Mastering the Sword Manual, sweeping across the globe

"The material report... well, the new specifications do require very high compressive strength and corrosion resistance, but you know, in today's raw material market, the cost to fully meet those specifications is... a bit unrealistic!"

"We also considered the financial pressure, and since cast iron manhole covers used under the old standard for so many years haven't had any major problems, we wanted to make some technical adjustments to the reported data to make them meet the requirements of the new standard..."

"This is mainly to expedite the project, replace the old manhole covers as soon as possible, and eliminate safety hazards!"

"The price... the price is a little lower than the budget, but there was absolutely no embezzlement. It's just... it's just a friendly price offered by the supplier to open up the market. The middleman... might have taken a little commission, but I, I personally, absolutely did not accept it!"

"No! Please don't do this! I'll confess, I'll confess everything, I'm already confessing!"

"Ugh...ugh...ugh!"

“I know, I’m listening,” Zhang Qiliang nodded with a smile as he applied the third strip of tape. “However, if we have to do this every time we ask a question, it’ll be a bit of a delay.”

"My self-introduction just now was perhaps a bit brief."

"Let's go through the formalities first, so it'll be convenient for both of us later."

As they spoke, Zhang Qiliang's right hand grasped Zhou Mingyuan's little finger, which was resting on his knee and trembling violently.

The specially reinforced iron bars were torn off, and the stainless steel tweezers were turned into mud. One can imagine what would happen to Zhou Mingyuan's little finger if it fell into Zhang Qiliang's hands.

The woman in the bath towel has the clearest perspective:

The instant Zhang Qiliang began to exert force with his fingers, Zhou Mingyuan, who was sitting on the sofa, felt as if he had been struck by a high-voltage electric current.

His two eyeballs suddenly bulged outwards, bloodshot instantly spreading, almost breaking free of their sockets.

My body sprang up from the sofa like a fully drawn bow—not a voluntary movement, but a purely biological spasm that exceeded conscious control as my nerves endured unimaginable pain.

Of course, Zhang Qiliang had anticipated this, and his other hand was already gently placed on Zhou Mingyuan's shoulder.

"boom."

A muffled thud.

Zhou Mingyuan's sprang-up body was completely pressed back into place on the sofa by an overwhelming force.

The heavy fabric sofa didn't move an inch; only the internal springs emitted a faint groan of strain.

Zhou Mingyuan was like an insect nailed to a specimen board, futilely displaying the frantic trembling and twisting of every inch of his muscles, yet unable to move even the slightest bit in position.

"Ugh—! Ugh—!!!"

A muffled sob escaped from the throat sealed shut with tape.

That wasn't a sound; it was the vibration of the trachea and vocal cords tearing under extreme pain.

Like a dam being opened, sweat instantly gushed out from every pore of Zhou Mingyuan's body. A large, dark wet patch appeared on the back of his light gray executive jacket at a visible speed, and his meticulously combed hair was instantly soaked with sweat, sticking to his pale, paper-white forehead.

His face was flushed a horrifying purplish-red from extreme pain and suffocating discomfort. Tears and snot flowed uncontrollably, mixing with sweat and covering the area around his mouth, which was sealed with tape.

Even more shocking was that the sofa fabric beneath him quickly swelled with a smaller, deeper water stain—the intense pain and extreme fear had exceeded the limits of his body's control.

Throughout this entire process, the hand that inflicts pain remains as steady as a robotic arm on an operating table.

What's most chilling is that the range of force applied by the fingers is always firmly controlled within the very tip of the little finger.

Noticing the woman in the bath towel's gaze, the stranger gave her a gentle smile:

"It's going to take so long, we need to use it sparingly."

About half a minute later, the tip of the little finger, under the steady and continuous crushing pressure, finally turned into a paper-thin mixture of skin, flesh and bone fragments.

Zhou Mingyuan, lying on the sofa, looked completely exhausted, as if he had been pulled out of the water.

