Vice Director Gao adjusted his white uniform, then led Yang Wenqing out of the office. They walked to the stairwell and ascended toward the top floor of the branch’s main building.

The floor of the top-story corridor was covered with a thick carpet that absorbed all sound of footsteps. At the end of the corridor was a dark wooden door carved with mythical beasts that ward off evil. A secretary with a grim expression sat before the door. Upon seeing Vice Director Gao, the secretary immediately rose and respectfully opened it.

The Director’s Office was exceptionally spacious. An entire wall consisted of massive floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked most of the county seat and a winding river in the distance. The floor was covered with a soft rug made from the hide of a Demon Beast. A large, heavy mahogany desk sat in the center, and behind it was a middle-aged man, also dressed in a white uniform, but his epaulets bore two silver stars.

This was the director of the county branch, Zhang Qiming.

Director Zhang appeared to be in his fifties, with stern features and immaculately groomed hair. He was currently looking down and reviewing documents, seemingly oblivious to their arrival.

A warm smile spread across Vice Director Gao’s face. He bowed slightly. "Director, Yang Wenqing is here."

Only then did Director Zhang slowly raise his head. His gaze first swept over Vice Director Gao, his eyes as still as water, before landing on Yang Wenqing.

Yang Wenqing immediately snapped to attention and saluted. "Director, sir!"

He could truly feel the pressure. ’After all,’ he thought, ’the senior commissioner’s uniform he’s wearing means he has, at the very least, reached the Marrow Cleansing Realm.’

Director Zhang didn’t return his greeting. Instead, he picked up a file from the desk, gave it a little shake, and asked in a flat tone, "You’re the one who handled that sunken corpse case at the port?"

"Yes, Director!" Yang Wenqing replied, his voice firm.

Director Zhang tossed the file onto his desk. The sound it made wasn’t loud, but it was enough to make one’s heart jump. "A fine job you’ve done! Mobilizing so much police and militia manpower for over half a month, and for what? Not a single clue. The only lead you had has vanished without a trace. Is this what you have to show me? Is this what you have to show the two hundred thousand citizens of this county?"

His voice rose steadily, laced with obvious anger. "The Major Case Team isn’t a playground! The bureau gave you this important position because we saw your potential. We expected you to deliver results, not to muddle through! A simple murder case that uncovered some scraps of a smuggling ring. Where’s the prime suspect? The mastermind? And you think you can just wrap it all up with a breezy ’the trail went cold’?"

He stared at Yang Wenqing, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "If everyone handled cases the way you do, the county bureau might as well shut its doors! In my opinion, you still need a lot more tempering before you’re fit to be an acting captain!"

The reprimand was exceptionally severe, all but calling him incompetent to his face. It also cast subtle doubt on Vice Director Gao’s decision to appoint Yang Wenqing.

Yang Wenqing kept his head down, silently enduring the crushing pressure. He offered no defense; he knew any explanation right now would only be adding fuel to the fire.

Just as Director Zhang looked ready to apply more pressure, Vice Director Gao, who was standing beside them, spoke up at the opportune moment. His face still held a smile, and he used a gentle tone to smooth things over.

"Director, calm down. Wenqing is still young, and this was his first time independently responsible for such a major case. He’s certainly lacking in experience. While we didn’t catch the prime suspect, we did manage to dismantle a smuggling ring in the process, so it wasn’t a complete failure. Young people need time and cases to sharpen their skills. I’m confident that after this, Wenqing will learn from it and do better next time."

On the surface, his words seemed to acknowledge Yang Wenqing’s shortcomings. In reality, he was downplaying the failure to solve the case by blaming it on youth and inexperience, while simultaneously highlighting the achievement of taking down the smuggling ring. It was a clever move to defuse Director Zhang’s attempt to use this as a pretext to strip Yang Wenqing of his acting captain title.

Director Zhang’s gaze lingered on Vice Director Gao’s face for a moment. A flicker of imperceptible coldness flashed deep in his eyes, but the angry look on his face subsequently softened a little.

