Daily life of a cultivation judge

Yang Qing's gaze danced around the table as he calmly took in their interactions from the subtle of nuances.

Did one's gaze linger slightly for even a microsecond when it fell on a certain someone?; did the back move ever so slightly during a back pat, or did it seem welcomed?; was there even a slight hesitation during the back pat, or was it more natural? The flow of conversation, the interjections, Yang Qing observed it all.

Everyone here was skilled at wearing masks but instinctual habits were the hardest to get rid of.

Cultivators were considered to be the best liars because they had good control over their bodies. Things that mortals could give out during a lie such as an accelerated heart rate, dry tongue, a bit of perspiration here and there, a story with plot holes, such problems did not appear in cultivators who had perfect memory and could control their heartbeats along with every other part of their body as easily as breathing.

Catching such a person in a lie was extremely difficult let alone a seasoned cultivator who had seen and experienced almost everything under the sun. Their thoughts were unfathomable and as deep as the ocean but even with their skills, there were things Yang Qing discovered over his years as a judge and being a duplicitous being himself were hard to change or hide. 

For example, it is difficult to control the unconscious habits one has developed over the years to the point that they have permeated to their very soul like dislike or wariness towards something or someone. He could see little clues here and there from the people around him.

The present company was all on guard against each other which was a huge mental strain as they had to probe each other while ensuring that they didn't give anything out. Small cracks were bound to appear while maintaining such a delicate dance.

For example one of the daughters of consort Song Yun would imperceptibly nod her head whenever the eldest prince said something even if it was inane, or the eldest son of consort Chu Delun whose chopsticks stiffened ever so slightly when the third prince offered to refill his bowl as he was getting another serving or the head of the Shi family slightly widened smile from the head of the Meng family when he saw the head of Song family pat the back of the Chu family, the youngest Meng princess who seemed to avoid eye contact with the head of the Meng family.

It is difficult to hide the biases and opinions one has built over a long time all in one sitting especially in a room where you're all wary of each other constantly watching each other like wolves. Yang Qing creating an atmosphere of unexpectedness and casualness made it even harder as he didn't exactly follow the normal script.

Yang Qing made a silent note of everything he saw. While those little details didn't reveal any secrets, they did help him get a sense of the people around him which he needed especially if one considered that among those laughing, drinking, and eating, one of them was likely a traitor.

The Blue Soul Flame Crow syndicate didn't just appear randomly in the Deer Mountain Range considering the events that transpired. They had likely been here for quite a while if one considered the ease with which they killed a first-stage palace realm obsidian serpent before it could even call for help and was only able to do so in its dying moments.

The only way they could pull something like that off was if they knew about it beforehand. The Order's presence in the area removed the likelihood that they had a base in the area, so the only way they could have detailed knowledge of the obsidian serpent was if they were fed that information by a local and considering the strength of the spirit beast, there was only one suspect capable of knowing the whereabouts of the spirit beast without alerting it, and that was the Deer Mountain Kingdom.

Someone among them was likely colluding with the Blue Soul Flame Crow Syndicate. They may or may not know what the syndicate was after, though that was secondary, because whoever the traitor is they contributed to the deaths of two inquisitors and heavy injuries to the branch chief, Hao Da, and the remaining inquisitor.

Just for that alone, Yang Qing was determined to gather as much information and clues as he could in his short time as the branch chief, and figuring out the dynamics of the people before him was the first step.

Everyone present was a suspect, whether it was the king, his queen, the consorts, the prince and princesses, the families backing them, or the high officials, none was innocent in Yang Qing's eyes.

Only someone high up could have pulled off what they pulled off and the present company had the people with the highest stations within the kingdom. The traitor was likely to be here or have a relationship with one of the members present.

"Which of you threw in their lot with the Blue Soul Flame Crow syndicate, I wonder.."

One hour quickly flew by and the empty plates were cleared off the table leaving only jars of wine and cups.

There was also a subtle shift in the atmosphere as the casualness from before slowly disappeared being replaced by a slightly austere air.

The third consort Song Yuan excused herself to her chambers as she left with Meng Ruo, which was a suggestion made by the king when he saw how increasingly distressed she seemed.

Once they had left, a short silence ensued before finally, the old chancellor broke the silence.

"We are truly sorry for what happened to your people. If we had gathered enough information maybe the losses would not have been as dire.." said the old chancellor.

"The Blue Soul Flame Crow Syndicate was involved in the matter. Any sighting of them is bound to prompt urgency which doesn't give a lot of room for preparation. If you let them be, who knows what they may do?

Reacting quickly was the best choice, it's only the results..." Yang Qing had a momentary pause as he continued.

"We are not the only ones who suffered from this.

I am sorry for your losses, the princes you lost, and the royal guards.." said Yang Qing as he cupped his fist.

Even though he suspected every single one of them of being responsible for what happened, he did feel pity for those who lost their lives and potentially from one of their own at that. Of all the worst ways he ever thought of going, that was one of them, a dagger in the back by someone close. He may be a little self-serving and loved his life a little too much, but to him, that was a line he would not cross, and he detested those who did.