Each breath was a hoarse, broken bellows sound. His eyes were unfocused. His previous imposing manner and composure had vanished, leaving only the most primal fear and submission of mammals when faced with absolute pain and violence.

After waiting quietly for a minute or two, until Zhou Mingyuan's breathing had calmed down a little and only uncontrollable trembling remained, Zhang Qiliang reached out and tore off the tape.

“Continue,” Zhang Qiliang said, raising his chin without any further threats or explanations, continuing the conversation that had been interrupted for a short while, “the phone call at 7:36.”

Zhou Mingyuan took a few heavy breaths, then spoke with a resigned tone, his voice hoarse and dry:

"That phone call... was about the compaction inspection after the asphalt pavement was laid on that section of Jiefang East Road... The new specifications require that the pavement thickness and compaction indexes be fully achieved under the old roadbed and the high temperature conditions of summer paving, which is indeed... indeed a real difficulty."

"In order to ensure the construction period and avoid repeated rework that would cause greater traffic disruption and financial waste, we asked the on-site supervision and testing units to make appropriate technical adjustments when recording data."

"The construction boss over there... did express his gratitude afterward..."

“City government infrastructure maintenance and management,” Zhang Qiliang sat back on the sofa, “what exactly did you get involved in?”

"This year, there are several major projects..."

"For example, the sewer network dredging project in the old city area in the west of the city had qualification requirements during the bidding process... that favored a long-term partner company, whose bid was about 15 percent higher than the market average... and the citywide storm drain cleaning outsourcing contract before the rainy season had a lot of flexibility in reducing the actual workload, there's more to it than that..."

"What about the construction and funding for the special projects?"

“This…this is usually not a project at my level; the procedures are much stricter…However, there have been a few times this year…for example, for the additional cable procurement for the backstreet lighting project, the supplier gave rebates on the specified model and brand…and also regarding the mid-term payment schedule for projects, the approval process was expedited for some sensible companies…”

What about inside the department?

"...The two odd jobs at Corey were filled through connections, and their salaries were paid through a special labor service fee, but the actual work done... might not be that much. There are also small orders for office supplies and vehicle maintenance..."

Zhou Mingyuan spoke very proactively and in great detail. As the pain gradually subsided, he even forced a sincere expression onto his face. Coupled with his cold sweat and pale complexion, he looked rather pitiful at first glance.

However, Zhang Qiliang remained completely unmoved.

That leaky fire hydrant.

If the city government had truly fulfilled its maintenance responsibilities, it should have been repaired long ago. A despicable person like Wang Defa wouldn't even have had the chance to demonstrate his quality—in fact, when Zhang Qiliang fled past this afternoon, that murky puddle was still there.

The woman in Dongfeng Lane who let her dog hurt people.

Such blatant audacity—has it never been reported? If the municipal government where Zhou Mingyuan works had taken its management responsibilities seriously, or even if it didn't have to be truly responsible, but had just made a few perfunctory phone calls to that woman to threaten her with a fine, it wouldn't have been so brazen.

The deafening noise from the scrap yard in the early morning.

If the so-called "city administration facility management" and "urban environment improvement" are not just reports, why would the residents there have to endure the daily harassment?

These seemingly insignificant departments, which do not directly face ordinary people, permeate the gaps in procedures with indifference and rent-seeking. Their "evil" often goes unnoticed, but like slowly seeping sewage, it thoroughly corrodes the foundation of ordinary people's lives.

It has no specific victims, or rather, the victims are the entire silent masses who endure it.

It stems from a systemic "indifference"—the lack of accountability to specific individuals leads to the loss of even the most basic reverence.

Zhang Qiliang felt that even the slightest pity for such people, for this kind of rot that had seeped into the capillaries of the system, was a disrespect to the "Tongda Sword Classic".

Of course, it was precisely the several leaps in life level brought about by the mastery of the sword manual that endowed him with extraordinary keen perception and clear thinking, enabling him to so thoroughly perceive the siltation and decay beneath the calm surface.

Power is not only changing his body, but it is also reshaping how he sees the world.

