Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 395: Chapter 125: Internal and External Affairs

As the Gard Car headed back, Chen Chuan made a special detour past the former site of the Molan Building. As expected, it had become the property of the Yuan’an Company.

As an arms company, Yuan’an’s security was extremely formidable. They possessed a more elite security force than Molan Company, with armed patrol vehicles passing by from time to time. The plaza was also lined with transport and armored vehicles, ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice.

But unlike Molan Company, this place seemed to be merely an outpost. Yuan’an Company had no industries or factories near the city, nor did it engage with the city’s upper echelon.

Their main activities seemed to be maintaining Yuanwang Port to the east and overseeing the construction of the northern railway, as if they were preparing for something.

After leaving, he went to the telegraph office to send a message to He Xiaoxing.

He Xiaoxing had mentioned in a previous telegraph that the Furnace Breathing Method included not just the technique itself, but also a set of application methods. However, only a Third Limit Fighter could master them. Now that he had reached that level, Chen Chuan decided to inquire again and see if he could learn these methods.

After leaving the telegraph office, he returned home. As soon as he walked in, he saw the two little ones lying on the sofa, chins in their hands, struggling with a cross-shaped board game he had brought back for them.

Chaoming was perched on the back of the sofa, seemingly watching the game as well. When it saw him enter, it immediately straightened up, let out a CHIRP, flapped its wings, and hopped down. It scurried over to his side and climbed onto his shoulder.

Chen Chuan walked over to the telephone. A note beside it was scrawled with the words, "Brother Ding Jiao, called at three." He smiled, knowing his cousin Nian Lu must have written it. Although Nian Mo was also very smart, he was more playful and probably couldn’t write all those words out yet.

He picked up the phone and called the number back. As soon as Ding Jiao answered, he immediately said he had already gathered everyone for a big get-together the next day. They would go boating and see a movie.

He agreed.

’Since I’m on vacation, I should relax properly.’

He felt that once he returned to Central City, he likely wouldn’t have such a relaxed and leisurely time for a long while.

Just as he hung up the receiver and was about to walk away, the phone rang again. He picked it up, and after he said hello, a hearty voice came from the other end.

"Junior? I heard you were back?"

Chen Chuan laughed. "Brother Wei? Yes, I just got back yesterday."

Wei Chang’an said, "Ah, Junior, you came back without giving me a heads-up! Brother Wei has to treat you to a meal, at the very least. Are you trying to be a stranger to me?"

Chen Chuan chuckled. "Of course not. I was just thinking about looking for you, Brother Wei, and the rest of the old squad. I wanted to get everyone together."

Wei Chang’an replied, "That’s easy. After you left for Central City, the rest of us still meet up often. Sometimes we even team up for jobs. Just leave it to me, your Brother Wei. I’ll let you know once I’ve got everyone."

Chen Chuan said, "Alright, I’ll leave it to you then, Brother Wei."

He chatted casually with Wei Chang’an for a few more minutes before hanging up. He then went to his room, took out his required stabilizing medication, and practiced his Breathing Technique for a while. He immediately felt his mind become clear and his spirit refreshed.

Afterward, he took the copy of the *Investigation of Various Anomalies* from his suitcase and sat on his bed, slowly flipping through its pages.

Since reining in his aura, he no longer gave off that intimidating presence. Instead, his vitality seemed even more outstanding, and his thoughts felt sharper than ever before.

Without a Realm Token to calibrate it, he could only read the book in its vertical layout. But after reading for a while, he gradually got used to it and even felt that reading it this way had a certain charm.

Most of the book discussed how to combat anomalies. The events many people encountered were utterly bizarre, making for grim and terrifying reading that could send a chill down one’s spine even on the hottest day.

But some of the people described were quite interesting.

For instance, there was a peculiar man named Liu Cai, whose Chapters he particularly enjoyed reading. This man was extremely fond of sleeping; he even practiced his Fighting Skill in his dreams. Sometimes his limbs would move on their own, and he would even sleepwalk out of his house. As a result, most of the anomalies he encountered were in a state between sleep and wakefulness.

One time, while in a groggy daze, he heard a RUSTLING sound in his house, as if a thief had broken in. But he was sleeping and couldn’t be bothered to pay it any mind.

Yet someone shouted in his ear that the house was on fire. There was a bright red glow behind him, and he thought he could even smell something burning. He yelled back, "I’m the one getting roasted, what’s it got to do with you?" and went right back to sleep.

When he finally woke up, there was no fire, but he saw that his house had been completely cleaned out. He just laughed heartily, not bothered in the least.

Another time, not long after he had laid down, he felt a cool hand caressing his body, and it seemed someone was whispering sweetly in his ear. But his wife had died long ago, and he had never remarried. His servants had all been dismissed. ’Where could this person have come from?’

But when he awoke, he found his door wide open and the tracks of a large snake on the ground. He just smiled, bowed toward the outside, and said, "My thanks for the mercy of not eating me."

On yet another occasion, while sound asleep, he suddenly felt himself floating above the clouds. Before him were fine wines, delicious foods, and beautiful women, all just within his reach. However, he was too lazy to extend his hand. When he woke up, he found himself lying on the edge of a mountain cliff. If he had reached out then, he would have fallen to his death.

This Liu Cai was a truly open-minded and thoroughly optimistic person. It was only after the Imperial Family heard of his reputation that they invited him to help compile this book.

