Daily life of a cultivation judge

"So master Yang Qing is from the Order? Truly only an institution as big as the Order is as worthy of a young dragon like yourself," grandpa Wang said without missing a beat.

Zou Yi who was busy eating his share of the blueberry cake coughed as he accidentally choked on it.

He threw an incredulous look grandpa Wang's way

"I didn't know grandpa was this good with words. He seems more of a natural at it than I am despite my years of practice. Look at that, he didn't even flinch," Zou Yi thought as his eyes gleamed in respect for a fellow practitioner in the dao of fawning.

However, compared to grandpa Wang he was but a fledgling starting on the road while grandpa Wang seemed like a seasoned veteran who had been walking the road for centuries and even made a few contributions to the road.

Zou Yi still found it hard to reconcile the fawning expert he saw before him and the volatile grandpa Wang who would wack customers with his ladle while throwing vicious words from time to time.

His look of awe was disrupted when he turned Yang Qing's way and saw his smug look that was covered in a thin layer of fake humility and calmness.

Tsk

Zou Yi clicked in disdain though deep down he was envious and jealous.

Yang Qing seemingly noticing this threw a few supercilious words of how he was but a humble servant of the Order with small gains not worth mentioning which drew more words of flattery not only from Grandpa Wang but also from grandma Wang too.

Yang Qing threw a hidden gloating look Zou Yi's way before he turned his gaze back to the couple.

"You're not even cool mmph," jealously muttered Zou Yi as he decided to turn his head and admire the streets below.

"Big brother sure is an oddball. He doesn't carry the air of a palace realm expert at all," thought Zou Liqin as she giggled at the hidden battle between Zou Yi and Yang Qing.

…..

"So what do you say? Any thoughts of opening up a restaurant at the Order?" asked Yang Qing once he was done cementing his status as the big brother to Zou Yi.

"This…" grandpa Wang seemed a bit hesitant at the sudden invitation.

Even if they wanted to be genuine restaurant owners and retire, he still found it difficult just to pack up and leave the place he had known for all his life, then there were also the regulars to think about.

They were a noisy bunch with no sensibilities when it came to good dining etiquette but they were one of the contributing factors to the homey ambiance of the Wang restaurant. Grandpa Wang felt like it would be a betrayal if he just up and left them.

But then he looked at the two siblings then another dilemma sunk in. Even if they would be moving to the Order which was safer in comparison to staying in the Purple city, they would still be starting over in an unfamiliar place.

They were just kids despite their mature demeanor and they would be alone in there. Even though Zou Yi said it was okay, he still felt guilty for not looking out for them all for the sake of maintaining his cover.

"Master Yang Qing, can you give us time to think it over? Even if we were to agree to leave with you, we can't do it immediately. We need to let our customers know and we also need to give a polite notice to our employer about our departure and tie up a few things with him.

All these would take time, three to four months atleast. I don't know if there's a way to reach you once we have come to a decision?" asked grandma Wang.

"Although she is a bit hesitant like old man Wang, she seems more open to the idea of moving.

Mmh there may be a chance," Yang Qing pleasantly thought as he took out his gold eagle medallion.

"Whatever you decide on you can tell me via our branch in Yellow Plains County, who will then forward the message to me.

If you do decide to make a move to the Order this is a recommendation letter that you will present to someone from the Yellow plains county branch so they can arrange your transportation to the main headquarters.

It's quite a ways away so it's safer for you to travel with their help rather than coming by yourselves.

This letter will be handed back to you so you can present it to the responsible personnel from the Order who will handle your permit and relocation.

It will take some time to review it but the Order will give you a place to stay as you wait for the review process to be completed," Yang Qing patiently explained as he stamped the scroll he had just written with his gold eagle medallion.

A silhouette of a golden eagle materialized from the medallion as it embedded itself into the scroll.

Gasps of awe escaped from the two siblings as they stared at the medallion and the eagle silhouette that seemed a little too lifelike.

Yang Qing handed the scroll to grandma Wang who along with his husband had looks of confusion on their faces. It seemed like something was bothering them but they seemed a bit hesitant to ask.

It didn't take too much for Yang Qing to guess their thoughts.

"Opening a restaurant at the Order is a process, while my recommendation helps, the evaluation process more so due diligence can't be skipped."

Yang Qing's words only made them frown even deeper. They had automatically assumed if they did decide to move to the Order they would get to run a restaurant there. But now it seemed it wasn't even a guarantee.

Their worry was what they would do if they were rejected. Would they just aimlessly stay there or embarrassingly come back to the place they had just left to start over someplace else?

None of these options was good for them, especially with the sacrifice they would be potentially making by moving.