Daily life of a cultivation judge Chapter 1519: Sea of troubled minds

Yang Qing and Fei Chen intentionally slowed their pace, wanting the entire crowd to enter the Bluefin Escort Agency before them. What should have taken no more than ten seconds took almost three minutes, and the scene that greeted them upon entering was much as Yang Qing expected.

The hallway, which had seemed cavernous during Yang Qing’s last visit when it was empty save for two escort supervisors and a rattled Xia Fang, now felt cramped, hosting nearly thirty cultivators. There was still ample room to move, but the huddled and gregarious, clearly unnerved cultivators made the hall seem small.

Yang Qing scanned the room, using his spiritual sense and eyes to discreetly examine every cultivator present.

He fully trusted Fei Chen’s assessment; after all, Fei Chen’s Vast Yellow Sand Physique granted him powerful spiritual sense and an inherent sensitivity to anomalies. Moreover, while most cultivators’ spiritual sense would wane with distance, Fei Chen’s physique allowed him to maintain the same clarity regardless of how far his spiritual sense extended from his body.

This unique aspect was part of why the Silver Guards wanted him. In fact, given his clear talents and the innate advantages his physique gave him, which made him naturally suited for the job, the Gold Eagle Guards would have certainly pursued him if not for the fact that one of the minimum requirements for becoming a Gold Eagle Guard was to have a Late Stage Palace Realm Cultivation base.

Yang Qing had no doubt that once Fei Chen reached that stage, the Gold Eagle Division would surely reach out. Perhaps even the illustrious and mysterious Purple Guards.

Yang Qing’s quick but thorough check yielded the same results as Fei Chen’s: Every single person present was in fine health, at least in terms of the states of their bodies, and souls. There was nothing abnormal about them, aside from their unnerved states, which was perfectly understandable given the ordeal they had been through.

After the check, Yang Qing’s attention soon settled on a corner of the hallway, where three people huddled together. They wore different expressions and, judging by their looks, appeared to be communicating via voiceless transmission.

Yang Qing knew two of them: one was a man who looked to be in his late thirties with a refined, scholarly air about him. Anyone could easily mistake him for a Civil Official.

Next to the scholarly-looking gentleman was a lady, also in her early thirties, whose demeanor was the complete opposite of his. She possessed a wild, unrestrained air, which at the moment was overshadowed by concern and unconcealed joy as she lightly touched the shoulder of the person to her right.

She seemed rather self-conscious and restrained in her actions. She would stretch out her hand for a pat, then lightly touch the shoulders, only to hurriedly pull her hand back. However, her hand would return, and by the conflicted look in her eyes, topped off with concern, she looked just about ready to throw herself at the person and hug them. Yet, the self-conscious part of her decided to settle for awkward, on-and-off light pats to the shoulder.

Yang Qing knew the scholar and the lady; they were Duan Ting and Liu Ying, respectively.

It was the person Liu Ying was awkwardly patting whom he didn’t know. However, given her actions, the look of relief on both Duan Ting’s and Liu Ying’s faces, and her Quasi-Palace Stage cultivation base, it wasn’t hard to guess that figure’s identity.

Jiang Hao... Disciple of Bai Chen and the missing Escort Supervisor.

He was garbed in pale yellow robes. Stocky and slightly taller than average, he had a hulking build, short light brown hair, thick eyebrows, an angular chin, and a squarish face. He looked ordinary, neither handsome nor ugly... just unremarkable. If not for his height and build, his face would be easily forgotten in a crowd.

If there was one thing that stood out about him, it was his steadiness. Yang Qing noticed it in his gaze, which perhaps contributed to his unassuming and easily overlooked presence.

He was like a boulder that looked more like a mound of packed earth. As noticeable as it was, it was only truly noticed when someone sought a place to rest; otherwise, it was unlikely to register or leave any lasting impact.

Steadiness in a calm environment could easily go unrecognized, but in a place like this one, so ripe and overflowing with tension, that steadiness became a glaring light.

Yet, despite his composure, Yang Qing could clearly tell he was unnerved. He was simply good at concealing it.

Yang Qing couldn’t blame him. In his shoes, he’d be just as unnerved, if not more so. They might be alive, but being kidnapped was as scary as facing a life-and-death crisis, which they indeed might have been, given they had no say in their fate.

Yang Qing and Fei Chen didn’t immediately approach the trio. Because they had concealed their auras, it was hard for the trio to sense their presence. In a crowd of thirty or so thoroughly shaken cultivators, few had the presence of mind to even notice them with their eyes, with countless others overwhelmed by feelings of fear and gratitude.

