Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

Chapter 104: Chapter 99: Engagement_1

The next day, Gu Chen arrived at the Jing Tian Department in the outer city and reported to Chen Yu the details of his meeting with King Huai and their conversation from the previous day.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu nodded slightly and said, "I have already received the orders. The main task now is to thoroughly eradicate the remnants of the Six Union God Sect. Recently, there have been no sightings of the sect's martial artists, which means they must be plotting something in the shadows. Be ready at all times; an urgent mission could come at any moment."

"Yes." Gu Chen responded with a fist salute.

At this moment, a hint of a smile appeared in Chen Yu's eyes. He sized up Gu Chen and said, "If I am not mistaken, you have yet to be married, correct?"

Taken aback by this, Gu Chen did not quite understand Chen Yu's implication, but he still replied, "Reporting to my superior, I am not."

"Do you have a childhood sweetheart you are acquainted with?"

"No." Gu Chen shook his head. Given the original owner's dull nature, it was unlikely to attract a woman's affection, and he himself had never entertained such thoughts either.

"Do you have any woman in mind you admire?"

Chen Yu asked again, and Gu Chen still shook his head, indicating he did not.

Chen Yu nodded and said slowly, "At your age, you should also be of marriageable age by now. I thought you might have someone in mind, and I could have stepped forward to propose on your behalf. But since you don't have a suitable candidate, I could arrange one for you."

Upon hearing this, a bitter smile appeared on Gu Chen's face. He was only twenty years old in this body, an age at which, in his previous life, one would not even have graduated from college, let alone be able to obtain a marriage certificate.

Yet now, Chen Yu seems to have the intention of arranging a marriage for him.

In Da Xia, men generally marry between the ages of fifteen and twenty, while women do so between fourteen and sixteen.

In the Gu Family, whether it was Gu Chen or Gu Qingyan, they would be considered quite old for marriage in another year or two in the context of Da Xia.

However, Gu Chengfeng had always been open-minded about these matters; he himself married rather late, so he was never in a hurry.

Gu Chen did not expect that while his uncle was not anxious, Chen Yu would start to show concern.

Of course, Gu Chen knew that this was because Chen Yu thought highly of him. Otherwise, for anyone else, such treatment would have been unheard of; having the Commander personally arrange a marriage for them would astonish many.

Only that Commander Chen himself was twenty-eight and still unmarried, yet he was concerned about Gu Chen's marital status, leaving Gu Chen somewhat speechless.

Seeing Gu Chen's reluctance, Chen Yu asked with a smile, "What, you wouldn't want a marriage arranged by me personally?"

"I wouldn't dare."

Gu Chen quickly stood up and replied with a fist salute, "My lord, with the current turmoil in the nine provinces, with demons harassing the common folk in broad daylight and the remnants of the Six Union God Sect stalking in the dark, and with various factions in the martial world stirring, as a member of the Jing Tian Department, I am solely focused on how to eliminate these evil demons to stabilize the world.

I truly don't have any thoughts of marriage at the moment."

Chen Yu nodded slightly and said with a faint smile, "In that case, you must be aware that the situation in the world is becoming increasingly dangerous and unstable. As members of the Jing Tian Department, we are at the forefront, potentially sacrificing our lives in the line of duty at any moment. It is only right that you think of a contingency plan for yourself."

"As I understand it, your Gu Family has only you for a male heir. If something unforeseen were to happen to you one day, wouldn't your Gu Family be without a successor? I believe that if I were to discuss this matter with your Uncle and Aunt, they too would strongly agree."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen's expression immediately stiffened. If Chen Yu were to truly speak of this matter to Gu Chengfeng, there was a good chance Gu Chengfeng would indeed encourage Gu Chen to marry soon.

"This..." Gu Chen looked troubled, as he genuinely had no intention of marrying and did not want to waste time on it.

Relationships between men and women are the most unpredictable and incredibly draining.

Chen Yu said earnestly, "I am doing this for your own good. Your Gu Family has rather shallow roots; if you wish to accomplish anything in the future, relying solely on yourself will not suffice. Tomorrow is the Duke of the Liang State's birthday banquet. His granddaughter is seventeen and unmarried, and she is also quite attractive. I have a good relationship with the Duke and could introduce you."

