I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: A Sudden Encounter

As Yang Wenqing closed in on Liu Xin, a question gnawed at him. ’If I’m the bait, and the big fish has clearly taken the hook, why hasn’t the angler shown up yet?’

Just as his thoughts were racing—

RUMBLE!!!

A deep, drum-like peal of thunder erupted from the heavens without warning. The sound seemed to originate from a great distance, yet it possessed a power that pierced straight to the soul.

Startled by the sudden noise, Yang Wenqing froze and instinctively glanced at the sky.

But there was nothing out of the ordinary.

It was followed by a second clap, then a third...

A continuous, muffled rumbling echoed faintly from all directions, as if countless giant drums were being beaten on the distant horizon. The source of the sound was erratic; one moment it seemed to come from the eastern sea, the next from the northern mountains, making it impossible to pinpoint.

’Cultivators are fighting! And it’s a large-scale battle, happening very far away!’

Yang Wenqing came to an immediate conclusion. The scene reminded him of a story his instructor at the Police Academy had told about a conflict between high-tier Cultivators on the city outskirts. Back then, they had only heard the sounds of the battle, unable to see who was fighting.

Is this sudden, distant battle related to the current chaos in Qianjiao County?

A coincidence, or...

He suppressed his shock and doubt. After weighing whether to reinforce Liu Xin or head for the Government Army Camp, he suddenly quickened his pace and continued toward Liu Xin. He scanned his surroundings vigilantly. Thanks to the enhancement from the ’Sharp Eye Spell’, his powers of observation were far beyond an ordinary person’s. And because of this, he soon spotted a figure that was completely out of place...

In a parallel alley up ahead, a man in a senior City Defense Bureau uniform was hurrying along with his head down, hugging the wall. His actions were completely at odds with the status his uniform implied. He wasn’t on patrol, joining a pursuit, or helping evacuate civilians. Instead, he seemed to be deliberately trying to avoid being seen.

The continuous explosions and piercing sirens had long since driven any pedestrians into their homes or nearby shelters. The empty streets made the lone officer’s figure incredibly conspicuous. However, most of the police force’s attention was on the fierce firefight near Liu Xin, so no one had noticed this anomaly in the corner.

’Something’s not right...’ Yang Wenqing stopped heading toward Liu Xin and slipped into the shadows beneath an eave, his eyes locked on the lone officer.

The thought of ’playing the long game to catch a bigger fish’ flashed through his mind but was instantly dismissed. The situation was changing by the second; any hesitation could mean a missed opportunity. ’This sneaky bastard has to be stopped, now!’

But he didn’t shoot rashly. Just in case it was a misunderstanding, he lowered his voice and barked in a commanding tone, ”You! Up ahead! Stop and turn around!”

The officer hugging the wall froze like a startled deer. But instead of stopping, the moment he heard the voice, he shot forward with shocking speed—like a cat whose tail had been stepped on—and bolted for the mouth of the alley without a backward glance.

That sealed it. He was definitely guilty of something.

BANG!

Yang Wenqing didn’t hesitate. He pulled the trigger, aiming precisely for the man’s thigh. ’I need him alive for questioning!’

But instead of the man collapsing as expected, there was only the dull thud of a bullet hitting flesh. He merely staggered, his speed slowing for a moment. ’He must have some kind of protection on his leg!’

But that brief hesitation was all the opening Yang Wenqing needed. He shot forward like a blur, closing the distance in an instant. Just as the man tried to sprint again, Yang Wenqing raised his gun and pressed the muzzle against the man’s side, exposed as he ran.

BANG! Another point-blank shot. This time, the bullet tore solidly into his abdomen.

”Aargh!”

The officer let out a pained cry and finally collapsed, sprawling on the ground. Blood quickly seeped from the wound, staining his dark uniform.

Yang Wenqing advanced, gun raised. He kicked the man’s hand away, in case he was hiding a weapon, and gave him a sharp look. What he saw made his eyes widen.

The officer was clutching a handful of Storage Bags—at least a dozen of them. A single thought flashed through Yang Wenqing’s mind: ’Did I just hit the jackpot?’

He instinctively glanced around, then bent down and pried the Storage Bags from the man’s death grip. But the instant they were in his hand—

VWOOM!!!

An icy, malevolent pressure, as tangible as a tidal wave, swept in from the distant sky without warning, instantly blanketing the entire alley.

In that instant, Yang Wenqing felt the air turn to solid ice, and his vision dimmed.

He instinctively wanted to drop the Storage Bags, but it felt as if an invisible hand had seized his heart. His breath caught in his throat, and the Spiritual Power in his body ground to a halt under the terrifying pressure.

He instinctively looked up. A black streak of light was tearing through the distant sky, moving faster than his eyes could track. Its target was him—and the ominous-looking Storage Bags in his hand!

’The real angler—the owner of this bait—has arrived!’

’And they’re a terrifying existence, far beyond my own cultivation realm!’

Yang Wenqing’s face fell. Survival instinct kicked in, and he activated his standard-issue protective Magical Artifact. A cyan shield materialized around him just as he began to fall back.

But the pressure locked onto him was inescapable, clinging to him like a cancer. He felt that no matter where he ran, he was already within his opponent’s grasp.

The crisis reached its absolute peak.

Just then, the black streak of light arrived, hovering over the alley. It revealed a figure shrouded in a black robe, their face hidden. Only a pair of icy eyes pierced the gloom, locked on Yang Wenqing—or more precisely, on the cluster of Storage Bags in his hand.

With a flick of his sleeve, a golden light shot out. It expanded in the air, transforming into an enormous Flying Shuttle wrapped in sharp, golden energy. Emitting a shriek that threatened to tear the very air apart, it shot directly at Yang Wenqing.

At the same time, a wave of mental pressure, thick with chaos and tyranny, slammed into Yang Wenqing’s Sea of Consciousness like a sledgehammer. The attack was meant to shatter his focus; if he faltered for even a second, the golden Flying Shuttle would kill him instantly.

Under the dual assault, Yang Wenqing’s mind reeled with a loud BUZZ. His vision blurred and distorted, as if he were about to plunge into an abyss of darkness and chaos. Even before the golden Flying Shuttle arrived, its sharp aura caused the cyan shield from his standard-issue Magical Artifact to flicker violently.

At this crucial moment, a warmth washed over his entire body. Someone was fighting, with him at the center of the clash.

One combatant was a Cultivator on his side, but he had no idea who the other was.①

Then, the Golden Core in Yang Wenqing’s mind suddenly trembled. The terrifying external mental pressure was blocked, kept outside his Golden Core World. This allowed him to break free from his dazed state.

Driven by his survival instinct, the very instant he regained his senses, Yang Wenqing cast a Light Body Spell on himself. His body became as light as a feather, and he threw himself back and to the side without a moment’s hesitation.

①: This paragraph was added later. The original plot already made it very clear that someone had intervened, allowing the protagonist to escape unharmed. However, a lot of readers commented that the protagonist, at the Qi Refining Realm, was somehow able to fight a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. So, this paragraph was added to state things more explicitly.