Chapter 813 Shadow of the Red Maple Empire (1)

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.

"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.."