"You can use my name."
Lu Quanan's voice was calm, as though he were discussing something as ordinary as eating or drinking.
Yi Yang stiffened in his chair.
The first thought that sprang into his mind was: Is the Chief Inspector joking with me?
Use his name?
In Qing Province City, a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, how much good could the name of a prefectural Chief Inspector do?
Who knew how many Deputy Chief Inspectors the Qing Province Heaven Patrol Office alone had, never mind the lineages and sects entrenched there for years?
As though he had seen through Yi Yang's thoughts, Lu Quanan's lips twitched, and a hint of an elusive smile entered his dark brown, nearly black eyes.
"Of course, don't mention it in front of a Grandmaster."
He added another remark.
"My name doesn't carry that much weight."
Yi Yang: "..."
He had no idea how to respond.
It sounded like a joke, but the matter-of-fact certainty with which Lu Quanan said it left Yi Yang unable to tell whether he was serious.
His name carried no weight with Grandmasters.
Did that mean he could cover for me against anyone below them?
Yi Yang suppressed that astonishing thought and decided not to dwell on it.
Whether Lu Quanan was boasting or truly had that confidence, Yi Yang would remember this favor.
In any case, keeping a low profile once he reached Qing Province could not hurt.
If he really ran into trouble, he could decide then whether to use that name.
He changed the subject and asked the question that concerned him most.
"Sir, with this summons, am I being transferred to one of the three strongholds you mentioned?"
"The three major strongholds..." Lu Quanan drew his gaze away from Yi Yang's face and