I Cultivate in a Government Office

He brewed a cup of tea, blew on it gently, and took a sip. The warm, mellow fragrance slid down his throat, bringing a moment of clarity.

He had just taken a sip when a light knock came from the office door. Liu Qin walked in.

”Director…”

Liu Qin reported, ”A message came from the Civil Affairs Bureau. The ley line cultivator dispatched by the Provincial Hall has completed the preliminary surveys and preparations. The area around our reservoir has also been reinforced. He will soon begin the first large-scale modification of the port expansion zone’s topography. There may be mild tremors, so the Civil Affairs Bureau has already issued a city-wide notice via neighborhood bulletins and the Communication Array.”

Yang Wenqing nodded. This was to be expected.

Liu Qin continued, ”Also, Director Liao from the Civil Affairs Bureau sent word. He’s hosting a banquet at noon at Tingchao Pavilion, near the port, to welcome the technical official from the Provincial Hall. It will also be an opportunity to observe the initial phase of the port’s reconstruction. He was asking if you would have time to attend.”

Yang Wenqing considered for a moment. He had to make an appearance at this banquet. It was a political gesture, a way to show that everyone in Lingshan New District was united and that its affairs were progressing steadily.

”I’ll go,” Yang Wenqing said firmly, setting down his teacup. ”Reply to Director Liao that I will be there on time. You should prepare to come with me as well.”

”Understood,” Liu Qin replied. She was about to turn and leave to make the arrangements.

”Wait.” Yang Wenqing called out to her again.

Liu Qin stopped and turned, awaiting his instructions.

Yang Wenqing thought for a moment before instructing, ”Remind the Major Case Team they need to speed up their progress on the case. The shadow of the bombing still hangs over the New District, and we can’t drag out this lockdown indefinitely. It’s affecting people’s livelihoods and makes our City Defense Bureau look incompetent. Give them a push when you have a moment.”

He needed to produce some tangible results before the supervisor arrived, and he also needed to prevent all this pressure from coming to a head at once.

”I will convey your exact words to Team Liu,” Liu Qin said with a solemn nod.

”Alright, you may go,” Yang Wenqing said with a wave of his hand.

After Liu Qin left, Yang Wenqing was once again alone in the office. He picked up his teacup, took another sip, and gazed out the window.

…

「Major Case Team Headquarters.」

The air was thick with the characteristic stench of an all-nighter—a mixture of strong tea and the water from energizing talismans.

Liu Xin sat in her office, her desk strewn with case files, photocopied ledgers, interrogation records, and relationship diagrams. She intermittently rubbed her throbbing temples as she listened to a report from one of her senior officers.

”Team Liu, the shooter from the old building confessed. He’s just a desperado who works for cash. His cultivation has barely reached the Qi-Guiding threshold. He said Wu the Sixth ordered him to open fire.”

”Wu the Sixth ordered him to kill… himself?”

”Yes. The shooter said Wu the Sixth was a total coward. Without someone forcing his hand, he probably couldn’t even bring himself to end his own life.”

”Why would he do that? His employer was dead. Where was he going to collect his bounty?”

”He said it was a matter of honor.”

”Bullshit. Keep interrogating him,” Liu Xin ordered coldly.

The officer continued his report. ”He also said that late last night, Wu the Sixth heard that a lot of people had been arrested in the mining district, which is why he made a last-minute decision to flee.”

”What was the case in the mining district?”

”A smuggling case. Nothing to do with our investigation. The news was likely leaked by a patrolling officer or spread by civilian onlookers. The number of potential sources is too large to track.”

Liu Xin stared at the ledger on her desk. ’Its continued existence at least proves Wu the Sixth’s source of information wasn’t someone in a high position.’

The officer glanced at his team leader’s expression and continued reporting:

”We’ve also traced the source of the gun. It came from a black market dealer nicknamed ’Old Duck.’ Based on ballistics and the weapon’s signature, the forensics team has linked it to several similar cases. They’re coordinating with the Public Security Division to raid the hideout this afternoon. It should also allow us to crack a case of illegal firearms manufacturing and trafficking.”

”Anything else?”

”That’s all for now.”

”Alright, get back to it,” Liu Xin said with a wave.

