Daily life of a cultivation judge

"A deal?" Lihua asked curiously, though her voice remained as calm and tranquil as ever. Meifeng, ever the nosy one, had her eyes light up at the mention of it.

"A deal? I want one too," she said eagerly.

"Weren't the scallion pancakes enough?" Yang Qing replied with a wry smile at Meifeng's antics. She had just interrupted the mercantile trance he had channeled.

"That isn't enough," Meifeng snorted. "You owe me. Without me, you wouldn't even be dealing, so it's only fair I become a part of it too. Weren't you the one who told me to never do anything for free, or I'd be thoroughly exploited by black-hearted individuals?" She stressed the last two words with meaningful emphasis while casting Yang Qing a suspicious, hinting look.

"Fine, I give up," Yang Qing said, raising his arm in defeat.

"Yes!" Meifeng exclaimed in joy, lightly clenching her fists and punching the air in jubilation.

Shaking his head at her behavior, Yang Qing turned his attention back to Lihua, whose eyes had not left him since he proposed a trade.

"I detected the aura of another queen in the making within your hive," Yang Qing began, his gaze drifting toward it. "If I asked for her, would this be a worthy trade?" As he spoke, a noble pink-white peony with a silver stamen appeared in his hands.

The instant it appeared, its rich floral scent filled the alcove, accompanied by the sensation of a faint night breeze drifting through that both stirred the mind and refreshed the spirit.

Meifeng's flowers were dazzling and mesmerizing in their own right, but that peony—when revealed—was as if the king of flowers had descended.

"I am willing to trade this spirit pearl peony for that larvae queen. What do you think, is it enough?" Yang Qing asked.

"You want to trade that?!" Queen Lihua exclaimed, gesturing toward the peony with one of her limbs. Her tone remained even, as placid as her kind usually were, yet beneath the calm, she was shaken. How could she not be, given what stood before her?

She wasn't the only one. Meifeng's eyes widened in shock, mirroring the same state. Even Wenling broke her meditation, staring at the peony with intense desire, and so did Haishi.

Such was the allure of that spirit pearl peony.

Spirit pearl peonies were spiritual plants that ranked as monarch-grade products right from formation, and the reason for that rank lay in their ability. They absorbed spiritual qi and converted it into spirit pearls, which held various uses depending on the person.

For alchemists, spirit pearls were a precious primary ingredient in most meditation-inducing pills and potions, or in those that carried a chance of triggering enlightenment when consumed. They were also used to stave off mental fatigue, refreshing and renewing the spirit and mind, allowing alchemists to work for longer.

For artificers, incorporating spirit pearls into the crafting process increased the chances of producing an artifact with a sentient spirit.

For ordinary cultivators, consuming spirit pearls strengthened and purified the soul while also extending meditation time. This was why they were considered a primary ingredient in pills and potions designed for that purpose.

But for beings like Lihua and Meifeng, those spirit pearls were treasures perfectly tailored to them.

A precious sword, no matter how valuable, was no different from a sharp sickle in a farmer's hands. On the other hand, even a wooden sword was no less than a heavenly blade in the hands of a sword master. The same was true for spirit pearls. They were valuable, yes, with many uses, yes, but their greatest worth shone only in certain hands—beings like Queen Lihua, Meifeng, or even Wenling, whose forte lay in spiritual abilities.

For beings such as them, consuming spirit pearls was like giving wings to a tiger. Spirit pearls carried faint chances of triggering enlightenment or epiphany, and those odds were highest with individuals like the three of them.

There was no better substitute for Queen Lihua than the spirit pearls produced by the spirit pearl peony. Its value far exceeded what the larva queen could provide. After all, the larva queen was just one, whereas the peony, though not abundant in yield, could produce pearls steadily. In an environment like this—rich in gentle yin qi, which the peony favored—it could produce eight to ten pearls in a single year. And the benefits of a single pearl were no less than what consuming the larva queen would have offered her.

And she would potentially have eight to ten of those pearls produced every year. Her chances of reaching the palace realm were much higher with that peony than with the larva queen. If she wished, the peony could even help her birth another larva with queen potential, thanks to the high-quality nectar it produced.

The peony he offered was no different from a dragon gate for Queen Lihua and her hive. It was no wonder she felt overwhelmed, though her innate traits allowed her to appear composed.

"You want to trade this?" she asked again.

"Yes," Yang Qing confirmed.

"But why?" she pressed incredulously, finding it inexplicable. "Surely there is no need for that, is there?" Her confusion only deepened. She couldn't understand why he would offer such a precious thing when he was already getting everything for free. It was like buying milk from a cow you already owned.

Sensing there might be a misunderstanding, Yang Qing glanced questioningly at Meifeng and secretly transmitted his voice to her: Meifeng, what did you tell her?

"What do you mean?" Meifeng asked.

"Her. Me. The arrangement between us. What were the conditions?"

"Conditions?" Meifeng tilted her head. "I just told her I have a cool senior brother who was excited to meet them..."

"Just that?" Yang Qing asked incredulously.

"What do you mean just that? Haven't you heard? I called you cool, which you owe me for, by the way. I want four peonies like that one... no, three... well, maybe two... yes, two is as low as I'm willing to go!" she declared in a matter-of-fact tone, trying to sound fierce and immovable as a fortress.

Alas, that fortress lasted only so long before it crumbled. "Fine! Because of the scallion pancakes, I'll give you a special discount and accept one peony. You hear me? It's just this one time, okay! I'm serious, Brother Yang Qing. It's a ONE-time offer!" Meifeng emphasized repeatedly, her resolve already showing cracks as she looked at Yang Qing with a gaze that betrayed her waning confidence.

"One is okay, right?" she added, her voice softening into a whisper as the last of her resolve finally collapsed.