Daily life of a cultivation judge-Chapter 1018: New deal (1)

Two of the groups present immediately recognized what map it was, more so for the team from Starlight Lake Sect.

How could they not when the map in question was a map of their territory? At least part of it. The map showed where their main sect grounds were, and the regions surrounding it. Part of those regions were theirs and 50,000 years ago when they were still at the height of their power, the regions under their control extended beyond the map Yang Qing had brought out.

Xie Yuan’s expression turned dark as her gaze fell on particular parts of the map. She wasn’t the only one to have such a reaction as Meng Jiayi had the same look, only milder and much more subdued. But it was still there.

Yu Hui was the other party who recognized the map. His face turned awkward when he noticed the face Xie Yuan was making.

The areas her attention was locked on were the areas that his clan had taken from them. Over the years they had taken a lot of territory and resources from them to the point of leaving them to their bare bones, and for the past 100 years after they got a domain expert of their own, they started going for the bones too.

Some of the territories they snatched away during that time were about 10,000 kilometers from their main sect’s entrance gate. It was no different than looting their inside.

It was an accepted norm around the continent, that for organizations that were at rank 3 and above, provided they were not within the territory of an organization more powerful than them, the territory that was 10,000 kilometers around their main gates, was considered their maiden land, which meant it was no different than their core grounds.

Touching said land was no different than robbing their main grounds.

What the Yu clan had done in the last 100 years could be considered worse than what they had done in the past 20,000 years.

Encroaching the Starlight Lake’s maiden territory was the biggest slap to their faces they could ever give them. Nothing they did outside of that ever came close. The one thing that did was maybe the Yu clan ancestor asking for the personal sword of their deceased domain leader. Even that was done in the past 100 years.

Those two acts were what made it easy for Meng Jiayi to convince the whole sect to risk everything and fight it out with the Yu clan at the tiniest of slights despite the apparent consequences that would fall on them if they did.

Losing their maiden land, and their sect master’s sword being asked for as collateral for peace were the two things that pushed them over the edge. The disgrace of it all eroded the fear they had. A cowardly rat when cornered would even dare draw its claws against a dragon, and it was the same for the Starlight Lake Sect.

The reason Yu Hui felt awkward, went without saying, it wasn’t because he cared what Xie Yuan and Meng Jiayi felt about it. If that map had been put out a few minutes ago, he would have welcomed their current reactions with gleeful delight, but now, his feelings on the matter were the opposite of that. He was apprehensive and fearful about it, and it was because of Fan Ha.

Even if there was no longer any contract binding her to the Starlight Lake Sect, it was clear as day how much the sect meant to her considering the lengths she went to in a bid to protect it.

As someone who has been there for the past 20,000 years, she bore first-hand witness to all that the Yu clan had done, including their most recent exploits.

Yu Hui was now afraid she would involve her sister and seek redress for past grievances. If that were to happen, then quite possibly it would be the Yu clan’s turn to lose not only their maiden land but even quite possibly their entire grounds and their names.

At this moment, all he could think about was when Yang Qing was going to release them so he could warn his clan of the Grim Reaper’s scythe hanging above them.

...

With the map neatly positioned, Yang Qing drew a circle at a certain region of the map. One of the places featured within that circle was the main sect grounds of the Starlight Lake Sect.

It didn’t take long for the others to guess as to Yang Qing’s intentions the moment they saw the region covered by the circle. It was the sect ground and its maiden field.

"We are all smart individuals, so I won’t beat around the bush," Yang Qing said as he looked around, with his eyes lingering slightly longer when it fell on Yu Hui.

"In the spirit of forthrightness, my advice is this. The Yu clan needs to cede back whatever lands it has within this area to the Starlight Lake Sect."

Yang Qing used his finger as a tracing line to point at the region covered by the circle he had drawn.

With his hand still on the map, Yang Qing’s gaze fell on Xie Yuan and Meng Jiayi.

"I know it’s hard, but please be content with that. With where you are now, you can’t handle more. If you have more, you’re liable to attract misfortune.

