Chapter 813 Shadow of the Red Maple Empire (1)  

"Was that Yang Qing?" Ma Yuan confusedly asked his daughter.

"It looked like him," she answered.

They both quizzically looked toward the courtyard where they had seen a blurry figure disappear into.

"Maybe he was struck with a sudden burst of enlightenment, hence the hurry. Let's go Ling'er, we don't want to keep Miss Tan Jue waiting for long.."

"Mmh.."

As they were leaving, Ma Yuan couldn't help but throw one last look at the courtyard, bewilderment still evident in his eyes before finally sighing as he left with his daughters.

Over the past few months, he had come to discover Yang Qing was a particularly odd person, and he wasn't the only one. There was the bird up the green flame tree that lorded over him, which constantly ended up in verbal spats with Yang Qing that evolved into fights, almost always, he would occasionally see a cloud-swallowing kite with a terrifying cultivation base sneak around with a human-like look that was a mix of apprehension and excitement. Ma Yuan had once wondered what it sneaks around for but one threatening glare from it was all it took for him to abandon any such thoughts.

Then there was the white starlight crab that would constantly get into fights with the cloud-swallowing kite, and despite being vastly weaker and soundly defeated every time it attacked, it never stopped. And it didn't just attack the cloud-swallowing kite, anyone who wasn't Yang Qing,?would be attacked by it provided he wasn't there to dissuade it.

Ma Yuan wasn't sure whether it was because it was a combat maniac, or just plain dumb, but it was horrible in those it chose to attack. Every single one of its targets vastly outpowered it, except for Ma Yuan, who was lucky enough to be saved by the cloud-swallowing kite, whom he later learned was called Ellie.

It was when Yang Qing first made the proposition for him to come work on his abode. When he came, Yang Qing had not been around but had already given him a token that would allow him entry into his abode.

He had assumed as long as he had the token he would be okay. The white starlight crab attacked him the instance he passed by the pond and despite trying to explain that he was acquainted with Yang Qing and even showing the token handed to him, the crab didn't halt its attacks and only seemed to grow more emboldened the longer the fight went on. Luckily, Ellie, who was sneaking in for something Ma Yuan didn't know what, intervened and slapped the crab unconscious.

After Ellie one-shotted the obstinate crab, Ma Yuan wasn't too sure if it was him seeing things, but there was a look she gave him after she had swatted the crab away. The look seemed to say, "You owe me now..."

Whenever she snuck in, she would always throw him that same look the moment she came into the abode before covertly moving around the abode looking for whatever it is that made her sneak into the abode every single day.

"Will I turn odd to?" Ma Yuan fearfully thought.

...

Yang Qing's study

Yang Qing frantically checked and rechecked his arrays confirming they were operating at full capacity. Even after seeing they were functioning well with no mishaps, he felt it wasn't enough as he took out a few top-tier monarch-grade natural treasures that were great at sensing hidden auras.

It was only after seeing a lack of reaction from those treasures did he let out a sigh of relief before looking suspiciously at those treasures.

"Old fi,.." Yang Qing hurriedly paused what he was about to say as he sneakily looked around him before quickly amending his statement, changing his expression to one of reverence as he did so.

"The illustrious and magnanimous Supervisor Lei Weiyuan is in the domain realm.." Yang Qing paused as he looked around him once more before his gaze fell on the monarch-grade treasures with a small frown on his face.

"These treasures as amazing as they are in their jobs, are still only in the monarch grade. I doubt they would be able to keep track of him. Do I need to upgrade my protection arrays to the gold grade?" Yang Qing warily thought, as his frown lines grew even deeper.

He had entertained the thought of elevating his arrays in the near future from the low-tier blue grade that they were, to maybe the top of the blue grade, but that was only after he had become core palace court judge.

As for installing a gold-grade array, he would only be able to do so when he was a domain court judge. He would never be able to afford it otherwise. Even if he liquidated everything he owned, including the gifts he received during his promotion ceremony, he would only be able to cover half the cost.

He had thought he wouldn't even need one, and would just settle for a top-tier blue-grade one and that was it. When he reached the domain realm and gained the qualifications to reside in the dark peak, which was where all domain experts of the Order resided, he would just use whatever protection mechanisms were available there.

From what he heard, the Order would abandon its stingy nature when one reached the domain realm. Domain experts were drowned in free resources, while Yang Qing had to scheme, and sacrifice his blood, sweat, and tears, to get some scraps from them.

Yang Qing couldn't help but clench his teeth in anger as he thought of the difference in treatment, especially when he considered his present predicament. He desperately needed a gold-grade array, not one year from now, one month from now, one week from now, he needed it immediately.

The thought imprint was definite proof Lei Weiyuan had been hanging around his courtyard for it to register as one of the places he was intimately familiar with. His blue-grade arrays might as well be a string of cobwebs in front of the old fiend, and he was certain the casual remarks Lei Weiyuan made about the thought imprint working in areas one was intimately familiar with, wasn't an accidental slip-up. He knew the man well enough to know he was never careless with his words. He uttered those words intentionally to let Yang Qing know that he was always lurking about in his abode and Yang Qing would never know when and how which more or less confirmed what Yang Qing had always suspected considering the amount of losses he had suffered when facing off against the man. At one point he even assumed, Lei fully backed by the powers that be at the Order had been deducing his fate, karma, and future. It was why they always seemed one step ahead. Turns out he was being snooped on all this time.

Yang Qing warily looked around feeling Lei Weiyuan's gaze everywhere, more than likely the outcome the old fiend was after when he made that statement.

"Do I really have to go into debt for my piece of mind?" Yang Qing muttered with an unresigned look on his face.

The Order did offer credit. Using the credit, he could set up the gold-grade array he wanted, and pay back what he owed later. However,as sneaky as the Order was in their dealings, Yang Qing felt owing them was no more dangerous than Lei Weiyuan snooping on him.

Feeling himself stuck between a rock and a hard place, Yang Qing eventually shrugged in defeat as he said,

"I might as well take it a day at a time. There's nothing I can do now. Senior Mei was right, I really need to break through to the domain realm.."

Yang Qing paused before he smiled bitterly.

"If only it was that easy.." he added before lighting a few spirit-

calming incense sticks to calm his nerves long enough for him to start his meditation. He had three hours before he had to report for work and as much as he didn't like to admit it, he was slightly nervous about it.

Thanks to the incense sticks, his spirit calmed down long enough to submerge himself in meditation with no problem. He had set an internal clock of one and a half hours. The time quickly flew by and Yang Qing got up, his entire essence filled with tranquility and energy for what the day held for him. The meditation washed away the fears of his first case back, or Lei Weiyuan possibly spying on him.

Feeling satisfied and refreshed, Yang Qing hurried to the Thousand Flavors Restaurant where he had a short breakfast of congee, century egg, and a few pork buns before finally heading to his study one hour before his appointed time. Along the way, he coincidentally met Lei Weiyuan who just happened to be in the hallway just as he was about to use the mimicry chaos portal to head to his study.

..

Yang Qing's study.

"Senior Yu Gen, Senior Xia Ting, glad to see you both are well.." Yang Qing said to the two roaming inquisitors who had already been in his study by the time he arrived.

"Nice to see you, Yang Qing..." genially said Yu Gen while Xia Ting only spared a noncommittal nod as she was busy slurping eight treasures soup in one of the corners.

"Have you decided on how you want to handle the cases? Will it all be done together, or will you deal with them individually?" asked Yu Gen.

"Considering the number of charges against them, handling it all together will be a bit chaotic, better to handle each individually. We will do itby family and eventually finish it up with the royal family and the lad from the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.."