I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 225: Chapter 130: The End of Zhang Qiming

The sky had just begun to lighten, cutting stripes of light and shadow across the floor of Deputy Director Gao Zhen’s office. The air inside was stale, thick from a sleepless night.

Yang Wenqing sat in the chair opposite Gao Zhen, still travel-worn from his overnight rush back from Lingshan Town. His eyes, however, were bright with anticipation as he looked at Gao Zhen.

Gao Zhen picked up his teacup and blew on the floating leaves, only to set it back down without taking a sip. He sighed softly, breaking the silence. ”Over in Lingshan Town, Liu Xin is holding things down for now, right?”

”Director Liao and Vice Director Yan are both there, along with the Government Soldiers and the operations team. It seems fine for now.” Yang Wenqing’s reply was concise; his mind was clearly elsewhere. He quickly asked, ”Director Gao, Zhang Qiming...?”

”What’s the rush...” Gao Zhen set his teacup down and leaned back in his chair. A complex expression crossed his face—a mixture of fatigue, relief, and a faint, hard-to-notice trace of fear. ”How to put this... it’s a real fucking mess.”

He paused, as if gathering his thoughts, and then began.

”Zhang Qiming has been in league with that bunch of fiends from the Yellow Springs Guide. And not just recently—based on the rogue Cultivator’s memories and Zhang Qiming’s own preliminary confession, it goes back fifty years.”

Yang Wenqing’s pupils shrank.

”Back then, he was young and ambitious, but the support his family could offer was limited.”

Gao Zhen’s tone carried a hint of cold, worldly cynicism. ”The people from the Yellow Springs Guide are like flies drawn to filth. They approached him, promising to help him break through his bottlenecks, provide cultivation resources, and even remove some of the obstacles in his official career.”

”He agreed?” Yang Wenqing asked, though he already knew the answer.

”How could he refuse?” Gao Zhen countered. ”For a young man from a regional family, desperate to climb the ranks but with no ladder to the top, the temptation was too great. Plus, they were incredibly secretive. The initial bait they offered was perfectly measured, just enough to give him a taste of what it felt like to rapidly advance his strength and secure his position.”

He picked up a thin summary report and tapped it with his finger. ”For Zhang Qiming to climb all the way to the position of Bureau Director over the past few decades, the shadow of the Yellow Springs Guide was never far behind.”

”Of course, he paid a price. He used his official position to provide them with protection and intelligence, even turning a blind eye to their ’minor activities’ within Qianjiao County. Those few old, unsolved missing persons cases... they were most likely connected to this. He just covered them up.”

A chill crept into Yang Wenqing’s heart as he listened.

”This development in Lingshan Town was a golden opportunity for the Zhang family,” Gao Zhen continued. ”They wanted the biggest piece of the pie, but they weren’t willing to commit the resources to compete for it. So, they pinned all their hopes on Zhang Qiming, figuring that a bureau director with actual power could take care of everything.”

He scoffed. ”The Zhang family had a nice little scheme going. They were trying to get something for nothing, relying on Zhang Qiming to land them the huge profits from Lingshan Town for free. But they overestimated Zhang Qiming and underestimated just how deep the waters in Lingshan Town run. The bit of clout he had in the bureaucracy wasn’t nearly enough to play in that league.”

”So he had to rely even more heavily on the Yellow Springs Guide?” Yang Wenqing finished.

”Exactly.”

Gao Zhen nodded, his face darkening. ”The price the Yellow Springs Guide demanded this time was steep. I heard the cash bribe to the County Civil Affairs Bureau alone was a hefty five million. But they asked for much more in return. Both the disappearances and the mine collapse were to transport blood and flesh sacrifices for them.”

”They’re that rich?”

Yang Wenqing asked, referring to the Yellow Springs Guide.

Gao Zhen looked at Yang Wenqing intently. ”They’re only has-beens on the Central Continent. On the New Continent, they’re powerful enough to call the shots. And they’re more than willing to spend whatever it takes in Wanxuan.”

Images flashed through Yang Wenqing’s mind—the mountain of remains beneath the forest, Liu Rong’s cold silhouette. An inexpressible wave of anger and disgust washed over him.

”You know the gist of what happened next.”

Gao Zhen’s voice grew heavy. ”The situation spiraled, and the mine collapse was a bombshell. They had no choice but to cut their losses to save their own skin. But no one expected Liu Min to find a chink in their armor, using Zhang Qiming’s bookkeeping habits to guide Liu Rong and Wu Yan in their investigation...”

His words trailed off.

A brief silence fell over the office, broken only by the faint sound of birds chirping outside.

Gao Zhen rubbed the bridge of his nose, a rare wistfulness on his face. ”Wenqing, honestly, a big part of the reason we were able to nail Zhang Qiming and dismantle the Yellow Springs Guide’s Lingshan Town stronghold so quickly was just plain luck.”

Yang Wenqing looked at him.

”Old Zhou...” Gao Zhen meant Deputy Director Zhou. ”He’s had his eye on Zhang Qiming for a long time. But the man is too cunning, always using his family’s influence as cover. Old Zhou could never get the smoking gun he needed to nail him. A few times he thought he was onto something, but the leads would just mysteriously dry up.”

An image of Liu Min surfaced in Yang Wenqing’s mind. That unremarkable minor player was the key that had cracked this whole case open.

”Wu Qianjun was also crucial,” Gao Zhen said suddenly. ”Zhang Qiming may be high and mighty, but he isn’t fit to lick Wu Qianjun’s boots.”

Yang Wenqing was silent for a moment before speaking. ”Director Gao, Captain Wu has a son. He died in the line of duty, and I’d like to secure a special commendation admission for his son, with no restrictions on which academy he chooses.”

”Captain Wu gave his life to expose that Foundation Establishment Cultivator, disrupting their plans and providing us with the most critical memories. A contribution like that can’t be ignored,” Yang Wenqing said, his voice firm. ”Besides, he entrusted his wife and son to me. I can’t just do nothing.”