“Yang Qing…Yang Qing…..SUPERIOR CORE COURT JUDGE YANG!!!” Mao Yunru called out to Yang Qing to try to get him out of his stupor. 𝙚𝙙𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙚𝙡.𝙤𝙧𝒈

She had to hit him with a water spell to get him back from his confused state.

“Huh, where am I?” Yang Qing muttered with confusion in his eyes. He had gone off on a mind spin, picturing all sorts of worst-case scenarios of what Supervisor Lei Weiyuan meant with his last statement.

Based on his years of personal experience with the person, he knew his imagination would definitely fall short of what the old demon would do to him.

“Yi Jie, why didn’t you stop me? You know how much we have suffered under that monster’s hands.” Yang Qing suddenly shot a death glare at Yi Jie who currently had a gloating unconcerned smile on his face.

“I’m sorry Yang Qing, I too was caught up admiring your feats and selfless sacrifice to the Order. No wonder you’re one of the youngest judges to be promoted as a palace court judge. A true role model. I’m deeply honored to be…..sniff sniff….. an inquisitor under your court.” Yi Jie was even choking up with emotions towards the end.

“Ppfthahahaha” a soft laugh echoed around the empty courtroom. It came from Mao Yunru who had tried all she could to stifle the laughter but couldn’t. She couldn’t believe Yi Jie, who usually had a solemn respectable face out there, was busy mocking his boss.

“Yi Jie you..you!!!” Yang Qing shakily pointed at Yi Jie with embarrassment and anger in his tone when suddenly in the middle of his mini outburst he had a complete switch in his demeanor. He seemed like he had zoned out for a second before a calm smile was soon on his face.

“You know Yi Jie, my most loyal inquisitor, I Just remembered something interesting.”

Yang Qing threw a crescent-eyed smile at Yi Jie.

Yi Jie got a sudden deep sense of evil foreboding from Yang Qing’s change in behavior. He could even have sworn he saw a silhouette of a purple ram-horned viper appearing behind Yang Qing. It made him involuntarily shrink back as he gulped.

“What could Yang Qing be planning? Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter because he can’t make me do whatever Supervisor Lei Weiyuan has in store for him. I have a right to ….re….” His thoughts started trailing towards the end as his pupils constricted with deep shock written all over his face.

“Seems like you’ve realized it as well. As astute as ever, that’s why you’re one of the finest inquisitors out there. Nothing gets past you.” Yang Qing’s whole aura had changed at this moment. He seemed like a seasoned cultivator who was filled with boundless wisdom that could pierce through the Time dao. See the present, future, and past of someone.

Yang Qing walked slowly from his podium with rhythmic steps. He even used the Mountain Crushing Steps move as he was walking to ensure the sounds of his steps echoed loudly throughout the courtroom. He stopped at the center of the courtroom, his back facing Yi Jie, as he stared upwards to a nonexistent sky with a solemn look on his face.

“Yi Jie we have come up from the lower ranks together. What haven’t we seen and experienced throughout the past couple of years? We have walked through fire, swords, poisons, and curses, but we weathered through.

It was also due to my unveiled passion for justice and wanting to do more, that the higher-ups like Lei Weiyuan noticed that passion and drive in me and bestowed me with more work.

The Order gives 5 revocation chances to an inquisitor which gives them the option to reject their judge’s orders, especially if it’s either too dangerous or is overworked. This was to create balance and prevent misuse in the Order. Because of the burden thrown on me by the Order, I begged them to add you more chances to which they acquiesced and added 5 more. You’re the only inquisitor with 10 revocation chances.”

Yang Qing went silent for a bit, purely for dramatic effect and to make sure his count was right for what he was about to say next.

“Yi Jie you have already used your 10 revocation chances. I know you are glad that you’ve used them because of your deep sense of responsibility and your admiration for me. Just like you’ve said, you’re deeply HONORED to be my inquisitor after all.

Well then, Yi Jie, this court needs you now for the great mission Lei Weiyuan is about to bestow upon us. I know you will not refuse and it’s not because you have no revocation chances left or a fear that you may lose if you tried to fight me on this on account of my recent boost in strength.

