Yang Qing threw himself backward on his chair in a dramatic fashion as he stretched his back and neck.

“Now we are only left with one case for the day before we can close for the day. These cases always leave me drained more than cultivating at times. I can’t wait to move to the palace courts, life should be freer there.” Yang Qing grumbled as he closed his eyes while laying back lazily on his chair.

“The days are getting that much closer to your ceremony. Are you nervous about it? A lot of bigshots around will be presented both from within the Order and guests from outside. It will be a whole fan fair and you will be at the center of it. You will also be expected to give this deep touching speech too,” Mao Yunru said as she shook her head at Yang Qing’s despondent look. She had never seen anyone who took every chance he got to turn the courtroom into his bedroom.

“Nope, I’m not worried at all. It’s a great opportunity for people out there to soak my radiant personality and stellar character. Who knows the Order might just reward me handsomely for highlighting how it never lacks astonishing world-defying talents.

I hope they reward me with shorter work hours, fewer cases, better pay and benefits, a high-grade seat that can serve as a bed, and improvements on the formation array carved in my residence and carriage.

The time-altering arrays….It’s been a dream of mine to gain the skill to craft it. Time is not known as one of the supreme daos for nothing. All these years of experimentation and study and I still haven’t scratched the surface.

How I wish I could make the world a better place with those arrays,” Yang Qing sighed as he gave the look of a hero troubled by his inability to save the world.

Mao Yunru was left twitching at Yang Qing’s display and words.

“Make the world a better place? How can this guy say all that with a straight face when we all know and he even admitted it himself on more than one occasion? The only reason he is interested in those arrays is to slow down time in his abode and carriage so he could sleep more. Some world-saving ambition this is,” Mao Yunru snidely thought.

“Mao Mao how does it feel to be close to reuniting with your inquisitors again after spending the last few months apart as my judicial assistant,” Yang Qing lazily asked.

“I don’t feel any different. We see each other every day after work or during lunch ..it’s not like they got transferred anywhere but I do miss having them in the courtroom with me.

It’d be nice to be around a normal courtroom with normal people for a change,” Mao Yunru innocently said.

“What do you mean normal are you trying to say we are not normal Mao Mao!!?” Yang Qing suddenly got up from his lazy posture and bashed his hands on his podium as he stared at Mao Yunru with an aggrieved look of someone falsely accused.

“Yes, that is what I’m trying to say. We have one person who spends almost all his time and effort scheming how to do less work which ironically ends up with him doing more work and he never learns. Then we have the head inquisitor who I thought was the only normal one of the bunch only to discover he wasn’t. Just like his boss, he schemes all day trying to get his boss caught in his troublemaking schemes only for him to get punished along with his boss. Despite how much he suffers alongside him he still does the same thing over and over in trying to get his boss in trouble and that is without even mentioning how he would put everything aside at the drop of a hat all for the sake of making wine including missing work. 𝒷𝒹ℴ𝓿𝓁.𝓬𝓸𝓂

Then there is another guy who puts his appetite above everything else. There’s nothing he won’t do for food as it even has a higher priority than his own well-being.

There is the lady who looks gentle but deep down she has a scary sadistic side that is in stark contrast with her gentle side. Sometimes I can’t even tell which part is the real her and which one is the impostor.

Then there is the young battle fanatic. It would be one thing if he just purely loved fighting but the person in question for some reason enjoys fights in which he is soundly defeated more than ones in which he wins in fact he is usually in a depressed mood if he wins overwhelmingly in a fight.

And now the last member in this party of weirdoes who spends all her days talking to her spear like it’s a close relative of hers and she even tries to feed it.

Yes, Yang Qing you and your team are a bunch of weirdoes. I can never track your thinking and it’s always just a hurdle just to keep up. The Order needs to pay me hazard pay for all I’ve endured, I’ll be lucky if I don’t develop mental demons of you all.

How did a team end up purely of odd people like yours?” Mao Yunru couldn’t help but curiously ask.

“Mmph odd people? What do you know? We are just a group of talented individuals with unique interests who are not afraid to show it and be true to ourselves. Besides we are among the few teams known to have two gold cores in the same team and 2 quasi gold cores. There aren’t many teams as powerful as ours or a record such as ours where a gold core cultivator defeated a purple core cultivator. You’ve personally experienced Yi Jie’s battle proficiency, haven’t you?

As for the things you mentioned Yi Jie is one of the finest wine brewers that even the higher-ups book his collection, Feng Xin can sniff quality ingredients anywhere. There is a reason those restaurants put him on their blacklists on and off. There are certain ingredients they can only get through him.

Luo Meili is one of the finest beast tamers around who in a few years may very well become a gold-grade tamer. You know how many times those sneaky tamers have tried to poach her.

Zheng Hu may only have a quasi-gold core but he can go toe to toe with any gold core and taking those beatings has made him the person who has the highest survival adaptability, especially against stronger opponents. It’s the reason he is a part-time instructor plus I think that kid has already found his dao and it’s only a matter of time till he breakthrough to the palace stage once his accumulations are enough and he is satisfied with it

As for the last member of our team well I can’t defend her she is an oddity but she is the only one whose spiritual sea can almost match mine despite being in the late stages of the core formation realm. Chief Song said she has a special affinity with artifacts which might explain her behavior.

But who doesn’t talk with their weapon every now and then? I find myself sharing a deep conversation with the purple glow bamboo growing in my backyard. They are the best listeners. I always feel better after sharing my day with them.

But you know Mao Mao you shouldn’t throw stones. Not like you’re the picture of normalcy either you nosey hound. You think I don’t know you spend half your income in information organizations to dig up any weird rumors or juicy stories floating around the continent.

Hehehehe you have to know there must have been a reason you were made my judicial assistant other than me being a gifted mentor unparalleled in the conduct of my duties there had to be other factors too like YOU ARE ONE OF US,” Yang Qing said as he smiled ominously.

“You, how did you know?” Mao Yunru asked with a dumbfounded expression as her voice raised a few levels in shock and apprehension.

“You work in a place full of judges and inquisitors, it’s not hard to find certain things out. Oh yeah and one of the information brokers you deal with among the more than dozen information organizations you patron is a friend of Kang Huilang. They let it slip when they were drinking together and later Kang like a dutiful friend and gossiper let it slip to us. I can’t say I was surprised though when I heard. Someone who is around you a lot would see the signs,” Yang Qing mischievously laughed especially when he saw Mao Yunru’s face redden in embarrassment.

“Can we move on to the next case,” Mao Yunru said through her gritted teeth as she turned her face away from Yang Qing’s victorious laughter.

“This guy truly has a gift for riling people up and making them want to punch him,” Mao Yunru thought as a dangerous glint flashed through her eyes.

Yang Qing didn’t try to tempt fate by teasing her some more as he decided to swiftly focus on the matter at hand which was the last case of the day.