Chapter 281: This is a Humble Room, Only My Virtue Is Fragrant

"So, I made a wrong judgment?"

If only Yunzhi had claimed the Silent Daoist sold genuine goods, Mo Danxin might not have found it very credible. But with Xu Xin's statement as well, the credibility significantly increased.

The Silent Daoist burst into hearty laughter, beaming with joy. Although it wasn't the Fourth Elder who came but his good disciple Yunzhi, it didn't matter who it was as long as he could be released. "No matter, no matter," he said. "It's enough that Lord Mo knows he made a mistake. I don't need any compensation from the court; just let me out."

According to the laws of this dynasty, Mo Danxin represented the imperial court. His mistaken judgment of the Silent Daoist was equivalent to the court making a mistake, for which the court was obligated to provide compensation.

Mo Danxin shook his head. "Still no. You just attempted to escape prison. Even though the escape was aborted, you still need to remain in custody."

The Silent Daoist was speechless.

"Well then, Master, please take care. I'll take Junior Brother back now." Seeing that her master's injustice had been redressed and the matter resolved, Yunzhi felt at ease returning.

"Wait, no, I'm not out yet!" the Silent Daoist quickly called out to Yunzhi.

Yunzhi cupped her hands, a hint of reverence in her voice. "Master often says, 'It is not the height, but the presence of immortals that makes a mountain renowned. It is not the depth, but the presence of dragons that makes a pool sacred.' And, 'This humble abode, though crude, is made fragrant by my virtue.' The prison environment may be simple, but with a person of Master's noble and unyielding character here, it will not feel simple at all."

Hearing the familiar words, the Silent Daoist's memory was pulled back hundreds of years.

Hundreds of years ago, the Silent Daoist had just taken Yunzhi as his disciple. He was teaching and imparting knowledge on Tianmen Peak. Originally, Tianmen Peak only had the Silent Daoist, so the vast peak had only one dwelling. When little Yunzhi arrived, she also needed a place to stay. The Silent Daoist, feeling lazy, casually put up a simple small wooden hut.

Facing little Yunzhi's naive gaze, the Silent Daoist patted her head, a benevolent expression on his face: "It is not the height, but the presence of immortals that makes a mountain renowned. It is not the depth, but the presence of dragons that makes a pool sacred. This humble abode, though crude, is made fragrant by my virtue. The last line means that a person of noble character will not find a house crude. Xiaoyun is a good child, so you won't find the small wooden hut's environment simple, will you?"

"Yes!" Little Yunzhi clenched her fists and nodded vigorously.

Now, karma had come full circle.

The Silent Daoist forlornly watched the resolute Yunzhi depart, his spirits sinking.

Before long, Lu Yang jogged back to the prison, re-energizing the Silent Daoist.

"My good disciple, did Xiaoyun ask you to come?"

Lu Yang nodded.

The Silent Daoist excitedly said, "My good disciple, I can't believe you've already formed a Golden Core, and a first-grade one at that! It's my fault for not teaching you properly before. Once I'm out, I must guide your cultivation!"

Lu Yang awkwardly scratched his head. "Senior Sister asked me to bring food."

"...Bringing food works too."

As Lu Yang spoke, he pulled out a set of food containers from his storage ring. Even before opening the lids, a fragrant aroma wafted out, causing the Silent Daoist, who had been fasting for several days, to twitch his nose and recognize it as food from Dayang Commandery's best restaurant.

Lu Yang then placed the food containers at the doors of the other cells, one by one. By the time he reached the Silent Daoist's cell, there were none left.

"Where's mine?" The Silent Daoist was dumbfounded, now salivating merely from the scent.

Lu Yang honestly replied, "Senior Sister said she heard there are often bullying incidents in prison. She was worried you might be old and frail and get bullied, so she asked me to order meals from Juyuan Restaurant for your cellmates. That way, they won't bully you."

The Silent Daoist was speechless.

The Minister of Punishment, standing nearby, nodded repeatedly. Indeed, there's always something to keep one in check. He never imagined the lawless Silent Daoist would be subdued by his own disciple.

Well done!

After delivering the meals, Lu Yang left the prison and met Yunzhi at Dayang Commandery's city gate.

Yunzhi beckoned to the sky, and an auspicious cloud descended, lifting both of them.

Strangely, although Yunzhi performed this act in plain sight with countless passersby, not a single person paid attention to them, as if Yunzhi and Lu Yang were invisible.

On the auspicious cloud, Lu Yang curiously asked, "Senior Sister, is the cultivation method Master brought out truly the one practiced by the Robber Ancestor?"

Lu Yang had learned this from the Immortal Fairy, who said the cultivation method was extraordinary and not an ordinary artifact.

Yunzhi stood on the cloud, gazing down at the azure sky. Sunlight streamed through the clouds, forming rays that pierced through them.

Yunzhi retracted her gaze and slowly said, "Considering the relationship between the Robber Ancestor and Master, it should indeed be the one practiced by the Robber Ancestor."

"The relationship between the Robber Ancestor and Master?"

"The Robber Ancestor and Master are friends despite their age difference. It seems the Robber Ancestor wanted to take a fated person as his disciple, so he entrusted Master to release the first quarter of his cultivation method. Whoever could successfully cultivate that first quarter, he would accept as a disciple."

"So, the Robber Ancestor didn't pass away or perish; he's still alive?"

"He's doing very well."

After Yunzhi and Lu Yang left, Mo Danxin pondered for a long time and concluded that it wasn't appropriate to keep the Minister of Punishment incarcerated there.

It wasn't that he feared offending the Minister of Punishment, but rather that the Ministry of Punishment had many matters requiring the Minister's decisions. Even if he were imprisoned for ten days or half a month, the ministry would fall into disarray.

"I recall there should be a clause for exemption from punishment... Ah, found it."

Mo Danxin flipped to a section of the criminal law, which listed six circumstances under which criminal liability would not be pursued.

One of these roughly stated that criminal liability would not be pursued if the Ministry of Punishment interpreted the situation as not requiring it.

Local authorities did not have the power to decide whether to pursue criminal liability; only the Ministry of Punishment held that authority.

Mo Danxin clearly detailed the situation and had someone urgently send it to the Ministry of Punishment.

The Ministry of Punishment's second-in-command, the Vice Minister of Punishment, soon received an inquiry from Dayang Commandery. It stated that an official in Dayang Commandery had knowingly broken the law by openly assisting a prisoner in escaping, but requested exemption from criminal liability due to the official's importance.

The Vice Minister of Punishment snorted coldly. "I've heard that Mo Danxin is known as 'Justice Mo,' but seeing him today, he's nothing special. An official who knowingly breaks the law should have their punishment increased. How can there be talk of exemption from prosecution? Utterly ridiculous!"

"I wonder if this official has connections in the imperial capital, or if he bribed Mo Danxin."

"Exemption from prosecution requires Lord Xu's approval. Even if I agreed, Lord Xu wouldn't!"

"Let me see which official has such gall to knowingly break the law... Lord Xu?!"

The Vice Minister of Punishment rubbed his eyes, chanted the 'Heart Purification Incantation' three times, and re-read the statement from Dayang Commandery, still thinking he hadn't fully woken up.

"I heard Lord Xu suddenly disappeared yesterday during a banquet. So, he was rushing to go to prison?"

The Vice Minister of Punishment's expression was peculiar. According to criminal law, his superior, the Minister of Punishment, needed to approve the exemption from criminal liability.

Lord Xu would certainly approve.

However, the problem was that Lord Xu was a party to the case and, according to criminal law, was required to recuse himself and could not make a decision.