In just two or three short years!

The boy he had once helped had reached a height so astonishing he could only look up in awe!

This enormous change was so real it made his heart surge with emotion, yet it also felt like a lifetime ago.

"Captain Pang?" Chen Qing spoke again.

Pang Qinhai snapped back to his senses. He quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Pang Qinhai pays his respects to Chief Chen!"

Chen Qing waved his hand. "Captain Pang, there’s no need for such formalities."

"Propriety must not be abandoned. Chief Chen, your status is different now. The rules must be followed."

Pang Qinhai immediately turned to his side and lightly patted his son on the back. "Yu’Er, hurry up and pay your respects! This is the man I’ve often told you about, Chief Chen Qing!"

Pang Yu finally registered what was happening. He quickly copied his father, offering a somewhat clumsy but respectful bow with clasped fists. "This junior, Pang Yu, greets Chief Chen!"

Chen Qing’s gaze swept over Pang Yu. His vital energy fluctuations were at the Manifest Force level, and he radiated youthful vigor.

"There’s no need for all this red tape. Sit."

Captain Pang relaxed a little and then sat down. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

After they were seated, Chen Qing personally brewed the tea.

Pang Qinhai accepted the teacup with both hands and said with emotion, "Chief Chen... to see your current achievements, I am truly... truly happy from the bottom of my heart. I am also honored that Gaolin County could produce a figure like you!"

He had spent seven or eight years in the Wutai Sect’s Inner Courtyard and knew exactly what it meant to become the Chief of an institute.

As long as Chen Qing didn’t make any mistakes, and no peerless prodigy appeared in the Cyan Wood Institute, he was certain to become the next Dean of the Cyan Wood Institute.

He might even... have a chance to become the next Sect Leader!

"You flatter me, Captain Pang."

Chen Qing waved his hand again and passed the other cup of tea to the curiously glancing Pang Yu. "Is everything well in Gaolin County? And my mother and old acquaintances, are they well?"

"Yes! All is well!"

Pang Qinhai said hurriedly, "Your mother is in good health. With Lady Wu and your cousin Yang Huien often looking after her, she has nothing to worry about. Master Zhou Liang now has a great deal of prestige in Gaolin County. Relying on the legacy you left behind and the support of the Wu Family, he’s taken on many disciples. He has also consolidated the local gangs, so public order is much better than before. Sun Shun helps Master Zhou manage everything..."

Chen Qing listened quietly. Gaolin County... that place held so many memories.

Hearing that his mother was well and his old acquaintances were safe, a weight was lifted from his heart.

The fact that Pang Qinhai could remember all these details so clearly was a sign that he had specifically prepared for this.

"Captain Pang, are you here in the Prefecture City to report on your duties?" Chen Qing asked.

"I am."

Pang Qinhai nodded. "As per regulations, I’ve returned to the Prefecture City to report on my duties and the defense of Gaolin County in recent years. And there is one other matter..."

He paused, glanced at his son beside him, and a sincere, pleading look appeared on his face. "It’s for this worthless son of mine, Pang Yu."

Chen Qing’s gaze fell upon Pang Yu once more, and the young man immediately straightened his back.

"This boy is my second son. We had his Root Bone tested; it’s a Five Elements Root Bone."

Pang Qinhai’s tone carried a hint of resignation, but also a sliver of hope. "I have many children—four sons and three daughters. My other sons have average talent, and my daughters are all married. Only this second one, while a bit wild, has the best Root Bone of all my children. He’s also willing to put in some hard work. I thought that rather than letting him waste away in the county, it would be better to send him out here to the Wutai Sect to study in the Outer Courtyard, see the world, and build a solid foundation over a few years."

He looked at Chen Qing, his tone growing even more sincere. "I don’t ask for him to have great achievements in the future. I only hope he can complete three years of study in the Outer Courtyard. If he’s lucky enough to break through to the Transmutation Force, it would be a blessing from our ancestors. At that time, if he is willing and fortunate enough to enter the Inner Courtyard... I, with a thick face, would like to ask Chief Chen, for the sake of our minor friendship back in Gaolin County, to look after him a little and offer some guidance when you have the time. Help him avoid some detours. I would be endlessly grateful!"

With that, Pang Qinhai moved to stand and bow again.

’Such is a parent’s heart.’

Chen Qing raised a hand to stop him. Seeing the earnest hope in Pang Qinhai’s eyes and recalling the favor of that recommendation letter from long ago, he nodded. "Captain Pang, you speak too seriously. If your son can study diligently in the Wutai Sect’s Outer Courtyard, complete his three years, and advance to the Transmutation Force on his own merit, and if he is willing to come to my Cyan Wood Institute... I will naturally look after him."

His words left plenty of room for maneuver. The conditions were that Pang Yu had to live up to expectations, meet the standard through his own strength, and voluntarily choose the Cyan Wood Institute.

This way, he could repay the favor without being burdened by accusations of promoting an untalented individual.

Pang Qinhai, however, was overjoyed!

With this promise from Chen Qing, the outcome was even better than he had hoped for!

Competition in the Wutai Sect’s Outer Courtyard was fierce, but with a Chief like Chen Qing in the Cyan Wood Institute, as long as his son worked hard and reached the Transmutation Force, entering the Inner Courtyard would mean having a powerful backer. His starting point would be completely different!

This was already a monumental favor!

"Thank you, Chief Chen! Thank you, Chief Chen!"

Pang Qinhai’s voice trembled with excitement. He quickly pulled his son. "Yu’Er, hurry up and thank Chief Chen!"

Although Pang Yu felt his father was being a bit overly emotional, he also knew that the young Chief Chen before him held an extraordinary status. He bowed respectfully again. "Thank you, Chief Chen!"

A great weight was lifted from Pang Qinhai’s heart, and his joy was written all over his face.

He hesitated for a moment, then took out a small, rectangular box from his robes, wrapped tightly in brocade cloth.

"Chief Chen."

Pang Qinhai held the small box with both hands. "These are two stalks of Treasure Medicine that I found some years ago. They’re about seven or eight years old. While not exceptionally precious, they are a small token of my appreciation."

Chen Qing’s brow furrowed slightly. He then said, "Captain Pang, I appreciate the sentiment, but you should take this back. Your son is about to enter the Outer Courtyard to begin his training. This is precisely when he needs to build his foundation. It would be more appropriate to leave it for him."