Daily life of a cultivation judge

As they walked in, Yang Qing filled Mao Yunru in on his exploits over the past months and the following weeks, before finally finishing with his plans for Ma Yuan.

"If there is anything I can do to help, I would be more than willing to offer it.." Mao Yunru said as they turned the corner past the pond that housed Starlight.

The crab seemed to be at a crucial juncture in his cultivation as he refined the wisdom pearl Yang Qing had handed to him. The starlight crab was surrounded by a colorful water bubble that was flashed with a sharp refracting light.

"I had those thoughts.." said Yang Qing.

"Ma Yuan would need the abilities of your physique to help him master the technique once I come up with it. The purple mind path mist from your purple cloud physique will help lessen the time he needs to learn the art better than any other means I may employ. When the time comes, I will be relying on you, Mao Mao.."

"Mmmh.." Mao Yunru nodded softly with a pleased smile adorning her face that left Yang Qing slightly dazed at how breathtaking it was. He quickly tried to hide it before Mao Yunru noticed it. She would tease him endlessly if she noticed.

Ma Yuan caught sight of them when they were close to the courtyard. He looked to be just about ready to leave with his daughter for the Medical Valley.

Ma Yuan, as always was enthusiastic with his greetings as he sneaked in a few expressions to Yang Qing that only a fellow man would understand. He threw Yang Qing a few smiles here and there as he secretly alternated his gaze between him and Mao Yunru who was striking a conversation with Ma Ling.

The suggestive non-verbal cues that seemed to be saying,

"Yang Qing, I didn't know you had a pretty lady in your life. She yours?"

Yang Qing responded in kind with a humble bragging smile with his nose facing the high heavens.

"Of course she is!!"

After a short exchange, just as Ma Yuan was preparing to leave, Yang Qing said,

"Once you have taken Ma Ling to the valley, could you come back? There are some things I need to discuss with you.."

Noticing the seriousness in Yang Qing's tone, Ma Yuan nodded before he and his daughter left.

"Why don't you just let him stay here as your gardener? Once we become judges and are assigned an abode, we are allowed to have staff to maintain it, should we wish to. The Order can provide, or you can have some entirely of your choosing.." Mao Yunru said as she made herself comfortable on one of the seats next to the fireplace at the front of the courtyard.

Yang Qing took out a jug of wine, poured himself and Mao Yunru a cup, and then took out the dishes he had bought at the two restaurants.

Only after he had taken the first sip, did he answer. A dejected sigh escaped his lips before he did so.

"This place...." Yang Qing paused as he used one of the burning sticks to point around. The stick burned with a blue-orange flame. It left a line of beautiful orange flames as Yang Qing used it to point around him.

"Ma Yuan will never be able to move on as long as he remains here. We helped save his daughter and he somehow feels indebted to us because of it, but, this place, will forever be a reminder of one of his best and worst memories. For them both..." he grimly said

"It was here that I announced his daughter was alive, but it was also here that I told him his wife had died.

This place will be an anchor for those two distinctive memories and if he remained here, he may forever be shackled by them. He needs a new environment, one not mired by all that he has endured for the past seven years.

He and his daughter need a fresh start if they want a chance at truly living their lives way beyond the tragedy they suffered, and they can't do it here.

That's why despite knowing the dangers lurking out there, especially for someone with a crippled cultivation base, I'm still insistent on them going rather than staying here where I could guarantee their safety more or less.." Yang Qing said as he tossed the burning stick into the pit of fire to join its flaming compatriots.

"As safe as this place is, we are surrounded by chaos, Mao Mao. It is why the Order never spares any resources to strengthen us so we can survive and thrive in this chaos. This isn't exactly the best place for someone looking to escape it.

Ma Yuan's and Ma Ling's chances at a better life lie out there. All I can do is ensure they are better equipped to increase their chances of holding onto it.."

There was a part Yang Qing left out and that was, he was also doing it for himself. The guilt he had weighing on him for the death of Ma Yuan's wife had lessened significantly but a bit of it remained.

He knew it was irrational for him to still feel guilty about it, but since when had emotions ever been based on rationality?

He had replayed the entire incident with the Ice Emerald Sect over and over in his mind, and in the end, he concluded there was nothing he could have done differently from what he did. He did wish he had discovered about the misdeeds of the sect a lot sooner but with the resources they had, the timeframe from which he learned everything was the best he could hope for.

Even knowing that, he still beat himself up about it. Though the beating was softer than before. But if Ma Yuan stayed in his abode, would he ever be able to let it go and accept it truly?

Just like how Ma Yuan would probably think of the death of his wife every time he was in Yang Qing's abode because it was the place where the news was first delivered to him, Yang Qing too would be reminded of that incident every time he saw Ma Yuan.

Maybe he was doing it all for himself in helping Ma Yuan start over somewhere else. Regardless of his motives, he truly felt this was the best choice for both of them.

His guilt aside, he still had every intention of checking up on him, even after he left. One of those measures was having the royal family of the Summerfield Kingdom keep tabs on him to ensure his and his daughter's wellbeing, along with other means he had thought of such as roping in the mountain jade serpent into the plan, and should the worst come to happen and the father-daughter had to flee, they could always flee to the former location of the Clear Sword River Sect which had the mountain jade serpent and his arrays and other protective measures he had left in the area.

