It was fortunate that He Fenghua had accumulated multiple experiences. As soon as this feeling arose, he quickly activated the true energy within his body. Relying on the formidable cultivation of the True Energy Realm, he forcibly suppressed the surge of blood that had risen to his throat.
All the official Exorcists of Yin Mountain County were present today, and He Fenghua was a man who valued his reputation. If he were to be seen spitting blood from anger in front of everyone, where would he put his face in the future?
After calming his qi and blood, He Fenghua also realized that Gu Qingfeng was sharp-tongued and could twist words like a blooming flower. He decided not to engage with him further. To deal with him, he needed to find another way.
As thoughts raced through his mind, He Fenghua quickly changed the subject, "Alright, today is the official meeting to discuss the demon-exorcising mission in Yin Mountain County. No more digressions. Everyone, please take your seats."
After speaking, He Fenghua, fearing that Gu Qingfeng might interrupt, hurriedly began discussing the main business.
"I have been in charge of Yin Mountain County for several days now. Although the county has been peaceful for a long time, demons are cunning and hidden in the shadows. We must be vigilant. Today, I have gathered everyone here to discuss the specific responsibilities and deployment of forces..."
Gu Qingfeng, who was beside him, saw that He Fenghua didn't spit blood this time, and it happened four times in a row. He felt greatly disappointed.
Following that, a series of official, long-winded speeches ensued, akin to an old lady's bandaged feet—smelly and tedious. After two sticks of incense, He Fenghua finally revealed his true intentions.
"Gu Qingfeng, now that you have been promoted to the rank of Mystic-level Exorcist, and since the Black Water Village, which you were in charge of, has been annihilated, your responsibilities need to be adjusted." He Fenghua said in a business-like manner.
Gu Qingfeng instantly perked up. Last time He Fenghua assigned him tasks, he directly handed him a "Black Water Village Seven Demon Generals" package. This time, another assignment?
He wondered what kind of surprise He Fenghua had prepared.
He Fenghua slowly said, "The higher the official rank, the greater the responsibilities. After careful consideration, I have decided that you will be in charge of all demon-exorcising matters in the entire Yin Mountain County."
What?!
This was truly a big package!
The entire Yin Mountain County's demon-exorcising matters? Was He Fenghua losing his mind? Was he actually delegating power? Making me the head?
"Old He, I'm in charge of the entire Yin Mountain County's demon-exorcising matters. What about you?"
He Fenghua didn't mind Gu Qingfeng's informal address and said with a serious expression, "As for me, I will naturally be responsible for central coordination, overall planning, and strategic deployment."
"Oh," Gu Qingfeng suddenly understood. "So, you're doing nothing."
"You...!" He Fenghua's eyes widened, almost blurting out a curse.
"Ahem..." He Fenghua coughed tactically and continued, "Do you think central coordination, overall planning, and strategic deployment are just doing nothing? Let me ask you, what do you do when you encounter powerful demons? Don't you need to dispatch troops, discuss strategies, and coordinate the deployment of various Exorcists? The materials needed to deal with demons, such as Exorcising Swords and Red Sandalwood Talismans, don't they need logistical support? And what if..."
"Alright, alright. When encountering demons, just charge forward, isn't that enough? Why make it so complicated?"
"Charge forward? Do you think exorcising demons is child's play? Demons are ferocious and cunning. What do you do when you encounter powerful demons? Impulsive recklessness will only..."
"Get promoted?"
Gu Qingfeng picked up the conversation, "I was thinking, dealing with the Seven Demon Generals wasn't that difficult. We just charged and killed them. Are the powerful demons you mentioned even stronger than the Seven Demon Generals?"
He Fenghua: "..."
He Fenghua didn't speak. He discovered a truth: never engage in too much chatter with Gu Qingfeng unless your heart is strong enough.
He turned his head away, not wanting to look at Gu Qingfeng's irritating face, and addressed the rest of the group, "Have you all understood my arrangements? From now on, all demon-related incidents in your areas should be reported to Gu Qingfeng, who will be fully responsible."
"Yes, Lord He," everyone replied.
"Alright, that's all for today. You may leave."
After saying this, He Fenghua didn't give Gu Qingfeng any chance to speak further and quickly left.
The others also dispersed.
Gu Qingfeng watched the departing figures and pondered.
He understood what He Fenghua meant. On the surface, he had handed over the authority to himself, but in reality, it was a hot potato.
Taking full responsibility not only meant power but also accountability.
If something went wrong, the responsibility would fall entirely on him.
Being in charge of the entire Yin Mountain County's demons alone meant that if he encountered a demon he couldn't handle or multiple demon incidents occurred, he would be overwhelmed and held accountable.
At that time, He Fenghua would only need to step in to save the situation, adding fuel to the fire. In the eyes of outsiders, the difference in their abilities would be immediately apparent.
What a clever scheme!
Especially since He Fenghua had calculated the human heart, including the psychology of the four Yellow-level Exorcists. He had handed over the Yellow-level Exorcists to Gu Qingfeng, but the question was, would these people listen to the arrangements of a Qi Condensation Realm martial artist?
Moreover, a Qi Condensation Realm martial artist who had risen to the rank of Mystic-level Exorcist through "good luck" and was their contemporary.
The human heart is hard to read and even harder to see. Gu Qingfeng could guess with his toes that these people would definitely pay lip service to him.
Power, after all, never comes from the top but from the bottom.
It's not how much power the higher-ups give you, but how many people below you listen to you.
The more people who listen to you, the greater your power. When everyone listens to you, you are the emperor.
If the four Yellow-level Exorcists didn't listen to him, it meant he had no power but was shouldering the entire responsibility of Yin Mountain County.
This reminded Gu Qingfeng of a story he had heard in his previous life.
In a company, there were three interns, A, B, and C, all under the supervision of a supervisor. Due to some reasons, the supervisor wanted to fire A, but A had been working diligently and there was no reason to do so.
So, the supervisor devised a small plan. First, he expressed his appreciation for A, then verbally appointed him as the team leader of the three, managing B and C.
Since all three were new interns, A, who had suddenly become the team leader, naturally caused B and C to feel discontent. At this point, the supervisor assigned a large amount of work to the team leader. This work was impossible for one person to complete, so A had to instruct B and C. B and C felt that this was the supervisor's task for A, so why should they do it? As a result, they began to pay lip service, which led to the task being left unfinished. The supervisor would then criticize A, who would inevitably say that B and C didn't listen. But the supervisor would reply, "You are the team leader; the task was assigned to your team. Your team didn't complete it, so you, the team leader, bear the main responsibility."
After being scolded, A would naturally have no good attitude towards B and C, which would only exacerbate the conflict. The supervisor would continue to assign tasks, and the outcome would naturally be the same.
Over time, A would have conflicts with colleagues B and C, be scolded by the supervisor every day, and eventually, unable to bear it, would resign voluntarily.
The supervisor would then easily get rid of A without any bad reputation.
This small story was remarkably similar to what He Fenghua was doing now.
But unfortunately, Gu Qingfeng was not A.
Instead, he hoped that the area he was responsible for would be as large as possible because the more extensive the area, the more demons there would be. Moreover, he didn't want the other Yellow-level Exorcists to help because he still needed to be beaten up by demons. Being seen would affect his image.
However, although He Fenghua's scheme had backfired and inadvertently helped Gu Qingfeng, Gu Qingfeng was also a man who knew how to repay kindness. This favor must be returned in kind.
Old He, you're in for it!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
