Yang Qing threw himself backward in his chair in dramatic fashion, cracking his neck as he stretched his arms and shoulders.
"Now we're only left with one more case before we can close for the day. These cases always leave me more drained than cultivating. I can't wait to move to the palace courts. Life should get easier there," he grumbled, eyes closed as he lay back lazily in his chair.
"The days are getting closer to your ceremony. Are you nervous about it?" Mao Yunru asked, shaking her head at Yang Qing's languid look. "A lot of big shots will be present, both from within the Order and guests from outside. It'll be a whole fanfare, and you'll be at the center of it. You're also expected to give a deep, touching speech, too."
"Nope, I'm not worried at all. It's a great opportunity for everyone to soak in my radiant personality and stellar character," Yang Qing said, completely unbothered. "Who knows, the Order might reward me handsomely for highlighting how it never lacks astonishing, world-defying talents.
"I hope they reward me with shorter work hours, fewer cases, better pay and benefits, a high-grade seat that doubles as a bed, and improvements to the formation array in my residence and carriage.
"With those additions in place, I am sure my output would increase at making the world a safer place," he sighed, wearing the expression of a hero burdened by his inability to save the world.
Mao Yunru was left twitching at Yang Qing's words and his theatrical display.
"Make the world a better place?" Mao Yunru snidely thought. "How can this guy say all that with a straight face when we all know, and he's even admitted it himself more than once, the only reason he's interested in those arrays is to slow down time in his abode and carriage so he can sleep more. Some world-saving ambition this is."
"Mao Mao, how does it feel to be close to reuniting with your inquisitors again after spending the last few months apart as my judicial assistant?" Yang Qing asked lazily.
"I don't feel any different. We see each other every day after work or during lunch. It's not like they were transferred anywhere," Mao Yunru replied. "But I do miss having them in the courtroom with me. It'd be nice to be around a normal courtroom with normal people for a change."
"What do you mean normal? Are you trying to say we're not normal, Mao Mao!?" Yang Qing suddenly shot up from his lazy posture and slammed his hands on the podium, staring at her with the aggrieved look of someone who had been falsely accused.
"Yes, that is what I'm trying to say.
We have one person who spends almost all his time and effort scheming how to do less work, which, ironically, ends up with him doing more work. And he never learns. Then there's the head inquisitor, who I thought was the only normal one of the bunch... only to discover he wasn't. Just like his boss, he schemes all day, trying to get his boss caught in his own troublemaking plots, only for him to get punished right alongside him.
Despite how much he suffers with him, he still does it over and over, trying to drag his boss down, and that's without even mentioning how he'll drop everything at the slightest excuse if it involves making wine, even if it means missing work.
Then there's another guy who puts his appetite above everything else. There's nothing he won't do for food. It even outranks his own well-being.
There's the lady who looks gentle, but deep down has a scary, sadistic side that's in stark contrast to her sweet demeanor. Sometimes, I can't even tell which part is the real her and which one's the impostor.
Then there's the young battle fanatic. It'd be one thing if he just loved fighting, but this guy? He actually enjoys fights where he's soundly defeated more than ones he wins. In fact, he's usually depressed if he wins too easily.
And now, the last member of this party of weirdos who spends all her days talking to her spear like it's a beloved family member… and she even tries to feed it.
Yes, Yang Qing, you and your team are a bunch of weirdos. I can never track your thinking, and it's always a hurdle just to keep up. The Order needs to pay me hazard pay for all I've endured. I'll be lucky if I don't develop mental demons because of you all.
How did a team end up made purely of oddballs like yours?" Mao Yunru couldn't help but ask, half-curious and half-defeated.
"Mmph. Odd people? What do you know? We're just a group of talented individuals with unique interests who aren't afraid to show it and be true to ourselves.
Besides, we're one of the few teams known to have two gold cores and two quasi-gold cores. There aren't many teams as powerful as ours, or with a record like ours when it comes to cases, and even combat ability. You've personally experienced Yi Jie's battle proficiency, haven't you?" Yang Qing asked, though he didn't wait for Mao Yunru's response/
"As for the other things you mentioned, while Yi Jie definitely does have a distasteful personality that needs working on.." Yang Qing began as he shot Yi Jie a disdainful look, with the latter completely ignoring him. "He is one of the finest wine brewers around. Even the higher-ups reserve his collection.
As for Feng Xin? He can sniff out quality ingredients anywhere. There's a reason those restaurants keep blacklisting him on and off. Some of the rarest ingredients they use, they can only get through him.
When it comes to Luo Meili, she is one of the best beast trainers around. Give it a few years, and she'll likely reach gold-grade. You've seen how often those sneaky tamers try to poach her," Yang Qing said as he scoffed with pride.
"And Zheng Hu.. while he may only have a blue grade core, he can still go toe-to-toe with any gold core out there. All those beatings have forged him into someone with the highest survival adaptability I've ever seen, especially against stronger opponents. An attribute the Order appreciates to the point they even gave him the post of a part-time instructor.,
Plus, I think that kid has already found his Dao. It's only a matter of time before he breaks through to the palace stage."
"As for the last member of our team… well, I can't defend her. She is an oddity," Yang Qing said with a defeated sigh before perking up a second later.
"Her strangeness aside, her spiritual sea is as large as that of a palace realm expert despite being only in the late stage of the core formation realm.
Besides, when it comes to her actions, Chief Song said she likely has a unique affinity with artifacts, which might explain her behavior.
And anyway, who doesn't talk to their weapon every now and then? I often find myself having deep conversations with the purple-lightning bamboo growing in my backyard. They're the best listeners. I always feel better after sharing my day with them," Yang Qing said with a shrug.
"But you know, Mao Mao, you shouldn't throw stones," Yang Qing said, narrowing his gaze at her.
"You're not exactly the picture of normalcy either. You think I don't know you spend half your income on information organizations just to dig up weird rumors and juicy stories floating around the continent?
Hehehe… You have to know there was a reason you were made my judicial assistant. It's not just because I'm a gifted mentor unparalleled in the conduct of my duties. Nooooo, there were other factors too. Like the fact that you are one of us," Yang Qing said with an ominous smile.
"You...H..how did you know?" Mao Yunru asked, dumbfounded, her voice rising in pitch with a mix of shock and apprehension.
"You work in a place full of judges and inquisitors. It's not that hard to find things out. Oh, and one of the information brokers you deal with is a friend of Kang Huilang. They let it slip while drinking together. And later, Kang, like the dutiful friend and gossip monger he is, passed it along to us.
I can't say I was surprised, though," Yang Qing softly said while wearing a sage-like look.
"Anyone who's around you long enough would see the signs," he added with a mischievous laugh, especially when he saw Mao Yunru's face redden in embarrassment.
"Can we move on to the next case?" Mao Yunru said through gritted teeth, turning her face away from Yang Qing's victorious laughter.
This guy truly has a gift for riling people up and making them want to punch him, Mao Yunru thought as she clenched her fists.
Yang Qing wisely deciding not to tempt fate by teasing her further, shifted his focus to the matter at hand—the last case of the day.