Chapter 50: Official Appointment
Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Official Appointment
Yang Wenqing’s heart surged with excitement. He then took out another ten grams of Stone Marrow Liquid and, following the same procedure, resumed his efficient cultivation.
With the precise guidance of his Golden Core World and the stabilizing support of the Zhenyuan Nourishing Vein Array, he had no need to worry about the lingering risks of medicinal residue, allowing him to absorb the essence of the Stone Marrow Liquid to the fullest.
Repeating this process, Yang Wenqing used Stone Marrow Liquid three times over the next three hours, each time in the ten-gram dose recorded in the Secret Technique. When the medicinal power from the final dose was completely absorbed and the faint yellow glow around his body retracted, he reluctantly stopped.
He had consumed forty grams of Stone Marrow Liquid in this session. Including the roughly one hundred grams he had used to draw the ’Zhen’ character runes, the five-hundred-gram bottle of hundred-year Stone Marrow Liquid he had would be enough for about ten more days of high-intensity cultivation like tonight!
The effects of this extravagant cultivation method were also extremely significant. He could clearly feel a qualitative leap in the toughness of his skin and membranes.
Suppressing his excitement, Yang Wenqing did not continue cultivating. Instead, he followed his usual routine of nourishing the Cyan Blade short sword and then inscribing the day’s batch of rune paper. By the time he finished all his tasks and entered meditation to rest, it was late into the night.
Time flew, and over ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Yang Wenqing’s life had settled into a regular and fulfilling rhythm.
During the day, he reported to the Third Squad office at the branch on time to oversee operations. He spent most of his time reading documents, handling case files that required internal coordination, and occasionally checking in on Wu Yan’s undercover investigation of Zhenyuan Mining or listening to Liu Rong’s intermittent reports on the warehouse canvassing in the Port District.
The two teams, Zhao Qin and Qian You, as well as Li Yue and Sun Yi, also began to gradually take over cases within their jurisdiction, making life much easier for him as captain.
Lin Wan, a quick study, started working the night shift just three days after reporting for duty. The team of Li Yue and Sun Yi worked alongside her.
With the City Defense System’s annual assessment approaching, every qualified sergeant in the branch grew tense. Wang Jianchao stopped going out on cases, and while Liu Xin began to help manage the First Squad’s caseload, they showed no intention of relinquishing control over the Second Squad.
Yang Wenqing wasn’t worried and actually enjoyed the downtime. He even considered staying with the Third Squad, but that was clearly impossible. He would inevitably have to handle cases in the field in the future. Therefore, he had spent the past few days trying to figure out how to inscribe the Zhenyuan Nourishing Vein Array onto an Array Base in preparation for cultivating while away.
After more than ten days of cultivation, Yang Wenqing perceived through the projection of his Golden Core World that he had completed about ten percent of the Second Refinement. This pace was already incredibly fast, unimaginable for an ordinary Cultivator.
Furthermore, ordinary Cultivators had to purge medicinal toxins, so they could only use Stone Marrow Liquid once a month. The rest of the time, they could only rely on arduous meditation.
At the same time, his connection with the Cyan Blade short sword grew stronger each day. The feedback he received while nourishing it became increasingly clear, and he figured it wouldn’t be long before he could begin formally practicing the Sword Control Technique.
「That afternoon, he found time to visit the Rain Pavilion in East City again.」
The Shopkeeper greeted him with the same enthusiastic and respectful demeanor as before. However, when Yang Wenqing asked to buy another five hundred grams of hundred-year Stone Marrow Liquid, the Shopkeeper’s expression turned apologetic.
"Captain Yang, I’m afraid you’ve come at an unlucky time. We’re currently out of hundred-year Stone Marrow Liquid. Its production is unstable, yet demand is high. The last batch was just spoken for. If you need it urgently, I can place an order with our channels in the main city right away, but it will take at least seven or eight days to get here."
