Chapter 150: Insights from Headquarters

On Miaofeng Mountain, the scene was completely different from what Li Yunfei had imagined.

In his mind, Zixiao was a gathering place for practitioners of the Great Xia, and it was said that the uniforms of the Xuan Division experts were traditional Hanfu attire.

Even if the headquarters wasn’t a jade tower or a magnificent palace, it should at least be a pavilion or an ancient-style building, rich in classical charm.

But there was none of that—no carved beams or painted rafters, no winding corridors, no artificial hills, ponds, or flowing streams—nothing at all.

The Zixiao headquarters inherited the Great Xia government’s consistent plainness and simplicity. Upon reaching the mountain top, what met his eyes was a government office building indistinguishable from a city hall.

In front of the building, people came and went, all wearing black-and-white uniforms belonging to the Tian Division and Di Division members.

Behind the office building stood rows of apartment-style residences—likely the headquarters’ dormitories—and farther off were factories and warehouses.

The only trace of old-world flavor lay in the ancient temples and halls originally on Miaofeng Mountain.

Li Yunfei thought to himself with a strange expression: could it be that those Xuan Division experts really wore Hanfu while studying arcane arts and refining elixirs in those factories?

“Yunfei, Ziying, Honghong, you’ve arrived early enough,” a warm greeting brought Li Yunfei back to reality. He withdrew his distant gaze to see Ziwei smiling as he stepped out from the office building.

Behind him followed Guo Qilin and Yan Hexiang; Guo Qilin was waving cheerfully at Zhang Ziying.

The members of Zixiao coming and going outside the building stopped to watch curiously.

When they saw Li Yunfei, the young female cultivators and martial artists gathered in groups, whispering excitedly, their faces full of admiration.

“That’s him, Elder Chenlong—he’s really handsome!”

“Yes! Much better-looking than in the photos.”

“Who are those two beauties by his side, one tall and one short? Anyone know?”

“No idea, never seen them before.”

“I’ll ask Qilin later.”

Their murmurs drifted faintly to everyone’s ears. Zhang Ziying and Honghong instinctively drew closer to Li Yunfei, their faces full of vigilance.

Ziwei’s smile deepened, while Li Yunfei acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing, leading the group forward with respectful greetings, addressing Ziwei as “Comrade Ziwei.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Yunfei said, “It’s my first time at headquarters; I don’t know much, so I came early to avoid making a fool of myself.”

Ziwei looked back at the office building and smiled. “How is it? Different from what you imagined?”

Li Yunfei sighed, “Unexpected, yet understandable. Our party has always emphasized simplicity and hard work. Since Zixiao is a state organization, it naturally follows that tradition.”

Ziwei praised, “I’m glad you understand this. Zixiao isn’t some prestigious sect—just a state institution serving the people. We can’t tolerate any extravagance.”

Li Yunfei nodded in agreement. Ziwei then looked at Liu Bin. “You’re the grandson of Elder Yanfeng, right? The last time I saw you, you hadn’t entered True Gauntlet stage; now you’ve reached True Realm—impressive. A promising talent.”

Liu Bin smiled modestly. “Comrade Ziwei flatters me. My talents are average; I rely on diligence to make up for shortcomings.”

Ziwei nodded with an approving smile. Liu Bin’s aptitude ranked as upper B grade—not bad, but still quite a gap from A grade. Given his background, he wouldn’t lack resources, yet without hard work, he couldn’t have advanced so quickly.

After the small talk, Ziwei turned to Li Yunfei. “Let’s go. Since it’s your first time here, I’ll show you around to familiarize you with the environment.”

Li Yunfei followed half a step behind Ziwei, saying, “You should take me to the warehouse first. I haven’t been idle recently—I’ve already copied the equipment you requested.”

Ziwei’s eyes brightened with joy. “I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me. Last time you and Honghong had just entered Golden Core stage; this time I can’t read you at all. What have you been killing lately?”

Li Yunfei nodded. “I eradicated a nest of vile, developing evil spirits: a ghost king-level skeleton monster, an evil yaksha, and a malevolent asura.”

Ziwei was astonished. “Such dangerous places still exist in Great Xia? Where exactly?”

Li Yunfei explained, “In my hometown. Although fewer died there than on ancient battlefields, the terrain is unique—a qi-accumulating formation that gathers all yin energy, resentment, and evil qi. That’s how those three fiends grew.”

Ziwei asked with concern, “No civilian casualties, right?”

This was the hallmark of Great Xia’s leaders—the people were always their primary concern.

