Daily life of a cultivation judge

"How about this, I'm a bit hungry right now, you could show me the way to the Earthvine restaurant first and we can discuss the payment over a meal. You can also tell me a bit about Purple city."

Zhi Da who had prepared himself for a beating that would come when he came clean was caught off guard by Yang Qing's suggestion that it took him a minute before he oriented himself.

"Sure, sure, big brother. That can work too," Zhi Da hurriedly said as he chuckled awkwardly.

Zhi Luoran had her eyes glow at the mention of the Earthvine restaurant but then they dimmed with melancholy and worry.

"Big brother will they…" she nervously said as she tugged at Zhi Da's robes.

"It's okay while we can't afford a meal there, we both know they have a good reputation for not discriminating against their guests. It will be okay and we have a duty as guides to bring big brother there atleast. If they refuse us entry we can just wait outside for big brother to finish his meal and we can resume the tour.

It will be okay Luoran," Zhi Da gently said as he flashed a confident smile while patting his sister's head.

"Okay," Zhi Luoran meekly said.

Yang Qing couldn't help but sigh when he saw this.

"Maybe I can test their talent later and see if they can apply for the Order. Even if they don't have the talent for the posts with high requirements, the administration department is always undermanned and in desperate need of manpower. Maybe they can get a post there," thought Yang Qing.

"Big brother..."

"Just call me Yang Qing," said Yang Qing.

"Okay big brother Yang Qing, I'll lead the way. The Earthvine restaurant isn't that far away from here.

The restaurant can be considered to be a jewel of the city other than the purple grass of course. While I have not had a meal from there since I'm a simple person with simple pleasures, some of my friends, very trusted friends might I add, have. From their reviews, they said the meals there were worth every spirit stone they charge.

They even considered it a huge bargain for the money spent because eating a meal there is the same as consuming any alchemical pill or potion except it's cheaper and doesn't have the bitter taste or the risk of accumulating pill poison associated with consuming alchemical pills and potions.

Some of the alchemical shops in the area have lost a bit of business to them and as a result of that, there has been a recent increase in the number of restaurants in the city. None comes close to the Earthvine restaurant though but there are some decent ones that have good food and equally complementary décor.

If you want to visit one later after you have had your meal I can take you to one I go to on special occasions. It may not be much but it has a great ambiance with good food though not as high quality as the Earthvine restaurant or other upcoming high-class restaurants. But they do try as they bring the best out of the ingredients they have. They make the best cakes and tea and they keep improving, they are now even trying their hand at pork dumplings," Zhi Da animatedly said as spittle flew everywhere.

"Oh, what is the restaurant's name?" asked Yang Qing with interest showing in his tone. Food was food to him and if it was made with people passionate about their craft, it was even better despite the quality of the ingredients they used he would eat it with relish.

"It's called Wang's restaurant. The grandpa and grandma there who run the place are nice," Zhi Luoran softly answered from the side as a small smile formed on her face.

Clearly, she too liked the restaurant albeit for different reasons than Zhi Da.

"Seeing the praise it's getting from Purple city's finest guides it would be foolish of me not to try the food there atleast once before I left," said Yang Qing.

"You won't regret it big brother Yang Qing," Zhi Da happily said with Zhi Luoran nodding along in agreement.

Yang Qing noted the current smile Zhi Da showed when talking about the Wang restaurant was the most sincere one he had shown during their brief interaction.

…

During their walk over, Zhi Da was dutiful in his role as a guide as he gave brief introductions of the businesses they passed by on their way over while adding a few trivia here and there. Yang Qing had to admit Zhi Da wasn't just boasting shamelessly when he said he had lots of information to share and was detail-oriented. As some of the insights he had could only be obtained by someone meticulous in their observations.

Close to ten minutes passed by as information poured out of him nonstop with Zhi Luoran occasionally shyly adding on her two cents from the side. She grew less and less reserved on the walk over as she occasionally bickered with Zhi Da over the accuracy of his details.

Yang Qing occasionally threw a few questions here and there as he enjoyed the company of the two siblings.

Just as he was about to ask another question he suddenly paused as he turned his gaze down some alleyway to his right before resuming his attention back to the siblings' tour who did not seem to notice his brief pause.  They were heavily engrossed in their roles.

"Is it someone from the guard's station? No, it can't be. There wouldn't be a need for them to hide and I don't think someone at the second stage of the foundation realm would qualify to be a guard in Purple city.

Maybe it wasn't me he was trailing," thought Yang Qing as his eyes narrowed on the two siblings.

….

"Did he notice me?" said a thin man with sunken eyes and a hawk-like nose with a few blade scars on his face. He had pressed himself against one of the walls within the alleyway he was in so he could take advantage of the dark shade the building provided to hide.

He cautiously glanced in Yang Qing's direction before pulling his head back in once again.

"What's with that kid? Isn't he just some easy mark those kids targeted? Maybe I'm just being overly sensitive and he didn't notice me. Anyhow now that I've confirmed the kids' location, I can tell the boss," muttered the hawk-nosed man as he took a beat-up communication talisman.

"Boss it's me, I've spotted the two kids," said the hawk-nosed man with a faint shiver in his tone.

"Where are they?" asked a gruff voice from the other end.

"Just a few meters away from the Earthvine restaurant. They're guiding a young youth around,"

"Keep following them and make sure they are within your sight at all times,"

The hawk-nosed man hesitated a bit before he answered back. He finally gritted his teeth and decided to air his concerns.

"Boss I think the youth they are guiding may have spotted me as I was stalking them," the hawk-nosed man nervously said. There was a long pause before he heard a reply back. He nervously held his breath as he waited for a response.

"It doesn't matter, just keep following them. One of the Mo family scions has his eye on the two siblings and asked us to bring them to him today.

In consideration of my past relationship with the two siblings and how much money they have made me I decided to give them a few hours together before I deliver them tonight. Until then I need you to be constantly aware of their whereabouts before I send iron tooth to collect them later. That Zhi Da has always been a slippery brat.

Do your job well, there is a lot at stake. With the help of the Mo family scion, our Black viper may join the Tiger claw gang, the Jade scorpions, and the Crimson blades as one of the top underground gangs in the market square.

Don't fail me, Shu Wei," said the gruff man as he ended the call.

The hawk-nosed man despite no one being there shivered as he put the communication talisman away.

…

"So it's them they are after," Yang Qing silently muttered as they finally stopped at the entrance of the Earthvine restaurant.