I Cultivate in a Government Office

After the heavy thud of a body hitting the floor, the entire corridor fell deathly silent.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator from Bibo Prefecture, who had been blocking Tang Yuan, was briefly stunned. He looked toward the private room at Yang Wenqing, whose aura remained as steady as ever. The cultivator subconsciously moved to act, but Tang Yuan beat him to it, blocking the doorway.

A delighted smile spread across Tang Yuan’s face. Gao Zhen silently took half a step back to stand beside Yang Wenqing, his eyes on the other two men Zhou Moxuan had brought with him.

Lanxin covered her mouth and shrank into a corner, not daring to breathe.

Only Lan Ying, perched on Yang Wenqing’s shoulder, proudly puffed out her small chest. Her cheerful voice echoed in his Spirit Sea, ’Qingqing is so amazing!’

Yang Wenqing exhaled, forcibly suppressing the rage in his heart. The Spiritual Qi around him quickly dissipated. He looked at the Foundation Establishment Cultivator and advised, "If you don’t want him to miss the grand competition, you should take him back to heal immediately."

’With Tang Yuan and their Foundation Establishment Cultivator here, continuing this would inevitably lead to a battle between them. That would be a losing proposition.’

Hearing this, the opposing Foundation Establishment Cultivator immediately suppressed his astonishment. He hurried to Zhou Moxuan’s side and knelt, carefully probing him with his Divine Sense. He discovered that Zhou Moxuan’s primary injury was from a Divine Sense shock. His Spiritual Veins and internal organs had been slightly displaced by the impact of Spiritual Qi, but his foundation was thankfully undamaged, so it wouldn’t affect his participation in the grand competition.

But any delay could lead to serious problems. He immediately took a ’Greenwood Rejuvenation Rune’ from his Storage Bag. With a flick of his fingers, the rune paper transformed into a streak of emerald light and sank into Zhou Moxuan’s chest, stabilizing his churning qi and blood and soothing his damaged Spiritual Veins.

He then carefully lifted the unconscious Zhou Moxuan onto his back. Without a single glance at Yang Wenqing and the others, he strode quickly toward the exit. Beside him, Shen Zui clutched his red and swollen face as he scrambled to follow.

Inside the room, the other two young disciples Zhou Moxuan had brought were already pale with fright. Yang Wenqing didn’t even bother to look at them, simply giving a slight shake of his head to Tang Yuan, who was still guarding the door.

Tang Yuan snorted coldly and stepped aside, clearing the doorway. As if granted a pardon, the two disciples lowered their heads and scurried out, not daring to look back.

Then, with a heavy SLAM, Tang Yuan shut the room’s thick, carved wooden door, cutting them off from the gazes outside and the dead silence.

When he turned around, the delighted smile on his face had faded, replaced by a hint of worry.

"Junior Brother Yang, just now you..." Tang Yuan trailed off, hesitant to continue.

"Senior Brother, let’s call it a night," Yang Wenqing said, his voice calm. "This place is no longer peaceful. This wine is good; take it with you. We can drink it when we get back."

He then stepped aside to contact his master and gave him a detailed report of the incident.

After listening, Qin Huaiming said, "You handled it well. You didn’t forget your official capacity. The situation in the East Sea is turbulent right now, so it’s best to avoid internal conflict if possible. However, if they still want to make a move, you don’t need to hold back."

Yang Wenqing nodded. "Yes, Master." After a few more words of casual chat, he ended the communication and looked over at Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan met Yang Wenqing’s gaze, then glanced at the fine wine. With a wave of his hand, a ray of Spiritual Light enveloped the warmed jar of Hundred-Year Bilan Spring and a few untouched, exquisite pastries, sweeping them into his Storage Bag.

He walked to the door and said to the waiting Lanxin, "Miss Lanxin, sorry for all the trouble tonight. Just put the bill on my tab as usual."

Lanxin hurriedly bowed. "Yes, Master Tang. Please take care, sirs."

Her voice trembled slightly; she clearly hadn’t fully recovered from the earlier conflict.

As the three of them walked out of Tingxin Pavilion, Gao Zhen finally muttered two words, "Bad luck."

Tang Yuan burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Don’t worry about it, Junior Brother. We’ll just come back tomorrow night."

As they walked out of the elegant gates of Anxiang Pavilion, Lan Ying, still on Yang Wenqing’s shoulder, suddenly tilted her small head back. She let out two clear, short cries into the deep night sky, the sound echoing with a strange rhythm down the silent street corner.

Almost the instant her cry faded, a streak of sapphire-blue light seemed to separate from the moonlight, landing silently beside them.

The stream of light dissipated, revealing none other than Lan Ying’s mother, Lady Shuanghua.

She was as majestic as ever, her posture graceful. She tilted her head, her starlit eyes glancing at Yang Wenqing before turning to her daughter.

Lan Ying immediately fluttered her little wings and flew to her mother’s side. The two Blue-feathered Night Owls, one large and one small, huddled together, gently touching beaks and letting out a few chirps incomprehensible to human ears. Lady Shuanghua would occasionally nod gently or nudge her daughter with a wing.

The exchange lasted only a few seconds. Then Lady Shuanghua raised her head, her gaze lingering on Yang Wenqing for a moment before she transformed back into a sapphire-blue stream of light, shot into the sky, and instantly vanished into the night.

Lan Ying smugly flew back to Yang Wenqing’s shoulder, affectionately rubbing her small head against his cheek.

Yang Wenqing gazed thoughtfully in the direction Lady Shuanghua had vanished. He then glanced at the praise-seeking look on Lan Ying’s face and asked, "What did you just tell your mother?"

Lan Ying immediately replied in his Spirit Sea, ’I told Mommy that some really nasty people tried to bully Qingqing and said bad things about me! But Qingqing is super strong! He sent the nastiest one flying with a BAM!...’

Yang Wenqing couldn’t help but find it amusing.

’When Zhou Moxuan and his group had verbally provoked her, sneering that she was a mere "external object," the little one had clearly taken note. Yet, instead of stamping her feet or retorting as she usually would, she had chosen to endure it. And the moment they stepped outside, she immediately went to tattle to her mother.’