Chapter Thirty-Two: The Prison for Cultivators

Yang Ye drove his car into the affluent villa district on the eastern outskirts of Summer Capital. After circling the district’s broad asphalt roads a few times, he finally located Villa 45. Taking out his keys, he unlocked the gates of the villa, which sprawled across more than an acre.

Once inside, Yang Ye meticulously inspected every corner, ensuring there were no surveillance devices hidden within. While he was checking the house, Long Xiaoqing was happily driving the electric car around the villa district, weaving through the streets. For her, driving was an entirely new and exhilarating experience.

“All right, that’s enough! From now on, you’ll be the one driving,” Yang Ye called out to Long Xiaoqing from the balcony on the second floor, waving as she sped past in the car. But Long Xiaoqing pretended not to hear him, stepped on the accelerator, and zoomed right by the front gate.

Yang Ye could only smile wryly—when this woman got stubborn, there was nothing he could do. Left with no choice, he returned inside, rearranged the house according to his habits, and started cooking.

Dusk had already fallen by the time Long Xiaoqing reluctantly brought the car back. During dinner, Wang Xiang from the Administration Bureau stopped by to deliver Long Xiaoqing’s uniform. Because she was petite, her uniform had to be custom-made.

The next morning, Yang Ye and Long Xiaoqing both donned their freshly washed and dried uniforms of the Star Martial Administration Bureau. The dark red uniforms gave Yang Ye an air of authority, while Long Xiaoqing, in her uniform, looked more mature. Standing before the mirror, admiring herself in her new attire, Long Xiaoqing was thoroughly pleased.

After breakfast, Long Xiaoqing drove the car, with Yang Ye as her passenger, to the bureau. No sooner had Yang Ye taken his seat in the office than Wang Xiang arrived with two female clerks, piling two thick stacks of case files onto Yang Ye’s desk.

“Inspector Ye, my apologies! Director Luo has taken several days’ leave, so these cases are yours to handle,” Wang Xiang said with a smile, glancing at Yang Ye seated behind the desk.

With a sigh, Yang Ye blew on the files, sending a cloud of dust wafting toward Wang Xiang and the two clerks. While Wang Xiang stood unperturbed, still smiling, the two clerks, both ordinary people, coughed as the dust caught in their throats.

Yang Ye chuckled, “Who knows how long these files have been sitting here? Are we still expected to handle these ancient cases?”

Wang Xiang grinned, “Well, no one in the past had the ability to handle these matters. Now that you’re here, Inspector Ye, surely you can clear them up in no time?”

Yang Ye casually picked up a file and flipped it open. It was a case from two years ago—a scion of the Wang family had raped and murdered twin sisters. Their father had appealed to the Star Martial Administration Bureau, and during the investigation, the entire family was killed.

Wang Xiang glanced at the file in Yang Ye’s hands and sighed, “We had the evidence for that case, but no one dared lay a hand on the Wang family. Director Luo was even warned—if he went after their people, he could forget about holding his position.”

Yang Ye smiled, “So if I tackle this case, no one would dare retaliate against me?”

Wang Xiang shook his head, “Inspector Ye, perhaps you misunderstand me. Director Luo has a large family to worry about—a lot of concerns. But you’re different, aren’t you?”

Yang Ye closed the file and said coolly, “Assign me a team. I’ll resolve these cases as quickly as possible.”

Wang Xiang shook his head and explained the bureau’s situation: in the Northeast District’s Star Martial Administration Bureau, most of those inside were from influential families; the rest were only fit for errands. So, Yang Ye would have to recruit his own people. As for expenses, he’d have to manage those himself as well.

One of the two stacks of files was nothing but records of taxes owed by major clans and wealthy merchants.

“Good grief! Isn’t tax collection the job of the tax bureau? Since when does the Star Martial Administration Bureau handle this?” Yang Ye asked, flipping through an account book with a look of annoyance.

Wang Xiang’s smile never faltered. “That’s been the rule for decades. Because the ones dodging taxes are all cultivators, and the bureau handles cultivator affairs, the responsibility shifted to us. You see, the bureau is in its current state because tax revenues are down, funding from the council is drying up, salaries are cut, and we’re losing talent. Inspector Ye, Director Luo said if you manage to collect these taxes, a portion of it will be awarded to you personally as a bonus.”

“Is that so?” Yang Ye asked.

Wang Xiang turned to one of the clerks, took a file from her, and handed a document to Yang Ye. It bore Director Luo Wu’s signature.

“If there’s nothing else, Inspector Ye, I’ll take my leave,” Wang Xiang said, preparing to depart.

“Hold on!” Yang Ye called out after him. “Secretary Wang, you must help me with staffing—at least make a suggestion.”

“Well…” Wang Xiang pondered for a moment. “There is one place that might meet your needs…”

After Wang Xiang and the two clerks left, Long Xiaoqing asked curiously, “Husband, why do they want you as inspector?”

Yang Ye sneered, “It’s simple. They want to use me as a troublemaker. Someone wants to shake things up in the Summer Capital, and I just happened to appear at the right time to suit their plans. They didn’t even assign me any personnel or funding. If anything goes wrong, they’ll throw me out as the scapegoat. If I succeed, they achieve their goals.”

“Outrageous! Husband, let’s not do it!” Long Xiaoqing said indignantly.

Yang Ye shook his head. “Though it seems complex and dangerous, there are benefits…”

Glancing out the office window, Yang Ye picked up the car keys from the desk and said to Long Xiaoqing, “Xiaoqing, let’s go to Summer Capital Prison and release a batch of ‘beasts.’ If they want to use me to stir things up, I’ll turn the whole city upside down!”

Wang Xiang’s earlier suggestion had been to visit Summer Capital Prison—a facility specifically for detaining cultivators. Throughout China, any cultivator who broke the law was imprisoned there, with most being sentenced to life. Some had even been locked up for over a century.

However, releasing people would not be easy. The warden, Zhu Xiong, was a rigid man with formidable strength. Even the Director of the Star Martial Administration Bureau had to follow his rules to the letter when requesting prisoners.

Meanwhile, in an office elsewhere, a young man with hair slicked back approached Wang Xiang’s desk, watching as Yang Ye’s car drove away. He grinned and said, “Secretary Wang, that Ye fellow and his little wife just headed out to Summer Capital Prison.”

Wang Xiang merely smiled, said nothing, and took out his phone to play a game.