Gu Chen knew that Chen Yu was laying the groundwork for him. The path of martial arts becomes increasingly difficult, and it also requires a substantial amount of resources to support it. No one can be sure that they will always advance boldly on the martial path; there is always a limit.

Even though in Chen Yu's eyes, Gu Chen was a natural-born martial talent, he still needed various resources to truly grow.

If Gu Chen were to marry the Duke's granddaughter, not to mention other benefits, the first to profit would be his Uncle Gu Chengfeng's family, and Gu Chen himself would receive the Duke's full support.

With the Duke's Mansion having no male heirs in this generation and only this granddaughter, the resources of a Duke's Mansion leaning towards Gu Chen would be of great benefit, both for him personally and for the entire Gu Family.

But Gu Chen did not see it that way; he had the advantage of his abilities, and he might not need anyone else's help. As long as he stayed with the Jing Tian Department and kept slaying demons continuously, his strength would keep improving.

Gu Chen was inclined to refuse, but then he heard Chen Yu say, "I won't force you. Tomorrow at the Duke's birthday banquet, join me, and I will arrange for you two to meet. If you are willing, we can proceed with further discussions; if you are still unwilling, then let's pretend I never mentioned it."

"Thank you, my lord." Gu Chen replied with a fist salute, maintaining a serious demeanor.

After setting the time for attending tomorrow's birthday banquet, Gu Chen hurried off, with quite the air of fleeing the scene.

Dressed in blue robes, the handsome Chen Yu saw Gu Chen's reaction and a smile appeared on his face.

...

After leaving the Jing Tian Department in the outer city, Gu Chen headed back to the Gu Mansion.

He barely visited his own house in the outer city anymore; after all, the environment there was relatively mediocre. Plus, with the persuasion from his uncle's family, Gu Chen had essentially moved to the Gu Mansion completely.

Upon returning to Gu Mansion, Gu Chen found several carriages parked at the entrance, and about a dozen servants lined up in a long queue, each holding a gift box.

Gu Chen furrowed his brows slightly and found Uncle Zhang, the gatekeeper, and asked, "Uncle Zhang, what's happening here?"

Uncle Zhang replied in a low voice, "It's Lord Marquis's son, Cao Zhen, the heir of Pingxi. He has come to our Gu Mansion, and these are the gifts he has brought for Miss Gu."

Gu Chen's eyes narrowed; it seemed that Cao Zhen's intentions hadn't died, and he still had his sights set on Gu Qingyan.

Gu Chen walked past the entrance and into Gu Mansion. Inside, his second uncle, off from his duties for the day, was having tea in the courtyard with Xu Qinge and Gu Qingyan, a family of three keeping Cao Zhen company.

Seeing Gu Chen return, the eyes of Gu Chengfeng's family lit up, "Has our eldest son returned?"

"Second Uncle, Aunt."

Gu Chen greeted them before sitting down to one side.

"Big brother, you've returned." Seeing Gu Chen, Gu Qingyan, who had been expressionless, also showed a bright smile on her pretty face, starkly different from her demeanor towards Cao Zhen.

"Brother Gu, we meet again," Cao Zhen greeted with a smile.

Gu Chen looked at the gifts arrayed on the table, each one a treasure radiating splendor, exceptionally extraordinary. There were also some servants holding delicate silks, standing by and waiting for instructions.

The entire Gu Mansion seemed to be filled with people brought by Cao Zhen.

"Young Lord Marquis, what does this mean?" Gu Chen directed his gaze towards Cao Zhen.

Cao Zhen smiled slightly and said, "Nothing much. I just thought of presenting some gifts to Miss Gu as an apology for yesterday's matter. It happened that Uncle Gu was also at home, so I took the opportunity to sit and chat for a while."

Though of average stature and ordinary looks, perhaps because of his military background, Cao Zhen had a firm and masculine face, and his smile seemed sincere, leaving no impression of deceit.

If it weren't for yesterday's experience in the inner city, Gu Qingyan might indeed have developed some fondness for Cao Zhen.

Upon hearing Cao Zhen address him as "Uncle Gu," Gu Chengfeng's face turned to a bitter smile. That was the son of Lord Marquis; who was he to dare to be addressed as an uncle by him?

