Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

"Gulp!"

When the scent of food from the inn reached their nostrils, Zhang Zining and his sister Zhang Yining spontaneously gulped down a mouthful of saliva, unable to control their hunger.

They had no choice, they were simply too hungry. Not having eaten for the entire day, and after such a long flight, it was already impressive that they, only sixteen or seventeen years old, had held on until now.

"Where did these two little beggars come from? Get out of here quick, and don't interfere with our business!"

At this moment, the inn's servant noticed Zhang Zining and his sister, walking towards them with an impatient expression as if shooing away flies.

At this moment, the siblings were drenched from the rain, their clothes completely soaked through, and since Zhang Yining had just fallen over, they were splattered with mud as well, looking no different from beggars. It was no wonder they were mistaken for such.

Seeing this, Zhang Zining immediately stepped forward and said urgently, "We are not beggars, we have money!"

With that, he reached into his bosom, but came up empty.

Zhang Zining's expression shifted. With Zhang Yining already pale from hunger and waiting expectantly, Zhang Zining bit his lip and fished around in his clothes again, but still found nothing.

The inn's servant saw this and scoffed, "Not beggars, eh? Alright then, where's your money? Where is it?"

"We... we lost our money on the road..." Zhang Zining's face was swept with panic, having been too focused while fleeing for their lives, the silver must have fallen out then.

"Still claiming you're not beggars. Get the hell out of here, or be careful I might beat you up!" The servant continued to curse as he drove the siblings away.

"We... we…" Zhang Zining was in a frantic state, wanting to say something, but without money, the servant would listen to nothing he said.

Seeing the pitiable state of the siblings, the innkeeper came over at this time, sighed, and said, "Let it be, let them stay."

Hearing the innkeeper's words, the servant naturally couldn't drive the siblings away anymore. He glanced at Zhang Zining and Zhang Yining and said, "Consider yourselves two lucky beggars."
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The innkeeper was a middle-aged man, slightly overweight, and with a kind face. He looked at Zhang Zining and his sister, reminded of his own children far away at home, and with a friendly smile, he asked, "What would you two like to eat?"

"We…" The siblings felt very embarrassed to eat without paying.

"Gurgle, gurgle..." Right then, their stomachs protested loudly, and the innkeeper chuckled and ordered an attendant to bring some food over.

The other guests inside the inn didn't say anything about this scene.

"Thank you, thank you…" With food coming their way, the siblings immediately thanked the innkeeper profusely, bowing over and over.

After that, the innkeeper arranged for them to sit down and brought over warm towels for them to wash their faces with.

"Yining, you use it first." Zhang Zining held the towel in his hands and carefully wiped his sister's face.

Upon cleaning off the mud, Zhang Yining's charming and adorable face was revealed, fair-skinned with delicate features.

Seeing Zhang Yining's appearance made everyone in the inn take notice, including the servant.

This face, indeed, did not resemble that of a beggar.

At that moment, a drunken brute with a flushed face and hiccupping laugh sat there teasing, "Little sister, are you hungry? Come here to me, brother will make sure you're well-fed every day with delicious food."

"Hahahaha..." The man's companions, equally boisterous and lecherous friends, also burst into laughter, ogling Zhang Yining's pretty face and curvaceous figure.

Seeing this, Zhang Zining's expression darkened, and Zhang Yining, who heard these vulgar words, blushed deeply, as she was just a sixteen-year-old girl unaccustomed to such talk.

Noticing the flush on Zhang Yining's cheeks, the drunkards laughed even harder, and one of them even stood up, looking to head towards them.

"My dear guest, you've had too much to drink... too much to drink…" The innkeeper's face changed, and he tried to intervene, but being just an ordinary citizen, he was no match for the brute, who pushed him aside with ease.

The servant, seeing this, was startled and quickly helped the innkeeper up, while firmly holding him back, preventing him from moving forward.

The Zhang siblings, witnessing the scene, also looked alarmed. Both were martial artists, but due to their escape, they were desperately weak and couldn't muster any strength.

Bang!

At that moment, a sound rang out. A young man in black clothes, with a handsome face and sword-like eyebrows, slapped the table and said indifferently, "Eat your meal if you want to eat; all this talk is unnecessary. Eat if you like, or roll out if you don't."

"Who's this smelly brat who dares to mouth off at me!"

The burly man was immediately infuriated and prepared to teach the young man a lesson in his drunken state.

But then, a companion appeared, quickly stopping him from making a move, while apologetically addressing Gu Chen with a smile, "I'm sorry, my brother here is drunk and has disturbed you. Please enjoy your meal at your own pace."

"What are you doing, let go of me…" The big man belligerently protested.

His companion, still sober, whispered urgently in his ear, "If you don't want to die, listen to me. Look at the clothes he's wearing; he's way out of our league!"

The big man came to his senses, his eyes clearing considerably, and he was pulled back to his seat by his friend.

Zhang Zining, upon seeing this, looked at Gu Chen with a face full of gratitude. Gu Chen didn't seem to mind and continued eating on his own.

