Chapter 377: Reward in Hand
Only Jin Ming was in no hurry to leave. He tossed his token in his hand, watching Yang Wenqing with a grin.
Yang Wenqing had just stood up and hadn’t yet rejoined Tang Yuan and the others when seven or eight colleagues from the Provincial Hall came down from the audience. With smiles that were curious, probing, or simply aimed at networking, they approached to greet him.
The lowest rank among them was Police Commissioner. Yang Wenqing maintained a humble smile, appearing neither distant nor overly enthusiastic. He handled their greetings with composure, all the while silently committing their faces and positions to memory.
Lan Ying stood quietly on his shoulder, occasionally turning her little head to look at one person, then another, muttering assessments in her Spirit Sea like, ‘That person’s smile is so fake,’ and, ‘That one’s aura is a bit muddled.’
About ten minutes passed before the crowd that had come to exchange pleasantries finally dispersed. Only then did Tang Yuan, Gao Zhen, and Yang Wenjian walk over to join Yang Wenqing.
Jin Ming sidled over as well, his face showing undisguised admiration. “Brother Yang, impressive. If it were me, I would’ve lost my patience long ago. Who has the energy to feign civility with those useless people? Every single one of them was either digging for your background or trying to build connections in advance. It’s so tedious.”
His words were direct, even harsh, but they also revealed the complex mentality of a scion from a prominent family—someone who was both well-versed in and contemptuous of such social maneuvering.
Yang Wenqing just smiled, not responding to the comment.
‘Through that brief interaction, he had gotten a rough grasp of Jin Ming’s personality. His talent was excellent and he came from a cultivation family. He could have chosen an orthodox Secret Technique, but he deliberately chose the divergent path of the Wood Spirit. It’s clear he sees the world for exactly what it is and just wants to live a simple life, coasting along without much of a struggle.’
“Let’s go get some fresh air,” Tang Yuan said.
The group followed the crowd and headed out of the auditorium.
After leaving the auditorium and passing through an internal corridor, the group soon arrived in the spacious and bright first-floor lobby of the main building.
Just as they neared the main entrance of the building, Jin Ming asked enthusiastically, “Brother Yang, Brother Tang, what are your plans for this afternoon? I recently met a couple of excellent musicians. How about we invite them to Jade Mirror Lake and rent a decorated barge for a tour?”
He was getting into his pitch when an officer in a Police Commissioner’s uniform suddenly strode over from the inner part of the lobby, his gaze locking directly onto Yang Wenqing.
He walked straight up to Yang Wenqing, stood at attention, saluted, and said, “Director Wen Qing, my apologies for the interruption. A superior in the Hall Chief’s office wishes to see you. Please come with me now.”
‘The Hall Chief’s office? A superior?’
Yang Wenqing was slightly surprised. His first thought was of the conflict with Zhou Moxuan the previous night, but his expression remained impassive as he simply nodded. “Alright. Please lead the way.”
However, he didn’t move immediately. Instead, he looked at Tang Yuan beside him, giving him a questioning glance.
Tang Yuan reacted quickly. He stepped aside, activated his communication Token, and after a brief exchange, ended the call and nodded at Yang Wenqing.
Feeling a bit more at ease, Yang Wenqing nodded to Jin Ming. “Brother Jin, my apologies. Something has come up unexpectedly. We’ll have to catch up another time.”
“Ah… no problem, official business comes first! You should go, Brother Yang!” Jin Ming said, waving his hands dismissively.
Yang Wenqing delayed no further. He said to the Police Commissioner who had come to summon him, “Please lead the way.”
“Follow me.”
The Police Commissioner turned to the side to lead the way, guiding Yang Wenqing back into the depths of the main building.
Lan Ying, still on Yang Wenqing’s shoulder, turned her little head to look back at Tang Yuan and the others before facing forward again. Her curious voice soon echoed in his Spirit Sea, “Qingqing, are we going to see another important official?”
Watching Yang Wenqing’s retreating figure, Jin Ming said to Tang Yuan, “Director Yang really is different from us common folk.”
Tang Yuan gave a noncommittal response.
Yang Wenqing followed the Police Commissioner straight to the floor housing the First Patrol Department, stopping in front of an office. The nameplate clearly read: Office of the Patrol Chief.
