Daily life of a cultivation judge

"Don't undersell yourself, administrator Mo Guang, three years is more than enough for us, even just one year will give us enough time to train up permanent replacements for the branch. The array would have made significant progress in a year or so, which should give us enough leeway in who we choose to come here and you volunteering even if it's just for a short while helps us a lot.. " said Long Enlai

"I owe the Order a lot, I am glad to help in any way that I can.." answered Mo Guang.

Yang Qing wasn't all too surprised about there being a potential change in personnel in the future. Fang Wen was stationed here to take her out of the front lines and her identity as a spirit beast would be enough to steward the branch in this shaky period, but after that, she would have to leave.

Roaming inquisitors needed more domain experts than branch chiefs, there was no way she would be permanently stationed here as for the four trainee roaming inquisitors, eventually, they would be recalled back too when they were judged to have gained enough experience.

There just weren't enough inquisitors in comparison to the workload waiting for them, therefore the Order could not spare even a single one. They would only do so if it was at the express request of the roaming inquisitor and most rarely did, and those that did would be requested by the Order to take up posts as instructors at the Institute. A bulk of the combat instructors were former roaming inquisitors, with even a few special inquisitors mixed in with them, rarely would they be posted at the Branch.

With the succession of the branch already laid out, Yang Qing asked,

"When is senior Fang Wen reporting? By my count, I still have four days left..."

"Don't worry, you will still get your entire dues even if you leave several days early. We will not deduct it, and considering the work you have done while you were there, we may add a few gifts here and there in appreciation for your efforts.." said Long Enlai.

"I am only but a humble servant of the Order trying to do my part.." Yang Qing unabashedly said despite his true thoughts seemingly seen through.

"It is our fortune to have you, Yang Qing.." said Jiang Cheng with the rest of the judicial committee members smiling along with him as they looked at Yang Qing with the gaze of a grandparent finding amusement in the antics of their mischievous grandchild.

"You should expect her early morning on your last day, whichever day you decide you want to depart. Of course not today as she has a few loose ends that need closing, but from tomorrow onwards she will be available.." said Xu Biya.

"I think I'll complete the four days and close a few of my affairs here.."

"The affairs don't have anything to do with the chef do they?" asked Jia Bohai with a teasing smile.

"In part, yes.." Yang Qing said as he coughed in embarrassment trying to avoid the gaze of the four elders who seemed like they could read his inner thoughts.

He always prided himself as some sort of enigmatic figure but his interactions with the seniors of the Judicial Review Committee led to him to have doubts, the same doubts he had in his first year as a student at the Institute when he tried to take every class and course that was given out.

He had automatically assumed he was a prodigy in everything due to his cultivation talent, which was how he foolishly tried to enroll himself in every course he could think of, only to get overwhelmed and perform poorly in a bunch of them which left him at the brutal end of the vicious instructors and a cautionary tale for the rest.

Pushing those dark thoughts aside, Yang Qings said,

"I also met a sacred flame swan.."

"Ooh, where?" asked Long Enlai with a look of interest. A sacred flame swan was a rarity to even them.

Yang Qing went on to describe his meeting with Gu Xing and his interaction with her, the information she shared about the eerie figure she had sensed back then, and her suspicions of it being someone from the Deer Mountain Kingdom. He also disclosed the foreboding feeling she had when she came back to the Deer Mountain Range.

Yang Qing also explained his thinking on the matter which was in support of Gu Xing's guess. He revealed the offer made to the Hua Clan and the rest by someone pretending to be the Imperial Secretary of the Deer Mountain Kingdom and his suggestions that they use the inheritance blood crystals from the graveyard torch to improve their odds of reaching the palace realm.

Yang Qing explained his suspicions that the goal of the ploy may have something to do with a ritual or something that needs a lot of bloodshed to trigger.

The four members had solemn looks on their faces along with Administrator Mo Guang who was only now hearing this for the first time.

"I once met a sacred flame swan by the name of Gu Lao about 12,000 years ago. You said her name was Gu Xing?" asked Jiang Xiang as he furtively stroked his willow white beard.

"Yes," Yang Qing answered with a nod.

"Then she must be the baby sacred flame swan he had said he was caring for back then. Sacred flame swans adopted one of our ways when it came to names. While sacred flame swans are all interconnected and closely tied together to the point they can know when one of them is born or in grave danger or dying, even if they're continents apart, they use names to offer a distinction amongst themselves.

The nurturer will give their first name to the baby swan being nurtured. This practice has been going on for quite some time which by Gu Lao's estimates is for more than a million years. The tradition led to the creation of lineages based on those names, like he and Gu Xing are from the Gu lineage of the sacred flame swans.

There should be four other lineages apart from that one. The number was meant to match the five continents. I don't know much other than that, but I think there must be more to it than just using names to serve as a distinction, but that's beside the point.." Jiang Cheng as his look turned graver.

"Back then, he had said the exact words as Miss Gu Xing. He could feel something brewing within the continent, and a thousand years later, continent-wide bloodshed soaked this continent, after that, invaders from other continents smelling blood, came over.

Most think that it ended with them coming over and the two holy lands reacting to their presence and sending them packing but it couldn't be further from the truth..." Jiang Cheng said with clear disdain in his tone.

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