Yang Wenqing was slightly disappointed but quickly smiled. "In that case, I’ll trouble you to order five hundred grams for me, Shopkeeper. Please notify me as soon as it arrives."
"Of course. I’ll make sure it’s prioritized for you."
The Shopkeeper quickly jotted it down.
With the Stone Marrow Liquid issue settled, Yang Wenqing remembered something else. "By the way, Shopkeeper," he asked, "any news on the Array Base I asked you to look into?"
An Array Base was essentially a plate used for inscribing an array. He was about to take over as captain of the Second Squad, which would inevitably involve long periods away from the city. For his cultivation, he would need a portable Zhenyuan Nourishing Vein Array.
"I was just about to bring that up!"
A smile spread across the Shopkeeper’s face. He turned and retrieved a flat metal box from under the counter. Inside was a circular metal plate, about an inch thick and two meters in diameter. The plate was a dark silver, its surface polished perfectly smooth, and intricate runic circuits were faintly visible within.
"This is a custom-made alloy base from the Rune Workshop, just as you requested. It’s more than capable of bearing and stabilizing the runic structure of your Zhenyuan Nourishing Vein Array."
"How much is it?"
"Five thousand!"
That was very cheap. This was because the alloy technology was already mature, allowing many factories to mass-produce it. It was characterized by its structural stability, hardness, and durability.
Yang Wenqing picked up the metal plate. It felt slightly heavy and cool to the touch. He paid without hesitation and placed the metal base into his Storage Bag.
After leaving the Rain Pavilion, Yang Wenqing went to the branch’s logistics warehouse. Inquiries there confirmed they also had no hundred-year Stone Marrow Liquid in stock. The officer in charge told him that such cultivation materials usually had to be pre-ordered.
He walked back toward the main building, slightly disappointed. Just as he reached the door to the Third Squad’s office, his badge emitted a unique ripple of Spiritual Power—it was Vice Director Gao’s private communication frequency.
"Wenqing, come to my office now."
"Yes, Director Gao, I’m on my way."
Yang Wenqing stopped in his tracks, turned, and headed for the Vice Director’s office upstairs.
After knocking and entering, he found Vice Director Gao sitting behind his desk, holding a newly opened official document with a red letterhead. A broad smile spread across the Vice Director’s face when he saw Yang Wenqing. He pointed to the chair opposite him.
"Sit."
Vice Director Gao handed the document to Yang Wenqing. "Take a look at this."
Yang Wenqing took the document, his eyes quickly scanning the title: *Notice of Appointment for Officer Yang Wenqing*. He then heard Vice Director Gao say, "Congratulations, Wenqing. As of today, your captaincy is official."
Although he had been expecting it, seeing the official appointment document with his own eyes still filled Yang Wenqing with a sense of security and excitement.
"Thank you for your guidance, Director Gao!" Yang Wenqing stood and gave Vice Director Gao a formal bow.
"You earned this with your own abilities." Vice Director Gao waved his hand, motioning for him to sit. His tone softened. "Keep up the good work. Once Jianchao’s situation is settled, there will be even heavier responsibilities waiting for you."
"I won’t disappoint you, Director Gao!" Yang Wenqing promised.
"Alright, you can get back to your work." Vice Director Gao picked up his teacup, bringing the short conversation to a close.
Yang Wenqing stood up and left the Vice Director’s office, letting out a breath as he closed the door behind him. ’I have no connections at the branch. It wasn’t easy to get this far. While my standing will certainly improve as my Cultivation rises, improving my Cultivation requires massive resources. I’m already struggling at the Qi Cultivation Stage; what will happen when I reach the Bone Marrow Cleansing and Foundation Establishment stages?’
’So, power is also essential. Only with enough power can I obtain more resources!’
By the time he returned to his office, he had concealed all these thoughts. He was surprised to see Wu Yan and Liu Rong, who had been busy in the field for the past several days. Wu Yan was holding the case file for the Zhenyuan Mining smuggling operation, a clear sign that there had been a breakthrough.