Chapter 649: Parting with You Among Last Year's Flowers

February 1st.

Li Fei took the train to leave Datong Prefecture and returned to Xingcheng.

This time, he did not bring He Jian and the others, letting them remain in Datong Prefecture City to continue investigating the case.

Li Fei only brought Lu Wenxing and the others, as well as Li Tianyu.

In fact, on the very first day he returned to Datong Prefecture, he had wanted to go home with Li Tianyu.

But Shi Caiming had not yet finished teaching him the three forms of blade techniques, and that same day, the Ghost-Slaying Gang incident occurred.

Therefore, Li Fei stayed in Datong Prefecture City for three days before leaving.

In those three days, Shi Caiming only taught him the basics of the three forms of Dao Power created by Hao Yi.

He had already gained a rough understanding of the difficulty of these three forms of Dao Power and realized that if he wanted to master them, he would still need to invest a lot of time.

In fact, Dao Power was a realm that only martial artists at the peak of the Dao Foundation stage should be able to touch; the reason Li Fei had mastered the 【Infinite Radiant Fire】 form early on, when he had just entered the Dao Foundation stage, was not because he possessed peerless comprehension, but because his mental strength and the intensity of his own Qi and blood far exceeded those of martial artists at the same realm.

However, Dao Power is the perfect fusion of a martial artist's "essence, Qi, and spirit." Li Fei's "essence" and "spirit" were fine, but his "Qi" was lacking too much.

Fusing only three types of innate primordial Qi power versus having all five elements and fusing five types of innate primordial Qi power are two different levels of strength.

This had caused Li Fei's Dao Power to always be "limping" as it walked.

Even with the highest talent, if the basic conditions are not met, how could one possibly practice Dao Power well?

Therefore, when Li Fei's Dao Power encountered a true martial artist at the peak of the Dao Foundation stage, it was difficult for it to possess an advantage.

Only when his power reached the threshold of Dao Power and was no longer limping could his advantages in "essence" and "spirit" truly manifest.

That would be the time to widen the gap!

So, Li Fei was actually not in a hurry to master the newly learned Dao Power; on the road, he spent more time on the cultivation of 【Green Bone】.

With the rapid growth of 【Green Bone】, Li Fei's physique was becoming stronger with almost every passing second!

This feeling of becoming stronger at any time and in any place was fascinating.

Xingcheng.

Inspection Bureau.

More than a year ago, a large-scale gunfight had occurred here; over a hundred armed rebels besieged the Inspection Bureau!

That battle destroyed half of the Inspection Bureau's outer wall, and the courtyard inside was riddled with bullet holes.

Now, these traces had all disappeared, and the entire Inspection Bureau looked brand new.

In the Chief Inspector's office, Li Lei was handling official business.

Having jumped several ranks in just over a year from a squadron leader to his current position, the matters Li Lei was responsible for and the pressure he bore were several times greater than in the past!

But he did not appear exhausted or aged because of this; instead, he was more dignified and imposing.

Nowadays, Li Lei did not need to wear his official uniform at all; when he went out to eat and sat down at a table, everyone would know this was a big shot.

There is a saying: Power is the best aphrodisiac for a man.

This saying was well-reflected in Li Lei.

Although he could only sleep for five hours a day at most and often stayed up all night, Li Lei enjoyed it; the more he worked, the more energetic he became, having found a stage to display his talents!

The former Xingcheng Inspection Bureau, due to the corruption of the Tiger Blade Gang, actually had many problems from top to bottom.

After Li Lei took office, in just one year, the interior of the Inspection Bureau, like the courtyard outside, had taken on a brand-new look!

One dare not say there was absolutely no corruption, but at least it was controlled to an extremely low level.

Xingcheng's case-solving rate had also increased by more than 30% compared to the past!

The former First Brigade of the Inspection Bureau was the only elite ace, but now the combat effectiveness of all three brigades was about the same, forming healthy competition, and the overall combat effectiveness had improved by a large margin compared to the past!

Being able to achieve this was not because Li Lei's ability was many times stronger than the previous Chief Inspectors.

It was simply because the blessings left behind by Li Fei allowed Li Lei to face very few constraints in Xingcheng, giving him a large space to maneuver.

With such solid achievements, Li Lei's path as the acting Chief Inspector went very smoothly, and he was able to be promoted to the permanent position earlier than expected.

When the news of Li Fei being enfeoffed as a Marquis came back, he was promoted immediately without any suspense.

Not only that, when Li Fei set off from Lanling City toward Datong Prefecture, a transfer order was also sent directly from the Datong Prefecture Government to the Xingcheng Administrative Office:

"Promote Li Lei to Deputy Chief of Xingcheng and concurrently Chief Inspector of the Inspection Bureau."

The Inspection Bureau is an important armed force institution in a region; the Chief Inspector holds great power, and in such a situation, it is difficult to simultaneously serve as Deputy Chief and reach out to touch the power of the Internal Affairs Bureau.

Usually, one is promoted directly from Chief Inspector to Deputy Chief, but the position of Chief Inspector must certainly be handed over.

Li Lei's transfer order as Deputy Chief and concurrently Chief Inspector of the Inspection Bureau was the only such case in Datong Prefecture in the last ten years.

Everyone understood why this was.

After this transfer order came down, Xingcheng quickly processed Li Lei's appointment procedures.

So, Li Lei was now not only the Chief Inspector but also the Deputy Chief of Xingcheng!

Before Li Fei was enfeoffed as a Marquis, Li Lei was actually already capable of "contending" with the new Chief of Xingcheng.

