Chapter 471 Guest at the table
After finishing up with the Judicial Review Committee, since it was still just noon, he decided to pass by the Thousands Flavor Restaurant.
"Is Cao Ying not around.."
When Yang Qing arrived at the restaurant he noticed that Cao Ying was absent and now there were two new faces.
It was a young girl and a young boy both 14 years of age.
From the stability of their auras, their cultivation base that was at the early stages of the foundation realm, Yang Qing knew they were other students from the Insitute doing the work program, same as Cao Ying, who had more likely gone back to the Institute with his three-month long break over.
"Senior brother Cao Ying already left, but before he did, he left as instructions on all his regulars. Though we are still immature, we will try our best to serve you.." said the 14-year-old boy with enthusiasm as though he had received an imperial edict.
"There's no need for that.." Yang Qing said with a small laugh.
He had once been like that, in fact, he had been worse in his early fawning bootlicking days, when he was just starting out.
"What's your name?"
"I'm Shao Da, senior Yang Qing.." said the 14-year-old boy as he cupped his fists.
"Well, Shao Da, nice to meet you.." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists back in greeting, which came as a shock to the young Shao Da.
"I'll have shredded pork with sweet bean sauce and a pot of jasmine tea..I'll have it there.." Yang Qing said as he pointed at his regular seating spot which was conveniently empty.
Shao Da acknowledged the greeting and speedily went to the Kitchen, his enthusiasm unabated. He even went to the extent of using the swallow crane movement technique to move about.
Yang Qing couldn't help but shake his head at the scene.
He nodded in greeting to the faces around him as he made his way to his seat.
At this time, Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge, Kang Huilang, Xia Boqin, and Yu Huifeng should have been at the restaurant having their meals.
It was a habit they had created ever since they started working as judges. They'd spare time, if possible at noon, and have their meals together. But at this moment, none of them was available.
Yang Qing guessed Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge were getting their affairs in order in preparation for the one-month-long break given by the Judicial Review Committee, to take care of the issues caused by today's events. As for the remaining three, they had all left for the tribulation mountain for their breakthroughs to the palace realm.
If they went by Yang Qing's timeline, they would be absent for three to four months to successfully break through and stabilize their cultivation realms.
"Hopefully Yi Jie will be out by that time.." thought Yang Qing, as his thoughts started to slowly drift to today's events.
At first, it was just on the areas he could have improved on, but inevitably his mind went to the dead members of the sect, from the innocent ones to the guilty ones.
He wondered if the founder had once been a nice person, but was beguiled by the mastermind behind the red abyssal thorn tree.
He wondered how she met him, why she did the things she did, and how the other sect members just went along with whatever she was doing.
"Things maybe would have gone a different path if just one of them would have chosen the right thing. Maybe things would have not reached this point..."
Though Yang Qing knew deep down his thoughts were just wishful thinking. From the moment the mastermind of the red abyssal thorn tree appeared in the sect founder's life, the fate of the Ice Emerald Sect had already been sealed.
With that person's means, especially as a soul formation expert, they could have brainwashed the entire sect into doing their bidding if they so wished. It was as easy as blinking to them.
Yang Qing let out an exhausted sigh as he decided to close his eyes in an effort to rest his mind and silence the voices and the pictures in his mind, and the endless what-ifs scenarios that were playing in his mind to no end.
He opened them a few minutes later when his stomach rumbled as a result of the wafting tantalizing scent of the food being cooked up in the kitchen.
A small smile appeared on his face at the thought of the shredded pork and sweet bean sauce about to be brought over.
However, when he opened his eyes his pupils froze in shock when he discovered there was someone seated opposite to him, staring at him with a worried look which they hurriedly tried to cover up when they saw Yang Qing open his eyes.
"Mao Mao...How long have you been here?" Yang Qing asked as he stared at the beautiful young lady seated opposite to him who had her long hair tied and hanging over her left chest, the unique purple big limpid eyes that had revolving clouds in them.
Yang Qing remembered how tongue-tied he was the first time they interacted when she had been chosen to be his understudy to take over his courtroom in preparation for him leaving for the palace courts.
Those eyes were mesmerizing and captivating, while her demeanor was heavenly, but that picture was swiftly ruined when he discovered her secret quirky hobby as an out-of-control gossip hoarder.
"How have you been?" he softly asked.
Whatever else, he had to admit Mao Yunru was absolutely stunning.
Mao Yunru blushed slightly at Yang Qing's slight gentle admiring gaze.
How does this lazy oaf always manage to get me this flustered? Luckily he is too dense to notice, otherwise, he would never let me live it down, knowing his shamelessness.
Mao Yunru hurriedly recomposed herself, covertly before she engaged Yang Qing.
"I've been good...Have you just come back?" even though she tried to control it, she couldn't hide the worry in her tone.
"Yeah about an hour or so now.." Yang Qing said with an air of melancholy around him.
Mao Yunru didn't know what to say next. She felt like she couldn't ask how he was doing, because clearly he wasn't doing well, and asking that question, felt like she would be digging more into his wounds.
Luckily for her Yang Qing saved her the awkwardness of finding the right words with his next words.
"Thank you for worrying, Mao Mao.." he said with a thankful smile.
"Well, I have to. I do owe world canvas Yang Qing after all, for all the pearls of wisdom he shared with me on being an excellent judge.." she said, which drew a laugh from them both.
Shao Da came by moments later with Yang Qing's order of shredded pork with sweet bean sauce, and jasmine tea.
Mao Yunru was surprised when Yang Qing asked her to order whatever she wanted. In the months they worked together, it was the first time he had been that generous. Usually, he'd buy them the cheapest meal within reason, which usually cost a middle-grade spirit stone at most.
"Must be because of all the gifts he got the other day.." she enviously thought as she imagined how many scoops of juicy information she could get with just a tiny amount of what Yang Qing had received on the day of his ceremony.
"I must qualify for the palace courts too.." she thought with renewed vigor as her eyes burned with resolve.
"What's wrong with her? Is it because I offered to buy her a meal?" Yang Qing puzzledly thought as he saw Mao Yunru's strange look.
"I guess I mistreated them a bit.." he ruefully thought as he rubbed his nose in embarrassment.
He made a silent note to do better, and treat his team to good food every once in a while, well everyone except Feng Xin. He wasn't nearly paid enough to be able to afford that bottomless eating calamity.
A whole hour quickly passed by with the two sharing laughs, meals, and stories though it was mostly Mao Yunru sharing her stories, from the cases she got, or other weird stories she had come across from around the continent, courtesy of her local information dealer.
In that whole hour, Yang Qing felt unburdened. It was like he had been transported to a different realm where he was unburdened by tens of thousands of lives he had taken earlier in the day.
Alas, the time got cut, when Mao Yunru had to go back to her courtroom to resume the cases she had left. Yang Qing deeply thanked her for her company as she went away leaving him behind to finish the last pot of jasmine tea he had left.
"I guess I'll need to visit home regularly during this period while keeping in touch with Feng Xin and the rest.."
Yang Qing intended to hide himself away for the month and later until he felt more like himself, but his interaction with Mao Yunru, changed all that. If he hoped to be better, he couldn't hide away.
After he finished his meal, Yang Qing left, with Shao Da giving him a zealous energetic goodbye.
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