chen Yu now and then.

As the two men walked, they admired the scenery of the Gu Mansion; Chen Yu said with a smile, "You sure know how to pick a place. This couldn't have been cheap, right?"

"It's been manageable," Gu Chen responded. "I earned some money on an external mission, so I decided to buy a residence in the inner city. After looking around, I chose this place."

The Duke of the Liang State glanced at Gu Qingyan, who had delicate features and a graceful figure, pure as a snow lotus unstained by mud, even surpassing Lu Xinlan, his granddaughter, in beauty.

Thereupon, the Duke of the Liang State turned to Gu Chen and inquired, "And who might this be?"

Gu Chen replied with a smile, "This is my cousin, Gu Qingyan."

Gu Qingyan, upon hearing the Duke of the Liang State mention her, also quickly gave a greeting.

The Duke of the Liang State nodded his head, relieved in his heart; he had thought she was a woman Gu Chen fancied. In that case, Lu Xinlan would have stood no chance.