Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 288: This May Be a Crude Dwelling, but My Virtue Makes It Fragrant
Chapter 288: This May Be a Crude Dwelling, but My Virtue Makes It Fragrant
“That is to say, I made the wrong judgment?”
If Yun Zhi had been the only one who claimed that the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s goods were genuine, Mo Danxin might not have been convinced. But with Xu Xin’s corroboration, the credibility of the claim was significantly bolstered.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest laughed heartily, his face beaming with joy. Although it wasn’t Fourth Elder but Yun Zhi who had turned up, it didn’t matter who it was—as long as they could get him out. “It’s fine, no problem at all. Lord Mo has already realized that his judgment was mistaken. I don’t need any compensation from the court. Just let me out.”
According to the laws of the dynasty, Mo Danxin represented the court. His erroneous judgment against the Taciturn Daoist Priest was tantamount to the court’s mistake, so the court was obligated to provide compensation.
Mo Danxin shook his head. “That still won’t do. You attempted a jailbreak earlier. Even though you didn’t follow through with it, you are still required to remain in prison.”
The Taciturn Daoist Priest, “...”
“In that case, Shifu, take care. I’ll head back with Little Junior Brother first.” Seeing that the matter of her master’s wrongful conviction had been redressed, Yun Zhi could finally leave with peace of mind.
“Wait, hold on! I’m still not out!” the Taciturn Daoist Priest hurriedly called out to Yun Zhi.
Yun Zhi cupped her fists and spoke with a hint of respect. “Shifu, as you often said, ‘A mountain’s height is not what only matters; mountains gain fame from the immortal they house. The water’s depth is not what only matters; waters gain spirit from the dragon they harbor. This may be a crude dwelling, but my virtue makes it fragrant.’[1] This prison cell may be crude, but with someone as noble and lofty as you, it won’t feel crude anymore.”
Hearing these familiar words, the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s memory was pulled back to several hundred years ago.
~~~
Back then, the Taciturn Daoist Priest had just taken Yun Zhi as his disciple, imparting his teachings at Heaven’s Gate Peak. Originally, the Taciturn Daoist Priest was the only resident there, so the massive place only had one house. After young Yun Zhi arrived, she also needed a place to stay. The Taciturn Daoist Priest was lazy and casually built a small, crude wooden hut.
Faced with young Yun Zhi’s innocent and confused gaze, the Taciturn Daoist Priest patted her head with a benevolent countenance. “‘A mountain’s height is not what only matters; mountains gain fame from the immortal they house. The water’s depth is not what only matters; waters gain spirit from the dragon they harbor. This may be a crude dwelling, but my virtue makes it fragrant.’ The last line means that a person of high virtue will not find the house crude. Little Yun is a good child. You won’t find the little wooden hut crude, right?”
“Mmm!” Young Yun Zhi balled her hands into fists and nodded vigorously.
~~~
Now, my retribution has come.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest watched helplessly as Yun Zhi left resolutely, his head drooping dispiritedly.
Not long after, Lu Yang scurried back to the prison, reigniting the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s hope and spirits.
“Good disciple, did Little Yun send you?”
Lu Yang nodded.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest's spirits were lifted. “Good disciple, I didn’t expect you to have already formed your golden core, and a first-grade one at that! It’s my bad for not teaching you properly before. Once I’m out, I’ll definitely guide you in your cultivation!”
Lu Yang scratched his head awkwardly. “Big Senior Sister sent me here to deliver food.”
“...delivering food is fine too.”
As Lu Yang spoke, he took out a set of food boxes[2] Even before opening the lids, the tantalizing aroma was already wafting out. The Taciturn Daoist Priest, who had been fasting for days, couldn’t help but sniff the air. He recognized that the scent belonged to dishes from the best restaurant in Dayan Commandery.
Then, Lu Yang placed the food boxes in front of all the other cells. By the time he reached the Taciturn Daoist Priest, there was none left.
“What about mine?” The Taciturn Daoist Priest was dumbstruck. His mouth was still watering at the fragrance.
Lu Yang explained honestly, “Big Senior Sister said she’s heard that bullying is common in jail. She was worried that you, being old and frail, might be bullied, so she had me order food from Distance Gathering Restaurant for your fellow inmates. That way, they won’t bully you.”
The Taciturn Daoist Priest, “...”
