Daily life of a cultivation judge

Yang Qing had to cough twice to draw the young lady's attention whose mind seemed to have drifted elsewhere.

"The thing I needed your help with is concerning them?" Yang Qing said as he used a water spell to create images of the obsidian couple, the two deacons of the Blue Soul Flame Crow Syndicate, the five family heads of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, the imperial secretary, the chancellor, the consorts and the princes and the royal palace realm guard he had met outside the assembly hall.

"Have you ever seen any one of them with your spores?" asked Yang Qing.

The young lady pulled herself up from the ground as she skipped over to analyze the images Yang Qing had formed with a child-like excitement shining in her eyes as she admired the exquisiteness of the images.

"Mister, can you teach me this? I am sure my illusions will become even more lifelike.."

Yang Qing almost coughed blood from being called mister.

How are you trying to act like the junior here? you are at least 5,000 times my age..

"The art is nothing much, when we are done here I will teach it to you.."

The young lady gingerly clapped her hands in excitement as she thanked Yang Qing with a clumsy daoist salute that she claimed the 'Lady Gild' had taught her.

She then leaned forward and examined each of the images before she finally replied,

"I've never seen them.."

"But you have, haven't you?" immediately answered Yang Qing which made the young lady flinch.

Though she tried to hide it, Yang Qing noticed a nigh imperceptible reaction when her gaze was on the elderly couple.

"Mister you are putting me in a tough spot," said the lady with a sigh.

"What is it that you're truly after? I can't answer without knowing. It's not me prying into your business but there are things I can say or can't say depending on your response as it touches on my affairs.." 

Seeing her austere expression, Yang Qing sighed as he decided to reveal a little bit of his intentions.

"I am sure you are aware of the fight that happened a week ago some fair distance away from here.."

"What of it?" the young lady warily asked.

"Some of my friends got injured badly during the fight and some died. I am trying to find out what happened and the information I have is too small for me to make anything of it, which is why I need your help.."

The young lady's expression suddenly shifted as turn cold.

"Are you from the Deer Mountain Kingdom?"

"I am not.." answered Yang Qing while he noted it seemed that the young lady didn't have the best impression of the kingdom.

The young lady stared at him for a bit before she answered,

"I know the two of them.." she said as she pointed at the elderly couple.

"Adler doesn't have a lot of friends but these two could be considered as one..

Can I ask you something?" she asked with a slight hesitation as complicated light flashed in her eyes.

"You can.." 

" Are they dead?"

"They are not.." 

A look of relief appeared on her face when Yang Qing gave his response.

"At least Adler won't go on a rampage. Despite his deplorable habits, he always seemed different whenever he talked about them and their daughter, especially their daughter. It was one of the few rare occasions that he acted maturely like a kind senior.

The face he made whenever he talked about their daughter...I am sure Lady Gild would have enjoyed seeing it.." said the young lady with a slight chuckle.

"That daughter....died.." said Yang Qing with a sigh.

"What?!" said the young lady as her expression turned livid.

"Was it the Deer Mountain Kingdom? After what they did back then, they have only survived because of Lady Gild's interventions. If not all those old monsters both the ones here and the others traveling around would have long destroyed their kingdom.

And now they dare do this?! Knowing his temperament and without Lady Gild to hold his leash, Adler is sure to go on a rampage and fight the entire kingdom to the death!!" the lady frantically said as she started walking around impatience.

"It wasn't them.." said Yang Qing as he infused his voice with a charm that helped reduce the agitation on the young lady.

"Not them? then Who?" 

"It's these two..." Yang Qing said as he pointed to the images of the two members of the Blue Soul Flame Crow Syndicate.

Yang Qing had no doubt that the portrayed images were more than likely fakes, and the two deacons had long changed their appearances by now. 

His hope was they used those same appearances to conduct their investigations around the Deer Mountain Range, and maybe, just maybe, the spores of the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree caught sight of them at one point or another.

"Who are they?" asked the young lady as she stood close to the images trying to commit even the tiniest of freckles to memory.

Yang Qing went ahead and explained their background and that of the Blue Soul Flame Crow Syndicate along with the battle that happened after and the results.

"This is what you needed my help with?"

"Yes.."

"But I wasn't there, I don't know how much help I can be. I don't spread my spores so close to the territories of others to respect their space and avoid any misunderstandings that may arise from it.

And after Adler stopped coming over and Lady Glid went on her journey, I barely paid attention to what happened around me other than sourcing for a few corpses. I usually ignore the rest.." 

"You may have not paid any particular attention but you may have noticed something you're not aware of. 

These two clearly knew about the obsidian couple's daughter beforehand seeing how easily they killed her. They must have scouted her beforehand and made sufficient plans for them to pull it off as smoothly as they did.

Your spores may have picked up something, anything.

When Adler mentioned the daughter, did he ever mention anything special about her, something that stood out even against her parents?" 

The young lady held her chin in deep contemplation as she tried to recall her interactions with the fire adler bear.

"Well he did mention how smart she was smarter than her obstinate father but then again Adler liked bad-mouthing everyone. I am sure that incorrigible bear has done the same to me.." she said as a vicious glint appeared in her eyes before it went back to normal.

"Though I do remember there was a time he came cheerier than usual with a smug expression on his face claiming how Lady Glid would praise him to no end.

He didn't explain much of what he did but I know it was tied to the couple and the daughter. No matter how much I pressed him he just smiled cockily trying to act all mysterious. I wished Lady Glid was there to beat his face in.." she said as she punched her hand over and over imagining the smug face of the fire adler bear.