After he wiped out the last stronghold of the Blood Clothes Tower, it began to rain from the sky, so Gu Chen found this inn to have something to eat and fill his stomach.

Although at his level of cultivation, he could go a month without eating without any issues, his desire for food still remained. If he could eat, he would eat; there was no need to mistreat himself.

That's why he was here.

Soon, the food was served, and Zhang Zining and his sister, Zhang Yining, began to devour their meal eagerly. It was clear that they were really hungry.

But just at that moment, with a bang, the inn's door was kicked open violently, and around a dozen figures rushed in.

They scanned the room, and quickly spotted the pale and trembling Zhang siblings, Zhang Zining and Zhang Yining. The leader waved his hand and commanded, "Take them away!"

"You... don't come over, help, help me!" Zhang Zining and Zhang Yining's faces were filled with panic. The moment they saw these people, their hearts sank to the bottom.

The other patrons of the inn, upon seeing these figures, especially the distinctive emblem embroidered on their clothes, instantly changed their expressions and exclaimed in a low voice, "Arsenal!"

The leader had exceptional hearing and Vajra Stage cultivation. He glanced indifferently at the person who recognized them but said nothing more.

"Help... help us!" In their desperation, the Zhang siblings turned their pleading gazes to Gu Chen, who wasn't far away.

Seeing this, the leader of the Arsenal narrowed his eyes, glaring at Gu Chen, and warned, "Arsenal is handling its affairs. Outsiders should stand aside, or you'll risk your lives!"

He could tell from Gu Chen's attire and the composed aura around him that Gu Chen was extraordinary. Hence, he took the initiative to state his affiliation, hoping Gu Chen would be deterred upon hearing the name "Arsenal" and stay out of the mess.

After all, Arsenal's reputation in the martial world was no less prestigious than that of the Seven Sects, Eight Factions, or the Three Great Da Sects. In some aspects, it even surpassed them.

Zhang Zining, looking at the men from Arsenal, shouted angrily, "You shameless thieves, scum! Not only did you steal our family's heirloom weapon, but now you even want to silence us! Is there no law in this world? I will report you to the officials!"

Zhang Yining was extremely scared, her face deathly pale as she hid behind her brother Zhang Zining, tears welling up in her eyes.

The leader of the Arsenal looked indifferently at Zhang Zining. With a wave of his hand, he was about to have them taken away.

He then called one of his subordinates over and whispered in his ear, "Kill everyone in this inn."

"Yes!" Upon hearing the order, his subordinate's eyes turned cold.

Just as the Zhang siblings were about to be taken away by the group, feeling utterly hopeless, a voice suddenly intervened.

"Wait a moment."

Zhang Zining and Zhang Yining's eyes instantly lit up as they looked towards the source of the voice—it was Gu Chen.

The leader of the Arsenal, a Vajra Stage martial artist, looked towards Gu Chen with a heavy expression and warned, "Friend, I advise you not to interfere in others' business!"

Gu Chen looked at him as if he were nothing and asked Zhang Zining, "Just now, did you say you want to report to the officials?"

The people from the Arsenal, upon hearing this, tensed up, their brows furrowed as they asked Gu Chen, "Are you someone from the court?"

But Gu Chen continued to ignore him and calmly and deeply looked at Zhang Zining, asking, "What exactly do you want to report?"

Zhang Zining hurriedly replied, "I want to report them for stealing my family's heirloom weapon and trying to kill us siblings to keep us quiet... uh..."

However, he couldn't finish his words, as someone had stuffed his mouth.

The lead Arsenal warrior said coldly, "Nonsense, we're leaving!"

"Did I say you could leave?" As they began to move, Gu Chen's voice came again, causing the Arsenal members to halt in their steps.

The Vajra Stage martial artist leading them turned his head to look at Gu Chen, his face serious and with a threatening tone, he warned, "I strongly advise you not to meddle. This is an internal matter of the Arsenal!"

Gu Chen said indifferently, "Since he mentioned reporting to the officials, of course, I should get involved. If it doesn't concern me, you can take the people away at your leisure."

"Hmph!"

The people of the Arsenal, upon hearing this, snorted coldly and turned to leave.

Gu Chen remained expressionless and didn't stop them but added, "While I'm in a good mood after eating and drinking my fill, I'll say one more thing—anyone who dares take another step forward dies!"

As soon as the word "dies" was uttered, the Arsenal members immediately felt a chilling threat envelop them.

"Are you determined to muddy the waters and oppose the Arsenal?" The leading martial artist of the Arsenal turned his head back, his hand already on his weapon at his waist, his expression dark as water, issuing a final warning to Gu Chen.

Gu Chen looked back with a smile that wasn't quite a smile and replied, "What if I oppose the Arsenal?"

The Vajra Stage martial artist's face stiffened at once. He took a deep breath, faced Gu Chen, and asked heavily, "Just who are you exactly?"

In response, Gu Chen looked up slightly, his deep, dark eyes fixed on the people of the Arsenal. With a tranquil demeanor, he simply stated, "Jing Tian Department, Gu Chen!"