You can just burn it or smash it, whatever works.

I won't ask why.

I trust that whatever you do, you must have your reasons.

If you need any resources I have on hand, just say the word.

Wu Tingsheng spoke sincerely. He didn't trust Liu Qiying, but he did think that staying out of Liu Qiying's way would be better for his son's recovery.

To put it bluntly, his son actually had a shot at getting better, so there was no point in butting heads with a cracked old bat who was losing all hope.

Wen Yan was actually secretly relieved hearing all this.

He didn't want Wu Tingsheng to go head-to-head with Changfeng Group either, so he hadn't dared let Wu Tingsheng see He Changfeng at the time, worried he'd recognize him.

Besides, there really was no need, and it would only escalate further and further.

Bottom line, it's not worth it. Honestly, he was a bit afraid Wu Tingsheng would just snap.

But clearly, Wu Tingsheng was way more level-headed than he expected—taking the benefits, while keeping himself from jumping into a potential pit.

Most importantly, the fragment of He Changfeng's soul was no longer on his son, and he didn't want Liu Qiying's eyes drifting back to his son.

After all, don't fear a thief stealing, fear a thief fixating.

If he could manage all this and swallow his pride, it'd be worth it.

Wen Yan calculated in his head, quietly checking the time. That Changfeng Group boss must have been extremely prepared—he'd barely made a fake and let that little thief toss it into the river.

Not even a day, and they already knew about it. He'd actually worried the clues he left were too obscure, that they wouldn't catch on.

Turns out, the clues he left might've been a bit too obvious.

Still, it seemed like the other party didn't care about those crude little details.

For him, handling things this way was rough, but if it was the little thief doing it, it seemed careful—just right.

After confirming this information from Wu Tingsheng, it was almost certain: somewhere upstream of West River, a Dragon God really might be awakening.

But even now, at the Scorching Sun Department, it's still just hearsay—no solid first-hand proof.

No wonder Cai Qidong made such a big deal, insisting on helping Wang Xueqi ascend. Right now, that step really is crucial.

After that, even if they do nothing else and haven't received any new talismans, they can still keep the water system spirits in check.

If Wen Yan were the one in charge, he wouldn't even know about ascension—he'd probably just transcend Wang Xueqi and send her on her way.

Thinking about it, Wen Yan found Cai Qidong an absolute bastard.

He even took Feng Yao with him before leaving—Wen Yan figured Minister Cai had something up his sleeve, dragging Feng Yao off to stop him from leaking to Wen Yan.

...

Yu State, Scorching Sun Department headquarters, in the meeting room, Cai Qidong slouched in his chair, looking drained, like he hadn't slept a wink.

Today, all the higher-ups from Nanwu County Scorching Sun Department were gathered for a meeting—some guidelines needed to be set.

Since Cai Qidong's arrival in Nanwu County, the 'three fires' he's set have only burned brighter—most of the regulations were just formalities; not much to discuss.

But now, with the next agenda out and the files being handed out, some faces in the room started to frown.

Allowing Fuyu Temple to pick from the Nanwu County orphanage first.

Nanwu County Scorching Sun Department was covering all the orphans' tuition, living expenses, and accommodation before they graduated.

For the next three years, Nanwu County's martial tournaments would have five slots reserved for Fuyu Temple, and it was explicitly stated that Fuyu Mountain's zombies didn't count toward the quota.

Even more egregious, this time for the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony, Fuyu Temple was to get two spots reserved for them as well.

Nanwu County might not have any truly powerhouse sects, but it has a huge population—and when there's a crowd, competition is fierce.

Giving away seats for free just meant everyone else would have to fight even harder.

Cai Qidong leaned back and spoke calmly.

"Previously, for what was absolutely the top urgent incident, Fuyu Mountain shouldered the biggest contribution—no debate there.

I may have been parachuted in, but since I'm here, Nanwu County's interests come first.

I put in a lot of work just to make sure the credit landed in Nanwu County.

If any of you have objections, speak up, it's fine.

This is a meeting—say what you want. Don't hold back."

The moment these words fell, everyone's expressions subtly shifted.

Looking at all these seemingly generous perks, it turned out everything was provided by Nanwu County—nothing from headquarters at all.

Minds spun fast; it was obvious what Cai Qidong was hinting at between the lines.

Meaning: you really think the credit for the absolute top-priority event belongs to the Nanwu County Scorching Sun Department?

What a load of nonsense—everyone knew the truth.

This whole incident, with that chemical plant domain being such a nightmare to get in or out of, at best Nanwu got a pat on the back for hard work.

The ones who really did all the work were the Great Zombie from Fuyu Mountain, Qin Kun, and Wen Yan.

The last two pretty much counted as Fuyu Mountain's people.

If you wanted to split hairs, even Qin Kun wasn't from Nanwu; he was from Binhai County.

Wen Yan was just an external expert on the special task force.

And Fuyu Mountain even lost a Great Zombie in the end.

No one could argue with that.

Even that Water Ghost who helped so much only regained spiritual intelligence thanks to Fuyu Mountain.

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