After breaking up with my girlfriend, I became a Great Sage of the Demon Clan.

The girl next to her explained.

"Mr. Wu, this is a fruit soup made with water from Tiger Spring and the freshest fruit. It's perfect for whetting your appetite."

Zhou Yan took a spoon, scooped some water from the bowl, and took a sip.

It has a pleasant aroma and a slightly sweet and sour taste, making it a great ingredient for stimulating the appetite.

Another waiter came up, this time serving steamed rice cake.

The girl explained.

"This zenggao (steamed rice cake) uses the finest glutinous rice grown in the black soil of Dadong Prefecture and red dates from Dajiang Prefecture. We don't add any chemical seasonings, not even cane sugar, just the pure flavor of the food."

Zhou Yan picked up a piece of steamed rice cake and put it in his mouth to chew.

The glutinous rice is indeed incredibly high in quality, and the jujube paste inside adds to the flavor of this steamed rice cake.

It's a very simple and satisfying snack; you can finish it in just two bites.

Of course, these desserts can get cloying after a while, but after just a couple of bites, you'll reach the most delicious flavor.

The third dessert arrived, this time a Black Forest mini cake. Unlike the mini cakes sold elsewhere, the dessert team that Qinglong invited was very professional. The chocolate rim around the cake was also exquisitely carved, with a ring of chocolate roses hanging around the outside.

Putting the taste aside, the visual impact is excellent.

Zhou Yan picked up the fork beside him and pierced the chocolate outer layer of the Black Forest cake. After the knife and fork were briefly blocked by the crisp shell, the yellow cake layer appeared from behind the broken chocolate layer. Underneath the cake layer was another layer of chocolate syrup. This Black Forest cake had several layers of chocolate.

The fork landed on the plate, and Zhou Yan scooped out a piece of cake.

A waiter without a dessert in hand walked into the kitchen and bowed to Zhou Yan across the table.

"Sir, someone is looking for you outside."

Zhou Yan put the Black Forest cake in his mouth, chewed a few times, and quickly swallowed it.

"Let them in."

The waiter respectfully stepped back, and Zhou Yan spoke to the girl beside him.

"Bring a few more desserts, one for each person who comes."

The girl nodded and took out her phone to call the chef team.

Half a minute later, the waiter who had left earlier led two people into the kitchen. Zhou Yan, who was eating Black Forest Cake, glanced at the newcomers and was immediately taken aback.

The arrival of the people was unexpected for Zhou Yan. The young man thought that the people who came were the Little Yama King who had been contacted and were ready to come, but the people who came were two guys that Zhou Yan did not recognize and had never seen before.

The waiter who brought the person over said respectfully.

"Sir, this is the person outside who wants to see you."

Zhou Yan was too lazy to even get up and say any polite words.

"Are you... the mayor and... the police chief of Qinghe City?"

Zhou Yan flipped through the attribute panels of the two people. That's the good thing about Bai Ze; mortals have very few secrets in front of him.

Qinghe City is the city where Wu Song and Wu Dalang lived. It is a small rural city, a place in the entire Eastern Xia Federation that serves as a backdrop and is looked down upon by some big cities. But even in such a rural city, a small place that is looked down upon by big cities, the mayor can still make people like Wu Dalang and Wu Song look up to him with their heads held high.

In the past, Wu Dalang had only seen the mayor on television and the internet; he had never even smelled the dust around the mayor's feet.

But now, the mayor of Qinghe City, who was once a high and mighty figure in the eyes of Wu Dalang and Wu Song, stepped forward and stood humbly before Zhou Yan.

This is a person who maintains a great figure and has a lot of hair. Coupled with her confident demeanor, she perfectly embodies the charm of middle age.

The mayor stood across the table and spoke to Zhou Yan with utmost respect.

"Yes, Mr. Wu, I am the mayor of Qinghe City. I am here because I feel there may be some misunderstanding between us."

The director of the Qinghe City Police Department also came out.

“Mr. Wu, we have withdrawn your arrest warrant. At the same time, we have heard all sorts of stories about you… your outstanding character and talent. You probably don’t know this, do you? Your sesame seed cakes are a household name in our city. Everyone praises your skills. The neighbors even feel that your sesame seed cakes are the soul of our city.”

