Daily life of a cultivation judge

Bai Chen was a fifth-stage Palace Realm expert, cultivating a blue-grade art from an ancient, former holy land. His disciple wasn't lacking either, as he was a quasi-Palace stage cultivator in possession of a monarch-grade artifact at the time. And that was without even factoring in the ferry itself, which was protected by a low-tier blue-grade array.

Despite all that strength and protection, Bai Chen, his disciple, and the entire ferry had vanished without a trace.

How had the three clans supposedly pulled that off?

Even if they had ganged up on Jiang Hao first, then used him as a bargaining chip to force Bai Chen's cooperation, there should have been some trace left behind of their clash with Jiang Hao.

And then there was the question of Bai Chen himself. If the three clans had only been after Lai Hou, they could have waited until his transport was complete and then taken him at Lai Hou's alighting point. Or they could have lain in wait for him and Xia Fang to reunite, snatch them together, or even tail them to learn why they had chosen the Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire as their destination in the first place.

If they had the capabilities to track the travel route of a seasoned rank-three escort agency, surely they wouldn't lack the means to corner two cultivators who hadn't even stepped into the Palace Realm and were still green to the ways of the world.

Why go to the trouble of kidnapping an entire ship and risk drawing the attention of a well-connected fifth-stage Palace Realm expert?

The Ning family weren't the only ones with ties to a rank-two power; Bai Chen did too, and one could argue that his connections ran even deeper. After all, while the Gold Earth Bank and the Song Kingdom were both rank-two organizations, they were miles apart in terms of foundation. The Song Kingdom had a single Domain expert, while the Gold Earth Bank had three, along with significantly greater wealth and resources.

So why would the three clans risk antagonizing someone with such backing?

This was what made Yang Qing hesitant to place the blame squarely on the three clans—at least, not unless they'd somehow secured the support of the Cyan Crescent Kingdom. Only with that kind of backing could they afford to ignore the potential repercussions from the Gold Earth Bank. The Cyan Crescent Kingdom utterly dwarfed both the Bank and the Song Kingdom in power and influence.

But even that theory raised more doubts.

If the Cyan Crescent Kingdom was involved, then how had Xia Fang managed to escape? If such a behemoth had truly been after her, they would have found her within hours or days at most. And they wouldn't have needed to resort to such roundabout methods like abducting an entire ferry just to get to her.

There were still too many holes that needed plugging before Yang Qing could settle on a definitive suspect.

Speaking of plugging holes… Yang Qing's gaze flickered as it drifted back to Xia Fang.

"From the travel plans I was handed, it seems like Lai Hou's destination was the Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire… was that where you were supposed to meet up?" Yang Qing asked.

Xia Fang showed a startled reaction to the question, which she quickly tried to hide by lowering her head and softly mumbling, "Yes."

"Was it a place you chose at random, or was there a reason for it?" Yang Qing followed up, prompting another visible flinch from Xia Fang as her shoulders tensed up.

She didn't answer right away, letting a few seconds slip by before finally looking up and letting out a sigh of surrender.

"You know?" she asked with a helpless smile.

Yang Qing shook his head. "Not really. Just a guess," he said lightly. "Judging by your expression, it wasn't chosen at random, was it?"

Xia Fang shook her head. "It was intentional," she replied.

"Did choosing it have anything to do with the Banyan Battlefield?" Yang Qing asked.

"So you did know?" Xia Fang said as she shook her head, inwardly sighing in terror at the capabilities of the Order.

"No, like I said, it was just a guess, and it wasn't even mine. A few of my seniors made it," Yang Qing clarified. Still, like Xia Fang, he couldn't help but sigh at how pinpoint accurate Ren Shu's and Shao An's guesses had been.

Was this what it meant to be a Soul Formation expert? he thought. Casually piecing together random bits of information and still arriving at the truth with near certainty?

Yang Qing, as always being the easily envious type, immediately felt a well of envy surge inside him. And in typical fashion, right after that came a fierce determination to one day attain that same strength. Then, just as predictably, came the frustration at how long it would likely take to get there. And finally, at the end of that spiraling tunnel, his old friend paranoia came for a visit.

