Only at the Mahayana Stage Does the Reversal System Appear - Chapter 167

Chapter 167: Branch Hall of the Human Emperor Palace

In the gloomy and dim dungeon, the only light came from the oil lamps on the wall. Several shadows of people were projected on the wall, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter.

“Brother Ma, sister-in-law, why are you also locked up?” Zhang Konghu was a little excited. He didn’t expect to meet his colleagues here. How does the saying go?

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

Ma Zhuo and his wife were sitting in another cell, separated from Zhang Konghu by a thick log.

“Are you… Konghu?” Zhang Konghu disguised his appearance. Ma Zhuo and his wife didn’t recognize him for a while, but they could tell from Zhang Konghu’s tone.

Zhang Konghu nodded vigorously.

“It’s me.”

Ma Zhuo and his wife regretted it deeply. Even a fool like Zhang Konghu knew that he had to disguise his identity and change his appearance when going out. How could they dare to sell books in their original appearance?

“You even knew to change your appearance?”

“I learned from Brother Jiang. To observe the true nature of Jiuzhou, he often disguised himself when he went out. I figured as a commander, I should emulate Brother Jiang, so I disguised myself when I went out too.”

Kong Hu was heartbroken.

“I was arrested for saying ‘we’ll talk about it tomorrow,’ violating the ‘Ming’ taboo. Is that the same reason for you?”

“Almost.” Ma Zhuo and his wife looked away, not daring to meet Zhang Konghu’s sincere eyes.

“Kong Hu, you know, my wife and I often write essays and compile them into books to sell. I guess that violated Dayong’s taboos, which led to our arrest.” Commander Zhuo, with his literary background, spoke tactfully.

“Yes, yes,” Commander Ma nodded. “Our books are very popular. Readers often criticize other books for being poorly written here and there, but ours are the only books everyone reads, thanking the author for their hard work.”

“I see. Dayong is truly despicable, arresting even literary authors like you!” Zhang Konghu exclaimed indignantly. Although he had no idea what kind of books Ma Zhuo and his wife were selling, he knew they wouldn’t lie; they must be exceptionally talented authors.

“Young man, why were you arrested?” The cell was for two people, and Zhang Konghu was sharing it with a young cultivator.

This cultivator was a novice, only at the sixth level of Qi training.

“The police stopped me on the street and told me not to say the word ‘Ming,’ and I said I understood.”

It took Zhang Konghu a moment to process why he was arrested.

“Oh.”

“But it doesn’t matter. I have a brother. He’ll save me.” The young monk, unfazed by his predicament, said, “Let me tell you, big brother, I have a brother named Xiaomu. He must be from a prominent family, a traveler. He knows a lot and possesses incredible magic. If he knows I’m imprisoned, he’ll definitely come to save me.”

Just as he finished speaking, a figure appeared through the wall in the dungeon.

“Ayan, I’ve come to save you.”

“Xiaomu, you’ve really come!”

The two brothers embraced warmly, as if reunited after a long separation.

“Xiaomu, can you rescue this big brother too? He’s also been wrongly accused.”

“Of course, of course. This cell is like no one’s home for me.” Xiaomu beamed. The feeling of being relied upon and trusted was wonderful.

“Brother Mu, long time no see,” Zhang Konghu politely greeted Xiaomu.

Ma Zhuo and his wife, who were next door, also greeted Xiaomu. “Commander Mu, long time no see.”

Xiaomu froze in his tracks.

Why were Zhang Konghu and Ma Zhuo and his wife here?

Including him, four of the six commanders of the Human Emperor Palace were present.

Meeting?

Commander Mu liked to mingle among the lesser cultivators, pretending to be superior. He never expected to run into three of his colleagues while pretending to be superior.

“Kong Hu, I’m here to save you,” an urgent voice echoed from the air, the atmosphere suddenly becoming heavy and oppressive, making one unconsciously think the worst.

“Kong Hu, you’re so foolish! Why do you have to be imprisoned here? With your abilities, you could just run away if you wanted to?” Zhang Konghu, the fusion cultivator’s only friend, had rushed here in a hurry after hearing that Zhang Konghu had been captured by the bastard Dayong.

“No, I won’t leave,” Zhang Konghu shook his head firmly, rejecting the offer. “If I escape, wouldn’t I become a fugitive, proving myself a criminal?”

“I won’t leave.”

“Emperor Yong’s foolish order is clearly wrong. Why do you continue to follow his lead?” The fusion cultivator didn’t understand Zhang Konghu.

“Emperor Yong is the ruler of a country. He can’t be wrong.”

“…Then you’re wrong?”

“I’m not wrong either.”

“Since Emperor Yong is right, and you’re not wrong, then why are you imprisoned here?”

“I don’t know. I’m thinking about it.” Zhang Konghu shook his head stubbornly. “I won’t leave until I figure it out.” The

fusion cultivator covered his face. Commander Liu had no business asking Zhang Konghu to read books, and they were books about rational thinking.

Look at him now. He used to be a simpleton, but now he’s become a stubborn fool, unbending.

The fusion cultivator angrily said, “Of the five of us commanders, only you’re in charge. The other four of us are slacking off. If you don’t leave, is Brother Jiang relying on us to patrol the Nine Provinces?”

As the fusion cultivator finished speaking, he felt three cold gazes from behind him.

“Commander Huang, long time no see,” Commander Mu was the first to greet him warmly.

“Commander Huang, long time no see,” Ma Zhuo and his wife smiled gently.

The fusion cultivator froze in his place, staring at Commander Mu, then stiffly turning to look at Ma Zhuo and his wife, who were greeting him warmly from the next room.

The fusion cultivator squatted in the corner, lost in thought.

“Sure enough, nothing I do ever goes smoothly. What is the purpose of life? Fame, fortune, and wealth are but fleeting clouds. Life is full of difficulties. Even if I grumble in prison or badmouth a colleague behind his back, they can hear me…”

The five fusion commanders of the Human Emperor Palace were gathered here.

Hearing noises outside the cell, Commanders Mu and Huang disappeared.

“Go in!” the officer’s voice boomed from outside the cell.

“Three more! We’ve finally met our quota.” The officer breathed a sigh of relief. He’d heard Emperor Yong was coming for an inspection, and as a testament to their achievements, they’d ordered that the required number of prisoners be arrested, no matter how hard it took.

Originally, there wasn’t a need to arrest so many, but Emperor Yong felt that many of his subordinates disapproved of him, so officials from all over the country had to fabricate excuses to imprison people to reach the desired number.

“Sir, I’m really just a fruit seller.”

“Yes, yes, please understand. I’m an honest man, selling sesame cakes for over a decade. How could I have the guts to criticize the emperor? This guy just eats sesame cakes, and he wouldn’t dare criticize the emperor.”

The officer ignored the pleas of the unruly men and threw them in.

“There aren’t enough cells.” After imprisoning the sesame cake seller and the fruit seller, the officer realized there was no room for the sesame cake eater.

“Pull them together and put him in here.” The officer imprisoned the sesame cake eater in the cell where Zhang Konghu was staying.

“Wow, it’s so lively.”

As Jiang Li entered the cell, he saw Zhang Konghu, Ma Zhuo and his wife, and the hidden Commanders Mu and Huang.

Normally, they couldn’t even get together, but they were all there in the prison.

The Dayong dungeon, also known as the Human Emperor Palace branch hall.

(End of this chapter)