Yang Qing didn't waste any time getting back to his abode, leaving tomorrow's problem for the future Yang Qing. Present Yang Qing needed a rest from it all, for the moment.
Once he arrived at the dream cloud abode he dropped the starlight crab off at his pond.
"Starlight, remember in the future your job will be to protect the fish in this pond from the greedy bird we came with." Yang Qing harped on as he explained to Starlight his new duties. He mixed a few threats and incentives in there as a good boss should. It was one of the few things he was grateful to the Order for. How to efficiently exploit those under you.
Starlight casually waved one of its claws in understanding and agreement. Its eyes were narrowed in pleasure at the moment as it soaked itself in the pond's water. The pond had water with dense spiritual qi that was even denser than the cold Yin Lake it called home for the past 100 years. It also had a unique gentleness and balance to it that seemed to be nourishing its body.
A few seconds later it was shocked to find that not only was its body being restored and strengthened, but the feeling also started permeating to its soul too. The mental fatigue it had from trying to assimilate the wisdom pearl from the cyclone arc prawn, was being washed away by the second.
Starlight couldn't help but look at its new owner with a profound look of respect. It had only agreed to join Yang Qing only because of the wisdom pearl it was given. Other than that, it had no expectations, but now it was starting to feel like maybe it had lucked out with its new owner.
Yang Qing noticed every reaction of the Starlight crab from the moment it was inside the pond. He had a smug look to him when he saw how enamored the starlight crab was, with the place. Such a reaction was to be expected because other than contributing his funds to the nesting project of the celestial nesting weaver, a bit of his income and merit points went into that pond.
At surface value, it seemed simple, but it was inlaid with a blue grade formation array called the 'fifth binding seasons array' which regulated every minute condition of the water from its temperature, down to its Yin-Yang energy balance. It created an uncountable number of variations that helped in the growth and survival of a wide number of species thus adding diversity to the pond. In addition to the formation array, there were a few spiritual herbs that were at the monarch rank whose job was to purify the water in the pond in addition to increasing the spiritual qi of the water. Yang Qing had even procured the services of a geomancy specialist in the Order to find the perfect position to build the pond.
The starlight crab's reaction was to be expected considering the sheer amount of resources Yang Qing had poured into it. The pond in and of itself could rival the blessed grounds of some newly established rank 3 organization. The place the starlight crab lived prior might as well have been a dung heap in comparison.
"Please don't eat the fish here, you can have one every three months but no more," said Yang Qing, but he immediately realized he was just being a worrywart for nothing when he saw the look the Starlight crab gave. It was similar to the one it gave him when he offered it some of the fish he had roasted. It was a look of derision and disdain. The starlight crab even pulled the wisdom pearl closer to himself, to ensure its point was driven across well.
Do you think I'd care about some fish when I have this? I'm not like that stupid bird that just sets its sights on anything. You may have given me a solid beating but you and that bird are clearly lacking in sensibilities when compared to me. But don't worry since you gave me the wisdom pearl, I'll help you with that, as it's only right and proper I do so.
Yang Qing had a mildly puzzled look to him when he noticed the concerned and reaffirming gaze Starlight was giving him.
"What's with that look? Do I have something on my face?" Yang Qing wondered as he checked himself using the reflection from the pond. When he didn't find anything strange, he decided to ignore the matter and make his way to his courtyard.
"Starlight take care of yourself, oh and you can use this to communicate though don't make a habit of using it very much," Yang Qing said as he tossed a voice transmission pearl into the pond.
He didn't even bother explaining the pearl's mechanism of operation to Starlight as he yawned leaving the confused Starlight behind.
"What I'm I supposed to do with this? Do I eat it, why does he keep insisting on feeding me stuff? Can it even be eaten?" Starlight wondered as it used the tip of one of its claws to cautiously probe the pearl.
