Chapter 951: Visiting the Hall of Sinners for the Second Time

Lu Yang felt that it made little difference which of them sat in prison. If the Fairy went in for him, would he not still remain within the spiritual space? It was exactly as though he were not already inside the Palace of Sinners once she was locked away.

The Immortal Fairy’s sense of individual accountability was truly rare and admirable.

Though it was completely useless.

Yet, it was indeed rare.

“Must I be locked away as well?” Bai Ye said as he took over Master Chui Yue’s place.

“When night falls, Ancestor Tree, you may simply come out,” Luo Hongxia replied. Bai Ye had done absolutely nothing; how could he possibly be imprisoned?

“Oh, very well then.” Bai Ye withdrew, returning control of the body to Master Chui Yue.

“Ancestor Tree, please wait. There is one more matter that requires your consent,” Luo Hongxia called out, stopping the Ancestor Tree.

“What is it?”

“Previously, we did not know you possessed sentience. The Immortal Palace has continuously felled and sold the laurel trees without asking for your opinion, which fills our hearts with guilt. These laurels belong to you, and the spiritual stones obtained from selling them should be yours. We pray you inform us when your sentience emerged, so the Immortal Palace may calculate the return of your spiritual stones.”

Bai Ye found it somewhat difficult to understand Luo Hongxia’s meaning, but gathered that she intended to give him spiritual stones.

“Spiritual stones are of no use to me. Keep them for yourselves. As for cutting and selling the trees, just carry on as you usually do.”

“The Ancestor Tree is benevolent and righteous,” Luo Hongxia said with a deep bow.

The moment the Laurel Ancestor gained sentience and became a sentient being, ownership of the Great Snowy Mountain’s laurel trees shifted from the Immortal Palace to Bai Ye. However, because the Immortal Palace was unaware of Bai Ye’s existence at the time, they possessed no subjective criminal intent in cutting and selling them, which did not constitute a crime.

Now that the Immortal Palace knew of Bai Ye’s existence, they could no longer fell or sell the laurels without his consent.

…

The Palace of Sinners.

“Palace Master, whatever brings you here?” Elder Mo Ran, clad in a black lotus dress, asked in sheer astonishment.

What astonished her even more was that Luo Hongxia had brought two young children inside.

“You have children?”

Tasked with guarding the Palace of Sinners, Elder Mo Ran rarely had the chance to leave, and was entirely ignorant of the events unfolding in the outside world.

In an instant, she envisioned a hidden romance between Luo Hongxia and the Ineffable Daoist. Yet, because the Ineffable Daoist had numerous enemies, they dared not make their love public, meeting only in secret and even bearing two children. Now that the Ineffable Daoist had ascended to the Tribulation Transcendence Stage and no longer feared his foes, Luo Hongxia finally dared to announce their love, taking the children around to introduce them to everyone…

Luo Hongxia’s eyelid twitched slightly, sensing that Junior Sister Mo Ran was looking at her with a rather peculiar gaze.

Junior Sister Mo Ran had always possessed a vivid imagination; there was no telling what sort of nonsense was running through her head.

“An accident occurred in the Immortal Palace recently. All the disciples have shrunk, and Lu Yang is no exception. This little fellow is Lu Yang.”

“How miraculous.”

“So, is Lu Yang here to tour the Palace of Sinners again?”

“He intends to stay for five days.”

Elder Mo Ran froze for a moment, understanding Luo Hongxia’s meaning.

“You truly intend to follow in your master’s footsteps and take a turn through our Palace of Sinners.”

Lu Yang: “…”

Elder Mo Ran definitely harbored some sort of misunderstanding regarding him.

“And this one is?”

“Her identity cannot be disclosed. You need only know that she committed theft. Due to special circumstances, she is to be locked in the Palace of Sinners by day and may roam freely by night.”

Master Chui Yue, mindful of her dignity, did not wish outsiders to know she had turned into a little girl and hoped Luo Hongxia would keep the secret.

“A well-connected offender?” Elder Mo Ran had guarded the Palace of Sinners for a thousand years, yet this was the first time she had ever seen such a liberated prisoner.