Li Yunfei reassured him, “Don’t worry. My hometown lies in a remote mountain area. The village’s feng shui is good, and the villagers’ fortunes improved; they all moved out twenty years ago. No one lives there now, so no casualties.”

“All the ghosts and monsters there have been wiped out. The dangerous place has become a blessed land—perfect for cultivation. I even built a manor there as my main residence.”

Ziwei relaxed and teased, “That’s good. No wonder such a rare talent emerged from your village. Seems the local feng shui wasn’t irrelevant. You and Honghong must be late Golden Core stage now?”

Li Yunfei replied calmly, “Yes, but reaching late Golden Core wasn’t all thanks to those three demons—Yingzi helped me a lot too.”

“Oh?” Zhang Ziying’s face immediately flushed red. Ziwei, noticing this, smiled knowingly.

Chuckling, Ziwei glanced at the young female cultivators and martial artists nearby who were saluting them with admiration. “You’re quite popular with the ladies. Be careful not to let it get to your head.”

Li Yunfei answered seriously, “Rest assured, I won’t make such a principled mistake.”

“Hehe… I believe you’re a good comrade.”

Liu Bin, trailing behind, looked utterly bewildered. He didn’t know Li Yunfei’s background and was amazed to hear he had already reached late Golden Core stage.

Guo Qilin and Yan Hexiang were equally astonished but not overly so.

Anyone with Li Yunfei’s extraordinary constitution would advance like a rocket unless they were an idiot.

They were simply envious but not surprised by his rapid cultivation.

Ziwei then recalled something and asked, “Is your hometown too remote to have signal?”

Li Yunfei nodded. “Yes. The village is surrounded by mountains. To get a phone signal, you have to climb to the summit.”

Ziwei said, “Later, give me an item that contains your spirit imprint so I can locate you if needed. It’ll make communication by flying sword easier. I’ll give you one of mine too.”

Li Yunfei agreed. Such tokens were commonly exchanged among Zixiao’s senior members, like adding contacts on WeChat.

The flying sword used for messaging was a special one—smaller than a dagger, extremely fast, flying at over 3,000 meters per second, surpassing the fastest fighter jets on Earth.

But it had no other function—couldn’t carry a person or be used in combat. If forged into a person-sword unity, it could carry someone but not at that speed.

Its sole purpose was message delivery.

Ziwei led Li Yunfei and the others around the office building to a sports field behind it, where they boarded an electric sightseeing cart.

Yan Hexiang drove the vehicle toward the warehouse.

Zhang Ziying asked Guo Qilin curiously, “Why ride an electric cart? Zixiao headquarters is full of cultivators; wouldn’t running be faster? Doesn’t it affect efficiency?”

Guo Qilin smiled, explaining, “No, this isn’t ancient times. Efficiency isn’t measured by a few minutes.”

“If there’s a notice, it’s conveyed by phone; documents are faxed or sent through the network. Even if the network fails, there are paper cranes or flying swords for messages.”

“The rules forbid cultivators from using lightness skills or flying within headquarters unless they are respected elders or revered masters.”

“This is for security. Imagine everyone walking calmly, and suddenly someone dashes or flies through—who would that be?”

Zhang Ziying suddenly understood. “Either an enemy infiltrator or an exposed traitor trying to escape.”

Guo Qilin nodded. “Exactly. Though the chance of infiltration or internal betrayal is slim, no one can guarantee it won’t happen. This rule helps prevent such situations.”

Zhang Ziying admired the logic and nodded. Indeed, if enemies or traitors could sneak in without triggering any defense, no rule could help.

Such regulations greatly reduce the chance of infiltration or betrayal going unnoticed.

She stopped asking and, like Li Yunfei, began observing their surroundings.

As they traveled, Ziwei introduced the functions of various buildings.

The factories were for producing special weapons—rune bullets, rune shells—not for the Xuan Division’s work.

The Xuan Division worked in the ancient temples and halls originally on Miaofeng Mountain.

The experts were divided into groups specializing in cultivation techniques, supernatural studies, alchemy and medicine, and weapon forging.

Each group worked in different temples suited to their expertise.

The monks and Taoists originally occupying those temples were relocated to other monasteries and shrines.

The statues in the temples remained, with the Xuan Division members offering three incense sticks daily.

The statues occupied only the main halls, leaving ample space in the rear halls for their work.

The logistics group occupied the warehouse area.

Behind the warehouses was a mountain road with checkpoints guarded by heavily armed experts.

Logistics vehicles used this road for transport.

