Journey to the West: Starting from the Imperial Horse Stable

When Li Xianli left in a hurry, he didn't really take it seriously.

In his view, Wang Chen was just a newcomer who had been temporarily brought out by Qian Gongcao to broaden his horizons. There were many intricacies involved in this kind of patrol and interrogation job, and it would be good enough if a newcomer could just follow through and complete the process.

His statement that it was "just a formality" was based on this judgment.

But Li Xianli was wrong.

Wang Chen understood the ins and outs of this situation better than most veteran officials. The inspections by the Ceremonial Affairs Bureau were inherently a matter of "raising the bar high and letting it fall gently." Normally, they would turn a blind eye and maintain the superficial order of the Suspended Pearl Collection. But once they heard the wind and needed to put someone in a good position, they could immediately put on a completely different face and act swiftly and decisively.

Ultimately, the decision rests entirely with the deacon.

For Wang Chen, this job was an opportunity. An opportunity to do good deeds, or at least avoid making enemies, without spending any money.

According to Li Xianli, the remaining few people were "neither here nor there." Even if they had some minor issues, they could be let go this time and arrested again later.

Wang Chen certainly didn't take this job seriously.

He was very serious during the interrogation, and his questions were all to the point, but he left room for maneuver in the final decision.

He handled everyone cleanly and efficiently, while also showing them leniency. The few who were released were all overjoyed, thanking Wang Chen profusely before hurriedly leaving.

Just as the last person left, Li Xianli returned.

He still had a hurried look on his face, as if he had just finished dealing with an urgent matter. When he saw the empty venue, he paused for a moment, then looked at Wang Chen.

"Brother Wang, have you finished asking all the questions?"

Wang Chen explained each point to Li Xianli, albeit briefly, but he only picked out representative points without mentioning any details or his own considerations.

After listening, Li Xianli smiled and patted Wang Chen on the shoulder.

"Well done, well done. That's right, be strict when you need to be, and be lenient when you need to be. Brother Wang, you're getting the hang of it very quickly."

He was naturally satisfied. Wang Chen's handling of the situation allowed him to complete his task without causing any trouble. Most importantly, it made him appear to be a capable leader, and that the new recruit he had trained was sensible.

As the two were talking, Qian Rong and Liu Gongcao also came out from the back room.

Qian Rong had a slight weariness on his face and was holding a small brocade box in his hand, which was probably the "Mist-Hidden Immortal Brush" given to him by Liu Gongcao.

Liu Gongcao stood by with a smile, saying polite things like, "Brother Qian, you must come again next time to enjoy tea."

Upon seeing Qian Rong emerge, Li Xianli immediately suppressed his smile and adopted a respectful expression.

Qian Rong's gaze swept across the now empty venue and landed on Li Xianli.

"Is everything done?"

"Reporting to Lord Qian, everything has been taken care of." Li Xianli bowed quickly and reported smoothly, "The interrogation has been completed according to regulations, those who should be punished have been punished, and those who should be warned have been warned. All have been dealt with properly."

As he spoke, he glanced at Wang Chen, a hint of barely perceptible gratitude in his eyes.

Qian Rong listened without much expression on his face, only giving a soft "hmm".

"Now that it's all taken care of, let's go back."

"Yes."

The three bid farewell to Liu Gongcao and then left Xuanzhu Village.

Back at the Ceremonial Affairs Office, it was almost time to end his shift. Wang Chen had no intention of returning to the Imperial Horse Stables. He had been brought out by Qian Rong today, and even if Supervisor Sun knew, he wouldn't dare say anything.

He walked straight toward the cave dwelling he had rented.

The streets of Heaven were shrouded in the fading light of dawn, and the outlines of the celestial palaces and pavilions in the distance began to glow with a soft light. Wang Chen walked slowly, his mind still processing the events of the day.

When he reached a relatively quiet fork in the road, he paused slightly.

A man was standing by the roadside, rubbing his hands, looking somewhat hesitant. Upon seeing Wang Chen, the man's eyes lit up, and he immediately hurried over.

It was Zhang Jinghe.

He had clearly been waiting there for a while, a cautious yet enthusiastic smile plastered on his face.

"Wang Xianli, is it time to finish your duties?" Zhang Jinghe's voice was much more respectful than during the day.

Wang Chen stopped, his face showing no surprise, and simply looked at him calmly.

"Boss Zhang? What's up?"

"No, it's nothing serious." Zhang Jinghe quickly waved his hand, then lowered his voice, his tone very sincere, "Regarding today's matter... I thank you, Immortal Wang, for your leniency. I remember it all."

Wang Chen raised an eyebrow slightly, looked at Zhang Jinghe, and spoke in a calm tone.

"Thank me? Boss Zhang must be mistaken. I was just following the law today, doing my job properly. How can you say I'm being lenient? Have I ever helped you?"

Zhang Jinghe was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant, and his smile deepened as he nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, Wang Xianli is right. It's all done by official business. You haven't helped me at all."

He paused, rubbed his hands together, and spoke with even greater earnestness.

