"Since you put it that way, I definitely need to pay a visit."

"I will write down the address clearly and send it to your phone. By the way, when do you plan to leave?"

Ling Zhenfei thought for a moment and said, "Since there's nothing for me here, I'll leave tomorrow. First, I'll make sure to earn the money."

The two chatted and dined until very late, then each went back to rest.

All was quiet through the night. The next morning, Ling Zhenfei woke up, joined Zhou Yun and Chunyu for breakfast, and then personally took Chunyu to school.

"Brother, I practiced cultivation all night yesterday,I didn't expect to feel not tired at all. Instead, I felt very energetic and relaxed all over. What's the reason for this?"

Ling Zhenfei was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Chunyu to have such high aptitude. Generally, it's very difficult for people to enter the state of meditation when they start practicing. Yet, Chunyu not only entered meditation, but she had also cultivated all night.

"This is the benefit of practicing the Cultivation Method. Once you've practiced for a long time, you can even remove impurities from your body, making it stronger to withstand more impacts and oppression. "

Ling Zhenfei could only briefly explain to Chunyu and then urged her to persist in practicing consistently.

After dropping Chunyu at school, on his way back Ling Zhenfei unexpectedly encountered Wang Changhe, who was driving his nice car, heading towards the outskirts of the village, looking very panicked.

Ling Zhenfei knew something must have happened to Wang Changhe; otherwise, he wouldn't look so panicked.

Ling Zhenfei stood in the middle of the road, blocking Wang Changhe's path. Wang Changhe stuck his head out of the window and shouted at Ling Zhenfei, "Ling Zhenfei, move aside quickly and don't block the road."

"Town Mayor, in such a rush, what are you hurrying to do?" Seeing Wang Changhe looking so anxious made Ling Zhenfei feel somewhat delighted.

"None of your business. Just move aside, I have an emergency," Wang Changhe said urgently.

Ling Zhenfei decided to tease Wang Changhe a bit and said mysteriously, "Town Mayor, it's not for no reason that I'm stopping you. I have something to tell you."

"Whatever it is, you can tell me when I get back," Wang Changhe said impatiently.

Ling Zhenfei, feigning surprise, said, "That won't do. This matter is too important. By the time you come back, it will be too late."

The desperation on Wang Changhe's face was indescribable, and sweat beads continued to form on his forehead.

"If you have something to say, say it quickly and let me go."

Ling Zhenfei spoke earnestly, "I heard some news. There's been a major incident in Binyang's government departments. Many people have been arrested, and it seems that the investigation will continue downwards. Whether it's village chiefs or town mayors, nobody will escape."

Upon hearing Ling Zhenfei's words, Wang Changhe's face turned pale and he said anxiously, "Is all that you've said true?"

Ling Zhenfei replied earnestly, "Of course, it's true. Why would I lie to you about this? By the way, Town Mayor, why are you sweating so much?"

Wang Changhe was sweating profusely, and in his haste, he wiped the sweat from his face, saying, "It might be because it's too hot today, too hot."

As if puzzled, Ling Zhenfei said, "Town Mayor, something doesn't seem right, how nervous you look! With the higher-ups coming down to investigate corruption, that should be a good thing. Why are you so nervous?"

Wang Changhe's face grew even uglier; this was clearly a slap in his face. If Wang Changhe wasn't corrupt, then no one in the world was corrupt.

He opened the car door, and Wang Changhe actually stepped out, revealing a faint smile. He opened a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Ling Zhenfei, then lit it for him, and asked, "Zhenfei, where did you hear this news, and is it accurate at all?"

Ling Zhenfei thought for a moment and said, "Just something an ordinary friend at the municipal government mentioned. Why are you asking about this, unless you've also broken the law?"

"Zhenfei," Wang Changhe said, somewhat awkwardly, "you know, they can always find a pretext to charge someone. Whether I am guilty or not is just a matter of their say-so."

"You do have a point," said Ling Zhenfei, "Oh right, you seemed quite anxious earlier, so you must have some urgent matter to attend to."

At that moment, Wang Changhe actually did not leave. He stuffed the box of newly opened Zhonghua cigarettes into Ling Zhenfei's pocket and said, "Zhenfei, since you have connections with the government, could you possibly speak up for me?"

Ling Zhenfei pretended to be very troubled and said, "That's going to be difficult. Although saying good words is out of question, that friend did tell me a way to avoid being pursued by higher-ups."

"What way?" Wang Changhe, at this point, was grasping at straws and was very eager to know any method to avoid investigation.

"But why should I tell you?" Ling Zhenfei teased, "You said you haven't done anything wrong. My method is only useful for village officials suspected of corruption; it seems useless for you."

At this moment, Wang Changhe looked almost tearful, his face pleading as he said, "Zhenfei, stop teasing me. Which village official hasn't skimmed a little money? I admit it was wrong, and I'll definitely change, but please, just tell me what the method is."

Ling Zhenfei pretended to hesitate for a moment before saying, "All right, I'll tell you, but you mustn't say that I was the one who told you."

Wang Changhe finally looked a bit happier and said, "Don't worry, I owe you big time and am too grateful to ever betray you."

Ling Zhenfei looked around to make sure no one was nearby and then told Wang Changhe, "Actually, it's quite simple. If you really have embezzled the village's money, then you should return it as soon as possible. No matter whose money you've taken, pay it back and add a little extra, claiming it's interest."

Wang Changhe looked surprised and said, "Does this really work? It's been such a long time.

"Of course, it works," Ling Zhenfei affirmed. "Just say you took the money to save for the villagers, and the extra is the interest for saving. Think about it – if you've returned the embezzled money and even gave more, who could still speak ill of you?"

Wang Changhe thought about it and felt this method could indeed work. Looking grateful, he said, "Right, this method is brilliant. I'll go back and get on it right away. Thank you so much, Zhenfei. I won't lie to you; I was so anxious to drive to the city just now because I also caught wind of this news. I wanted to feel things out, but I think it's not necessary now."

Ling Zhenfei could hardly contain his joy internally. Wang Changhe had been the village head for so many years, embezzling unknowable amounts of money, whether it was funds allocated from above or the village's own earnings.

Wang Changhe lived in a small villa in the village, drove a nice car, while other villagers struggled to make ends meet – a stark contrast. It was high time he faced his comeuppance.

Now having Wang Changhe return all the embezzled money to the villagers with some extra as interest, to benefit them, but when the higher-ups came knocking, Wang Changhe's guilt was unavoidable, as embezzling state funds alone was already a crime.

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