Daily life of a cultivation judge

"I have," said Gu Xing, nodding solemnly at Yang Qing. From his reaction, she could tell how important the matter was to him.

Any matter concerning mythical races was always significant. Even something as small as greeting them could be regarded as more important than holding court over grave matters with a king or emperor. Still, while she understood their importance, she hadn't expected Yang Qing's question to carry such weight that he looked like a startled corpse.

It was the first time she had ever seen him like this. Usually, he seemed so nonchalant about everything that she sometimes felt that even if the world were ending, Yang Qing would still find a way to joke about it or sneak in a little end-of-the-world eating party. Seeing him flustered was something she never thought possible. And something told her his reaction wasn't only because mythical races were involved.

After all, he was someone from the Order. As reclusive as she was, even she knew how powerful that entity was. It wouldn't surprise her if it turned out they had mythical races among their ranks.

Whatever had unsettled Yang Qing clearly tied back to the introductions he was seeking.

Yang Qing, realizing he had reacted a little too intensely, smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I got ahead of myself there," he apologized.

"It's okay," said Gu Xing with a smile. "And to answer your question, yes, I did meet members of the Black Yin Water Oak tribe."

"Though 'meet' can only be considered in the barest sense," she quickly added. "I only saw them in passing when I was with my guardian, who was going to meet one of the elders of the Black Tortoise mythical race that cohabits with them. I don't think I even spoke with any of them, I only exchanged casual glances as we went to meet that elder," she explained.

"Though my guardian is definitely close with them," she immediately added. "So if it's an introduction you want, or a message delivered, I think my guardian would readily agree if I asked, given their relationship.

At least it would be a lot easier than if it was the dragonclam you wanted to contact, or the Kunpeng senior, who is almost never around.

I think Grandpa Blue Fairy would have been doable, too. In fact, his would have been the easiest to handle because I could do it myself. Of all the mythical races I met, he was the most approachable, and I am sure he is the most likely to remember my name," said Gu Xing with a chuckle as she recalled that lofty figure pinching her cheeks when she was small and conjuring all manner of spells to amaze her.

"Seems like he left quite the impression on you?" said Yang Qing meaningfully when he saw her expression.

"He did," Gu Xing admitted. "If it wasn't my guardian telling me, I would never have known he was a Blue Fairy. He didn't act like one. And I would not have believed he was older than my guardian either. He didn't look it," she said. "Then again, given the absurd lifespans Blue Fairies have, it isn't surprising he looked so young," she added, her gaze drifting, making it seem as though she were speaking to herself.

"A Blue Fairy," Yang Qing wistfully murmured, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. He didn't know much about them except that they were said to have one of the largest reserves of spiritual qi of anyone, and that they were recorded as one of the mythical races with the highest lifespans.

Generally, all mythical races had long lifespans, much more than the rest of the species, including even spiritual plants and spirit beasts that were renowned for theirs. The Celestial Nesting Weaver was at the same realm as Yang Qing, with both being at the early stage of the palace realm, but when it came to lifespan, they were not at the same level. The Celestial Nesting Weaver had Yang Qing beat, and it wasn't just by a couple of centuries or a couple of millennia.

No, that foul-mouthed bird had Yang Qing beat solidly and emphatically. A fact that he continuously made Yang Qing aware of every time he lost out to Yang Qing in their daily fights when their verbal spats got out of hand (which they always did).

On such occasions, with its bartered feathers and worn-out body filled with nothing but pettiness, it would venomously say, "Hehe, Yang Qing, enjoy your win now, but know this: for a gentleman, even ten thousand years isn't too late for revenge. If a gentleman has ten thousand years, how many years do you think this esteemed noble bird has?

Want to take a guess? What's with that look? Hehe. No need to pretend... little brother, I know you are curious about it.

Fine, fine, no need to throw me that impatient glare as if you want to pluck my feathers and make me into chicken soup. Don't think I haven't noticed that thought in your eyes a few times now. That crimson pig from last time didn't teach you not to overestimate yourself?

Seems I've gone off track here. Where was I? Ah, lifespans... how many years do you have?

