Daily life of a cultivation judge-Chapter 1407: Of course it only takes two hours
"Your carriage awaits, Your Royal Highness," Fan Mei said with a bit of mirth in her tone and expression.
"Well, I might as well look the part," Yang Qing said, playing along as he rose and straightened his gait in a noble-like manner while looking over his current getup.
"I might as well go all out," he thought, only for his confidence to quickly wear away and be replaced by worry when he considered adding an extra item to his current look.
Using the robe’s transformative feature, courtesy of the thousand revolutions silk threads used to create it, Yang Qing transformed his robes from the dark grey they were moments earlier into a deep cosmos blue, which was always his favored color for formal occasions where he needed to dress up a bit.
On a normal day, he would have settled on that monochrome look and called it a day, but something in his possession gave him pause. The item in question was something he both treasured and feared in equal measure, though if he was being honest with himself, the latter emotion had a bit of a head start over the former, given the ’look’ of that item.
The item in question was the coat Mao Mao had gifted him a while back, which Yang Qing swore to never wear in public, given how glittery it was, due to the various luminous moon pearls it was inlaid with, and because the company he kept were uncouth brutes who would mock him endlessly as a silk-pants young master if they saw him wearing it.
He would do the same, to be fair, if he caught any of his friends wearing something that ’flashy’. Especially someone like Dai Chen or that barbarian Kang Huilang, whose demeanors didn’t quite suit that noble-looking coat. Xia Boqin, with his handsome face and flawless, noble aura, would probably don it perfectly and look wonderful in it. But for commoners like him, and Kang Huilang, and Dai Chen, wearing a coat like that would make them look like a local cockerel wearing a peacock’s plumage.
After a bit of hesitation and internal debate, Yang Qing decided to risk it and wear it for this occasion. Kang Huilang and the others not being around to see him wear it factored into the boldness of his decision, as did the fact that he feared Mao Mao might soon come to ask if he’d worn that coat at all since she had gifted it to him. Knowing how poor a liar he was, and what a prodigy she was at sniffing out lies, Yang Qing figured he might as well seize this moment and save his skin.
"How does it look?" Yang Qing asked, smiling nervously as he looked at Fan Mei, whose eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"You really are full of surprises," Fan Mei finally said as she measured Yang Qing up and down. "Who knew?" she muttered to herself in amazement.
"It was a gift," Yang Qing blurted out defensively, fearing that some strange rumors would start floating around about the coat. Given the amount of rumors going around the Order about him, his reaction and nervousness were warranted.
"Yes, yes, a gift," Fan Mei said with a teasing smile. "Yin Spirit Jade Pearls. Profound Cloud Cotton..." She paused to subtly sniff the air, "treated in waters from the Seven Wonders Blue Spirit Flowers."
She listed off a few more ingredients, her appraising eyes beaming with every item mentioned, before her inquisitive, playful gaze finally settled on Yang Qing.
"That’s quite the friend you have, to ’gift’ you such an expensive robe. Labor and cost should have come to around 15,000 high-grade stones. I wish I had such friends," she said, looking at him meaningfully before breaking out into a short cackle when she saw his ears turn red and his eyes widen in slight surprise as he examined his robes.
"That much?" he muttered, before he collected himself with much more solemnity in his expression and a touch of healthy, weighted nervousness underneath.
"So how do I look?" he asked seriously, though now the intent behind the question was a bit different. Before, he had treated the coat like a hot potato, something he was begrudgingly forcing himself to wear at considerable risk to his reputation. Now, given the cost, he worried that perhaps he was the one desecrating the coat. After all, fifteen thousand high-grade stones had been close to his accumulated yearly remuneration at one point, when he was starting off as an outer core court judge and received about five hundred stones per month.
"It becomes you," Fan Mei said gently, smiling reassuringly at Yang Qing. "Whoever bought that for you knew what they were doing," she added.
"Really?" Yang Qing asked in faint surprise as he examined himself, robe, coat, and all.
"Yes, really," Fan Mei said sincerely. "Now, while I’m sure your guests would willingly wait for you for an entire day if you so wished, I’d advise against keeping them waiting for long... Your Royal Highness," she added, playfully emphasizing the last part.
"Oh yes," Yang Qing said, looking as if he’d broken out of a stupor. "Best not to keep them waiting," he added, smiling as he straightened his inner robe, followed by a careful, similar adjustment of the coat, which earned another pearly laugh from Fan Mei.
"Well then, I’ll be off," Yang Qing said pompously. "Don’t let the dominion fall while I’m away," he playfully added.
"This humble servant will do her utmost," Fan Mei said, playfully bowing her head with a mock-solemn expression that earned a light laugh from them both.
"If anything happens, do tell me," Yang Qing finally said as he was about to leave. "And thank you, Fan Mei," he added softly, smiling sincerely at her.
"Take care of yourself out there, Yang," Fan Mei said softly, nodding at him, which he returned before leaving.
