I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: A Visitor from Home

In the blink of an eye, it was July. The dormitory was starting to get a bit stuffy and hot, but thankfully, opening the window let a cool sea breeze pour in.

On a Saturday morning, Yang Wenqing woke up early to wash up as usual. He didn’t cultivate with the White Dragon Ginseng, as he had used it all up last month, but he still diligently practiced meditation for an hour.

After daybreak, he got up and took out the Rune Paper he had prepared. He had a total of one hundred sheets for the Immobilization Spell and another hundred for the Golden Light Body Protection Spell. This kind of low-grade Rune Paper could be exchanged for fifteen dollars at most. If the quality was poor, it would only sell for eight, while the cost to inscribe the Rune Paper was five dollars. The profit wasn’t even enough for breakfast money.

Still, some people diligently cultivated for an hour every day just to make them, resulting in an enormous monthly output. Consequently, they couldn’t fetch a high price.

The City Defense Bureau had an internal channel to buy them back. Although their price was slightly higher than what you’d get elsewhere, they only accepted submissions in batches of at least one hundred sheets per type of Rune Paper.

Yang Wenqing planned to sell these sheets of Rune Paper, add some of his own money, and buy a stalk of White Dragon Ginseng. As for his merit points, he intended to save them up and exchange them all for a Dragon Ginseng Pill in two years.

Finished Rune Paper could be sold right at the East City Public Security Office. The drop-off point was the logistics office behind the inner courtyard, a long, standalone, single-story building. Its exterior was a plain, grayish-white, and its heavy ironwood doors were always open. There were no guards at the entrance, only the faint Spiritual Light of a simple monitoring Array shimmering at the threshold.

Yang Wenqing stepped inside and was met with a musty odor. The interior was more spacious and taller than he expected. A high ceiling was supported by thick wooden beams, and a few pendant lamps inlaid with illumination pearls provided a steady source of light.

A heavy wooden counter stood at the front, and behind it sat an old reservist in a sergeant’s uniform, leisurely flipping through a thick ledger.

Hearing footsteps, the old reservist lifted his eyes from the ledger, looked at Yang Wenqing, and asked, ”Selling Rune Paper?”

Yang Wenqing nodded and placed the neatly arranged stack of finished Rune Paper on the counter. ”Sorry to trouble you, Director Chen.”

The old reservist set down his ledger, expertly unwrapped the paper package, and casually pulled out an Immobilization Spell sheet. He ran a finger lightly over the Talisman’s lines, sensing the residual Spiritual Qi fluctuations and the integrity of the drawn spell.

”Mm, the quality is as stable as ever.” The old reservist nodded. Although his tone was polite, he still meticulously inspected the quality of every single sheet of Rune Paper in the package.

”They’re all quite good. Sixteen dollars each.” The old reservist quoted the price. ”That’s 3,200 dollars in total. Do you need more blank Rune Paper?”

The price he offered was top-tier, proof that the quality of the Spells Yang Wenqing inscribed was excellent.

”I’ll take two hundred sheets. And I’d also like to buy a stalk of White Dragon Ginseng,” Yang Wenqing replied softly.

”One moment.”

The old reservist turned and walked to a shelf in the warehouse, picked up two paper packages, then went to the back of the warehouse. There was a large safe there, and in front of it stood a middle-aged man with the rank of senior reservist.

The two exchanged a few simple words. The middle-aged man opened the safe and took out a stalk of White Dragon Ginseng. The old reservist took it, returned to the counter, sat down, and then meticulously wrote out two invoices.

”That’ll be 2,800 dollars from you.”

After writing the invoices, the old reservist looked at Yang Wenqing.

Yang Wenqing nodded. The White Dragon Ginseng was priced at five thousand dollars, which was considered quite cheap since it was now being mass-cultivated. Yang Wenqing had the 2,800 dollars. He spent almost none of his monthly salary except on lunch, and combined with the money from his previous Talisman sales, he had savings of nearly four thousand dollars.

