I Cultivate in a Government Office

Just then, there was another knock on the office door. Kong Yu’s figure appeared in the doorway. Because of his involvement with the secret investigation team, Yang Wenqing had given him special permission to enter without being announced.

”Director,” Kong Yu said as he walked in to report. ”As per your request, I’ve scouted two clerks with clean backgrounds and simple family lives—one man and one woman. Both have passed the highest level of screening from the Folklore Division. Here are their files.”

He placed a thin folder on Yang Wenqing’s desk.

Yang Wenqing opened the file. The two were ordinary clerks from the bureau’s Archives Division, both with cultivation only at the Qi-Induction stage, making them the most inconspicuous type of people. One was Chen Chang, a twenty-eight-year-old man whose parents had passed away when he was young, leaving him to be raised by his uncle. He was introverted but meticulous. The other was Lin Xiaoxi, a twenty-five-year-old woman. Her family hailed from Qianjiao County as unaffiliated cultivators, and she was now working alone in the New District.

”Excellent.” Yang Wenqing closed the folder. ”Have them join the company Yang Yong registered, posing as ’market researchers’.”

”Understood!” Kong Yu nodded solemnly.

”Go on. Be careful, and be discreet,” Yang Wenqing said with a wave of his hand.

Kong Yu took his leave.

The investigation team had taken its first step, but Yang Wenqing’s mindset had already shifted. After his conversation with Zhu Sheng’s puppet last night and the guidance from his master, he had a much clearer understanding of just how deep the conspiracy behind this case ran. His job now wasn’t to frantically unearth the entire truth, but to control the tempo of the investigation.

He needed to show progress to his superiors, but also ensure the fire he was stoking didn’t grow so fast it ended up burning him. Once the agents from the city’s special task force arrived, he could even detach himself from the case entirely. That way, if any problems arose down the line, he’d be in a better position to intervene.

As he was pondering, the Communication Array on his desk activated automatically. It was the Major Case Team’s daily briefing, which Yang Wenqing had scheduled.

Instead of the other teams reporting first, Liu Xin began the meeting directly. ”We consolidated our leads today and found a crucial intersection point: Sun’s Grocery Store in the urban district.”

”Over the past three months, the store has received three payments from unknown sources. Furthermore, three of our seventeen suspects have each separately visited the store within the last two weeks, staying only for a short time. Shortly after each of their visits, one of those three payments was transferred out under the guise of a routine stock purchase.”

Li Yue added, ”The store’s owner, Wu the Sixth, is a man in his sixties with a clean record. We checked his recent communication logs and bank statements. Besides those three transactions, there have been several other large fund transfers of varying sizes over the past six months. We’ve cross-referenced this with the store’s inventory records and can confirm the books have been cooked.”

Yang Wenqing couldn’t help but interrupt, ”Sounds like a way station for money laundering and information exchange.”

Liu Xin requested instructions. ”Director, the chain of evidence isn’t complete, but the link between Sun’s Grocery Store and the three suspects is already very strong. Should we raid the store, or bring Wu the Sixth in for questioning? It might give us the breakthrough we need.”

Hearing this, Yang Wenqing’s fingers tapped lightly on the desktop.

’Arrest him, or not?’

’Making an arrest could yield immediate results, disrupt their operations, and even allow us to follow the trail to someone higher up. But it could also tip them off, letting a bigger fish get away, or force them to take more drastic measures.’

’If I don’t make an arrest, we could continue surveillance. It’s a chance to play the long game, observe more of their network, and map out their patterns.’

Suddenly, he thought of the city’s special task force, which was due to arrive soon. He broke the silence, ”Hold off on the arrest. And don’t spook Wu the Sixth.”

The line fell silent as they waited for him to continue.

”Liu Xin, assign more personnel. I want 24/7 covert surveillance on Sun’s Grocery Store. Log everyone who goes in and out, all deliveries, and any unusual signal activity.”

”Li Yue, you and your team will continue digging into those three suspects. I want a full trace of their movements and contacts before and after they visited the store. Pay special attention to any indirect links between them that we might have missed.”

”Remember, our objective is to map out this entire network, not just to arrest a couple of individuals. Maintain surveillance until you receive a direct order from me. Report any anomalies immediately.”