...
Outside the Black Medallion Tower.
"Owner Meng Song, Owner Han Bai, sorry to have kept you waiting," Yang Qing said immediately upon spotting the two elders waiting for him by the tower’s entrance.
Even though he hadn’t delayed by much (the little exchange with Fan Mei hadn’t lasted more than two minutes), Yang Qing still offered his apologies, as such courtesies were part of the expected niceties between unfamiliar parties. A perfunctory apology was a great way to bring the sides closer, showing consideration for one another.
"No, not at all, Judge Yang Qing. We are the ones who should be apologizing and thanking you for affording us time, and for taking you away from your work," said Meng Song, cupping her fists toward Yang Qing while wearing her trademark grandmotherly smile.
"Thank you for your time, Judge Yang Qing," said Han Bai, who cupped his fists toward Yang Qing in greeting.
"If you’re not opposed, we have a ferry on hand that we can take," Han Bai immediately followed, pointing in the direction of the compound’s exit, which led toward Gold Eagle Town.
Ferries, carriages, and things of such a nature were not allowed within the Order’s main grounds, with only those from the Order allowed such a privilege. As such, those who came by such items usually had them stowed away in a specially assigned area in Gold Eagle Town under the careful watch of the guards there.
"It would be my honor," Yang Qing said, nodding and smiling politely at the two.
After an exchange of niceties, the trio made their way to Gold Eagle Town, down to the stow area, where Yang Qing was greeted by a ferry three times as large as Bai Chen’s. Its length was at least five hundred meters, and double that in height.
"It’s called the Dawn Cloud Streaker," Han Bai introduced.
"A fitting name," said Yang Qing, sighing inwardly at the behemoth, which glowed with a gentle, deep orange-red hue as though the sun were about to rise from its frame. Looking at it felt no different than glancing at the horizon during sunrise.
"Please," Meng Song said gently, using one hand to gesture a welcome toward the ferry.
Inside was just as stupendous as outside, actually even more so, as Yang Qing felt it was much larger inside than it looked on the outside. And indeed it was, as the duo gave him a tour of the place, where he got hit in the face with just how much wealth merchants possessed.
Inside, it had gone beyond the norms of what a ferry looked like. If someone told Yang Qing he was in a mysterious realm instead of a ferry, he would have believed it, because what were a small river and a bamboo field doing on one of the seventeen floors of the ferry, while another had a lake and a meadow? Another had a tundra, another had a rain of lightning.
And it went without saying, as one would expect with cultivators and their surroundings, there was a floor that contained a mountain. Granted, it wasn’t as large as one would expect from seeing the mountains in the various bases of most cultivation organizations around, but that still didn’t change the fact that, despite its smaller size, there was still a mountain in the Dawn Cloud Streaker.
That wasn’t even the most stupendous part. The surprising part was that each of those places seemed to be powered by a lesser dragon vein, given the density and quality of the spiritual qi on those floors.
Given the shock factor those floors had on him, finding that the ferry also contained a fully furnished, medium-sized auction house on one floor, accompanied by courtyards, didn’t surprise him that much.
They eventually settled on one of the floors with the lake, by the gazebo that was there.
"This is Glacial Grove Wine, which I found during my younger years. I may not be an expert on the matter, but its taste is unforgettable. Please have a taste and tell me how you find it," said Han Bai, his placid face finally showing a bit of emotion as pride and nostalgia shone through. He poured Yang Qing a cup from the wine, which had been stored in a gourd resembling a misshapen stone.
Even before tasting it, Yang Qing immediately knew it was no simple thing and could see why Han Bai’s stony expression showed emotion when he spoke of the wine. The wine was suffused with the dense powers of the Grand Dao, making it no different from a gold-grade potion or a natural Dao treasure.
"Pristine yin qi and living earth plateau qi," Yang Qing muttered in amazement as a faint fog wafted from the crystal-clear wine that had been poured into his cup. The wine was so clear it seemed to magnify the details of the interior of the wine cup.
"You have sharp senses, Judge Yang Qing," Meng Song said in praise as she lifted her own cup.
Yang Qing smiled politely at her remark, waiting for Han Lei to fill his own before drinking.
"To new friendships and safe travels," Han Bai toasted as he raised his cup.
"To new friendships and safe travels," Yang Qing echoed.
Just before he took his sip, Yang Qing suddenly asked, "By the way, how long will it take to reach the auction house?"
The auction was to be held in Dawn Cloud Oak Valley, the location of the headquarters of the Vast Blue Merchant Company. If he were to fly there at top speed without any breaks or interruptions, it would have taken him a little over seven or eight hours, given the distance. He figured with this ferry and its features, they could be there in five—
"About two hours, we should be there," Meng Song answered.
Yang Qing’s pupils froze before he smiled bitterly. Of course it will take two hours, he thought, before moving to thank the two for their allowance and taking a drink of the wine.
