Daily life of a cultivation judge-Chapter 972: Deal struck in the halls of administration
"I knew it was too good to be true," Yang Qing said as he sighed, turning to leave, before he paused and looked at the skies above. It was almost dusk, with the sun’s descent almost at the horizon.
"Should I grab something," he muttered before looking at what he had left over within his storage ring.
In truth, there was no need for him to do so. Any self-respecting glutton would know how much food they had left without looking and Yang Qing was no different. He already knew, and was only doing it for reassurance that the figure he had in mind matched up with what was in the storage ring.
"Hopefully it will be enough," Yang Qing said after taking stock.
As he was walking, his robes transformed from the farmer get-up he had before to the official robes of a palace court judge which was a light shine of gold that looked like the glow of the sun at high noon at times, while at other times, it matched the rays of the sun at evening. Right now his robes had a dark orange and gold shine to it.
Yang Qing used one of the arrays spread around the Medical Valley that transported him to the administration hall. Any time of day, the administration hall was packed with cultivators either from outside or the staff of the Order. It was one of the central hubs of the Order.
With familiarity, Yang Qing weaved through the crowd as he made his way to a hallway that only the staff of the Order had access to. It wasn’t as crowded. With a nod of greeting towards one of the gold eagle guards manning that particular section, Yang Qing walked over to one of the many offices that lined up that area.
The office he stopped over had the name ’judicial review and court assignments’. Yang Qing took out his medallion which released a gentle golden glow that reacted with the door producing a subtle clicking sound from the door.
Yang Qing pulled the handle and walked in where he was welcomed by a wide round hallway filled with shelves mounted to the wall, and countless floating shelves above them. The entire room was the size of a small village which one would not expect based off of the tiny door that led to the place.
The room had long escaped the bounds of an office. As for why it was so spacious. One of the reasons was self-evident from the large number of inquisitors, and judges present.
Whenever a case concluded, the conclusion findings of that case, part of the copy would be sent here, and before the onset of a case, the preliminary findings would be sent here before they were distributed to the various courts for further investigations.
Whatever happened in a courtroom started and ended in this room. Since it wasn’t his first time here, Yang Qing made his way to the area that handled walk-in cases.
He came to a stop in front of a middle-aged man who had a studious face, sunken eyes, a thin face, that matched his build, a well-maintained mustache and well groomed short black hair, and meticulous robes in the famous black and white design worn by those in the administration hall.
Yang Qing couldn’t help but admire the man’s graceful movements, timed actions with no wasted movements or pauses. His actions seemed patterned down to the minute of things. He looked more like a trained attendant of a dignified emperor than an administrative worker. It wasn’t just him, all the other workers from the administration hall across all departments were just as meticulous and refined in their mannerisms and looks.
Their actions were no doubt a result of training offered by the Order. As stingy as the Order was, it loved its face, which was why it spared no expenses when it came to the courtrooms, or other areas which the general public interacted with.
This was the reason even at the outercore courts, they had a few materials that were at the ascendant grade and the general environment within the courtroom was no different than that of the blessed grounds of some prominent rank three organizations. But when it came to his abode which was hidden from public view, all he was given was a large tract of land with wild vegetation growing about and a shack to call a home. There was nothing else, and if he wanted improvements, he would have to fork out compensation.
The treatment was night and day. Yang Qing was pulled out of his slowly erupting anger when the middle-aged man looked up.
"You must be judge Yang Qing, please have a seat. Would you like some cloudberry cake," said the middle-aged man as he pointed at the seat opposite him while waving his hands as a cake appeared out of nowhere and a teapot.
"My name is Ming Hu," he said as he smiled politely already pouring Yang Qing a cup and himself one.
"Seems like you know your audience well, administrator Ming Hu," Yang Qing replied with a smile as he took a seat.
"I would not be good at my job if I didn’t," Ming Hu replied as he sliced a large piece for Yang Qing, while he took a modest slice for himself.