There have been countless witnesses to your actions over the years, who knows what ideas they may have as a result of what they saw. Take what you can handle and leave the rest," Yang Qing said and then proceeded to shift his attention to Fan Ha and then Yu Hui.

"The earth profound jade stone..." Yang Qing started by saying as his attention fell on the duo.

"I hope you can hand it back to them, and in exchange, Miss Fan Ha, I hope news of the Yu clan never reaches your sister’s ears, and if it does reach her, I hope you can try to dissuade her from pursuing the Yu clan, and the price for you speaking up for them is the earth jade profound stone," Yang Qing said as he pointed to the two.

"Now if all of you are agreeable to the conditions I have just mentioned, we can make it official and luckily for us, we have envoy Li Tian with us here, he can serve as a witness to the deal, with the Order as the officiator.

What say you all?" asked Yang Qing as he looked around.

It didn’t take long before a response came, and it was from Yu Hui.

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"I am willing to agree to the terms but I will have to confer with our clan leader," he said, his eyes asking for permission to be excused so he could make the call.

Yang Qing formed a seal with his middle and index finger that resulted in an azure light curtain pouring down from the roof of his office onto Yu Hui, enshrouding him completely. Yu Hui’s figure had been replaced by a refracted curtain of cyan-blue light that pulsated with a gentle glow.

Li Tian’s eyebrow raised slightly in surprise as his attention fell on the curtain. Despite how close he was to Yu Hui, he couldn’t sense his presence at all. The curtain felt like a far-reaching horizon, where no matter how much ground you covered toward it, the distance never seemed to shrink.

As Yu Hui was making his call, the attention turned from him to the rest. Xie Yuan and Meng Jiayi seemed to have already decided as Meng Jiayi leaned back in his seat, his wine cup already back in his hand as he offhandedly replied,

"You’re the sect master, you decide."

Xie Yuan shook her head slightly at his display as she cast Yang Qing an apologetic look in the hopes that he would excuse the previous sect master’s behavior.

While Yang Qing wasn’t all too bothered by it and rather encouraged it even, there was someone else who wasn’t as accommodating.

"Stop embarrassing Xie Yuan with your slovenly conduct," Fan Ha coldly said as she snatched his wine cup and the jar in one swift motion.

"You.." Meng Jiayi was well on his way to retaliating but when he noticed the benign smile Fan Ha wore, he quickly perished the thought and shrunk back.

However tasty that wine was, it wasn’t enough to make him ignore the fear he had whenever he saw that smile and the memories associated with it.

Unwilling to let others see him as a coward, Meng Jiayi snorted as he muttered a few low-toned inaudible curses before turning his attention.

"Kid, mind if I have some of that," Meng Jiayi said mustering a friendly smile as he pointed to the tea kettle that was next to Fan Cai.

Fan Cai was well on his way to refuse, even if it wasn’t his place to refuse. With how much he had bonded with the kettle, specifically its contents, and how it held his hands through pressurizing and unnerving moments, Fan Cai had long started to treat it as his most prized possession.

But on seeing Meng Jiayi’s look, that look of fear that he also had of his mother, as a fellow sufferer, Fan Cai didn’t have it in his heart to deny him as he stood up and even volunteered to pour a cup for him, garnering praise from the old sect master.

Choosing to ignore the duo, Xie Yuan gave her response.

"I agree to the deal," she said. Though with how she said it, one could tell she felt reluctant about it.

"I will agree to hold my end if he agrees to give back that territory, and the earth jade profound stone," said Fan Ha.

"I don’t need the stone," Meng Jiayi.

"Good thing it’s not being offered to you now is it, you old codger," quipped Fan Ha with a cold and dismissive look, instantly shutting up the old sect master who quickly took to tea drinking as Fan Cai threw him a comforting and encouraging smile, to drink more.

Yu Hui didn’t keep them waiting long with Yang Qing sensing his movements from within the curtain, signaling that he was done.

Yang Qing dispelled the light curtain in the same manner of ease with which he put in there in the first place.

Yu Hui seemed paler and more agitated than he had been prior to being encased in the azure light curtain.