One person said: The essence of Wuhou Qimen lies not in Qimen, but in Wuhou.

"You unfilial son, don't try to beat around the bush with me!"

Zhuge Gong's voice hardened again, but this time it wasn't anger, but rather an anxious eagerness to get to the point. "This news has a legitimate source; it's been public all along, there's nothing wrong with it, don't try to pin anything on me! I just want to ask you one thing—why didn't you approve the report regarding the Luotian Grand Ritual at the Tianshi Mansion in Longhu Mountain, Yingtan City, Jiangxi Province?"

"Father," Zhuge Ming's voice regained its usual businesslike calm, "didn't I just say? It's after get off work hours now; work-related matters should wait until after work hours. You've overstepped your bounds; how can I allow this?"

"presumptuous!"

Zhuge Gong finally exploded, his voice so loud that Zhuge Ming had to hold the phone further away, "Are you addicted to playing the official? Are you spouting too much official jargon? I'm speaking to you as your father right now!"

"Father, please calm down."

Zhuge Ming calmly put the phone back to his ear, his tone like that of someone coaxing a child, "Your son is just a lowly cadre serving the people. Do you think he's a 'central' leader? He doesn't have that kind of power to approve or disapprove at will. Just do your job well, otherwise you'll easily annoy people, which is a big no-no. Don't say anything that's detrimental to unity, and definitely don't do anything that's detrimental to unity."

"Enough! Stop pretending!"

Zhuge Gong's voice suddenly changed, not with anger, but with a sense of absurdity that was both laughable and exasperating. "The company's chairman, Zhao Fangxu, just called me! You've got real power now, you're incredibly powerful, even holding dual leadership positions, a powerful regional official! Even Chairman Zhao is starting to fawn over me! Thank you for giving birth to such a rebellious son!"

"What makes you say that, Father?"

Zhuge Ming smiled, a gentle smile. "Son, aren't I bringing honor to our ancestors? Alright, let's not talk about anything else. I just received the report today; it's part of my job, and I haven't reviewed it in detail yet. Work matters can't be taken lightly, so naturally I haven't had time to approve it. Please don't ask about work-related matters; it's a state secret."

"What kind of state secret is this!"

Zhuge Gong finally gave up trying to reason with his son, his tone turning into a resigned resignation. "Of course I won't interfere in your work! But right now, Zhang Zhiwei, the old Celestial Master of the Celestial Master's Mansion at Longhu Mountain, has already called me! He's asking me one thing, openly and explicitly—when will this report be approved? He's even begging me! Begging! How dare I? Don't you know who the old Celestial Master is? He's the god of our supernatural world! You figure it out yourself!"

He took a deep breath, and his final tone was less of an order and more of a father's ultimatum to his long-absent son: "And you're back this weekend! Don't use work as an excuse; I've already checked, you don't have any official duties this weekend."

"Smack."

The phone hangs up.

No, it wasn't hung up, it was dropped.

Zhuge Ming took the phone away from his ear, rubbed his ear which had been vibrating, and looked at the words "Call Ended" on the screen. He muttered to himself, "Old Deng is still rich. Now that he's in charge, he doesn't even know the value of daily necessities. What a spendthrift. He just smashes his phone like that. How extravagant."

He sighed, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the ceiling.

The Grand Ritual of Luotian.

This is where the original story begins.

This is so troublesome.

But what does it have to do with him? He's about to go to Jiangxi, holding the imperial sword of inspection and supervision in his hand, carrying the burden of a department-level official on his shoulders, and backed by the institutional power of dual leadership.

What do those storms on Longhu Mountain, those open and covert struggles in the world of supernatural beings, and the bloody battles of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques have to do with him?

He was just going to work.

"I can finally relax a bit now."

Zhuge Ming muttered to himself, then stood up, straightened his shirt cuffs, and said, "This time I'm on official business in Jiangxi. I need to do a good job and try to get promoted to a ministerial level!"

In his mind, the system's notification sounded at just the right moment: "Ding! You're a promising student! Every promotion is a leap forward in your life! Ascension to immortality is not a dream!"

"Stop buzzing, System."

Zhuge Ming picked up his coat and walked towards the door. "Keep drawing empty promises. The most empty promises I've ever made are the ones you've drawn. Now I'm hungry. As the saying goes, food is the foundation of life. I'll get hungry if I don't eat. Shut up."

"bite!……"

……

Meanwhile, in the capital city.

Nadutong Company Headquarters, Round Table Conference Room.

The conference room's decor was quite unique—not luxurious, but exuding an understated sense of grandeur.

The solid wood conference table is long and wide, with a glossy finish that reflects the light from the overhead chandelier.

The company logo hangs on the wall, a few potted plants are placed in the corner, and the curtains are drawn tightly.

A subtle tension hung in the air, like the calm before a storm.

Company Chairman Zhao Fangxu sat in the main seat, his hands folded on the table, his gaze slowly sweeping over every face in the conference room.

To his left were six directors.

Bi Youlong, a representative of the hardliners, is rumored to be in charge of the intelligence system, and always has a "I'm not convinced" expression on his face.

Chairwoman Su, the only woman among the six directors, is in charge of the affairs of the Ten Elders. She has a capable demeanor and sharp eyes.

Huang Boren, who is in charge of R&D, always has a smile on his face like a nice guy, but everyone knows that the person who smiles the most in this company is often the most dangerous—rumors about him being the mole have never stopped.

Director Fei, who is in charge of interrogation and personnel, is expressionless, as if he is wearing a human skin mask.

……and many more.

To the right are the heads of the seven major regions across the country.

Xu Si from North China leaned back in his chair with a nonchalant air, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, but his eyes were anything but unfocused.

Gao Lian from the Northeast is a burly man who sits there like a mountain.

Dou Le from East China had a furrowed brow, as if he was worried about something.

Ren Fei from Huazhong, the only woman among the seven leaders, possessed an aura that was in no way inferior to any of the men present.

Liao Zhong from South China had a solemn expression and crossed his arms.

Hua Feng from the Northwest had an indifferent expression, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Hao Yi from the Southwest had his eyes lowered, staring at the table, as if he was thinking about something.

All of the company's top management and employees were present.

Zhao Fangxu spoke up.

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clearly heard by everyone present: "Gentlemen, today's meeting has only one agenda item. A new leader has been parachuted in from above to join our company's leadership as the director of the Party Committee's Inspection Office. The function of this Party Committee Inspection Office focuses on 'mobile supervision,' responsible for inspecting and supervising major regions across the country, going deep into the front lines to discover problems, and reporting directly to the Party Committee. At the same time, this leader also serves as a first-level inspector of Jiangxi Province."

After he finished speaking, the conference room was silent for two seconds.

Then, it exploded.