"Forget it," It tossed the matter aside as its gaze fell on the wisdom pearl. The preliminary insights it had gotten from the first attempt had left it intoxicated for more. With its soul being refreshed by the pond's water, it decided to continue on with the assimilation.
…
"Seems like Yi Jie is still reinforcing his realm," Yang Qing muttered once he detected Yi Jie's aura in the celestial nesting weaver's nest.
"All the best old friend," said Yang Qing as he went into his courtyard whilst sighing. Ever since he had a taste of the comfort of the celestial nesting weaver's nest, resting in any other place never felt quite the same to him. They always fell a little short.
Early the next morning someone from the administration department was already at his door. The person was from the Standard Regulatory Committee. This was a branch of the administrative department that mostly handled induction training and ceremonies. They guided the members of the Order on what they were supposed to do and what was expected of them, whenever they went to a new station or were promoted.
For example, Yang Qing underwent induction when he graduated from the institute and became an outer core court judge, he had another when he moved to the inner core courts and the last he went through was when he moved to the superior core courts.
During those inductions, he was given a thorough guideline of his new duties, the privileges he enjoyed including remunerations, the clearance level, and the areas within the Order he had access to, among other things. Every jump in level came with its own roles and responsibilities and the Standard Regulatory Committee was in charge of guiding all Order employees in that regard, including filling in all members of the Order on any changes to the operating protocols and guidelines of the Order.
Their members were an erudite and meticulous sort. The person who had come to see Yang Qing was a young man who looked to be about 20 years old. Even though he looked young, he had an old person's sternness and seriousness to him. Yang Qing almost flinched when he saw him because he got the same vibes from that member as he did from Lei Weiyuan.
He had short hair meticulously combed with not a strand out of place and had on black and white robes that were perfectly straightened. Even his posture seemed measured to perfection along with his calm gaze and expression.
He had a fifth-stage core formation cultivation base which Yang Qing could tell had been given the same amount of meticulousness as he did to other areas of himself. It was perfectly polished to the extremes of what one could reach at the fifth level.
….
"Judge Yang Qing, my name is Song Guozhi and I'm the inductor attached to you during the duration of your ceremony up to the point you will officially begin your duties as an outer palace court judge.
In here you will find the schedule for tomorrow's programme, along with the guest list of the different organizations that will be coming by," Song Guozhi said as he handed over a white jade talisman to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing used his spiritual qi to gain access to the contents stored there. The sheer volume of the information stored in there made his pupils constrict in shock.
"Do I have to master all these?" Yang Qing cautiously asked as he laughed dryly.
The organizations listed in there were in the thousands. In addition to their names, in-depth information on their background was also provided.
How many years have they been in existence, the minor and major changes that have affected them since they were founded, and the different leaders they have had over the years, which included their short bios, of which some were already deceased but their bio was provided nonetheless including their likes and dislikes.
Yang Qing couldn't help but wonder what he would need the information about the likes and dislikes of a deceased person for, during his ceremony. This was a little too overboard.
"One can never be too prepared, Judge Yang Qing, since you will be personally welcoming some of those guests. Having such in-depth information will be of benefit to you when you exchange greetings with them," Song Guozhi said without batting an eye.
"How would small talk reach the point of us discussing their long-dead ancestors?" Yang Qing inwardly wondered. But he kept all those doubts to himself because he had a feeling Song Guozhi wouldn't accommodate them.
They soon got on a carriage Song Guozhi had stationed outside his abode. They were making their way to the Order's main building where Yang Qing would be picking up his ceremonial robe along with a few other artifacts he would need to put on during the ceremony.
After that, he would visit the grounds where the ceremony would be held. It was a 10,000-acre valley that had been specifically set aside for promotion ceremonies and graduation ceremonies. For the former, outside forces would be invited but for the latter, it was restricted to Order employees and the family of the students graduating.
Yang Qing couldn't wait to get the next two days over with. Getting gifts was about the only thing he was looking forward to.
