I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 160: Chapter 106: Director Zhang’s Reprimand

This time, Vice Director Gao’s musical outing was once again at the Liuyun Music Garden, but the scene was clearly different. The private room was larger, and sitting with him were not only Yang Wenqing and Wang Ren, but also two section chiefs who were particularly close to him.

Vice Director Gao sat at the head of the table, dressed in a brand-new, deep-cyan formal attire. His face held a faint, healthy glow, and his eyes carried an air of calm, restrained sharpness. Though he hadn’t said so outright, everyone present knew he had completed the Fourth Transformation of the Marrow Cleansing Realm and had officially advanced to the Fifth Transformation.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere grew lively, and congratulations flowed freely. Vice Director Gao met them all with a smile, neither denying the praise nor boasting, saying only that he had made a bit of progress.

Once everyone was pleasantly buzzed and engaged in idle chatter, Yang Wenqing found an opening. He approached Vice Director Gao with his wine cup, lowered his voice, and gave a concise report on Wu Yan and Liu Rong’s findings in the Lingshan Town disappearance case.

After listening, Vice Director Gao’s smile never faltered. ”Wenqing, you made the right move.”

He drained his cup in one go and said meaningfully, ”Investigate? We won’t find anything right now. But not investigating is out of the question. So, we’ll just let it drag on. It’s for the best.”

He leaned back slightly, his fingers unconsciously tracing the smooth edge of the table.

”As long as they’re stationed in Lingshan Town, even if they do nothing, the very fact that the Major Case Team is investigating gives us real, tangible influence.”

”The situation right now is like a taut string. We just have to see who can’t hold back and makes a move to get us to withdraw our people. Whoever does is the one with something to hide, and if we focus our investigation on them, we’re bound to get a breakthrough.”

He looked at Yang Wenqing, his tone firm. ”So, let Wu Yan and his team continue their interviews and patrols. Have them maintain the appearance of a serious investigation. Meanwhile, we’ll keep our eyes and ears open here in the county and see who makes the first move.”

”I understand, Vice Director Gao,” Yang Wenqing replied in a low voice, raising his cup and draining it.

”Good. As long as you understand what to do.” Vice Director Gao said no more and rejoined the lively conversation at the table.

The banquet broke up close to eleven o’clock at night.

Yang Wenqing politely declined the offer from Wang Ren and the others to continue the night elsewhere, boarding a Flying Shuttle alone to return to his new residence.

Back home, he began his cultivation as usual. Inside the Quiet Chamber, the Array pulsed with a faint light, nourishing his internal organs.

Yang Wenqing could clearly feel the qi and blood coursing through his body like mercury. The vitality of his internal organs was burgeoning, reaching a critical point. He was just waiting for the Spiritual Medicine to arrive to break through to the Fifth Refinement in one fell swoop.

「Three days later.」

Yang Wenqing went to work as usual. He had just sat down behind his desk, before he could even start on the morning’s paperwork, when the public Communication Array on his desk began to flash with a somewhat urgent light. It was an access request from the office of Vice Director Sun Ming of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

After a moment’s thought, he activated the Array.

”Wenqing, hope I’m not interrupting,” Sun Ming began, his tone casual.

”Of course not, Director Sun. Please, go ahead,” Yang Wenqing replied politely.

”Well, it’s like this...” Sun Ming started, as if just making small talk. ”I’ve gotten some feedback recently from people on the ground. They’re saying an investigative team from your City Defense Bureau’s Major Case Team has been in Lingshan Town for quite some time now. They’ve been very diligent with their interviews and inquiries. That’s a good thing, of course. It shows how seriously you take public safety. However...”

He subtly changed tack, though his tone remained the same. ”The construction schedule for the New Town is tight, and coordinating all the different parties is already a logistical nightmare. People are coming and going from the site constantly, and it’s inevitable that the workers’ minds will wander. Having the Major Case Team stationed there for a long-term investigation... well, the whole situation has some of the construction foremen a little uneasy. They’re worried it will affect the project’s schedule and that it might destabilize their workforce. You see...”

Yang Wenqing’s expression remained calm as he asked directly, ”Director Sun, which party gave this feedback, exactly? Is it urgent?”

Sun Ming chuckled. ”Just some grumbling in private. It’s not like anyone is naming names, right? I just caught wind of it and, seeing as our departments have always worked so well together, I figured I’d give you a heads-up. If the case is truly difficult and you need more time, I can help run interference and keep them off your back for a while.”

It was a very diplomatic way of putting it.

”Thank you for your concern, Director Sun.”

Yang Wenqing’s tone was sincere. ”The case is indeed quite peculiar and involves multiple lives. It’s the Major Case Team’s duty to investigate. We will be mindful of our methods and do our best not to disrupt normal construction operations.”

He didn’t take Sun Ming up on his offer to ”run interference.” Instead, he stressed the importance of the case while also promising to be mindful of the impact. This approach clarified his position without forcing Sun Ming to take a hard stance.

Sun Ming, being the shrewd man he was, immediately understood the subtext. He replied, ”I understand, I understand. You’re handling the case by the book, and of course we support that. Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing, you investigate how you see fit. Just be careful.”

”Thank you for your understanding, Director Sun.”

The call ended.

Yang Wenqing leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk. ’They’ve finally made their move,’ he thought. ’And they’re coming through the Civil Affairs Bureau, using a seemingly legitimate reason like disrupting construction to apply pressure.’

’The approach wasn’t aggressive, but it’s a test, a prelude to something more. That old fox Sun Ming played both sides, passing on the message as a favor while washing his hands of any real involvement.’

On the surface, the following days remained calm.

Vice Director Gao was busy consolidating his cultivation, while Director Zhang remained engrossed in his field surveys. From Lingshan Town, the reports from Wu Yan and Liu Rong continued to be regular and uneventful.

Another half a month went by.

One evening, when Yang Wenqing returned home, he found Yang Yong had been waiting for him for some time. As soon as he saw Yang Wenqing, he reported in a low voice:

”Brother Wenqing, I’ve gathered five sets of the Five Elements Spiritual Medicine. The medicinal properties and age of each have been carefully verified against your requirements. It will take time to procure the remaining five sets—it’ll be half a month at the earliest before they’re ready.”