"It shouldn't be that bad, right?" Xu Fan said with some uncertainty.
Wang Fatty immediately retorted: "Not that bad? Bull! I think today's Black Water Village incident was entirely a bloodbath caused by one lie!
Think about it carefully - weren't we doing our patrol just fine until those three brats and Hu Liang deceived Lord Gu? That's when everything started going wrong.
Lord Gu was so angry he wouldn't leave without finding them, then he raided the Dead Woods at night, smashed their tombstones, dug up their graves, and destroyed their corpses!
He even killed the Mirror Demon, one of the Seven Demon Generals, and now he's risking his life fighting spirits.
Tell me, am I right or not?"
Xu Fan pondered for a moment: "Hmm... yes."
"See, you agree too. In my opinion, Lord Gu really has too much of a temper and is too petty. When serving under such a superior, we absolutely cannot deceive him.
Others just lied to him once, and look what happened - not only was their grave dug up, but their corpse was mutilated, and now even their spirit is about to be scattered. Tsk tsk, it's truly terrifying. Actually, we should blame those three brats and the village chief. Why did they have to lie to Lord Gu for no good reason? Isn't that just asking for trouble?
Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"
After talking for so long and getting no response from Xu Fan, Wang Fatty gave him a pat.
Xu Fan snapped back to reality and suddenly declared righteously: "Not deceiving our superiors is our duty as subordinates. Besides, I don't think Lord Gu is petty - he just hates evil and is devoted to his duty."
Wang Fatty sneered: "Hahaha, have all those books made you stupid? You're such a fool."
"Wang Fatty, who are you calling petty?" Gu Qingfeng's sinister voice suddenly came from behind Wang Fatty.
Wang Fatty's body instantly stiffened, and he trembled in fear before quickly turning around.
Cold sweat immediately started pouring down his face, which had turned pale.
He saw Gu Qingfeng smiling at him.
Wang Fatty's legs nearly gave out, and he almost fell to his knees.
"Stupid Xu, when did Lord Gu come out?" Wang Fatty's lips quivered as he whispered nervously.
Xu Fan's lips also moved slightly as he whispered back: "Right when you called him petty."
Wang Fatty nearly burst into tears. No wonder Xu Fan had spoken so righteously earlier, and he had called him a fool. It turned out he was the real fool! This guy wasn't stupid at all - in fact, he was usually quite clever.
"L-Lord Gu, you've finally come out safely. I... I thought I'd never see you again."
Wang Fatty decided to play the sympathy card and rushed over crying to hug Gu Qingfeng's leg, only to be kicked away.
"Get lost. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll settle accounts with you later."
Gu Qingfeng was indeed in a good mood because his alternate dimension had grown to the same size as the Mirror Demon's shadow realm, equivalent to the entire Black Water Village's area.
He would no longer need to parade around carrying four weapons, and he could even store miscellaneous items in his alternate dimension.
Moreover, he could keep some demon slaves who could farm when idle, and when needed, he could wave his hand and countless demon underlings would emerge from the space - just thinking about it felt magnificent.
"Let's go collect our reward at the Demon Suppression Bureau!" Gu Qingfeng said spiritedly.
When Wang Fatty and Xu Fan heard the word "reward," their faces lit up with joy.
They had killed the Mirror Demon after all! This was an enormous achievement! Although the credit mainly belonged to Lord Gu, even getting the leftovers would be immensely beneficial.
The three of them began their return journey.
Along the way, Wang Fatty constantly flattered Gu Qingfeng to get back in his good graces, praising him as brilliant and mighty, unmatched in martial arts, capable of defeating the Seven Demon Generals and crushing the Blood Demon Cult, his compliments growing more and more exaggerated.
Hearing this made Gu Qingfeng bloom with happiness, and he decided on the spot that when they got back, he would only make life difficult for Wang Fatty ten times.
As the three chatted along the way, Gu Qingfeng learned about what the two had encountered after he entered the Mirror Space.
As it turned out, they had been quite unfortunate - they had managed to avoid the villagers, the forest, and the sky, but unexpectedly, they were ultimately trapped by their own saber.
The saber was of such high quality and polished so brilliantly that its blade was like a mirror. After they drew their sabers, they were immediately sucked into the Mirror Space. If Gu Qingfeng hadn't dealt with the Mirror Demon in time, these two might have already been killed by their own reflections.
Several hours later, as daylight had already broken, the three finally returned to Yin Mountain County and reported to He Fenghua after announcing their arrival.
Because Gu Qingfeng's rank was too low, matters like this had to be reported to He Fenghua first.
In the great hall, the three vividly described the events at Black Water Village, leaving He Fenghua dumbfounded, as if he were listening to an incredible tale.
To be honest, he didn't believe a single word of it.
But when Gu Qingfeng took out his Demon Elimination Token, He Fenghua instantly lost his composure.
Besides being a symbol of identity, the Demon Elimination Token contained formations that could capture the death essence of demons, serving as a merit recorder. It would absorb the essence of every demon you killed, and from these essences, one could determine the number, type, and power level of the demons.
He Fenghua held Gu Qingfeng's Demon Elimination Token, feeling the countless demon death essences within it. Although these demons weren't of high rank, mostly around the fourth stage of body tempering, their sheer number was overwhelming. Especially when he sensed the death essence of the Mirror Demon, that unique aura belonging to a great demon made He Fenghua's expression change dramatically.
After a moment, he began trembling with excitement, his face flushed: "You really killed one of the Seven Demon Generals?"
"It's absolutely true. The death essence in the Demon Elimination Token cannot lie."
He Fenghua grew even more excited, losing his composure as he paced back and forth in the room, exclaiming: "Excellent! This is an enormous achievement! Leave the Demon Elimination Token with me for now. You three go rest, and I'll report to the Demon Suppression Bureau to request rewards for you!"
"Thank you, Lord He." Wang Fatty and Xu Fan's faces showed wild joy, but only Gu Qingfeng frowned slightly, as if thinking of something.
"We take our leave."
Then the three left.
In the vast hall, only He Fenghua remained.
Seeing that no one else was present, He Fenghua could no longer contain himself. Looking at Gu Qingfeng's Demon Elimination Token in his hand, he burst into wild laughter, his mouth nearly splitting to his ears.
"Hahaha, it's mine, it's all mine, hahaha..." He Fenghua's body shook from laughing so hard, showing his current state of mind.
"Lord He, what are you laughing about?"
He Fenghua was startled: "Who's there!"
He turned his head to see a sneaky face peeking through the doorway - it was Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng was now looking at him with a smile.