Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

When Ren Qianxing turned around and saw Zhengwu's eyes, he suddenly realized and said, "Oh, I forgot you are a monk and can't eat these. But don't worry, I will order some vegetarian dishes for you, such as stir-fried potato slices and shredded potatoes, stir-fried green beans and eggplant, and smashed cucumber."

Upon hearing this, Zhengwu's eyes became even more resentful.

“I don’t think Zhengwu is worried about that. Have you ever looked into how much it costs to eat at Tianya Tower?” Xia Yunsi asked with a smile.

“It’s not expensive. I know Zhengwu’s background. He can definitely afford it with his savings.”

The four strolled leisurely and soon arrived near Tianya Tower.

As the best restaurant in Nanjiang City, its appearance is naturally very different from other restaurants.

You can see the Tianya Tower from a great distance; it's shaped like a pagoda, and each floor is decorated with a large number of lanterns, making it extremely conspicuous at night.

When the four were only a few feet away from the gate of Tianya Tower, a waiter immediately ran up and greeted Ning Xiu and his companions with a smile, saying, "Esteemed guests, would you like to stay in the main hall or a private room?"

As waiters at Tianya Tower, these people were best at tailoring their service to the individual. The robes worn by Ning Xiu and his companions were made of unusual materials, clearly indicating that they came from wealthy families. Therefore, they naturally had to be treated well, and who knew they might even receive a tip.

In fact, although Ning Xiu and his friends were not from wealthy families, their potential for making and spending money was definitely not low.

If Ren Qianxing makes puppets for people, Zhengwu performs rituals for the deceased, and Xia Yunsi escorts caravans, they can all earn a lot of money.

As for Ning Xiu, needless to say, with the Demon Buddha Ning Xiu as his top enforcer, he doesn't need to worry about not having money at all.

"A private room," Ren Qianxing said directly.

"Alright, gentlemen, please come in." The waiter led the way, bringing Ning Xiu and the other three into Tianya Tower.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the building. Ning Xiu and the others turned around and saw a group of men, women, and children dressed in shabby clothes crowding outside Tianya Tower, staring longingly at the lobby inside and swallowing hard.

It was lunchtime, and the aroma of food wafted from Tianya Tower. Not only were the people who looked like refugees tempted, but even Ning Xiu and his companions were incredibly hungry.

"Who are these people?" Ning Xiu asked curiously.

The waiter looked outside with disdain and said, "These are some refugees who fled from other states. Don't worry about them, sir. Just keep walking in. We'll take care of them."

The outer states refer to those states that have not yet been recovered by the Shang Dynasty. Some people, unable to bear the torment of evil spirits, would risk their lives to flee into the Shang territory in search of a glimmer of hope.

But these people left their homes and returned to Dashang, where they had neither land nor household registration, so how could they obtain a normal life?

Therefore, most out-of-state people end up as beggars, begging everywhere.

They had to either beg for food from the locals or fight for the slop buckets in restaurants and inns to make ends meet.

Ning Xiu and the others were all Demon-Subduing Officers, and could be considered officials of the Shang Dynasty. Naturally, they could not stand idly by and turn a blind eye to this situation.

Ren Qianxing then said, "Go and get them some steamed buns and tea. I'll put the money on my tab."

"Sir, you are kind-hearted, I admire you. But you don't need to worry, my boss is a great philanthropist in Nanjiang City. He is kind and loves the people, and he can't bear to see these hungry refugees. We will take care of them." The waiter said with a smile.

"That's good." Ren Qianxing nodded.

Just then, a carriage suddenly appeared outside the restaurant. The carriage was quite luxurious, with many gilded and jade-inlaid parts.

Even without knowing the price, one can tell that this carriage definitely cost a lot of money to build.

"Manager Dong, it's Manager Dong."

"Manager Dong is here! Before I came to Nanjiang City, I heard that Manager Dong is a kind-hearted and benevolent man. He will definitely be willing to help us."

"Master Dong, I have been starving for two days. Please, I beg you, give me some food."

When the refugees saw the carriage appear, they surrounded it, kneeling around it and shouting.

A portly man in brocade robes stepped out of the carriage. When he saw the refugees outside, he immediately covered his eyes and sighed, "I can't stand seeing these people. Seeing their impoverished state breaks my heart. Quickly, get them all out of here!"

