Chapter 121: Minister Song Resigns

In the secret realm, two men in their thirties, clad in green robes, arrived in a state of shock and fury at the spot where Song Yue had just excavated four medicinal herbs. They were absolutely livid.

"Damn it! They were actually taken by someone!" The young man who spoke had a dark, square face and an air of stern righteousness, though his eyes were now blazing with intense anger.

"Is it that young Eastern martial artist the Three-Headed Dragon organization mentioned?"

The other man had softer facial features and fair skin; he was strikingly handsome, not in an effeminate way, but with a refined grace that would turn heads on any street.

The square-faced man nodded. "Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, he appeared to be Eastern. It must be that martial arts practitioner from Huaxia."

The handsome man frowned slightly, puzzled. "How could he have broken a high-level sealing array that even we couldn't crack? Is he more than just an ordinary martial artist?"

"He’s definitely not an ordinary martial artist," the square-faced man replied. "We underestimated him."

The handsome man said indifferently, "That’s not necessarily a bad thing. If he hadn't helped us retrieve those herbs, we would have had to return to our sect for help, which would have inevitably invited mockery from others."

The anger on the square-faced man’s face gradually faded. He nodded in agreement, saying, "Put that way, it does make some sense. If he’s sensible, and we’re in a good mood, we might spare his life."

"Do you think someone like that would be sensible? According to the intel, he’s no commoner. It’s said his master is very powerful, though he has already ascended to the cultivation world."

"Heh, so what if he ascended? At best, he’s a Nascent Soul-tier practitioner. What does that amount to in the eyes of our sect?"

The handsome man spoke calmly as he crouched down to examine the site where the four herbs had grown. He even pinched some soil from the edge of the pit and sniffed it. Taking a deep breath, he said, "These are truly fine things! High-level herbs of the Division of Spirit tier—genuine heavenly treasures—yet they were dug up by a mortal..."

"Leaving them in his hands is a waste of natural gifts. He is merely holding them for us temporarily."

The square-faced man declared, "Let’s go. To the East!"

***

The flying saucer traveled through the atmosphere at an incredible speed, soon arriving over the continent where Huaxia was located. Song Yue piloted the craft, its stealth device fully engaged, back to Hangzhou.

The first thing he did upon returning was to wake Qian Qianxue and Wen Rou from their seclusion, bring them aboard the saucer, and fly directly toward the capital.

On the flight, Song Yue briefly explained the situation to the two women.

"With the Three-Headed Dragon organization involved, they will certainly be able to track me down. You two should go home and stay there for a while; you can use this time to focus on your cultivation."

Qian Qianxue looked at Song Yue and asked softly, "And what about you?"

Wen Rou also looked worried. So much had happened in the past year, leaving her feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope. Often, she couldn't help but yearn for the simple, tranquil days of the past, but she knew there was no going back.

"I’ll be fine. Even if I can't defeat those two, I won't be in any grave danger," Song Yue comforted them with a smile.

In truth, he had already decided to resign from the Management Department. Joining it had never been his original intention. Back then, when his Master was sealed and unable to use his full strength, the Master had been concerned for Song Yue’s safety due to the feud with the Zhang family and had sent him to the Hangzhou branch of the Management Department, hoping the shelter of such a massive organization would help him weather the storm.

But so many unexpected things had happened since then—plans truly could not keep up with the changes.

Now that his Master had left the mortal realm and likely entered the Nine-Pass Battlefield, Song Yue believed that, thanks to his Master’s connections and prestige in that world, he would be able to avoid the Three Pines Ancient Sect and live well. Still, he hoped to reunite with his Master as soon as possible. Master and disciple would work in unison to confront the Three Pines Ancient Sect.

He no longer needed the protection of the Management Department. Furthermore, the corruption and infighting within the department had begun to disgust him. Sun Tong had been good to him and was an upright man, but for Song Yue, almost all of the high-ranking figures in the organization were morally tainted. Perhaps by nature, he was simply a martial artist—he loathed all forms of deceit and trickery.

His only remaining ties to this world were his family.

After dropping Wen Rou off at the Wen family estate, he headed toward the Qian family. On the way, Qian Qianxue gazed at him with her clear, water-like eyes and asked, "Are you leaving the Management Department?"

She was smart and understood him well. Song Yue gave a soft nod.

"Then... will you soon be leaving the mortal realm to enter that world?" she asked again.

"When I go, I will bring you with me," Song Yue replied, understanding her intent instantly.

A happy smile finally graced Qian Qianxue's face, and she said no more.

