"Ahem!" Jutou You Shenming cleared his throat and gave a dry chuckle to break the ice. "If there's an issue, let's talk it through calmly. If there are differences, let's voice them. If there's a conflict, let's discuss it. Everyone can just sit down in the conference room and get this sorted out."
Against a Deacon of this caliber, heavy-handed pressure certainly wouldn't work, yet the people of the Qinghe clan had always been haughty. The Xini Branch had dispatched him precisely to act as a buffer.
In truth, he had no desire to get mixed up in this. What did the seized illicit funds have to do with him? It was the Qinghe Branch that wanted that money.
In the eyes of the Qinghe clan, this was robbing them of their own money.
As the most powerful Spirit Walker faction in Bagui Province, how could the Qinghe Branch tolerate such a thing?
Deputy Head Poppy said indifferently, "Who is the one refusing to talk? On the Qinghe Branch's turf, whether you're a crouching dragon or a fierce tiger, you toe the line. Being held to the rules is already the greatest leniency shown to you. Acting tough? Heh, in Bagui Province, no one acts tough in front of the Qinghe clan."
"Now, now, you're taking it too far, both of you!" Jutou You Shenming looked at Zhang Yuanqing. "Deacon Sanqing Daozu, if you do things this way, the official procedure can't proceed. Clearing out a stronghold requires verifying the illicit funds, the identities of the criminals, the seized goods, and so on. Only after the audit is complete can an announcement be released, bonuses be paid, and merit points be credited where due.
"Right now, the illicit cash hasn't been turned in, which means the audit can never pass. That leaves the brothers in the Nanming Branch with nothing to show for their hard work. On top of that, their payroll cards have been frozen, they'll face official disciplinary notices, and their year-end bonuses will be gone." At this point, he glanced at Poison Chaser. "Deacon Poison Chaser, what do you think? Say a few words, come on."
Poison Chaser replied coldly, "I accept whatever punishment the Qinghe Branch imposes."
He looked entirely impervious to persuasion.
"Hey, you—" Jutou You Shenming glared at him, then turned back to Zhang Yuanqing. "The brothers in the Nanming Branch work very hard. The year is coming to an end, and after toiling for over six months, bearing this disciplinary action is truly an injustice to them."
'Using the Nanming Branch members to blackmail me?' Zhang Yuanqing gave him a look, stood up, walked to the conference room door, and pushed open the frosted glass door.
The staff in the office area had been watching intently. When the door opened, they bowed their heads in unison. But seeing that it was him, they raised their heads once more, eyes turning to him.
Zhang Yuanqing produced the letter of guarantee he had prepared, stood by the doorway, and announced in a clear, resonant voice:
"Since we're going by procedure, let's talk official policy. I came to Bagui Province on a secret mission. This document was signed by Elder Fu of the Songhai Branch.
"According to the Five Elements Alliance regulations, when a patrol team from a provincial branch crosses provincial borders to apprehend criminals, they only need to notify the local branch. When necessary, they may requisition personnel from the local branch and seek assistance.
"Therefore, purging the Spirit Society's strongholds was part of my covert mission, and the seized cash and physical evidence belong to the Songhai Branch. Captain Jutou You Shenming, you just reminded me: please return the seized drugs, firearms, and other contraband to me at once.
"The money I distributed to the branch employees is a bonus granted by the Songhai Branch. I cleared this with Elder Dog in Songhai beforehand; you are welcome to call and confirm.
"As for your unauthorized freezing of the Nanming Branch employees' payroll cards, I believe Deacon Poison Chaser will be filing a formal complaint with headquarters. Petitions and strikes from our colleagues in the Nanming Branch will naturally be unavoidable as well."
Jutou You Shenming's expression changed.
He had no counterargument, because the other man's words were entirely reasonable, legal, and compliant with protocol.
He could certainly keep trying to mediate, but it would clearly be futile.
The deacon was brazen enough to encourage the Nanming Branch staff to lodge formal complaints; he was clearly prepared to fight to the bitter end.
Meanwhile, the eyes of the Nanming Branch members lit up slightly—not because of writing complaint letters, but because someone was standing firmly on the side of grassroots employees like them, fighting for their interests.
Deputy Head Poppy sneered, "The evidence is at the Xini Branch. If you have the guts, go snatch it back."
Zhang Yuanqing replied in kind with cool detachment, "I'll give them another sum of money. If you have the guts, rob every single one of them and see if they mutiny—and see if I butcher you."
From the office area, someone suddenly roared:
"Anyone who dares touch my money, I'll fight him to the death!"
The moment he blurted it out, the mindless Fire Specialist had his mouth clamped shut by a colleague. But the gazes of the branch members began to shift, turning rebellious and hostile. It was as though they had found a backbone, their postures stiffening with sudden defiance.