She returned her focus to the thick stack of photocopied ledgers in front of her. She spent the better part of the morning checking and categorizing them line by line, cross-referencing the chaotic income and expenditure records.

Her eyes finally locked onto two recurring recipient accounts. While not directly linked to the three bombing victims, they appeared with high frequency in Wu the Sixth’s ledgers over the past six months, often right before or after the three payments related to the bombing.

She immediately ordered her subordinates to investigate the people behind these two accounts. News came back in less than an hour. One account belonged to the owner of a tailor shop called Brocade Square. The owner’s name was Li Xiulan, thirty-two years old, a widow with no children.

The other belonged to a man named Huang Heng, fifty-six years old. He was officially unemployed but owned two commercial properties in the New District that generated rental income. Most importantly, his records showed a significant connection: he was the brother-in-law of Yang Haishan, the chairman of the Coral Mining Processing Company.

This mining company was state-owned, and its chairman enjoyed an administrative rank equivalent to the Director of the City Defense Bureau. It was also the largest processing company in Lingshan New District, responsible for producing nearly forty percent of the district’s Energy Stones. A minor official in title, but a man of immense influence.

’One is a seemingly ordinary artisan’s shop, the other an idle rich man with a complicated background. And both have secret financial dealings with Wu the Sixth, an inconspicuous grocery store owner.’

Liu Xin stared at the two names, trying to build a connection in her mind.

’A tailor shop? A dead drop for intelligence or a place to hide things? And Huang Heng… a connection to get to the Coral Mining Processing Company? And from there, a line to the Civil Affairs Bureau, the City Defense Bureau, or even the Government Soldiers?’

Just as she was lost in thought, Li Yue burst through the door, startling her so badly that a fine sheen of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

”What is it?” she asked, somewhat displeased.

”Team Liu, we found Wu the Sixth’s family!”

Sensing Liu Xin’s displeasure, Li Yue moderated her tone. ”He has a daughter, Wu Yun. She’s twenty-one. She just underwent a magical procedure to restore her sight at the Mingxin Clinic in the provincial capital.”

Li Yue placed a photograph in front of Liu Xin. The photo showed a young woman in a simple dress sitting by a window, her profile turned toward the sun. Her features were delicate, her eyes seemed a little lost, but a timid smile played on her lips.

It was clear she had only recently regained her sight.

”According to Wu the Sixth’s old neighbors, Wu Yun came down with a strange illness two years ago and gradually went blind. Wu the Sixth spent all his savings trying to cure her, even taking on high-interest loans. All he could afford was some basic medication to keep her condition from worsening…”

”But about a year ago, things suddenly changed. Wu the Sixth not only paid off all his debts but also had enough money to send his daughter to the provincial capital for treatment. At the time, some neighbors found it suspicious and even reported him for potential illegal activities, but the matter was eventually dropped.”

Liu Xin listened in silence, her eyes fixed on the photograph of Wu Yun’s profile, radiant with the joy of her newfound sight. ’The price for this girl to see again was far too high,’ she thought. ’Every coin used to heal her eyes was likely stained with blood and sin.’ For that reason, there wasn’t a trace of pity in Liu Xin’s expression.

”Keep digging. Get Wu Yun’s treatment records—who paid, and through what channels. Also, find out who Wu the Sixth was in contact with and what he was doing around the time his financial situation suddenly improved a year ago.” Liu Xin pointed to a name among the papers on her desk. ”Specifically, see if he had any contact with this person.”

She was pointing at Huang Heng, the name she had deduced from the ledgers, and she briefly explained her reasoning.

Upon hearing this, Li Yue couldn’t help but ask, ”Should we report this to Director Yang first?”

Liu Xin glanced up at Li Yue. ”I’ll bring it up at the summary meeting this afternoon. First, go investigate the connection between them. If you find nothing, what is there to report?”

”Yes, ma’am!”

Li Yue accepted the order, turned, and threw herself back into her work.

Liu Xin’s gaze returned to the pile of documents on her desk, and then she looked again at Wu Yun’s photograph.

「Meanwhile…」

The secret investigation team and the Municipal Bureau’s Special Cases Office had also zeroed in on Huang Heng and Li Xiulan at the same time, based on the same ledger. The Special Cases Office, however, focused more on Li Xiulan, as they knew full well that Huang Heng was not someone they could investigate lightly.