Upon hearing this, the guards following behind the carriage immediately sprang into action, driving away all the refugees one by one, completely ignoring their pleas.

"This..." Ning Xiu turned to look at the waiter: "Is this how your manager acts as a philanthropist in Nanjiang City?"

"This is ridiculous! Why don't you hurry up and do what I just said, and go distribute steamed buns to those refugees?" Ren Qianxing shouted.

Restaurants have no obligation to provide free food to refugees. If you stand on moral high ground and force the owner to provide free food to refugees, that's unreasonable, since they don't owe you anything.

However, if someone is willing to donate money to help refugees, but Tianya Lou deliberately refuses to cooperate, then the nature of the matter is different.

Under Ren Qianxing's watchful gaze, the waiter had no choice but to agree.

Dong Changgui stepped down from the carriage and entered the building with two capable guards.

This person had no aura and was just an ordinary person, but the two guards behind him were not simple.

Judging from his aura, he is actually at the sixth rank of martial arts.

If this were within the Demon Subduing Division, they would already be Bronze Leopard Demon Subduing Captains. It's quite puzzling that these two would be willing to serve as Dong Changgui's guards.

Could it be that Dong Changgui has given too much?

"Greetings, everyone." Dong Changgui had a kind face and a big smile, as if he were welcoming guests from all over the world. When he saw Ning Xiu and the others standing at the entrance, he immediately cupped his hands in greeting.

"Okay." Having witnessed the true colors of Dong Changgui, the 'great philanthropist of Nanjiang City,' Ning Xiu had no intention of talking to him and simply gave a casual reply.

Dong Changgui didn't care and continued on his way, bypassing them.

At that moment, a guard behind him suddenly walked up to Dong Changgui and whispered a few words in his ear.

Dong Changgui immediately asked with a curious expression, "Are you sure?"

“Absolutely true, fifth rank in martial arts.” The guard nodded.

"Alright, I'll send him a hero's invitation later and see if I can get him to fight for me. I'm really drooling over the position of martial arts alliance leader." Dong Changgui glanced back at Ning Xiu, then turned back and chuckled.

Only after witnessing Xiao Er actually bringing baskets of large white steamed buns in bamboo baskets to distribute to the refugees did Ning Xiu and the other three feel relieved enough to enter the building.

Compared to the crowd of refugees outside, the opulent interior was a stark contrast, with the dining tables in the main hall laden with chicken, duck, fish, and meat, filling the room with their enticing aromas.

Ning Xiu took a sniff and his mouth watered. It seemed that Tianya Tower's reputation was well-deserved; the chefs here were indeed exceptionally skilled.

Following the waiter to a private room, Ren Qianxing sat down and ordered dishes according to the menu provided by the waiter.

As one meat dish after another was ordered, Zhengwu felt a pang of pain in his heart.

He wasn't upset about spending money, but rather about the fact that he had spent money but couldn't afford to eat it. Although Ren Qianxing had thoughtfully ordered him some vegetarian dishes, how much could vegetarian dishes possibly cost?

"After this meal, we'll stay in Nanjiang City for a day and then return to Jingzhou. This trip isn't an official mission, so we shouldn't linger too long outside, lest the team leader needs us and can't find us," Xia Yunsi said.

"Brother Ning is truly fortunate. He has already reached the middle third rank and can now form his own Bronze Leopard Squad. From now on, he will no longer need to be managed by the squad leader," Ren Qianxing said with envy as he looked at Ning Xiu.

When he first met Ning Xiu in Wendeng County, the other party was only at the lower third rank of martial arts. Now, only a month has passed, and his strength has improved so rapidly. It is impossible not to be envious.

A Demon-Subduing Officer at the middle third rank has only two paths to choose from within the Demon-Subduing Division: either build their own Bronze Leopard Squad to deal with all sorts of evil spirits that occur within the Great Shang territory.

They could either go to the front lines to defend against the demon army of the demon kingdom.

Ning Xiu had never considered the second option before, but after accidentally obtaining the true form of the Demon Buddha during his visit to Yunxia Mountain, his mind suddenly became active.

If we could take the Demon Buddha Ning Xiu to the front lines, with his first-grade Buddhist and Taoist strength, wouldn't killing the demon army and demon soldiers be as easy as playing around?

