Do you really think you can get me with just a banana?

"Look, I told you no one would stop me."

Li Suyin led Guan Shanyu to the center of the cell and pointed to the stairs. "Sixth floor, go up by yourself. My shoes are not convenient for climbing stairs."

Guan Shanyu turned around and saw Li Suyin wearing the flower pot bottoms again. He closed his eyes speechlessly. Then he looked up at the stairs, his heart sinking. He nodded to Li Suyin and slowly stepped onto the steps.

This prison was the same one Guan Shanyu had visited last time, except that he had only gone up to the second floor to meet Wang Tianyang. This time, when he went up the stairs, he discovered that the prison in Yuchen Palace was unexpectedly high.

From the outside, the prison appears pagoda-shaped, with seemingly only four or five floors. However, upon entering, it's revealed to be eight stories high. The higher you go, the narrower the space becomes, like an inverted funnel. The first floor has ten cells, but by the eighth floor, there's only one.

So, are Qing Yuanzi and the others imprisoned together or separately?

Guan Shanyu walked up the stairs slowly. Compared to other cells, the cells in Yuchen Palace were cleaner and more elegant. There was no damp and dark environment, no airtight cobwebs, no small windows letting in half-dead light, and no creaking sound when walking up the stairs.

But it was different from the last time, when I could hear the screams of mortals on every floor. This time, there was only dead silence on every floor, and no other sound.

Although the environment was good, Guan Shanyu became more and more uneasy.

He knew that he had other motives for coming this time, although there was no need to ask clearly about these motives. He also knew that Qing Yuanzi hated traitors, but as his former master, Guan Shanyu wanted to come and see him.

But the master suddenly fell from the clouds to the dust. After seeing him, he probably wanted to kill him. Even though the cell environment was still okay, as a prisoner now, he must be very angry and at a loss.

When he reached the sixth floor, Guan Shanyu stopped, took a deep breath, and then walked slowly and cautiously towards the cell in front.

There were only three cells in front. One of the bright floor-to-ceiling windows allowed a clear view of the snowy scene outside. The breeze carried the accumulated snow, which rustled down from the branches, but due to the deep barrier and excellent sound insulation, not a single sound could be heard.

A few more steps and I'll see the master. He might be meditating, cursing the heavens and the earth, or maybe scolding me when he sees me... or maybe...

"Wan Zi."

"Hey! Old Yue, you deliberately played the ten thousand pieces! Didn't you see Qiu Shui never played the ten thousand pieces?"

...

Before Guan Shanyu reached the cell door, he heard the sound of mahjong being rubbed.

Play mahjong?

Did he hear it wrong?

Guan Shanyu moved his head closer and through the window of the cell in the sixth layer of the barrier, he saw four people sitting around a table, playing mahjong.

"Hey, is that Yamaha?"

Qiu Shui Swordswoman was about to draw a card when she happened to see Guan Shanyu standing at the corner outside the door with a confused look on his face.

"Shanyu?" Qing Yuanzi sorted the cards while looking toward the door, scolding Yue Lingwu. "Didn't you see Qiu Shui trying to collect the Wanyi color? If you draw a Wanzi, especially a wild card, you have to hold it in your hand and play it safe. Do you know how to play it? Oh, by the way, Shanyu, why are you here? Feel free to sit down."

Guan Shanyu heard this and looked around.

Jin Yunche pushed the cards in front of him and said, "I won. Hey, you, where are you sitting? And you're telling me to sit wherever I want. Come on, come on, another round."

Yue Lingwu also followed suit and said, "No, I told you I don't know how to play. How would I know she was playing with a random color? Let's try something else."

"What are you changing for? This is it. If I don't teach you today, I'll take your last name." Qing Yuanzi said to Guan Shanyu while shuffling the cards, "Shanyu, what are you doing here? Do you have something to ask Master?"

Guan Shanyu shook his head. He did have some questions to ask, but given the situation... he was at a loss for words for a moment.

For some reason, although he knew in his heart that Qing Yuanzi and the others had made mistakes and should be punished, judged, and even cursed by the world, he did not want them to end up in a miserable situation.

Now seeing them still playing cards peacefully, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest.

Guan Shanyu pursed his lips and looked around. Not seeing Yuan Chongxiao and the others, he asked softly, "Why... don't I see Sect Leader Yuan and the others?"

