Chapter 110: He Is Gone, But I Remain!

A period of calm returned, and Song Yue settled into a routine, his days divided strictly between cultivation and his duties.

He had entrusted Xiao Meng with the task of keeping an eye out for exceptional young talent to recruit into the Management Bureau. Although the Lin family had never expressed an intention to call their people back, Song Yue knew he could not keep them indefinitely. For the people of Tianyue Star, a brief stay on Earth was fine—like a vacation—but eventually, they would grow homesick.

Meng Xudong had readily agreed to the arrangement. Having his own people embedded within a specialized department like the Management Bureau was nothing but beneficial for the Elite Martial Arts Hall.

Interestingly, just as Song Yue was tasking Meng with scouting for new recruits, many mid-to-high-level officials from the Management Bureau reached out to Song Yue, all claiming they had personnel they could transfer to the Hangzhou branch.

Song Yue refused them all.

What kind of fantasy were they living in? When the Hangzhou branch had been in such dire straits—when the old leader Zhao and others had died, and the position of branch head had miraculously fallen to him, someone who lacked the seniority to even be considered—where were they then? Oh, now that things were settled, they suddenly thought Hangzhou was a nice place? Perhaps some of them were even starting to think his position as branch head was rather nice, too.

As it turned out, Song Yue’s premonition was correct.

Not long after those officials contacted him, Sun Tong called.

"How have you been?"

"Quite well."

"That’s good. Even though your master is gone, don't worry. If you need anything, I will look out for you."

"Thank you, Uncle."

After a brief, polite exchange, Sun Tong cut to the chase. He told Song Yue that the Master had recently traveled to the West, intimidating the major hostile factions that had been acting up. Although the power vacuum left by the collapse of the Li family would be hard to fill, news of the Master’s departure had spread throughout the Chinese cultivation world.

The crisis of the demonic cultivators had basically been resolved. The threat from the West had also receded.

And so, the position of the head of the Hangzhou branch... had become important again. After all, Hangzhou held a vast number of unexplored secret realms. It was a fat piece of meat, and everyone wanted a bite.

Song Yue was young, but Sun Tong, having dealt with him several times, never treated him like a child. He spoke with candor, laying out the stakes directly. Finally, he warned, "It is very likely that some high-level officials from the Bureau will visit there soon to 'inspect.' They will likely pick some trivial faults. Just remember one thing: don't lower yourself to their level. Listen to what they say, and leave it at that. As for the headquarters, as long as I am here, nothing will go wrong."

"If you talk back, they will say you are an immature youth; if you lose your temper, they will claim such an important position cannot be held by a hotheaded rookie..."

Sun Tong was being truly sincere. Part of it was due to his respect for the Master, but more importantly, he genuinely valued this young man.

After hanging up, Song Yue clicked his tongue, finding the situation quite amusing. He knew Sun Tong’s call was well-intentioned. He was giving him a heads-up, explaining the hidden agendas in the most straightforward way to help him navigate the arrival of these people.

To Sun Tong, the branch head position was vital. In truth, it was. It provided Song Yue with immense convenience. Fame and status were secondary; the real value lay in the access to information, which was far superior to that of an ordinary person. A high-ranking branch head could access a wealth of classified data.

It wasn't that Song Yue didn't value the position, but he didn't value it that much, either. He and Qian Qianxue and Wen Rou were not lacking in cultivation resources. As for fame, it meant little to a warrior who would eventually leave this world. As for wealth, there was no need to even mention the massive starship parked at the edge of the sun; even a small fraction of the fire essence he possessed could be exchanged for more money than he could ever spend.

What did Song Yue need money for now? He didn't need to buy handbags for a girlfriend.

To him, this whole affair was just a minor annoyance. Those people had sharp noses. Knowing the Master had left the world and that he—a young man—had been thrust into this position by necessity, they were now all plotting.

"Hilarious," Song Yue said to Qian Qianxue, who was sitting on the sofa across from his desk. "Unless we decide to leave and I don't want to sit here anymore, anyone who wants to take this position can come and try—if they aren't afraid of being slapped in the face."

Qian Qianxue looked at him. "This kind of thing is actually quite common. I’ve heard of it since I was a child. My own family has seen similar situations. A position that isn't very important or is quite obscure, which no one wants, suddenly becomes a target the moment it starts producing results."

"They find fault with everything—seniority, ability, age... they'll use any excuse they can find. The ultimate goal is simply to reap what someone else has sown."

Song Yue looked at her in surprise. "Not bad, you understand these things?"

Qian Qianxue gave him a look. "I just don't like socializing; it doesn't mean I don't have a brain."

