With Yun Wei's overt gesture, it wasn't that hard for Ma Yuan to notice the connotation behind it. His look turned complicated because of it, but he gritted his teeth as he firmed himself. Since he had already opened that can of worms by taking advantage of Yang Qing's relationship, he would go all in.
"Judge Yang Qing would you please....?" said Ma Yuan with a faint quiver in his voice as he passed over the shard to Yang Qing.
There was a bit of expectation and also worry in his eyes as he handed over the shard to Yang Qing.
For some reason unbeknown even to himself, he was more nervous asking for Yang Qing's help than he was when he asked it from Chief Yun Wei, even though ironically the former was more predisposed to help him than the latter.
Before Yang Qing took the shard, his gaze, and demeanor had a sudden shift. There was a formless regal pressure coming from him as his gaze bore down on Ma Yuan.
"Brother Ma Yuan, before I take a look there's something we need to get straight first. Are you making the request to me as a friend or as a member of the Order?" Asked Yang Qing. Although his tone was polite and soft, the weight of it made even Yun Wei who was virtually a bystander in this, feel his heart race like he had stakes in it too.
Ma Yuan who was the subject of it all, was in an even worse state. His knees almost buckled as they shook slightly, his heart pounded so much that he was sure it was audible to the outside, his insides felt like they were in knots and his tongue was drier than a desert.
He understood the implications of Yang Qing's words. If he asked it as a friend, he would still have autonomy over how the matter progressed and the direction of the whole thing would depend on him, but if he asked for Yang Qing's help in his official capacity as a member of the Order, then the whole dynamic changes. The whole case would be under the authority of the Order from that moment on and the whole matter would thus be subject to its rules and regulations.
His role in the matter would become passive. He would switch from an active participant to a witness. Whatever happened next, he would have no influence whatsoever.
Both sides had pros and cons to it, one gave him autonomy on how things progressed, but all he'd get was Yang Qing's help as a friend, while the other he'd lose all decision-making rights but in exchange he'd get the help of a monolithic organization like the Order.
Despite the ramifications of his choice, Ma Yuan had no hesitation in deciding what was best, to him, it was a no-brainer on which choice was the best.
Yang Qing's demeanor and question may have thrown him off for a bit, which made him flustered, but even in that state, the choice he needed to make to fulfill his promise, was as clear as day.
"I, Ma Yuan would like to beseech the Order to help me investigate the disappearance of my wife and daughter who were forcefully taken away from me, seven years ago."
Ma Yuan's voice boomed as he said those words. Every syllable and sentence was uttered with a firm heaviness to it.
When Ma Yuan uttered the last sentence, he felt relief wash over his whole body. It was a relief he hasn't felt in a long time ever since his wife and child got taken. He doesn't know why, but tears started streaming down his cheeks along with the relief. He tried to stop them, but once the floodgates opened, no matter how hard he tried, he found it hard to close them back up.
However, luckily for him, he didn't cry for too long because a minute later he passed out. Yang Qing flashed to where he was and caught him before he fell.
Yang Qing placed Ma Yuan over his shoulders and then he went on to gently drop him on Ellie's back.
"I, Yang Qing in my capacity as a judge of the Order, accept your request. Rest now Ma Yuan," Yang Qing softly said to the passed-out Ma Yuan.
He sighed when he saw Ma Yuan weakly smile in his passed-out state. He could tell that the moment Ma Yuan completed his request, something within him finally let go.
He had been forcefully enduring the past seven years and that volatile strain took its toll on both his soul and body. Ma Yuan looked like he had been holding everything together within him with a thin string, and finally, that string snapped when he completed his request. Everything he has been overriding and forcefully enduring in the past seven years flooded his body all at once. Without the string to forcefully stitch all that damage into place, his mind and body easily gave in and he passed out.
Though it would be more apt to say, his mind and body finally got the rest they needed for what it was put through, for those seven years.
….
"Chief Yun Wei, even with the Order taking charge of the matter, I would still like to uphold Ma Yuan's earlier request. Whatever information and clues you might dig up about this shard, please transmit them to the Order, no matter how small.
Also, consider this as an official request from the Order. All the stipulations regarding the remuneration of your services are now in effect should you agree," Yang Qing said as he carefully split a piece of the shard and handed it to Yun Wei.
Yang Qing purposely made one piece larger than the other during his split. He handed the larger piece to Yun Wei while he remained with the smaller piece.
Just like it did to Ma Yuan when he held it, the shard tried to freeze both Yang Qing's and Yun Wei's hands the moment they held it. The latter used his spiritual qi as a barrier to protect his hands when he held the shard, while the former seemed almost immune to the shard's effect.
Yang Qing's hand would start frosting from the nails but it would disappear just as fast, as if there was a massive hole swallowing that ice. After a minute of rapid flashing of the appearance and disappearance of the frost, the shard seemed like it had lost its effect on Yang Qing's hand. Its freezing effect no longer appeared on his nails after the minute mark passed
