Chapter 48: The Feeling of Being a Leader
Chapter 48: Chapter 48: The Feeling of Being a Leader
Having made his decision, Yang Wenqing waved his left hand. A flash of Spiritual Light streaked through the middle of the living room, and the traces of the Solid Yuan Array etched into the floor immediately vanished. He then took out a blank sheet of paper, pulled up the data for the Array that accompanied the Second Refinement, and first drew it out on the paper.
The name of this Array was the Zhenyuan Nourishing Vein Array. It could organize the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, forming a stable force field to prevent damage to one’s foundation while tempering the skin and fascia. It could also alleviate the physical discomfort caused by the tempering process and protect the Cultivator’s mind.
This Array was far more complex than the Solid Yuan Array from the First Refinement. Its overall structure resembled a nine-palace grid, with three nested rings. The inner ring had three array eyes arranged in a triangle, which needed to be inlaid with energy cores. The middle ring had six auxiliary nodes, which required special spiritual-guiding runes to be drawn with silver or gold sand. The outer ring had to be covered with a complete layer of Clear Heart Grass powder to form a barrier that would soothe the mind.
The most crucial part was the center of the Array, where a Black Turtle Shell needed to be placed as the Array Base. A "Zhen" character rune had to be drawn on the shell using hundred-year-old Stone Marrow Liquid.
’The materials alone will be quite expensive...’
Yang Wenqing calculated in his head. About three hundred grams of silver sand would be a little over six thousand yuan. The Clear Heart Grass powder was even more expensive, at fifty yuan per gram. Roughly two hundred grams would be enough, which came to ten thousand yuan. Fortunately, its consumption rate wasn’t very high. The most expensive item was still the Black Turtle Shell; one piece would probably cost ten thousand yuan to acquire.
He already had Stone Marrow Liquid on hand, and drawing a single "Zhen" character rune wouldn’t require much. Even so, this would use up nearly half of his savings of over fifty thousand yuan.
Based on the silver powder consumed by the Solid Yuan Array, this new Array would likely be similar, amounting to a fixed monthly expense of several thousand yuan. For him, this was no small sum.
At that moment, he suddenly found himself missing the Spiritual Qi riots. Although they were dangerous, they presented a rare opportunity to legally use force to seize wealth. Alternatively, if he could get into Squad Two sooner, he could escape the disputes within the city, lead his team members outside the county seat, and hunt the Demon Race and Spirit Monsters for money.
The unnecessary thoughts were fleeting. Yang Wenqing quickly cleared his mind of distractions, fetched a bowl of clear water, and began to carefully trace the runic lines of the Zhenyuan Nourishing Vein Array on the floor, using his finger as a brush. He was familiarizing himself with the new Array.
He was completely focused, recalling every detail recorded in the jade slip. The positions of the three array eyes in the inner ring had to be precise, forming a perfect equilateral triangle. The turns of the spiritual-guiding runes for the six auxiliary nodes in the middle ring needed to be smooth and fluid, without the slightest hesitation. The border of the outer ring had to be even more stable, ensuring the Clear Heart Grass powder could form a complete barrier when laid down.
Despite its small size, this Array had a great many details to pay attention to. It even required knowledge of mathematics and physics to ensure its regularity.
His first attempt was slow and uncoordinated. After finishing, Yang Wenqing observed it carefully for a moment, reviewing his work and noting his mistakes, then waved his hand to wipe away the water marks. He took a deep breath and began again.
After eight repeated attempts, relying on his Qi Cultivation Stage cultivation and the powerful consciousness granted by the Golden Core, he could now draw the Array without needing to consult the reference materials. By now, the moon outside the window had already begun to set in the west.
On his ninth try, he was able to trace the complete outline of the Array in one go. Although it was still rough, at least all the components were now fully connected.
’This level of familiarity is good enough for now. A couple more tries tomorrow and I should be able to draw it properly!’ Yang Wenqing thought, rubbing his throbbing temples before putting away the water bowl.
