Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

Luo Feng chuckled upon hearing that and said, "Brother Gu, you're unaware that today is a big day that only happens once a year in Cloud Smoke City."

Gu Chen's sword-like eyebrows raised slightly as he inquired, "What day is it?"

"The Feast of Beauties!" Luo Feng proclaimed.

"What's that?" Gu Chen asked, puzzled.

With a mysterious glint in his eyes and a smile on his lips, Luo Feng replied, "Brother Gu, the Feast of Beauties is a wonderful event. Do you know why Cloud Smoke City is so packed today? It's all because of this."

Then, Luo Feng proceeded to explain to Gu Chen what the Feast of Beauties was all about.

In fact, the Feast of Beauties was an election for the top courtesan, held by the Pavilion of Flowers once a year. The women of the Pavilion were all stunningly beautiful, each with her own unique charm and personality, which is why the Pavilion was extremely popular in Qiongtian Mansion, easily ranking among the top three pleasure quarters.

Each year, the Feast of Beauties attracted countless wandering heroes who came to visit. Moreover, with the Yao Platform Sect's grand gathering also taking place this year, the number of martial artists gathering in Cloud Smoke City had reached an unprecedented level.

Luo Feng laughed and said, "It's said that the ten courtesans of the Pavilion of Flowers are each unique, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—every one of them is a rare find in the world. Countless nobility and dignitaries, as well as young talents of the martial world, wish to marry them. Their popularity rivals even the women of the Yao Platform Sect.

Brother Gu, aren't you intrigued?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen could only smile wryly; he had been wondering why Cloud Smoke City was so bustling and crowded, and now he realized it was because of this.

The allure of beauty was something many martial artists pursued—the desire for it is natural, which explained the Feast of Beauties' immense popularity.

Gu Chen glanced at Luo Feng, who clearly looked quite interested in this so-called Feast of Beauties.

Of course, Gu Chen knew Luo Feng's true nature; although he was known as a "flower-plucking thief," he never did any harm. He only targeted women with venomous hearts, treating them with their own medicine and refraining from any other misdeeds.

Luo Feng's bad reputation in the martial world was solely the result of the sects, families, and fathers of those women seeking revenge on him.

"Brother Gu, you can't possibly still be a greenhorn, can you?" Luo Feng said, his eyes filled with a hard-to-define meaning as he appraised Gu Chen.

Gu Chen turned a dark shade upon hearing this, but seeing Luo Feng's eager expression, quickly interjected, "Let's go, let's go, Brother Gu. Our meeting here again must be fate, and tonight I'll give you a proper introduction to the Feast of Beauties."

Without waiting for a response, Luo Feng grabbed Gu Chen and started making their way deep into Cloud Smoke City.

Seeing this, Gu Chen felt compelled to go along for now, as he had nothing else pressing—why not broaden his horizons?

As they made their way through the crowded streets, Luo Feng led Gu Chen to a dazzling and magnificent pavilion. The surrounding streets were crammed with carriages, creating quite the congestion, as many servants waited outside.

One by one, individuals with dignified and influential statuses in Cloud Smoke City, and even in Qiongtian Mansion, entered the grand doors amid laughter and the escort of others.

"Brother Gu, here we are, this is the place," Luo Feng said, pointing with his hand.

Gu Chen observed the pavilion before him. It was splendid and majestic, and from the outside, it didn't look anything like a brothel.

As Luo Feng led Gu Chen to the entrance, several people were stationed there, including the chief steward of the Pavilion of Flowers. With the Yao Platform Sect's grand gathering soon to take place, many renowned martial artists from the Seven Sects and Eight Schools of the martial world had congregated in Cloud Smoke City.

Therefore, after some consideration, the Pavilion of Flowers had assigned their chief steward to guard the entrance, preventing anyone with malicious intentions from sneaking in.

After all, the ten courtesans of the Pavilion of Flowers had many admirers, and every year, the Feast of Beauties would pack the pavilion to the brim. But this year, due to the grand gathering, the Pavilion had established new rules—only regular customers or young talents of the martial world were allowed by the chief steward to enter.

As Gu Chen and Luo Feng approached, the Pavilion's chief steward, Wang Sihai, stepped forward to halt them, saying, "Gentlemen, please present your invitations."

"Invitations?" Luo Feng frowned and replied, "That wasn't required before."

Wang Sihai nodded and explained, "It wasn't before, but it's a new rule this year."

He then proceeded to explain the reasoning behind the new rule to Gu Chen.

In reality, Wang Sihai recognized the major powers of the martial world, who often wore martial robes marked with their sect symbols. He could identify them at a glance, but seeing no such symbols on Gu Chen and Luo Feng, he treated them as two common martial artists who had come to see the show, naturally not allowing them inside.

Gu Chen and Luo Feng nodded in understanding, knowing that the Pavilion of Flowers wanted to attract more young talents or nobility, without wasting space on ordinary martial artists.

Wang Sihai continued, "If you wish to catch a glimpse of our courtesans' beauty, there will be a boat tour shortly, and you can watch from the shore."

"We don't want to just stand on the shore during the boat tour where we can hardly see anything through the crowd," Luo Feng shook his head. "We were hoping to get a close look at the courtesans' faces."

Wang Sihai felt somewhat displeased upon hearing this. The courtesans of the Pavilion of Flowers weren't just for anyone to meet.

In his view, Gu Chen and Luo Feng were being far too presumptuous, expecting to join the courtesans on the boat. They were nothing but two upstarts, far out of their depth.

