Daily life of a cultivation judge

Mei Cheng took a black jade slip filled with countless silver runes, half that Yang Qing could not recognize but from the complexity and the transcendent fluctuations they released, he could tell they were inscribed by someone whose accomplishments had at the very least reached the gold tier.

Mei Cheng closed her eyes as the runes fluctuated slightly before she finally opened her eyes.

"I can see you have 24 organizations in your network which is a decent amount for a start, but the more you get familiar with your role and handle it well, the number will increase with each increase in your court rank. Of course, it's not a complete guarantee that it will increase.."

Mei Cheng's demeanor turned solemn as she paused, putting away the black jade slip as she stared at Yang Qing, who couldn't help but feel he was being stared down by a hawk.

"Those on your network, on any network, are one of our own, even if they are under a different house, they are still one of our own. Your intelligence network can be taken away from you permanently if it is found that your negligence led to their deaths.

Their roles are already precarious as it is, when it comes to the information they provide, don't ask more of them than they can provide that it forces them to take unnecessary risks that may expose both them and their organizations to countless dangers.

Keep it simple and restrict it to things that you judge they can get easily in their day-to-day operations and established circle. Unproven rumors, gossip, feeling in the air, it doesn't matter if it isn't verified or not, information is information and it has value. Their longevity is more important than any information they can provide, as long as they are there, there is much we stand to gain.

They may wear different robes, call themselves by different titles, and be members of different organizations, but never forget, they are one of our own and we need to treat them as such..."

"I won't.." Yang Qing solemnly said.

"Good.... Sorry for me tarrying about this, it's just that, those who chose to be part of the network, sometimes tend to be overzealous and reckless in their duties to show the Order that they are still loyal and have never wavered. This usually leads them to do a lot of reckless things to prove that point, when in truth, there is no need for them to show it that way.."

Mei Cheng paused as she sighed heavy-heartedly.

"A lot of them died because of it, some I even trained myself...Let's just say there is a reason I prefer my current role to the one I had before," she added as she smiled in dejection.

As someone nursing his regrets and guilt, Yang Qing resonated with Mei Cheng's feelings.

"You are to manage the network, and part of that management is to ensure its survival, and it's the metric by which we judge your success or failure in the matter, not the information we gain from it, but their survival, and its not that I am asking you to risk your life for theirs, but do what you can to ensure they remain intact, and one way is to control their well-meaning intentions that may put them at risk.

How you do that is ultimately up to you.." Mei Cheng said, once again donning the prior motherly smile she had on.

"I will try.."

"That's all we can ask.." Mei Cheng said with an encouraging smile.

"Now with that out of the way. You must have already decided on who you will be meeting with?"

Yang Qing nodded in response.

"I don't know how much information Assistant Shi provided on how you should go about it, but knowing him, he probably glossed over the details.." Mei Cheng said as she shook her head.

"I might as well just do it since it's not the first time.. must be why he is like that... So, first, you don't have to meet with all 24 at once, you can spread them out, just don't let it go more than five years without you meeting with them or else they may start to wonder..

Secondly, you have the green jade token and the crystal yuan feather, right?"

"Yes, I do.."

"Good, now as Assistant Shi likely covered, the green jade token designates you as the head of the Jade Green Pavilion which is a subsidiary organization under the umbrella of the White Rose Pavilion.

No one within the Jade Green Pavilion knows you're from the Order, and neither is it comprised of anyone associated with us. Be mindful of that. You can consider it an artifact to help you in your station as the overseer of the network.

It has shops spread around the continent thanks to the seal it has of the White Rose Pavilion, and it should come as no surprise to you that those shops could be found within the territory that the 24 members belong to.

You can use those shops as meeting locations with them if you so wish, there is no restriction on the meeting place, the decision is ultimately to you and your contact person. The shop is just a choice. In addition, I am not sure if Assistant Shi told you of the income.."

"He did.."

"He did?" Mei Cheng said showing genuine surprise in her tone.

Yang Qing nodded, making sure to limit his words. He didn't want it to be known that the assistant had only revealed it because he read into his greedy gaze.

"If he did, that's good, but just in case, I'll mention a few things on it. The funds are yours to use as you see fit, but their primary purpose is to ensure you are in a better position to provide safety and growth for the members of your network.

While we encourage them to be self-sustainable, some situations can't be helped. In such instances, you can use the pavilion as a means of assistance. Also, when it comes to transport, you can't use any means provided by the Order, and considering the distances you will have to cover, I doubt it would be convenient to use your cultivation to fly.

Hiring of flying ferries, and transport arrays will be covered by your earnings from the Green Jade Pavilion, and as their subsidiary, the White Rose Pavilion offers discounts for its transport services..."

Yang Qing nodded trying to hide his disappointment that he wouldn't get to spend the earnings as he wished.

"Lastly, the crystal luan feather. Assistant Shi must have mentioned its use which is to establish communication between you and them in case of emergencies and or to plan meetings, but in truth, the feather is primarily an emergency beacon.

Other than arranging the first meeting and establishing first contact, I would advise you to use other means as a form of establishing contact for your meetups, even regular communication talismans are an option, and restrict the feather only for emergencies where every reactionary second counts.

Should you receive an emergency summons for them, ensure to reveal it to the judicial review committee the instant you do. They are in constant contact with a lot of shadow hawks and will provide the most expedient solution for the matter.."

"I will.."

"Good, I don't think there is much to add there, my last advice would be to go in with your eyes and ears open.."

"I will and thank you once again.."

Yang Qing exchanged a few more pleasantries with Mei Cheng before finally parting ways with her as he went to the deployment offices to complete the procedures needed in preparation for his departure to the Gold Earth Bank for a quick withdrawal before finally meeting with six members from his network.