Daily life of a cultivation judge

Dream cloud abode

"So what did you want to talk about?" asked Yang Qing as he poured spirit calming jasmine for both him and Ma Yuan.

"About that.." Ma Yuan closed and open his mouth a couple of times with no words coming out.

"We may have known each other for a short time, Ma Yuan, but i consider you a friend, and i hope you do so to me..." said Yang Qing with a gentle smile.

Ma Yuan stared at him for a little while before he finally sighed as he replied,

"I am honored you consider me a friend, it seems i have been discourteous in my actions, forgive me for that.." he said

"So what's on your mind?"

"It's about Ma Ling and our current circumstances.." Ma Yuan paused briefly as he took a sip of his tea hoping it will calm him or give him courage for his next words.

"As per Master Tan Jue's estimates, her treatment will take seven months to a year at most. I am thankful to you and the Order for the help from saving her and even now you're still helping us at no cost. 

The grace and the kindness you have afforded me is something i could never repay back and as a father i won't pretend that i would even refuse it. For her i would willingly shame myself, thicken myself and go through whichever storm i need to go through to ensure her well being.

Nothing matters to me other than her well being. Whatever pride i had was shattered the moment she was born, but i still hope i can somehow repay you and the Order for all the help you have given and are still giving.

But as i am, no cultivation base, i am struggling in finding a way i can return the favor even if it is only a tiny little bit.

I had thought i could maybe use my herbology skills to try and repay that gratitude, but after seeing the level of skills shown at the Medicine Valley, i am ashamed to tout my inferior skills. I can not simply reach the levels that i saw.

I don't know how to repay you all back, and while i will willingly accept any and all help given to me on behalf of my daughter, i feel ashamed to accept it just like that.." he said with a bitter smile.

"There is more.." asked Yang Qing, though it seemed more a statement of fact than a question.

Ma Yuan nodded with the same bitter smile on his face as he said,

"Other than thinking about how to repay you, these few days, when i wasn't with Ma Ling, i was able to analyze my situation clearly.

With a crippled cultivation base, i can not protect my daughter as i would like to, and i don't want what happened to her and my wife..." a pained expression appeared on his face as he said this.

"I don't want to lose my daughter again, but i recognize my own inability to do it. So i would like to shamelessly request help. Is there any my daughter can join the Order?" he said as he bowed his head with an air of desparation about him.

"There's no need for that Ma Yuan.." Yang Qing said as he gently helped him up.

"Truth be told I've been thinking about your situation too. While i'd like nothing more than for your daughter to join the Order. My hands are tied in that regard, the only thing i can do is file a special recommendation for her where she can take the test any time she feels ready.

However i would not recommend it.." 

"Why?" Ma Yuan hesitantly asked.

"She has already formed her foundation pillars, the Order usually accepts those below the foundation establishment, and those it does accept already in the foundation establishment need to have blue grade pillars that are pure.

While your daughter has blue grade pillars, they are not true ones. The Ice Emerald Sect must have done something to help her gain it. 

She would have to start over from scratch for her to be given a consideration to join the Order. With all she has been through, i don't know if she can handle the psychological burden that comes with making that choice. It is not an easy one to make, and with all she has endured, i wouldn't want to subject her to such a mental strain.

And i don't think you'd want to either.."

Ma Yuan gravely nodded at this.

"And even if let's say she agreed to do it, it wouldn't be a guarantee that she would get in and i can not do anything to make sure she does, she can only do so through her own efforts. 

But let's say she gets in, the Order isn't an easy place to be in. If you want her protected from dangerous situations, then this isn't the best place for that, while her life can be guaranteed she will be in the eye of the storm here.

The moment she passes through those doors she will take on the same burden we all take, and our predecessors have, which is to willingly accept the burden of making an enemy of the entire continent if needed, and should the day ever comes it really does happen, we are not to falter.

If she gets in, that's a burden she will have to accept from the onset.."

The air seemed to have turned graver. Ma Yuan felt his palms turned sweaty as a complicated expression appeared in his eyes.

He, just like most saw the glamor in being a member of the Order, they never saw the cost that came with it, and now hearing it from Yang Qing, he couldn't help but waver.

Making an enemy of the world wasn't just something anybody could carry, and he could tell from the gaze Yang Qing had, he was someone who held firmly to the resolve that came with that possibility.

Was it worth it to hoist such a burden on his daughter? 

He couldn't help but clench his fists in frustration cursing his own weakness. If he was strong enough would he even be in this position.

However, Yang Qing's next words pulled him from the cycle of self blame he was falling under.

"But if it's a peaceful life you are after then i have a suggestion.."

"What is it?" Ma Yuan asked hopefully.

"Join the Summerfield Kingdom that's in the territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect. Wiith your talents in herbology and farming that would be the best fit for you." said Yang Qing. 

"Summerfield Kingdom? I have heard of them and I do admit I have heard they have wondrous techniques and people of my profession are readily accepted, but isn't their strength a little too weak to guarantee our safety?

As far as I know, they don't have a palace realm cultivator.." said Ma Yuan with some hesitation in his tone.

Safety was paramount to him now.

"When it comes to strength, mmh, well they are in the territory of a rank 3 sect who they have a relationship with even if it's thin at best. 

And I'm not afraid to tell you the Spiritual Temperance Sect while on paper could be considered a rank 3 sect, it has a domain expert, and their territory had a few situations recently that will force them to be vigilant, so this is the time to move there.

Other than that, the Order will be building a branch there and it will more than likely be placed within the territory of the Summerfield Kingdom. 

Among the numerous organizations located within the territory of the Spiritual temperance sect, the Summerfield Kingdom is the only one we have a deep relationship with.

Also while the Summerfield Kingdom may not yet have a palace realm cultivator, i feel in the near future, it won't be that way.." said Yang Qing with a mysterious smile.

He still remembered the strange farm he passed through as he was making his way to the capital.

"Will they accept me as I am?" asked Ma Yuan.

With all the points laid out by Yang Qing, the Summerfield kingdom had met all the criteria and worries he had, now there was only the problem of worth. 

Someone with a crippled cultivation would always be shunned and looked at with scorn wherever they went.

"You shouldn't worry about that. Your body still holds the strength of a core formation expert, and your gold body is an added advantage.

Besides to them, your value as a herbologist matters more to them than your strength. The only thing you need to ask yourself is if your skills are good enough, which I think they are.." said Yang Qing with a smile.

Ma Yuan went silent as countless thoughts flashed in his eyes before he finally decided that Summerfield Kingdom would be their next home.

"The debt I owe you just keeps growing.." he said with a joking laugh.

"Well if you want to pay me, how about this, I've been planning to improve my backyard and add all sorts of plants mostly those with edible fruits and ones, that can be inhabited by creatures. Maybe you can help me with that..." said Yang Qing as he pointed toward his backyard.

"If you don't find my skills beneath it, I would be glad to.."

"It's a deal..Have this, you can use it to come and go as you please.." Yang Qing said as he handed a green wooden medallion to Ma Yuang who accepted it like it was some treasure.

Yang Qing went on to show him his backyard, which made Ma Yuan suck in a breath of cold air because the wild vegetation growing despite being unattended was of high quality.

Yang Qing explained a few of his ideas and left it to Ma Yuan to add a few of his own, giving him free rein to arrange things how he wanted.

After he was done, he left the eager Ma Yuan examining his backyard with his spirit as a farmer slowly reigniting.

Many years later when Ma Yuan became a renowned blue-grade herbologist, he would look fondly at his time in Yang Qing's backyard, and how it was the impetus for his transformation in so many ways.