I Have 10 Equipment Slots-Chapter 105 - 93: They’re Dead
In short, Gu Zheng tossed the decision back to Meng Taiqi and Xie Bisheng.
Whether they would be ordinary teachers and students or formal masters and disciples was up to them!
If it was the former, it didn’t matter. It was just two ordinary tuition gifts, and Gu Zheng could afford them.
If it was the latter, Gu Zheng would still come out ahead.
Two Heroic Body Realm experts—even without the gifts, he would instantly gain two powerful backers!
"..."
Meng Taiqi and Xie Bisheng, however, fell silent.
They exchanged a glance.
Meng Taiqi was the first to speak. "My apologies. We were too abrupt. We got carried away and disturbed you, Ping’an. How about this? Today isn’t convenient. Tomorrow evening, we’ll come to your residence to discuss this in detail. You can make your decision then. How does that sound?"
"One promise," Xie Bisheng added. "We won’t make things difficult for you."
"Right."
Meng Taiqi nodded. Then, without his mouth moving, a voice sounded in Gu Zheng’s mind. "Don’t worry. This matter will be of great benefit to you, should you agree."
"Alright."
Gu Zheng nodded and bowed, watching the two of them leave.
Once Meng Taiqi and Xie Bisheng had walked off and disappeared from sight, the street, which had been quiet for some time, returned to its usual liveliness. As pedestrians began to move about, they looked at Gu Zheng with curiosity and intrigue.
Gu Zheng ignored them and followed Ke Juzhen back to the forging room.
"Heh, Ping’an, you’re soaring to the heavens now. Two Demon-slaying Grand Generals are fighting to be your master."
Ke Juzhen cackled, his small eyes glinting.
"Master Ke, do you think this is normal?" Gu Zheng asked directly.
"...Normal? Well, it is a bit out of the ordinary."
Ke Juzhen blinked. "But for you, the pros definitely outweigh the cons."
"That depends on what it is," Gu Zheng said calmly. "Something that even Demon-slaying Grand Generals are helpless to solve and need outside help for... I don’t believe I’m capable of handling it."
"You..."
Ke Juzhen faltered for a moment, then burst out laughing. "It’s not always good to be so clear-headed. What’s life without a bit of blissful ignorance?"
"I just don’t believe that good things fall from the sky for no reason," Gu Zheng said with a small smile.
’Aside from the parents who raised you, who would ever treat you so wholeheartedly without expecting anything in return?’
’Meng Taiqi and Xie Bisheng were major figures over two hundred years ago. How could they possibly hear about my age, my realm, and a few good deeds I’ve done, then come running over, fighting to be my master?’
’They must want something!’
Fortunately, the two of them meant no harm. After Gu Zheng’s subtle prompt, they realized the issue and decided to lay all their cards on the table tomorrow night.
Honestly, Gu Zheng was still very curious.
’Just what could it be that would make two Demon-slaying Grand Generals like Meng Taiqi and Xie Bisheng cast aside their own prestige to get involved?’
...
...
「Luozhou.」
「Datang Prefecture.」
BOOM!!
A world-shaking crash.
At the summit of a thousand-meter-tall mountain peak, the void suddenly exploded, and vast swathes of space began to warp.
Under the pull of the chaotic energies, the originally dim sky rapidly receded.
Streaks of lightning tore across the sky, erupting with deafening peals of thunder that illuminated the heavens and the earth.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
A fierce gale howled, sweeping through the mountains, bending rows of great trees and sending countless broken branches, weeds, clumps of dirt, and shattered stones flying through the air.
"SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!"
Amidst this apocalyptic scene, figure after figure shot through the air, rushing out from the thousand-meter-high mountain one after another, continuously moving away from the peak.
SHWIP! SHWIP!
Xiao Dutian and Dugu Feixue, along with several other figures, sprinted through the air, covering several hundred meters in a single breath before landing on a patch of open wasteland to catch their breath.
"Damn that Demon Slayer Bureau! Damn Zuo Lingfeng!"
A slender, lean, and sharp-looking man with a dark expression cursed in frustration. "The Domain has only been open for five days, and he was already so eager to destroy the Rule Array Hub and end it early! Why doesn’t he just go and die? He ignored all the benefits right in front of him—what was the point of him even entering the Domain?"
"Didn’t you just say it? He didn’t enter the Domain for Source Fruits or Marvels, but to destroy the Rule Array Hub."