Yang Qing was pulled from his thoughts when he felt his nose hit by a gentle pleasant fragrance that he was all too familiar with. With his focus back, Yang Qing felt his heart quicken when he saw limpid black eyes with clouds of purple dancing within filled with an endless lust for curiosity, empathy, gentle care, warmth, mystery, and mischief, just inches away from him.

Yang Qing wanted to ask Mao Yunru what she was doing so close to him that he could feel her breath, but his mouth for the first time, failed him. It refused to move, as much as he wished it to.

"Ppfthahaha!! Who knew the greatest expert of the silver tongue dao would one day be tongue-tied? It looks adorable on you, being flustered and all.." Mao Yunru said with a teasing smile as she gleefully took the sight in with a cunning glint in her eyes as she suddenly leaned over, Yang Qing's heart racing, threatening to jump out of his chest the closer she approached his face.

"Is this it?" he wondered.

His thoughts were cut short when Mao Yunru moved past his face to his ear.

"Little Qing, you didn't think I'd be the first to make the move, did you?" she whispered before she returned to her seat smiling cheekily at the bashful Yang Qing.

Only she knew how fast her heart was racing, she could feel her ears ringing, while her palms had already started trembling before she pretended to fix her dress so she could hide it.

"It's my win.." she smugly thought as she did smug air fist pumps in her head. If she wasn't afraid her knees would give out because of how much they were shaking, she would have done it for real. Yang Qing's shamelessness had long rubbed off on her.

Seeing how smug she was, helped Yang Qing settle down.

"Well played Mao Mao.." Yang Qing said as he smiled wryly to which Mao Yunru casually flicked her hair in utter smugness.

The next hour was spent in awkward silence before Ma Yuan finally came back, saving the two. Detecting the awkward atmosphere between the two, Ma Yuan smiled slightly as he tried to excuse himself, but Mao Yunru got up, and said her goodbyes, speeding away immediately after like she was fleeing for dear life.

"Yang Qing, you and.." Ma Yuan grinned ear to ear. His line of question was all too obvious to Yang Qing.

Yang Qing embarrassed by his earlier display, avoided it as he used the remainder of his wine to clear his thoughts and wash away his shame before he finally turned to Ma Yuan offering him the seat opposite him.

"You must be wondering why I called you over. How is Ma Ling's recovery coming along?"

"Faster than expected. Miss Tan Jue estimates it won't be long before her memories start stitching themselves together, and the one-year timeframe may shrink as a result of it.." Ma Yuan said with clear excitement in his tone.

Even though he handled it better than before, he still found it difficult to pretend he was a stranger to Ma Ling so she didn't feel overwhelmed.

Yang Qing nodded as he clasped his hands together.

"Then it won't be long before you have to plan what's next for you both, once she fully regains her memories..."

Ma Yuan's gaze turned solemn when he heard those words. Why he threw himself into the farm work, other than his love for it, was to avoid the gut-wrenching worry he had every time he thought of what next.

The trauma of his wife and daughter being snatched away and him helpless to do anything about it still haunted him.

He couldn't help but wonder what if it happened again. Even with his cultivation base, he was still helpless to do anything. How much more helpless was he now that he was crippled? Could he protect his daughter as he was? As he was lost in the endless trepidation, he heard Yang Qing's voice, like an anchor pulling him out of the storm.

"For the next year, I will train you in every aspect possible, body, mind, spirit. Every part of you will be put to the forger. You may not be able to defeat a palace realm expert at the end of it, but you will be far stronger than you were when you still had your core. I can promise you that and you will also have more ways to protect your daughter.

However, it will not be easy, you will be pushed to extreme bounds. Are you willing to try, Ma Yuan?" Yang Qing softly asked.

Ma Yuan sat there dazed for a second before he shakily asked,

"Iis tHiss True? Will I really be able to protect my daughter?"

"Not against everything, but your means will be much better than before, and provided nothing unexpected happens, you'll also be able to live the entirety of your lifespan and watch her grow.

Besides with more time who knows what the future holds. There are treasures out there known to reform or give someone a new dantian. Who knows but as long as you're willing to live, there's always a chance.."

"I don't dare hope for something so extravagant, but as long as I can take care of Ling'er I am willing to try anything. I accept the offer. Please help me be able to take care of her!" Ma Yuan said as he bowed his head.

"Good, I will. Rest here tonight, and make use of the short reprieve. From tomorrow, your training begins.."

And just like that, a month quickly flew by. Yang Qing researched countless meditation arts for reference as he strived to create one for Ma Yuan.His grandfather and cohorts monitored every single change that happened to Ma Yuan from his treatment, while others like Mao Yunru, and even Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge who passed by joined in to train Ma Yuan's body and mind, and his understanding of his cultivation arts, sharing their own insights in the process.

Ma Yuan had severely underestimated how demanding it would be, but for his daughter's sake, he gritted his teeth and persevered through it all.