Upon reaching the boundary between the inner and the outer city, the soldiers guarding the gate immediately stopped the carriage. After Gu Chen showed his waist badge, they let them pass.
Even so, the soldiers still instructed, "Please make sure to leave the city before curfew."
Gu Chen nodded, signaling his understanding. Because his aunt and sister wanted to go shopping, they got off the carriage after entering the inner city, and Gu Chen accompanied the two as they began their stroll.
Seeing the bustling traffic in the inner city, the streets laid with green bricks, and the intersections extending in all directions, Xu Qinge exclaimed, "I thought the outer city was already quite nice, but compared to the inner city, it's as simple as the countryside.
Gu Qingyan and Maid Xiao Yu, standing beside her, kept nodding their heads, obviously in full agreement with this statement.
Every building in the inner city was exquisite and extremely refined. On both sides of the streets, merchant calls were incessant, and pedestrians were all dressed in luxurious clothes, either rich or noble.
The eyes of Gu Qingyan sparkled with curiosity. Her lively big eyes roamed around, as she was extremely curious about everything in the inner city. The last time she came to the inner city, she had been very young, and her memories were already somewhat blurred, with only a vague impression remaining.
Seeing that they still had time, Gu Chen continued to accompany his aunt and cousin as they leisurely wandered.
It must be said, even in the vast inner city, Gu Chen's group attracted a lot of attention.
After all, Gu Chen had a handsome face and an extraordinary temperament. By his side, his aunt Xu Qinge and Gu Qingyan were like two gorgeous flowers; Xu Qinge was mature and seductive while Gu Qingyan was gentle and lovely. Moreover, the aunt had taken good care of herself, and standing together, they looked not like mother and daughter but more like sisters.
On the streets, countless men's gazes turned towards them periodically, and if Gu Chen weren't standing beside them, some might have even approached to inquire about Gu Qingyan's name.
Even Gu Chen, when he first saw the mother and daughter, had secretly marveled at his uncle Gu Chengfeng's luck in marrying Xu Qinge and having a daughter as beautiful as Gu Qingyan.
Aware of the many gazes, Gu Qingyan did not feel too uncomfortable, as she had gotten used to it since childhood. Continue your adventure with m|v-l'e m,p| y- r
After accompanying the three women for a while, Gu Chen looked at the sky and said to his aunt Xu Qinge, "Auntie, I have some matters to attend to and will leave for a while. You and Qinyan keep shopping and buy whatever you like, don't be polite."
Hearing this, Xu Qinge, knowing that Gu Chen was now busy with his promotion, nodded and said, "Alright, my boy, if you have matters to attend to, then go ahead."
Soon after, Gu Chen arranged a time and place to meet up with them later and then went his own way.
Prince Huai's Mansion lay deep in the inner city, not far from the imperial palace. Technically, given Prince Huai's status, he had a residence in the imperial city as well, but due to personal preference, he favored living in the inner city. Only when there were major matters requiring him to stay overnight in the palace did he choose to reside within the imperial city.
Prince Huai's mansion was situated on the most central street of the inner city, in an excellent location. The entire mansion was grand and imposing, the huge doors adorned with Vermilion Paint Gold Plated Bronze Nails, extremely luxurious and spectacular. With countless halls and courtyards, it covered an area of thousands of acres.
In front of the mansion's gate stood two solemn-faced warriors, their aura very focused, their vital energy exceedingly robust, even comparable to Gu Chen's, each like a small mountain guarding the entrance, giving an inscrutable impression.
A thought emerged in Gu Chen's mind—without a doubt, the warriors guarding this gate must possess the cultivation of the Vajra Stage.
Otherwise, they would certainly not have made him feel this way.
When he arrived at the main gate of the mansion, Gu Chen adopted a solemn expression, took out his waist badge, and said, "I am Gu Chen from the Jing Tian Department, second-grade Metropolitan Procurator, here by the order of Prince Huai. I would trouble you to pass on the message."
One of the Vajra Stage warriors nodded, took the waist badge, and went inside to make the announcement.
Inside the mansion, adorned with green glazed tiles and dotted with palaces, pavilions, and waterside gazebos, the towering pavilions and painted halls revealed a grand atmosphere, luxurious yet maintaining dignity.
