Chapter 112: Each Harboring Their Own Schemes
A group from the Management Department headquarters, sent to find fault, returned empty-handed. Not long after, Song Yue received a call from Sun Tong.
On the phone, Sun Tong sounded somewhat helpless, offering a wry smile. "Didn't I tell you not to get into conflicts with them? Those people came precisely to provoke you in the most childish and petty ways, aiming to unsettle your mindset. By reacting like that, aren’t you playing right into their hands?"
"You've already established your achievements, and this time you made a great contribution again. Their only option is to make you expose your weaknesses and flaws yourself. So why did you still get into a confrontation with them?"
"Wouldn't it have been better to send them away with neither arrogance nor submission?"
Sun Tong had high hopes for Song Yue and spoke frankly. He even wished to gradually promote Song Yue properly because only when more young people like him rose would the Management Department—and indeed the entire cultivation world in Huaxia—improve.
If one day, over ninety percent of the Management Department consisted of people like Song Yue, then the entire mortal realm would achieve true peace.
Whether in the world of cultivation or technological civilization, everyone seeks the same thing: a peaceful and prosperous era where life can be lived well.
Sun Tong genuinely hoped that young men like Song Yue would not leave the Management Department out of a moment’s impulse.
From the feedback coming back, it seemed Song Yue was already harboring such thoughts.
"Uncle Sun, the more I hold back, the angrier I get. The more I give way, the more I feel wronged. I understand the reasoning, but those people’s behavior is even more immature than mine. Just looking at them makes me angry," Song Yue replied.
"You’re a smart kid, so you must know that if you storm off in anger and quit on your own, that would be exactly what they want!"
"Don’t worry, I won’t quit on my own anytime soon. Unless one day, I truly have to leave," Song Yue said firmly.
After hanging up, Sun Tong felt a twinge of helplessness.
This young man would leave eventually; he could see that clearly. Thinking about it, the whole matter was quite amusing.
Those people were really unlucky.
Although their methods were childish and lowly, they were effective.
Normally, if Song Yue got provoked, they’d be halfway to success.
But no one expected so many demonic cultivators were hiding among mortals. While this was not a good thing, it was indeed Song Yue’s fortune.
Had it not been for this, the fault-finding group would likely be throwing a celebration banquet by now.
Now, they could only stew in their anger and return to headquarters to snitch on Song Yue, accusing him of being arrogant and ungrateful.
But they no longer dared to suggest removing him.
Because of Hang City... and because of the demonic cultivators!
Until those demonic cultivators were completely eradicated, the position of branch chief of the Management Department in Hang City became a scorching hot potato—no one dared to take it!
Sun Tong had long wanted to address some internal chaos within the Management Department. The department was originally established to solve various thorny problems for Huaxia but had gradually become a place for some to polish their resumes and gain credentials.
Having experience working at the top level of the Management Department was crucial for future promotions.
He despised this state of affairs.
Especially since many senior officials at headquarters treated the Management Department like their private backyard.
If it weren’t for the demonic cultivator incident, some would act recklessly, passing the most dangerous tasks to frontline capable fighters while they hid in safety to rake in benefits and credentials.
On this point, he agreed with the department’s chief; both wanted to change this situation.
Young men like Song Yue, who were capable and daring, were the perfect blade for reform!
Sadly, this blade, though sharp, seemed unlikely to last long.
Moreover, aside from some basic cultivation resources, the only things Sun Tong had to offer Song Yue were reputation and status. After several encounters, he realized the young man neither lacked cultivation resources nor cared much for fame or rank.
The Management Department held much information inaccessible to outsiders.
They knew Song Yue was wealthy, with shares in various elite martial arts academies flourishing everywhere. His family ties to the Lin family of Tianyue Star were also very close. Sun Tong even suspected that Song Yue might be a son-in-law of the Lin family.
With the Hang City branch short on personnel, the Lin family had sent six experts over. Song Yue had even gone to Tianyue Star and returned aboard a massive starship.
It was truly extravagant!
Even as a son-in-law of the Lin family, such treatment would be impossible without something remarkable about him.
This was why the senior officials at Management Department headquarters only dared to use petty tricks to annoy Song Yue.
No one could fathom his true depth!
His formidable master was gone and unlikely to return, but Song Yue’s own network was astonishing.
The best way to deal with such a person was to make him disgusted enough to leave.