Luo Hongxia: “…”

What could she possibly say? In a sense, she truly was well-connected.

Ordinarily, Elder Mo Ran would be the one to lock the prisoner away. However, since Luo Hongxia had come in person, Elder Mo Ran did not bother to move a finger; it was better for the Palace Master to handle such an important matter herself.

The moment they entered the depths of the Palace of Sinners, Qu Ling’s venomous voice echoed out, “My good disciple, to think you still dare to come here!”

“To dare imprison your own master, what an act of utter rebellion!”

“Shut your mouth,” Master Chui Yue scolded with displeasure. “Even I must enter when I commit a fault. What sort of thing do you think you are!”

Had anyone else dared to speak to Qu Ling in such a manner normally, she would have flown into a rage long ago. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, being reprimanded by this tiny tot filled Qu Ling with an instinctive dread, and she dared not throw a tantrum.

“Who are you?” Qu Ling asked, eyeing Master Chui Yue with suspicion and uncertainty, unable to comprehend why she feared this little girl.

“You are not worthy to know.”

“You!”

Luo Hongxia glanced sideways at Qu Ling. “For the sake of our past master-disciple relationship, I advise you to show some respect to this lady. Otherwise, you will surely regret it in the future.”

Qu Ling snorted coldly and spoke no further.

“Are you… Fellow Daoist Lu Yang?” Xue Shilou rubbed his eyes, wondering if his recent lineage awakening had caused his eyesight to fail him.

Just a few days ago, Fellow Daoist Lu Yang had been over five feet tall. How was it that he was barely three feet now?

Lu Yang secretly cursed his bad luck, having forgotten about this. He had intended to keep his shrinking a secret, but now an outsider like Xue Shilou had found out.

The Immortal Fairy strove to preserve Lu Yang’s dignity before outsiders, coughing clear her throat. “Ahem. I am currently practicing the Immortal Cultivation Method of Longevity and Eternal Youth. My cultivation struck a snag, causing me to shrink for a few days every year. The outside world is far too dangerous with too many enemies, so I came to the Palace of Sinners to escape and enjoy some peace.”

“So that is how it is,” Xue Shilou realized with a sudden epiphany. “Then Fellow Daoist Lu Yang must pay greater heed to safety during your cultivation. This technique sounds terribly perilous.”

“Is that true or false?” Xuan Yuan Tianhen wore an expression of complete disbelief.

“Naturally, it is true,” the Immortal Fairy said nonchalantly, doing her best to assume the air of a Ministry of Justice official inspecting the state of the imperial prison. However, Lu Yang’s appearance was far too small; no matter what expression or posture he struck, it failed to convey such an aura.

The prisoner Lu Yang had previously met, who was confined to the Palace of Sinners for theft, had already served his sentence and been released, leaving a vacant cell just in time for Master Chui Yue to occupy.

The Immortal Fairy resided right next door to Master Chui Yue.

The Immortal Fairy made her bed and happily hopped onto it to lie down, a deeply familiar sensation washing over her.

“It feels as though this Immortal is exactly like this within the spiritual space.”

“Not entirely. The bedding within the spiritual space is still far more comfortable.”

The Immortal Fairy closed her eyes, her consciousness returning to the spiritual space.

“Little Yang, come have a snowball fight.”

Lu Yang sighed. “Fairy, there really is no difference whether you are in prison or not.”

Before, she had complained that the level of cultivators imprisoned in the Palace of Sinners was too low. Now, it was high enough—even an Immortal had entered.

…

“Master, Lu Yang vanished after passing by the hot springs. Could something have happened to him?” Lan Ting had not seen Lu Yang for a whole day and night, and approached Luo Hongxia in an anxious state.

“…It does not exactly count as something happening to him. It is just that he is currently residing within the Palace of Sinners.”

“Ah? That does not count as something happening?” Then, Lan Ting understood, realizing it was due to his accidental entry into the hot springs.

She believed that Senior Brother Lu Yang surely had his own reasons for acting thus.

“If you wish to see him, you may visit him in the Palace of Sinners.” Luo Hongxia felt that this good disciple of hers was beyond hope, and might as well be given away directly to the Dao Seeking Sect.