A Crude Dwelling Made Fragrant by Virtue

"So going by this, this official judged incorrectly?" If only Yun Zhi had vouched that what Daoist Buyu was selling was genuine, Mo Danxin might still have harbored doubts. But with Xu Xin chiming in as well, its credibility shot up immensely. Daoist Buyu laughed heartily, his face beaming with joy. Although it was his wonderful disciple Yun Zhi who had come rather than the Fourth Elder, it didn't matter who it was as long as they could get him out. "No harm done, no harm done! It is enough that Lord Mo realizes his mistake. I won't ask for any imperial court compensation either—just let me out." Under the dynasty's laws, Mo Danxin represented the imperial court. Wrongly convicting Daoist Buyu was equivalent to the court making an error, which legally required imperial compensation. Mo Danxin shook his head. "Still won't do. You just attempted a prison break. Even though the escape was abandoned, you must remain confined in the cell." Daoist Buyu: "..." "Then take good care of yourself, Master. I will take Little Junior Brother back first." Seeing that her master's grievance had been redressed and the matter resolved, Yun Zhi felt at ease to depart. "Wait, hold on a moment! I haven't been let out yet!" Daoist Buyu hurriedly called after her. Yun Zhi cupped her fists, a touch of deference in her voice. "Master often said: 'A mountain need not be high; it becomes famed if an immortal dwells there. Waters need not be deep; they become magical if a dragon resides within. Crude though the dwelling may be, my virtue alone lends it fragrance.' Though this prison cell's accommodations are spartan, with a noble and lofty personage like Master residing here, the cell will certainly no longer feel crude." Hearing these familiar words, Daoist Buyu's memories drifted back several centuries. Several hundred years ago, when Daoist Buyu had just taken Yun Zhi as his disciple and was imparting the Dao, teaching skills, and resolving doubts on Tianmen Peak, there had originally been only Daoist Buyu living there. As such, the immense Tianmen Peak had only a single house. After little Yun Zhi arrived, she also needed a room. Daoist Buyu, being lazy, casually threw together a crude little wooden shack. Facing little Yun Zhi's bewildered eyes, Daoist Buyu had patted her head with a benevolent expression: "'A mountain need not be high; it becomes famed if an immortal dwells there. Waters need not be deep; they become magical if a dragon resides within. Crude though the dwelling may be, my virtue alone lends it fragrance.' That last line means a person of noble character will never feel their dwelling is crude. Xiaoyun is a good child, so you won't think this little wooden shack is crude, right?" "Mm!" Little Yun Zhi had clenched her fists and nodded vigorously. ... Now retribution had come. Daoist Buyu dejectedly watched the resolute Yun Zhi walk away, helpless longing in his eyes. Not long after, Lu Yang came jogging back into the jail, causing Daoist Buyu's spirits to rise once more. "Good disciple, did Xiaoyun send you?" Lu Yang nodded. Daoist Buyu said enthusiastically, "Good disciple! To think you've already formed your core, and a first-grade core at that! It's Master's fault for not teaching you properly before. Once Master gets out, I will surely guide your cultivation!" Lu Yang scratched his head awkwardly. "Eldest Senior Sister sent me to deliver food." "...Delivering food works too." As Lu Yang spoke, he retrieved food boxes one after another from his storage ring. Even before the lids were opened, an appetizing aroma wafted through the air, causing Daoist Buyu—who had been fasting for days—to twitch his nose. He could immediately tell this food came from the finest restaurant in Dayan Commandery. Then Lu Yang distributed the boxes cell by cell, setting them down outside every doorway. Once he went down the entire row, he ran out right when he reached Daoist Buyu's cell. "Where's mine?" Daoist Buyu was dumbfounded, drooling helplessly from the mouthwatering scents. Lu Yang answered honestly, "Eldest Senior Sister said she heard prison bullying happens quite often. Worried that you are old and frail and might get picked on, she had me order food from Juyuan Tower to give to your cellmates so they won't bully you." Daoist Buyu: "..." Beside him, the Minister of