Furthermore, when Ning Xiu kills evil spirits, he also gains general proficiency, making it a fast leveling path where a high-level character carries a low-level character.

When we return to Chaotiandu this time, we can explore this avenue.

“It won’t be long before you all reach the middle third rank,” Ning Xiu said.

"Then I'll take your kind words."

Boom boom boom!

During their conversation, a knock sounded at the door of the private room, and a burly man in tight-fitting clothes pushed the door open and walked in, holding a red invitation card in his hand.

“It’s you.” Ning Xiu recognized the man’s face; he was one of the guards behind Dong Changgui earlier.

"I've met you all. This is an invitation from my shopkeeper for you. Please take a look. It would be even better if you are interested."

The burly man handed the invitation to Ning Xiu, saying it was for "you," but it was actually aimed at Ning Xiu.

After all, there were only two martial arts practitioners present, Ning Xiu and Xia Yunsi, and Ning Xiu was the one with the highest strength... Martial Arts Rank 5.

Ning Xiu quickly glanced at the post after opening it and understood its contents.

It turns out that a martial arts force called the Azure Dragon Society on Cangshan Mountain proposed to jointly build the martial arts world of Yunze Prefecture. In order to determine the position of the martial arts alliance leader, they specially issued a hero's invitation to all martial artists in Yunze Prefecture. As long as you feel that you are strong enough, you can go to Cangshan Mountain in a few days to participate in the martial arts conference and compete for the position of martial arts alliance leader.

This post only applies to martial arts. Even if someone reaches the upper three ranks in other major paths, they are not qualified to enter the arena.

"Martial Arts Tournament?" Ning Xiu raised an eyebrow. It was indeed a term that sounded both familiar and unfamiliar.

Hundreds of years ago, when evil spirits appeared in various parts of the Shang Dynasty's territory, the martial arts world, composed of warriors, began to gradually decline.

All the powerful martial artists were recruited by the Demon Subduing Division to fight against evil spirits, protect the people, and stabilize the world. The remaining second- and third-rate masters naturally no longer had the appeal to support the martial arts world.

"Yes, if this young hero is interested, he can join Tianya Tower. We can then go to Cangshan together to fight for Tianya Tower. My manager will offer a generous reward, and the amount will definitely not disappoint you," the burly man in tight-fitting clothes said earnestly.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in this kind of thing. You should find someone else." Ning Xiu handed the invitation back, politely declining the offer.

What a joke! As a Demon Slayer, why would I want to be the leader of the martial arts alliance? In my memory, very few people who become the leader of the martial arts alliance have a good ending.

Moreover, while the position of martial arts alliance leader is a highly coveted and prestigious post for all factions in Yunze Prefecture, it holds absolutely no value for him personally.

"No rush, young hero, you can think it over some more. If you've made up your mind, you can come to Tianya Tower to find Manager Dong anytime." The burly man put away the invitation and then left the private room.

Ning Xiu and the others didn't take this little incident to heart. Once the food was served, the four of them, who had been craving it for a long time, immediately began to eat heartily.

Meanwhile, the government offices in Nanjiang City received a large number of reports in a single day.

The situation was that some martial arts forces in the city had their bases burned down for unknown reasons, and some sect leaders and gang leaders were even killed on the way out, all by masked bandits.

[061] A New Evolutionary Technique of Observing Qi and Destiny

"Sir, there have been more than ten reports of houses being burned down today. The perpetrators are all those martial arts forces. It is said that their leader went to Cangshan to attend a banquet not long ago and has not returned yet."

Inside the yamen, Ye Hang, the prefect of Nanjiang City, sat in his chair with a deep frown. This fire could be considered an accident, but so many fires had occurred simultaneously in one day.

This clearly indicates that someone deliberately set the fire; such an act is a direct provocation against him, the person in charge of Nanjiang City.

"Send out all the best detectives in the city to check if any clues were left at the scene. We must not let this happen again," Ye Hang said.

"Yes."

Since they are martial arts factions, open and covert struggles are inevitable, a point Ye Hang is well aware of.

As the prefect, you can only turn a blind eye to these people's affairs; it's better to guide than to suppress, and you can't be too strict with them.

If the fight didn't happen in the streets of Nanjiang City, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries, and involving ordinary people, then it wouldn't affect Ye Hang.

"By the way, has Lord Meng returned from Yunxia Mountain yet?" Ye Hang asked.