In terms of character, you may have as much character as an emaciated leech, but even I have to acknowledge your talent as a cultivator. As a human, your talent is truly one of a kind. First stage palace realm expert with a lifespan of what... thirty-nine thousand years, is it?

Where an average early-stage palace realm expert has thirty thousand years, you have a whopping THIRTY NINE, and that gap will no doubt keep growing as your understanding of your Dao deepens.

And who knows, maybe by the time you are at the late stage, that lifespan of yours will have hit the sixty thousand year mark, making you one of the human cultivators at the palace realm with the highest recorded lifespan. And without the aid of a treasure to boot.

It is pretty impressive... for a human.

What about me, you ask? Stop looking away, you bastard! I am just getting to the good part. See this one feather here... Look! Look, Yang Qing! Do you know how many spirit beasts would trade their entire progeny and bloodline just to look at this one feather of mine, and you're here turning your nose up at it?

Tch, like I said, talented cultivator, but the personality of an emaciated leech. But this senior brother understands. It is what SENIOR brothers do: be understanding towards their LITTLE brother's shortcomings.

Hehehe, you look like you want to hit me, little brother. Do it then! What? No strength left over?

Now sit there and listen.

Ahem, where was I? Ah, one of my feathers. Would you believe me if I told you that just this one feather of mine carries the highest life expectancy of a regular peak stage palace realm expert? What's that, forty thousand years?

"How many feathers do you think I have? However many feathers I have, multiply that by forty thousand years, and that is how many years I have.

Yes, yes, I know... it isn't much. I may be the senior brother here, but I am still basically a chicklet compared to other Celestial Nesting Weavers. I haven't yet grown out of my baby feathers.

As I grow out of them, that number will just keep on growing. How much lifespan does a soul formation expert have, I wonder? Even with my baby feathers, it seems my lifespan is just a tiny bit more than theirs.

This brings me to you, little brother: cherish these little victories because know this, I won't forget them either. Not even after 500,000 years... I think your bones will make a nice addition to my nest, or maybe I'll make them into an ornament for my tail feathers."

Yang Qing of course didn't believe a word that foul-mouthed bird said. Who would, given its vindictive and insidious personality and that foul mouth of his? It obviously lied. At least that was what he hoped. And in truth, later when he went to dig into the information to find out if it was telling the truth, he found out — to no surprise — that foul-mouthed roommate had lied.

It was not surprising, really. In its shoes, Yang Qing would have done the same after suffering a merciless beating from his nemesis roommate. If he failed with his fists, then he would seek vengeance with his mouth and rile the other party up. They were quite similar in that regard.

But even after he found out the celestial nesting weaver had lied, it still did little to assuage the fears that damn bird had planted in him. It may have lied, but its statement wasn't a complete lie; the bit about feathers and their relation to its lifespan was true. The false part was the claim that every feather on its body would be included in the count.

The truth was that, the feather it showed Yang Qing that day did indeed contain forty thousand years' worth of lifespan, but not every single feather of its body did. It was only that tail feather it showed him... and the three other tail feathers that were next to it.

If that was the end of it, Yang Qing would not have been too disheartened by his findings, or ended up with nightmares where he lived on as a polished jade bone swinging on the tail feathers of that senior brother of his. One hundred and sixty thousand years was a lot, yes, but given the way he was going, he had a feeling once he reached the domain realm, his numbers were bound to reach that level, right? Even though the basic lifespan of an ordinary early-stage domain expert was around a hundred and twenty thousand years.

And if he reached the Soul Formation Realm, then he would be the one having the last laugh by having celestial nesting weaver bone broth for the rest of his life.

But alas, his dreams were shattered when he discovered that, in addition to the four tail feathers, the five feathers on its head that formed a crown also carried years in each feather. Worse still, the number of years in each one was much higher than that of the tail feathers.

Each crown feather carried fifty thousand years, which meant that in total, just the crown feathers alone held two hundred and fifty thousand years. Add to that the one hundred and sixty thousand years from the tail feathers, and that meant the celestial nesting weaver had a lifespan of four hundred and ten thousand years.