“Director Yang, please go in. Director Lu Xun is waiting for you,” the Police Commissioner said, stopping and gesturing for him to enter. He then quietly stepped aside.
‘Information about this Patrol Chief flashed through Yang Wenqing’s mind:’
‘Lu Jingming, rank of Police Chief. He’s in charge of the Provincial Hall’s General Affairs and Archives Departments, wielding core authority over personnel, evaluations, and promotions. Although the Xuanyue Lineage has connections within the Provincial Hall, they have no direct or deep relationship with this Director Lu Xun.’
‘Why is he looking for me?’
‘His mind raced. Again, his first thought was the incident with Zhou Moxuan, but he immediately dismissed it. If it were really about that, his master, Qin Huaiming, should have gotten word of it and warned him beforehand.’
As these thoughts churned, he straightened his collar and knocked gently on the heavy wooden door.
“Come in.”
A casual voice came from within.
Yang Wenqing pushed the door open and entered. The office was spacious and bright. Behind a large mahogany desk, Lu Jingming was holding a document. He looked up at the sound.
He appeared to be in his fifties, with a square-jawed face. The three golden floral insignias of his Police Chief rank shone brightly on his shoulders. At this moment, however, he wore a rather amiable smile. His gaze swept over Yang Wenqing, lingering for a moment on Lan Ying perched on his shoulder.
“Director Wen Qing, come and have a seat!” Lu Jingming said, putting down his file, his attitude becoming even more affable.
“Yes, Director Lu Xun!” Yang Wenqing snapped to attention and gave a standard police salute.
“Sit,” Lu Jingming invited again.
Yang Wenqing sat as instructed, waiting for the other man to speak.
Sensing the serious atmosphere, Lan Ying stood quietly on Yang Wenqing’s shoulder, her small eyes studying Lu Jingming with curiosity.
Lu Jingming didn’t get straight to the point. Instead, he first took a palm-sized jade box from a drawer and gently pushed it across the desk toward Yang Wenqing.
“The lot-drawing ceremony just ended, and I should be letting you prepare for tomorrow’s competition,” Lu Jingming’s voice remained gentle. “However, there’s something I need to discuss with you in advance. This is the Clear Heart Pill, the reward for the competition’s victor.”
Yang Wenqing’s gaze fell on the jade box, his expression filled with confusion.
Lu Jingming seemed to notice his confusion and opened the jade box. Inside, nestled on a bed of soft silk, lay a longan-sized pill. Its surface was marked with natural, cloud-like patterns, and it emanated a crisp medicinal fragrance and a gentle Spiritual Light. It was the Clear Heart Pill!
“You can have this pill right now.”
Lu Jingming’s words were stunning.
Yang Wenqing was inwardly shaken but did his best to remain calm. ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch,’ he thought, ‘and the Provincial Hall certainly wouldn’t hand out such a precious reward in advance for no reason.’
“Director Lu Xun, this… The competition hasn’t even started. I don’t deserve to accept this,” he responded cautiously.
Lu Jingming waved a hand, explaining with a smile, “Director Yang, you’re an intelligent man, so I won’t beat around the bush. We’re already aware of the state of your cultivation. With your current strength, taking this pill now is well-deserved.”
Yang Wenqing asked, “What do you need me to do?”
‘He had no reason to refuse a direct reward, but it all depended on the price.’
Lu Jingming looked directly at Yang Wenqing. “We hope you will withdraw from the official combat portion of this competition.”
He paused before adding, “Publicly, our explanation will be that an urgent official matter requires Director Yang’s immediate return to Lingshan County. The news of you defeating Xiaozhou has already spread throughout the Provincial Hall, so you don’t need to worry about anyone thinking you’re fleeing.”
‘Yang Wenqing quickly weighed his options. The deal wasn’t a loss. The Clear Heart Pill was an extremely precious pill. The province’s annual supply was always allocated immediately upon arrival. If he took this pill, the eventual winner would most likely go without a reward. But that wasn’t his primary concern.’
With this in mind, Yang Wenqing made his decision. He looked up, met Lu Jingming’s gaze, and put on an expression of shame. “You’ve been most thoughtful,” he said. “I am just deeply ashamed.”