Thirty Years in the East

"Hmm... I'll fine you twenty-four taels of silver."

Upon hearing these words, everyone was stunned.

Then, the tense atmosphere immediately relaxed.

Everyone couldn't help but share a knowing smile.

The guard captain's face turned bright red: "Young Master, I was the one at fault. Never mind twenty-four taels, even two hundred..."

"Nonsense!" Elder Xing sternly interrupted: "Do you know who Young Master Gu is? Would someone of his status care about your silver? Young Master Gu is already showing great mercy. Hurry up and thank him!"

The guard captain suddenly realized his mistake, almost wanting to slap himself for his foolish words. Young Master Gu was an Innate Realm Master - would such a powerful expert need silver?

Wasn't offering money an insult to a master?

"This humble one thanks Young Master, thank you, Young Master." The guard captain quickly kowtowed in gratitude, then took out twenty-four taels of silver from his person, holding it above his head with both hands.

Gu Qingfeng looked at the twenty-four taels of silver, then glanced at Elder Xing, feeling somewhat speechless. In his heart, he thought, "I do care! Of course I care! Why did you stop him? That could have been two hundred and forty taels - equivalent to ten years of my salary!"

However, Gu Qingfeng couldn't bring himself to voice these thoughts and could only accept the silver.

Seeing this, everyone knew the matter was settled, and naturally, all were pleased.

So everyone respectfully invited Gu Qingfeng into the mountain temple, and began roasting meat and adding seasonings for him.

The guard captain even brought out a bottle of his treasured wine to offer to Gu Qingfeng.

Everyone began drinking freely. During this time, Gu Qingfeng didn't put on airs, mainly because he was hungry, and ate and drank heartily, alternating between meat and wine.

Seeing that Gu Qingfeng, despite being an Innate Realm Master, showed no pretense and was so unrestrained and approachable, everyone felt even more admiration for him, offering various words of praise.

The atmosphere became thoroughly enjoyable.

This was reality!

When the weak are approachable, people see it as a sign of weakness to be taken advantage of, but when the strong are approachable, it inspires admiration.

After the feast, while others were resting, Gu Qingfeng began to take stock of his gains.

Earlier during the battle, he hadn't had time to properly understand his newly acquired talent skills, but now that things had settled, it was time for a thorough examination.

First was the Diamond Body - as the name suggests, it made his body as hard as diamond, with defensive capabilities far superior to the Bronze Skin Iron Bone technique. Gu Qingfeng estimated that anyone below the Tough Qi Realm would find it impossible to break through his defense, though the exact parameters would need to be tested in actual combat.

Then there was the Fire Control talent, which was no less valuable than the Diamond Body. Simply put, it allowed mastery over all fires, like the Flame Emperor, making all flames submit to his will. This meant that when facing enemies who could manipulate fire, he could stand still and let them burn him without losing a single hair, and could even seize control of their flames, making him the natural nemesis of fire-attribute warriors and demons.

Besides the benefits from the system, there was also the White Bone Demon Fire, courtesy of the White Bone Master.

This demon fire, forged from the bones of tens of thousands of living beings, was extraordinarily sinister, capable of burning anything, with power great enough to threaten even Innate Realm Masters.

The White Bone Demon Fire significantly compensated for Gu Qingfeng's lack of offensive capabilities.

After taking inventory, Gu Qingfeng fell into a deep sleep, content with his harvest.

.......

The next morning.

The group set out together.

Since everyone was headed to Wutong Prefecture, they traveled as companions.

Although everyone else was a martial artist, Si Wei was not. As a delicate woman, she could only travel in a sedan chair, moving at a leisurely pace.

What should have been a one-day journey took two full days.

However, Gu Qingfeng wasn't in any hurry - there was plenty of time, and traveling with a beauty made it quite pleasant.

Notably, during this time, Si Wei removed her veil, whether due to growing familiarity with Gu Qingfeng or other thoughts.

But these details weren't important - what mattered was that Si Wei's unveiled face was truly breathtaking.

How beautiful was she?

Without exaggeration, she was only slightly less beautiful than Little Corpse Charm.

Little Corpse Charm could change its appearance at will, naturally choosing the most beautiful form possible. It was definitely this world's ceiling in terms of beauty, limited only by its imagination.

For Si Wei's beauty to rival such a being, while not quite reaching that ceiling, she was certainly among the top beauties.

However, Si Wei had one advantage over Little Corpse Charm - her temperament. No matter how Little Corpse Charm changed its appearance, its inherent charm as a corpse spirit was innate.

Si Wei was the complete opposite.

She possessed a gentle and dignified temperament, embodying both the soft sweetness of a Jiangnan woman and the elegant dignity of a noble lady - truly a mortal beauty beyond compare.

Two days passed quietly, and everyone successfully arrived at Wutong Prefecture.

Since Gu Qingfeng needed to return to the Demon Suppression Bureau for the martial arts competition, and Si Wei and her group needed to meet Si Qingyun, they parted ways.

......

At the Demon Suppression Bureau.

The martial arts arena.

It was now packed with people, buzzing with excitement, clearly indicating the competition had begun.

Of course, most of those present were trainee Demon Eliminators, as the official Demon Eliminators were all busy with their duties and wouldn't have such leisure time.

An official stood at the front of the platform, announcing the competition rules.

Behind him was a long table seating five people, led by a Dark-rank Demon Eliminator, with the other four being Yellow-rank Demon Eliminators - they were the judges for this competition.

"The competition now officially begins. First match: Ye Xuan, Qi Gathering Realm seventh level, versus He Yi, Qi Gathering Realm ninth level."

As the official's words fell, Ye Xuan and He Yi both entered the arena.

The spectators below watched the two and discussed among themselves.

"He Yi is really lucky, starting against someone at the seventh level of Qi Gathering. Looks like he'll advance easily."

"Heh, I remember this Ye Xuan. When he registered, he was so arrogant, saying cultivation level doesn't matter, only combat strength counts. I want to see him beg for mercy now."

"Begin the match!"

At the official's command, both sides began fighting without any words.

After three moves.

He Yi held his long blade against Ye Xuan's neck and said coldly, "You've lost."

"For someone at the seventh level of Qi Gathering to last three moves against me, you should be proud. But if you want to defeat me, come back after two more years of training."

Ye Xuan's face showed unwilling resignation: "Damn... The tide turns every thirty years, don't look down..."

"Enough noise, get down quickly, stop wasting time." He Yi pressed his blade forward, forcing Ye Xuan to retreat.

The spectators below burst into laughter.

"Haha, what did I say? Young people these days really don't know their limits. Thinking they can challenge someone two levels above them at Qi Gathering? Do they think others' training was for nothing?"

"This Ye Xuan is hilarious. Must have read too many martial arts novels and thought he could fight above his level?"

"Still saying 'don't look down on the young and poor'? How amusing. If we don't pick on the young and poor, should we pick on the strong and wealthy instead?"

"Next match, Ma Zhi at Qi Gathering ninth level versus Yang Dong at Qi Gathering ninth level!"

"Finally, a match between two ninth-level practitioners! Now we'll see a real battle."

......