Deputy hall master Ren Shu noticed Yang Qing's relieved look and couldn't help but shake his head bitterly at this.
"It seems I'll have to tell the hall master it was a bust this time too. Maybe we will get lucky and find good seedlings in this year's second entrance examinations." Ren Shu thought to himself.
"Meng Chao, Ren Shu, thanks for coming to my party especially you Ren Shu. I didn't expect Lu Guiren to let you off," Dean Zhu Lao cheerily said as he greeted the two.
"I won't be staying for long, I only have half an hour before I have to head back so let me give my apologies in advance and toast for your forgiveness," said Ren Shu as he raised his wine urn to Dean Zhu Lao and gulped it down.
"I will also have to give you a toast for forgiveness too brother Zhu Lao as an unexpected matter showed up that requires my attention. I won't be staying for long either," said Meng Chao in apology as he took a gulp from his wine urn.
Dean Zhu Lao's eyes flashed with a mysterious glint once he heard Meng Chao's statement and the seriousness in his tone when he said it.
"Is it about that other matter? Did you finally get solid leads?" Dean Zhu Lao tentatively asked.
"Yes I did, finally, though it involves putting a friend's child in front of the fire otherwise the rats would not leave their burrows," said Meng Chao as he sighed with embers of guilt in his tone.
"Little Fu?" asked Dean Zhu Lao.
"Yes, him. He should be breaking through to the palace realm which is why they are about to make a move.
He agreed to be the bait to draw them out but I can't help but feel guilty. If there was a way I could do this without involving him I'd gladly do it but alas, sadly there isn't.
I don't know how Jiang Chen would take it. Using his son as bait to draw in possibly the same people who took his wife and destroyed his clan," said Meng Chao as he ruefully smiled.
"Some things can't be helped and I bet little Fu would have done it with or without your intervention atleast this way you can keep an eye on him and ensure his safety.
Sad what happened to that sect and such an exquisite technique buried along with it," said Dean Zhu Lao.
"Little Fu? Sect? Could they be talking about Jiang Fu and the crystal palm jade sect? As I thought, there really may be a connection between Jiang Fu and Deng Chao," Yang Qing thought as a million other conjectures flashed in his mind.
"Actually that person didn't die it turns out he is alive albeit in a weakened state but he is still alive. He appeared yesterday in our young friend Yang Qing's court," said Meng Chao as he pointed to Yang Qing who was still lost in contemplation.
"Oh, now that's a pleasant surprise. I guess the rumored saint-grade treasure may have had something to do with his survival," said Dean Zhu Lao as he lightly smiled.
"It seems brother Meng Chao has beat me to the introductions….this is the promising young judge I was talking about. His name is Yang Qing and was one of the finest students I've had the pleasure of teaching.
He shares your same passion for lost arts and cultivation art dissection. He has made improvements on a few red-grade arts that transformed into orange-grade arts there was even a low-rank blue-grade art in his repertoire of upgrades.
It is the brilliant ray fist cultivation art, right, Yang Qing?" asked Vice dean Yu Long after he had made his introductions.
"Right, right it was that one," Yang Qing confusedly answered after hurriedly coming out of his stupor.
"That's pretty impressive young friend. I don't think I made such achievements when I was your age. The young shall soon surpass the old.
I hope you will all push the Order into greater heights than us old foggeys," Dean Zhu Lao kindly smiled as he addressed the trio of Yang Qing, Mao Yunru, and Yu Huifang with appreciation in his eyes.
"That they will," said Vice dean Yu Long as he looked lovingly and with pride, at Yu Huifang who blushed once she saw her father's gaze.
On seeing the reaction of Yu Huifang and her father Vice dean Yu Long, Dean Zhu Lao and the blue-haired lady who was the hall master of the formation hall shared a brief nigh imperceptible complicated look which then turned to some sort of firm agreement.
Yang Qing in the meanwhile didn't take Dean Zhu Lao's modesty to heart. Dean Zhu Lao was a rare gifted prodigy when it came to cultivation arts. Though he was famous for the gold-grade cultivation art the shadow void steps it was not the only gold-grade art that he had created or improved not to mention the blue-grade arts under his belt and his strides of conversion of ancient beast tongue and abilities into cultivation arts.
Yang Qing may have one blue-grade cultivation art but it was in the lower ranks and he didn't build it from scratch but instead made improvements from a high-rank orange-grade cultivation art and even that took him a decade of countless hours and research to make that leap.
