Demon, come and cultivate for me.

The prince's voice was like a gentle breeze.

He strode over to the three men, helped them up one by one, and extended his arms:

"A conversation inside the museum."

The three men couldn't help but feel a sense of goodwill towards the Crown Prince of Zhou Chu, who was so approachable and showed no trace of the arrogant attitude of someone in a high position.

A man in red robes was accompanying the prince, his right hand always gripping the hilt of a sword, his eyes sharp and wary as he watched everyone around the prince.

Upon entering the inn, rooms and seats were already arranged, with hot tea and snacks laid out on the tables.

The group took their seats, one as host and one as guests.

The prince said, "This is new tea from the State of Chu. Please try it and see how it tastes."

Zhou Chu and the other two picked up their teacups together, took a sip, and then put them down.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince couldn't help but laugh and said, "You all don't need to be so formal. This is a private occasion; just treat it as a gathering of friends."

The three responded in unison, "Yes, sir."

"Are you settling in well in the capital?" the Crown Prince asked, picking up his teacup and blowing on it.

"Habit," the three answered in unison.

The prince put down his teacup and clapped his hands.

The door was pushed open, and three soldiers entered, each carrying a tray with gleaming gold bars, totaling at least a hundred taels.

The Crown Prince said, "I have been preoccupied with affairs lately and have not been able to settle you all in time. I will give you these as a gift for your expenses in the capital."

Zhou Chu spoke first: "Thank you for the reward, Your Highness!"

"No need for formalities," the Crown Prince waved his hand and continued:

"Now, the Great Yan is surrounded by powerful enemies from the outside and plagued by evil spirits within. If the Great Yan Kingdom could have more virtuous talents like you, it would be able to quell the chaos and bring prosperity to the people and strength to the nation."

When the Crown Prince spoke of the current situation in the Yan Kingdom, he frowned, his eyes filled with worry.

Xu Yuan was the first to express his opinion: "We are deeply grateful for the Crown Prince's kindness. We will obey any orders you give us."

Chen Xiangzi said, "I am willing to share the Crown Prince's burdens."

"You've already said everything, what else can I say?" Zhou Chu regretted not reading more books or watching more period dramas back then.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly, and as soon as Chen Xiangzi finished speaking, he said:

"Me too!"

The Crown Prince nodded slightly, but did not continue the topic.

He then said:

"The inn is too simple and not suitable for long-term stay. If you gentlemen do not have a place to stay in the capital, you can go to Mr. Cheng and he can arrange for you to move to the Crown Prince's residence."

Zhou Chu didn't understand what this meant.

Xu Yuan and Chen Xiangzi, the two natives, naturally understood that the Crown Prince was treating them as his retainers, and they quickly stood up to express their gratitude.

Zhou Chu followed suit and imitated him.

The crown prince waved for the three to sit down and not stand on ceremony, then began to inquire about their personal circumstances.

Xu Yuan came from the Xu family of the capital, which was second only to the Xie family in the capital in its early years. The Crown Prince had some understanding of Xu Yuan's situation.

Chen Xiangzi was from the State of Chu, and his identity was somewhat sensitive. Therefore, when he registered as a martial artist, his general situation was reported to the Crown Prince.

As for Zhou Chu's experiences, even the Crown Prince found them quite surreal.

Just a month ago, he was an insignificant country bumpkin. In just one month, he has become a peak-level martial artist.

The crown prince carefully sensed the power emanating from him, which seemed to be on par with his own.

That's incredible, truly incredible.

The crown prince asked Zhou Chu why his cultivation had improved so rapidly.

Zhou Chu said that this was thanks to his master Ji Ling Dao Ren's excellent teaching and his uncle Fan Li's generous guidance.

The reason for saying this is still the same: Ji Ling Dao Ren is dead and there is no way to verify it, Fan Li has disappeared without a trace, and there is no way to find out anything.

