The proof of Emperor Wu began with daily rewards for diligence.

The news of "the rat gang rebelling and killing officials" and Chen Jue's title of "God of War at the Staircase" were mentioned.

Like wild grass growing wildly after a spring breeze, the news spread throughout the entire patrol and inspection division within a single day.

Inside the patrol office, Shangguan was furious. He abandoned the previous investigation into the Kaiyang community's accusation that the Rat Gang was "illegally manufacturing firearms" and transferred two martial artists at the Spirit Cultivation Realm from the inner city to erase the Rat Gang from the outer city map.

"Shangguan really protects the Qi family..."

"Despite having so much evidence, they still sent two martial artists from the Qi family to clean up the mess."

Inside the Kaiyang Garrison, Wu Yue, dressed in the robes of a ninth-rank official, sat in his office, tapping his fingers on the table.

He was pale and thin, with sharp eyebrows, and exuded a cold and aloof aura that commanded respect.

Sitting opposite him was a middle-aged man in his forties, not wearing an official uniform, but a simple modern Chinese-style casual outfit, paired with black-rimmed glasses. He was Zhao Wei, the secretary of the Kaiyang Garrison, who held real power above the deputy director.

"That's already quite good; it wiped out the Qi family's influence in both Kaiyang and Yangcheng communities in one fell swoop."

"The Wu family will definitely look at you differently this time, and might even promote you. I would like to congratulate you in advance, Brother Wu."

Hearing Zhao Wei's flattering words, Wu Yue's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. He waved his hand modestly and said, "It's just cleaning up a gang of rats. It's nothing special."

Faced with Wu Yue's boasting, Zhao Wei smiled but remained silent.

If the Rat Gang were so easy to deal with, the matter of the Kaiyang Garrison reporting that the Rat Gang was illegally manufacturing firearms would not have remained unresolved at the Patrol and Inspection Office.

In fact, if it weren't for that newly promoted young inspector of the garrison, who was so fierce that he single-handedly killed fifty people and made headlines throughout the entire inspection system with his amazing achievements, the situation would have been much better.

It seems that the matter of the rat gang attacking and killing officials will still be a subject of debate within the department.

"By the way, how should we reward that newcomer who drank the experimental blood-burning potion, suffered over a dozen wounds, and was hospitalized with serious injuries?"

Zhao Wei suggested, "I think after the Rat Gang is wiped out, those remaining members probably won't let him go. Should we protect him for now and wait until things calm down?"

Wu Yue waved his hand and refused, saying, "No need. The Qi family's power has been completely eradicated by us, and they're probably holding a grudge."

"Let them vent their anger on the newcomer, so they won't come looking for trouble with us."

Zhao Wei shook his head and chuckled. "Use and throw away, that's really Brother Wu's consistent style."

Wu Yue sneered, "He's just a peasant from the outer city. Although he was lucky enough to have above-average physical talent, he drank the Blood Burning Potion when his martial arts foundation was at its weakest."

"At this point, he would probably be half-depleted of his vital energy and his furnace damaged, ruining his future in martial arts and rendering him of little use."

"If he can contribute his last bit of energy to take the blame and shield the Wu family from disaster, it would be an honor for him."

"It is indeed an honor for an ordinary person to work for a high-ranking family like the Wu family," Zhao Wei echoed.

Wu Yue waved his hand and continued, "Of course, he has done a good job this time, and we should not skimp on his reward."

"Give him ten mid-grade spirit stones and a low-grade mystic weapon..."

Zhao Wei's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Wu, you're really generous! These two rewards combined must be worth at least two or three million coins, right?"

"However, he's only a martial artist at the first level of the True Qi Realm, and his foundation of qi and blood has been damaged. Can he hold onto this windfall?"

Wu and Yue didn't care about this.

"Anyway, the excessive reward has already been given. Whether he can keep it or not is up to his own fate. What does it have to do with me?"

……

Cangshu Street, a clinic located on the street.

Covered in bandages, Chen Jue sat cross-legged on one of the only two beds occupied by Doctor Jiao, with an IV drip attached to his arm, and cultivated until nightfall and curfew.

Doctor Jiao sat quietly beside Chen Jue's bed, watching Chen Jue cultivate for two full cycles before his eyes.

"Are you guys playing me?"

Suddenly, Doctor Jiao realized something, turned to look at He Yuanshan who was pacing anxiously beside him, and asked with a serious and doubtful expression.

"Old Jiao, what do you mean?" He Yuanshan looked bewildered.

"Who would drink a blood-burning potion and have enough qi and blood to continuously cultivate internal energy for nine hours? Aren't they afraid of having their bones and blood drained?"

