Daily life of a cultivation judge

Chapter 554 The Oath keeper

"Tsk, not even the crust was spared.." Yang Qing mournfully said as he stared at the sparkling clean empty plate before him.

"Can't you be more ladylike?" grumbled Yang Qing.

"When with rogues be like the rogues lest they take advantage of you, isn't that what you always said, oh wise one.." Mao Yunru smugly said as she enunciated the last words of her sentence.

"Fine, I give up.." Yang Qing begrudgingly said as he picked up his cup of tea warily, afraid that Mao Yunru would pull her earlier stunt.

It was only when he saw her relaxed expression did he dare drink his tea. 

A few seconds passed by before the rest of their orders were brought by.

"You even ordered chrysanthemum cake? what is the special occasion?" Mao Yunru asked when she saw the spread of dishes before her.

Over half were her favorites, especially the chrysanthemum cake. She couldn't help but eye Yang Qing suspiciously as her heart slowly started racing.

"Don't tell me this numb skull has finally decided to confess? I half expected him to wait 50 years at the rate he was going, or I do it first, but no, he would never let me off if I was the first to do it.

Where are my talismans? I can't believe I didn't bring some with me. No! No! How could I have forgotten them?! no, wait... I could look for a soul cultivator specialist from the Order, and have them duplicate my memories onto a talisman.

There is no way I'm letting this moment go unrecorded, even if I have to folk over all my years' worth of salary, I must record this..."

"Well, one could consider it a ceremony of sorts.." Yang Qing softly said as he took a sip from his jasmine tea.

"Here it comes....what do I say, I hope my words don't fail me. What if go blank, or what if I end up blurting out a lot of things... How is he so calm? He should be as clueless and nerve-wrecked about this as I am..."

"Well..."

"Hahaha, he is nervous after all..." Mao Yunru joyfully thought as she saw Yang Qing turn almost shyly embarrassed like he was afraid to say the next words.

"I was hoping we could share a meal before I left. For the next month or so I will be holding the post of Branch Chief of the Deer Mountain branch before the current branch chief, Hao Da and the rest heal up..."

"That's it!" asked Mao Yunru with a widened look on her face before she hurriedly reigned in her emotions.

"Sorry, I mean, branch chief, you?" she asked trying to mask her disappointment before a hint of concern went through her as she remembered the notification of Hao Da and the rest.

"Why does it feel like she was slightly disappointed?.."

"Wait, could she?" 

Yang Qing's gaze fell on the food spreading in front of him and then the dots slowly fell into place, especially, when he recalled his slightly embarrassed expression when he talked about sharing a meal with her. It was difficult for him to say it so openly considering how he spent most of his time teasing Mao Yunru endlessly all the time. Saying something like sharing a meal with her, especially with the consciousness of how he felt about her, was a little nerve-wracking.

"Sorry Mao Mao, if I do it, it will have to be a place littered with arrays that interfere with recording talismans, and for good measure, I'll have to find a way to trick you into signing an oath contract so you don't end up reproducing the memory of the conversation, and I'm still a little shy, but if you were to be the brave on here...

No, Mom is right, some things you have to be the one to do it no matter how uncomfortable it makes you. I have to be the one to do it, and if she decides to record, I have to resolve myself to how mercilessly she will use it.

Sigh, I wish I was thickskinned sometimes.."

Yang Qing quickly shook his head to erase the fears of his impending doom in the future and went on to answer Mao Yunru's question.

"The branch can't be left unattended for too long, and from those available to fill in the role on short notice, I happen to be the one to check all the boxes. Besides, the Judicial Review Committee knew I was the right person for the job because of my title.."

" And what title is that?" Mao Yunru suspiciously asked.

"The oath keeper.." Yang Qing pompously said as he displayed the demeanor of one entrusted with too much.

"Mao Mao, you may not know this but from the moment I was born, I have kept every single one of my words, and because I have done it for so long, word started spreading about it around the order, and before I knew it, people started calling me the oath keeper.

It's not a title I pay too much keenness to as I am but a humble servant of the masses, doing the little I can and if the higher ups so it fit to hoist the job on me, I have no choice but to answer the call.." Yang Qing piously said as gracefully took a sip of his tea.

"For a coward like you to accept the post, and not even complain about it, they offered you something didn't they?" Mao Yunru calmly said as she calmly took a sip of her glacial bamboo wine.

"Knowing you, let me guess they offered you more spirit stones, but knowing your greedy but cowardly nature for you to change your tune so fast, the amount needed to be significantly higher than what you earn.

Let's see..."

Mao Yunru gently cupped her chin in contemplation with her hand twirling her wine urn.

"For them to really bait you, it would have to be two or three times as much as what you are earning now. It wouldn't be higher than that because like you always harp on, the Order is too stingy to pay you above three times what you're currently, and you're too greedy and cowardly to be swayed by anything less than two times the amount.

They likely used the same adjustment across all the other remunerations you would be receiving as branch chief.

But even then, spirit stones are not enough for them to draw this level of devoutness and lip service out of you, they must have added a few things in there, something they know you would greedily accept and betray any reservations or self-imposed principles you may have.

What was it little Qing.." Mao Yunru said with a charming smile as she leaned over, with Yang Qing's paling face being reflected in her limpid purple eyes.