I Cultivate in a Government Office

As the sun’s rays cast themselves upon the land, Yang Wenqing opened his eyes and gazed silently out the window. A long-lost sense of warmth and familiarity unknowingly filled his chest.

He suddenly remembered the giant banyan tree at the village entrance and the bamboo forest behind the village where he secretly practiced his martial arts. He thought of the dim, yellow lamplight in the ancestral hall and the solemn, pious faces of the clan elders as they recounted tales of their ancestors. He remembered, even more vividly, the sight of his mother bustling before the stove, his father’s silent yet sturdy back, and the mischievous figures of his younger siblings.

The power struggles in the county seat, the toil of paperwork, the pressure of cultivation—at this moment, all of it seemed to be washed away by the familiar and tranquil scenery outside the window. This place was the source of his strength and the anchor for his soul. This was homesickness, a reaffirmation of his life’s origins and his earliest convictions.

As time passed, the bus swayed and rattled, passing through several familiar villages before entering the narrow streets of Sanhe Town. However, when Yang Wenqing stepped off the bus with his bag, the scene before him made him pause in surprise.

By the town’s simple station, Li Wenxuan, the Town Mayor of Sanhe Town, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, clad in a crisp, formal suit. In front of him stood Zhao Deming, the director of the town’s Public Security Station. Four clerk-like attendants followed behind them.

This positioning silently demonstrated that, on a local level, the director of public security, who controlled both martial power and law enforcement, was the true number-one figure. The Town Mayor’s role was more about cooperation and coordination.

’The person they’re waiting for is clearly me.’ Yang Wenqing frowned slightly and turned to look at the bus driver, who immediately called out respectfully, "Yang Group Leader."

The driver’s cry of "Yang Group Leader" instantly told Yang Wenqing what was going on. While sighing to himself, he put on a smile and stepped off the bus.

Seeing Yang Wenqing get off the bus, Zhao Deming was the first to take two steps forward. He gave a standard military salute, then extended his hand to shake Yang Wenqing’s, saying enthusiastically:

"Yang Group Leader, I heard you were coming back on this bus, so the Town Mayor and I came especially to welcome you!"

Only then did Li Wenxuan step forward to shake Yang Wenqing’s hand, smiling as he said, "Yang Group Leader, it must have been a long journey. Director Zhao and I were overjoyed to hear you were returning home today."

At this moment, the vendors who had started their day early, the villagers waiting for buses, and the few passengers who had just gotten off the bus were all drawn by the commotion.

"That’s... I think that’s Yang Wenqing from the Yang Family Village?"

"It really is him! Heavens, even Director Zhao is saluting him! Didn’t they say he just graduated a few years ago?"

"I heard a while back that the Yang family’s boy solved some huge case in the county and became a high-ranking official!"

"Incredible, just incredible! The Yang family is going to prosper!"

"..."

These gazes and whispers served as a backdrop, highlighting the unique nature of the scene.

With a posture that was humble yet composed, Yang Wenqing said to the two of them, "Li Town Mayor, Director Zhao, you are far too kind. I am simply on a routine holiday to visit my elders. I would never dare trouble two esteemed officials to welcome me personally. I am truly humbled by this."

Zhao Deming’s smile didn’t waver. He said, "Yang Group Leader, you’re too modest. You now carry heavy responsibilities. It’s rare for you to have the leisure to return home. Both for official and private reasons, it’s only right for us in the town to show some hospitality. Besides, having handled major cases in the county, Yang Group Leader is worldly and experienced. This is a perfect opportunity for us to hear about the directives from our superiors, which would be of great benefit to us at the grassroots level."

Li Town Mayor quickly chimed in, "That’s right, Yang Group Leader. Director Zhao has been saying for a while now that we must invite our town’s outstanding talents back for a visit whenever they have the time. You can broaden the horizons for those of us stuck in the countryside. We’ve prepared some simple tea. Please, Yang Group Leader, join us at the Town Hall. Consider it a chance for us to learn from you."

Now that they had put it that way, refusing again would seem both pretentious and cold.

He immediately broke into a smile, his tone becoming natural. "Li Town Mayor, Director Zhao, your warm hospitality is hard to refuse, so it would be disrespectful of me not to impose for a short while. But please, don’t mention the word ’learn’ again. I am young and inexperienced; before you two, I will always be a junior and a student."

"After you, Yang Group Leader."

"After you, Li Town Mayor. After you, Director Zhao."

Deferring to one another, the group made their way toward the Town Hall.

