Daily life of a cultivation judge
Chapter 1222 - 1222: Introductions (1)

It didn't take long for Haishi to reach the border checkpoint. Upon arriving, Yang Qing dispelled the concealing and isolation spell he'd been using to mask their presence.

He immediately detected the presence of two palace realm experts stationed near the border. In addition to them, there was also a blue-grade formation array inscribed across the walls of the checkpoint.

Maintaining the concealment technique was likely to cause a misunderstanding, especially given the region's current volatility. Whether it was the family head preparing for his breakthrough into the domain realm or the strained treaty between noble territories, tensions were definitely running high in the area.

If Yang Qing continued concealing himself and they discovered him, they'd likely assume he had impure intentions. That meant they'd attack first and ask questions later.

To avoid any complications, he released the spell. The moment he did, he, Haishi, and Bolin were instantly detected by the two palace realm experts, who immediately moved toward them as the low-tier blue-grade formation on the wall activated.

The two experts halted atop the wall, while Yang Qing levitated roughly a hundred meters away from it.

One of them was a woman who appeared to be in her late thirties or early forties. She had long black hair and a fierce expression that matched the sharp aura she radiated. She gave off the impression of an unsheathed saber. Her cultivation was at the first stage of the palace realm.

Next to her stood the other palace realm cultivator Yang Qing had sensed. He appeared to be in his early fifties, with dark grey hair and matching eyes. His build resembled that of a blacksmith—solid and imposing. Where the woman felt like an unsheathed saber, he felt like a weighty mountain. His cultivation was at the third stage of the palace realm, just like Yang Qing.

The report didn't lie, thought Yang Qing as he compared what he'd read about the Wan noble household to what he was seeing now.

Just one of its borders alone had two palace realm experts stationed there. What about the core regions? What kind of protection would they have? And beyond that, the two experts before him, while they didn't have the same level of foundation he did, still had solid foundations, especially the woman. Though she was two minor stages below the middle-aged man beside her, in terms of presence, she didn't lose out in the slightest.

"What's your business here, intruder?" the woman asked coldly. Her voice was just as sharp as her aura.

"My name is Yang Qing, and I am a judge from the Order. As for my purpose… well, a friend of mine went missing here, and I'm looking for clues," Yang Qing explained.

Despite facing a blue-grade formation primed to strike and two palace realm experts, his tone and bearing remained as leisurely as ever.

The same couldn't be said for his two travel companions, who were as pale as could be. That was despite Yang Qing shielding them from the pressure of both the palace realm experts and the low-tier blue-grade formation.

Despite his announcement, the fierce-looking woman's expression didn't ease in the slightest. In fact, she seemed even more suspicious as a willow leaf saber—about 80 centimeters long and as thin as a cicada's wing—appeared in her hand. Her spirit and the saber's merged into one as she looked ready to strike.

The middle-aged man, however, showed no visible reaction. He simply observed Yang Qing with a calm, evaluating gaze.

"Forgive my partner's wariness, fellow daoist, but how do we know you're really from the Order and not just masquerading as one to gain entry?" he asked.

Yang Qing had expected this kind of reaction—he'd dealt with similar situations more than once. Without missing a beat, he retrieved his gold eagle medallion.

"Your suspicions are understandable," he said as he gently tossed the medallion a few meters ahead of him. It came to a stop precisely at the midpoint between him and the wall.

The blue-grade formation and the woman looked moments away from launching an attack, but both held back as the middle-aged man shook his head, silently signaling them to stand down. He then turned a questioning gaze toward Yang Qing.

"You may or may not know him personally," Yang Qing said, "but you've heard of Branch Chief Zou Gen, right?"

We have," the middle-aged man replied with a solemn expression.

The Branch Chief Zou Gen that Yang Qing had mentioned was the head of the Order's branch stationed in the Hunan Kingdom. He wasn't just a branch chief, but was also a domain-level expert, specifically one who was at the third stage of the domain realm.

Hunan Kingdom was quite a way away from Azure Sapphire Kingdom, but not so much for a domain expert. The Azure Sapphire Kingdom, along with other powers that were within a 10,000-kilometer radius of the Hunan Kingdom, fell under the purview of Zou Gen.

As part of his duties, Zou Gen had likely met with all the major powers within the Azure Sapphire Kingdom, just as Yang Qing had done with the royal family and nobles of the Deer Mountain Kingdom during his brief stint as branch chief there.

Zou Gen would have done the same, and would likely have fielded far more visits than Yang Qing had done in Deer Mountain Range, which was why Yang Qing chose to bring up his name to the two palace realm experts.

Even the fierce-looking woman flinched slightly at the mention of Zou Gen's name.

"Then this makes things easier. I'll have him vouch for my identity—that should settle things, right?" said Yang Qing.

"It would," the middle-aged man replied, his expression showing faint signs of unease which revealed itself through the small twitches around his eyes. "Before you contact him, could I call for another senior of mine to be present?" he added cautiously.

"I don't mind. But could I ask why?"

"Well… while I know of Senior Zou Gen, I only know of him. I've never interacted with him personally, so I think it's better to have someone present who has," explained the middle-aged man.

Yang Qing nodded. "Mmh, that makes sense. Please go ahead."

"Thank you for the accommodation," the man said with a fist-cup salute before turning and vanishing into one of the buildings. He reappeared a few minutes later.

"The senior should arrive in no more than five minutes," he announced as he floated back into place.

Yang Qing gave a nod in acknowledgement.

A tense silence stretched for three minutes, broken only when Yang Qing suddenly looked straight ahead. There was nothing visible yet, but he could already sense a powerful presence flying toward them at great speed.

The approaching presence belonged to a palace realm expert, one stronger than himself. If he had to guess based on the fluctuations they released, it was most likely someone in the late stage of the palace realm.

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