The police chief gave a thumbs-up.

"Mr. Wu, we have already contacted several film crews in our city to prepare to shoot a documentary about our city with you as the main character. The whole country will know that our city has a dedicated craftsman who makes very delicious meat pies."

Zhou Yan, who was sitting at the dining table, picked up a bottle of water, took a sip, and swallowed.

how to say?

In the eyes of his neighbors, Wu Dalang was probably a cuckold, a sycophantic, honest man, and a fool who knew his wife was cheating on him but didn't dare to say a word.

Such a fool may make delicious food, but who will show much pity to the weak and useless?

There are also mayors and police chiefs who bow and scrape to their superiors, their faces full of obsequiousness. (i≡…ba｜∈∷)

These people might have previously looked down on him for being a criminal because he killed Ximen Qing, but now their attitude has completely changed.

Zhou Yan recalled what Qinglong had told him.

……

"Little guy, have you ever thought about how you could drive a luxury car and meet your aging wife with a secretary who's even prettier than your cheating wife in your arms?"

"You can make the mayor of your city, a figure you could only look up to, fawn over you in front of your neighbors, and then casually give a few of your close friends a fortune they could never spend in a lifetime."

"You could even open a company in your hometown and recruit those 'other people's kids' who were once considered better and stronger than you. Watch them tremble with fear at your feet every day, afraid of saying anything that might offend you."

……

Qinglong really knows how to manipulate people's hearts. Not long after he finished speaking, the mayor and police chief of Qinghe City arrived.

"Um……"

The police chief looked around.

"Um, Mr. Wu, where is Wu Song?"

Zhou Yan smiled as he looked at the police chief. If the mayor's visit was to please him, then the police chief's visit should be to please Wu Song.

The contradictions between the upper and lower classes were irreconcilable, and the contradictions between the six subordinates were naturally irreconcilable as well. Regardless of whether the second police chief was good or bad to Wu Song in the past, Wu Song probably had many thoughts about this chief.

"Wu Song is not with me now."

Zhou Yan put the teacup in front of his mouth on the table, and the police chief said awkwardly.

“I, I investigated the surveillance footage before and found that Wu Song killed several bodyguards of the Ximen family in self-defense. He is innocent, innocent... Moreover, Wu Song is an excellent and talented man. It would be a waste for him to be a front-line police officer. I plan to reserve the position of deputy director for Wu Song. When I retire, I will give him the position of director.”

Two waiters came out of the restaurant and placed two desserts in front of the mayor and the bureau chief.

Zhou Yan reached out his hand.

"Standing is tiring, sit down."

The mayor and the bureau chief sat down face to face with Zhou Yan with awkward smiles, and the mayor's mind began to race with various thoughts.

Having been in the mayor's position for a long time, the mayor is actually very clear that ordinary people, no matter how much money they make through the internet or crime, or how well they make a living through shady means, still have great respect for public power.

When ordinary people see the mayor or the sheriff, they usually feel nervous and afraid.

Therefore, upon hearing that Zhou Yan had become Qinglong's subordinate, was highly regarded by Qinglong, and had been brought over by Qinglong, the mayor originally intended to speak with Zhou Yan in a respectful and courteous manner.

After all, a man who sells pancakes and doesn't even dare to interfere with his wife's infidelity is quite bold to be able to speak fluently in front of me.

As a result, Zhou Yan's composure and calmness exceeded the mayor's expectations.

While Zhou Yan remained calm, the mayor was the one who panicked. Qinglong's subordinate had been confirmed to be a demigod, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, Zhou Yan was destined to gain immense power in Zhongzhou City.

As the mayor of such a remote little place, I'm afraid I'll never be able to meet Zhou Yan again.

I need to establish a relationship with the guy in front of me as soon as possible.

The mayor cleared his throat.

“Mr. Wu, have you ever thought about going back to your home? I think your neighbors would be very happy to see someone they like return.”

The mayor knew that most of the neighbors in Wu Dalang's neighborhood looked down on him, so as long as Wu Dalang returned, he could arrange a grand welcoming ceremony for him, letting everyone who knew or had connections with Wu Dalang know that he had become successful.

