Daoist Buyu, true name Ye Wanli, two thousand two hundred and thirty years old, current Sect Master of the Dao Seeking Sect. While held in custody, he engaged in conduct constituting a jailbreak; however, he ceased the jailbreak of his own volition, qualifying as voluntary abandonment of a crime. Furthermore, he voluntarily surrendered, displayed confession and remorse, and reported his accomplice. According to the provisions of the penal code, he ought to receive a mitigated or reduced penalty, and criminal punishment may be waived.
Xu Xin, two thousand two hundred and thirty-two years old, current Minister of Justice of the Great Xia Dynasty. While supervising work in Dayan Commandery, he openly conspired with Daoist Buyu on an escape plan, took the initiative to unlock the cell, and released Daoist Buyu. Knowingly breaking the law, showing contempt for the legal system, and carrying out a jailbreak in public, he caused an extremely adverse societal impact and ought to receive an aggravated penalty.
Mo Danxin silently rendered his assessment of Daoist Buyu and the Minister of Justice.
As expected of the Dao Seeking Sect's Sect Master—the moment they met, he had already sent a minister behind bars, and the Minister of Justice most proficient in the law at that.
"Lord Xu, please step inside. This official will select a date to open court and try this case."
Going by the jurisdictional regulations, Mo Danxin was fully entitled to hear the case.
Lord Xu was practically the man most well-versed in the law in the entire dynasty, understanding far more legal theory and practice than Mo Danxin. Unfortunately, that old rogue Buyu's ploy had been far too underhanded. He had lured Xu into unlocking the cell door, and in a moment of impulse, Xu had failed to foresee the scheme behind it.
Under normal circumstances, if he let someone out, no one would dare say a word. But this time was different. With an obstinate stickler like Mo Danxin making an issue of it, the law truly was not on his side.
Since he was in the wrong, he might as well squat in jail honestly for a few days and treat it as experiencing another facet of life.
Lord Xu snorted coldly and strode into the cell of his own accord. He shot a glare at the sage-like Daoist Buyu. "Get to the side! I'm sitting here!"
"It's just doing time in jail. Who's afraid of whom?"
Everyone had come to hear the storytelling, leaving the other cells packed to bursting; only Daoist Buyu's cell still had space.
Daoist Buyu was not upset in the least. He shifted to the other side and offered Lord Xu a beaming smile, welcoming him to serve time together.
"Lord Xu, from now on, we're brothers who've shared a cell. Let's make sure we get along peacefully in the days ahead."
"Old rogue Buyu, I think you've lived long enough!"
Lord Xu threw a punch straight at Daoist Buyu's face, but Daoist Buyu tilted his head and dodged it.
Daoist Buyu was no pushover either. If he let someone hit him without striking back, it would be downright humiliating if word got out.
He aimed a kick straight for Lord Xu's crotch. Lord Xu snapped his legs together, trapping Daoist Buyu's foot between them.
Both men controlled their strength with flawless precision, not wasting a single trace. Every ounce of power was directed entirely onto the opponent without the slightest spillover.
Two peak Body Integration powerhouses began brawling in the cell, trading blows with neither gaining the upper hand.
The fellow inmates clicked their tongues in marvel. None of them had ever expected to witness a battle between two Body Integration stage giants today.
Mo Danxin watched this scene in utter silence. Brawling in a cell did not violate the penal code, and maintaining order inside the prison fell under the jailers' purview, not his.
What crossed his mind instead was that Daoist Buyu and the Minister of Justice were both top-tier combatants among Body Integration cultivators. Adding them into the tally, the average cultivation of the prisoners in this jail was now at the Soul Formation stage.
An all-time high.
"Lord Mo, someone outside has requested a visitation," a jailer trotted over and reported to Mo Danxin.
Mo Danxin waved a hand with a hint of impatience. "Why bother asking me about such trivial matters? Approved."
Countless people came for visitations every day. They claimed to be visiting, but in truth, they were just delivering meals. Some of the food delivery folks even refused to leave, squatting right outside the cells to listen to Daoist Buyu's storytelling alongside the inmates.
