Chapter 60: Secret

After the commendation ceremony ended, Lin Qing was about to leave the auditorium and head to the secret chamber to learn a new combat technique when he saw Chief Yuan Anping approaching with a tall, cold-looking female inspector.

It was Xu Qiu, the number-one inspector in Lin’an City.

“Chief.”

Lin Qing greeted him.

Yuan Anping smiled warmly. “Let me introduce you—this is Inspector Xu from the Upper District Branch.”

“I’ve heard a lot about Inspector Xu,” Lin Qing nodded slightly to her.

“You’re quite young,” Xu Qiu studied Lin Qing, then asked: “Do you have a partner?”

“Huh?”

Lin Qing blinked in surprise and glanced at Yuan Anping, his eyes asking: What’s she up to?

Yuan Anping pretended not to notice, turning away as if admiring the scenery.

“Yes or no? Give me a straight answer,” Xu Qiu asked again, fixing her gaze on Lin Qing.

Lin Qing thought quickly and lied: “Yes.”

Xu Qiu made an “oh” sound, glancing at Zhao Jia to his side. “I saw your field assistant downstairs—she’s pretty. Must’ve spent a fortune on her face. You like this type?”

Among the crowd, Zhao Jia puffed out her cheeks innocently, muttering under her breath: “I didn’t even get plastic surgery…”

Lin Qing knew that in this era, cosmetic surgery was no different from getting a haircut—just more expensive.

So Xu Qiu’s remark carried no contempt.

“What exactly are you getting at, Inspector Xu? Just say it,” Lin Qing said, tired of beating around the bush.

“Straightforward, then—I’ll be direct.”

Xu Qiu said seriously: “You and I are both people the Inspection Headquarters has taken notice of. Though you haven’t yet mastered the original Sunrise Training Method and are still far from Inspector Chief rank, I have faith in you.”

“We might become colleagues soon, and we’re both from Lin’an. I think your appearance, age, and talent are all excellent—I’m quite satisfied.”

She looked at Lin Qing. “If you’re willing, we could start dating as a trial. This is also my evaluation period. If you officially join the Headquarters, you pass. I’ll use my family’s influence to get you transferred to a better department.”

I didn’t expect you to be this blunt… Lin Qing was momentarily speechless.

It sounded like she came from a powerful family?

And Yuan Anping had just stood there watching, not saying a word.

“What do you say? Think about it.”

Xu Qiu added, “I checked the zodiacs yesterday—you’re Scorpio, I’m Virgo. Our compatibility is 90%. Among all Lin’an inspectors, we’re the perfect match.”

Lin Qing didn’t answer. Instead, he waved toward Zhao Jia, who was pretending not to notice, her back turned to them. “Jia Yi, come here.”

Zhao Jia turned her head with exaggerated hesitation, pointing at herself uncertainly before walking over.

“Inspector Xu, I only care about looks.”

Lin Qing pointed at Zhao Jia with his thumb. “She’s Cancer. Compatibility with Scorpio? 100%.”

Zhao Jia blinked her large, beautiful eyes.

Xu Qiu glanced at Zhao Jia, then stared silently at Lin Qing.

After a few seconds, she shook her head slightly, sounding disappointed: “I thought you preferred natural beauty… never mind.”

Lin Qing exhaled inwardly in relief.

In this era, cosmetic surgery was too easy—and easily exploited by criminals—so records were easy to check.

His biggest disadvantage in this life was that he was naturally good-looking, meaning his genetic appearance was superior. Since he had no surgical records, people naturally found him rare.

“But there’s another matter to discuss.”

Xu Qiu said: “You’re being watched by the Yuanhong Society. The fugitive from Qinghu Island, Chu Tianyao, might still come after you. But I have a plan—if you’re willing to act as bait, we might catch Chu Tianyao and eliminate the threat for good.”

Act as bait? Lin Qing shook his head again. “No need.”

“No need?”

Xu Qiu frowned slightly. “Chu Tianyao has already mastered the original Sunrise Training Method and knows multiple combat techniques. You won’t catch up to him for years. Aren’t you worried you’ll run into him again during that time?”

Lin Qing shook his head, saying nothing. He was about to enter a rapid transformation phase. When his power was sufficient, he intended to deal with Chu Tianyao himself.

It wasn’t just for the First-Class Merit—it was to avenge his cousin, Chen Yanan.

Make him bait? And steal his First-Class Merit?

How could Lin Qing possibly agree? After being rejected again, Xu Qiu stared at him in silence.

After fifteen seconds, she turned abruptly and walked away without looking back. “Fine. I never give second chances.”

With that, Xu Qiu strode off with effortless poise.

After she left, Lin Qing stared helplessly at Yuan Anping. “Chief Yuan Anping, aren’t you going to explain?”

“Ahem.”

Yuan Anping looked embarrassed. “After reviewing your file, Xu Qiu said you were impressive and insisted I introduce you. I thought you were single, so I agreed.”

Lin Qing lowered his voice. “Did she sign the Elite Training contract too?”

“Yes. Though she’s not a combat technique prodigy, her training progress is fast.”

Yuan Anping said: “She mastered the original Sunrise Training Method two years ago. Only recently completed all techniques of the Free Body series. She’ll likely be transferred to Headquarters in three months.”

He sighed. “She probably wants a First-Class Merit before entering Headquarters. Rumor has it the benefits you can exchange for merit points are greater there.”

Lin Qing understood.

No wonder her power was already at Inspector Chief level—she only lacked merit points. Yet Yuan Anping had previously called him the successor to the Chief position, never once considering Xu Qiu.

So she was destined for Headquarters.

“Can she beat Chu Tianyao?” Lin Qing asked.

“She’s slightly weaker than Chu Tianyao, but still in the same tier,” Yuan Anping said casually.

Lin Qing fell into thought.

…

After the brief interlude, Lin Qing wasted no time and headed straight to the secret chamber for combat technique training.

…

“Let me see—the merit points have all been credited.”

In the dim light, the slightly hoarse voice said: “Two Second-Class Merits? Not bad. You only learned the technique ‘Wei’ less than ten days ago—have you already mastered it?”

“Yes,” Lin Qing nodded slightly. “Today I’ll learn ‘Li.’”

The hoarse voice fell silent for a moment, then said: “Before that, I must ask you a question on behalf of my superiors. It’s important—answer honestly.”

Lin Qing hummed in acknowledgment.

“From your mission records, if you’d only mastered three techniques, this operation would have been unusually difficult.”

The hoarse voice paused, then asked slowly: “Have you already trained one of the Free Body series techniques to the instinctive level?”

Lin Qing had known he couldn’t hide it. He nodded. “Yes. The technique ‘Min’ has been trained to the instinctive level.”

It was the first technique he’d learned, nearly two months ago. Even achieving instinctive mastery wasn’t extraordinary for a combat technique prodigy.

“As expected…”

The hoarse voice sighed. “Less than two months to reach instinctive mastery? Faster than expected. Normally, reaching instinctive level takes at least ten times longer than mastering the technique.”

Lin Qing did the math—he still fell within the range of a combat technique prodigy, nothing too outlandish.

Mastering a technique took less than ten days. Reaching instinctive level should normally take around three months.

He was just faster than average.

“Then I’ll reveal a secret to you ahead of schedule.”

The hoarse voice’s tone turned solemn and serious. “One day, if you learn the original ‘Free Body’ technique and train it to the instinctive level, I strongly advise you not to reveal this to anyone—not even the Headquarters.”

“Don’t reveal it?” Lin Qing asked. “Why?”

(End of Chapter)