Yang Qing could feel his heart race, and a sense of dread wash over him like that of a lamb that suddenly senses a wolf stalking it.

With stiffened muscles, Yang Qing turned around, trying to hide the reflexive fear from his face as he answered,

"I didn't think you'd be waiting for me, head Lei Weiyuan. I am deeply honored and humbled that you would pay me such attention despite the amount of work on your plate. I am both deeply touched and overwhelmed by the attention.."

Yang Qing cupped his fists with an air of politeness and admiration radiating from his entire demeanor. One would not believe he was facing the person who had haunted him and given him nightmares that were even more terrifying than heart demons. His present demeanor made it seem he was talking to his grandfather, whom he so greatly revered.

"Is it because I've been away for quite some time, why does he seem even more intimidating than before.." wondered Yang Qing with extreme worry and fear coursing throughout his body as he felt the palpable pressure coming from Lei Weiyuan as he stood there with his calm face, his body ramrod straight looking like it could pierce through the dome of the heavens above, his hands behind his back exuding a sagely presence, and his silver eyes that seemed like they could pierce through every mysteries in the heavens above and the earth below.

Yang Qing had always been unable to maintain eye contact with him for long because of it. Even when he didn't do anything wrong, on reflex whenever those eyes fell on him, he always felt like he had done something wrong which needed to be hidden and denied aggressively.

Lei Weiyuan remained still for a few seconds before he moved one of his hands which he used to stroke his silver beard that matched his silver eyes. The silence made Yang Qing feel like several mountains had been piled on his back with the scorching sun above him. His knees felt weak, his back sweaty, and his vision almost blurry.

"What am I cowering for, I have not done anything wrong, as a matter of fact, I did exemplary work with no supervision. Old man Lei should be commending me for it and I also have a month's off...Maybe I can rub it on his face even.." thought Yang Qing as he felt himself get emboldened by the second to the point that he had the guts to look at Lei Weiyuan straight in his eyes.

"What?!" Yang Qing fearfully asked as he took an inadvertent step back when he saw Lei Weiyuan smile softly.

The man rarely smiled and whenever he did, nothing good ever came out of it for Yang Qing. Whatever courage Yang Qing had was instantly vaporized by the smile.

"I didn't slack off.." Yang Qing hurriedly said on reflex as he prepared a slew of other excuses.

"I know, I was told.." Lei Weiyuan calmly said as he stroked his beard some more silently staring at Yang Qing."What does he want, why does he keep staring at me that way.." thought Yang Qing as he felt the nervousness within him grow by leaps and bounds with every millisecond. Just when he felt his body was about to give out, Lei Weiyuan started walking away toward the mimicry chaos portal that led to the domain courts.

Just when he was just inches away from it, he paused, causing Yang Qing to flinch as he murmured to himself,

"Here it comes.."

"Good job... keep it up.."said Lei Weiyuan as he took the step into the liquid milky way of the chaos mimicry portal, disappearing from the hallway, leaving the dumbstruck Yang Qing whose eyes and mouth were wide open.

"What..what...what does he mean?! good job?! keep it up! what hellish thing is he planning for me?!"

Yang Qing walked like a soulless figure in circles around the hallway with frantic mumblings that grew more rapid, indistinct, and inaudible the longer it went on.

A few of the Order employees came and left through the hallway, staring curiously at Yang Qing, however, none seemed all too worried or disturbed by Yang Qing's odd behavior. They had long grown accustomed to seeing such a sight from Yang Qing over the years ever since he began his duties as a judge, especially in those early years, Yang Qing would circle the hallway with hollow eyes, or this rabid look as he muttered things that seemed like the some ancient curse incantation that was in the language of plants, ancient spirit beasts, and every other species wrapped into one.

After circling the hallway for almost five minutes, Yang Qing regained some clarity and life in his eyes, though one could still see the trepidation lurking deep within the recess of his eyes as his gaze fell on where Lei Weiyuan had just been.

Yang Qing made his way to the portal that made it to the palace courts before he decided against it and turned back. His hands were trembling and his feet refused to move every time he tried to take that step into the portal.