With the saucer still cloaked, they reached the vicinity of the Qian family's manor on the outskirts of the capital. Not wanting to attract too much attention, Song Yue landed early and walked her to the gate. There, Qian Qianxue waved goodbye.

***

Just as Song Yue was about to hail a taxi to find his mother and sister, a top-tier executive sedan pulled up from the distance and stopped beside him. Qian Qianxue, who was about to enter the manor, noticed this and hurried back toward them.

The window rolled down, revealing a young, handsome face that bore a resemblance to Qian Qianxue's. After looking Song Yue up and down, the young man asked, "Are you Song Yue?"

Song Yue nodded. He had a rough idea of who this was and prepared himself accordingly.

The young man opened the door and stepped out, wearing a slightly stiff but reasonably friendly smile. "Since you’re already at our doorstep, why not come in for a visit?"

Song Yue was stunned. *Shouldn't he hate me?* He had even suspected that Qian Qianxue's brother was overly protective of her—a complete opposite to the little guy who was obsessed with marrying his sister off to him. Yet here he was, inviting him in?

Qian Qianxue, who had hurried over, looked equally surprised.

"I have some matters to attend to, so I can't go in today. I’ll pay a formal visit another day," Song Yue said, neither humble nor pushy, unsure of the other man's true attitude.

Qian Qianxue looked at the young man. "Brother, he has things to handle. Let's invite him another time."

Watching his sister—who had never been favored at home and suffered from mild social anxiety—express her thoughts so naturally, the young man was surprised. It seemed the rumors were true; his foolish sister really had fallen for this young martial artist.

Recently, the entire Huaxia cultivation world had been filled with rumors about Song Yue. Some said his teacher, the Master, was an unparalleled expert who had single-handedly toppled the massive Li family; others claimed Song Yue was incredibly powerful and a secret billionaire who held shares in the Elite Martial Arts Hall. Some rumors were even more outrageous, suggesting he was the son-in-law of the Lin family on Planet Tianyue, having returned with a starship and holding a high position in the Management Department, deeply favored by the top brass.

Every time Qian Ning heard these rumors, he felt a flicker of curiosity about the man he had never met, though he felt the stories were exaggerated. However, he knew it was true that the Master was a peerless expert who had overturned the Li family, which had shifted his attitude toward Song Yue.

He hadn't disliked Song Yue because of status or wealth, but because he didn't want his sister to date a troublemaker. Who could bear a life of constant anxiety and danger? As a daughter of the Qian family, even if she wasn't the most favored, she was still a proud daughter of heaven. As her older brother, he couldn't help but care for her, and he certainly didn't want her living an unstable life.

He had been planning to find an opportunity to go to Hangzhou to meet Song Yue, never expecting to run into him at his own front door. It was a perfect chance to get a closer look.

"Is it that important?" Qian Ning asked. "If not, just come inside for a meal."

Song Yue politely declined with a smile. "Another day. I really have errands today, and it wouldn't be right to come empty-handed."

Qian Ning shrugged with a hint of regret. "Alright then. Make sure to come when you have time; let’s have a proper chat!"

Song Yue nodded. "I will."

He then used an app to summon a car and left the Qian manor. Qian Ning watched the taxi disappear and looked at his sister, who was still gazing after Song Yue. "Xiaoxue, do you really like him?"

Qian Qianxue blushed slightly. "Brother, what are you talking about? I’m still young!"

Qian Ning laughed indulgently. "You're not that young anymore. In the blink of an eye, you're an adult. When I was your age, I’d already had a dozen girlfriends!"

Qian Qianxue rolled her eyes at him. "Who could compare to you? You heartless flirt!"

Qian Ning chuckled. "And Song Yue? Isn't he a flirt? He’s entangled with that girl from the Lin family on Planet Tianyue, and your little friend... what was her name? Wen Rou, right? Seems like there’s something going on there too, isn't there?"

Qian Qianxue sighed, helpless. "You don't know anything, so stop talking nonsense."

Qian Ning sighed as well. "Silly sister, I’m just afraid you’ll be naive and have your heart broken."

Qian Qianxue blinked her clear eyes at her brother. "You should worry about yourself. I heard the family is arranging a marriage for you?"

Qian Ning looked instantly dejected. "Forget it, don't mention that—it gives me a headache!" He opened the car door. "Come on, get in. It’s been a while since we’ve caught up. Tell me, have you improved your cultivation at all lately?"

***

Sitting in the self-driving taxi, Song Yue didn't dwell on the encounter with his brother-in-law-to-be; he was calling his sister, Song Yu.

"Have you arrived in the capital?"