"Since Vice Director Gao is speaking up for you, I’ll let it slide this time. Handle the case as he suggests: compile the case file, issue a warrant, and archive it. But, Yang Wenqing, you’d better remember this: the Major Case Team has no room for idlers, and certainly no room for fools. If you produce this kind of result again, you can forget about being captain. Now go and reflect on your performance!"

"Yes, Director! I will reflect on this deeply!" Yang Wenqing immediately responded, adopting a very humble stance.

"You’re dismissed for now." Vice Director Gao stepped forward, patted Yang Wenqing’s shoulder gently, and gestured for him to leave.

"Sir!"

Yang Wenqing saluted again, snapping to attention, then exited the room with formal propriety.

The moment the door closed, silence returned to the corridor. Yang Wenqing glanced at the secretary on duty and walked briskly toward the stairwell.

As soon as he found a deserted spot, the first thing Yang Wenqing did was cast a Purifying Heart Spell on himself. He then quickly pieced together the series of events that had occurred since his promotion.

It didn’t take long for him to figure out the complex politics at play.

Director Zhang Qiming and Vice Director Gao Zhen were clearly at odds. The Director wanted to meddle in the Major Case Team’s affairs and had intended to use the vacant captaincy of the third squad to install one of his own people. However, Yang Wenqing’s sudden appearance had disrupted his plans.

This made Yang Wenqing involuntarily recall Vice Section Chief Li’s warning. Everything suddenly clicked into place. ’Vice Director Gao used that situation to win my loyalty and bring me to his side!’ he thought.

It was also the only choice Yang Wenqing had at the moment.

Shortly after returning to the third squad’s office, before he had even started writing the final report on the case, Yang Wenqing was summoned by Vice Director Gao through the Communication Array in his badge.

Yang Wenqing composed himself and returned to Vice Director Gao’s office. In stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere in the Director’s office, Vice Director Gao was now alone, sitting leisurely on a sofa in the reception area and brewing tea. A warm smile graced his features, as if the earlier confrontation had never happened.

"Wenqing, come, have a seat." Vice Director Gao greeted him warmly, motioning for him to sit. He personally poured him a cup of tea, its fragrant steam curling up, soothing the senses.

"Thank you, Vice Director." Yang Wenqing did as he was told, his posture deferential.

Vice Director Gao took a sip of tea and looked at Yang Wenqing, his tone filled with fatherly concern. "Don’t take what happened earlier to heart. That’s just Director Zhang’s temperament. He’s never served on the front lines, so he doesn’t understand how hard it is to investigate cases at our level. All he has left now is his reputation as a prodigy..."

He trailed off, then continued in an earnest tone, "You’re still young, with a long road ahead of you. A small setback like this is nothing. What’s important is that you learn from it. In the Major Case Team, as long as you work with dedication and stay grounded, neither I nor the bureau will neglect someone with real ability."

Classic management tactics: first offer comfort, then dangle a carrot, all while emphasizing the difference between "us" and "them."

Then, Vice Director Gao changed the subject, his smile widening. "You’ve just advanced to the Qi Cultivation Stage, which is precisely when you need to solidify your foundation and increase your strength. I happen to have a couple of small things here that are of no use to me. Think of them as a reward for your hard work on the case, as well as a congratulatory gift for your promotion."

As he spoke, he retrieved a long, narrow wooden box from beneath the coffee table. He opened it to reveal a sheathed short sword. The scabbard was a dark cyan color, engraved with simple runes, and the hilt was wrapped in a fine-scaled, non-slip hide.

"This is the ’Cyan Blade,’ an improved version of the standard-issue flying sword. While it’s no Divine Weapon, its strength lies in its smooth conduction of Spiritual Qi, which is a perfect match for your Early-stage Qi Cultivation. Weren’t you looking for a suitable flying sword to practice the Sword Control Technique? This is perfect for you."

With that, Vice Director Gao handed the short sword to Yang Wenqing.