"Let me eat first, it should help me get my mind right.." Yang Qing mumbled to himself as he turned toward the exit.

"Come to think of it, I haven't received my remuneration yet..." he added as he turned back and went to the center of the hallway and took out his gold eagle medallion. The center of the hallway had a black-and-white drawing of a gold eagle that matched his medallion.

Yang Qing poured a bit of his qi into the medallion which triggered a reaction from the eagle below as it lit up and unfurled its wings with countless lights shooting out of it that swallowed Yang Qing's body.

Yang Qing closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was in a different hallway. It was more pristine and orderly than the entrance hallway.

The nervousness and anxiety that had plagued Yang Qing a few seconds ago seemed to instantly vanish the instant he stepped into the hallway. A wide grin appeared on his face when his eyes fell towards a certain entrance with the words 'internal logistical disbursement' on them.

The moment his gaze fell on it, all concerns he had about Lei Weiyuan seemed to instantly vanish.

Yang Qing stood there in silence, his body trembling from excitement and revelry as he stared at that sign. The memories of when he first came in here washed over him. Luckily there was no one there to witness it at the time but he teared a bit and it turned out he wasn't the only one who exhibited such reactions before that sign.

The sign itself wasn't anything special but behind it, the area it designated, it held great significance, especially to those who had nothing.

Yang Qing couldn't help but let out a nostalgic sigh as he remembered his first time in. After the rude awakening, he had on his first month, that last day of the month was a shining light for him amidst the darkness of being worked like a slave. That day was the day he received validation for his slaving efforts, and it was thanks to what lay behind that sign.

That first pay, nothing he has ever experienced since, ever came close to what he felt that day, even his breaking through to the palace realm fell a little short. Of course, at some point, he did end up hate coming here. It was after he had paid a humbling visit to the main auction house of the White Rose Pavilion. Every month he came by after that, the experience and emotion were different.

The place was no longer a paradise that fulfilled his dreams but an abyss that constantly reminded him that he had nothing, he was nothing till it became the birthplace of his rebellious thoughts, but now things were different, the pittance in remuneration he received grew when he became a palace court judge. The basic salary he used to receive as a superior core court judge had quadrupled from 5,000 high-grade spirit stones to 20,000, with the other add-ons growing along with it.

But right now his excitement wasn't because of the 20,000 but of the 80,000 high-grade spirit stones promised to him in his short stint as the branch chief of the Deer Mountain Branch, along with all the other cultivation resources promised to him such as ten blue-grade cultivation arts that he would be given permanently.

He could feel it, that long-forgotten feeling he had when he first stepped into this hallway.

"I might not be cursed after all.." Yang Qing said with an emotional sigh, as he took a deep breath in a bid to control the tears that were threatening to drop. He couldn't help but feel that youthful Yang Qing who had his hopes ruthlessly crushed by the exploitation finally got healed and compensated today. All he endured wasn't in vain.

Filled with emotion, Yang Qing made his way into the internal logistics disbursement hall where he met other members of the Order cueing up with exhilaration potent in the air around them, especially the young members, the senior ones were a bit reserved and contained, but the young ones, Yang Qing could detect the same giddiness he had back then.

"Newbies.." he muttered with feigned composure, pretending that his heart wasn't racing just like theirs. He was about to get his hands on 80,000 high-grade spirit stones from the Order, for just one month of work. There was something deeply satisfying about it, the thought the stingiest organization he knew was about to fork out that amount for just little work.

Impatience and anticipation grew within him with every second as the line drew ever so closer to the remunerations administrator, and before long it was his turn. As usual, he took out his gold eagle medallion which the administrator took and placed on a white jade slab filled with countless runes and inscriptions.

The slab lit up when it made contact with the medallion, with the administrator placing his medallion on the slab as the runes flickered.

"80,000 high-grade spirit stones, 6,000 monarch-grade herbs, potions, and pills; and 10 low tier blue grade cultivation arts.

The cultivation arts have already been firmly set on the kind you'll get and irredeemable as for the 6,000 monarch-grade herbs, potions, and pills, would you like them converted to spirit stones of equivalent value, a single natural treasure or artifact of equivalent value, or would you like them to remain as is?" asked the administrator.