God of Pets

"The new captain of Team 17 is quite interesting, isn't he? I wonder who's targeting him." Ximen Ding watched Team 17 leave and spoke with a smile.

"Mind your own business and don't meddle in others' affairs," Jiang Tianqing said coldly.

"Aren't you curious which gold task they'll choose to tackle first? We took on that Ghost Emperor mission before and failed, causing you to get penalized, Jiang. If they decide to go for that task, we can observe and maybe glean something useful."

As soon as Ximen Ding finished speaking, someone nearby chuckled, "Ah Ding, you really think highly of them. Just look at Team 17; who knows if they can even get close to the Ghost Emperor, let alone put up a fight for us to watch? Besides, if we couldn't force the Ghost Emperor to reveal a flaw, what could they possibly do?"

Ximen Ding sighed, "I'm just thinking about getting back on our feet in the same place we fell. Jiang got penalized by the Ghost Emperor, and we ought to redeem ourselves by tackling him again."

"The idea is good, but not very realistic. Team 17 is completely done for this time and will probably have to be reorganized," some sighed.

"It's a good plan; let's assign someone to keep an eye on Team 17. If they attempt to take down the Ghost Emperor, we'll go take a look," Jiang Tianqing suddenly suggested.

The members of Team 9 were all stunned, including Ximen Ding. Even though it was his idea, he never expected Jiang Tianqing to actually consider it. Jiang, who was so proud, how could he stoop to such actions?

Jiang Tianqing said nothing more, heading over to the terminal to hand in their current task.

Bu Changning hurried to Team 1; he had crossed a point of no return and could only follow Xiu Haofeng to the end.

"Team Leader Xiu, I've done what you asked, and now I'm ready to join Team 1," Bu Changning said hurriedly upon entering Xiu Haofeng's office.

"You did well. No need to rush. Transferring you requires procedure. Give me a few days," Xiu Haofeng replied with a smile.

Bu Changning's face darkened a bit, "Leader Xiu, I've already pissed off everyone in Team 17. I can't stay there any longer."

"Why can't you?" Xiu Haofeng asked, looking at Bu Changning.

"What do you mean, Leader Xiu?" Bu Changning's expression changed drastically, but he dared not argue with Xiu Haofeng and asked, rattled.

Xiu Haofeng stood up and walked over to Bu Changning, patting him on the shoulder, "Changning, it's not just me speaking for the Reserve Team. Your transfer requires procedural time. It's impossible to move you over upon request. But think about it, staying in Team 17 has countless benefits for you."

"Leader Xiu, I've burned bridges with Chen Guan and his team. Staying there won't do me any good," Bu Changning insisted.

"Don't rush. Listen to me first," Xiu Haofeng said, sitting on the nearby sofa. He leisurely poured a cup of tea, took a gentle sip, and put down the cup before speaking, "If you stay in Team 17, and if they complete the tasks, you'll earn points."

"But these are gold tasks—they can't possibility complete them," Bu Changning argued impatiently.

"That's true enough; it's quite challenging but not outright impossible. That Chen Guan is no ordinary person. Despite his unimpressive background, he's lucky enough to catch Ms. Ji's eye."

"Chen Guan is Ms. Ji's boyfriend..." Bu Changning looked incredulous but realized why Xiu Haofeng was targeting Chen Guan.

"Just a kept man. Don't worry, our Xiu family and the Ji family will certainly form a union. Ms. Ji will be part of the Xiu family. It doesn't matter whether she agrees or not—it's the shared hope of the Chief Judge, the General, and our Family Head. Women throwing tantrums is normal, but they don't get to mess around with marriage matters. Besides my elder brother, who else deserves Ms. Ji?"

Xiu Haofeng laughed, "Ms. Ji is just young and rebellious right now; that's why all this is happening. When she matures, she'll realize this is her best option."

"Of course, only someone as exceptional as Commander Xiu Jieming is worthy of Ms. Ji," Bu Changning echoed quickly.

"Indeed, that Chen Guan is only entertaining Ms. Ji for a while. Once she cools down, she'll naturally forget him. But for the sake of both families' honor, he must be dealt with," Xiu Haofeng said lightly, "That rascal Chen Guan, who knows how many favours he got from Ms. Ji, enough to lead Team 17 through seven fixed tasks. You'll have to bear the burden of finding out what treasures he tricked from her. Think carefully; this does you no harm. If they complete the tasks, you, as vice-captain, would earn a lot of points. If they don't, I'll move you out of Team 17 before any penalties strike. Either way, you don't lose."

"But I've already burned bridges with everyone in Team 17. Even if I go back, they surely won't let me join them on missions. I can't approach Chen Guan, and it'll be pointless to return." Bu Changning fretted, hoping to persuade Xiu Haofeng to transfer him to Team 1 immediately.

"So, you'll have to put on a performance of suffering. As long as you succeed in dealing with Chen Guan, you'll join Team 1 afterward. Once you experience a Second Awakening and enter the Celestial Court Army, I'll use the Xiu family's connections to have you start as an officer and integrate into the Xiu family's ranks..."

Bu Changning's face was uncertain; he did not want to continue down this path, but it seemed he had no choice, driven forward against his will.

Chen Guan and the team returned to their team's office and closed the door. The tension they'd held eased, leaving them like deflated balls slumped across sofas or sprawled over tables.

"What's going on? You all seemed so spirited just now; why are you deflated upon returning?" Chen Guan asked with a smile.

"Captain Chen, we didn't want to show weakness in front of that trash Bu Changning, but now we've taken on four gold tasks—this is a nightmare," An Yiqi sighed.

"Didn't we agree earlier to simply complete the missions together?" Chen Guan didn't continue to motivate them and simply poured himself a glass of water, sipping as he spoke.

"Complete the missions—it's not straightforward! These four gold tasks remain because no one else could complete them this month. Each of these four gold tasks has been attempted by elite teams, but even they couldn't finish them. How could we?"

Pointing towards one particular gold task, An Yiqi said, "Take this task of slaying the Ghost Emperor. The Ghost Emperor is a tenth-level World-Defying Secret Spirit. It was initially a boon for us in the Reserve Team, but this Ghost Emperor is incredibly formidable. Even top-tier First Awakening Cultivators like Jiang Tianqing have no solution against the Ghost Emperor; rumor has it they can't even harm him."

"They possess unparalleled secret techniques, wield unparalleled weapons, and have unparalleled pets, yet they couldn't handle the Ghost Emperor. How are we suppose to complete such a task?"