As Deng Chao was busy ruminating over why someone of Meng Chao's stature had made a personal appearance on the case, the contract parchment in the middle of the courtroom split into five copies. The five copies turned into dazzling golden lights as they flew toward sect master Han Qingling, Owner Liu Yun, Zhao Qi, Meng Chao, and finally Deng Chao who was pulled from his daze when he saw a golden light fly at him.
"I think my work here is done. Thank you Yang Qing for giving me a chance to intrude on your case. I'll leave the rest to you," Meng Chao nodded to Yang Qing who nodded back in acknowledgment.
"Lei Weiyuan you're coming to Zhu Lao's welcoming party, right? His wife has finally decided to let him out after the little stunt he pulled 50 years ago. The party will be tomorrow night at Su Yin's place," Meng Chao said as he shook his head while chuckling.
"Glad to hear his seclusion is over. His department in the institute has been out of sorts without their dean to hold down the fort. Hehehe sure I'll be there," Lei Weiyuan said as he smiled.
"Zhu Lao, isn't he?" Yang Qing paused as he immediately recollected who that was. How could he not when that was the name of the longtime absentee dean of the faculty of cultivation art history and dissection.
Other than him being the only dean Yang Qing had never seen in his time at the institute the real reason he remembered him was that one of the core cultivation arts currently being practiced by the Order was created by him. It was a movement art in the middle ranks of gold-grade cultivation arts, the shadow void steps.
The shadow void steps made one as light as a feather and as fast as the wind. With high levels of mastery, one would even move within the shadow of objects around making it as versatile as teleportation. It even went to the extent that one could bypass protection arrays of a particular level as long as the cultivator had high proficiency in the art. It was one of the best stealth and multipurpose utility art the Order had, so its creator Zhu Lao was widely known despite never being seen by the younger members, especially the story surrounding the art's creation.
Rumor was he had created the art so he could sneak out of his home undetected to go have a chat and drink with friends in the wee hours of the night and sneak right back in. He was successful at first but later his wife with abnormal instincts felt something was off, especially with the random dao research excuse he used on her for a few months when he came home late. Acting on her suspicions she added a few alert formation arrays without Zhu Lao's knowledge.
Zhu Lao who had grown careless from his pumped-up pride at pulling one over his wife ended up triggering one of those formation arrays on his way out. After he was caught red-handed sneaking out, the information circulated around the Order was he was going into closed-door cultivation to deepen his understanding of the dao.50 years have passed since the announcement.
Yang Qing had always wanted to meet the person who created the Shadow void steps considering how intricate that cultivation art was among movement arts. If he received pointers from such a person he felt the improvements he would make would be astronomical considering Zhu Lao had created the shadow void steps by improving on a red-grade art, the silent moon steps. He had elevated the cultivation art by three grades which was a feat in and of itself.
Though there was another person who Yang Qing would have even traded his leave days just for a chance to say hi, a monster who invented four purple-grade arts something even those from the holy lands couldn't achieve. But sadly just like Zhu Lao who was hard to get in touch with because of his 'closed-door cultivation' it was similarly hard to find the four-time purple-grade cultivation creator.
The only reason Yang Qing and most people knew about him was that his name was among the top ten names written in the all-time merit wall.
…
"Senior Meng Chao do you think I could.." Yang Qing hurriedly asked as his eyes gleamed with expectation. Though currently his request wasn't purely borne out of a young cultivator's interest in seeking pointers from their seniors. His gluttonous nature just like always had already guided his steps.
"What could be better than a feast hosted by a domain expert? The quality," Yang Qing thought to himself
"Yang Qing don't you think you should try to atleast hide your true thoughts a little bit better?" Meng Chao said as he pointed at the side of Yang Qing's mouth that had a tiny drool sneaking out from it.
Yang Qing hurriedly wiped it with his sleeves.
"Sorry about that senior Meng Chao. It seems like I've made a fool of myself in front of you. My hunger for the dao sometimes gets the better of me and I lose control of myself. I have much to learn especially from my very talented seniors," Yang Qing shamelessly said putting on the most solemn serious dao focused look he could muster.
"This guy is truly shameless beyond measure. If shamelessness was a dao I'm afraid he would already be an unparalleled expert by now," Yi Jie thought as the swollen throbbing vein in his forehead threatened to burst open from the passive shame he was suffering from. He always bore the brunt of Yang Qing's shamelessness since he was his chief inquisitor.