Yang Qing and Fei Chen listened in on conversations among those who couldn’t use voiceless transmission due to the limitations of their cultivation realm; there were about nine cultivators in the Qi Refinement realm, a greater majority in the Foundation Establishment Realm, and two figures in the Early Stage of the Core Formation Realm.

Yang Qing eavesdropped on the murmurings of the Qi refinement cultivators, which immediately gave him a lay of the land.

of their conversations, without fail, centered around the same questions:

Can anyone remember anything after the fog swallowed us?

How did we reach that inn?

How are we alive?

They seemed too frightened to care about who was responsible, focusing instead on the mystery of their survival.

Scenarios like theirs were not common. Usually, when kidnapped, if you didn’t end up dead, you’d end up wishing you were. For cultivators, especially lower-realm ones like them, there was no shortage of verifiable tales of individuals in their position being treated as live ingredients for some recipe or cultivation art.

So, very rarely, if ever, had there been a case like theirs, where they had been kidnapped, not even aware of it, and then returned in one piece.

In fact, a good number of them entertained the morbid thought that something had been done to their bodies. While they might seem fine now, perhaps they were incubating something dangerous. Otherwise, why be kidnapped only to be released?

From his observation, Yang Qing felt it wasn’t just the Qi refinement cultivators who harbored such suspicions. Given the pervasive nervousness, the increasingly pale faces, and the subtle self-checks cultivators around were performing (either through discreet flares of their spiritual senses centered on their bodies, or the various potions, pills, and other detoxification and analyzing means they used both covertly and overtly), it was clear they all shared similar suspicions.

It wasn’t long before some of the Qi refinement cultivators suggested visiting the Order for examination.

That suggestion and its growing support weren’t all too surprising to Yang Qing. They were already close to the Order, and the Medical Valley offered subsidized services to external cultivators, with those from low-ranking organizations being the primary beneficiaries. Moreover, this concerned their very lives.

Of course, they’d be itching to go to the Order for inspection. Wasn’t dealing with well-concealed insidious means the bread and butter of the Order?

Some of them looked just about ready to dash there, and only held back because they didn’t want to be the first to move. Yang Qing noticed them unconsciously glance toward Jiang Hao, Duan Ting, and Liu Ying, who appeared to be finishing their discussion. Duan Ting finally had the presence of mind to notice Yang Qing amidst the shaken crowd. Liu Ying’s attention, however, was still on Jiang Hao, whose mind seemed preoccupied, his eyes gazing deeply at the floor.

Duan Ting, ever insightful, didn’t immediately announce Yang Qing’s presence by openly calling out to him.

Instead, he nodded and sent a voiceless transmission: []

Yang Qing smiled subtly and replied, [.]

Duan Ting nodded slightly, bowing his head subtly before turning to Liu Ying and Jiang Hao to inform them of the arrangement. By the time Jiang Hao looked up, suddenly and urgently at that, Yang Qing and Fei Chen had already left the hallway and were by the entrance Duan Ting had mentioned.

After a few seconds, the door opened, and Jiang Hao, who had opened it, immediately cupped his fists in greeting. "Forgive us for our rude manners," he said, immediately welcoming them into the room as he opened the door ajar and politely gestured to its interior.

Though Duan Ting had said it was a private office, it felt more like a garden, given the number of plants in the room. From the crawling milky way vines that lined the wall, to the mimicking sky moss growing on the roof that created the illusion of an open roof exposing the sky above, and the various flowers, plants, and herbs beautifully arranged around the room—their presence not only made the office aesthetically pleasing but also created a relaxing and enriching atmosphere. Many of these plants, like the clarity mist daisy and the serenity hum fern, had effects that reduced mental tenseness and refreshed the soul.

Jiang Hao led them to a round table with four chairs. After leading Yang Qing and Fei Chen to their seats, he brought over another chair from a nearby table, adding it to the remaining one without causing congestion.

As if on cue, Liu Ying and Duan Ting showed up, both greeting Yang Qing and Fei Chen when they reached the table before finally taking their seats.

Duan Ting, taking on the role of the liaison between Yang Qing’s side and theirs, began, "Brother Jiang Hao, this is Judge Yang Qing from the Order, and he has been graciously helping us search for you and..." He paused slightly before heavily saying, "And owner Bai Chen."

"And this is Silver Guard Fei Chen."

For ease of contact and reassurance, before Yang Qing left for his investigations, he had ensured that Fei Chen, Duan Ting, and Liu Ying were acquainted with each other to facilitate information sharing between both sides.

Yang Qing and Fei Chen both nodded as they cupped their fists in greeting towards Jiang Hao.

With greetings out of the way and the matter at hand dictating the need for no more preamble, Yang Qing immediately delved into the heart of things. Turning to Jiang Hao, he asked, "Did you see or interact in any way, shape, or form with the person who kidnapped you?"