I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 89: Chapter 81: Bureau Chief Gao’s Guidance

Vice Director Gao’s words were like ice picks, chipping away at the frozen shell around Yang Wenqing’s consciousness. His reason was still intact, so he could understand the gravity and logic behind the Vice Director’s words.

A flicker of movement, infinitesimally small, passed through his indifferent eyes.

"Yes, Vice Director Gao."

Yang Wenqing’s reply was soft. "I understand."

Vice Director Gao looked at him and sighed, clapping a heavy hand on Yang Wenqing’s shoulder. "I’m giving you the day off. Don’t just hang around the bureau. Go out for a walk. And remember my words: the path of cultivation is long. If you lose your humanity, everything else is meaningless."

Yang Wenqing nodded and turned to leave the office. He instinctively headed back toward Team Three. His gaze swept over Liu Qin’s nervous expression, but he didn’t go inside. Instead, he turned and left, walking out of the department building. He stood at the main entrance, staring at the familiar yet alien street before him, feeling lost for the first time.

’A day off? Where should I go? What should I do?’ These simplest of questions made his thoughts feel sluggish.

He hadn’t just wandered around aimlessly like this in a very, very long time. Ever since his memories had returned, his life had been packed full of studying, training, and cultivation. Every step he took had a clear purpose. Wandering the streets without a destination felt like something from a past life.

He started walking, slowly making his way down the street. Before he knew it, he had turned onto a relatively familiar road. This was the area he used to patrol when he first started at the North City Public Security Office. The shops lining the street, the old scholar tree at the intersection, even the few smooth, worn flagstones at the corner of a wall—they all held traces of his memories.

Just as he was passing an alleyway, he heard familiar voices from inside.

"Brother Li, don’t you think our patrol area has been too quiet lately?"

"What’s wrong with quiet? You won’t be happy unless there’s chaos and mayhem every day? Just focus on your patrol!"

Yang Wenqing paused and turned to look. Two figures in Public Security Office uniforms were walking out of the alley, chatting. It was his former colleagues, Li Ming and Ye Yong.

The two of them also saw the figure standing at the mouth of the alley. Li Ming froze for a second, then recognized Yang Wenqing and broke into a smile. "Wenqing?"

Ye Yong came closer as well, grinning. "Wen... Captain Yang, I heard you’re getting promoted again? Congratulations!"

After his walk, some of the humanity deep inside Yang Wenqing had actually started to return. As he looked at the two men before him, a faint smile instinctively appeared on his face. "I got a rare day off, so I came out for a walk. I didn’t expect to end up here."

His voice now held a touch more life than it had in the office earlier.

This was a basic human instinct, buried deep in his memory, triggered naturally by familiar surroundings and old acquaintances. It was like a physical reflex. The time he had spent in arduous cultivation was short; the pain and mental exhaustion it caused had only temporarily suppressed his emotions, not completely erased the memories and reactions ingrained in his very being.

"You should get out more. You were way too focused on your cultivation back when you were with us," Li Ming said with a quick laugh. "You’re a big shot now. The cases with the Major Case Team must be a lot more exciting than the trivial stuff we deal with, right?"

Ye Yong chimed in with a goofy smile, "Yeah, that’s right! Captain Yang, you’re a role model for our entire North City District now!"

The three of them stood at the entrance to the alley, chatting about what they’d been up to. Before long, a Flying Shuttle sped over and stopped nearby. Xiao Liang then hopped out in a flurry of motion and strode toward them.

"Yo! Wenqing, can’t believe you have time to wander around today." Xiao Liang’s voice arrived before he did.

Yang Wenqing looked up and saw Xiao Liang. The layer of ice in his eyes seemed to melt a little more. He was subconsciously less guarded around Xiao Liang.

"Brother Xiao."

Yang Wenqing called out.

Xiao Liang walked up and studied Yang Wenqing for a moment. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly before he broke into a grin. He waved at Li Ming and Ye Yong. "Alright, I’ll take it from here. You two get back to what you were doing."

Li Ming and Ye Yong looked as if they’d been granted amnesty. After a few polite words, they hurried off to continue their patrol.

Xiao Liang slung an arm around Yang Wenqing’s shoulders and guided him toward a small tavern on the side of the street. "Perfect timing. I’m free today too," he said as they walked. "We’ve never had a drink together since we met. Let’s go grab a couple today."

His enthusiasm helped Yang Wenqing’s tense nerves relax even more. The two of them rounded a couple of corners and entered a tavern. They sat down at a table by the window, ordered a few small dishes, and a pot of warmed yellow wine.

After two cups of wine, as a warmth spread through them, Xiao Liang looked at Yang Wenqing and said, "The way you are right now... you’re the spitting image of a guy from my training class. What happened?"

Yang Wenqing thought for a moment, then told him about his arduous cultivation and the scolding he’d received from Vice Director Gao.

After Yang Wenqing finished, Xiao Liang let out a heavy sigh, a mix of reminiscence and lingering fear in his eyes. "Vice Director Gao was absolutely right. That guy from my class was incredibly talented, too. To break through faster, he pushed himself day and night, using all sorts of methods to squeeze out his potential and willpower. At first, his cultivation did advance by leaps and bounds, leaving the rest of us in the dust."

He paused, his tone growing heavy. "But then he became more and more apathetic. He’d ignore everyone, and his eyes were just as cold as yours are now. After that, he started to become radical, believing that anyone who progressed slower than him was trash, unworthy of being his peer."

"In the end, the higher-ups had to forcibly intervene. He didn’t completely lose himself to his inner demons, but his path of cultivation came to an end right there. So, Wenqing, Vice Director Gao yelled at you because he was worried about you. He really sees you as one of his own!"