In the entire Gu Mansion, only Gu Chen was deemed fit to converse as an equal with Cao Zhen.

Yet, it had to be said that Cao Zhen's approachable manner did make it easy for others to be fond of him.

Hearing this, Gu Chen said, "We appreciate the thought, Young Lord Marquis, but these gifts are truly too precious. I must ask you to take them back."

"Yes, yes, indeed. Please take them back," Gu Chengfeng also nodded in agreement.

Cao Zhen gazed at Gu Chen and said with a light smile, "The gifts sent by Pingxi Marquis Mansion are not meant to be taken back; Brother Gu, you are really slapping my face by doing so."

At these words, Gu Chengfeng and Xu Qinge became stiff, and Gu Qingyan's delicate eyebrows creased slightly as she sensed Cao Zhen's domineering attitude.

Gu Chen, however, remained unconcerned, speaking with ease, "It's not that I am not giving face to Pingxi Marquis Mansion. It's just that as we have made very clear yesterday, my cousin genuinely has no such feelings for you, Young Lord Marquis. If we accept these gifts, how would outsiders view Gu Mansion?"

Cao Zhen said, "No feelings? That's not an issue. This is only the second time I meet Miss Gu. Feelings can be cultivated. My words remain the same - I fell for Miss Gu at first sight. If Miss Gu agrees, I am willing to marry her in an honorable fashion, as my lawful wife and the future lady of Pingxi Marquis Mansion." Continue your adventure with m|v-l'e -NovelBin.net

"Uncle Gu, my intentions for Qinyan are sincere and true, and I hope Uncle Gu and Auntie can grant this wish." With that, Cao Zhen rose to his feet, bent over, and gave a respectful bow to Gu Chengfeng and his wife.

Seeing this, Gu Chengfeng hastily got up, saying in a fluster, "This… Young Lord Marquis, you mustn't do this, please get up immediately."

Sitting there, Gu Chen's gaze was profound. He could see that Cao Zhen was set on Gu Qingyan and wouldn't rest until he got what he wanted.

Although Cao Zhen presented himself as earnest and sincere, Gu Chen could see that he was a deeply calculating man with a cold nature. He was speaking like this now just to secure a marriage with Gu Qingyan. As for being the lawful wife, Gu Chen didn't believe it at all.

Once Gu Qingyan was married off, with the standing of Gu Mansion, even if she wasn't the lawful wife, what could Gu Chengfeng and Xu Qinge say?

As for Gu Chen, merely a cousin, once they were married, he would have even less reason to intervene in their family affairs.

Lord Marquis guarded the frontier all year round, where conditions were desolate and difficult. In winter, the weather was extremely cold. Gu Qingyan, a delicate woman without martial skills, would suffer greatly there.

But at that moment, Cao Zhen spoke again, "I have come to Tiandu primarily to attend Duke of the Liang State's birthday feast tomorrow, and secondly to join the Jing Tian Department's War Hall. I will stay in Tiandu for a long time. I have already bought a residence in the inner city and if Qinyan agrees, we can move there today."

"You said yesterday you disliked leaving Tiandu. If that's the case, then let's live here," Cao Zhen said with a sincere look at Gu Qingyan.

Gu Qingyan's eyebrows furrowed slightly, finding Cao Zhen to be more annoying than clingy candy. But due to his status, she couldn't say anything harsh and knew she wouldn't get help from her parents on this matter. She turned to Gu Chen, looking for help with an almost pleading gaze.

Seeing this, Cao Zhen also directed his gaze toward Gu Chen.

When everyone looked to him, Gu Chen twirled his tea cup, took a sip, and spoke slowly, "Young Lord Marquis, I wonder if Lord Marquis has ever told you that there are many things in this world that one should not force, such as matters of the heart. Qinyan truly has no such feelings for you, and no matter what you do, these cannot be coerced."

"Furthermore, with your status, Young Lord Marquis, what kind of woman could you not have? Why insist on clinging to my cousin? Moreover, you propose to marry my cousin as your lawful wife. If this news spreads, it may invite idle gossip. Worse still, if heard by political adversaries of Lord Marquis, it could even become a pretext to attack Pingxi Marquis Mansion.

I urge you, Young Lord Marquis, to think this through."