Chapter 800: People of the Wen Dao Sect None Who Don't Enter Prison

Yunzhi vaguely recalled her worry about the Grand Elder encountering trouble during his mission. Because of this, she specifically enlisted the help of two quick-witted junior disciples, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, to secretly assist him.

Three days later, she thought, "How did you two return unharmed, yet the Grand Elder ended up in prison?"

"What happened?"

The two scratched their heads, finding the situation difficult to explain. Lu Yang recounted the events as concisely as possible: "Well, the Grand Elder had successfully completed his mission. But on his way back, he happened upon a lead concerning the Ruthless Sect. The sect was holding its initiation ceremony at the time, and he decided to infiltrate it as an undercover agent, just like Meng Jingzhou and I did, to help us dismantle the sect."

"Worried for his safety, we also participated in the test. The trial required us to kill our closest person within an illusion. Both Meng Jingzhou and I failed, but only the Grand Elder succeeded."

Yunzhi, rarely displaying such curiosity, temporarily set aside the Grand Elder's fate. "Then, Junior Disciple, who did you encounter in the illusion?"

Meng Jingzhou was also curious, especially since Lu Yang had been eliminated even earlier than him. He wondered what kind of enemy, or rather, who was his closest person.

"It's, it's that one..."

"Who?"

Lu Yang stammered, too embarrassed to name them in front of the person in question.

"Is that even a question? Who else could it be but this Immortal!" The Immortal Fairy emerged from Lu Yang's body, boasting triumphantly to Yunzhi.

"Our Immortal lineage is united, heart and soul!"

Yunzhi simply uttered an "Oh" without further reaction. "Junior Disciple, please continue."

"The Grand Elder passed the test and had just joined the Ruthless Sect when the authorities raided their stronghold. They arrested all the sect members, including the Grand Elder himself. Seeing the situation unfold, we quickly returned to the sect to report."

"Wait, how did the Grand Elder manage to pass that test?" Yunzhi spotted a logical inconsistency.

While her interactions with the Grand Elder were limited, she knew him to be a person who valued sentiment and loyalty deeply. It seemed impossible for him to pass a test set by the Ruthless Sect.

Lu Yang avoided Senior Sister's gaze. "Well, I saw how much the Grand Elder wanted to join the Ruthless Sect, and Senior Sister, you know I'm a filial disciple. I try my best to fulfill my elders' wishes, so I asked the Immortal Fairy to help him overcome his cognitive block and realize it was just an illusion."

Yunzhi looked at Lu Yang, who guiltily lowered his head. She then turned to the Immortal Fairy, who, unafraid of Yunzhi, confidently asserted, "The Second Leader asked for my help; how could I refuse?"

Yunzhi sighed, then continued, "So, the Grand Elder didn't reveal that he was from our Dao Inquiry Sect and was merely undercover in the demonic sect?"

Surely, the authorities wouldn't arrest an undercover agent.

In fact, as soon as the Grand Elder was apprehended, Lu Yang immediately sent him a telepathic message, urging him to explain the situation.

"No, he found the whole situation too humiliating and was too embarrassed to admit he was from the Dao Inquiry Sect."

Lu Yang, however, didn't see being imprisoned as a major issue for a Dao Inquiry Sect member. After all, their Master, Daoist Buyu, had famously entered and exited Great Xia's prisons seven times with ease, setting multiple historical records. Their master never considered it a disgrace; on the contrary, he took pride in it, even writing books and biographies about his experiences, becoming a renowned figure within Great Xia's prison system.

However, the Grand Elder, Xian Tian, couldn't overcome this psychological hurdle.

Yunzhi was in a predicament. While she could easily explain the situation to the local authorities and secure the Grand Elder's release, his current reluctance to reveal his affiliation with the Dao Inquiry Sect made things difficult.

"Junior Disciple Dai frequently handles such matters. Go ask him if he has any good solutions."

"Yes."

Following Yunzhi's instructions, they hurried to the Mission Hall and found Dai Bufan.

Dai Bufan was surprised to see Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. "Aren't you two supposed to be protecting the Grand Elder? What brings you here?"

Having recently advanced to the mid-stage of the Fusion realm, his state of mind had stabilized, making him less susceptible to external influences. Even seeing Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, he no longer felt the old dread, like seeing the Black and White Impermanence coming for his soul.

Meng Jingzhou seriously explained, "The imperial court has mobilized its full force to protect the Grand Elder. He is currently very safe and doesn't require our protection for now."

"Senior Sister instructed us to seek your advice for a solution."

"Oh? What kind of trouble have you run into?" Dai Bufan's interest was piqued. He didn't expect Senior Sister to encounter a problem that required his wisdom to solve.

"The Grand Elder wanted to join the Ruthless Sect, and then he was arrested by the authorities."

"Cough, cough—"

Dai Bufan coughed violently, nearly expelling his lungs.

"You... you both need to explain the whole process in detail."

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou truthfully recounted most of the events, omitting any mention of the Immortal Fairy.

"So he was just going undercover. You scared me to death!" Dai Bufan breathed a sigh of relief. He'd thought the Grand Elder wouldn't be so short-sighted as to abandon the Dao Inquiry Sect for some Ruthless Sect.

"Wait, being undercover is also extremely dangerous! Is this how you two protected the Grand Elder!?"

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou nodded. Indeed, it was dangerous; they'd already been caught.

"How long will the Grand Elder be held?" This was Dai Bufan's most pressing concern.

"The authorities said that since the Grand Elder had only just joined the Ruthless Sect, had no prior criminal record, and showed genuine remorse, a fifteen-day detention would suffice."

"Thank goodness it's only fifteen days," Dai Bufan thought to himself. If the Grand Elder were to be imprisoned for more than two months, then they would have to extract him, no matter the cost. "So, you two should either visit him frequently or get yourselves locked up with him. Just make sure the Grand Elder doesn't suffer any hardship in prison."

To get the Grand Elder released without exposing his identity, Dai Bufan could only think of having him impersonate someone from one of the other four immortal sects, claiming to be an undercover agent. However, this method felt somewhat dishonest.

Besides, what would it mean for the Grand Elder to impersonate someone from another sect?

Fifteen days is neither a long nor a short period. They could simply consider it the Grand Elder's experience of mortal life.

"Understood."

"Which option should we choose? Visit him frequently or go to prison to keep him company?"

"I lean towards the second option; it ensures he's well looked after."

"Perhaps we should go to the prison first, assess the Grand Elder's situation, and then decide?"

"That works."

Discussing their plan, the two swiftly flew from the Dao Inquiry Sect to Ye City prison, each carrying a large lunchbox.

"He should be somewhere around here." Ye City had many prisons, and using divine sense here was inconvenient as it could raise suspicion, so the two searched each one individually.

Lu Yang heard two people conversing not far away.

"I never imagined, Grand Elder, that you would actually come here to keep me company," said one voice, tinged with both emotion and delight. "And I never imagined that you, as the sect leader, after making a mistake, wouldn't evade punishment but would instead voluntarily choose to be imprisoned here. You are truly a model for the sect."

Lu Yang saw the Grand Elder and his own master imprisoned together, with Patriarch Jin also present. He remained silent for a long moment, wondering how these three had possibly ended up together.