"The case concerning the Ice Emerald sect and Ma Yuan aside we have completed all investigation in two cases, you can decide which to start with.."Yu Gen said as he passed two other jade talismans to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing smiled in gratitude because he knew it was Yu Gen's way of deflecting his attention from the tough decision that was waiting for him.
"How long will it take to have everything?" Yang Qing asked before taking the two talismans.
"Shouldn't be more than three days to confirm everything, after that it will be up to you on how to proceed.." Yu Gen answered with a sigh.
"Three days ..." Yang Qing said as he looked at the ceiling of the garden herb restaurant with a lost look.
"I'm sorry Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge...I will have to shamelessly ask you bare this infamy with me.." he thought to himself.
A minute later he shook his head free of those ominous thoughts and went through the two talismans.
The cases were rather simple and straightforward unlike Ma Yuan's case, which was a welcome relief to him.
One of the cases was between a rank 4 sect called the Silver Blade sect, which had fallen into a disagreement with an itinerant cultivator who had just broken through to the palace realm.
The dispute was a theft case in which the Silver Blade sect were the perpetrators, though out of fear for their lives, they were the ones who had brought the case forward to the Order to have them mediate on their behalf.
The dispute was rather straightforward and Yang Qing felt the two roaming inquisitors had done a thorough job on it. With the information he had on hand, the verdict for the case was as clear as day.
The other case involved a restaurant that was owned by a palace realm expert in the second stage.
Yang Qing's eyes lit up when he saw he had another case involving a restaurant. One of the customers had filed a complaint against the restaurant for selling defective products that resulted in him having complications with his cultivation base.
Just like the case involving the itinerant cultivator and the Silver Blade Sect, Yu Gen and Xia Ting did a thorough job of it, which would make Yang Qing's verdict on the case a lot easier.
He couldn't help but sigh at their work rate. It was just the two of them, and the two cases were in locations that were far apart from each other, but they had managed to dig up everything relevant to the case and the inane stuff, that would help Yang Qing get a rough overview of the parties involved in those cases.
In addition, they also made a lot of headway with Ma Yuan's case which had little clues to go on at the beginning, and the search area was the whole Southern continent.
"Speaking of which..."
"Senior Yu Gen, Senior Xia Ting did the Wind gliding mercenaries provide any information concerning Ma Yuan's case?" Yang Qing suddenly asked.
Yang Qing remembered he had left a piece of the ice shard Ma Yuan had given him with one of their leaders and had even officially commissioned them on the case.
While the Wind Gliding mercenaries were not as big as the Order, they moved around the continent a lot and had formed a lot of connections and goodwill with a lot of people, and were more approachable in comparison to the Order, which even though were respected and liked by those in low organizations, those organizations still feared the Order because of its stature.
There were information and rumors that would be easier for the Wind gliding mercenaries to gain when compared to the Order.
"Yes...it was because of their help that we were able to find clues leading to the Ice emerald sect, and what they have been doing.
Even with what we've found I decided to let them dig further into the case, and see how far the sect has gone.
I hope it's okay?" said Yu Gen.
"No, no, it's okay...I'm just glad they were able to help you..." Yang Qing hurriedly said.
With how bad things were, he was all too glad to have involved the Wind Gliding Mercenaries on the case.
He had 40 million high-grade spirit stones to use for the year, and at this moment he wouldn't fill a pinch even if he paid the whole amount to the Wind Gliding Mercenaries escorts after what they dug on the Ice Emerald Sect.
"Maybe I could have a chat with Yun Wei, and have them handle some of my cases till Yi Jie and the rest breakthrough.." thought Yang Qing.
With a massive manpower shortage, using the Wing Gliding Mercenaries seemed like the only plausible way he could handle his cases without falling behind.
They already showed they had the capabilities for it, Yang Qing wouldn't hesitate to pay premium to gain their services for his cases.
"I guess I'll start with this.." Yang Qing said having decided on the case he would start with.
To avoid the matter behind the Ice Emerald Sect he decided to join Xia Ting in sampling the soups of the Herb Garden soup restaurant.
....
Inside Yang Qing's courtroom
"I can't believe I let Xia Ting goad me into buying five more Urns of merry. That's a thousand middle-grade spirit stones down the drain..."
Yang Qing sat behind his podium with a paled expression as he recollected last night's events.
Somehow he ended up getting suckered by Xia Ting into buying more soup. After last night he swore never to go back there again if Xia Ting was around.
But considering how that was the 'office' of the two roaming inquisitors, he knew he was only kidding himself.
"Luckily I have the presents from the ceremony to keep me afloat. Yi Jie, you better hurry with your breakthrough, and Feng Xin and the rest.
I think from today I will have to handle their training personally. Otherwise, if things keep going like this, I won't have anything by the end of the year. I will be back to my hand-to-mouth days...
No!...No!...No!..That can NEVER happen!!!"
Yang Qing finally felt what it was like to feel flushed with spirit stones. There was no way he would go back to the beggar lifestyle that he lived before he came to the palace courts, where he had to fawn and be shameless just to get enough to fund his hobbies.
"Well, fawning isn't bad. At least I won't be spending my own spirit stones.." Yang Qing shamelessly thought as Yu Gen came in with ten people.
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