Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

This was clearly impossible.

At this moment, a noble frowned and said, "However, King Huai and the Crown Prince have just decided to confer the title of viscount on Gu Chen, and now, thanks to his fame from the battle at Xu'an County, it's probably not a good idea for us to move against him right now, is it?"

"What, he was awarded a viscount title?!" Cao Ying, upon hearing this, a strong jealousy flashed in his eyes.

It was all Gu Chen's fault that Cao Zhen died. Cao Ying knew that even if he could survive and return to the frontier, he would no longer be favored in this lifetime.

Even worse, his end would likely be death; the Marquis of Pingxi might very well force him to take his own life.

Whether Cao Zhen's death had anything to do with Gu Chen or not, Cao Ying had made up his mind. He could not allow the Marquis of Pingxi to think his protection was insufficient; he had to shift most of the blame onto Gu Chen, giving the Marquis of Pingxi an outlet for his wrath.

Otherwise, it would be Cao Ying himself who bore the brunt of the Marquis of Pingxi's fury, and he was all too aware of the Marquis's fearsome nature.

If he had to die, Cao Ying was resolved to drag Gu Chen down with him, for if not for Gu Chen, he would never have left Cao Zhen's side.

Therefore, Cao Ying placed all the blame on Gu Chen's shoulders.

Upon hearing Cao Ying's words, Uncle Dingyuan and the Marquis of Wuwei were also filled with suspicion. They had their own resentments toward Chen Yu and Gu Chen, but since their reputations in Tiandu were at their peak, and Gu Chen had been conferred a noble title, they had held their tongues in court.

With a cold face, Uncle Dingyuan said, "Now that this little bastard has been conferred a title, he is no longer a commoner. His status has become as noble as ours."

The Marquis of Wuwei said, "In this case, it won't be easy to deal with him anymore. Should we stop his ennoblement? We could go find King Huai and the Crown Prince now and inform them of the situation?"

"That's not advisable," Uncle Dingyuan stopped the Marquis of Wuwei, saying, "After all, we were not present at the scene, and our words won't count for much. Besides, King Huai and the Crown Prince have already issued the order—we can't embarrass His Highness now. Once Huang Xiu returns, I will personally question him.

If it's true that Gu Chen stood by and did nothing, even if it costs me my title, I will have him buried with my son!"

The Marquis of Wuwei nodded, believing about seven-tenths of what Cao Ying said and reserving three-tenths of doubt. Who knew if Cao Ying was simply using them as pawns.

The specific details, as Uncle Dingyuan had said, still required waiting for Huang Xiu's return and further inquiry before making a decision.

Afterward, they discussed the matter at length once again.

...

Seven days later, Chen Yu and the three Commanders returned to Tiandu with Gu Chen and his troops.

The reason they had returned to Tiandu so late was that, after repelling the demonic martial artists, they fortified the county town for a few days to prevent their return. Only after the arrival of the large army along with the new County Protector did Chen Yu lead Gu Chen and the others to leave.

Once back in Tiandu, the group first returned to Jing Tian Department. Chen Yu, Deng Zi An, and Cui Yu personally reported the situation to the high-ranking officials of Jing Tian Department and the court.

At the same time, they were informed of their own personal rewards from the court, which were nothing more than some silver and silk fabrics, while Jing Tian Department internally granted them corresponding merits.

The first-tier and second-tier Metropolitan Procurators received the same, all but Gu Chen, whose name was not mentioned.

This immediately made everyone curious; Xu Qing, Song Yu, and Wang Yan all looked at Chen Yu with puzzled faces, as it was Chen Yu who announced this news to them.

"Boss, what about Gu Chen?" asked Song Yu.

Chen Yu gave a mysterious smile and said to Gu Chen, "You'll find out when you get home."

Seeing this, Gu Chen was instantly puzzled but didn't say much. He did indeed miss home after being away for so long and his uncles family must have been worried sick.

In fact, Gu Chen wasn't very concerned about the court's rewards. After all, for him, no amount of wealth was that useful—what he needed, he could obtain through merits in Jing Tian Department.

"Alright, everyone is dismissed. You've been away from home for so long, you must all be missing it," said Chen Yu, granting them a full three days of leave.

Despite having rested for a few days in the county town, upon their return to Tiandu, they all felt a wave of exhaustion, including Gu Chen.

Soon, everyone dispersed. After arranging to meet Xu Qing, Song Yu, and Wang Yan for drinks the next day, Gu Chen hastened towards the outer city, returning to Gu Mansion.

There was some distance between the inner and outer city, and at that moment, Gu Chen once again contemplated buying a residence in the inner city, so he wouldn't have to shuttle back and forth.

When he arrived at Gu Mansion, the doorkeeper, Uncle Zhang, saw Gu Chen and rejoiced loudly, shouting, "The eldest young master has returned, the eldest young master is back!"

At these words, everyone in Gu Mansion rushed out, as if expecting Gu Chen's return today, including Gu Chengfeng.

"Eldest young master, you've finally returned!" When Gu Chengfeng saw that Gu Chen was safe and sound, he instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

No matter how powerful Gu Chen was, as long as he returned from each assignment unscathed, that was what mattered to Gu Chengfeng.

"Uncle, Auntie, Qinyan, I'm back," Gu Chen said, with a warm smile on his face, seeing his relatives.

The tense string in his heart finally relaxed.

The group moved toward the courtyard when suddenly, Maid Xiao Yu asked out of the blue, "Eldest young master, is it true that you slew tens of thousands of demonic martial artists in Xu'an County with a single swing of your sword?"

At this, Gu Chen was taken aback. What was she talking about?

Gu Qingyan, graceful as a lily, her beautiful eyes sparkling, frowned at Xiao Yu and said, "What nonsense are you spouting? Big brother clearly slew tens of thousands of demonic martial artists with a single sword strike."

Seeing his cousin saying the same, Gu Chen was even more confused. He had been eager to get home and had not paid attention to the gossip amongst the people of Tiandu, nor did he know about these wild tales.

Gu Chengfeng gave his daughter a stern look and said, "Qinyan, what are you talking about? Don't trust the storytellers in the tavern. How could the eldest young master kill so many people alone? He would have died of sheer exhaustion."

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyan playfully stuck out her tongue.

At this moment, Gu Chengfeng proudly declared, "The eldest young master is known for his soul-chasing sword strike, singlehandedly slaying ten thousand enemies with one swing."

"???"

Confusion written all over his face, Gu Chen didn't understand what his uncle and others were talking about—why were they exaggerating so wildly?

Just then, a sharp voice came from the entrance of Gu Mansion, "Imperial decree has arrived!"

Suddenly, faces changed between Gu Chen and his uncle's family, exchanging looks, all a bit stunned. Why would there be an imperial decree for the Gu Family?

Gu Chen, being from Jing Tian Department, and Gu Chengfeng, from Royal Sword Guard, it seemed unlikely they were the subjects of the decree.

"Let's go quickly," urged Xu Qinge, pushing the two men.

Then, the whole family hurriedly made their way to the courtyard to see the steward in charge of imperial affairs holding the golden imperial decree, followed by a group of guards.

Once the main subjects arrived, the eunuch stepped forward with the imperial decree in hand, unfolding it before Gu Chen and his family, and proclaimed in a loud voice, "Jing Tian Department's second-tier Metropolitan Procurator Gu Chen, receive the decree."

At these words, everyone immediately turned their gazes to Gu Chen.