Chapter 509: Invincible Dan Duel

After Song Yuanwai's resurrection, he found the atmosphere at home strangely unsettling. He remembered his family being harmonious before he died, so why did it feel like his children secretly harbored hostility toward each other less than half an hour after his death?

His youngest daughter, in particular, was kneeling on the ground, covering her face and weeping bitterly. Was she crying because he had died? She seemed quite filial. However, no matter what, he couldn't let her marry the boy named Zhou, as they were, after all, full siblings.

Song Yuanwai temporarily set aside his family's issues. The most pressing matter at hand was dealing with the scroll. His appearance was quite disheveled; his face and clothes were covered in blood, which was caused by physiological dysfunction and vomiting blood after his soul was pulled away.

"Thank you, Daoist priest, for saving my life!"

"You're too kind, Song Yuanwai. What exactly is the situation with this scroll?"

Song Yuanwai sighed deeply, then sat down on a chair and began recounting his past.

"Twenty years ago, I failed in business and intended to jump off a cliff to commit suicide. Unexpectedly, I was caught by tree branches mid-air, luckily saving my life. Directly below me, a stone platform jutted out, and I managed to land on it. I then discovered a cave deeper within."

"Something in the depths of the cave was calling to me. At the time, I wasn't afraid of death, so I followed the sound and found that it was a scroll speaking. The scroll said it could help me succeed in business and become a great magnate, so I took it out of the cave."

"With the scroll's help, my business ventures indeed became effortless. Several successful investments made me the foremost merchant in the county, and I subsequently married, had children, and enjoyed a happy and harmonious family."

As Song Yuanwai spoke, Lu Yang and the other two quietly turned their heads to glance at the Song family's children and the butler.

"Please continue?"

"In recent months, the scroll began demanding my life every night. Terrified, I tried dousing it with water and burning it, but nothing worked. Even when I threw it into the countryside, it would return home the next day!"

As he spoke, Song Yuanwai's eyes were filled with terror. The scroll had disturbed him greatly these past few days, leaving him disoriented and frequently waking him up in fright over the last two weeks.

Lu Yang rubbed his chin. This was certainly new.

"Come, take us to see the scroll."

Song Yuanwai led the three of them through a winding path. In a small room, he triggered a mechanism, and a subterranean passage opened, revealing a pitch-black abyss below.

The secret chamber contained many gold and silver treasures. While precious to mortals, to Lu Yang, even the tassel on his sword hilt was worth more than these. One box, made of iron and wrapped in layers of talismans, was particularly conspicuous. Song Yuanwai tore off the talismans, opened the iron box, and revealed the scroll inside.

"It was this that dragged my soul away."

Remembering the recent scene, Song Yuanwai still felt lingering fear. Had Lu Yang not produced the Soul Revival Pill, he would likely have been doomed.

"As expected."

The closer they got to the scroll, the more they felt an oppressive aura. Lu Yang unrolled the scroll. It depicted a traditional ink landscape painting, with a washerwoman washing clothes by a river.

Suddenly, the painting distorted, and the washerwoman seemed to come alive, slowly turning her head to look at the people outside the scroll.

"Another cultivator?"

Water seeped from the scroll and floated up, condensing into the image of the washerwoman in the air.

"Was it you who dragged his soul back?"

The washerwoman stared at Lu Yang, her expression unfriendly, her beautiful face somewhat distorted.

"Cultivator, do not meddle in others' affairs."

The washerwoman sensed a strong threat from Lu Yang and the other two. These three were unlike previous cultivators. It would be best if she could persuade them to leave without resorting to force.

The washerwoman pointed at Song Yuanwai and said coldly, "Twenty years ago, he promised me that if I helped him become a rich man, he would offer me his soul. Twenty years have passed; his family is complete, his business is successful, and he is immensely wealthy. It's time for him to honor his promise!"

"Is this true?"

Lu Yang turned to look at Song Yuanwai. He wasn't particularly surprised; Song Yuanwai's earlier account must have omitted something. Otherwise, why would a scroll help him in business for nothing? It would always demand something in return. It was the same principle as the water ghost they encountered in Hanshui City, who helped people defraud insurance for salt.

Song Yuanwai nodded, ashamed.

"You see?" the washerwoman sneered, looking disdainfully at Song Yuanwai. "The promise we made was a mutual agreement, not a shred of deception. Now that I demand its fulfillment, what fault is there?"

Lu Yang slowly shook his head, looking at the washerwoman with a pitying gaze. "Have you read the Great Xia's criminal law?"

"Great Xia's criminal law?"

A faint smile touched Lu Yang's lips. Activating the Invincible Pill, he stated, "The Great Xia's criminal law stipulates that if a victim consents to another infringing upon specific legal interests, such as disposing of property, causing minor injuries, or grievous injuries, such consent is valid. However, consent that leads to death is generally invalid."

"Of course, not all promises resulting in death are invalid. In rare cases, like voluntary death duels without coercion, promises can be valid. However, your actions do not fall into such rare circumstances."

"If you were a bit more studious and had learned about the history of Great Xia's law, you would know that there have been many demonic artifacts throughout history. They use the fulfillment of wishes as bait to entice others to exchange their lives as payment, thereby achieving the goal of refining souls."

"The Minister of Justice at the time discovered this situation and subsequently added this clause to the Great Xia's legal code precisely to prevent artifacts like you from doing such things."

Lu Yang sighed, looking at the washerwoman as if she were illiterate. "It seems legal education is still insufficient."

Ever since learning that his master was frequently imprisoned, Lu Yang had dedicated any spare time to studying law, striving not to follow in his master's footsteps. Now, it seemed, studying law was indeed useful.

Most people who study law, even if they learn a great deal, often struggle to decide which specific law to apply, frequently finding themselves in a dilemma. But Lu Yang was different. He had the Invincible Pill. When engaging in magical combat, using the Invincible Pill allowed him to filter the most appropriate legal provisions from his mind in the shortest amount of time. It was important to note that the Invincible Pill could not select laws Lu Yang hadn't already learned, as the victory conditions it provided were based on Lu Yang's existing knowledge.

From the spiritual space, Immortal Fairy watched in awe, amazed. As the creator of the Invincible Pill, she never imagined it could be used in such a way.

Tao Yaoyao secretly transmitted a message to Lan Ting: "Junior Sister Lan, do you know about this law?"

Lan Ting shook her head blankly. "No, our sect doesn't teach this."

Both saw confusion in each other's eyes, feeling as though an invisible chasm separated them from Senior Brother Lu.

"You restrained Song Yuanwai's soul, which has already violated criminal law and constitutes attempted murder. Come with us."

The washerwoman sneered, unfazed by Lu Yang. "Don't think you're the only one who's read the criminal law. Frankly, I am an artifact; I am not subject to criminal law at all!"

Lu Yang raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so? Even better. Since it's an ownerless artifact, then I can break it without consequence."

Lan Ting's expression was peculiar. Why did this conversation sound increasingly familiar?

"Arrogant! Do you really think I'm afraid of you three junior cultivators?"