Deputy Head Poppy's face darkened instantly. Expressionless, he said, "The rest of you, get out!"
Jutou You Shenming and Luosifen silently rose and exited the conference room. Poison Chaser hesitated briefly, then stood up and said, "I hope you can stay calm."
Once the three had left and shut the frosted glass door behind them, Deputy Head Poppy waved his hand. Crisp green vines sprouted along the wall, concealing the surveillance camera.
He stared at Zhang Yuanqing and said calmly, "Do you think that being a Senior Deacon backed by the Songhai Branch allows you to run rampant in Bagui Province? After all, Songhai is a provincial branch, and as a Senior Deacon, you're second only to an elder. Arresting you would require authorization from headquarters or the Songhai Branch."
"Is that not so?" Zhang Yuanqing replied with a smile, though his eyes were chillingly cold.
Deputy Head Poppy chuckled as well, recounting a piece of history. "Back then, the Lord of the Central Court narrowly defeated our Old Ancestor and incorporated the Qinghe clan into the Five Elements Alliance, establishing the Qinghe Branch within the Shiwan Dashan. Publicly, it was billed as subjugation, but in truth, it was autonomy.
"As long as the Qinghe clan ensured that order in Bagui Province did not collapse and was not corrupted by the Spirit Society, the Qinghe Branch enjoyed supreme governing authority. That is why the various branches across Bagui Province can only obey. That is why we never bother meddling. That is why the Spirit Society limits its operations to narcotics trafficking and opportunistic human trafficking, never daring to encroach upon the political and business sectors."
"You want to use the Qinghe Branch to intimidate me?" Zhang Yuanqing's gaze grew frosty. This was indeed the first time he had heard of this. Seen in that light, the Qinghe Branch's hands-off attitude finally made sense.
"No, I merely want to tell you that you misunderstand the Qinghe Branch—greatly misunderstand us." Elder Poppy looked him straight in the eyes, voice cold. "The Qinghe Branch is not subject to headquarters' jurisdiction. We are a faction that possesses demigod-level might. Those ten old fogies at headquarters cannot boss us around, nor do we ever need their approval for anything we do. So long as the core principles are not breached, the Qinghe Branch is the local emperor of Bagui Province."
"And?"
"Does a local emperor need to petition headquarters to arrest an unruly Senior Deacon? Of course not!" Deputy Head Poppy drew out a handful of black seeds and tossed them lightly into the air.
The seeds sprouted frantically upon hitting the floor, transforming into twisting vines that spread over the walls, floor, French windows, and frosted glass door, sealing off the conference room completely.
Having done this, Deputy Head Poppy pulled out a black gemstone and affixed it to himself.
Instantly, water elemental energy swirled through his hair, causing it to undulate like sea grass.
"Knowing you're a Fire Specialist, I came fully prepared." Deputy Head Poppy's tone was icy. "I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it."
"Do you truly believe the Qinghe clan owns the world? That everyone has to yield to you?" Zhang Yuanqing's tone was equally icy. "Headquarters humors you because they have to consider the bigger picture. I, on the other hand, happen to care nothing for the bigger picture."
***
Outside the conference room.
All sound from inside vanished. Dense shadows blocked out the light filtering through the glass walls, and delicate tendrils poked through the seams of the glass door.
The Qinghe Branch leader had made his move.
"Sigh, why bother? Why pick a fight with the Qinghe clan? Even elders from outside the province show the Qinghe clan some courtesy." Jutou You Shenming shook his head and sighed.
He had done his best. Unfortunately, the Fire Specialist from Songhai lacked tact. Then again, he was a Fire Specialist; it would be weirder if he had tact. Now he'd just have to learn the hard way.
Back in Songhai, if an elder wanted to discipline him, they might need to send an email to headquarters and obtain approval first.
The Qinghe clan had no such need. So long as the Qinghe clan didn't rebel, headquarters wouldn't do a thing to them.
In fact, even if the Qinghe clan did rebel, the Ten Elders at headquarters couldn't handle it. Although the Qinghe clan's Old Ancestor wasn't a demigod, he had refined the entire Shiwan Dashan. Within that domain, he could contend on equal terms with demigods.
A true, undisputed Mountain God!
Luosifen also shook her head. "He asked for it, and he'll get it."
The office staff wore grim expressions. Deep down, they did not want to see Deacon Sanqing Daozu humiliated and arrested by the Qinghe Branch, forced to surrender the seized money.
This deacon was the only Saint in recent years willing to go to great lengths to take real action. In just a few short days, what he had done for Nanming City far surpassed most members of the Qinghe clan.
Compared to the hands-off overlords of the Qinghe clan, a person like him was far more deserving of support and respect.
Only Poison Chaser remained calm.
Time ticked by second by second. Inside the conference room, not a sound could be heard, except for the occasional violent shudder of the dark shadows on the glass wall, like ivy lashed by a gale.