But he didn’t rest. Instead, he took out the Cyan Blade shortsword and continued to nurture it. When he was done, he checked the time, then spread out a sheet of rune paper. He regulated his breathing and inscribed the day’s quota of rune paper. By the time he finished, it was the dead of night. Yang Wenqing lay down in his clothes and slept for only two hours before his internal clock woke him up on time.
Sunlight was already covering the balcony. He rose nimbly, cast a Dust Clearing Skill to remove the dust from his clothes, and walked out onto the balcony to practice a set of forms to limber up. At half-past seven, he left the house.
Yang Wenqing first went to a bank near his community and exchanged six thousand yuan for three hundred grams of prepared silver powder, which he carefully placed in his Storage Bag.
Afterward, he headed to a relatively secluded street in East City and found the material shop named Rain Pavilion. The storefront wasn’t large, but it was elegantly decorated. This was the exact shop Vice Director Gao had recommended to him.
As Yang Wenqing entered, the Shopkeeper immediately came forward to greet him. He had been here several times before, so after a brief exchange of pleasantries, they got down to business. The rune paper he was selling went for eighteen yuan a sheet, one yuan more than at the sub-bureau’s logistics department. This time, Yang Wenqing had brought a half-month’s supply. After deducting the cost of the blank rune paper, he stood to make a profit of five thousand yuan.
After the rune paper transaction was complete, Yang Wenqing took out the list of materials for the Array and said to the Shopkeeper, "I’ll also need one set of these."
The Shopkeeper took the list and glanced over it without any change in expression. He quickly retrieved two hundred grams of high-quality Clear Heart Grass powder and a Black Turtle Shell with distinct patterns.
"Captain Yang, the Clear Heart Grass powder will be nine thousand five hundred. As for this Black Turtle Shell, Vice Director Gao specially instructed me to set it aside for you. I’ll only charge you eleven thousand yuan for it."
Yang Wenqing nodded. The price was slightly cheaper than at the sub-bureau logistics department’s warehouse.
After paying and carefully stowing the materials, Yang Wenqing headed straight back to the City Defense Sub-Bureau. When he walked into the Squad Three office, the hands on the wall clock were already pointing to a quarter past nine.
The office was a bit livelier than usual; he could hear Lin Wan and Liu Qin chatting. Wu Yan and Liu Rong must have gone to handle the tasks he had assigned them. Zhao Qin and Qian You were reading old case files, familiarizing themselves with investigation procedures.
Sitting properly on two chairs near the door were two new faces. The moment Yang Wenqing’s gaze swept over them, he understood. These were the last two team members, Sun Yi and Li Yue. Seeing Yang Wenqing enter the office, they immediately stood up, came to attention, and saluted.
"Captain!" both of them said loudly.
Yang Wenqing’s eyes swept over the last two members to report for duty.
Sun Yi stood ramrod straight.
Li Yue also stood as straight as a spear. The two silver bars on her epaulets marked her as a Senior Guard. Her eyes held a sharpness and resolve rarely seen in ordinary women. She had healthy, wheat-colored skin, and as she stood there, she naturally exuded an aura of calm competence. Her gaze met Yang Wenqing’s evenly, without a trace of timidity or evasion.
For a woman to be promoted to Senior Guard on the front lines of city defense was no ordinary feat.
"Have a seat."
Yang Wenqing walked to his desk and sat down, his tone calm. "Welcome to Squad Three. We’re primarily responsible for internal coordination and some complex regional cases. From now on, we’ll be colleagues fighting side-by-side."
Sun Yi immediately smiled and replied, "Yes, Captain! We’ll get familiar with the work as quickly as possible."
Li Yue, on the other hand, gave another crisp salute, her voice clear and steady. "I will adapt as quickly as possible."
Yang Wenqing nodded slightly. "From now on, the two of you will investigate cases as a pair, with Li Yue taking the lead." There was nothing wrong with this arrangement; after all, Li Yue was a Senior Guard.
As they both nodded, Yang Wenqing turned to Zhao Qin and ordered, "Xiaozhao, take them to the logistics department to requisition another standard desk and a matching chair."
"Yes, Captain!" Zhao Qin’s response was so quick it startled Qian You, who was sitting across from him.
Watching the three of them leave, Yang Wenqing finally felt like a real leader.