Six months later, Hao Yu entered the building where he usually worked, but the atmosphere had changed significantly during this time. In the past, he had been respected due to his position as an Assistant Administrator. However, because his achievements had been overshadowed by Gao Ke, he now appeared somewhat disappointing to others.
People noticed him and fell silent momentarily before whispering among themselves.
"Hey…"
"Don't say anything."
"But don't you think that Sir Hao Yu lacks notable accomplishments? I mean, he's not bad, and he has done some commendable things, but he's kind of... ordinary?"
"I think he's above average. It's just that our District Administrator is so exceptional that his achievements overshadow everyone else."
People had mixed opinions about Hao Yu's current standing, unaware of his significant contributions to Gao Ke's successes.
As long as Hao Yu remained in Gao Ke's shadow, it was impossible for them to regard Hao Yu as an exceptional person.
Hao Yu didn't engage with these discussions and proceeded to his office, where Gao Ke and Zhang Xin were waiting.
"Old Gao," Hao Yu greeted respectfully upon entering.
"Oh, little Yu, you're here," Gao Ke greeted him with a smile. "We have a few important matters to discuss for the next two weeks. Little Xin, can you go over the details?"
Zhang Xin nodded and presented a scroll. "I've summarized everything here. There are five important matters that require your attention. You can handle two of them, and Old Gao will take care of the rest."
"Bridge Restoration"
"Cultivators' appearances."
"Controlled Deforestation."
"Refugees from the North."
"Hidden Black Sword."
Hao Yu opened the scroll, quickly scanning the content and finding one task that piqued his interest: "Cultivators' appearances."
People could briefly understand what they were about from the titles alone.
Curious, he asked, "What is this about?"
Zhang Xin explained, "Our soldiers have spotted the appearance of two cultivators in the area. They appear to be at the 6-Star to 7-Star Qi Gathering Stage."
Hao Yu inquired further, "Is there something unusual about their presence?"
"We're not sure yet. Since we've only recently discovered them, we haven't approached them to avoid any harm to our people."
Hao Yu wanted more information, "How long have they been here?"
"After a brief investigation, it seems they've been in town for two to three days, staying at the Lotus Inn."
Hao Yu thought for a moment, weighing the options. Then he made a decision, "May I take charge of this matter?"
Gao Ke was surprised. He asked, "Are you sure about this?"
Hao Yu hadn't touched any missions related to cultivators in the past few months. Gao Ke thought that it was due to the brutality Hao Yu had seen.
Although he managed to complete the first task, that trauma remained in his heart. That was why Gao Ke never pushed that kind of mission to him.
And Hao Yu didn't mind that stigma. He actually utilized it to make his argument become more persuasive this time.
Hao Yu, aware of Gao Ke's concern, utilized his trauma as an argument, replying, "Yes, I believe it's something I need to confront eventually. I hope you'll allow me to handle it."
Gao Ke respected Hao Yu's determination and sincerity. "In that case, you can handle this case as you see fit. You can make contact, observe further, or decide to take no action. I trust your judgment."
"Understood," Hao Yu affirmed with seriousness.
Gao Ke's level of trust in Hao Yu surprised both Zhang Xin and Gao Ke himself. However, Gao Ke recognized that Hao Yu had been supporting him behind the scenes, and this was a way to show his appreciation.
Hao Yu had expected this kind of response from Gao Ke, so he continued reading the tasks and said, "Then, for the second task…"
"Ah, that?!" Gao Ke waved his hand nonchalantly. "You can fully focus on this one task. I'll take care of the rest."
Gao Ke knew how much the burden and anxiety Hao Yu carried in order to fight his trauma. So, he gave Hao Yu the opportunity to focus on it. This was the least he could do for Hao Yu who had been supporting him from behind.
Hao Yu expressed his gratitude, "Thank you very much. I won't disappoint you."
"Good," Gao Ke responded, satisfied with Hao Yu's response. It also portrayed him as a supportive superior.
Zhang Xin truly admired this side of Gao Ke.
Meanwhile, Hao Yu simply asked, "In that case, may I immediately make my move, Sir?"
"My token… is still with you, right?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Alright then. You are allowed to mobilize the secret guardian group in this covert mission."
"Thank you, Sir." Hao Yu immediately left the room. Zhang Xin was quite surprised by everything that happened suddenly. Gao Ke had been taking care of Hao Yu, but this was the first time he showed such a level of support. He never knew the agreement Hao Yu had with Gao Ke and the fact that Hao Yu had a lot of control in Gao Ke's power as he was the one dealing with Gao Ke's problems in the dark.
Outside, An Lei noticed Hao Yu's departure and inquired, "Hao Yu, are you going out?"
Hao Yu confirmed, "Yes," while tossing a token to An Lei. "Please inform Secret Guardian Group 1 and 2 to meet me outside."
An Lei was surprised but obeyed the order. Hao Yu took a moment to review the information they had about the cultivators.
'Two cultivators have been spotted within the vicinity. From their clothes, they should be from Iron Mountain Sect. The first person is a 17 or 18 years old male. He wields a sword and has been touring the area around the Residential and Market District.'
'The second person is a 15 to 16 years old male. He doesn't have a weapon and is suspected to be a body cultivator. He has been roaming the North District.'
Hao Yu pondered for a few minutes before muttering, "Judging on how they have been going around the town for a few days, it seems that these two people are looking for someone. That's perfect."
Hao Yu raised his head to see An Lei and the Secret Guardian Group members returning. Each group consisted of twelve members, but four from each group were missing. Hao Yu inquired, "Is this all?"
One of them stepped forth and said, "Yes, Sir. The remaining people are going around the city. They have been following the cultivators from afar."
"Do you know their current location?"
"We are not very sure, but we can track our comrades. If Sir doesn't mind waiting, we will give you the location within fifteen minutes."
Hao Yu decided otherwise, saying, "No need. I'll follow you directly. I'm going to make contact with those cultivators."
"!!!" They were surprised by Hao Yu's audacity but complied since he was their superior. The group began leading Hao Yu around the town while keeping tabs on their missing comrades.
Luckily, the time was still early in the morning. It wasn't hard to track down the cultivators.
They had just woken up from their slumber and took their time to have breakfast in the tavern next to the inn.
The two young men seemed to be having their meals on the balcony. The tavern wasn't crowded, so it wasn't hard to spot them.
"Have you found anything yet?" The younger one asked.
"I haven't got any clues. In fact, is she truly in this city?"
"If the sect information is correct, then yes. I'm still confused about one thing. Why do you not want to rely on the government? If we can mobilize those soldiers, won't it be easier to find her?"
"You idiot. We are here to capture her, live or dead. If we cooperate with the government, it will produce a lot of movements, and our target might sneak out of the city. It's better to blend in and find her by ourselves."
They agreed with each other to a certain extent, but the younger one still thought it was better to involve the government.
Unfortunately, the other party was pretty adamant. He even said, "The government is pretty useless against a cultivator like us. Their soldiers can't even be compared to us, so what do you expect? What can they do if we suddenly jump onto the roof and escape this city?"
To everyone's surprise, after those questions, a calm voice interjected them.
"I wonder about that."
"!!!" The two cultivators trembled as they turned around, finding a young man wearing a uniform from the government office. He was none other than Hao Yu.
Hao Yu cupped his hands politely while offering his best smile, "I believe that we can assist you in your investigation, Esteemed Cultivators."
The two cultivators didn't know at the time that receiving help from Hao Yu would lead to a massive disaster in their lives.