"However, meeting Wang Xianli here today has reminded me of some past events, and I feel quite emotional. I feel that I should have a couple of drinks and reminisce. I wonder if Wang Xianli would do me the honor? There's a small restaurant not far ahead with pretty good wine."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Wang Chen expectantly, adopting a very humble posture.

Wang Chen remained silent for a moment, his gaze lingering on Zhang Jinghe's face for a while, as if he were weighing his options.

Finally, he nodded.

"Alright. Let's go."

Zhang Jinghe's face immediately broke into a smile, and he quickly stepped aside to lead the way, saying, "This way, please."

The tavern he found was indeed not the cheap place frequented by low-ranking immortal officials. The shop was small, but it was clean and elegant, with tables and chairs made of old spirit wood, and a faint aroma of wine and spirit food wafting in the air.

The two of them requested a quiet little room by the window. Zhang Jinghe was quite sensible and didn't order too many dishes, only a few exquisite appetizers to go with the drinks, and a pot of the restaurant's own brewed "Yunjianxiang".

After a few rounds of drinks, Zhang Jinghe gradually became more talkative.

He raised his glass again and solemnly toasted Wang Chen.

"Wang Xianli, this cup of wine is for you. No matter what, I, Zhang Jinghe, appreciate your kindness today."

Wang Chen picked up his cup, clinked it with his, and took a slow sip without saying a word.

The two drank and chatted for a while. At this moment, Zhang Jinghe seemed to have made up his mind and lowered his voice.

"There's something I need to tell you, Wang Xianli. The matter of those 72,000 spirit stones has been settled by the employer. It was Liu Changyun's responsibility, and it has nothing to do with you, Wang Xianli. From now on, this matter will only be settled with Liu Changyun."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Wang Chen with a hint in his eyes.

Wang Chen's fingers twitched slightly as he held the wine glass, but his expression remained unchanged.

He understood Zhang Jinghe's meaning perfectly well. This was Zhang Jinghe telling him that the messy debt wouldn't implicate him, Wang Chen. Zhang Jinghe must have said or done something to his employer to get them to make this decision.

But Wang Chen didn't respond to that.

He put down his wine glass, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, and as if he hadn't heard what had just been said, turned to ask about something else.

"Speaking of which, what exactly was Boss Zhang selling that led to his arrest today? I didn't look closely during the day."

A bitter look appeared on Zhang Jinghe's face, and he sighed.

"Sigh, it's just bad luck. It's nothing important, just a kind of flower."

"flower?"

"Yes, it's a flower called the Dewdrop Ephemeral," Zhang Jinghe explained. "It's said that over a thousand years ago, the Ceremonial Department planned to use it to decorate a large ceremonial procession, but for some reason, they changed it. According to the Heavenly Court's laws, the flower itself isn't problematic; it's neither prohibited nor taboo. But today... it's been used as a pretext."

Wang Chen listened, his heart stirred slightly, but he didn't show it on his face, and just asked casually.

"What's so special about this flower? Since it was once considered for use in ceremonial processions, it must have something special about it."

Zhang Jinghe shook his head, his bitter smile deepening.

"What's so special about it? Well, there is something special about it. The seeds of this flower are said to be useful to cultivators in the lower realms. They can help even those who haven't yet entered the cultivation world break through to the Golden Core realm in one go, and even have some auxiliary effect on breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm."

"But think about it, Immortal Wang, where are we? The Heavenly Court. Everyone here, even the lowest-ranking immortal officials or wandering immortals, starts as a Heavenly Immortal. Who needs anything that can help with Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivation? So this thing is useless, and we can't buy it in the mortal realm anyway."

He poured himself a glass of wine, drank it all in one gulp, and his tone was full of helplessness.

"This flower is really useless. Its appearance is also quite ordinary and not particularly beautiful. However, it has extremely strong vitality and grows all over the mountains and fields in the Heavenly Court where spiritual energy is scarce. Some spiritual plant gardens think it takes up too much space but don't have the heart to destroy it all. However, their official rank is not high enough, so they pick it and let us shops try to sell it. But it's impossible to sell it."

While Zhang Jinghe was grumbling on and on, he poured wine for Wang Chen. He didn't notice the look in Wang Chen's eyes when he heard that "it can help even those who haven't entered the realm of cultivation to break through to the Golden Core realm in one go, and even has some auxiliary effect on breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm."

But in just a moment, the light disappeared, and calm returned.

Wang Chen picked up the wine glass, slowly twirling it in his hand, and asked casually.

"Do you have a lot of these flowers in stock?"

"Abundant? Of course there's plenty." Zhang Jinghe shook his head. "As I just said, they're everywhere. We can't possibly harvest them all. The boss's shops have all taken some, and we're stuck with a lot of stock. It's a headache."

Wang Chen pondered for a moment, then raised his eyes to look at Zhang Jinghe, his tone calm, yet carrying a hint of barely perceptible seriousness.

"Boss Zhang, I might have some ideas about this Dewdrop Flower, which could perhaps help it sell better."