Gong Hao

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Gong Hao (宫浩)
Alias(es)	Old Swindler; Jia Six; Senior Gong 6 69 116
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Qingzhou Demon Suppression Bureau; Gong Family of Qingzhou 101 142
Occupation/Role	Commander responsible for exterminating demons and monsters across several counties under Qingzhou’s jurisdiction 101
Official Rank	Described as a Fourth-Rank Commander; belongs to the Bureau’s Grade-A commander category 90 101 128
Cultivation Realm	Fifth-Rank Core Embrace Grandmaster; has awakened Psychic Power but has not comprehended Artistic Conception 122 141 166
Status	Alive; remains Su Xinghe’s Bureau contact while his commander appointment and Outer Battlefield assignment are pending 165
First Appearance	Mentioned as the Old Swindler in Chapter 6; first in-person appearance in the supplied context occurs in Chapter 69 6 69

Background / History

The Black Market “Swindler”

Gong Hao initially encounters Su Xinghe as a Black Market seller and sells him the Ascending Dragon Stance. Su considers the purchase a fraud and spends months trying to find the seller for a refund. Gong later explains that he recognized Su’s depleted Qi-Blood and provided the technique to strengthen his foundation and nourish his vitality 6 69 70.

When Su confronts him again, Gong recognizes the young man’s rapid martial and spiritual development. He uses the name Jia Six, concealing his identity while traveling with his granddaughter Gong Yueni and her senior sister Zhan Yun 69.

Search for the Baleful-Breaking Pearl

Gong follows the trail of a missing Baleful-Breaking Pearl from Qingzhou, spending more than half a year searching over thousands of li. The pearl disappeared with a defecting Grade-B Demon Extermination Guard connected to an investigation into the death of a Heavenly One Sword Sect Martial Saint 87 94.

Su’s possession of a rare Will Technique leads Gong’s party to Tongzi Ward. There, Gong identifies the deceased guard’s remains and recognizes an Eight-Armed Carrion Centipede hatchling’s skull as evidence of Peaceful Heaven Sect involvement. A Bureau tracking owl guides the investigation toward the western mountains 82.

White Deer Cliff and Su Xinghe’s Rescue

At the Red Lotus Branch stronghold, Gong fights a Core Embrace Grandmaster while Zhan Yun confronts Princess Red Lotus. Unable to defeat his opponent directly, he guards the cave entrance and sends Zhan Yun to assist the fighters below. In the cavern, he uses his domain to force aside the hostile field and attempts to send Su for official reinforcements 84 87.

Gong subsequently saves Su from Princess Red Lotus and purchases expensive Treasure Medicines to treat his injuries. Su awakens after twenty-eight days unconscious, having survived with the help of a Fifth-Grade Treasure Medicine obtained from Qingzhou. Gong and Li Shunjun also intervene to clear the academy apprentices and Great River Gang disciples of official suspicion 90 142.

Recruitment and Patronage

Gong privately questions Su about Yi Thirteen, the pearl, and the Listening to Tides Art. Rather than treating him as a suspect, he offers temporary protection from the Heavenly One Sword Sect while requiring the return of its secret technique 94 95.

He considers Su a possible successor and arranges his entry into the Demon Suppression Bureau, subject to investigation and approval. Gong destroys Secret Sect records concerning Su’s former Peaceful Heaven Sect blood-slave identity, accepting his actions against the Half-Demon and Princess Red Lotus as proof of his loyalty 95 101.

At Qingzhou headquarters, Gong teaches Su the Bureau’s procedures, supports his decision to cultivate before undertaking dangerous missions, and introduces him to senior commanders Wu Ganming and Shangguan Jing. He also stops Kong Yuan from recruiting Su into logistics 128 129.

Political Limits and the Guardian Tower Battle

When Su reports suspected Peaceful Heaven Sect connections within Qingzhou’s military, Gong explains that Princess Red Lotus’s return to the imperial family has politically erased the Red Lotus Branch. He warns that the Demon Suppression Bureau handles demons and evil rather than human factional disputes, urging Su to gain strength and commander status before intervening 135.

His caution does not prevent him from defending Su directly. During Su’s Grandmaster breakthrough, Gong removes the Guardian Tower’s obstructing barrier, clears nearby guards, and organizes resistance against an Inspection Bureau assault. When Dai Gu retreats, Gong cuts down his flying mount; Provincial Governor Han Zhi’s arrival then nearly immobilizes Gong through superior blood-baleful pressure 147 148 149.

Gong later agrees to submit Su’s application for the Outer Battlefield, requiring him to wait until his commander appointment is approved. Su’s gratitude toward Gong remains a reason he hesitates to leave the Bureau for a stronger sect 161 163 165.

Appearance

• Tall, elderly man with a bronze-colored face 90 120 148.
• Wears a blue robe and carries a battle saber strapped to his back during his visit to Su in Lin County 120.
• His spiritual presence appears scorching or flame-like to Su’s perception 69 94 129.

