“So, are you saying that this official has made a mistake in the judgment?”

If only Yun Zhi had said that Daoist Non-Speaker was selling genuine goods, Mo Danxin might still be skeptical.

But with Xu Xin’s words, the credibility greatly increased.

Daoist Non-Speaker laughed heartily, his face beaming with joy. Although it was not the Fourth Elder who came, but his good disciple Yun Zhi, it didn’t matter who came, as long as he could be saved: “No problem, no problem. As long as Lord Mo knows he judged wrongly, I don’t need any compensation from the court. Just let me out.”

According to the laws of this dynasty, Mo Danxin represented the court. If he wrongly judged Daoist Non-Speaker, it was equivalent to a mistake by the court, and the court would need to compensate.

Mo Danxin shook his head: “Still not possible. You just attempted to escape from prison. Even though the attempt failed, you still need to be kept in jail.”

Daoist Non-Speaker: “…”

“Master, take care. I’ll take Little Junior Brother back first.” Yun Zhi, seeing that he had already cleared his master’s name, felt relieved and was ready to leave.

“Wait a minute, I haven’t been released yet!” Daoist Non-Speaker hurriedly called out to Yun Zhi.

Yun Zhi cupped his hands, his words carrying a hint of respect: “Master often says, A mountain does not get its fame from its height, but from the Immortals living there; a lake gets its mystique not from its depth, but from the Dragon living there. This home may be plain and simple, but it is comfortable because I am a person of virtue.’ Although the prison environment is simple, with a noble and lofty person like Master, the environment of this prison won’t be simple.” (TL Note: The poem is Inscription on the Humble Home by the Tang dynasty poet and philosopher Liu Yuxi. I took the translation from https://classical-chinese-texts.fandom.com/wiki/%E9%99%8B%E5%AE%A4%E9%8A%98_Inscription_on_the_Humble_Home.)

Hearing the familiar words, Daoist Non-Speaker’s memory was drawn back to several hundred years ago.

Several hundred years ago, Daoist Non-Speaker had just taken Yun Zhi as a disciple and was teaching and enlightening him at Heaven’s Gate Peak. Originally, there was only Daoist Non-Speaker at Heaven’s Gate Peak, so the large Heaven’s Gate Peak had only one house. After little Yun Zhi came, he also needed a house, so Daoist Non-Speaker lazily built a simple little wooden hut.

Facing little Yun Zhi’s confused eyes, Daoist Non-Speaker patted Yun Zhi’s head with a kind face:

“A mountain does not get its fame from its height, but from the Immortals living there; a lake gets its mystique not from its depth, but from the Dragon living there. This home may be plain and simple, but it is comfortable because I am a person of virtue. The last sentence means that a person with high moral standards will not feel that the house is simple. Little Yun is a good child and won’t feel that the environment of the little wooden hut is simple, right?”

“Mm!” Little Yun Zhi nodded vigorously, clenching his fists.

…

Now karma had come.

Daoist Non-Speaker watched dejectedly as the resolute Yun Zhi left, feeling disheartened.

Soon, Lu Yang came running back to the prison, revitalizing Daoist Non-Speaker.

“Good disciple, did Little Yun ask you to come?”

Lu Yang nodded.

Daoist Non-Speaker, invigorated, said: “Good disciple, I didn’t expect you to have already formed a core, and it’s a first-grade core. It was because I didn’t teach you well before. Once I’m out, I will definitely guide your cultivation!”

Lu Yang scratched his head awkwardly: “Eldest Senior Sister asked me to bring you some food.”

“… Bringing food is fine too.”

As he spoke, Lu Yang took out a series of food boxes from his storage ring. Even before opening the lids, the aroma was already wafting out, making Daoist Non-Speaker, who had been fasting for several days, twitch his nose. He recognized that the food was from the best restaurant in Great Yan County.

Then Lu Yang placed a series of food boxes at the doors of other prison cells. By the time he reached Daoist Non-Speaker, there were none left.