On the other end, Song Yu’s voice was low. The surroundings sounded quiet, and her voice carried a hint of exhaustion. "I’m in a meeting. You go back to that apartment in the city and wait for a while. Mom and I will probably be back late."

After hanging up, Song Yue sighed. His mother and sister were always so busy. Sometimes he wanted to just toss them a few kilograms of Fire Essence to sell so they could live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

It was still early, and he didn't want to go home just yet. He decided to call Sun Tong to request a meeting. Regardless of everything, Uncle Sun had treated him well, and he couldn't leave without saying goodbye.

As soon as the call connected, before Song Yue could speak, Sun Tong said, "Song Yue, where are you? I was just looking for you. It’s urgent!"

"I’m in the capital."

Half an hour later, in a private club near the Management Department’s headquarters, Song Yue met Sun Tong.

The moment they met, Song Yue noticed Sun Tong’s expression was unusually grave. He didn't have to wait long for an explanation. Once they were inside the room, Sun Tong asked directly, "Song Yue, did you do something back in the Western secret realm?"

*So soon?* Song Yue immediately realized why. He looked at Sun Tong with clear eyes. "There’s only so much to do in a secret realm—digging for herbs, searching for ore. If you find a hidden palace, you might get lucky and find some techniques or divine weapons..." He looked at Sun Tong. "What, did someone come to you to complain about me?"

Sun Tong looked at him with a heavy expression. "Two big shots we absolutely cannot afford to offend just arrived!" He switched to telepathic communication. "The people who came are from the same sect as those who died in Hangzhou. They don't know yet that those people are dead. They came here insisting that you took the herbs from the medicinal garden in the Western secret realm!"

"They claim that garden belongs to their sect, and they are demanding that we hand you over."

*Belongs to them?* Song Yue sneered inwardly. *A bunch of losers who couldn't even break the highest-level seal on the herbs, and they have the nerve to claim it's theirs?* He kept his face neutral and asked, "What does Uncle Sun intend to do?"

At this point, he didn't feel the need to bring up his resignation immediately; he wanted to see how Sun Tong would handle this.

"Handing you over is absolutely out of the question," Sun Tong said firmly. "The Chief Director is currently entertaining them. I tried to contact you the moment I got the news, but I didn't expect you to be in the capital."

"The only difficulty is that these two have a massive backing, and their strength... it should be very high. With your master gone, I’m afraid we can’t hold out against them." Sun Tong looked at Song Yue and said seriously via telepathy, "Don't you have a starship parked near the sun? Run! They pride themselves on being a 'righteous sect,' so they shouldn't threaten your family."

He thought for a moment and added, "If it comes to it, take your family and go! They belong to the Earth’s cultivation world; if you truly flee to Tianyue, they won't be able to touch you for a while." Sun Tong looked regretful. "It’s a shame that this means you can't stay in the Management Department, but once this blows over, you can always return..."

It was clear Sun Tong was genuinely looking out for him.

Song Yue smiled. "I came to find you today for this very reason, Uncle Sun. I don't want to stay in the Management Department anymore."

Sun Tong paused, then sighed. "I figured you’d come to this decision, I just didn't expect it so soon."

Song Yue said, "I’m very grateful for your care during this time. I haven't done much for the department, and I’ve caused quite a bit of trouble..."

Sun Tong shook his head, looking at Song Yue with sincerity. "No, you’ve contributed far more to the department than you know. Some things can't be made public or publicized, but the Chief Director and I will never forget your merits. Honestly, I have high hopes for you!"

Song Yue smiled. "Thank you for your favor, Uncle Sun."

Sun Tong sighed softly. "Go, child. The world outside is vast and better suited for your growth!"

"Earth is too old, and our current civilization is too immature. In terms of technology, we can't compare to planets like Tianyue that have billions of years of heritage, and in terms of cultivation, we can't compare to the high-and-mighty cultivation world. This pond is too small." Sun Tong’s tone was filled with emotion as he looked at Song Yue. "The Chief Director should be able to stall those two for a while yet; take this opportunity and leave!"

"As for Hangzhou, I’ll promote Old Wolf to the top spot!"

Song Yue was stunned. "Uncle Wolf... would he be willing?"

Sun Tong laughed. "Of course he would. Although there’s no precedent for a member of the demon race holding a major leadership position, someone has to be the first. I believe he can do it!"

"I hope the Management Department can return to what it was meant to be!"

"A place that truly gets things done—where the capable rise and the incompetent fall!"

Song Yue stood up. "Then, I wish the Management Department, under your leadership, a return to glory!"

Sun Tong gave a wry smile. "It’s a long and difficult road, but we must keep moving forward!"