Daily life of a cultivation judge

The elderly couple in between Mo Guang and Fan Tao was the obsidian couple. The ferocious stubbornness they had before had been replaced by abject fear and paranoia.

"How come you're with them?" asked Yang Qing.

Fan Tao was a seasoned domain expert and her reorienting palace stage spirit beasts seemed a little beneath her even if one of said spirit beasts was showing signs of evolving into a flood dragon.

Yang Qing knew for a fact that she had killed and butchered a flood dragon once upon a time and the flood dragon was among a long list of terrifying spirit beasts that had fallen by her hand.

Her taotie bloodline may terrify certain spirit beasts but for those with powerful bloodlines, it's an irresistible tonic. This fact made her a target over the years but despite the target, she still lives. Part of it is because of the backup the Order provides, but the other is her terrifying combat prowess.

Her handling the obsidian serpents was like using a sword capable of shattering the stars to carve up a chicken.

"I was free and I needed to check out a few things at the Bestial Churning Sea. So when I heard the favor was for you, I decided why not.

You owe me.."

"I don't have any merit points to give you.." Yang Qing hurriedly said when he saw her mercantile gaze.

"Fine.." she reluctantly said with a light chuckle.

"Here.." she added as she gently patted the two elder's backs who visibly flinched at the point of contact.

"I kept telling them I won't eat them and they still don't believe me.." she said with a sigh.

"Can you blame them considering where you just came from? You ate in front of them, didn't you?" Yang Qing asked as he suspiciously eyed the red-haired lady.

"It couldn't be helped. One of the sellers had two arms belonging to an elusive fire dream octopus. Can you believe it?! " the red-haired excitedly said with an animated expression.

"ELUSIVE FIRE DREAM OCTOPUS!!!" Yang Qing instantly yelled with an agitated expression.

"Yes, and they belonged to one that had reached the domain realm.." the red-haired woman said with matching excitement.

"How was it?" asked Yang Qing as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Fire dream octopus was in the top twenty of their delicacy list. The creature was skilled in creating illusions that were so vivid that they were indivisible to the real thing. When cooked or even when eaten raw, provided you had the mental willpower and soul to handle it, its meat could transform into every flavor you could think of and seamlessly blend them all together into one unique flavor.

That aspect earned it the name the 'flavor of dreams', an object of great desire among food lovers alike. 

Yang Qing couldn't believe Fan Tao had stumbled onto two arms when even a whiff would incite a riot.

Fan Tao on hearing Yang Qing's question, closed her eyes as if savoring the memory of it as she said,

"Million times better than what you can imagine. I almost wept from the taste.."

"That good?" muttered Yang Qing with disbelief mixed with envy.

"You have no idea.." said Fan Tao as she opened her eyes.

"It's why I need to hurry back. If the arms appeared in the market, it must mean it was acquired close by, likely the Bestial Churning Sea. I want to try my hand at finding the main body.." Fan Tao said with a fervent glint in her eyes.

Yang Qing couldn't help but sigh in envy as he said,

"I wish I could go.." which he quickly swallowed back when he saw the teasing look from Fan Tao likely remembering how he fared back then.

"I could take you with me.." s

"No, nope, as much as I would like to, I can't afford the trip.." Yang Qing hurriedly said.

"But if you were to find it, would you.." Yang Qing mustered the most imploring look he could make as he stared at her.

"You know the answer.." answered Fan Tao with a light chuckle.

"What if have something to trade?"

"I thought you didn't have merit points? though even if you did, I wouldn't accept them.."

"Not merit points, I got something that I know is definitely worth a whole elusive fire dream octopus and then some.." Yang Qing said with a sense of poise about him as he recalled the wine given to him by the mysterious middle-aged man.

If the gourd was already so precious, what about its contents?

"What is it?" curiously asked Fan Tao when she saw his look.

"Just know it's something good. I can guarantee it.." Yang Qing smugly said.

He would have taken it out if he wasn't afraid the red-haired woman before him would abscond with it. She was shameless enough to do so. He would rather wait till she left, and transfer a tiny bit to another gourd and have her sample that.

"Fine..." answered Fan Tao as her gaze tried to peer through Yang Qing.

"You've really grown.." she added with a smile as she ruffled his hair and turned to leave.

"Take care little gluttonous tree.." she said with laughter as she disappeared.

Yang Qing couldn't help but smile wryly when he saw her still use the nickname she gave him when they first met.

"Wait I could have asked her to take a look at the foundation circle site, with her expertise she could discover much more than I did.." muttered Yang Qing.

However, he soon dismissed that thought when he thought of the exorbitant fees she would charge him for asking for her help.

Yang Qing soon turned his attention to the obsidian couple whom he led to the dream star tree statue that they had once been contained in.

"With what you have seen and experienced, do you still believe we had anything to do with your daughter's death?" said Yang Qing once the trio were within the world within the statue.

The obsidian serpent couple was seated on one side with Yang Qing opposite them, both sides facing each other beneath the fictional somber moon above them.

The couple seemed to be regaining some sense of self with Fan Tao absent, though they still seemed a bit pale. 

Clearly, the weeklong experience had left an indelible impact on them.

"Who are you?" 

The elderly man finally spoke.

"Just people looking for answers and retribution, same as you.." answered Yang Qing.