Daily life of a cultivation judge

Weirdly enough for some reason, he never felt guilty about it. He wasn't sure if maybe it was because his grandfather worked here so in a way it was the same as him working here because, in his mind, his grandfather owed him, and is still repaying his debts by taking his place at the Valley or some other reason that Yang Qing may not be aware of yet.

However, as of now, some part of him was very worried, especially, when he saw the look the valley master was giving him. He knew her personality so well, she was one of the craftiest and pettiest people he knew.

Half of the things he did, were under her tutelage and now as her most devoted student, he had a feeling it wasn't beneath her to use his current state as a bargaining chip.

"You know little Qing.."

"Here it comes...Ren Shu, help.." Yang Qing threw a sideglance to Ren Shu, who instantly got the message. They both knew her and had bonded, so Ren Shu instantly understood, and as a well-respected individual with morals and a sense of duty and care for those under him, he responded in kind.

"Sorry, Yang Qing, you're on your own. I'll give you some tea leaves later.."

"Tsk, I knew it.."

Valley Master looked at the duo with a look of amusement, like she could read what their secret messages were before she turned her attention to Yang Qing.

"Well, don't worry I won't use this little incident to get you into the valley just yet. If I did it like that, it would be too easy and predictable, I'd rather bide my time, my young student.." she said with an ominous smile as she took a seat next to them.

Yang Qing didn't have to soak in the trepidation that came from that statement, as Valley Master Fan Ru immediately switched demeanors and turned serious. It was uncharacteristic of her as the only times she was that serious was when she was at a critical point in her research, or when she met a thorny case she couldn't deal with.

Yang Qing took an inadvertent gulp as he took a seat next to her.

I hope it isn't bad. I never thought a day would come when i would wish that it was Grandpa who was behind it...

"Yang Qing there's a few questions I'd like to ask, first is this, do you know what this is?" the round bead that was in Yang Qing's hands days prior appeared in her hands as she handed it to Yang Qing.

Yang Qing had a baffled look as he pressed the bead between his hands. It was warm to the touch, and he felt like he was holding an entire sky, especially with lively stars, and the sun and moon floating around it, made it seem so.

"I don't know what this is, but.. I feel oddly connected to it like I have some relation with it. What is it? Is it some treasure of the Origin Universe Resonant Light Sect?" asked Yang Qing, as he could feel certain aspects of the bead had some properties of his cultivation art, the Universal indulgent of the myriad worlds.

"Oh, seems like you managed to learn a few things, was it the old grove tree who told you?"

"It was.."

"I bet seeing you must have triggered some memories.." she said as she chuckled.

"No, this isn't their treasure. We found this on you a few days ago, and from our guess, you were the one who created it to seal the object inside.."

"Me?" Yang Qing's brows rose as he found that hard to believe. He had no cultivation spell that could create the bead in his hands, and he could also feel the faint power released by it was something beyond his abilities to produce.

He almost wanted to ask if she was just teasing him, but when he saw her slightly serious expression, he held back those words as he carefully scrutinized the bead.

The more he looked at it, the more he felt a sense of closeness to it like it had been a part of his body.

"But how could I have created this, I don't remember doing it, and isn't this something beyond the means of a palace realm cultivator, especially, a weak one like me who is still only in the first stage?"

What he felt and what he saw contrasted with each other. Intrinsically he felt the bead had a deep relation and connection with him, but there was what he knew. He knew his abilities all too well and he didn't have some secret technique or trump card that would let him pull off creating that bead, and there was the fact that he didn't even know what spell that bead was.

All he could tell about it was what he saw which was a sun, a moon, and a road of stars of different colors combining together to restrict something, which was likely the white golden fern before him.

"Could it be the thing green cocoon left me?" 

The green pearl in his palace sense was about the only link that could maybe explain the bead since it had managed to save him from being restrained by what was likely a soul formation expert. He didn't know what other wondrous uses it had.

However, his look immediately changed when he closed his eyes to sense his palace realm manifestation.

The moon and the sun seemed duller than usual even if the light they produced was still bright, Yang Qing could tell it was weaker. The ocean looked lethargic in its ebbs and flows, unlike how active it always was, and the green flame tree at the center was burning with a weak green flame, while the pearl green cocoon had left was nothing but a green wisp that would be blown away by the wind.

"What happened?!" he muttered in shock.

"So you don't remember creating it?"

"I don't, I really don't! All I remember was heading toward a patient, a seventeen-year-old early-stage foundation cultivator, who had qi depletion from his medical treatment.

I went over to help him, then.... then... huh ..what happened after that? why can't I remember?" Yang Qing shook his head sideways as he tried to recall but he couldn't no matter how much he tried.

"Calm down, let's take things slowly..." The Valley Master's soothing voice was like a bucket of water that doused Yang Qing's frantic thoughts, bringing a sense of calmness to him.

"Why don't I remember anything? And Deputy Master Ren Shu, earlier you said I was out for three days?"  asked Yang Qing as he remembered the words his grandfather had said earlier.

"You were.." Ren Shu softly answered.

"Don't get flustered. Whatever happened three days ago wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and when we get down to it, it even helped as it has alerted the Order to something.."