Participating in the compilation was not a pleasant task. The compilers often had visions of various anomalies while recalling their experiences. Some even witnessed the anomalies others had recorded simply by reading their accounts.

These anomalies seemed to entangle and attract one another, often causing the compilers to go mad or die suddenly midway through their work. Liu Cai was one of the few who were recorded in the *Investigation of Various Anomalies* and still managed to survive unscathed.

Looking back at his actions, it was clear his mind was free of attachments. He paid no attention to any of the phenomena, and thus he avoided these external disturbances one by one.

Chen Chuan reflected on his own situation. ’Although I’ve reined in my Divine Thought, which might reduce the chances of externally manifesting anomalies, they are bound to reappear as long as I want to keep improving.’

’Furthermore, I’ve noticed that this thing only emerges when my emotions fluctuate significantly, so it can be controlled and avoided. But I can’t be too deliberate about it, because the more I focus on suppressing it, the more likely I am to trigger it instead.’

’Another thing: I must maintain absolute calm when fighting. That’s the only way to prevent my mind from being thrown into disarray when facing a powerful enemy.’

As he was flipping through the book, the sky gradually darkened. Nian Fuli returned from the Patrol Bureau, and Yu Wan noticed that his mood seemed a bit off. She waved for Nian Mo and Nian Lu to go play outside, then walked up to him and asked with concern, "Old Nian, what’s wrong?"

Nian Fuli took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag. "That new Instructor Che got into another argument with Director Guan."

"That doesn’t have anything to do with you, does it, Old Nian?" Yu Wan asked, concerned.

Nian Fuli said, "How can I avoid it when I work at the Bureau? This Instructor Che has approached me twice already. He’s even privately spoken to captains like Wei Oldhu. He’s trying to get people to support him, both openly and behind the scenes."

Yu Wan said with surprise, "But Instructor Che has only been here for a few months, right? Would anyone listen to him?"

Nian Fuli took another drag from his cigarette and exhaled a long plume of smoke. "This Instructor Che has his methods. He started by assessing the Patrol Officers. Fail once, and your salary gets docked. Fail twice, and you get a demerit. Fail three times, and you’re dismissed. And who decides whether you pass? He does. A lot of the officers couldn’t handle the pressure and have already sided with him."

Yu Wan was confused. "He has the authority to dismiss Patrol Officers?" The Patrol Bureau was known for being exceptionally tight-knit. If the director, vice director, and head captains didn’t agree, something like that would be impossible.

Nian Fuli said, "He doesn’t have the power to dismiss anyone right now, but he can transfer them to the surrounding counties and towns. Vice Director Shang is being very cooperative with him on this."

Chen Chuan walked out of his room just then and overheard their conversation. A thought immediately crossed his mind; he knew this was a vicious move.

The surrounding counties and towns only had simple local security offices. The people there were all hoping to get an official transfer to the Yangzhi City Patrol Bureau. Being sent there meant a huge drop in both salary and status. The average Patrol Officer would find such a demotion completely unacceptable.

Nian Fuli continued, "When Instructor Che assumed his post, he brought a team of people with him. He’s now installed them as squad instructors, claiming it’s to improve the Patrol Officers’ combat capabilities. Although that’s technically within his purview, everyone can see he’s just trying to set up his own system."

Yu Wan grew worried. She asked, "Isn’t Director Guan going to do anything about it?"

"Director Guan..." Nian Fuli shook his head. "Director Guan is actually very capable and considerate of his subordinates, but he’s too upright. He can’t bring himself to be ruthless at critical moments. If the Old Company Commander were still here, this wouldn’t be happening. He would have shut this down long ago. No matter how good a fighter that Che is, he wouldn’t have been able to stir up the slightest wave."

His Old Company Commander, though ruthless, valued the interests of the Patrol Bureau above all else. He would never allow an outsider to meddle in his turf.

Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Director Guan probably doesn’t want to sour the relationship. After all, some important people in the Bureau still need this instructor’s protection. But transferring Instructor Wen away and sending this new one... the higher-ups probably sent him here to do something specific."

"Xiaochuan sees right through it." Nian Fuli slapped his thigh. "They want to deal with those villages outside the city."

"Have members of the resistance stayed there? Of course they have. But this has been going on for years. Those villagers have no one to protect them. When faced with raids from bandits and armed groups, what can they do but fortify their villages to protect themselves? If decent people could live their lives in peace, who would want to resort to fighting and killing?"

"Instead of going after the bandits and armed groups, they turn around and target the villagers. It’s just not right."

He took another deep drag from his cigarette. "The Bureau has an operation the day after tomorrow. They’re going to wipe out a village outside the city where resistance members are suspected of hiding. Originally, I was supposed to lead the team."

"And what happened?" Yu Wan asked urgently.

Nian Fuli seemed a bit puzzled himself. He frowned and said, "I don’t know what happened, but this afternoon, that guy Che came to find me. He was a bit more polite than usual and said someone else had been assigned to the operation, so I didn’t need to go. Heh, it’s for the best. I don’t want to get involved in something that would weigh on my conscience."

Just as they were speaking, there was a BANG on the door from outside. Someone shouted, "Head Nian, someone from the Bureau is here!"

Nian Fuli cursed under his breath. "Who is it, at a time like this..." He went outside, exchanged a few words, and then came back in. His expression was strange as he looked at Chen Chuan. "That guy Che is here. He says... he wants to see Xiaochuan."

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