Wait, is that why...

An alarming thought suddenly popped into Yang Qing's mind, instantly making the hairs on his neck stand on end. Beads of sweat started trailing down his spine as he suddenly felt a few silent but powerful imaginary eyes trained on him, watching him with scheming interest. His neck instantly stiffened at the feeling.

He was immediately caught in a dilemma; a part of him wanted to turn around and confirm there was nothing there, that it was just his wild imagination running off again. But the other part was too terrified to look back, afraid that his suspicions might actually be true.

In the end, Yang Qing chose the path that had always served him best and hadn't failed him yet. That path was the path of least resistance: Ignorance.

He completely ignored the creeping feeling and buried his suspicions deep.

If there were frightening figures watching him from the void... well, who was he to ruin it for them? He already had more than enough to be paranoid about, there was no need to add new entries to the list.

Feeling the profound power of blissful ignorance kicking in, Yang Qing adopted a tranquil, sage-like smile. He reached for his cup of tea, took a sip, and erased all memories of the dangerous guess he had unearthed just seconds ago.

Mmmh, this batch of snow ginseng tea isn't bad, Yang Qing silently thought, using the tea's flavor as his weapon of choice for exorcising all thoughts surrounding the 'dangerous guess.'

"Mmh, not bad at all," he absentmindedly muttered, even pausing to admire the tea's pink, chilly hue before taking another sip.

Caught off guard by his sudden shift, Xia Fang couldn't help but call out, "Um, Judge Yang Qing… is everything okay?"

Just moments ago, the person before her had been exuding a profound presence—asking questions that made her feel as if nothing about her could escape his gaze. That feeling left her deeply unsettled as she felt completely exposed before him, like there was nothing she could hide from him.

And now? That same person was here, praising his tea with a carefree demeanor that made it seem like he'd shed every shackle of responsibility and was just looking to relax.

I know the tea has wondrous properties, but... Xia Fang thought, her train of thought halting as she shot a suspicious glance between Yang Qing's teacup and her own, wondering why she wasn't experiencing the same effects despite having the same tea.

Might be my relentless heart demons, she guessed, smiling bitterly as she looked on enviously at Yang Qing's serene expression.

What she'd give to experience even a fraction of what he was experiencing.

Sighing at the unlikeliness of it, Xia Fang settled her gaze on her nearly empty cup. She silently debated whether to refill it, as a voice at the back of her mind whispered that perhaps she might experience the effects Yang Qing was feeling if she did.

Ultimately, she relented, caving to the silent rumbling of that voice, and refilled her cup. Then, hesitantly, she took a sip. The cup felt heavier this time—perhaps due to the expectations she'd piled onto it.

Would it quench her anxiety and despondency this time? Would it bring her peace? she wondered. Sadly, it didn't. The guilt, resentment, fear, worry, and all the other emotions that had taken root in her soul were still there, still as active. The tea didn't work; it only dulled those emotions slightly, like using a bucket of water to quell a forest fire.

She set her teacup down, deciding it would be her last. She looked up again, hoping to vicariously feed off Yang Qing's tranquility, only to find his deep green eyes trained on her, flickering with a profound power Xia Fang couldn't quite explain. It was both relaxing and unnerving.

His gaze offered comfort, a sense of refuge, but within them lay a boundlessness that made her feel small—as if she were about to be swallowed by the cosmos and the ocean at once. His eyes were like the perfect merging of the two worlds with her trapped in between.

How does he change his demeanor so fast? wondered Xia Fang as she tried to reconcile the current Yang Qing—who carried the subtle presence of a sovereign of the cosmos and the ocean—with the Yang Qing from earlier, who had radiated the carefree ease of a youth lounging in the shade on a sunny afternoon.

"So, what was waiting for you in Banyan?"

Yang Qing's gentle voice yanked Xia Fang back from her musings. It took a few rapid blinks before she composed herself enough to answer.