In another office at headquarters, a senior official who had recently visited Hang City sat on a sofa with a gloomy expression, explaining to a middle-aged man seated behind the desk.
"This matter was simply too coincidental, just awful luck. Who could have guessed there were so many damned demonic cultivators?"
The middle-aged man nodded, sighing. "Sun Tong has fortune indeed."
The senior official on the sofa looked helpless. His faction was Sun Tong’s archrival.
Almost everyone Sun Tong despised was in their camp.
The two sides fought fiercely within the Management Department.
The man behind the desk fought hardest against Sun Tong.
Although the head of the Management Department stood with Sun Tong, their faction was strong too, controlling a third of the branch chief positions.
Hang City had long been Sun Tong’s stronghold.
When the previous group led by Boss Zhao met trouble, they wanted to contest the branch chief position in Hang City but gave up due to high risk.
Now, with the demonic cultivator disruption, their comeback was once again thwarted.
“No need to rush,” the middle-aged man behind the desk said sternly. “Time is on our side.”
The senior official on the sofa nodded. “This time, we haven’t gained nothing. At least we learned Song Yue’s temper. Haha, young men can’t take provocation—no wonder he’s a warrior, full of passion.”
The middle-aged man looked at him. “What do you think? Any chance to win him over?”
The senior official on the sofa smiled bitterly. “Impossible. His master and Sun Tong have been close friends for years; they naturally belong to the same camp.”
The middle-aged man laughed. “There’s nothing impossible in this world. Sibling quarrels and family feuds happen all the time. So what if they’re in the same camp? Everyone has weaknesses. Young men usually want only a few things: money, women, fame, status.”
The official on the sofa said, “Song Yue is a martial cultivator.”
“Haha, who here isn’t a cultivator?” The middle-aged man smiled faintly. “Cultivators have desires just as strong as anyone else!”
“We should send someone to test the waters, see what he likes. If he dislikes worldly things, that’s simple: give him cultivation techniques, promise cultivation resources—whatever he wants, we give him!”
The middle-aged man squinted, twirling a pen in his hand. “What Sun Tong can give him, we can give too. What Sun Tong can’t, we can give!”
The official on the sofa recalled Song Yue’s handsome yet rebellious face, frowning slightly. “You think so highly of him?”
The middle-aged man laughed heartily, tossing the pen aside and standing up. “I’m no good at much, but I have excellent judgment of character. If Sun Tong, who is picky and stubborn, values someone so much, that person can’t be bad!”
“Besides, don’t you know a lot about him? Son of a master, successful from a young age, holding shares in elite martial arts academies, and closely tied to the Lin family of Tianyue Star. If a young man like that didn’t have extraordinary talent, would you believe it?”
The senior official shook his head and smiled bitterly. “So the villain has to be me?”
The middle-aged man said, “Beauty is defined by contrast. Without villains, how can heroes shine?”
The official on the sofa nodded. “Fine, then I’ll keep playing the villain!”
Hang City.
In a teahouse not far from the Management Department.
Song Yue was drinking tea with a middle-aged man.
The man claimed to be from headquarters and had verified his identity. He said he wanted to have tea and chat with Song Yue.
Not knowing his true purpose but finding him polite, Song Yue did not refuse.
After arriving, the man first introduced himself and spoke very amicably.
“My name is Guo Quan. I’m a deputy minister in the Management Department. I came today to apologize to you.”
Guo Quan’s words startled Song Yue, who responded with mild surprise.
“Apologize for what?”
“The other day, when that group led by Peng Donglai came to inspect, they caused you great trouble. They were just doing their job but used the wrong methods and were influenced by outdated thinking, distrusting the abilities of young people. That’s not good.”
Guo Quan looked at Song Yue with sincere eyes. “I have severely reprimanded them.”
Song Yue was a bit bewildered. What was going on? Was this person connected to Uncle Sun?
But he didn’t quite look the part.
Such a high-ranking official, coming alone to Hang City without any entourage, was unusual.
Though a branch deputy minister was not low-ranking, the whole situation felt strangely off.
Over the past decade, Song Yue hadn’t learned much cultivation from his master but had studied all sorts of miscellaneous knowledge, including human nature and behavioral psychology.
Although young and hot-tempered, his analytical and logical skills were strong.
He wasn’t in a hurry to see through Guo Quan’s true intentions.