Beside him, Xu Xin nodded repeatedly. One thing subdues another. Who would have thought that the lawless Taciturn Daoist Priest would be subdued by his own disciple?
Well done!
~~~
After delivering the food, Lu Yang left the prison and reconvened with Yun Zhi at the city gate.
Yun Zhi curled her finger toward the sky, and an auspicious cloud descended, lifting the two of them.
Strangely, despite the numerous passers-by, no one seemed to have noticed Yun Zhi’s actions, as if Yun Zhi and Lu Yang were invisible.
On the cloud, Lu Yang asked curiously, “Big Senior Sister, did the Thief Ancestor really practice the cultivation technique Shifu brought out?”
Lu Yang had learned from the Everlasting Immortal Fairy that this cultivation technique was an extraordinary one.
Yun Zhi stood on the cloud, gazing down at the azure sky. Sunlight pierced through the layers of clouds, manifesting as rays of light that passed through the clouds.
She withdrew her gaze and slowly said, “Considering the relationship between the Thief Ancestor and Shifu, it should be the one the Thief Ancestor practiced.”
“The relationship between the Thief Ancestor and Shifu?”
“The Thief Ancestor and Shifu were close friends despite their age difference. The Thief Ancestor probably wanted to take a fated individual as his disciple, so he requested Shifu to release one quarter of his cultivation technique. Whoever could master this quarter would be accepted as his disciple.”
“Does that mean that the Thief Ancestor didn’t pass away in a seated posture? He's still alive?”
“He is living well.”
~~~
After Yun Zhi and Lu Yang left, Mo Danxin contemplated for a long time and felt that keeping the Minister of Justice locked up in prison wasn’t a good idea. It wasn’t that he feared offending Xu Xin, but rather that the Ministry of Justice had many matters requiring the Minister’s decision. Even ten days or half a month of incarceration would throw the ministry into chaos.
“I remember there should be a legal provision for exemption from punishment... Found it.”
Mo Danxin flipped to a specific clause in the penal code, which listed six scenarios where criminal responsibility would not be pursued.
One of them essentially stated that criminal liability could be exempted should the Ministry of Justice interpret it as such.
Local authorities didn’t have the power to decide whether to pursue criminal responsibility; only the Ministry of Justice did.
Mo Danxin wrote down the details of the situation and had someone deliver them to the Ministry of Justice at top speed.
~~~
The second-in-command of the Ministry of Justice, the Vice Minister,[3] soon received an inquiry from Dayan Commandery. It mentioned that an official in Dayan Commandery had knowingly broken the law by openly assisting with a jailbreak. However, considering the importance of this official, they requested an exemption from criminal liability.
The Vice Minister of Justice snorted coldly. “I’ve heard that Mo Danxin is called ‘Justice Mo.’ But from what I have seen today, he’s nothing special. An official who knowingly violates the law should be punished even more severely. Exemption from criminal liability? Ridiculous!
“I wonder whether this official has connections in the capital or if he bribed Mo Danxin.
“Exemption from criminal responsibility requires Lord Xu’s approval. Even if I agreed, Lord Xu would never consent!
“Let me see which official has such audacity to knowingly break the law... Lord Xu?!”
The Vice Minister of Justice rubbed his eyes and cast three Heart-Cleansing Incantations on himself before reading the report from Dayan Commandery again. So I wasn’t dreaming?
“I heard that Lord Xu suddenly disappeared in the middle of a banquet yesterday. So it’s because he was in a hurry to go to prison?”
The Vice Minister of Justice wore an odd expression. According to the penal code, the approval of my superior, the Minister of Justice, is required to exempt someone from criminal responsibility.
Lord Xu would undoubtedly approve.
But the problem is that Lord Xu himself is involved in this case. According to the penal code, he needs to recuse himself and not make the decision.
1. This is from the poem Loushi Ming or “Inscription on a Crude Dwelling” by Tang poet, Liu Yuxi. The original version is made up of a series of four characters. I couldn’t achieve a four-word structure, so I tried to make it eight words each for the first part and six words each for the second part. ☜
2. If you have watched some Chinese dramas, you’d probably have seen different types of shihe or “food boxes.” I’ll post a few images of various designs below. ☜
3. Although I may have translated it as “vice minister” here, the title is actually very different in Chinese. The “minister” is shangshu, while the “vice minister” is shilang. ☜ fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