The Crown Prince praised Zhou Chu, saying, "He is exceptionally gifted, humble and reserved, and wise in a seemingly foolish way."

Zhou Chu was very pleased to hear this.

On second thought, the first two sentences were good words, what the hell is this "great wisdom appears as foolishness" nonsense?

Doesn't saying that make me sound stupid?

From the moment the prince entered the guesthouse until he left, only the time it takes to drink two cups of tea had passed.

They only chatted casually during the conversation and did not mention why they had been summoned to the capital.

Over the next two days, Chen Xiangzi and Xu Yuan moved into the Crown Prince's residence.

Zhou Chu, on the other hand, moved to his newly purchased residence in the western part of the city.

On the day Zhou Chu moved in, the Crown Prince sent dozens of people to deliver a complete set of furniture and decorations.

They also helped Zhou Chu clean the house thoroughly, inside and out.

In addition to the people sent by the Crown Prince, Manager Hu from the Pill Shop also came with gifts to offer his congratulations.

It was evening, and when Manager Hu noticed that Zhou Chu's house was empty of firewood, rice, oil, and salt, he invited Zhou Chu out for drinks.

Zhou Chu readily agreed.

He had a fairly good impression of Manager Hu; apart from being a bit greedy, he had no other faults.

The two arrived at the restaurant. Zhou Chu called over a waiter, placed a silver ingot on the table, and instructed him:

"Bring on all the best wine and food."

"How can this be? I'll do it, I'll do it." Manager Hu pushed the silver on the table to Zhou Chu, then rummaged in his pocket for a while before his expression suddenly changed.

Then he remembered that he had spent all the money he had on gifts for Zhou Chu.

Zhou Chu picked up the silver, stuffed it into the waiter's hand, and said to Manager Hu, "It's just a meal and drinks, no need to be polite."

Manager Hu gave an awkward smile and sat back down in his seat: "Next time, next time it'll be my treat."

After a few bowls of wine, Manager Hu started to talk more, telling Zhou Chu all about how many people were in his family, how many acres of land they owned, and how many cows they had.

Shopkeeper Hu's younger brother works under the Crown Prince.

His words revealed that Manager Hu had an excellent relationship with his younger brother.

So Zhou Chu tried to inquire about the Crown Prince's summoning of martial artists to the capital, asking whether this was a long-standing custom or a one-off exception.

Manager Hu said that this was the first time he had heard of such a thing.

Normally, the government would only mobilize warriors from various regions when it suffered defeats in external wars.

However, they will not be summoned to the capital, but will instead go directly to the battlefield to assemble.

Zhou Chu was even more confused after hearing this.

The Crown Prince is in such a hurry to summon these people to the capital, but he hasn't arranged anything for them. What exactly does he want to do?

Just to recruit more retainers?

Things are probably not that simple.

The capital city is teeming with martial artists, including many scions of powerful and influential families. Why go to such lengths to issue an imperial edict summoning people from outside the capital?

Unable to figure it out, Zhou Chu stopped thinking about it.

Having a house in the capital finally gave me a place to stay.

The real priority is to continue slaying demons and collecting their souls, deducing cultivation techniques, and improving one's cultivation level.

Manager Hu barely ate any food, but drank a lot of wine, and eventually collapsed unconscious on the table.

Zhou Chu ate every last bite of the table full of food.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Zhou Chu asked the restaurant manager to arrange a carriage to take the two of them back.

The restaurant owner learned from the waiter that this customer was very generous, spending fifty taels of silver at a time, so he naturally wouldn't refuse Zhou Chu's request.

The restaurant wasn't far from Zhou Chu's home, but Manager Hu had drunk too much and needed to be taken back.

Shopkeeper Hu's house was just across the street from Zhou Chu's residence.

The carriage soon arrived at Manager Hu's door.

Zhou Chu asked the waiter to escort Manager Hu home, while he walked home himself.

As I approached the gate and was about to open it, I suddenly heard what sounded like two people whispering in the courtyard.