Smiling, he said, “Thank you for standing up for me! That group really isn’t worth much. But I think ‘severely reprimanded’ is too mild.”
Guo Quan was speechless, thinking this guy was really difficult!
Normally, the script would be that after such words, Song Yue would be moved and admit to being immature and impulsive.
As he spoke, Song Yue took a sip of tea. “We who are on the front lines risk death daily. People like Boss Zhao even died in the line of duty. Those others hide safely behind, sipping tea and browsing the news, claiming to work hard but contributing nothing.”
“Then they come here bossing me around? Who do they think they are?”
Song Yue looked at Guo Quan. “Leader, I don’t mean to mock you. The fact you came to apologize shows you’re different from them!”
Guo Quan: “...”
This kid was indeed a thorn in the side!
Song Yue put down his cup, serious. “Since you’ve apologized, I won’t pursue this matter.”
Guo Quan had a thousand complaints he didn’t know how to voice. So you wanted to pursue it after all?
Who could you pursue?
He wondered if Peng Dong would be furious when he heard.
Never mind, the bigger picture mattered; he wouldn’t quarrel over this.
Though difficult, this was a good start.
At least he had earned Song Yue’s trust.
“You’re right. You risk your lives on the front lines, and those people shouldn’t boss you around. I came incognito to hear the honest thoughts of heroes like you.”
Song Yue’s face showed genuine emotion. “You really are a good leader!”
“You should be,” Guo Quan smiled, feeling lighter at heart.
The brief meeting gave him clearer insights than any paperwork ever could.
Song Yue was young, handsome, capable, outspoken, stubborn, and low in emotional intelligence.
Had he been more emotionally savvy, he wouldn’t have relentlessly pursued Peng Dong and his group after an apology.
But that was fine; perfection would be harder to handle.
Guo Quan was experienced dealing with people like Song Yue.
He was already over fifty percent confident he could bring Song Yue over to his side.
As for Peng Donglai… that would be smoothed over with time.
During the conversation, Guo Quan repeatedly praised Sun Tong in veiled ways.
Song Yue grew increasingly puzzled and finally, with youthful arrogance, confessed that Sun Tong appreciated him only because of his master but often criticized his actions, which was somewhat annoying.
At that moment, Song Yue activated the Heavenly Sovereign Spiritual Method. Guo Quan’s slightest spiritual fluctuations escaped no notice from his sharp eyes.
Indeed, when Song Yue mentioned being annoyed by Sun Tong’s criticisms, Guo Quan’s face remained calm but his spirit became excited.
Especially when Guo Quan deliberately frowned and said, “He’s your elder. How can you say you’re annoyed?”
Song Yue grinned. “This is just venting to you in private. I wouldn’t say this to others.”
Guo Quan chuckled inwardly: young people are so easy to fool! If only I’d used this approach earlier—old Peng lost again!
Song Yue coldly thought: the Management Department is such a mess! This old man clearly isn’t a good person!
Both mocked each other silently.
The difference was that Song Yue’s Heavenly Sovereign Spiritual Method allowed him to precisely read emotional fluctuations.
If he were more advanced, he could even read thoughts directly.
Guo Quan, on the other hand, had no idea that this seemingly hot-tempered, low EQ warrior had so many tricks up his sleeve.
Though pleased, his expression remained composed. He said to Song Yue, “Do you know why our Management Department is so wealthy?”
Song Yue shook his head.
Guo Quan said, “Because we control a lot of secret realm information, and the Management Department has the authority to develop some of these secret realms!”
Song Yue’s face lit with interest. “That’s good news!”
Guo Quan lowered his voice. “In the Hang City area, there are several secret realms already explored, rich in cultivation resources. We can develop them privately.”
Suddenly, Song Yue understood!
This was the root of why those people wanted to squeeze him out!
Private development?
In other words, embezzling public resources for personal gain.
He looked at Guo Quan eagerly. “Then I’ll follow your lead, Minister Guo!”
Guo Quan laughed. “As long as you obey, the benefits won’t be small for you, young man!”
Song Yue chuckled.
Guo Quan happily raised his teacup. “Here’s to our cooperation, with tea instead of wine!”
If you enjoyed "The Ninth Level," please share this book’s link [ /13_13302/ ] with your friends on QQ, WeChat, or Weibo. Thank you for your support!