Hmph, I Can't Be Bothered to Deal With You

He Fenghua frowned slightly. "Gu Qingfeng, do you know the punishment for slandering your superior?"

Gu Qingfeng grinned, showing his snow-white teeth. "He Fenghua, do you know the punishment for framing your subordinates, using coercion and bribery, and manipulating duels?"

Despite He Fenghua's usual composure, he couldn't maintain his dignity when Gu Qingfeng addressed him by name in front of so many people.

However, upon hearing Gu Qingfeng's words, he found himself unable to express his anger openly, knowing that Gu Qingfeng was alluding to his attempt to coerce and bribe him for the Wood King Sword.

Still, losing face in front of these subordinates would make it impossible to command their respect in the future.

"Gu Qingfeng! How dare you!" He Fenghua exploded in rage. "You dare spout such nonsense in broad daylight. Do you think I won't take action against you?"

"Heh." Gu Qingfeng laughed coldly. After testing the white bone demon fire with the single-character sun-burning sword last night, he was now full of confidence and extremely arrogant.

"It seems the honorable lord has a selective memory. Let me help you remember what happened the night before the final match, when someone suddenly came to me saying..."

"Gu Qingfeng!" He Fenghua cut him off with a thunderous shout, his expression furious. He never expected Gu Qingfeng to be so brazen as to expose his dealings in public.

Such an unruly subordinate was unprecedented in the strictly hierarchical Demon Suppression Bureau.

"Stop your nonsense! I am a Dark-rank Demon Eliminator, upright and honorable. How dare you slander your superior and challenge authority! Don't think that becoming a Yellow-rank Demon Eliminator gives you the right to act recklessly. Today, I shall punish you severely!

I hear you came from the Demon Suppression Prison? Being so unruly, you must have been contaminated by demonic energy. I shall send you back to the Demon Suppression Prison! You'll spend the rest of your life as a mere jailer!"

Holy crap, could this be true?!

Gu Qingfeng was dumbfounded. Was this a blessing in disguise?

He had been worried about how to get transferred to the Demon Suppression Prison after his promotion, and now this opportunity had fallen right into his lap.

As a Yellow-rank Demon Eliminator, he could directly guard the second level of the prison!

Just thinking about the powerful demons on the second level made Gu Qingfeng feel excited.

His gaze toward He Fenghua suddenly turned friendly, finding him increasingly pleasing to the eye. What a good person!

He Fenghua noticed the change in Gu Qingfeng's expression and assumed he was scared.

After all, who would want to return to that sunless place after finally becoming an official and escaping the Demon Suppression Prison?

In truth, He Fenghua was just trying to intimidate Gu Qingfeng. Having just become a Dark-rank Demon Eliminator himself, he didn't actually have the authority to handle personnel transfers.

Especially now when he needed manpower, with only five newly promoted Yellow-rank Demon Eliminators under him, all of weak strength. Sending Gu Qingfeng to the Demon Suppression Prison would mean wasting a position while losing his service.

This would make He Fenghua's team the weakest in the entire Demon Suppression Bureau.

How could He Fenghua, with his ambitious plans for advancement, accept this?

Moreover, Gu Qingfeng was clearly like a mad dog. Once demoted to the prison, he might report to higher authorities. Although He Fenghua was confident he couldn't be brought down, it would still look bad.

With this in mind, He Fenghua decided to just give him a warning.

"What's wrong? Scared now? Hmph, I'm not completely heartless. Since this is your first offense, I'll let you off this time. But if there's another..."

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't let me off! Hurry up and send me to the Demon Suppression Prison!"

Seeing He Fenghua about to let him off, Gu Qingfeng couldn't let that happen.

He Fenghua was stunned. He never expected Gu Qingfeng to be so defiant. Even when offered a way out, this fellow showed no submission and instead mocked him by asking to be sent to the prison!

His face turned purple with rage.

At this moment, He Fenghua would rather have the weakest team than keep Gu Qingfeng, but unfortunately, he couldn't make it happen!

"Hmph, nonsense. I won't waste time with you anymore."

"Officer Huang, take them to select their subordinates quickly. I have official documents to handle." With that, he stormed off.

"Hey! Don't go!" Gu Qingfeng called out to He Fenghua's retreating figure, greatly disappointed.

"Ahem."

At this moment, Officer Huang quickly stepped in to break the awkward situation.

"Don't just stand there, follow me."

With that, Officer Huang led everyone away. Seeing there was no hope left, Gu Qingfeng could only follow along.

Soon, Officer Huang brought Gu Qingfeng and the other four Yellow-rank Demon Eliminators to a plaza.

The plaza was sparsely populated with various people.

These were all Apprentice Demon Eliminators at Qi Gathering Seventh Level or above.

The Demon Suppression Bureau stipulated that only Apprentice Demon Eliminators at the Late Stage of Qi Gathering could serve under Yellow-rank Demon Eliminators and go on missions to eliminate demons.

This was because only warriors at the Late Stage of Qi Gathering had a chance of self-preservation when facing demons.

Officer Huang brought Gu Qingfeng and the others here to select subordinates, as Yellow-rank Demon Eliminators couldn't operate without staff.

Usually, this wouldn't be necessary, as those normally promoted to Yellow-rank Demon Eliminator would already have numerous subordinates in their squad.

However, Gu Qingfeng and the others were special cases – they became Yellow-rank Demon Eliminators because everyone else in their squads had died, so they had no subordinates.

"Quiet, everyone." Officer Huang silenced the chattering crowd.

"These will be your future superiors. Let me introduce them. This is Wang Shu, newly promoted Yellow-rank Demon Eliminator, cultivation level: Second Level of Internal Qi."

As soon as Officer Huang finished speaking, the Apprentice Demon Eliminators knowingly greeted him: "Greetings, Lord Wang."

Wang Shu responded kindly with a cupped-hand salute.

Wang Shu was a young man in his twenties. Though not handsome, his friendly face always carried a smile, making him appear very approachable.

"This is Cui Zimo, newly promoted Yellow-rank Demon Eliminator, cultivation level: Third Level of Internal Qi."

"Greetings, Lord Cui."

Cui Zimo maintained a cold, proud expression, merely nodding slightly.

Nobody seemed too offended by this, as Cui Zimo had reason to be proud. At just twenty years old, he had already reached the Third Level of Internal Qi, much younger than Wang Shu but with higher cultivation.

"This is Li Shengnan, newly promoted Yellow-rank Demon Eliminator, cultivation level: Second Level of Internal Qi."

"Greetings, Lady Li."

Li Shengnan was the only female Demon Eliminator among the five, very young, appearing to be less than twenty years old. She had a beautiful face with considerable charm, though it was somewhat unfortunate that her skin had darkened from years of practicing martial arts under the sun. Nevertheless, she remained attractive despite her tanned complexion.

"This is Zhou Xiong, newly promoted Yellow-rank Demon Eliminator, cultivation level: First Level of Internal Qi."

"Greetings, Lord Zhou."

Zhou Xiong lived up to his name, which meant "bear." He was big and burly, looking just like a bear in his twenties. Though he appeared simple-minded and had low cultivation, his imposing physique alone commanded respect.

"This is Gu Qingfeng, newly promoted Yellow-rank Demon Eliminator, cultivation level..."

When introducing Gu Qingfeng, Officer Huang suddenly paused at mentioning his cultivation level, as if somewhat embarrassed to continue.