While his efforts couldn't be discounted since this was a blue-grade cultivation art that would ensure the sustainability and promulgation of a rank 3 and even rank 2 organization, the difference to make up between a blue-grade art and high-rank orange-grade art was not as huge as compared to making a blue grade art from scratch or improving it from a white grade or red grade cultivation art. He already had a huge foundation to work from.
Most blue-grade arts circulating around the continent were from upgrades made to high-rank orange-grade arts. It is because of this that some high-rank orange grade arts may sometimes be even more expensive than lower rank blue grade cultivation arts. Its potential upgrade under the right hands makes them extremely valuable.
The Order built its enormous collection of blue-grade cultivation arts via this route.
…
Vice-dean Zhu Lao then proceeded to make a quick introduction of the dean of survival and adaptability and the hall master of the formation hall. It was mostly for Mao Yunru's sake, who though knew the dean of survival and adaptability since it was a mandatory course, had no clue about the formation hall's, hall master.
The institute had a formations faculty but that and the formation hall were two completely different entities. The formation faculty was in charge of training the students in arrays while the formation hall was in charge of the laying down, maintenance, and improvement of all formation arrays in all the Order's facilities. So it was rare for her to have any interaction with the members of the formation hall and on the occasion she did, it was never with those high up.
The Dean of survival and adaptation was called Chu Zhen while the formation hall's Hall master was called Ling Meimei. She was also the wife of Dean Zhu Lao, the culprit behind his 50-year seclusion.
Yang Qing and Mao Yunru threw strange looks her way once they discovered she was the wife of Dean Zhu Lao which resulted in an awkward dry laugh from him. Even though he had a thick face there were still limits.
"Yang Qing, your courtroom and carriage are due for an inspection in a few days before you move to the palace courts.
I hope we won't find any evidence of tampering like last time though some part of me actually hopes I do find something. My hall has been rather short of funds of late and we have a staggering increase in areas where we need it.
Your kind donations will be highly welcomed," said formation hall master Ling Meimei as she lightly chuckled with an amused glint flashing in her eyes.
"Formation hall master Ling Meimei you are always a pleasant sight. I Yang Qing have many faults but learning from my mistakes isn't one of them.
I humbly realized I was inviting humiliation by overestimating my paltry skills in front of a behemoth like the formation hall.
I bow in apology and also to your blinding awe-inspiring excellence. I welcome a thorough inspection of my courtroom and the carriage. You won't find a single script out of place but as an avid admirer of the selfless efforts the formation hall does to ensure we are safe and comfortable, I am willing to make a humble donation as a token of my gratitude," said Yang Qing with a righteous and selfless air about him which drew questioning gaze toward him from those present and a look of approval from Dean Zhu Lao.
Internally Yang Qing was crying. When he broke through to the palace realm, riding the exhilaration of his newfound power he decided to try and fiddle with the arrays in his carriage AGAIN for his longtime ambition of sleeping more to work.
He failed again and damaged some of the arrays in the process. He decided to offer a donation first to soften the blow later.
Deciding to distract himself with other matters, he decided to go ahead and confirm the guess he made during Meng Chao's and Dean Zhu Lao's conversation.
"Seniors the little Fu you were talking about is it perhaps Jiang Fu from the thousands flavors restaurant," asked Yang Qing.
"Yes, it is. It seems you noticed it too, their hands," said Meng Chao.
"Mmmh," nodded Yang Qing. For as long as he had known Jiang Fu, he has always had jade-like hands. Yang Qing never asked anything as it seemed like a sore subject to Jiang Fu. Yang Qing always assumed it was because it made him look ladylike.
But he had to reevaluate that assumption when Deng Chao one of the founders of the crystal palm jade sect appeared in his courtroom.
He may have been in an incorporeal form but his features were clear and distinctive. Yang Qing noticed that he too had jade hands. He couldn't help but wonder if he had any relations to Jiang Fu because those Jade hands seemed something they were born with rather than a side effect of a cultivation art. It was why he asked Deng Chao if that was his real name.
Yang Qing's pupils suddenly froze.
"Senior Meng Chao don't tell me you suspect the destruction of the Crystal palm jade sect had nothing to do with the saint-grade treasure they found and more to do with Deng Chao?" Yang Qing shockingly asked.
"As of now it's just a guess but with Jiang Fu's help, it's only a matter of time before I confirm it. I know you have a lot of questions but that will have to wait till later for now let's celebrate Brother Zhu Lao's return. I'll find you before your ceremony to fill you in on the details," said Meng Chao as he offered a polite smile.
"Okay," Yang Qing agreed to shelf the matter as he too agreed this was neither the time nor place.
"I don't know if I should tell Zhang Qingge. With how close she is to Jiang Fu she will have to know," thought Yang Qing.