A sturdy man in his thirties with a resolute air and sharp, chiseled features spoke up in a deep voice. "Most people join the Demon Slayer Bureau for the benefits, but a small minority are just book-smart fools, single-mindedly devoted to serving the nation and its people without any regard for themselves. To be honest, I really admire people like that."
"Admire my ass! Those guys should all just die!" the slender man grumbled. "I refuse to believe there are many people like Zuo Lingfeng in the Demon Slayer Bureau."
"Fengzhou has one too," Dugu Feixue interjected.
"Hm?"
Hearing this, the resolute, sturdy man turned to look at Dugu Feixue in surprise. "Dugu Feixue, are you serious? Fengzhou has one too? What’s his name?"
"Gu Zheng."
Xiao Dutian jumped in to answer. "In terms of actions, he’s pretty similar to Zuo Lingfeng, but he’s very humble, not as arrogant. His strength is at the Super Body Realm; he just broke through. And he’s a year or two younger than Zuo Lingfeng."
"Tsk, the Zhong Family is really something."
After hearing this, the sturdy man sighed with feeling. "Zuo Lingfeng may be arrogant, but he’s a true genius. For the Fengzhou Demon Slayer Bureau to have someone just like him... it seems the Zhong Family’s plan to recruit geniuses has been very successful."
"People like that should all just die!"
The slender man said irritably, "Some genius. Once they’re dead, they’re just dust!"
"If he’s a genius, how could he be weak? Take Gu Zheng, for example. He’s incredibly strong," Dugu Feixue said coolly. "Plenty of people have wanted to kill him, but they’re the ones who ended up dead. Just like the Mo Family..."
"Feixue!"
Xiao Dutian’s expression changed. He cut her off with a sharp cry, "That was self-defense on Gu’s part! It’s not like..."
"Not like what? Let her finish."
A deep, powerful voice came from behind them. A tall, burly man, reeking of blood and covered in knotted muscles, spoke as he approached. "Dugu Feixue, what happened to my two brothers from the Mo Family who went to Fengzhou?"
"It’s nothing, nothing at all," Xiao Dutian said apologetically, grabbing Dugu Feixue’s arm. "We have other matters to attend to, so we’ll be on our way..."
SWOOSH—
A flicker of an afterimage.
Amidst a gust of mountain wind, the burly man crossed a hundred meters in an instant, blocking Xiao Dutian’s path. His voice was calm, but his eyes were cold and suppressed a simmering intensity as he spoke. "You’re not going anywhere until you explain yourselves."
"Mo Jiateng!"
Hearing this, Xiao Dutian dropped the pleasantries and shouted coldly, "What? We want to leave. Are you actually going to try and stop us?"
"You can try me."
Mo Jiateng was expressionless. He ignored Xiao Dutian and looked at Dugu Feixue. "Dugu Feixue," he said indifferently, "if you want to try as well..."
"They’re dead."
Dugu Feixue pulled her hand free from Xiao Dutian’s grasp and said calmly, "Mo Jiaxin and Mo Jiali are both dead."
"That’s enough, that’s enough," Xiao Dutian said, grabbing Dugu Feixue again. "Let’s go..."
HUMMM—
The air vibrated as a fist suddenly shot out, shattering the airflow as it hurtled toward Xiao Dutian.
BANG!
Xiao Dutian hastily blocked. His arms met the blow, and a ball of Powerful Qi exploded in front of him. The resulting shockwave ravaged the area and sent Xiao Dutian staggering backward. He retreated uncontrollably for more than ten meters, leaving a series of deep footprints and kicking up a spray of dirt and rock before he could finally stop himself.
"Xiao Dutian, you’d better shut your mouth!"
Mo Jiateng shot Xiao Dutian a cold, sharp glare before turning his gaze back to Dugu Feixue.
"Mo Jiaxin and Mo Jiali are both dead. Who killed them?"
"Was it that Gu Zheng you just mentioned!?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
...
...
「Fengzhou.」
「Demon Slayer Bureau Headquarters.」
Night fell.
Gu Zheng tidied up his room ahead of time, boiled a pot of tea, found three cups, and washed and set them aside. He opened the door and windows, enjoying the night breeze as he waited for his guests.
About a quarter of an hour later.
Meng Taiqi arrived first. Dressed in casual clothes and stroking his round chin, he laughed heartily as soon as he entered the courtyard. "Ping’an, you’ve been waiting long, haha."
"Greetings, General Meng. This subordinate has only just returned as well." Gu Zheng smiled and bowed, inviting the old man inside.
He had just sat down...
"Hm? What’s that?"
