Daily life of a cultivation judge-Chapter 1247: Xie Han (1)

The man in black robes fearfully glanced at Yang Qing.

"Forgive my—"

"Forgive my lacking manners, but I think I should warn you before you complete that sentence," said Yang Qing slowly, cutting the man off mid-sentence.

"Look below you," Yang Qing said. "You see that?" he added, pointing at the snow-white four-leaf clover now imprinted on the middle-aged man’s chest. It was positioned where his chest met his stomach.

The instant the man saw the clover, his face went pale. He would have dropped to his knees and begged for his life if not for the fact that Yang Qing didn’t seem done talking—and he was far too terrified to interrupt.

"That seal is a stronger version of what you were hit with," Yang Qing said softly.

The middle-aged man grew even paler as his frightened gaze shifted between Yang Qing, the clover on his torso, and the area behind Yang Qing.

To his senses—whether through his eyes or spiritual perception—there was nothing there. But his experience from just four hours ago told him otherwise. There was something dangerous hiding in that space. An entity so powerful that it had knocked him out in an instant. He still didn’t know how he had been attacked, or even by what—only that it had happened, and he had been effortlessly defeated.

His back was instantly drenched in sweat when the clover flashed with silver glyphs radiating with boundless power.

"If you lie, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a soft lie or a big one—that seal you see on you will react," Yang Qing warned.

"It’s been embedded into your soul and will respond to everything you say. If you lie even slightly, one leaf will wither. So, you have three chances to tell the truth," he said, his gaze turning austere, gleaming with the same light as that clover. "Or to lie," he lightly added.

"Three chances are all you get," he continued. "If you lie a fourth time, when that last leaf withers, so will your soul. Whatever happens to that clover happens to your soul, too. What happens next is entirely in your hands," Yang Qing said.

The middle-aged man stiffly nodded, whispering, "I won’t lie."

"Good," said Yang Qing, softly patting his back with a warm smile that only served to unnerve the man further.

Meanwhile, Yang Qing was inwardly celebrating his acting skills. The entire story about the clover withering his soul was a complete lie, along with it being able to detect lies. In truth, the clover wasn’t even real. It was just something he had randomly created from the lingering energy his spell had left behind. He had tweaked that energy slightly and added a bit of concentrated yin to make it colder and enhance its chilling effect.

The chilly effects the cultivator was feeling inside his body and soul were all the seal was actually good for.

Feeling cheeky, Yang Qing decided to sneak in a bit of yang energy, giving the unfortunate cultivator alternating waves of heat and cold.

Great! He’s even more freaked out. With how anxious he is, if he tries to lie, he won’t be able to keep anything straight, thought Yang Qing, inwardly celebrating his efforts while outwardly maintaining a solemn expression.

"Good. Seems like the seal has further embedded itself into not only your soul, but your body too," Yang Qing said as he deftly slipped in more yang energy, rapidly cycling its effects with the yin energy to further sell the illusion.

"I’ll tell the truth! I’ll tell the truth! Please!! I promise!... I won’t lie! I can even swear to the Dao if you want!" pleaded the middle-aged cultivator, as his voice cracked during the desperate plea.

Yang Qing purposefully let a few seconds of silence pass to build the tension before finally easing the pressure with a few calm words.

"As long as you tell me the truth, I’ll let you go," said Yang Qing. "I, Yang Qing, swear on the heavenly Dao not to kill you... should you tell the truth," he added, making the oath, which took the middle-aged cultivator by surprise as he stared wide-eyed at him.

He had already been prepared to beg some more, and while he didn’t voice it out loud, the real reason he was so terrified—besides the seal placed on his body—was the loud whisper at the front of his mind telling him that, regardless of what he did, he wasn’t coming out of this alive. Not even if he told the truth.

He’d seen enough of the world to know how situations like this usually played out, especially in a region with such a long-standing history of bloodshed. Not to mention, he was currently trespassing.

While this stretch of gorge was officially considered the boundary between the territories of the Wan and Huang noble households, unofficially, it was still treated as Wan family territory.

The reason it was so deserted was simple: the Wan family had no use for it, and the Huang family didn’t dare encroach on it. That left the land in its current state—a wilderness devoid of human presence.

If either family discovered he was here, especially with how tense things were at the moment, his fate would be sealed in death. The best outcome he could hope for was a swift death—one he doubted either side would grant him.

That was why he was so petrified to fall into Yang Qing’s hands.

Given Yang Qing’s introduction and his mention of Elder Wan Li, the man had already assumed him as someone from the Wan clan. Maybe a new, overzealous guest elder, judging from his unfamiliar face.

The middle-aged cultivator also considered the possibility that Yang Qing wasn’t from the Wan family at all—maybe he was a spy. And if that were the case, then his death was guaranteed. A spy wouldn’t leave behind witnesses.

No matter what identity Yang Qing wore, the cultivator had already assumed that the moment he fell into his hands, he was as good as dead.

But now... with the oath Yang Qing had taken, he couldn’t help but breathe a little easier.

He was still terrified, of course. A part of him couldn’t shake the feeling that even though Yang Qing had sworn not to kill him so long as he told the truth, that didn’t mean he was safe. He could still end up sealed or imprisoned somewhere, never to see the light of day. Or worse, have his memories rewritten, sealed, or wiped entirely. He could even be turned into an idiot.

As long as he didn’t die, anything was on the table. Yang Qing’s oath only promised not to kill him—everything else was fair game.

It was frightening to imagine what that everything else could be. But at least he found some small comfort in knowing: no matter how things played out, he’d still be alive. And as long as you’re alive, there’s always a chance—however small—for things to turn around, no matter how grim the circumstances.

He should know—he was living proof of life’s unpredictability.

Around 1,500 years ago, he had killed his father for selling his mother and two sisters to an underground organization to pay off gambling debts. That syndicate hadn’t taken kindly to his actions, especially since his father had been their inside man among the city guards. He worked as their attendant.

It went without saying, he didn’t make it far before he was caught. As a young kid with nothing to rely on, he was caught almost immediately. But, ironically, the very thing that got him into that mess ended up saving his life.

The syndicate appreciated his resourcefulness and, more importantly, his willingness to kill. Especially the latter. That was a talent they never had enough of. And so, his life as a gang member began.

Even though they appreciated his murderous side, things were not rosy for him in the syndicate. Since he had killed his own father to get that job, let’s just say his new employers were understandably wary of him. They planted restrictions in his body through poisonous gu, to make sure he never turned that murderous blade on them.

Years passed as he clawed his way up from the bottom, dancing between life and death. For a long time, he doubted he’d even live past the age of fifteen. He certainly never imagined he’d one day reach the Palace Realm.

Yet here he was. That "syndicate rat," as they used to call him, was still alive and kicking at the ripe old age of 2,074 and with a first-stage Palace Realm cultivation to show for it.

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