After killing Liu Ningyuan, Gu Chen stood still, the intense killing intent in his heart slowly receding like the tide after Liu Ningyuan's death.
His eyes swept the room and soon noticed the small bottle on the desk, covered with profound black patterns.
Earlier, Gu Chen had clearly seen the demon spirit return here and dive straight into that small bottle.
Gu Chen stepped forward, took the small bottle in his hand, and after examining it for a few moments, his palm's energy surged, shattering it instantly.
Swoosh!
As the vessel containing the demon spirit broke, a malevolent soul rushed out immediately. It tried to launch an attack on Gu Chen, but when it sensed Gu Chen's presence, its movements halted abruptly.
Then, it saw Liu Ningyuan's corpse on the ground and pounced on it instantly, the gruesome crunching noises continually sounding.
Gu Chen stood quietly, watching the shadowy soul devour Liu Ningyuan's corpse. Devouring living beings was an innate instinct, or perhaps the nature, of demon spirits; not one could defy its instincts.
Once the malevolent soul had gnawed Liu Ningyuan's corpse down to mere remnants, he lifted his hand and unleashed the Red Flame Palm, executing the demon spirit alongside.
In doing so, no one would discover the true cause of Liu Ningyuan's death.
Then, Gu Chen's figure flashed, and he left the scene.
With the death of Liu Ningyuan, the Liu family was left with only Liu Zheng, but he was no longer fit to compete with Gu Chen. Liu Zheng had been struck into grievous injury by Gu Chen's palm, nearly crippled, and even once he would recover from his injuries, he wouldn't be able to catch even a glimpse of Gu Chen's shadow.
Furthermore, Gu Chen had never regarded Liu Zheng as a rival; in Gu Chen's eyes, Liu Zheng was nothing more than a tool to help him gauge his strength when he first arrived in this world.
Soon, after spending a little time ensuring no one had noticed anything, Gu Chen quietly returned to the Gu Mansion and slipped into his room.
The next day, as daylight broke, everyone at Gu Mansion, including Gu Chengfeng, woke up successively. Gu Chen, as if nothing had happened, went to Gu Chengfeng's room after he got up to transfer inner breath to him and regulate his body.
"Eldest son, that's enough, don't expend your inner breath for me any longer," Gu Chengfeng said, feeling distressed as he saw his nephew continuously spending his energy for him.
Upon hearing this, Gu Chen smiled and said, "Uncle, it's fine. I've already broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm, and this bit of inner breath is nothing."
Gu Chen wasn't concerned that his uncle would leak his secrets, but that revealing specific numbers might hurt his uncle's self-esteem.
Gu Chengfeng seemed to have sensed something from Gu Chen's expression, and without pressing further, his gaze was filled with satisfaction.
"Big brother, sister-in-law, your spirits in heaven can rest easy now, your eldest son has become accomplished." He silently said to himself.
Raising Gu Chen well and nurturing him into a capable person was the only thought Gu Chengfeng had since taking over the lad's care from Gu Chen's father.
At that moment, Xu Qinge pushed open the door and walked in, saying with a warm smile, "Alright, alright, you two men stop discussing official matters at home. Dinner is ready; come out and eat."
"Right, dinner. Let's go, let's eat. Eldest nephew, Uncle has to tell you, food is still very important for a martial artist, and although you've reached the Tongmai Realm and don't rely as much on food, good food is still..."
Xu Qinge, hearing this, turned her head and glanced at Gu Chengfeng with exasperation, saying, "Eat, eat, eat, all you ever think about is eating. Eldest nephew, don't listen to your uncle. In the future, don't be like him, only growing an appetite."
"Auntie is absolutely right," Gu Chen agreed with a laugh on the side.
Gu Chengfeng, upon hearing this, smiled awkwardly.
At the dining table in the Gu Mansion's main hall, where the meal was already prepared, Gu Qingyan was sitting there, chatting with Maid Xiao Yu about something. Seeing the handsome Gu Chen approach, both girls blushed, and Xiao Yu swiftly pulled out a chair, gesturing for Gu Chen to sit down.
Gu Chen was as clear-headed as a mirror. He knew Gu Qingyan and Xiao Yu must have been talking about him, but he never pried into the affairs of girls. Pretending to be unaware, he began to call Uncle and Auntie to the table to eat.
Over the meal, Gu Chengfeng began to ask how Gu Chen came to know a person like Zhou Qing. So, Gu Chen briefly recounted the events in Ning City, mentioning his fortuitous acquaintance with Zhou Qing through Zhou Rang.
Of course, he did not go into detail; although the mission in Ning City hadn't involved any crisis from start to finish, he didn't want to cause unnecessary worry for Gu Chengfeng and the others.
"For someone like Lord Zhou to be willing to help you is indeed a stroke of luck for our Gu Family," Gu Chengfeng said. "You must remember this, Eldest Nephew. I won't be able to repay him in this lifetime. It's all on you now. If Lord Zhou ever needs help, and we can oblige, we definitely must not refuse."
"Don't worry, Uncle, I understand," Gu Chen replied, nodding. He was someone who clearly distinguished between debts of gratitude and grievances. Although Zhou Qing had helped him because of Zhou Rang, Gu Chen still took the favor to heart. His current lack of ability to help Zhou Qing didn't mean he couldn't do so in the future.
At noon, Gu Chen left the Gu Mansion and headed for the Jing Tian Department branch outside the city.
This trip to Ning City had yielded many achievement points, and Gu Chen had also earned corresponding merits. His visit to the Jing Tian Department on this day was to exchange for martial arts techniques.