Chapter Ten: The Demon-Suppressing Envoy

  "Big brother, if not for Gao Feng's achievements and fame, he might still be buried for a while. He is so talented, being a regular captain in the Zhongjing Prefecture is really underutilizing him. Since he has made contributions this time, why not arrange for him to go to the Demon-Suppressing Department as a Demon-Suppressing Lieutenant? What do you think, big brother?"

  Looking at the happy Marquis of Fengtian, Gao Tianhe smiled and interjected, The Marquis of Fengtian listened to Gao Tianhe's words and nodded with a smile, then asked Gao Fang:

  "The prefecture will support you in joining the Demon-Suppressing Army as a Demon-Suppressing Lieutenant. What do you think, Gao Feng?"

  "Many thanks for your great kindness, I am willing to go."

  "We're all family, just call each other nephew and uncle, no need to be so polite!"

  Gaofeng's answer was extremely moving, and Gaotianhai and Gaotianhe exchanged smiles, the atmosphere in the house was great. In the early days of the Great Summer, when the world was still unsettled, even under the bright sun, there were monsters and ghosts roaming around in the capital city, harming ordinary people, and even palace maids and concubines were being frightened and harmed by monsters.

  At that time, the Taoist temple was small in scale, and the true powerful Taoists and monks were either following the army to conquer all sides or maintaining order locally. The power to suppress evil spirits in the capital city was insufficient.

  Therefore, Xia Taizu selected the sons and younger brothers of meritorious generals to form the Demon-Suppressing Army. At that time, the great army was at war, and the sons and younger brothers of the meritorious generals were all skilled in martial arts and magic spells. By integrating them into a force, they relied on these people to suppress demons and monsters, with quite good results.

  There are even rumors that many aristocratic families' traditional martial arts were passed down from this time, and after they joined the Demon-Suppressing Army, they were taught astonishing skills by the Great Xia Taizu.

  However, during the war, it has been over 300 years since the country was founded, and peace has long been established. The Demon-Suppressing Army has become a place for the sons of nobles in the capital to hang out and relax, and it has been renamed the Demon-Suppressing Department, becoming a formal government agency in the capital. The sons of various families who enter the Demon-Suppressing Department become Demon-Suppressing Lieutenants, sixth-grade military officers, whose duties are to patrol the areas under their jurisdiction in the capital.

  There are the Daoist Temple and the Forbidden Army to guard against demons and monsters, and the Zhongjing Prefecture and the garrison to maintain law and order. The Demon-Quelling Commandant actually has nothing much to do, and can go or not as he pleases, with no one to supervise him. It's a leisurely job, but having obtained this title of commandant, one gets an official position of the sixth rank for free. From now on, if one is promoted again, there will be a foundation. Therefore, doing the Demon-Quelling Commandant is just a transitional phase for the young masters of noble families.

  For Gao Feng, this is equivalent to a sudden and drastic change. As the captain of the team, he was an unranked and unrefined military officer, but as the Town Demon Lieutenant, he had a sixth-grade official position, which meant that he had entered the officialdom from being a miscellaneous servant, and his status had risen greatly.

  Slaying the demon, the Taoist temple and Zhongjing Fu confirmed and verified, giving Gao Feng credit for his achievement. This is also one of the benefits of being a member of the Fēng Tiān Hóu clan. Others may not be immediately promoted even with this achievement, perhaps still having to wait several years. However, since there are people in the Taoist temple who are familiar with the Fēng Tiān Hóu, they came over to report ahead of time, and the Hou Fu arranged it conveniently.

  It's been too peaceful for a long time, the young masters of various noble families are all good at enjoying themselves, but it's rare to see them actually doing something and achieving some real accomplishments. Gao Feng's performance is quite impressive, and the Marquis of Fengtian wants to meet him in person and offer some encouragement.

  "From now on, let's treat Gaofeng as one of our own family members!"

  Marquis Fengtian said that this is equivalent to Gao Feng's identity and status within the clan also taking a step up, Gao Feng was so excited that he repeatedly thanked him, and today he entered this side hall and didn't know how many times he thanked him.

  When it was time to bid farewell, there was also a reward of 100 taels of silver from the Zhongjing government according to the rules, which was also a big face for the Hou Mansion. The other side quickly completed the procedures and had already sent the silver directly over.