Song Yue gave her a thumbs up. "My Qian is the best!"

Qian Qianxue ignored him, stood up, and headed for the door. "You're right. When things were so difficult, no one came to help us. Now that everything has settled down, and they see the Master is gone, they want to take this place? Let them dream!"

Watching her graceful figure leave, Song Yue was momentarily distracted. Qian had grown so much without him noticing! She still disliked social gatherings, but in front of people she knew, she had become much more open.

Several days later, a group of high-level officials from the Management Bureau headquarters arrived in Hangzhou. There had been no prior notice; even Sun Tong hadn't warned Song Yue. Clearly, they wanted to launch a surprise attack.

Predictably, they were met with a closed door. The entire Hangzhou Management Bureau was locked tight, and not a single person was left behind! Even the outsourced logistical staff had been given time off. The reason was simple and official: the staff at the Hangzhou branch had suffered severe psychological trauma and needed to recuperate. As for when and how they would recuperate, that was for the branch head, Song Yue, to decide, and outsiders had no right to interfere.

"How is there not even a person on duty? This is outrageous!" one of the officials' attendants grumbled. "In such a large city, for the Bureau to be this empty—if any issue arises, it would be impossible to handle!"

"Young people just aren't up to the task after all. The headquarters' decision back then was too rash."

The high-level official leading the group frowned, not because of the closed door, but because the behavior of his subordinates was too unsightly. With no one here to hear them, who were they performing for?

"Contact Song Yue," he ordered in a deep voice.

Soon, someone reached Song Yue through the internal communication system. Before they could speak, they heard a series of thunderous explosions and the sounds of fierce combat coming from the other end.

A moment later, Song Yue’s cold voice cut through: "You have some nerve! The Li family is already dead, and you still dare to come out and practice demonic arts?"

The group gathered at the door of the Hangzhou branch exchanged looks, their eyes filled with suspicion. What was this? Were there still demonic cultivators? Was Song Yue setting a trap? Some even wondered if he was "fostering enemies to ensure his own importance."

Then, Song Yue’s voice rang out clearly again: "Apologies, I'm a bit busy here. I'll contact you later!" He sounded slightly out of breath, yet polite.

The line went dead. The group was left speechless.

After calming down and thinking it over, they realized the likelihood of this being a ruse was very low. A department like the Management Bureau required video records for missions. Even in an emergency, there would at least be a complete audio record. Besides, Song Yue had no reason to try and fool them this way; that would be underestimating their intelligence too much.

"What now?"

They had come as a group for a surprise inspection, only to find the place empty and the man himself busy with a mission. Even if they wanted to cause a scene, they had no target.

"Go to the hotel and wait," the lead official said, his face dark as he turned to his car.

He was furious. He had thought this would be easy. A young man with no experience—no matter how talented at cultivation—could never be their match in politics. It should have been a walk in the park! He had even planned out how to handle it: have his people nitpick, either provoke Song Yue into a mistake or pressure him into silence, and then, once he became the target of public criticism, step in as the mediator, praise his hard work, and "promote" him to a cushy, powerless position at headquarters.

But the start had been a disaster. They hadn't even seen the man!

Meanwhile, in the deep mountains ninety kilometers outside of Hangzhou, Song Yue, along with Qian Qianxue and six experts from the Lin family, was locked in a fierce battle with several demonic cultivators.

These people were not something Song Yue had intentionally let go. He wasn't that twisted; he wouldn't risk the safety of the people of Hangzhou just for a political game. These few cultivators were indeed remnants of the Li family who had slipped through the net.

The cultivation world was a good place, but not everyone wanted to go. These men were the "clever" ones among the demonic cultivators; they didn't know about the blood sacrifices, but they instinctively didn't want to go and be bottom-tier subordinates. Staying in the human world was so much better! There was an endless supply of prey, and the civilians were just lambs waiting for the slaughter. As long as they were careful and avoided the annoying people from the Management Bureau, they could live quite comfortably. Once their cultivation was high enough, the world would be their oyster—why go to the cultivation world and act like a servant?

The six experts from the Lin family were truly capable. During their time helping the Management Bureau, they had been diligent and focused. While the Lin family might have had their own ulterior motives, the quality of these experts was beyond doubt. It was these six who had tracked the movements of these demonic cultivators, leading to the current showdown. These cultivators were cunning, and it had taken Song Yue and the others several days to pin them down.

Everything was fully documented with video footage. Therefore, no one could say that Song Yue had intentionally given the people from headquarters the cold shoulder. They hadn't notified him, and they had launched a surprise attack—if they were met with a closed door, it was their own fault.

So what if his master was gone?

He was still here.