I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 205: Chapter 121: Wu Qianjun’s Stance

At dawn, Lingshan Town awoke to the clamor of summer, but this stretch of dirt road southwest of town was shrouded in an eerie silence.

A jet-black Flying Shuttle descended with a low roar, landing in an open area beside the road. The hatch slid open, and six fully-armed Government Soldiers filed out, their movements swift and efficient. In just over ten seconds, they had established a security perimeter on both sides of the road.

Yang Wenqing, dressed in a crisp, white police commissioner’s uniform, was strikingly conspicuous—almost blinding—against the backdrop of dark armor and the black vehicle.

From the moment he disembarked, his gaze fixed on the road ahead, drawn to two human-shaped outlines sketched in white chalk. He strode forward, his bootfalls on the coarse dirt and gravel road neither loud nor soft, yet unnervingly clear in the silence.

Qian Lu followed three paces behind, his hands at his sides. Like an iron tower, Squad Leader Zhao Tiezhu of the Government Soldiers silently guarded Yang Wenqing’s flank. His right hand hung naturally, inches from the pistol on his tactical belt, while his left held a rifle steady, stock braced against his shoulder. His sharp gaze darted in all directions.

Yang Wenqing came to a stop at the edge of the outline marking where Liu Rong had fallen.

He didn’t crouch down or make any move to examine the scene. The detailed reports from the forensics team and the medical examiner were already on his desk. Every inch of soil and every blade of grass had already been sifted and analyzed with specialized equipment.

He simply stood there, his head bowed slightly, staring at the patch of earth stained dark brown with blood, at the cold, empty shape traced by the white chalk.

The morning wind stirred up fine dust, brushing past the still hem of his uniform. In the distance, the forest murmured faintly, while nearby, the grass bent low. The Government Soldiers on guard were like statues welded to the ground, only the muzzles of their rifles shifting imperceptibly as their eyes scanned the area.

Time seemed to freeze. Only the man in white, standing in the open field’s wind, encircled by cold iron and steel, remained a burning focal point.

After several long seconds, Yang Wenqing slowly raised his head.

His face was devoid of any strong emotion. His gaze traveled past the chalk outline at his feet, over the dirt road, to the thicket of bushes opposite, and then further, to the lush mountain forest that could conceal any number of sins and secrets.

He said nothing, yet he conveyed a silent declaration to all who watched him:

’I’m here for more than just a look.’

"Over there."

Yang Wenqing pointed to a factory building piled high with lumber at the end of the road. The usual sounds of machinery were absent, and the usual coming and going of people had vanished.

After taking a few steps, he added, "This place really is perfect for an ambush. Not even a single monitoring Array."

Qian Lu replied, "In the old days, if guards were attacked, everyone in the vicinity would have been subjected to a Soul Search. They should be grateful they live in an era of peace."

Yang Wenqing let out a short laugh. "When I first heard the news, I’ll admit I was tempted to do just that."

While directing his Government Soldiers to maintain the security cordon, Squad Leader Zhao said, "My brother told me that when the Qianjiao County outpost was first established, there were five purges."

"And your brother is?"

"Zhao Tieshan. He was just a grunt back then."

Yang Wenqing glanced back at the spot where Liu Rong had been killed. "What we need now is stability," he said. "Times have changed."

The administrative district of Qianjiao County was formally established one hundred years ago. That meant Zhao Tieshan had been serving with the Government Soldiers for a century, yet he was still stuck in the Qi Cultivation Stage. Since the maximum lifespan for that stage is one hundred and eighty years, one could say he still had time.

As Yang Wenqing spoke with the two men, partly to ease the tension, they arrived outside the Hongyuan Trading Company compound without realizing it. The Government Soldiers had already set up a new security perimeter.

The entrance to the compound was covered in overlapping layers of the City Defense Bureau’s proprietary seals, their vermilion runes looking somewhat dull in the sunlight.

A stuffy wave of air, thick with the smell of sawdust, dust, and rust, washed over him. The scene was even more chaotic than he had imagined, with toppled shelves and account books strewn across the floor. Not that it was a surprise; Yang Wenqing had already seen photographs of the scene from the case files.

He walked into the center of the wreckage, his gaze sweeping slowly across the room. The signs of a struggle were fierce but lacked any clear direction. After a moment of silence, he moved to a relatively clean corner and activated the communicator badge on his chest.

"Secretary Chen, this is Yang Wenqing. Is Teacher Qin available? I have some questions about my cultivation that I was hoping to ask him." Yang Wenqing’s tone was deferential.

The line was silent for a few seconds before Secretary Chen’s steady voice came through. "One moment, Yang Group Leader. The Director just finished a brief meeting. I’ll patch you through."

Soon, Director Qin’s voice came from the badge. "Wenqing, is everything going smoothly in Lingshan Town?"

"Teacher."

Yang Wenqing said in a low voice, "I’m at the Hongyuan Trading Company crime scene. The forensics work has been thorough, but I feel like we’re missing something—like there’s a veil over it. Forgive my presumption, Teacher, but I was wondering: are there any experts in celestial divination within our organization?"

Director Qin responded quickly. "Wenqing, I understand how you feel. Of course, we have people like that. In the Government Soldiers’ general staff, in the deepest recesses of Internal Affairs Inspection, there are masters of this art. But..."

His tone grew heavier. "You must understand, prying into the secrets of heaven invites immense repercussions. The Caster burns their own Cultivation foundation, even their lifespan and karmic fortune. Unless the very foundation of the state is at risk, or it’s a truly earth-shattering case, you could never persuade them to act."

Director Qin’s voice softened. "The fact that things have escalated this far proves that you’re already very close to the truth. You’ve hit a nerve—a vital secret they can’t afford to have exposed. The more frantically your opponents try to cover their tracks, the more mistakes they’re bound to make."