Daily life of a cultivation judge

Gu Xing stared deeply at Yang Qing before finally sighing. What that sigh held, only she knew.

"I'll help too where I can," she said with a faint smile.

"That's all I ask," said Yang Qing, smiling back in gratitude.

"I think I will stick with Meifeng," chimed in Meifeng from the side, who seemed to have come to a life-changing decision of her own.

"Well, I think Meifeng is a wonderful name," Yang Qing sincerely praised. At least with Meifeng settling on her original name, he wouldn't have to be plagued by the worrying thoughts of what her master might do to him if she started going by 'ant bee Meifeng.'

"I think we should toast," he suggested with fervor as he refilled all their cups.

"To what?" asked Gu Xing, who seemed to have beaten Meifeng to the question—if the soft pouty mumbling she made of "I wanted to ask that too," was any indicator.

"Well, to a few things," Yang Qing cheerily said as he raised his index finger. "First, to Meifeng being Meifeng."

Meifeng's sulkiness instantly melted away at the remark as she raised her wine bowl with even more gusto.

"Secondly, a toast to the reuniting of friends," said Yang Qing as his gaze shifted between Meifeng and Gu Xing.

"And lastly... well, because why not. It's a beautiful night with beautiful scenery," said Yang Qing, his admiring gaze falling on the stars above and the meadow slowly but surely forming in Meifeng's alcove. "And we are alive.

So, to Meifeng, to friends, and to the beauty of life," he said as he raised his wine bowl.

"To Meifeng, to friends, and to the beauty of life," echoed Gu Xing as she raised hers.

Almost simultaneously, Meifeng made the same toast, though with a little twist. "To me, to you all, and to the beauty of life."

Though in her heart, she also added something else: To not being alone.

She may have thought that only she knew about that silent toast, but Yang Qing and Gu Xing's gazes softened considerably as they fell on her, their eyes surreptitiously drifting to her dress, which bore the silhouettes of different figures seated under a tree gazing at the stars—much like what they were doing right now. It wasn't hard to guess the identities of those figures.

Meifeng's eyes looked as if they were inches away from bursting into tears. However, just as the inevitable flow was about to happen, it was interrupted by the serenity river skylark's melodious chirping.

"Always trying to steal the limelight," snapped Meifeng as she glared at it. But she wasn't about to be outshone, so she immediately started singing, which left the skylark looking around in confusion.

It wasn't that Meifeng's singing had wowed her into stupefaction. After all, they had been living together for months now, and she had heard her singing more times than she cared to. If she was being perfectly honest, while Meifeng's singing was good, the skylark believed she had the better talent and the better voice.

No, the reason she looked so dumbfounded was because she felt maligned. Her earlier actions were not an attempt to steal the moonlight, but rather the result of obeying her master's command. He had secretly sent her an eye signal in the form of a faint passing look, and given the bond they shared, she could instantly tell what he wanted. So she obeyed—and what did she get for it?!

Feeling indignant about the whole situation, she took her revenge the only way she knew how: by outsinging Meifeng. And so, a heated competition ensued between the two.

The diamond beetle, which had been napping comfortably in Yang Qing's hair, lazily opened one eye just in time to see the two singers circling one another like beasts fighting for dominance. It immediately closed its eye again and pretended it had seen nothing.

The crescent-winged moth, however, adopted a different approach. She flew about releasing tiny sparkling hoarfrost crystals with each beat of her wings, creating the illusion that stars were scattering behind her wherever she went. With the way she danced through the air, it seemed as though she were preparing the stage for the two combatants to push their competition even further.

"I would have never pegged her for the inciting sort," said Yang Qing, smiling wryly at the display.

"You make interesting friends," commented Gu Xing from the side, savoring the fiasco with her wine in hand.

The hours flew by with shared laughs, stories, and good music, leaving Yang Qing feeling like a proper traveler. Yet at the same time, he found himself missing his abode—more specifically, the company he had there and how eventful things always became with them around. With most already in seclusion for their breakthroughs, and others like Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge occupied with their posts, it had only been him there for some time now.

Well, technically, it had not just been him. Ma Yuan did routinely pass by every day, after finishing his sessions at Chief Song's abode. But given their history, even if it wasn't as awkward or heavy for Yang Qing anymore as it had been at the beginning, there was still some lingering discomfort, especially where creating a festive atmosphere was concerned. Sharing that sort of company with him could never feel as free or cheerful as it did now with Gu Xing and the others.

As for his other remaining options, the starlight crab was just as awkward for festive company as Ma Yuan was, albeit for different reasons. That crab thought of nothing beyond cultivating, fighting, and fulfilling its duty as the pond guardian. Maybe because that duty carried the constant potential for battle was the reason why it accepted the job and why it was so passionate about it.

His other roommate couldn't be considered either. In fact, the less they saw of each other, the better.

All in all, the abode that had once been filled with activity had turned into a reclusive, solitary place. Maybe that was why he left on this little adventure so easily, despite it meaning leaving behind the safe, trusted walls of the Order.

Maybe he and Meifeng had more in common than he realized. With a nostalgic sigh and a faint smile, Yang Qing lifted his gaze to the sky, where the stars still lingered even as the orange rays of the sun slowly peeled over the horizon.

"Should not be longer now till they come out," Yang Qing wistfully thought.