The mood in the court turned somber after the outburst from the sect master of the Green Fog Swamp Sect. Despite Yang Qing's goofy and lazy nature, every case he handles receives his full attention and commitment. While some cases may seem light, they often carry heavy consequences for the parties involved.
On the surface, the case between Sect Master Cheng Yuan and the emerald-leaf cow seemed simple—a food dispute between a man and his cow—but it was far more complicated than that with far-reaching consequences.
If handled incorrectly, it could very well lead to the eventual demise and destruction of the Green Fog Swamp Sect. This would make Sect Master Cheng Yuan the greatest sinner of all, for leading the sect to ruin. It would destroy all the work and sacrifice of the previous sect master, the sect patriarch, and countless other unsung heroes who had been buried beneath the marshes of the Green Fog region, hoping to transform the sect into what it was today.
What had started as a tree seedling and a foundation-level vagrant cultivator in hiding had, over time, grown into a rank 4 sect. This sect now boasted two core formation stage members, over fifty foundation stage members, and hundreds of cultivators in the Qi and Body Refining stages.
This was no easy feat to accomplish, especially in a place as toxic and as volatile as the Green Fog region. Living on the continent as a whole was already hard enough, with how fraught with wars it was, but the Green Fog Region was a special brew, more so for human cultivators who were the minority there. Rarely would you find them try something as crazy as establishing their roots, not unless forced by desperate circumstances. Yet the Green Fog Sect had done exactly that and even managed to survive for thousands of years in that place despite the odds against them.
They persevered and survived through all that, all to stare down potential destruction not to a formidable spirit beast, or some poison, or the other numerous dangers the region harbored, but to debts and infighting. How pitiful.
If the potential repercussions were clear to Yang Qing and the others from just a brief overview, what about the sect master, who was right in the heart of it?
Ever since he was a child, Cheng Yuan had known nothing but the Green Fog Swamp Sect. His dream had always been to become its sect master and elevate it to even greater heights. And he indeed became that. Once he achieved that goal, he worked tirelessly to improve the sect, particularly the treatment of young disciples.
Yet, here he was, on the brink of losing the sect—not due to sect battles, but because he was unable to pay his debts. To make matters worse, he had nearly been defeated by the cow that had put him in this situation. Anyone in his position would have long been overwhelmed with despair and shame.
"Thank you, Sect Master Cheng Yuan, for your clear and thorough description of events. Now, Wen Chang, we'll hear your side. I trust you've familiarized yourself with the voice transmission ball? I imagine it hasn't been much trouble for you, as I assume you've used something similar in the Green Fog Swamp Sect to communicate with other members."
Yang Qing nodded politely to Wen Chang, signaling her to begin. "The floor is yours, Wen Chang. Be clear, be direct, and provide as much detail as possible regarding the charges against you."
"My name is…Emer…sorry, I mean my name is Wen Chang. I'm an emerald-leaf cow," Wen Chang paused, as her eyes shone with surprise and delight.
Wow! My voice seems smoother than the transmission beads I use at the sect. They always make my voice sound crackly like I've been talking through a dried-up parched throat. I wish I could get one of these!" Wen Chang marveled at the transmission ball, quickly losing focus.
"Hey, Cheng Yuan, do you think you could get one for me to use at the sect?" she asked, entirely sidetracked by her own voice.
Her attention kept drifting as she admired the sound of her voice. It was soft and serene, like leaves falling in a gentle autumn breeze, with a touch of childlike playfulness.
Cheng Yuan was just as surprised. Normally, her voice sounded as if bullfrogs and crickets had camped in her throat during the driest of days.
"Is this really Wen Chang's voice?" Cheng Yuan wondered to himself. "Will she sound like this if she breaks through to the Palace Realm and undergoes human transformation, or is it just the transmission ball's effect?"
He decidedly turned a deaf ear to her request to buy her a transmission ball. They were already in debt thanks to the bottomless abyss called her stomach. Even if they weren't in debt, he had doubts if he could even afford the dew on the windows of the courtroom, let alone that transmission ball.
"Miss Wen Chang, please continue," Mao Yunru's sublime voice broke through, snapping Wen Chang and Cheng Yuan out of their thoughts. Her voice had an almost calming effect, immediately restoring order.
The effect on both Cheng Yuan and Wen Chang was immediate. Though both were at the Core Formation Realm and typically resistant to mental persuasion, they found themselves oddly vulnerable to the sound of Mao Yunru's voice, as if it bypassed their mental defenses altogether.
"Is this the power of the Cultivation Order Society?" they both wondered silently, a hint of trepidation creeping into their hearts.
A young lady, no older than twenty, had already shaken them so thoroughly—what about the rest of the Order? This must be why the Cultivation Order Society had grown steadily stronger over time.
"Hehehe, sorry about that," Wen Chang chuckled nervously. "Living in the backwater swamps, you don't come across novel things like this often. I got a bit carried away." There was now a faint hint of fear in her voice, a stark contrast to her earlier carefree and playful tone.
"Part of what Cheng Yuan said in his earlier statements is true," Wen Chang continued. "The use of the young radiant twig Earthwood did help me in my awakening, and they did offer constant support to aid in my cultivation until I broke through to the Foundation Stage.
What happened afterward was as Cheng Yuan mentioned. We formed a partnership agreement at that point, as I was strong enough to use the transmission beads, making communication easier.
At first, everything went well, but as I progressed into the later stages of the Foundation Realm, the herbs they provided grew less and less effective. My cultivation stagnated.
I informed one of the elders who was in charge of my care since I started cultivating about the struggles I was facing. He was kind enough to present my request to the sect. It took a while for the sect to come up with a solution, but they eventually did, and they acted on it.
At the time, I thought it was understandable that they took so long, considering how much more I needed in terms of spiritual herbs and spirit stones. It wasn't lost on me how much I was imposing on the sect, or how much I consumed the stronger I grew. But it couldn't be helped.
I may not have known how much it cost, in terms of figures, but I knew it must have been a significant sum, considering how many resources I consumed. So, I patiently waited and even tried producing more milk than agreed upon as a way to help the sect.
After nearly a year, the sect finally came up with temporary measures, with assistance from some of the beast sects the Green Fog Swamp Sect had connections with. The support was enough to push me to the peak of the foundation realm. But to break through to the core formation realm, I could only rely on myself.
But I didn't blame the sect; I thought they had done their best with what they had. It wasn't until I broke through to the core formation realm that I learned the ugly truth."
Wen Chang paused at this point, throwing Sect Master Cheng Yuan a hateful look, who returned one in kind.