Yang Wenqing’s voice was steady and powerful, setting the tone.

”Yes, Director!”

Liu Xin, Li Yue, and the others responded in unison.

After they discussed a few more details, the conference call ended.

Yang Wenqing looked at the darkening sky outside the window, stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked out.

He pushed open his office door, only to see Deputy Director Wang Hai sitting in the waiting area. He was holding a file and seemed to be resting with his eyes closed.

Yang Wenqing’s brows furrowed slightly. He looked at Liu Qin, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure, ”Liu Qin, why didn’t you announce Director Wang’s arrival? Leaving him waiting out here, what kind of message does that send?”

”Director Yang! Please, don’t blame Assistant Liu.”

Wang Hai shot to his feet, a broad smile on his face. ”It was my idea. I told Assistant Liu not to disturb you. You have meetings all day and so much to handle. This isn’t a pressing matter. I just figured I’d wait until you were free to give you a quick update on the coordination with the Civil Affairs Bureau about the port.”

Yang Wenqing’s expression softened slightly. He glanced at the time and said, ”You’re too considerate, Director Wang. It just so happens I haven’t had dinner yet. Why don’t we go out for a bite together? We can talk while we eat. Xiaoxian, you come too.”

”Oh, I couldn’t possibly let you treat me, Director Yang,” Wang Hai said, hastily waving his hands.

”It’s just a simple meal. Let’s go.” Yang Wenqing walked towards the elevator, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The three of them didn’t go anywhere fancy, simply booking a small private room at a quiet, homestyle restaurant near the bureau.

Over dinner, Wang Hai gave a detailed report on the latest progress of the Port District project, the requirements of the ley-line Cultivators, and the preliminary security plan drafted in coordination with the Civil Affairs Bureau. His report was clear and methodical; he had clearly done his homework.

Yang Wenqing listened, offering a few pointers here and there and expressing his approval of Wang Hai’s efficiency and attitude.

After the meal, Yang Wenqing put down his teacup and said to Wang Hai, ”Director Wang, in the future, for these kinds of routine work reports, just compile a brief report every five days and have it sent to my office in the morning. Contact me anytime for emergencies.”

He then turned to Liu Qin. ”Xiaoxian, from now on, when Director Wang comes to my office, as long as I’m in, let him come straight in. No need to have him wait outside to be announced again.”

”Yes, Director,” Liu Qin acknowledged.

The smile on Wang Hai’s face broadened. He said effusively, ”Thank you for your trust, Director Yang. I will do everything in my power to handle my duties well, so you won’t have to worry about a thing.”

Yang Wenqing made small talk with him for a little longer before they left the restaurant. From there, he returned directly to the inner quarters of the Yang’s Residence.

…

In the Quiet Chamber in the rear courtyard, Yang Yong had already delivered a batch of basic ores as instructed. They were sorted by type and stacked neatly in a corner. Yang Wenqing surveyed the delivery and nodded in satisfaction.

But he did not immediately begin Artifact Refining. Instead, he first sat down cross-legged and replanned his cultivation schedule.

Since the early stages of Artifact Refining required extensive practice for familiarization and improvement, he decided to split his time before 4 a.m. into two parts. The first half would be dedicated to practicing the First Transformation of the *Xuanyue True Scripture of Bone Marrow Cleansing*, and the second half to Artifact Refining.

Once his Artifact Refining techniques were mastered and he had reforged his flying sword, he would return to a routine focused primarily on cultivation. As for the time from 4 a.m. until dawn, that was immutably reserved for nurturing his Five Yang Qi using the *Yuqing Secret Skill*.

With his plan set, he immediately centered himself and began his nightly cultivation.

Spiritual Qi trickled in like a gentle stream, seeping into his bones and nourishing the marrow with the aid of the ’Earthen Marrow-Nourishing Array’...

But he was only halfway through his cultivation tonight when his focus was broken by a fluctuation of Spiritual Qi. A signal was coming in from the Communication Token for the city’s special task force.

After Yang Wenqing activated the Communication Array, a voice came through immediately: ”Director Yang Wenqing, Special Task Force Team One has arrived at the designated safe house in the Lingshan New District as planned. Please arrange for a single, completely trustworthy contact to rendezvous with us within the next two hours. The meeting point and passcode are as follows...”