Qing Yuanzi replied while shuffling the cards, "Oh, he was annoyed by our noise and asked to meditate in the innermost room. You'll see it if you walk a few steps. As for that kid, Old Wang, he's been climbing over the railings and scolding Old Li every day. He was taken away somewhere to 'calm down,'"

Yue Lingwu scoffed, "Where else could he go? He must have been taken away for 'education'."

Guan Shanyu's heart tightened, and he pursed his lips in silence. Qing Yuanzi winked at Yue Lingwu, giving him a reproachful look before turning to Guan Shanyu and asking softly, "Shanyu, did you come here specifically to visit Master today?"

Qiushui Swordswoman also stopped shuffling the cards and turned to look at Guan Shanyu. Guan Shanyu pursed his lips and remained silent for a long moment before slowly saying, "Are all the elders okay?"

Jin Yunche didn't look up, nor did he stop his movements. He said, "It's okay. I heard that the case will be examined by the Three Courts later, but it will take a while. Anyway, we have no worries about food and drink here, and we don't have to worry about sect affairs. Haven't you noticed that we have all gained a little weight?"

Hearing this, Qiushui Jianji touched her face and muttered softly, "Fat? I didn't eat much."

Jin Yunche looked up at her and uttered a "tsk." Guan Shanyu asked, somewhat puzzled, "Three Divisions? Which Three Divisions?"

"The imperial court," Yue Lingwu said unhappily. "Anyway, we didn't do anything he said, and he doesn't dare to do anything to us. So we can just ask his father in the imperial court to make the decision. Tsk."

Jin Yunche said, "Well, we did catch the anti-Xianmen organization, so you should be more realistic."

"So what?" Yue Lingwu pushed the cards in front of him and said, "I just arrested them to reform them, but didn't kill them. They spread rumors all day long and they think they are right. I..."

"Hey, hey, hey, Old Yue, you're here again." Qing Yuanzi quickly waved his hand to interrupt him, "The kid is still here, stop talking nonsense."

Yue Lingwu turned his head to look at Guan Shanyu, leaned back in his chair in annoyance, and stopped talking.

Guan Shanyu stood there awkwardly, not daring to move, his eyes downcast as he clutched his trouser leg. Seeing this, Qing Yuanzi changed the subject and asked, "I heard Ruchen took his disciples to Wangshuiling to deal with the demonic spirits. Did you go with them?"

Guan Shanyu nodded gently. Qing Yuanzi smiled and said, "Ruchen is a thoughtful and strategic kid. He's sure to achieve great things in the future. If you follow him closely, you'll definitely have a bright future."

Guan Shanyu was a little surprised. He thought that he would condemn his disciple for being disrespectful and reporting his master, but why... he also advised him to follow Yan Ruchen well.

Seeing Guan Shanyu's puzzled expression, Qiushui Sword Princess frowned, assuming he was uneasy following Yan Ruchen and had come to the prison today to visit them. So she smiled and said reassuringly, "Your master is very good at judging people. Yan Ruchen is indeed quite capable. He's the first disciple to independently lead a team down the mountain to exterminate monsters in less than a year, and he's never had any of his disciples suffer any casualties. Just follow him with peace of mind."

Jin Yunche glanced at Qing Yuanzi and replied, "Yes, we all thought you looked like an old friend of Yuanzi's and that's why he made an exception and let you in. I didn't expect you to be so smart and be able to dig out this anti-Xianmen thing right under our noses. Not bad, not bad."

Yue Lingwu spat, "Not bad! We didn't do anything else, how can it be blamed on us?"

Jin Yunche said unhappily, "I just came out of seclusion and encountered these troubles. How could I know? You spit on my face."

Guan Shanyu didn't want to listen to what they said next. Jin Yunche's words, "Looks like Yuanzi's old friend," were still echoing in his mind. He looked up at Qing Yuanzi and decided to ask, "Master, do I look like any of your old friends?"

Could it be that Qing Yuanzi had framed Si Xuanqing's death because that person had betrayed him? Then, in front of him, wasn't he being... hypocritical? But now that he'd been arrested, who was he trying to impress?

Everyone in the cell turned to look at him. Qing Yuanzi, who was being questioned, remained silent for a moment and did not answer. However, Jin Yunche noticed that Guan Shanyu's expression was not right and laughed, "Haha, Yuanzi, this kid must have seen the portrait in your room."

Qing Yuanzi glanced at him and said nothing. Jin Yunche continued to smile and said to Guan Shanyu, "Don't be nervous. He was a former disciple of Yuanzi. You should have heard of his name at Lingcaoxuan."

Guan Shanyu asked slowly, "I heard that he betrayed Master and was expelled from the sect?"