Dr. Jiao slammed his pen onto the medical record book and yelled, "Get out of here, all of you! Take your nephews and go home right now!"

He Yuanshan was stunned.

"My nephew is alright?" He was a little incredulous.

After all, when his colleague told him to come to the clinic, the expression on his face, telling him to accept his fate, didn't seem fake.

"Heh..." Doctor Jiao gave He Yuanshan a forced smile and said, "Your nephew definitely has some special constitution, but the fewer people who know about this, the better..."

"After all, your nephew cultivates the Lesser Five Elements Technique..."

"Above-average bone structure + special physique + minor Five Elements Mastery. If this combination gets noticed by the Linjiang clan, your nephew's small frame will probably rot in the clan."

He Yuanshan was horrified and quickly bowed to Doctor Jiao, begging him to keep the secret.

Doctor Jiao neither agreed nor disagreed, but wrote a prescription for He Yuanshan and prepared a dose of medicine.

"Take this medicine back and prepare it according to the prescription; it should be able to replenish some of the lost qi and blood and improve your constitution."

"Thank you for your kind offer, 20,000 cash."

He Yuanshan felt a pang of pain upon hearing this terrifyingly high price.

But when he thought about how Dr. Jiao had spent the whole day observing his nephew and even prescribed medicine for him, he felt relieved.

"A-Jue, let's go. Doctor Jiao said you're alright."

He Yuanshan took the medicine and woke up Chen Jue, who was focused on his cultivation.

Chen Jue opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the amount of Five Elements True Qi in his body recovered to two strands, making him feel refreshed.

"Dr. Jiao, is there really nothing wrong with my body?"

"When I took that reagent, I felt my blood and energy burning, and my whole body became very agitated!"

Doctor Jiao glanced at Chen Jue with the look he gave a fool.

"Is it possible that you are exceptionally gifted, with extraordinary vitality, and the portion of your vitality that you burned off wasn't enough to cause you serious injury?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jue suddenly felt enlightened.

The doctor is truly a miracle worker; he resolved his confusion with just one sentence!

"Miracle Doctor, how is my Uncle Lin doing?" Chen Jue asked, looking at Lin Shoucheng, who was still unconscious on the next bed.

"The knife wound on his chest is a minor matter. The key is that he has used up all three hundred strands of his true energy, and he will probably never be able to recover to his full strength again in this lifetime," Doctor Jiao said with absolute certainty.

Chen Jue remained silent upon hearing this.

Indeed, the vital energy of middle-aged people has begun to decline. Asking Uncle Lin to use his vital energy to refine three hundred strands of true energy would undoubtedly be a way to shorten his lifespan.

"Dr. Jiao, please look after my brother. Please let me know as soon as he wakes up."

He Yuanshan helped Chen Jue out of Doctor Jiao's clinic and was about to walk towards Xingfu Community when a patrol car from Kaiyang Garrison suddenly stopped in front of them.

The rear window slowly opened, and in the dim light, Zhao Wei's thin, square face slowly appeared in front of He and Chen.

"Secretary Zhao!" He Yuanshan instinctively lowered his head.

Chen Jue was wrapped up like a mummy at this moment, but he didn't make any movements.

"Your nephew did a great job this time. Director Wu not only approved a month of sick leave for him, but also rewarded him with ten low-grade spirit stones and a high-quality weapon out of his own pocket."

At Zhao Wei's instruction, the driver took a cloth bag and a box from the trunk and handed them to He Yuanshan.

"Praise be to Director Wu, thank you Secretary!"

He Yuanshan, carrying the box, gave Zhao Wei a deep salute.

Seeing this, Zhao Wei nodded in satisfaction. Before leaving, as if remembering something, he said, "I know about Zhang Wei extorting your nephew. Tomorrow I will make him pay you three times the amount..."

He Yuanshan hugged the box and nodded excitedly.

Damn it, if I had known it would turn out like this, why did I even try to negotiate the price?!

"Do your job well, and the higher-ups will see it..."

Zhao Wei habitually made empty promises to his subordinates before disappearing into the distance.

"We've hit the jackpot today! We've got two hundred and fifty thousand in cash alone!"

After Zhao Wei left, He Yuanshan started counting the money on his fingers.

"Although the sanatorium is covering the cost of medicine for Uncle Lin, we still need to find a way to give him some more."

"If it weren't for Uncle Lin's constant support at noon today, I definitely wouldn't have been able to crush those scumbags from the Rat Gang!"

Chen Jue gave his instructions.

"Okay, okay."

"He's not only your Uncle Lin, he's also my brother. I can't let him suffer a loss..."

Under the dim streetlights, two tall figures gradually disappeared into the outer city as they chatted back and forth.