No…No..No… I know you will do this because the same flames of justice that burn in me, also burn in you. Let’s blaze forward my friend.” Yang Qing slowly turned from his position as he gently touched the shoulders of his ‘friend’ whose mouth was widely gaping at this moment.

All that was running through Yi Jie’s mind was how he had even used up all his revocation chances. Before Yang Qing became a judge there were no revocation chances for inquisitors.

However, all that changed the moment Yang Qing’s devious sloth nature was revealed. He unashamedly swamped his inquisitors with all his workload with him only doing the bare minimum. The higher-ups soon noticed and he was severely punished. This however opened their eyes to a potential problem with the running of the Order. If not addressed who knows how many Yang Qings would take advantage of their inquisitors and end up causing a rift in the administration.

Thus the revocation orders were established and the duel challenge. These rules were soon added under the Judges’ and inquisitors’ rule of conduct and implemented immediately.

Since Yang Qing was the root of all this, of course, he was justly rewarded for his part in this. His inquisitors got two times the rest of what others had.

Yi Jie had heard that once the order was released, Yang Qing in typical fashion went and begged the higher-ups as he had said before but the true motive for his begging was where the discrepancy lay. He incessantly complained at how unfair the new rules were and how the inquisitors were always begging to do more and that the new order will dampen the flames of service and justice in their hearts.

He got ruthlessly rejected and was added more work on top of his monstrous pile, for his efforts. He was told the additional workload given to him was so he could carry the flaming torch of service and justice on behalf of his inquisitors.

Yi Jie and the rest of the inquisitors under Yang Qing were ecstatic upon hearing the new rules, and Yang Qing being given additional work, was just icing on the cake. Especially, the rule about the duel, they were all the more anxious to give Yang Qing a beating. Yang Qing just had that face and character, that you couldn’t help but want to beat. The duel had given them an official outlet for their well-concealed urges. Therefore even with revocation chances on hand, they chose the violent route.

They were all swiftly knocked out without a chance at retaliation. They later found out, much to their surprise that Yang Qing had in fact held back to cause as little damage to them as possible, as he was worried they would use injuries as an excuse to escape work. Thinking they were as shameless as he was, in looking for schemes to escape work.

Yang Qing like the vindictive gentleman he was, endlessly mocked them after the beating as he added more work to them. With no way to beat him in the short term, the revocation chances became an important resource and weapon to them especially in getting back at Yang Qing.

It felt even more satisfying than they had expected, every time they used one of their 10 chances to make Yang Qing do something by himself. The look Yang Qing gave them was priceless.

This led to the current situation. Yi Jie during the past 3 months had repeatedly used his chances just to annoy Yang Qing and gloat at his misfortune. He didn’t see the need to hold onto any of them since only a week was left. But now here they were. Yang Qing would surely drag him into whatever Lei Weiyuan had planned and he couldn’t refuse. As for challenging Yang Qing, it was always a hard-fought battle when they were both at the core formation realm, but now that Yang Qing had already taken the leap to the palace realm, the odds were slim to none that he would win.

“Well then Mao Mao, what do we have for today?” asked Yang Qing as he made his way to his chair with a triumphant smile on.

Mao Yunru could only shake her head at what just happened as she tossed a white jade slip toward Yang Qing, as she explained its contents.

“The cases today aren’t that many. You have the dispute between the Sect master of Green fog swamp sect and their sect guardian, the emerald leaf cow.

A 3-way conflict between a sect, its core disciple, and a merchant organization that is after the sect because of the huge debts they haven’t repaid.

Destruction of the furniture in the Earthvine restaurant by 3 cultivators at the core stage who refuse to pay,

and lastly suing of the falling meteor blacksmith shop for selling a defective sky rank sword to an itinerant cultivator at the peak of core formation realm.”

During the report, Yang Qing inserted his spiritual consciousness into the white jade slip that had further in-depth details of the cases. Unlike other jade slips, the white jade slips didn’t disintegrate into dust upon use.

“Okay then let us start. Yi Jie, open the doors and let the sect master of green fog swamp sect in together with the Emerald leaf cow. We will start with them first. “