Mo Danxin assumed this was just another of the sort.
Hearing his approval, the jailer signaled to his comrade at the prison entrance, indicating that the visitors could be let in.
"By the way, whom do they want to visit?" Mo Danxin asked on a sudden whim.
"In reply to My Lord, the visitors claim to be the Dao Seeking Sect Master's eldest disciple and fourth disciple, here to see the Dao Seeking Sect Master."
Mo Danxin did not notice that the moment the jailer uttered the words "the Dao Seeking Sect Master's eldest disciple," both Body Integration powerhouses inside the cell stopped simultaneously, a flicker of dread flashing through their eyes.
"You called Yun Zhi over?!" Lord Xu was a veteran minister of the imperial court and well aware of Yun Zhi's existence. If he was caught beating up her master right in front of her, how was the disciple supposed to look at him?
Daoist Buyu panicked as well. "Nonsense! I wrote a letter to the sect asking them to fish me out, but usually Old Fourth is the one who comes. How was I supposed to know Xiaoyun would show up!"
He could not pinpoint why he was afraid, but he simply feared Yun Zhi coming over.
"Someone from the Dao Seeking Sect has finally arrived." Mo Danxin did not know Yun Zhi. Out of courtesy, he said, "I'll go outside to receive them."
"No need to trouble Lord Mo. We have already arrived." Yun Zhi's aloof voice drifted in. Before Mo Danxin could even react, Yun Zhi and Lu Yang were already standing right in front of him.
Shrinking the Earth to Inches.
"We have come to visit Master. Where might the old gentleman be?"
Mo Danxin pointed toward the adjacent cell.
Yun Zhi followed the direction of Mo Danxin's finger and saw Daoist Buyu sitting in the corner, and then the Minister of Justice sitting right beside him.
She remained silent for quite a while, genuinely unable to fathom what had taken place.
Had Master and the Minister of Justice gotten into a street brawl and been dragged in by the authorities?
Considering Master's past track record and his history with the Minister of Justice, that did not seem entirely impossible.
"Eldest Senior Sister, who is that locked up with Master?" Lu Yang asked in a low whisper. Seeing that Xu Xin was richly dressed, possessed an extraordinary bearing, and radiated an aura faintly matching Daoist Buyu's, he figured the man had to be a major figure as well.
"The Minister of Justice, Xu Xin."
*Hiss—*
Lu Yang thought to himself: *Is the Great Xia Dynasty's legal system really this comprehensive? Even the Minister of Justice gets locked up when he commits a crime. I'd better be extra careful when I go out in the future so I don't end up thrown in jail like Master one day.*
Lu Yang resolved that once he returned, he would study the law diligently to keep clear of prison.
Yun Zhi spoke in a cool tone, looking down at her esteemed master. "Not having seen Master for several months, this disciple sees that you remain as vibrant as ever—surrounded by countless listeners and accompanied by your enemy. It seems Master is living a wonderfully fulfilling life in prison, which sets my mind at ease."
Lu Yang thought: *Eldest Senior Sister, you really did do that on purpose, didn't you? You just dragged me out to eat and ate even more than I did. Did you look even remotely worried about Master?*
Though to be fair, Master certainly did not need anyone's concern. The ones who needed concern were the people Master swindled.
Seeing that Yun Zhi seemed fully prepared to leave him to fend for himself, Daoist Buyu hurriedly pleaded, "Good disciple, you can't just stand by and watch me die! Your master has been wronged!"
The Minister of Justice was well experienced in discerning whether someone had been wronged. "The records of the Great Yu Dynasty state that when an innocent person was beheaded, snow fell in June. It happens to be June right now. I propose we chop this old rogue Buyu once first and see if it snows!"
"Damn you, Xu Xin! You're the Minister of Justice—can't you act with a shred of impartiality?!" Daoist Buyu raged.
"I can, just not for you. Can you even count how many times you've swindled me? And you still expect me to put in a good word for you?"
The Body Integration brawl broke out once again within the cramped space.
Yun Zhi rubbed her brow in exasperation. She had originally come out to relax, so why could she still not get a single moment of peace?
Chapter 286