Daily life of a cultivation judge-Chapter 1103 - Hopefully it doesn’t come to that
1103: Hopefully it doesn’t come to that
1103: Hopefully it doesn’t come to that
His eyes and thoughts remained fixed on Zhu Fa’s slip.
Despite having little information or context to work with—like searching for a needle in a haystack—Yang Qing moved to one of the shelves in his office and pulled out a scroll.
He carried it back to his desk with a focused expression.
Wearing an attentive look, he removed the scroll from its tube and spread it across the table.
It was a map.
“The Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire should be around here…” Yang Qing murmured thoughtfully.
Using his right index finger, he traced diagonally across the map, scanning intently until his finger stopped at the southwestern portion.
His gaze lit up as it landed on a spot a few centimeters away from where his finger rested.
“There it is!”
“Hmm, I wonder if there’s anything interesting nearby…” he muttered, deep in contemplation.
A faint golden light suddenly enveloped three of his fingers—his index, middle, and thumb.
As soon as the light appeared, Yang Qing pressed the glowing fingers against the map, specifically on the region marked as the Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire, and spread them outward, almost as if he were stretching the scroll itself.
What happened next was remarkable.
The section of the map representing the Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire, previously no larger than a berry and labeled only with the empire’s name in tiny script, expanded dramatically.
The once minuscule region grew to the size of a melon, revealing intricate details that had been hidden before
The section of the map highlighting the Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire’s territory came to life, appearing more vivid and detailed.
Provinces within the empire emerged, along with its natural features: long, winding rivers that crisscrossed multiple provinces, sprawling mountain ranges, and expansive forests.
At the center of it all stood a large lapis lazuli sculpture of a turtle, its intricate design gleaming with lifelike clarity.
The features were so vivid that one could almost feel the cool breeze flowing along the rivers, hear their gentle currents, and catch the refreshing, earthy scent of the forests.
Yang Qing nodded slightly, satisfied with the level of detail revealed.
His fingers moved beyond the boundaries of the Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire, pressing onto the territories of neighboring powers.
He repeated the same motion, his golden-lit fingers spreading outward as he enlarged those regions on the map.
As before, the areas he touched transformed.
The territories expanded, revealing intricate details and lifelike features.
Rivers flowed as if alive, forests swayed with an imagined breeze, and the once-static sections of the map now seemed vibrant and dynamic.
With the map fully expanded and its depictions clear, Yang Qing leaned closer to examine the details, focusing on the regions bordering the Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire.
“The Jian Clan, Azure East Cloud Kingdom, the Ocean Vortex Shield Talisman Manor…” he muttered, his gaze shifting across the newly revealed locations.
The Jian Clan was located to the west of the Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire, the Azure East Cloud Kingdom lay to the north, and the Ocean Vortex Shield Talisman Manor bordered it to the east. freewёbnoνel.com
Of the three, only the Ocean Vortex Shield Talisman Manor differed in rank.
Both the Jian Clan and the Azure East Cloud Kingdom were rank-three organizations of similar strength to the Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire, though not as ancient.
The Ocean Vortex Shield Talisman Manor, on the other hand, was a rank-two organization, having ascended to that status less than fifty years ago.
Yang Qing tried to sift through his memory for any relevant information about these three places, but nothing stood out that could hint at Zhu Fa’s likely destination.
After a few minutes of fruitless deliberation, Yang Qing sighed in defeat.
He moved to return the scroll to its tube but hesitated, his gaze lingering on the map.
“Forget it.
Maybe something will come to me later,” he muttered, choosing to leave the scroll open on his desk with the zoomed-in territories of the four organizations still visible.
Casting one last glance at the map, Yang Qing redirected his attention to the soul lantern, letting out a reluctant sigh.
Despite his confidence in his deductive abilities, there simply wasn’t enough information to work with.
No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t pinpoint Zhu Fa’s true destination.
On paper, none of the four territories stood out—especially for someone likely on the run—unless Zhu Fa had a specific connection to someone within those regions.
In particular, the Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire and the Ocean Vortex Shield Talisman Manor seemed like poor choices for anyone trying to lay low.
Both places were constantly teeming with cultivators from across the continent, making them terrible hiding spots for anyone seeking to stay under the radar.
The Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire, true to its name, was a nation rich in lapis lazuli mines.
These unique deposits produced lapis lazuli with properties that made it an exceptional primary ingredient for crafting talismans.
Ink made from this mineral significantly enhanced the stability of talismans and increased the amount of force they could contain.
Talisman makers particularly valued its stability, as it directly influenced the success rate of crafting talismans—a process that was notoriously resource-intensive.
Even the slightest error during crafting would destroy all the materials used, resulting in significant losses.
Anything that could mitigate such risks was highly sought after, which explained why the Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire was constantly bustling with talisman makers and merchants eager to secure its valuable resources.
This precious resource also explained the proximity of the Ocean Vortex Shield Talisman Manor, a prominent organization specializing in talisman creation.