Yang Qing who knew no shame when it came to food gladly accepted. When he tasted the cloudberry cake, his eyes instantly lit up.
"Where did you get this?" Yang Qing asked, his tone revealing his surprise.
"I made it myself. I can have some sent to you if I make some more later,"
Yang Qing’s eyes slightly narrowed as his look turned solemn.
"What are you after?" he asked. From his experience, no one just did nice things for someone without some kind of agenda. When he was young he had naively thought people could just be nice, and it was a weakness the Order thoroughly exploited.
"Nothing much, just that, should daoist Yi Jie come out of seclusion, I hope you can put in a word for me when he makes his first brew," Ming Hu said. His tone and demeanor were just as they were when he introduced himself, composed and elegant.
But as a voracious eater, Yang Qing was sensitive to insatiable desire, and he could sense one such sensation coming from Ming Hu.
Yang Qing clasped his hands, smiling warmly as he said,
"What do you mean, brother Ming Hu? We are already friends here and it’s a given that friends always share good things. The instant Yi Jie appears, I can promise you there will be a vat with your name on it,"
"I thank you in advance, brother Yang Qing," Ming Hu said as he warmly extended his hand, which Yang Qing grabbed for a shake, sealing their exchange.
"Brother Ming Hu and the ..." Yang Qing said with a slightly lowered tone as his eyes suggestively fell on the cake.
With a knowing smile, Ming Hu said, " After you’re done with your case, you will find a dozen boxes delivered to your abode."
"Good, good," Yang Qing said, finding his new attache increasingly pleasing to the eye, much more than the one he had in his outer core court days who did nothing but plunge him into a purgatory of never-ending cases.
With the side matters handled, Ming Hu’s air shifted ever so slightly. Though he still had the same air of politeness around him, there was a seriousness mixed within as if he were about to engage in a serious discussion.
"We have a walk-in for you, Judge Yang Qing. This scroll contains the overview, while a bit of what we could dig up about related matters is inscribed into this jade slip," Ming Hu said as he handed over a translucent jade slip and a sealed scroll.
"Thanks," Yang Qing said as he took the two objects. He put the jade slip away and then used his medallion to unlock the seal on the scroll and proceeded to read its contents.
Since it was a shortened version, grabbing only the key parts, it didn’t take long for him to read it completely before storing it away afterward.
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"It is just this one?" asked Yang Qing half hoping it was and half expecting Ming Hu to say ’No there are others’ and drown him in about a hundred more scrolls.
"No, it’s just the one for now," said Ming Hu, his response drawing an inward sigh of relief from Yang Qing.
"Where is he?" asked Yang Qing as he was getting up to leave.
"He has already been sent to your courtroom,"
"Thanks for your assistance, brother Ming Hu," Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists.
"Anytime, brother Yang Qing, and all the best," Ming Hu said as he returned the gesture.
Wasting no time Yang Qing left the office, using one of the arrays in the administration hall, and appeared in his courtroom, startling a teenager that was in the middle of touching the podium.
"You must be Ye Cheng," Yang Qing said in a gentle tone and smile hoping to calm the frightened youth who seemed apprehensive about Yang Qing’s sudden appearance, and also the fact that he was caught about to do something he should not have.
"You can touch it if you want," Yang Qing calmly said as he leisurely walked forward and placed his hand on the podium the youth was admiring.
Yang Qing’s act seemed to have pulled the youth from his fear-stricken state. Though he still seemed terrified, the look of curiosity he had before was slowly warming its way back.
"Are you sure it’s okay? Won’t the judge of this courtroom find it offensive and punish me if I do that?" the boy asked, his eyes betraying his words as he looked like he wanted to touch it.
"He won’t, after all, he is the one who has just told you it is okay for you to touch it if you want," Yang Qing said, chuckling slightly at the youth’s widened eyes.
"You,... you are the judge?"