After stowing the White Dragon Ginseng safely, Yang Wenqing walked straight out of the Public Security Office’s main gate. A deep drumbeat suddenly reached his ears. Following the sound, he saw a troupe of people in ornate theatrical costumes parading down the street. They were promoting a stage play in the central district for the next day.

For this stage play, every Public Security Office in the county had to send someone for guard duty. Even though it was the weekend, many people vied for the post because they could watch the play for free. It seemed the East City Public Security Office only had one spot, and it went to Zhao Qin.

”Wenqing!”

Just as Yang Wenqing was about to return to his dorm, a familiar voice suddenly called out. He turned around, a smile appearing on his face, and blurted out, ”Second Uncle!”

The person who had arrived was none other than Yang Wenqing’s second uncle, Yang Jianye. He was wearing a gray, coarse cloth short-jacket that had faded from many washings, with matching loose trousers rolled up to his knees, revealing his dark, sturdy, sun-tanned calves. On his feet were a pair of worn-out straw sandals, and on his shoulder, he carried a bulging burlap sack. His face wore a simple and warm smile.

”Second Uncle? What are you doing here?” Yang Wenqing hurried over to greet him.

”Just bringing you some rice.” Yang Jianye grinned, revealing teeth slightly yellowed from tobacco leaves. He lowered the burlap sack from his shoulder with a dull thud. ”Besides the rice, there are also freshly harvested taros and dried fish. Your dad went into the mountains a while back and found some wild honey, so he had me bring you a small jar of it too.”

As he spoke, he wiped the sweat from his face with a rough hand and glanced curiously at the noisy parade in the distance, casually asking, ”Is there another opera troupe in town?”

Yang Wenqing took the burlap sack and asked, ”Where’s Dad?”

Usually, it was his dad, Yang Jianmu, who brought these things.

Yang Jianye sighed and replied, ”Big Brother fell and hurt his leg in the mountains five days ago. The old doctor said he needs to stay in bed for half a month.”

Yang Wenqing was taken aback. He quickly said, ”Why didn’t you come find me? What if it leaves a lingering injury?”

As he spoke, he took out a packet of Rune Paper, pulled out a sheet, and said to Yang Jianye, ”This sheet has a Healing Spell on it. Take it back and have the old doctor use it on Dad.”

This was a sheet of Rune Paper Yang Wenqing had prepared for himself. It was only the lowest grade, but a single sheet was worth at least three hundred dollars. It could only alleviate some of the injuries, not heal them completely. A complete recovery would require a Cultivator to continuously cast the Healing Spell or use several dozen sheets at once.

”Big Brother is a fortunate man.” Yang Jianye took the Rune Paper, put it away carefully, and then said to Yang Wenqing, ”Now that I’ve delivered the things, I should be getting back.”

”Stay for lunch, at least.”

”No, I can’t. I came on the village’s general store truck. They’ll head back as soon as they’re done loading up on goods, and they won’t wait for me.”

Hearing this, Yang Wenqing didn’t insist. He carried the burlap sack, walked his second uncle to the South City wholesale market, and only returned to his dorm after finding the general store’s truck. Then, he carefully sliced off a small piece of his newly acquired White Dragon Ginseng, dissolved it in water, and drank it. He felt the familiar medicinal power spread through his body, guiding the Spiritual Qi to circulate through his meridians.

Time flew by, and several more months passed. During this period, Yang Wenqing’s life was a routine of patrolling, cultivating, and making Rune Paper.

The summer heat gradually faded after a few autumn rains, and the sea breeze brought a cool chill.

「In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the year.」

A bitter sea wind howled through the county town. That afternoon, just as Yang Wenqing finished his patrol and returned to the Public Security Office to hand over his shift, his captain, Xiao Liang, walked over with a serious expression, holding a document stamped with the red seal of the branch office.

”Everyone, grab your gear and assemble on the training ground!” Xiao Liang announced loudly.

Yang Wenqing’s expression didn’t change much. He already knew the purpose of this assembly: to clear out the Demon Beasts and evil creatures from the mountains outside the city before the Spring Festival, ensuring a safe and peaceful holiday.