Justice nodded repeatedly. Every creature has its nemesis! Who could have imagined that the lawless, ungovernable Daoist Buyu would be completely subdued by his own disciples? Splendidly done! With the food delivered, Lu Yang left the jail and met up with Yun Zhi at the city gates of Dayan Commandery. Yun Zhi gestured toward the sky, and an auspicious cloud descended to carry them both upward. Oddly enough, although Yun Zhi did this in broad daylight amidst countless pedestrians coming and going, not a single person paid the slightest attention, as if Yun Zhi and Lu Yang did not exist at all. Aboard the auspicious cloud, Lu Yang asked curiously, "Eldest Senior Sister, is the cultivation technique Master brought out really the one practiced by the Thief Ancestor?" Lu Yang had learned of this from the Immortal Fairy, who claimed the technique was extraordinary and by no means ordinary mortal fare. Standing atop the clouds, Yun Zhi looked down upon the azure sky. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting beams of light that pierced the mist. Pulling her gaze back, Yun Zhi said slowly, "Considering the relationship between the Thief Ancestor and Master, it should indeed be the one practiced by the Thief Ancestor." "The relationship between the Thief Ancestor and Master?" "The Thief Ancestor and Master are close friends despite their age difference. It is likely that the Thief Ancestor wished to accept a fated individual as his disciple, so he asked Master to release the first quarter of his technique. If anyone manages to master that first quarter, he will take them as his disciple." "Then the Thief Ancestor hasn't passed away or perished? He's still alive?" "He is living very well." ... After Yun Zhi and Lu Yang departed, Mo Danxin pondered for a long time, feeling that keeping the Minister of Justice locked up here was rather improper. It was not that he feared offending the Minister of Justice, but rather that the Ministry of Justice had numerous matters requiring the minister's decisions. Even a confinement of ten days to a half-month would throw the ministry into total chaos. "I recall there should be a clause granting exemption from punishment... Ah, found it." Mo Danxin flipped to an article in the penal code that listed six circumstances under which criminal liability would not be pursued. One of them essentially stipulated that when interpreted by the Ministry of Justice, criminal liability may be deemed unnecessary to pursue. Local authorities lacked the authority to decide whether criminal liability could be waived; only the Ministry of Justice held that power. Mo Danxin documented the situation in writing and dispatched a courier to rush it to the Ministry of Justice. ... The second-in-command of the Ministry of Justice, the Vice Minister of Justice, soon received the inquiry from Dayan Commandery. It stated that an official in Dayan Commandery had knowingly broken the law by openly assisting a prisoner in an escape, but in consideration of this official's importance, requested an exemption from criminal liability. The Vice Minister of Justice snorted coldly. "I heard that Mo Danxin is known as 'Clear Sky Mo,' but seeing this today, he is nothing special after all. An official knowingly breaking the law ought to face a harsher penalty! How could there ever be talk of exemption? Utterly laughable!" "Who knows whether this official has connections in the imperial capital or gave Mo Danxin a bribe." "An exemption from criminal liability requires Lord Xu's approval. Even if I agreed, Lord Xu never would!" "Let me see which official has such gall, daring to knowingly break the law... Lord Xu?!" The Vice Minister rubbed his eyes, cast the Heart-Clearing Incantation on himself three times, and reread the report from Dayan Commandery, wondering if he hadn't fully woken up yet. "I heard Lord Xu vanished yesterday in the middle of a banquet. Turns out he was rushing off to sit in jail?" The Vice Minister wore an odd expression. According to the provisions of the penal code, an exemption from criminal liability required the approval of his superior, the Minister of Justice. Lord Xu would certainly approve it. The problem was that Lord Xu was the party involved in this case, and according to the provisions of the penal code, he had to recuse himself and could not make the decision.