Even Meng Chao was a little taken aback by Yang Qing's reaction.
"Fine you can come too, your team included and those judge friends of yours you eat with," Meng Chao said in exasperation. He couldn't wait to escape before Yang Qing did something that made him ruin his expert-like demeanor.
"Lei Weiyuan is truly a pro at this. He hasn't flinched even a little," Meng Chao thought as he looked at him in admiration
"Well then, if there is nothing else I will be taking my leave," Meng Chao hurriedly said as he turned around to make his getaway. But as he passed by Deng Chao he paused for a second as if debating about something.
"I was there during the final moments of your sect. I'm sorry that I couldn't do much for you or your sect at the time but in the next year or so should you want to find out the truth about the identity of the mastermind behind your sect's destruction and the origin of the last intruders, you can seek me out," Meng Chao said as he passed a small black token with a golden eagle symbol on one side and the name Meng on the other.
Deng Chao reflexively took the token though he was in a stupor as he did it. By the time he regained his senses and was about to ask a question, Meng Chao had already disappeared from his sight the same way he had appeared.
"If he was there then why didn't he step in? With his abilities surely he would have been able to prevent the total annihilation of my sect or even kept the intruders who came at the last moment, at bay," Deng Chao softly said. However, everyone could feel the anger and despondence in his tone despite the softness of his tone.
"He was at the peak of the seventh stage of the domain realm at the time and the Order was barely a few months old and thus didn't have the proper structure to involve itself and solve something of that level efficiently.
I'm not saying this to make an excuse for senior Meng Chao or the Order but I'm just stating the facts as they were.
If the situation were reversed and you were in Meng Chao's shoes, a seventh-stage domain realm, would you recklessly intervene in a clash that had more than ten late-stage domain experts?" Lei Weiyuan asked.
Deng Chao's eyes flashed with pain as he swallowed his next words. He knew he was just being unreasonable by assigning blame but sometimes blaming another person seemed a lot easier than facing the grim harsh reality.
"He couldn't do anything for you then but over the past 400 years, he has been searching and investigating every clue he could find concerning those who masterminded the destruction of your sect. He has spent countless hours and resources doing it all because he felt he owed it to a cultivator whose character he admired.
I hope you find the answers you need fellow daoist.
Yang Qing I'll be taking my leave too," Lei Weiyuan said as he flashed and disappeared from the spot.
The mood remained somber for almost five minutes without anyone moving or saying anything.
It was only when Deng Chao regained some semblance of clarity that the silence was broken.
"Judge Yang Qing, can you give my thanks to fellow daoist Meng Chao when you next meet him? Tell him I will never forget the favor he has done for me and my sect," Deng Chao softly said with some calmness to his tone.
"I will. By the way, can I ask you something? It's okay not to answer if you find the question too personal," Yang Qing said.
Ever since he saw Deng Chao there was something that he couldn't shake and has been nagging at him. Once he saw Deng Chao was in a calmer mood he decided to take a gamble and ask.
"If I can answer I will," Deng Chao replied with a polite smile.
"Is Deng Chao your real name?" Yang Qing hesitantly asked.
"Why ask that?" Deng Chao asked as he narrowed his gaze and his face turned serious.
"If I said just acting on a hunch would that be enough?"
Deng Chao went silent for a second a bit hesitant before he sighed as his shoulders relaxed.
"Well, it doesn't matter revealing it now anyway seeing how they're all dead.
My real name isn't Deng Chao but Li Ren. Other than that I'm afraid I can't tell you more as it is a past I'd rather not dredge up. I already have too much grief to last several lifetimes," Deng Chao said as he bitterly smiled.
"Thank you senior Deng Chao for fulfilling my selfish request," Yang Qing said as he got up and deeply bowed toward him.
"Maybe later you will tell me the real reason you asked me that," Deng Chao said as he smiled.
"I will," Yang Qing solemnly said. If he confirmed his suspicions to be true he had thought of looping both parties in but that would have to wait until he met with the other half of the potential equation when he clocked off.
"Clocking off," As if realizing something, Yang Qing had a joyous smile on his face as he hurriedly grabbed his gavel.
"I, Yang Qing, judge of the superior core court of the Order and the judge in charge of this case hereby declare the case of Sect master Han Qingling of the Yellow lotus sect vs Zhao Qi vs Mountain spring pavilion, CLOSED!" Yang Qing joyously said as he thunderously brought the gavel down that it even made the podium vibrate much to the dismay of the rest.