No, or rather, this elderly man seemed to have blended in with the world around him, becoming a part of nature itself, which was why, in Gu Chen's perception, it was as if no such person existed.
Without a doubt, one who could reach such a state was definitely a great master of the Innate Realm!
Gu Chen hadn't expected that today, apart from meeting Prince Huai, he would also have the chance to see a martial arts grandmaster with his own eyes.
One should know, within the Jing Tian Department, those of such a level of cultivation, aside from the twelve Protectors stationed in various states, were only a few Commanders with considerable seniority.
Yet such a powerful figure was the personal protector of Prince Huai.
Moreover, Gu Chen knew that Prince Huai couldn't just have this one protector. While he couldn't sense them, Gu Chen speculated that within this room, there might be many hidden operatives, it was just that the opposition was too strong for Gu Chen to detect.
Upon seeing Gu Chen, Mr. Gongsun maintained his silence; after all, in the vast Prince Huai's Mansion, apart from Prince Huai himself, there were few who could prompt him to speak, let alone a junior like Gu Chen.
Prince Huai, with a gentle demeanor and deep, restrained eyes, seemed to perceive Gu Chen's thoughts and said with a smile, "Don't be tense, and don't pay too much attention to Mr. Gongsun; let's just have our chat."
At this, Mr. Gongsun also said, "Indeed, you may act as if I'm not here."
"Yes," Gu Chen responded respectfully.
At the same time, he took the opportunity to observe Prince Huai. The Prince appeared to have a ruddy complexion, but his body was thin, his internal energy weak, no different from an average person, and there were wrinkles by his eyes, making him look just like the rumors suggested, a man with mediocre natural talent in martial arts, truly devoid of any real cultivation.
"I summoned you because of your encounter with the demon sect members on Phoenix Crying Mountain a few days ago; you were the first to get a close look at demon sect martial artists merging with demonic spirits. Thus, there are some issues I would like to inquire about," Prince Huai said slowly.
"Your Highness, please proceed," Gu Chen replied with a fist salute.
Prince Huai nodded, "Please recount the events that took place in detail."
"Yes." Immediately, Gu Chen described everything that had transpired during the martial arts tournament in exhaustive detail.
After listening to Gu Chen's account, Prince Huai's brows slightly furrowed and said, "As I suspected, I knew the Six Union God Sect hadn't been completely eliminated; they've been lurking in the shadows. But now with the increasing number of demonic spirits over the years, we haven't had the resources to address it, and I never expected it to grow into such a menace."
"I've heard Chen Yu's speculations, and you've encountered quite a few demon sect martial artists recently. What do you think, how many martial artists within the demon sect have perfectly merged with demonic spirits?"
After pondering for a moment, Gu Chen replied, "The proportion is small; merging with demonic spirits is not easy. I've killed quite a few demon sect martial artists, but the instances of such perfect mergers are not many."
"But..." Gu Chen hesitated for a moment, then, after Prince Huai nodded to him, continued, "We don't know how many operatives the demon sect has been amassing in secret, and moreover, the martial artists who have merged with demonic spirits advance greatly in strength.
Demonic spirits are inherently mysterious and unpredictable; the Jing Tian Department has expended a great deal of energy just to suppress them and maintain balance. Now, however, the emergence of demon sect martial artists has broken this balance, and I fear many people in the jianghu will secretly pledge allegiance to the demon sect."
"Furthermore... demon sect martial artists are ruthless and after merging with demonic spirits, they may commit mass slaughter, mercilessly killing innocents to boost their own power. The Jing Tian Department confronting them will be countless times more difficult than dealing with mere demonic spirits," Gu Chen said gravely.
Prince Huai nodded slightly at this, it was indeed one of his concerns. While there were many demonic spirits, due to their low intelligence, they could be eliminated once found. But with demon sect martial artists merging with demonic spirits and becoming malevolent and otherworldly, hidden among the populace, the difficulty had greatly increased.
Consequently, the strength of the Six Union God Sect would multiply greatly, which was the very confidence behind declaring their return to the jianghu.
"Mr. Gongsun, if an Innate Realm great master were to merge with a hell-class demonic spirit, would you be confident in handling it?" Prince Huai asked Mr. Gongsun, still facing away from him.