After five minutes, the dark shadows on the glass wall ceased moving altogether.
Finally, the frosted glass door opened. Out stepped the ordinary-looking Deacon Sanqing Daozu. His clothes were completely intact, save for being a bit damp.
Behind him, the conference room lay in absolute ruin.
Tables and chairs had been reduced to powder. Broken vines and ankle-deep water covered the entire floor, and a burnt smell hung thick in the air.
Deputy Head Poppy of the Qinghe clan lay sprawled on the ground, limbs spread wide, staring blankly at the ceiling. His cold, arrogant expression was gone, replaced by a vacant, foolish daze.
Pair after pair of eyes converged on Zhang Yuanqing, faces stunned with disbelief.
The Qinghe Branch leader had clearly come prepared, yet he had still lost to Deacon Sanqing Daozu... Just how strong was he?
At that moment, the employees of the Nanming Branch realized they had no idea how terrifying this deacon truly was.
What they knew of him was likely just an insignificant fraction of what he was capable of.
Poison Chaser was surprisingly calm, as if he had anticipated this all along.
That comment—"I hope you can stay calm"—had not been addressed to Sanqing Daozu, but to Deputy Head Poppy of the Qinghe clan.
Jutou You Shenming rushed into the room in a panic, bent down to inspect Poppy, and turned pale with shock and anger.
"You... what did you do to him?! You destroyed the intellect of a Senior Saint of the Qinghe clan? The Qinghe clan will hunt you down! Even headquarters won't be able to protect you!"
"I merely gave him a few days of mental turmoil," Zhang Yuanqing said. "Go back and tell the Qinghe clan: whenever they unfreeze their payroll cards, they can come find me to dispel the mental imprint."
He then turned to the crowd, flashing the bold, hearty smile unique to Fire Specialists. "Everyone gets another hundred thousand yuan. Don't deposit it in the bank this time—keep it in cash."
The crowd stared blankly at him. For a moment, they genuinely contemplated taking this money, leaving Nanming City, and heading to Songhai to pledge themselves to this deacon.
Jutou You Shenming cast a deep look at Zhang Yuanqing, hoisted Elder Poppy onto his back, and left the office area.
"You'd better find another place to stay. Don't remain at the security bureau; the Qinghe clan won't take this lying down," Luosifen cautioned in a low voice.
"A mere Qinghe clan? I don't give a damn about them—including their Old Ancestor." Zhang Yuanqing raised his chin, mimicking Xiahou Aotian.
How domineering! The employees were thoroughly awed.
'A true Fire Specialist through and through—conceited and reckless...' Luosifen shook her head and hurried after her companion.
"Back to work, everyone. I'll have my subordinates bring the money over shortly." Zhang Yuanqing nodded to the crowd and strode away.
He sprinted into the stairwell, snapped his fingers in an empty corner, and vanished via Star Shift.
***
Inside the staff dormitory, Zhang Yuanqing materialized from dreamlike starlight. Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and dialed Fu Qingyang's number:
"Boss, I've offended the Qinghe Branch! Come save my life, quick!"
Fu Qingyang's cold voice came through the speaker:
"Go find your adoptive father. I can't help you."
"Boss, what kind of talk is that? An adoptive father is just a polite formality, but you're my boss for life!"
"You have three minutes."
Zhang Yuanqing recounted the whole affair from beginning to end. His final boast earlier had purely been posturing to the extreme!
Forget the Qinghe clan's Old Ancestor; even a couple of random Dominators would be enough to make him kneel and sing submission. Besides, with the operation to capture Pluto already poised like an arrow on the bowstring, he really couldn't afford to antagonize the Qinghe clan.
Fu Qingyang listened in silence, then said, "Go find your cousin."
Zhang Yuanqing froze for a second before catching on. "Boss, do you mean using my supreme, breathtakingly beautiful, peerless cousin to crush the Qinghe Branch?"
"She isn't next to me; there's no need to kiss up so hard," Fu Qingyang said. "Either way, I can't suppress them. Alternatively, you can run back."
"Understood. Um... what does Cousin like?"
"She likes sweets and manga."
"Boss, stop pulling my leg."
"I have other matters to attend to." Seeing that it wasn't a major crisis, Fu Qingyang lost any desire to continue bantering with him and decisively hung up.
Zhang Yuanqing knitted his brows, a gloomy look on his face. Although the Grand Marshal had said she would cover for him, who knew if that was just polite talk? You couldn't exactly demand that a figure of her stature fulfill a casual promise.
'Likes sweets and manga? The boss is making jokes more and more often. Where did the Money Prince's cool, aloof disposition go?' Muttering inwardly, Zhang Yuanqing opened his chat app and tapped on the profile picture of the white-haired beauty.
Chapter 577