  Gao Feng finally left, and it was still Gao De, the long-time follower of Prince Xiang of Ping Tian, who escorted him out of the Hou Mansion gate. This again caught the attention of many people and sparked a lot of discussion.

  Everyone says that Gao Feng's life is not good, but now look, someone like Gao De is being treated with courtesy and respect, it's said that the Prince of Fengtian personally summoned him, and according to what the servants in the mansion say, from now on Gao Feng will be treated as a member of the main family, this is a complete turnaround!

  As he walked through the streets of Fengtian, Gao Fang saw that all the members of his family were smiling and greeting him warmly. Those who knew him even came up to chat with him for a bit, exchanging pleasantries and small talk. But beneath the surface, Gao Fang couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy at the superficiality of it all - the warmth and coldness of human relationships. He politely responded to their greetings while quickening his pace towards home.

  As soon as he entered the yard, before even opening the door, Gao Feng caught a whiff of an intense, unfamiliar fragrance. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it smelled like, but with each breath, he felt invigorated, as if his lungs were being cleansed, and his spirits lifted. This was indeed the scent of those two fruits. What kind of mountain could this be, to have such a miraculous effect?

  However, after Gao Feng entered the house, he didn't pay attention to those two strange fruits. Instead, he walked to a wooden table in the inner room, knelt down and bowed twice, whispering:

  "Our ancestors and parents are watching from above. Today, I have obtained the position of Town Demon Captain, our family's fate will change."

  Everyone in the clan says that this branch of Gao Feng's family has bad luck. This is not a slander, as it is said that Gao Feng's ancestors were the younger brothers of the first generation of Prince Fēng Tiān, and had also held the position of general, with a status similar to that of General Gāo Tiān Hé today. However, from that generation on, each subsequent generation of males in this branch would encounter all sorts of disasters, and be weak and sickly, not living long.

  By the time of Gao Feng's great-grandfather, the family was in a state of destitution, barely able to make ends meet. If it weren't for the kindness of the Hou clan, who were still somewhat decent, it would be hard to say whether they could have made it this far.

  It's precisely because of this that the Gaos have been trying to change their fate for generations, studying literature, martial arts, and even doing business or working as laborers. However, every generation has failed. As for official positions, Gao Feng remembers clearly that in the past 350 years, except for the first generation, the highest position any of them held was only ninth rank.

  The sixth-grade Zhēn Mó Xiào Wèi, although it's an idle job with no actual power, but after all, it's the sixth grade. Such an official position is a good thing even in the Feng Tian Hou's own family. From now on, the future is boundless, and it's no wonder that Gao Feng feels emotional. This change of one day and one night has changed the fate of Gao Feng, and he has indeed turned over a new leaf.

  "Could it be that the jade pendant really has great luck... After all, everything changed after the jade pendant was pierced by an arrow into his heart, and then came one change after another, as well as that seemingly real and illusory giant mountain, and the Innate Chaos Subduing Divine Technique..."

  Standing in front of the spirit tablet, Gao Feng was lost in thought for a while before he finally calmed down. He wasn't someone who dragged his feet when it came to getting things done, and since everything had already been decided, he should just hurry up and finish what needed to be done.

  He went out to the Zhongjing Prefecture government office again, yesterday Gao Feng was just a low-ranking outsider, not even looked up by the capture officers, but today he made great achievements, the Taoist temple and the Zhongjing Prefecture sent down documents praising him, soon to become a sixth-rank demon-suppressing officer, everyone treated him with respect.

  Not to mention the rumors brought back by those catchers who followed Gao Feng out on a mission last night, this young man has such skills and such thunderous methods, who wouldn't be wary of him.

  After finishing the walk on this side of Zhongjing Prefecture, he went to Zhenmo Si again. There were official affairs to ask about the meritorious and noble families, all of which were carried out quickly. Zhenmo Si was accustomed to seeing the sons of meritorious and noble families, so naturally they wouldn't be as polite as Zhongjing Prefecture. However, what needed to be done wouldn't be delayed either. In less than half a time unit, he obtained his waist card and notification letter, received an official uniform, and from then on Gao Feng became a Zhenmo Si town demon lieutenant. Even the jurisdiction had already been determined, patrolling Nancheng Shimashi Street.

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