Chapter Fourteen: Hostility

  It was Huang Zhiping and others who were in charge of documents and archives, and those who were responsible for sweeping and dusting, all of whom punched the clock on time and did not dare to be late.

  They were wealthy and noble, but Gao Feng was not. Gao Feng took this matter very seriously, but he didn't expect to make a joke out of it. Seeing the expression on Gao Feng's face, Huang Zhiping laughed and patted his shoulder, saying:

  "This errand is quite easy, whether you come or not, it's all right. You can even let someone else replace you, the only thing is that at the end of the month when the salary is issued, someone from the palace has to come over and show their face."

  The Demon-Suppressing Department is considered the Emperor's personal guard, so matters such as salary distribution are handled by eunuchs, who also use this opportunity to conduct inspections. But from what Huang Zhiping said, it seems like just a formality.

  Hearing this, Gao Feng felt a bit discouraged in his heart, but he still cheered himself up and encouraged himself in his heart: if others can't do it well, I must make a good show of myself.

  He waved his hand in greeting, and Huang Zhiping walked into the main hall, but turned around and said:

  "High school lieutenant, don't rush to leave today. First, greet your colleagues and let's get familiar with each other. From now on, we'll know each other and have a mutual understanding, which is also the start of our formal work."

  Gao Feng agreed, and the subsequent wait was quite boring. After a while, Hong Shi, the official in charge of the Demon-Suppressing Department, also arrived. Speaking of which, Hong Shi is still a member of the royal family. It's a rule for members of the royal family to lead the Demon-Suppressing Department, but after the department became a quiet and uneventful place, the position of Demon-Suppressing Envoy became an idle post with no real power. This position was taken by a distant branch of the royal family. Hong Shi, who is over 50 years old, is very low-key. After seeing Gao Feng, he encouraged him a few words before entering.

  Arrived early, waited until other marshals appeared, it was almost lunchtime. Yesterday when I came, the Demon Suppression Department was very quiet, didn't see any other marshals, Gao Feng thought everyone had gone on duty, today is still the first time seeing...

  In the past, I occasionally saw them on the street, looking quite majestic with their chests out and bellies in, but seeing them in front of the Demon-Suppressing Department was a completely different story.

  The young masters were all around twenty years old, none of them came alone, and they all had servants attending to their needs. Tea sets and snacks were all prepared in advance. Some people even set up tents on the empty ground in front of the Demon-Suppressing Department, with tables and chairs inside, where several people sat chatting and laughing. This kind of demeanor was not unfamiliar to Gao Feng, as the young masters from the main houses of the Fēng Tiān Hóu estate were also like this.

  The lieutenants' attire was also different from Gao Feng's. Gao Feng wore the official uniform of a sixth-grade military officer, and then put on leather armor according to the rules. However, the other lieutenants' uniforms and armor were not obviously made by the imperial court, but were made with high-quality materials, cut, sewn, and decorated with gold and silver threads, making them look refined and noble.

  Gao Feng also noticed that some people's jade pendants and the weapons they wore had an unnatural luster flowing in the transparent sunlight, which was obviously a treasure with Taoist magic. This kind of handwriting is not a noble family in the capital, it really doesn't have this momentum.

  It's worth noting that the items blessed by this method are extremely valuable among the people, and even ordinary disciples of Taoist schools and sects can't get them. However, these young masters from wealthy families wear them openly and ostentatiously, clearly for decorative purposes and to show off their wealth.

  Compared to these people, Gao Feng's attire can indeed be described as shabby. These young masters from noble families all have faces like jade and elegant demeanors, looking like scholars or Taoist priests if they weren't wearing military uniforms. Gao Feng has a sturdy build and dark complexion, similar to the attendants of these noble families, or perhaps even inferior.

  The later school masters themselves were divided into several small cliques, and no one paid attention to Gao Feng. Occasionally, when someone cast a glance over, there was no kindness in their eyes.

  There were only about two hundred students in the Zhēn Mó Sī school, and everyone knew each other's schedules. The news of Gāo Fēng's arrival had spread quickly, and they all knew his identity and background. As members of wealthy families, they looked down on someone from a poor branch of their family. Even if they didn't mention it, Gāo Fēng's appearance alone made him stand out as not one of them, and exclusion was inevitable.

  Among the crowd, Gao Feng didn't see anyone familiar. The descendants of the Gao family, the Marquis of Fengtian, all had other places to be. The last one who worked at the Town Demon Division was still a matter of Gao Feng's grandfather's generation.

  As the sun was high in the sky, Town Demon Marshal Hong Shi's teacher came out and nodded slightly. Before long, Town Demon Marshal Hong Shi and Document Officer Huang Zhiping walked out together. Huang Zhiping opened his mouth and shouted:

  "Attention all cadets, fall in!!"

  After hearing the shout, a group of school lieutenants who were chatting there glanced at the door and didn't care. Huang Zhiping was used to this kind of thing, and after shouting a few more times, these people reluctantly came over. Gao Feng also stepped forward to line up, although they were far apart, but other school lieutenants deliberately kept their distance.

  "The quota is one hundred and twenty-five people, but only eighty-one have arrived!"

  A bailiff with a loud voice shouted, the procedures were all the same, nothing special. Gao Feng was surprised that there were so many people who hadn't arrived yet. From top to bottom, no one thought anything was wrong. Seeing Huang Zhiping and Du Wei Hongshi talking over there, Hongshi nodded after saying a few words, pointing at Gao Feng:

  "Ladies and gentlemen, today our Demon-Slaying Department has welcomed a new member, surname Gao, first name Feng, Gao Feng. Come out and greet everyone!"

  Gao Feng hastily stepped forward, turned around and made a fist salute, but before he could speak, someone coldly laughed a few times and said in an eerie tone:

  "The case of the high school student was quite big, he killed a dog that had turned into a demon and then joined the Town Demon Office. If it's like this, wouldn't the kids outside the city be able to join too if they just throw a stone and kill a rabbit?"

  As expected, there was no good intention in his words. As soon as he spoke, the crowd burst into loud laughter, all of them being reckless and unscrupulous. Gao Feng's face tightened, people have a habit of bullying the weak, and it's no exception here. Before he could even speak, Hong Shi, who was at the front, furrowed his brow and raised his voice to rebuke:

  "Don't spout nonsense! The merits of killing demons and monsters in the imperial capital are real and have been confirmed by both the Taoist Temple and the Central Capital Prefecture. How can you not enter the Demon-Slaying Department? Don't speak carelessly, or you'll ruin the harmony within the department!"

  When the words "Dao Yuan" were heard, the crowd that had already been ** quieted down a bit. In the Great Xia Empire, Dao Yuan was indeed a place of great authority, but those Jiao Wei did not give up easily. Someone whispered a few sentences, ordinary people couldn't hear clearly, but Gao Feng heard it.

  "It can't just end like this, what kind of person is he..."

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