The warehouses were categorized into five types: equipment, medicine, spirit stones, spirit materials, and spirit items.

Spirit materials and spirit items were distinct; spirit materials were qi-rich substances used to forge weapons, treasures, or elixirs.

Spirit items were consumables that directly enhanced cultivation—spirit meat, spirit fruits, spirit grains, spirit vegetables, spirit liquids, and so forth.

Each warehouse type was further graded A, B, C, and D, reflecting the importance of the resources stored.

They were heading to the A-grade equipment warehouse, which stored the highest quality weapons and treasures.

The warehouse area covered over three square kilometers, about two kilometers from the office building, arranged in a circular layout, with the A-grade warehouse at the center.

Led by Ziwei, they arrived unhindered at the warehouse center.

Unlike other warehouses secured by passwords, iris scans, and fingerprints, the A-grade warehouse door was protected by formation magic, only Ziwei could open it. There was no warehouse keeper.

Ziwei flipped his hand, and a white jade token appeared in his palm. He inserted it into a slot on the door; after a wave of spiritual energy, he retrieved the token and pushed the door open.

Li Yunfei watched in delight, noticing a blue ring on Ziwei’s index finger. “Is this... a storage treasure developed by the Xuan Division?”

Ziwei smiled and nodded, waving his hand. “It was just developed half a month ago. This storage ring holds about ten cubic meters.”

“It’s the largest space we can currently produce. The forging group can only craft two per month. Smaller ones are a bit faster to make, but output still lags behind demand.”

“Since you’re here, don’t rush back. Help make more storage rings; they’re essential for cultivators and very convenient.”

“With your current cultivation, I imagine you’ll be quick.”

Li Yunfei agreed readily, “No problem. I’ve arranged everything at home, so being away for ten or fifteen days won’t matter.”

Ziwei led them into the spacious warehouse, pleased. “As I said, Great Xia is fortunate to have you!”

“By the way, Ah Bao and Xiao Bei are with you, right? They haven’t caused you trouble?”

Li Yunfei smiled wryly. “If they did, I’d be happier. Those two just eat and sleep all day, barely noticeable.”

“But thanks to that, their cultivation is progressing quickly. Should be able to form their inner cores within a month.”

Ziwei chuckled softly. “Xiao Bei is obedient; she’s not lazy. If you ask her to do something, she rarely refuses.”

“Ah Bao may be sly, but he’s actually shrewd and can step up when it counts.”

Li Yunfei nodded. “I’ve noticed that too. So I don’t expect much from them besides diligent cultivation. The rest will follow.”

As they spoke, they entered deeper into the warehouse, which was mostly empty shelves except for one holding small auxiliary treasures—none offensive or defensive.

Zhang Ziying was surprised. “Why is the A-grade warehouse so empty?”

Ziwei explained, “Top-tier treasures and weapons are always scarce. Once obtained, they’re quickly equipped to comrades, converting into combat power; they don’t stay in storage.”

“After all, the spiritual energy revival hasn’t lasted long—barely two and a half years. Foundations require time to accumulate.”

Li Yunfei nodded and walked to an empty shelf. With a wave of his hand, the shelf instantly filled.

Sets of Gauntlet Armors were neatly arranged row by row. He moved shelf by shelf, filling the empty racks.

The 800 sets of Gauntlet Armor he promised Ziwei, along with twenty pieces each of his various weapons, appeared in order.

When Ziwei saw fifty sets of Sun-Moon Golden Wheels on a shelf, he was uncontrollably excited.

“Excellent, excellent! With this batch of equipment, Zixiao’s overall combat power will at least double. Yunfei, I don’t even know how to reward you.”

Li Yunfei smiled. “No need for rewards. With this ability, I lack nothing.”

He scratched the back of his head. “Actually... I organized yin-yang masters in my hometown to exorcise ghosts. They fought for the country with their heads tied to their belts, so I can’t show no appreciation.”

“I’ve spent all the money in my account on bonuses. Now I only have a few tens of thousands left—not even enough to pay the villagers who manage my manor.”

“If you want to reward me, transfer a few million for emergency funds first!”

Hearing this, Ziwei, Yan Hexiang, and Guo Qilin all laughed.

Ziwei waved his hand generously. “Give Qilin your account. I’ll transfer 200 million first. Spend it all and tell me if you need more. The money’s in your hands, and you’re working for the country and the people, so it won’t be wasted.”

Li Yunfei laughed dryly, “With that big label on me, I guess I can’t squander it even if I wanted to!”

Everyone burst out laughing.