Their relationship with the empire spanned nearly 50,000 years, a deeply rooted partnership where the two entities supported one another’s growth.
This collaboration endured even as the manor advanced in strength, eventually producing a domain expert and elevating itself to a rank-two organization.
Known for their expertise in crafting defensive and restorative talismans—such as healing talismans—the Ocean Vortex Shield Talisman Manor’s territory saw an even greater influx of cultivators than the empire’s.
Cultivators from all walks of life flocked there, drawn by the opportunity to acquire talismans.
To cultivators, talismans were akin to an additional life.
Whether a powerful expert, a lowly cultivator, a rogue wanderer, or one backed by an organization, every cultivator relied on talismans, underscoring their immense importance in the cultivation world.
This was why Yang Qing struggled to envision Zhu Fa seeking refuge in those two territories.
If someone was trying to avoid detection or escape pursuit, they would naturally steer clear of places teeming with people—exactly the kind of environment the manor and the empire offered.
Regions bustling with trade and overflowing with visitors from all corners of the continent were also hotspots for information brokers and intelligence organizations.
The more people gathered in one place, the more information circulated, and for brokers, nothing was more valuable than rumors of someone acting suspiciously—someone who looked like they were hiding or on the run.
Information brokers could sniff out such individuals with the precision of a predator hunting vulnerable prey within a herd.
If Ming Wa and Zhu Fa were acting rationally, they should have avoided the Turtle Lapis Lazuli Empire and the Ocean Vortex Shield Talisman Manor like the plague.
Yet, one of those regions appeared in their travel plans.
To Yang Qing, unless one had a death wish, the only reason to gamble on visiting such high-traffic regions was if something critical to their escape or survival was located there.
But try as he might, Yang Qing couldn’t deduce what it could be.
With Ming Wa refusing to share any information and Zhu Fa still missing, the pieces of the puzzle remained frustratingly out of reach.
For now, all he could do was wait and hope that the mounting pressure of time would force Ming Wa to break her silence finally.
If she didn’t, Yang Qing had already decided to give her three days.
After that, if she still refused to reveal what she was hiding, he would have no choice but to send her to the special inquisitors who were experts in extracting information from even the most unwilling, hardened, and tight-lipped individuals.
“Hopefully it doesn’t come to that,” Yang Qing muttered under his breath, releasing yet another sigh before shifting his focus back to the soul lantern.
A tranquil look settled over his face as his eyes slowly transformed into twin full moons.
His hair turned a brilliant white, and his skin took on a luminous quality, resembling polished milk jade instead of its usual dawn-like complexion with its earthy smoothness.
From his moonlit eyes, an ethereal, archaic mist—resembling the fog of a serene night—began to flow.
The white mist wavered, formless and serene, drifting toward the soul lantern.
Upon contact with the dark grey flame flickering gently within, the mist vanished into nothingness.
“Mmh, this yin energy is much more frigid than others I’ve encountered,” Yang Qing muttered, his tone contemplative.
“Not quite on the level of Feng Xin’s in terms of purity or versatility, but in density…
it feels heavier and far more expansive.”
He tilted the soul lantern closer, narrowing his gaze.
His pupils glimmered with inscrutable runes, mirrored by faintly glowing patterns that flickered across his fingers.
“It feels like I’m staring into a frigid abyss…
but it’s not quite that,” Yang Qing murmured, his brow furrowing slightly as he studied the grey flames more intently.
After a moment, his expression shifted as if realization had dawned.
“The vast sky, perhaps,” he said softly, his eyes flashing with a gentle, otherworldly light as more of the white mist poured from him into the soul lantern.
“Yes, the sky feels more fitting than an abyss,” he continued with a faint nod.
“Though it’s frigid and boundless, unlike an abyss, I sense…
life within it.” His tone held a curious mix of certainty and uncertainty as if he were grasping at the edges of something yet elusive.
“It doesn’t seem to be coming from Bai Chen,” Yang Qing finally said, setting the soul lantern back on the table.
He stepped back, allowing his gaze to widen, hoping that a broader perspective might provide the insight he sought.
“Then what?” he murmured, holding his chin as he sank into deep contemplation.
He stayed that way for nearly ten minutes, his brows knit in thought, before finally stirring.
Reaching out, he picked up the soul lantern.
“Senior Ren Shu might have an idea,” Yang Qing said quietly as he stored the lantern away.
He then reached into his sleeve and retrieved a wooden token engraved with the words ‘Ren Shu’ and ‘Medical Valley.’
Activating the teleportation rune at the center of his office, Yang Qing simultaneously channeled a small amount of his spiritual essence and qi into the token.
The wooden token emitted an azure-green smoke, gentle and brimming with vitality.
The smoke spread outward, enveloping the activated teleportation rune and subtly altering some of its glyphs in the process.
A moment later, Yang Qing vanished, reappearing within Ren Shu’s private courtyard in the Medical Valley.