As he was about to order them away, he noticed a group of martial artists dressed in red long shirts with a golden small sword embroidered on their chests approaching them.

Wang Sihai's expression instantly changed, and it was utterly different from when he faced Gu Chen and Luo Feng; his face bloomed with a thick smile and even carried a few traces of flattery, as he jogged over.

Luo Feng saw Wang Sihai's demeanor, so utilitarian, and his displeasure became immediate, muttering a few words under his breath.

"So it's the esteemed guests from the Sunset Sword Sect, please, come in, quickly please come in," Wang Sihai said, bowing and smiling, without a trace of the dignity befitting a martial artist of the Vajra Stage.

He then, with a face full of obsequious smiles, led a group of people to meet the Sunset Sword Sect's group.

Seeing this, Luo Feng nudged Gu Chen with his shoulder and said, "Look, those are people from the Sunset Sword Sect, your old rivals. The one leading them is Xue Jun, a senior disciple with a high ranking in the sect, who was previously first on the 'List of Stars' before Qin Mu.

Although he didn't open up fifty-six meridians in the Vessel Opening Stage, he's not to be underestimated, and has reached the third level of the Vajra Stage, with a physique akin to a fierce dragon. It's said he's close to condensing Gangqi."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen's gaze shifted in that direction, and saw that Xue Jun had an extraordinary appearance, a tall and formidable physique, and a striking presence, with extremely keen perception. When he saw Gu Chen looking over, he immediately returned the gaze.

There was a vague sense of familiarity, as if he had seen Gu Chen somewhere before, but after thinking for a moment, he really couldn't remember. So he turned to Wang Sihai and asked, "Who are these two?"

With a flattering smile, Wang Sihai said, "It's normal that Young Master Xue doesn't recognize them. They're just two nameless young ones; how could they catch Young Master Xue's eye?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Jun nodded and didn't pay any more attention.

But behind Xue Jun, a young man's face revealed a trace of amusement; his tone full of mockery he said, "So these are two scatterbrains who don't know their own limits. Do you really think you're qualified to attend the Pavilion of Flowers' nocturnal banquet?"

His name was Dong Liang, a scion of the Dong family, a distinguished clan in Cloud Smoke City, in charge of receiving Xue Jun and others from the Sunset Sword Sect.

After saying this, Dong Liang turned his head to Wang Sihai and said, "Old Wang, things are different this year. Numerous talented youths have gathered in our Cloud Smoke City, and the nocturnal banquet of the Pavilion of Flowers, as the grand event of our Cloud Smoke City, is not somewhere any Tom, Dick, or Harry can enter. You must keep a good watch here."

Being a regular guest of the Pavilion of Flowers, upon hearing this, Wang Sihai nodded and bowed, saying, "Young Master Dong is right, absolutely right, it shall be as you say."

Subsequently, he turned around and ordered the people behind him, "Go, chase those two out, don't let them block Young Master Xue and Young Master Dong's view here."

"Yes!"

The guards nodded and approached Gu Chen and Luo Feng.

At that moment, Luo Feng suddenly shouted, "Wait, they have invitations, and you're letting them in?"

Dong Liang turned to look at Luo Feng, a cold smile on his face, he said, "Since when do I need an invitation to enter the Pavilion of Flowers?"

Luo Feng ignored him and instead turned his gaze to Wang Sihai, demanding, "Didn't you just say no one could enter without an invitation?"

"Hm? Old Wang, what's this about?" Dong Liang turned his gaze to Wang Sihai.

Wang Sihai's face darkened, and he barked at Luo Feng, "Open your dog eyes and look clearly, this is Young Master Dong Liang and the distinguished young heroes from the Sunset Sword Sect. It's an honor for them to come to our Pavilion of Flowers, why would they need an invitation?"

Luo Feng was not pleased and argued, "Then why do we need one?"

A sneer appeared on Dong Liang's face, as he looked at Luo Feng as though looking at a clown, taunting, "You think your poor selves are worthy to compare with me?"

Xue Jun stood with his hands clasped behind his back, silent all the while. He felt that speaking with Gu Chen and Luo Feng would be an unnecessary loss of his own standing.

Just as everyone thought Luo Feng had conceded, he suddenly let out a few cold laughs and said, "You're blind to your own ignorance. Do you have any idea who stands beside me?"

Gu Chen, having heard this, remained silent, standing quietly, letting Luo Feng reveal his identity.

After all, Wang Sihai and the rest had really looked down on them with dog eyes.

Dong Liang's expression darkened, he scolded, "What rubbish are you, Old Wang, hurry up and throw him out for me, and remember to throw them both into the river."

"Yes, yes, yes." Seeing Dong Liang's displeasure, Wang Sihai broke into a sweat and quickly ordered the guards to take Gu Chen and Luo Feng away.

As for Luo Feng's earlier words, they completely dismissed them as mere bragging and bluffing.

Thud, thud, thud!

With just a few moves from Luo Feng, the guards were sent flying. Wang Sihai's expression drastically changed, but before he could speak, Luo Feng spoke first.

"Open your dog eyes and look carefully, this person here is none other than Lord Gu Chen from the Jing Tian Department of Tiandu, who was previously first on the 'List of Stars', the foremost talent among the younger generation in all of Jiuzhou, and it's the greatest honor for your Pavilion of Flowers to have him!"

As the words fell, both Dong Liang and Wang Sihai's expressions changed.
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Leaving aside Gu Chen's reputation, the mere three words "Jing Tian Department" were enough.

But at this moment, upon hearing the name "Gu Chen," Xue Jun's eyes sharpened, and he suddenly looked over.