Personality

Gong is generous toward promising younger martial artists, but expects patience and preparation rather than reckless ambition. He praises Su for being neither arrogant nor rash, supports his choice to strengthen his current realm, and pays twenty contribution points from his own pocket before the Bureau approves reimbursement 122 128.

He is politically cautious and conscious of his limits. Although willing to confront demons and protect Su from an armed attack, he avoids disputes involving powerful human factions and abandons Shangguan Jing’s proposal to lure out and kill Lu Xuanji. He also recognizes that decisions about retaining Su eventually exceed his own authority 135 148 154 155.

His protectiveness includes respect for Su’s personal loyalties. He warns Shangguan Jing against approaching Su’s family carelessly and later accepts Su’s wish to enter the Outer Battlefield despite wanting to retain him 155 163.

Abilities & Skills

Core Qi Domain

Gong has profound control over a Grandmaster’s Core Qi Domain 121.

• Concealment and movement: Uses the domain in his seemingly sudden appearances and transports Su to the Clear Lotus Pond docks 120.
• Privacy: Encloses conversations within his domain before discussing politically dangerous information 135.
• Protection: Forces aside a hostile field and carries Gong Yueni and Zhan Yun from the cavern ceiling 87.
• Crowd control: Sweeps nearby Demon Extermination Guards away from the Guardian Tower during Su’s breakthrough 147.
• Limits: Cannot reliably overpower every opposing Grandmaster and is nearly immobilized by Han Zhi’s Fourth-Rank pressure 84 149.

Psychic Power and Mental Secret Arts

Gong has awakened Psychic Power and cultivated a Mental Secret Art, but has not reached Artistic Conception 141.

• Probes Su with a Mental Force Field, inadvertently helping him glimpse the principles of a Grandmaster’s domain 120.
• His willpower is assessed by Su as at least ten times stronger than that of the slain guerrilla general Chu Shibai 141.
• Fails to recognize the full significance of Su’s light-based technique because he has not approached the threshold of laws himself 121.

Investigation

Gong combines Bureau intelligence, knowledge of demonic creatures, and tracking resources 82 94.

• Identifies the defecting guard through distinctive skeletal injuries and recognizes the centipede hatchling’s remains 82.
• Reconstructs the connection between Yi Thirteen, Su, and the missing pearl 94.
• Traces the leak concerning Su’s Water Conception to an Inspection Bureau transmission link used for a secret letter to Xu Lie 148.

Cultivation Guidance

• Recommends Iron Body Art, True Force Iron Armor, and force-amplifying secret techniques to improve Su’s survivability 102 128.
• Explains the distinction between resource-dependent Blood-Qi cultivation and the Psychic Power/Law Path 141.
• Directs Su toward Extreme Dao Mountain Academy for specialized physical cultivation when the Bureau cannot supply a suitable method 158.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Battle saber — Carried on his back 120.
• Bureau command token — Used to deactivate the Guardian Tower’s defensive barrier 147.
• Tracking owl — Helps locate evidence in Tongzi Ward and guides his party toward the mountains 82.
• Baleful-Breaking Pearl — The missing mission relic he pursues; later displayed during his private questioning of Su 87 94.
• Midnight-Noon Disc — A Sixth-Rank cultivation art he gives Su, intended to replenish Qi-Blood through noon and midnight meditation 158.

Relationships

• Su Xinghe — Protégé, potential successor, and beneficiary of his lifesaving treatment. Gong protects his background, sponsors his Bureau career, and supports his Outer Battlefield application 95 101 142 163.
• Gong Yueni — Granddaughter. Accompanies him on investigations; Gong later offers to introduce her to Su as a prospective romantic partner, which Su declines 82 141.
• Zhan Yun — His granddaughter’s senior sister and investigation companion. Gong respects her combat ability and entrusts her with assisting Su’s group 82 84.
• Xu Lie — Bureau director and superior. Orders Gong to investigate the leak concerning Su; Gong reports Xu’s efforts to obtain a secret art for him 145 151.
• Shangguan Jing — Fellow commander. Collaborates in defending Su and discusses how to retain him within the Bureau 148 154 155.
• Wu Ganming — Fellow commander and old friend. Wagers fifty contribution points with Gong over Su’s ranking battle 140 141.
• Li Shunjun — Official acquaintance who defers to Gong’s higher status. Gong interrupts Li’s attempt to recruit Su and takes him away for a private discussion 90 94.
• Yue Shan — Heavenly One Sword Sect Martial Saint whose attempt to recruit Su places Gong in an awkward position between the sect and the Bureau 151.

Notable Quotes

“We are the Demon Suppression Bureau, not the Bandit Suppression Bureau!” 135

“With our status, we can no longer take part in a conversation at that level.” 154

Trivia

• “Fourth-Rank Commander” is an official designation, not his cultivation realm. Gong is explicitly identified as a Core Embrace Grandmaster, and the Bureau classifies Core Embrace commanders as Grade A 90 122 128.
• His Jia Six identity should not be confused with Yue Shan, who is also addressed as Jia Six 69 151.
• Although the oldest among the commanders he reflects on, Gong ranks only sixth in strength; his concern for his family lineage shapes his choices 163.