“Where’s mine?”

Daoist Non-Speaker was dumbfounded. He was now drooling just from the aroma.

Lu Yang said honestly, “Eldest Senior Sister said she heard that bullying often occurs in prison. She was worried that you, being old and frail, might get bullied, so she had me order food from Juyuan Restaurant and give it to your cellmates. This way, they won’t bully you.”

Daoist Non-Speaker: “…”

The Minister of Justice nodded repeatedly from the side. One thing overcomes another, indeed. Who would have thought that the lawless Daoist Non-Speaker would be subdued by his own disciple?

Well done!

After delivering the meals, Lu Yang left the prison and met up with Yun Zhi at the city gate of Great Yan County.

Yun Zhi beckoned to the sky, and a cloud descended, carrying the two of them.

Strangely, Yun Zhi’s action was done in plain view of many passersby, yet no one paid any attention, as if Yun Zhi and Lu Yang didn’t exist.

On the cloud, Lu Yang curiously asked, “Eldest Senior Sister, is the technique that Master brought out really the one cultivated by the Thieving Ancestor?”

Lu Yang had heard the news from the Everlasting Fairy, who said that this technique was extraordinary and not of mortal origin.

Standing on the cloud, Yun Zhi looked down at the blue sky. Sunlight pierced through the clouds, forming rays that penetrated the clouds.

Yun Zhi withdrew her gaze and slowly said, “Considering the relationship between the Thieving Ancestor and Master, it should be the one cultivated by the Thieving Ancestor.”

“The relationship between the Thieving Ancestor and Master?”

“The Thieving Ancestor and Master are friends despite the age difference. The Thieving Ancestor wanted to take a fated disciple and entrusted Master to release the first quarter of his technique. If anyone could master the first quarter, he would take them as his disciple.”

“So, the Thieving Ancestor hasn’t died or fallen; he’s still alive?”

“He’s living quite well.”

…

After Yun Zhi and Lu Yang left, Mo Danxin pondered for a long time and felt it wasn’t right to keep the Minister of Justice imprisoned here.

He wasn’t afraid of offending the Minister of Justice, but the Ministry of Justice needed many decisions from the minister. If he was imprisoned for ten days or half a month, the ministry would be in chaos.

“I recall there should be an exemption clause… Found it.”

Mo Danxin found a clause in the criminal law stating six situations where criminal responsibility would not be pursued:

One of the clauses essentially stated that after explanation by the Ministry of Justice, it was deemed unnecessary to pursue criminal responsibility.

Local authorities did not have the power to decide whether to pursue criminal responsibility; only the Ministry of Justice had that authority.

Mo Danxin wrote down the situation and had it sent urgently to the Ministry of Justice.

…

The second-in-command of the Ministry of Justice, the Assistant Minister, quickly received the inquiry from Great Yan County. It stated that a local official had knowingly violated the law by openly helping a prisoner escape. However, considering the importance of this official, they requested exemption from criminal responsibility.

The Assistant Minister snorted, “I heard Mo Danxin is known as Rightous Mo, but today I see he is nothing special. An official who knowingly violates the law should be punished even more severely. How ridiculous to talk about exemption from pursuit!”

“I don’t know if this official has connections in the capital or if he bribed Mo Danxin.”

“Exemption from pursuit requires approval from Minister Xu. Even if I agree, Minister Xu will not!”

“Let me see which official has such audacity to knowingly violate the law… Minister Xu?!”

The Assistant Minister rubbed his eyes, cast three cleansing spells on himself, and read the statement from Great Yan County again, thinking he must be dreaming.

“I heard that Minister Xu suddenly disappeared during a banquet yesterday. So, he went to prison?”

The Assistant Minister had a peculiar expression. According to criminal law, it required approval from his superior, the Minister of Justice, to exempt someone from criminal responsibility.

Minister Xu would surely approve.

But the problem was that Minister Xu was involved in this case and, according to the law, needed to recuse himself and couldn’t make a decision.