Along the way, townspeople who recognized him either stared curiously or discussed him in low voices. Yang Wenqing walked with a calm and easy gait, giving a slight nod to the familiar gazes that occasionally met his, maintaining a friendly yet appropriately distant demeanor.

Yang Wenqing sat for a short while in the Town Hall, drank a cup of tea, and chatted with the two local officials, Zhao Deming and Li Wenxuan, about recent policy trends in the county. He also listened to a general report on the situation in Sanhe Town and its surrounding villages. Throughout the conversation, he maintained a suitable distance while also showing sufficient goodwill.

About half an hour later, Yang Wenqing rose to leave, explaining that he was eager to get home.

Seeing this, Zhao Deming did not insist he stay longer and immediately offered enthusiastically, "As it happens, the station has a spare Flying Shuttle today. I’ll have Xiaoliu drive you back. It’ll be faster."

Yang Wenqing didn’t refuse. After thanking them, he boarded the half-worn but well-maintained, standard-issue Public Security Flying Shuttle, accompanied by the two local officials.

The Flying Shuttle rose lightly into the air, flying smoothly along the dirt and gravel road leading to the Yang Family Village.

Yang Wenqing leaned back in the front passenger seat, looking down through the wide glass window at the scenery of his hometown as it sped by below.

The land, having passed the Spring Festival, had already awakened. On both sides of the road were vast, level fields of fertile land. The winter wheat had already sprouted tender green shoots that rippled gently in the breeze.

There were also patches of medicinal fields, meticulously enclosed by low fences, where basic Spirit Plants like Hemostatic Grass and Dew Flower were grown. Although not particularly valuable, they were one of the village’s important sources of income.

Some people dressed in coarse, short-hemmed clothes and conical bamboo hats were busy in the fields. Most of them were skilled practitioners of rudimentary agricultural Magic, such as the Spring Breeze and Rain Formulas.

Crisscrossing the fertile fields were man-made canals that channeled fresh spring water to every furrow. The banks of the canals were lined with rows of willows, their new buds just beginning to open, adding a touch of gentle beauty.

Further in the distance, at the edge of the fields, lay rolling hills and dense forests. On the outskirts of the forest, one could faintly see standing pillars of stone or wood, engraved with simple warning runes to ward off small Demon Beasts or Mountain Spirits and Wild Beasts. A squad of patrolling militia was also nearby.

The Flying Shuttle was not slow. After about half an hour, the outline of a settlement built against a mountain became clear on the horizon ahead. That was the Yang Family Village.

On the village’s periphery, rows of massive logs, each so thick it would take at least three people to encircle, were driven deep into the ground. They were reinforced with heavy iron chains and crossbeams, forming a solid outer barrier.

The gaps between the massive logs were filled with thick earthen walls made of yellow mud, crushed stone, and sticky rice paste, rammed solid. The walls had arrow slits and watchtowers. Although this combined wood-and-earth wall couldn’t compare to the grand, rune-fortified walls of the county seat, it possessed a rugged, sturdy air of its own, sufficient to repel ordinary Demon Beasts.

Outside the walls were more vast, neatly planned fertile fields and medicinal plots, stretching all the way to the foot of the distant mountains and the edge of the forest, a testament to the Yang Family Village’s thriving population and orderly agriculture.

And at this moment, the village’s two heavy, iron-plated wooden gates were wide open. A dense crowd of no fewer than a hundred people had gathered in the open space before them. At the very front were several clan elders with white hair and beards, Yang Dehou prominent among them. His father, Yang Jianmu, also stood in the front row.

Behind them were the young and able-bodied men of the clan, the women, and even many children, either held in their parents’ arms or by the hand. Everyone was craning their necks, looking expectantly in the direction of the approaching Flying Shuttle.

Evidently, the news from the town had reached the village faster than the Flying Shuttle he was riding in.

The Flying Shuttle slowly descended onto the open ground before the village gate, kicking up a light cloud of dust. After the cabin door opened, Yang Wenqing said a word to the driver before getting out. He started toward the crowd at top speed, but when he was halfway there, a figure ran out and threw her arms around him.

It was a little girl, none other than Yang Wenqing’s younger sister, Yang Wenning. This gave Yang Wenjian, who was watching her, quite a fright. Standing at the edge of the crowd, he wanted to step forward and pull his sister away but didn’t dare to move, instead looking toward his father in embarrassment.

Seeing this scene, an unconscious smile spread across Yang Wenqing’s face, and then he burst into loud laughter.