Zhou Yan shook his head.

"Forget it, I have things to do recently."

The mayor looked somewhat puzzled.

The mayor had reviewed Wu Dalang's information several times and found that he was just an ordinary person who faced great pressure in life and was looked down upon by his neighbors. Given this living environment, Wu Dalang must have been harboring a lot of resentment.

Therefore, normally, once Wu Dalang became successful, he would definitely go home in glory and show off to his neighbors.

You used to ignore me, but now you can't afford to be near me.

But why does Zhou Yan seem so indifferent?

Seeing his mayor get the short end of the stick, the police chief had no choice but to intervene.

"Is Wu Song really not here? What's his phone number? Can you tell me?"

The bureau chief smiled very sincerely.

"I'll wait for Wu Song to return later so I can hand over some internal matters to him."

If Zhou Yan is unyielding, then Wu Song can step in. The bureau chief has also asked the police officers on his side who had contact with Wu Song. Wu Song has a bad temper, but he still has the ambition to climb the ranks.

The bureau chief felt he could take advantage of this.

Zhou Yan used a spoon to scoop a piece of cake and put it in his mouth.

"Alright, alright, let's put these headaches aside for now. Gentlemen, take a look at these two works of art in front of you."

Zhou Yan looked at the untouched desserts in the mayor's and bureau chief's bowls.

"It's not easy to come to the First Academy, and it's not easy to eat the delicious food from Lord Qinglong's dessert team."

"It would be such a waste if you just chatted with a stinky man like me and did nothing else."

Zhou Yan laughed forcefully.

"Don't you agree?"

The mayor and the police chief exchanged a glance. For some reason, they both sensed that something was wrong with Zhou Yan. Right now, Zhou Yan was firmly in control of their conversation, both in terms of his demeanor and his expressiveness.

This is not the demeanor a man who has been a coward for half his life should have.

While awakened individuals typically experience significant personality changes over the long term, it seems there hasn't been a case of someone suddenly becoming a completely different person in the short term.

But neither the bureau chief nor the mayor dared to ask any more questions. They could only focus their attention on the cake Zhou Yan had mentioned and began to eat the dessert in small bites.

Zhou Yan, on the other hand, took out his phone and sent a text message to Xiao Yanjun.

Where is it?

……

Inside an airplane, in first class.

Xiao Yanjun's phone vibrated. He took it out and saw a message from Zhou Yan.

Little Yama clicked his tongue and replied via voice message.

"I'm on the plane. I should arrive at the First Academy tonight."

Wu Song and Lin Chong looked over, and Little Yama shook his phone.

“Xiao Yan… Da Lang sent me a message asking where I was. He’s not very old, but he gets anxious when something happens.”

Zhou Yan sent another message, which made the phone vibrate in Xiao Yanjun's hand. Xiao Yanjun read the message and then asked Wu Song a question.

“Your brother told me that your old boss came all the way from Qinghe City to the First Academy to find you. He asked if you wanted to go back to Qinghe City. If you were willing to go back, they had already decided on the position of police chief in Qinghe City for you.”

Wu Song's expression shifted slightly.

Unlike Zhou Yan, Wu Song in this era had not yet achieved fame and fortune, nor had he ever enjoyed being looked up to or fawned over. Zhou Yan did not care about the mayor's and bureau chief's remarks, but the thought of being a bureau chief in his hometown made the little flame in Wu Song's heart burn with excitement.

Upon hearing this, Lin Chong looked at Little Yan Jun, whose eyes burned with a fire no less intense than Wu Song's.

Little Yama understood what this person meant. He tapped a few times on his phone with two fingers and quickly spoke to Lin Chong.

“I’ve already spoken to Dalang. Dalang said he’ll talk to Qinglong about your matter later. Don’t worry, Qinglong won’t refuse Dalang’s requests unless they’re particularly unreasonable.”

Qinglong is now eager for Zhou Yan to ask him for money, power, and resources.

Lin Chong's complexion had improved considerably, and he clenched his hands tightly on his knees.

After working so hard for so long, I'm finally going back to Zhongzhou City. And with Qinglong as my backer this time, I don't have to worry about Gao Yanei having any influence on me!

The future is far from bright.

"Oh, right."