Daily life of a cultivation judge-Chapter 1071: It can only be them

This perspective also answered a lingering question in Yang Qing's mind: why would the Red Gales Fists' leader continue working with Wan Cheng after what he had done to their members? Or, for that matter, why did Bai Chen still collaborate with him despite being aware of the story?

Their realms gave them an insight that others around them lacked. Strength, depending on its scale, could either transform a situation to appear merciful and kind or cruel and merciless. Wan Cheng's actions, viewed through the lens of his immense power, appeared merciful to those who understood the weight of his cultivation—people like Bai Chen and the Red Gales Fist's leader.

To the strong, the choice not to unleash overwhelming destruction or claim lives when it was well within their power or do so in small bits was not an act of tyranny but one of restraint.

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This was the justification of strength.

...

Yang Qing still needed to confirm his assumptions about Wan Cheng's strength. However, even without concrete proof, operating on the presumption of Wan Cheng being a late-stage palace realm expert forced him to reconsider certain hypotheses and investigative leads regarding Bai Chen's and Jiang Hao's disappearance. Chief among them was whether Bai Chen had truly disappeared in Buzhe Hills.

"Wan Cheng can be removed from the list of suspects for now—at least until I verify key details about his story. If he is indeed a late-stage palace realm expert, given the current climate in Azure Sapphire Mountain, he's more likely to be under scrutiny by the Shadow Hawks, especially if he's a prominent figure," Yang Qing mused.

A faint chuckle escaped his lips as he imagined the scenario: a Shadow Hawk operative lurking within Wan Cheng's territory, meticulously recording every detail of his actions day after day, with Wan Cheng blissfully unaware of their presence.

The fact that Wan Cheng used an artifact to conceal his cultivation strongly hinted at deeper motives. He likely believed his secrets were well-guarded, hidden even from his closest associates, perhaps even his own family. Yet, somewhere in the shadows, an invisible observer might already be documenting every move, perhaps even laughing softly at the thought of Wan Cheng's unwitting vulnerability.

Yang Qing could even imagine the voice of that figure laughing in utter smugness.

"Yes, yes, ninth stage... I wonder if he will reach the tenth... If he does, he better keep hiding his realm... No need to let other people in on the secret... Yes, Wan Cheng, don't let them know. Only you and I—and probably the entire Order after this—need to know of your true realm. The others, mmph... they don't deserve it...

What a studious cultivator he is. Only a matter of time before he unites the kingdom... I will burn an incense stick to your success, Wan Cheng, but for now, DON'T let them know, or I will have spied on you for all these years for nothing..."

It went without saying that in his imagination, the Shadow Hawk agent shared his voice and cheeky temperament.

"These roasted nuts and wine would make good comforts when spying," thought Yang Qing as he combined the taste of the nuts and the wine. The smoky crunchiness and the smooth, sweet flavor paired perfectly with one another.

However, as tempting as it was to experiment with matching flavors whilst gleefully snickering at what face Wan Cheng would make if he knew his well-kept secrets were likely stored in some office somewhere at the Order, easily accessible by many within the Order—of which he would soon be joining that number—as tempting as it was to savor both, he still had more names that needed to be added or crossed off the suspect list of Bai Chen's and Jiang Hao's disappearance.

"So, if not the noble, and assuming the disappearance wasn't a random occurrence—which is unlikely, not with Bai Chen disappearing as well—then those who could possibly have had a hand in it are..."

Yang Qing's thoughts trailed off as he began mentally sorting through the suspects.

"Those with a grudge against Bai Chen and/or his escort agency. Competitors, perhaps? But considering Wan Cheng's abilities, the Red Gales are less likely to be involved."

He crossed off the mercenary group from his suspect list—temporarily, at least.

"Other than those bearing a grudge, the next suspects would be those who knew about the route. And that would be..."

His gaze subtly drifted toward Liu Ying and Duan Ting.

"Them."

Then, his attention shifted to the other lady seated nearby.

"Her," he thought, now focusing on Ming Wa.

Finally, his thoughts expanded to the remaining possibilities.

"And the rest of the passengers, those who commissioned the Bluefin, and, lastly, the information broker who provided the route details..."

Yang Qing mentally concluded his list, his expression calm but his mind buzzing with possibilities.

The information broker they used occupied an unusual position on Yang Qing's suspect list—both high and low. High, because if anyone outside Liu Ying and her team could know as much about the routes, it would be the broker.

The reasoning was simple. For the type of information the Bluefin Escort Agency sought—whether random inquiries or specifics about recent events at certain locations—a competent broker could easily infer what it was for. This became even more likely if the agency had conducted multiple dealings with the same broker, which Yang Qing strongly suspected was the case. Using the details they provided, a skilled broker could extrapolate potential travel routes, arriving at conclusions that were almost identical to what Liu Ying and her team would devise.

Liu Ying and the rest, being veterans, might attempt to cover their tracks by requesting information about dummy locations to mask the real ones. But with a sharp and experienced broker, those attempts might not hold up. A competent broker could sniff out the actual locations the agency was concerned with.

For this reason, aside from the team at Bluefin itself, the information broker was the second most likely entity to know the route Jiang Hao had taken.

As for why Yang Qing, despite all of this, kept them high and low on his suspect list, the reasoning was twofold. The "low" aspect stemmed from his belief that, if the broker was as competent as he suspected, they would not betray their client's trust.

Information brokers relied on two essential currencies for their survival: the quality of the information they provided and their image. The image here meant how brokers were perceived in the world—what kind of reputation they held, and that reputation was shaped by their clients. What their clients said about them out there. How they did their business.

Would the broker sell out their client or the information they had been entrusted with to the highest bidder? Or would they adhere to principles and practice discretion when handling their clients' affairs?

The brokers and agencies that became well-known and successful were those that managed to balance both high-quality information and solid principles. For an escort agency like Bluefin, which dealt with sensitive and confidential matters, they would likely only engage with a broker who had both a strong reputation and a trustworthy approach.

Despite this reasoning, Yang Qing still felt compelled to ask,

"What about the information broker you used? Do you trust them?"

He directed the question to the two escort supervisors.

Duan Ting pressed his lips together slightly, signaling that he would be the one to answer the question.

"Bai Chen trusts them, but that's only because they were referred to us by the Gold Earth Bank."

"It means it is less likely to be them if they have the Gold Earth Bank's stamp of approval, so then quite possibly it can only be... them..." His gaze drifted slowly over to the three people seated with him at the table.