Taking Office at the Wave-Quelling Bureau and Customs Bureau (Third Update)

Following his eighth senior brother Li Tingyun deeper into the Wave-Quelling Bureau Headquarters, Qin Geng passed through two ornamental gates. The clamor of the streets was shut out completely.

The ground inside was paved entirely with blue bricks, without so much as a weed between them. The place had the stern air of a government office.

The main hall was crowded, but not noisy.

Everyone there was either a person of extraordinary talents or a hardened commander who had fought his way up through the ranks.

The central seat stood empty. It was reserved for Office Director Jia Xincun. He might seldom concern himself with the details, but his place had to be respected. Those were the rules.

A man of about thirty sat in a Grandmaster Chair to the left of the central seat.

He wore no official robe with wide sleeves, but a fitted suit of dark, cloud-patterned brocade. Silver thread traced fierce xiezhi beasts across his shoulders and cuffs. A broad rhinoceros-hide belt circled his waist, and black cloud-treading boots covered his feet.

He wore no official hat. A white jade crown held his black hair high, giving him a remarkably capable look.

His face was fair as jade, his nose high and straight, but his eyes were like two deep pools. The occasional glint in them seemed sharp enough to sting the skin.

"That's the man in charge now, Zhao Jinglie, deputy Office Director of the Wave-Quelling Bureau."

Li Tingyun lowered his voice, barely moving his lips. "He's the heir to Marquis Anding's family in the Capital City. Don't let his noble birth fool you—he's shed blood himself. He's in his thirties and has reached the Sixth Tier in martial arts. At his age, that's as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. He came to