28 Seeds of Spiritual Practice

After inquiring about this year's work report, Zhang Qiliang then asked about the previous year, the year before that, and his previous position.

Whether it was out of habit, the nature of a bureaucrat, or the flickering red light of the camera, Zhou Mingyuan felt deeply uneasy.

In short, in less than half an hour, some of Zhou Mingyuan's instincts, which had just been suppressed by the intense pain and fear, began to resurface.

He began to subconsciously choose his words carefully, speaking vaguely about some old stories, and trying to downplay the acceptance of "thank yous" and "doing favors" in project approvals by attributing them lightly to "not fully understanding the regulations at the time" or "the difficulty in completely avoiding personal relationships."

Under the influence of extraordinary perception, any subtle change in heart rate, any unnatural pause in tone, or even a fleeting shift in gaze is as clear as a firefly in the dark.

Zhou Mingyuan's lies could not possibly escape Zhang Qiliang's notice.

In the process, Zhou Mingyuan contributed the other two phalanges of the little finger.

When the third finger bone also underwent topological deformation under irresistible force, the desperate sobs that were sealed in Zhou Mingyuan's throat by tape had weakened considerably, replaced by a physiological spasm and near-collapse.

Zhou Mingyuan became completely obedient.

The remaining sense of luck and the bureaucratic shell of self-protection were crushed.

He stopped trying to embellish or defend himself and began to mechanically empty his mind, recounting the events, big or small, whether he had acted voluntarily or been coerced into, since entering the industry.

From his early days working at the Fangxiang Street Office, where he used information asymmetry to help his relatives "secure" more land in demolition compensation; to the "consulting fees" and "shopping cards" he accepted when "coordinating" personal relationships to help certain businesses open; to the rewards he received for "favoring" people in project approvals and construction schedules during his time at the County City Planning Office; and now, how has the power he holds over municipal projects, maintenance outsourcing, and material procurement gradually become a bargaining chip for rent-seeking and personal gain in the City Construction Office?

The project spanned more than a decade and involved a complex and intricate array of personnel, projects, and sums of money.

Some things he himself had almost forgotten, he tried hard to retrieve from the depths of his memory under the other person's calm gaze.

Only Zhou Mingyuan's dry, hoarse voice remained in the living room, occasionally punctuated by faint gasps of pain or fear.

The woman, wrapped in a bath towel, had already shrunk to the farthest corner of the living room, hugging her knees, burying her face in her arms, her body trembling uncontrollably, not daring to make a sound.

After about two hours, Zhou Mingyuan finally stopped talking.

He seemed to have all his strength drained away, staring blankly ahead, his lips trembling slightly, as if even breathing was a struggle.

“Okay,” Zhang Qiliang nodded, casually took out a notebook from under the coffee table, and tore off a blank page.

The pen tip moved quickly across the paper, making a soft rustling sound.

About three minutes later, Zhang Qiliang handed the paper filled with writing to Zhou Mingyuan: "Take a look, is this it?"

Zhou Mingyuan mechanically took it, his gaze falling on the paper.

“In 818, the Engineering Coordination Division of the County City Planning Office accepted 20 yuan in cash from the contractor, Xinghui Construction, through an intermediary during the approval and review process of the ‘Phase II Project of the High-tech District Wastewater Treatment Workshop’, in order to expedite the approval process.”

“From 820 to the present, the Urban Renewal Division of the Municipal Administration has set preferential terms in the annual contract renewal of the ‘Dredging Project of Drainage Ditches in Old Neighborhoods’, which has enabled ‘Changtong Company’ to win the contract continuously. In total, the company has received gift certificates, food and drinks and reimbursed personal expenses from the person in charge of the company, totaling about 8 yuan.”

"In 821, when coordinating the handling of the 'Genghua East Road Expansion Project' construction waste transportation dispute, he favored the designated transportation team, tacitly allowing them to overload and illegally dump waste, and afterwards accepted their 'thank you banquet' and 'hardship fee' of 5 yuan."