After all, the number one Jianghu force in Xingcheng, the Qingyuan Property Management Company, followed his lead, and the number one noble family in Xingcheng, the Chen family, had also changed hands and would likewise cooperate with him.

Besides that, there was also the Stop-War Institute.

Although Shangguan Xiao was dead, the personnel she left behind were still there and would likewise give Li Lei face.

Now that Li Fei had been enfeoffed as a Marquis and Li Lei was serving as Deputy Chief, he was already the undisputed number one person in Xingcheng!

A knock came at the door.

"Come in."

Lu Sheng, in his uniform, walked into the office.

Compared to Li Lei, who seemed to be experiencing a second spring, Lu Sheng, who had lost his son in his later years, appeared much older, with more white hair on his head than a year ago.

"Old Lu, sit."

After Li Lei looked up and saw who it was, he smiled and gestured for Lu Sheng to sit down.

Over the past year, Lu Sheng had helped him a lot; without Lu Sheng, his transformation of the Inspection Bureau could not have been so successful.

Therefore, Li Lei regarded Lu Sheng more as his partner and brother rather than a subordinate.

Lu Sheng was indeed more casual in front of him than others were.

This former First Brigade Captain had finally achieved his wish and become the Deputy Chief Inspector.

It was just a pity that things had changed and people were no longer the same.

"I just heard that the Bai family in Baiyang City is finished; including the family head, all high-level members have been imprisoned! And that Chief in Mingqi City was taken away by people from the Supervisory Bureau yesterday, and more than thirty officials were taken away at the same time!"

Lu Sheng said with emotion, "Tsk tsk, your son's methods are truly overbearing. They say a new official's first three fires are fierce; your son just returned, first wiped out the Ghost-Slaying Gang, then wiped out the Bai family and that Chief in Mingqi City. Where are these three fires? These are three bombs he set off!"

Li Lei could not help but curl his lips, a proud smile appearing on his face.

He used to tell everyone that Li Fei was his son, but after Li Fei became famous in Datong Prefecture, he stopped mentioning it. When others asked, he only said Li Fei was his foster son.

Now, only in front of close people like Lu Sheng would he unreservedly admit that Li Fei was his son.

Regardless of whether the other party was a common student at the Lecture Hall.

Or the now world-famous Marquis of Jing'an.

He had always treated him as his own.

"What are they saying outside? Are they all saying that Xiaofei's actions are overbearing?"

Li Lei quickly restrained his smile and asked with some worry.

To others, he was a big shot who could decide the life and death of many with a single word, but in his eyes, he was always Xiaofei.

He would always worry for him.

Lu Sheng also said seriously, "Don't worry about that; Datong Prefecture has already issued an announcement that these people were involved in the assassination case at the Temple of Heaven and were in collusion with the Great Plot organization; they were not handled arbitrarily."

Li Lei asked, "Does everyone believe it?"

Lu Sheng smiled, "To be honest, I didn't believe it at first either; how could there be such a coincidence? But I heard that Gansu Province has already arrested some people based on clues found here, and the person handling this case is that famous master detective 'Hidden Crane'."

"With that old man's foul temper, I think it's impossible for him to lie, so although there are some bad rumors outside, the general public opinion is still favorable."

"Hmm."

Li Lei finally felt relieved, then revealed a smile:

"The brat is really lucky; he actually found the clues."

"This is what you call a Child of Destiny."

Lu Sheng said with emotion.

Going from unknown to world-famous in one year, enfeoffed as a Marquis at nineteen.

He had never seen such a story even in novels!

"By the way, what did you come to me for?"

Lu Sheng asked.

Speaking of business, Li Lei also became serious:

"Old Lu, I've thought about it; I intend to hand the position of Chief Inspector over to you."

"Ah?"

Lu Sheng was stunned, "No, you're doing just fine, why bother?"

Li Lei looked at him: "Listen to me."

"This is what I'm thinking: although I am now serving as Deputy Chief of Xingcheng, if I always put most of my energy into the Inspection Bureau, then my position as Deputy Chief is actually dispensable, so I want to hand the Inspection Bureau over to you, and from now on, I will focus on being my Deputy Chief."

Lu Sheng looked into Li Lei's eyes and saw ambition within them.

He knew what Li Lei meant.

Since the Inspection Bureau was already in his grasp, the next step was to start taking control of the Internal Affairs Bureau!

"Old Li, I understand what you mean, but aren't you being a bit too hasty? You were just promoted to the permanent position."

Lu Sheng suddenly lowered his voice:

"Actually, your son's fief is right here in Xingcheng, and his future marquis manor will also be built in Xingcheng. This Xingcheng will sooner or later belong to the Li family, so why are you in such a rush?"

These words could only be said to Li Lei by Lu Sheng.

Li Fei smiled: "Li Fei was enfeoffed as a marquis in just one year; as his father, I truly dare not slack off."

"Hahahaha."

Lu Sheng laughed loudly.

He knew this was not the real reason, so he continued to look at Li Lei.

Li Lei was silent for a moment, then said slowly and firmly:

"It is precisely because Li Fei's future marquis manor will be in Xingcheng that I must manage Xingcheng well for him.

Others only see that he was enfeoffed as a marquis at nineteen and think he is infinitely glorious, but I know his journey here certainly hasn't been easy, and the vendettas of his master and his master's martial sister...

Li Fei is a child who values loyalty and affection; I know he certainly cannot let it go. If something were to happen in the future...

So, I thought, I must build Xingcheng into a reliable rear base for him. No matter what kind of changes he encounters in the future, this place will always be his home.

I can always provide him with support!"

Requesting monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)