"Betrayal?" Qiushui Sword Lady widened her eyes, glanced at Qing Yuanzi, and then said, "No way, he took the initiative to go down the mountain, there is no such thing as betrayal."

Guan Shanyu frowned, his heart trembling. Seeing his increasingly complex expression, Yue Lingwu said, "I'm curious, so just tell me all at once. It's not a big deal. The child's name is He Qing, you must have heard of him before."

Guan Shanyu nodded and said, "I heard it was my senior brother."

"Yes, he's my lifelong confidant." Qing Yuanzi leaned back on the table and chair, sighed, and smiled at him. Jin Yunche said from the side, "You can call him Senior Brother, Uncle Master, or Master's Wife."

"Master's Wife?" Guan Shanyu raised an eyebrow, unsure if Jin Yunche was joking, and asked, "Isn't Senior Brother Heqing a man?"

"So what if he's a man?" Qiushui Jianji glanced at him and said, "I heard that Li Xiuqi's good father, the current emperor, even keeps male favorites. Well, I'm not saying He Qing is that kind of person. He Qing is an exceptionally powerful and outstanding disciple. He revised and edited most of the ancient medical texts at Lingcaoxuan. He and Yuanzi also worked together to compile the medicinal herbs of the demon clan, their properties, and how to restrain them. If he were still at Lingcaoxuan, your master would have abdicated long ago."

After hearing this, Qing Yuanzi chuckled faintly. Guan Shanyu was a little puzzled and asked, "Then why did he... go down the mountain?"

Jin Yunche said, "Worldly prejudices can even separate conjoined twins. An immortal sect elder must be free of flaws. If Old Man Si hadn't let the story slip, He Qing would have told the story in Qingtan, and He Qing wouldn't have left. He, like you, left his official position and went down the mountain to travel and exorcise demons, but once he encountered a powerful demonic beast, he... died."

Guan Shanyu looked at Qing Yuanzi and thought for a while.

Qing Yuanzi kept a faint smile on his face. He didn't say anything, staring at the mahjong in front of him. Guan Shanyu was silent for a moment, then whispered, "I thought that man was Master's mortal enemy..."

Qiushui Sword Lady tutted and said, "If he was a sworn enemy, would he still be hung on the wall? He would have been nailed to the training stake in the Heavenly Sword Pavilion long ago, for the disciples to beat him up every day to vent their anger. You're just slow to react. You couldn't see that Yuanzi was good to you, and now you can't see that Yan Ruchen is good to you either."

Guan Shanyu's brows furrowed even more, and he looked up at her, somewhat confused. Qing Yuanzi waved to Qiushui Jianji, signaling her to stop talking, and then continued to Guan Shanyu, "Alright, Shanyu, you've seen us, and we're all fine. You should go back too. It's not good to stay here too long."

Guan Shanyu wanted to ask more, but the elders all urged him to go back. After being asked to leave several times, Guan Shanyu had no choice but to clasp his fists and bow, saying goodbye: "Elders, I will find another opportunity to visit you in the future."

Outside, snowflakes were falling again. Guan Shanyu walked down the stairs and could faintly hear the disciples on guard downstairs talking about how the new snow had fallen unusually early this year.

When they got down to the first floor, snowflakes were already flying everywhere. Li Suyin was leaning against the wall, stamping her feet, breathing heavily with her fists, and mumbling something, probably scolding him. Guan Shanyu coughed lightly, and Li Suyin turned around and saw it was him. She immediately put her hands on her hips and said, "If you had come down a little later, I would have frozen to death."

Guan Shanyu smiled and asked her, "Do you have any extra scarves and gloves?"

"Ah?" Li Suyin looked at him blankly. Guan Shanyu explained, "It's snowing so heavily, and I'm wearing so little. I'm afraid I'll freeze to death on the way back."

Li Suyin's eyes widened with anger, and she said, "How can you be so good as to eat and take at the same time!"

Guan Shanyu interrupted her and said, "Think about it from another perspective. If we hadn't found the murderer, we would have had to flee for refuge. Would you have had such a good life then? Besides, Yan Ruchen didn't even notice you, and he even helped you and your brother Bo Qiao get married. You've made a killing, and I just asked you for some scarves and gloves."

Li Suyin was stunned. She felt that what Guan Shanyu said made some sense. After thinking for a moment, she asked carefully, "How many do you want?"

Guan Shanyu chuckled and replied, "Take twenty or thirty."

"Twenty or thirty? Are you going to resell them?!"