"In 822, during the verification of the 'Citywide Rainwater Ditch Cleaning' project, the 'City Cleaning Service Company' was allowed to falsely report the amount of work done, resulting in a loss of about 15 yuan in public funds, and the individual received a high-end mobile phone and 2 yuan in consumer cards."

"..."

The handwriting was clear and strong, listing a series of brief summaries. Each one accurately summarized the key facts he had just described: in a certain month and year, in what position, what matters were handled, who was involved, what was received, or what kind of benefits were converted into, and what was the nature of the matter.

Zhou Mingyuan read through each item one by one, and the more he read, the colder his heart became.

The other party not only remembered the details perfectly, but also grasped the key points and made accurate characterizations.

His throat was dry, and he could only nod with difficulty.

“Okay, then we can move on to the next step.” Zhang Qiliang leaned back on the sofa. “What do you think should be done about these behaviors?”

How to handle this? Zhou Mingyuan didn't understand the question for a moment.

Surrender? Return the stolen goods? Legal or regulatory punishment?

Zhang Qiliang understood his confusion. He glanced around the room and quickly fixed his gaze on the bookshelf.

There were several thick, hardcover books on the table, one of which had the title "Criminal Law of the Great Yang Dynasty" prominently printed on its spine in gold lettering—it was unclear whether Zhou Mingyuan had purchased it to enhance his image or out of some subtle motive.

“Take a look for yourself,” Zhang Qiliang walked over, pulled out the thick legal code, and threw it in front of Zhou Mingyuan. “According to the articles in it, he should be imprisoned for a few years.”

Read it yourself? Compare it to the criminal law and estimate your sentence?

Zhou Mingyuan was even more astonished, and even felt that it was somewhat absurd.

He looked at the unfamiliar intruder, whose face showed no sign of joking. Recalling all the intruder's actions from the moment he appeared until now, Zhou Mingyuan understood that this was not a request that could be ignored or bargained for.

Zhou Mingyuan quickly opened the law code.

The cool touch of the paper brought him to his senses a little more. He picked up the note Zhang Qiliang had written, tore off another blank sheet of paper from the notebook, and began to check it line by line.

Soon, Zhou Mingyuan realized even more deeply how terrifying the other party was.

No wonder I couldn't deceive them at all. Not only were their perceptions extraordinary, but their memory was also terrifying. They were able to organize my two-hour-long, chaotic narration so clearly, without missing a single detail.

No wonder the other party wrote it down and thoughtfully showed it to me: the description of each fact on the note corresponded exactly to the specific elements and sentencing levels of crimes such as embezzlement, bribery, abuse of power, and dereliction of duty in the Criminal Law.

But so what?

Looking at the thick legal code in front of him, Zhou Mingyuan felt a deep sense of irony.

No matter how extraordinary you are, so what?

You have no idea, kid. What brings down the vast majority of bureaucrats is never the bullshit on this piece of junk. — From ancient times to the present, so-called corruption and bribery are simply the blood and bones of the people that the system tacitly distributes to its lackeys in order to maintain its rule.

But once this mess sparks public opinion, or gets involved with the other person's extremely unusual circumstances—who is clearly not a normal person—then it becomes a completely different story.

What the hell is wrong with me...

The note contained only a dozen or so summaries, but Zhou Mingyuan was not a legal professional and was not familiar with the criminal law provisions, so he could only compare them word by word.

Seeing that Zhou Mingyuan was indeed working diligently, Zhang Qiliang did not urge him or take any other action.

The only sounds in the living room were the rustling of Zhou Mingyuan turning the pages of his heavy book and the occasional soft gasps he made due to the discomfort or pain in his left hand.

Time passed slowly, and the hands of the clock on the wall moved silently.

About half an hour later, Zhou Mingyuan finally put down his pen.

Zhou Mingyuan respectfully pushed the note written by Zhang Qiliang, along with another sheet of paper on which he had just finished his calculations, in front of Zhang Qiliang: "...I'm done."

Zhang Qiliang opened his eyes and reached out to take the two pieces of paper.