Returning Origin Art

"No word has come back yet."

Yan Qingshan gently shook his head.

"Forget it. When the agreed time comes, it will show itself on its own."

Because Wei Qing had imposed a gag order on Zhu Huan.

As a result, they still knew nothing of the news that two Spiritual Stream Demonic Cats had been killed.

At noon, inside the inn.

Wei Qing was just about to head out.

Zhang Zhidong hurried over and reported, "Lord Wei, we've just received an intelligence report. Young Master Yan has taken the younger generation of the Yan family out. There are three carriages in total, and from the looks of it, they seem to be heading on a long journey."

"Should we apprehend them?"

Wei Qing snorted coldly. "Their noses are sharp enough—just as we start investigating them, they're already ready to slip away." He then ordered, "Wait until they're five li out of the city, then take them down."

He continued, "What about the rest of the Yan family?"

At this moment, he was more concerned about the movements of Yan Qingshan and other core members of the Yan family.

Zhang Zhidong quickly replied, "Tonight, at the City God Temple in the west of the city, they will make a move."

"Just keep a close watch on them."

"Understood."

As soon as the words fell, A'Fu arrived with a man dressed in the uniform of a Guardian Envoy.

Seeing the newcomer, Wei Qing's face lit up. "What brings you here, kid?"

"Heh, no missions for now. Uncle Zhou said there's something to give you, so he sent me to deliver it."

The newcomer was none other than Jun Wushang.

As he spoke, he handed a gray bundle to Wei Qing.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhidong said, "My lord, let's go to the private room on the second floor."

"Mm."

Entering the private room, Wei Qing made no attempt to be discreet and opened the bundle directly.

What met his eyes was a rectangular Identity Token.

Wei Qing picked up the token to examine it. One side bore the words "Heavenly Realm Division," and the other side read "Guardian Envoy—Wei Qing."

The only difference from his previous token was the absence of the word "probationary."

Jun Wushang laughed. "Congratulations, Qingzi. You're a full-fledged Guardian Envoy now. We'll have to celebrate properly later."

"No problem."

Zhang Zhidong chimed in, "Congratulations, Lord Wei, on your promotion to official Guardian Envoy. Your future is bound to be bright. I hope you'll look after us in the days to come."

"Brother Zhang flatters me. We're all colleagues; helping each other is only right."

Wei Qing smiled faintly and put away the Identity Token.

This was his second Identity Token in the Heavenly Realm Division.

According to regulations, upon receiving a new Identity Token, the old one was to be surrendered and collected.

But since he had not returned to the Heavenly Realm Division, this step was omitted.

When he eventually returned to the Heavenly Realm Division, he would still need to hand over the token immediately for cancellation.

The bundle also contained three other items.

Three letters.

And a cultivation technique, with the words "Returning Origin Art" written in large characters.

Wei Qing's eyes lit up—he hadn't expected it to be this High-Grade Profound Tier technique.

His father, Wei Yuan, had cultivated the internal energy method known as the "Returning Origin Art."

When a martial artist breaks through from the Seventh Rank to the Sixth Rank, completing the tempering of the physical body, they must then refine and compress the Qi Force within them, converting it into True Essence.

The "Returning Origin Art" was one of the top five High-Grade Profound Tier internal energy techniques within the Heavenly Realm Division for converting True Essence.

It was only granted to Guardian Envoys of exceptional talent or those who had rendered great merit.

No one in the Heavenly Realm Division dared to privately pass on such a technique.

If discovered by the Supervision Division, the punishment ranged from having one's cultivation abolished to death and utter annihilation.

Aside from that, there was only a porcelain bottle labeled "Qi Gathering Pill."

A Qi Gathering Pill, as the name implied, was an auxiliary pill for gathering, compressing, and refining Qi Force.

One pill could substitute for ten days of ordinary cultivation, and the bottle contained twenty pills.

This saved him over half a year of cultivation time.

Wei Qing set the pill aside and opened one of the letters—it was a notice of appointment.

It meant he was to temporarily act as Magistrate of Lincheng, stationed in Qingcheng until the new Magistrate arrived. The lower right corner of the letter bore a large seal.

He wasn't very familiar with the seal, but it should be something like an appointment seal from the Ministry of Personnel.

"Brother Zhang, do you recognize this seal?"

Wei Qing handed the appointment letter to Zhang Zhidong.

Zhang Zhidong took it with both hands, glanced over it, and his eyes lit up. "Lord, this is the official appointment seal of the Great Zhou Ministry of Personnel. From this moment, you are the acting Magistrate of Qingcheng. Congratulations, Lord."

"Oh ho, Qingzi, you've turned into a proper official just like that!"

Jun Wushang snatched the appointment letter, read it over three times from start to finish, and a grin tugged at his lips. "Treat us to a feast—today, you absolutely have to celebrate with a good meal!"

"You glutton, can't you think of anything besides eating?" Wei Qing shook his head helplessly, though a smile lingered on his lips.

"Fighting. Demon slaying."

Jun Wushang raised an eyebrow and clenched his right fist, joints cracking with a sharp sound.

Wei Qing's face showed an expression of I knew it.

He knew his brother Jun Wushang all too well.

Born to fight.

And when he fought, he threw all caution to the wind.

That was why his time at Marquis Huaiyuan's Estate had been so rough.

He got injured almost every day.

And that same ferocity made him the first among their batch to officially become a Guardian Envoy after joining the Heavenly Realm Division.

Then, Wei Qing opened the second letter.

Its contents were the Imperial Court's verdict on the Fang family.

Just as he had expected, the court loathed anyone colluding with demons. Once the verdict came down, it basically cut off the Fang family's last chance at survival.

"The Fang family is finished."

"It's a pity about Lord Fang, being dragged down by such a foolish son."

Wei Qing sighed.

Zhang Zhidong hadn't seen the letter's contents, but from Wei Qing's words, he understood everything.

"Lord Wei, compared to the stability of the entire dynasty, even knowing that Lord Fang was a good official, he still had to die!"

"Without harsh punishment, it wouldn't serve as a deterrent. More people would relax their principles and commit acts against humanity."

"The Fang family's death is a warning to others."

"Yeah, if Fang Youting had properly disciplined his son, colluding with demons would never have happened." Jun Wushang nodded in agreement. "I won't deny he was a good official, but he was definitely not a good father."

"Mm, I was too attached to appearances."

Wei Qing let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"I think your old habit of being soft-hearted is acting up again." Jun Wushang sighed, putting on a look of disappointment.

"If you don't speak, no one will take you for a mute."

"That's more like it!"

Seeing Wei Qing snap back at him, Jun Wushang laughed instead.

Then, Wei Qing opened the last letter.

It contained a message from Zhou Cang, saying that considering the risks of this mission, the higher-ups had decided to give him some benefits. Once the Heavenly Realm Division freed up personnel, they would transfer him back.