Daily life of a cultivation judge



Zou Yi's vision was a little hazy, along with his senses which felt a little sluggish. He tried to hurriedly get up, however, he almost slipped, luckily someone was there to catch him before he could.

It took a few seconds before his vision adjusted to his surroundings. 

"Zou Yi, drink this, it will help you with re-adjustment." 

Just as Zou Yi was trying to readjust to the surrounding, he felt something squishy get shoved into his mouth.

"Liqin, ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" Zou Yi yelled as he coughed rapidly. The object shoved in his mouth was anything but sweet. It was prickly to the tongue and set his tongue on fire within milliseconds, which then turned to a frozen tundra a second after. 

In a few breaths it wasn't only his tongue that was affected but his entire body too. He almost thought his sister was an impostor sent to poison him. They were in a test after all. However, he felt his body get reinvigorated and he could finally control his body along with his senses, well.

He could finally get a picture of where he was. He couldn't help but hold his breath from what he saw. There were maple and cedar trees around littering the ground with their orange-red leaves. The grass was green and there was a mildly chilly atmosphere in the air. The spiritual qi was dense but not to the point it overwhelmed them. It was gentle and seemed to be evenly spread around with the cool winds.

Zou Yi felt a cup of ginseng would go well with the environment. He stood silently in place admiring the view while his arm was still supported by his sister.

"Liqin, what did you feed me?" he asked when he was finally done getting his fill of the view.

"I got it from He Shan, he told me it's called the cold blazing lime. It helps renew someone in a disoriented state especially one with a concussion," answered Zou Liqin as she let go of Zou Yi so he could stand by himself.

"Since when were limes, slimy and prickly?" Zou Yi asked, not buying his sister's explanation at all. As he swallowed it, he felt it move. It felt more like a living thing than a fruit.

"We need to get going before others appear," Zou Liqin awkwardly said as she dragged Zou Yi along to where He Shan and Yu Mei were.

It was only when Zou Liqin said those words did Zou Yi realize something he had overlooked. Why did he wake up on the floor, when just seconds ago he was walking, but despite all that, there was one thing he had to confirm, now that he had the chance.

"Liqin, the test…" Zou Yi paused halfway through the expression as he saw a sad expression in his sister's eyes.

"Did you see Mom and Dad?" Zou Yi asked after firming himself.

Zou Liqin paused her steps with her gaze fixed on Zou Yi as a complicated look flashed in her eyes.

"I did not," answered Zou Liqin.

Zou Yi wasn't sure, but for how long he knew his sister, he felt there was something off about his sister, a fear that was in her. It was in her mannerism as she answered.

"Liqin what did you see in there?" cautiously asked Zou Yi.

"Something I hope never happens," she answered back with a pitiful smile, which confirmed to Zou Yi that something happened to her within that foggy realm.

"It's only because of Yu Mei that I was able to make it out," she added.

Zou Liqin's response only drew more questions from Zou Yi, however judging from how perturbed and cagey she seemed to be, he doubted he could get anything from her, and digging in might be even more detrimental.

Zou Yi could only sigh at this as he made a mental note to repay the favor to Yu Mei for saving his sister, which he didn't know how she even did it. He assumed that foggy realm isolated people individually, and some part of him felt it wasn't a real space, considering how when he came to, he was on the ground in a disoriented state.

Lu Mei and He Shan were not too far away from him. He Shan was still the same; he had a bow in hand, warily looking around being on guard against potential threats. He maintained a careful distance from Yu Mei.

As for Yu Mei, she was no longer dazed, and Zou Yi wasn't too sure but she felt different. Her eyes seemed clearer than before and she seemed freer.

"He Shan, Yu Mei, I'm glad you all made it out safely," said Zou Yi as he greeted them both with a smile that earned him a nocked arrow from the wary, He Shan. He couldn't help but smile bitterly at this.

"I'm glad you made it out safe too," replied Yu Mei with a smile.

"Wait, how long has it been since I reappeared?" Zou Yi suddenly asked.

He had been through a rollercoaster of emotions from walking in the lonely fog for hours on end, meeting his parents and their parting, and finally reappearing in a groggy state that he forgot he had spent at least four hours in whatever place that foggy area was.

He didn't know how big the mountain they were on, was but four hours was a long time for the other participants to make significant headway.

"You appeared, a few minutes after Yu Mei and I showed up. He Shan was already here, when we arrived," answered Zou Liqin.

"He Shan, how long did it take you to arrive here?" asked Zou Yi.

"A few hours," He Shan carelessly answered as he kept a close eye on the surrounding.

"Can you be exact?" asked Zou Yi with an exasperated look.

"I don't know, I was hunting the whole time. Time went away from me, and I was here before I knew it. I didn't even get to eat my kill after all the effort I put into tracking it," grumbled He Shan.

"What about you two?" asked Zou Yi when he realized he wouldn't make any headway with He Shan.

Zou Liqin seemed a little bit hesitant on answering at first before she said,

"Four years."