Mountain and sea lantern

Chapter 662 The Centennial Amnesty
Lu Mi, a trusted confidant, stroked his three long, ink-black beard, nodded slightly, deeply agreeing with his lord's words, yet still hesitant, "This general amnesty battle is not something ordinary cultivators can participate in. One's cultivation must be at least at the Human Immortal realm. Shi Chun seems to be only at the High Martial realm; he doesn't even qualify to register..."

He stared at Mulan Jin with a flicker in his eyes, and hesitated, saying, "Unless you take strong medicine to force him to grow stronger, it will destroy his foundation for cultivation. His cultivation will probably not make any further progress in the future, and it will also shorten his lifespan."

Mulan, who had been angered by her daughter, regained her gentle and elegant demeanor and snorted, "You're overthinking it. He broke through to the Human Immortal realm several years ago, not much later than Qingqing."

Lu Mi exclaimed in surprise. Mulan Qingqing enjoyed relatively top-tier cultivation resources, supplemented by various elixirs and miraculous medicines. Coupled with her good cultivation talent, it was understandable that her cultivation progress was extraordinary. But what about Shi Chun? He couldn't help but ask, "Can someone still cultivate while in prison?"

Mulan said, "It's probably because of Lan Qiaoyan's influence. Miao Dingyi didn't go into details."

“Oh.” Lu Mi stroked his beard and nodded. “In that case, if we can get him out, with his ruthless and cunning abilities, he would indeed be suitable to be Miss’s assistant.”

Mulan gazed at the sky and pondered, "The more ruthless and cunning they are this time, the better. I only wish for a fierce tiger to emerge from the mountains!"

In Xucheng, inside the central hall, as he walked and entered the mountain, he saw the prison inspector still pondering and filling in the gaps on the astrolabe, deducing the evolution of the stars. He nodded to Xu Yong, who was accompanying the prison inspector, and gave him a questioning look, hoping to get some hints, wondering what he had been summoned for.

Xu Yong pursed his lips, indicating that he didn't know either.

Qieshan, who had stepped forward to bow to Du Huoguan, had no choice but to ask himself, "The prison inspector has summoned me; is there anything he wishes to do?"

Du Huoguan, who had been resting his hands on the edge of the table observing the astrolabe, straightened up, turning a gem between his fingers, and asked casually, "How long has it been since that Shi Chunguan?"

And Shan immediately started counting on his fingers.

Xu Yong replied on his behalf, "It's been almost twenty-one years."

Qie Shan nodded repeatedly to the number above, and Du Huoguan glanced over and said, "Go to the Qi family and grab someone else."

Qie Shan was taken aback and asked, "Is this related to Shi Chun again?"

Xu Yong was also somewhat puzzled.

Du Huoguan: "Keeping them locked up all the time isn't a good idea. We need to find a suitable reason to release them."

Qieshan understood and said happily, "Okay, I got it, I'll get on it right away."

Xu Yong hesitated and asked, "Is releasing prisoners at this time related to the current 'centennial amnesty'?"

The so-called "Centennial Amnesty," also known as the "War of Amnesty," is essentially a territorial war between the Heavenly Court and the Four Great Royal Courts, regardless of the name.

This struggle for power was sown from the very beginning of the new dynasty. The main reason was that the Heavenly Court was unable to control and suppress the Four Great Courts, so the Four Great Courts naturally had to rival them, only outwardly respecting the Heavenly Court.

Whenever a new territory is discovered in the star field, it means new interests emerge. Everyone has a strong enough fist, and no one will give it up easily. The struggle for it naturally leads to a fierce battle, and the result is simply whoever wins gets it.

Later, this situation kept happening. If we kept fighting like this, and kept losing soldiers and generals, who could withstand it?

So the five families met up and discussed it, and they hit it off immediately, which led to this "centennial amnesty".

The gist is that the fighting can continue, but in order to preserve our strength, we should not send anyone else to participate in the war. Instead, we can encourage cultivators outside of the Heavenly Court and the Royal Court to represent our respective families in the war, using high-ranking positions and generous rewards as bait.

The idea is good, but those cultivators outside the system are not stupid, especially those powerful sects. I have territory, resources, and power, and naturally I also have a way to enter the court as an official. Is it worth risking my life?
The five major powers shouldn't get angry over this and wipe out all the sects and factions. Besides, many disciples of each sect and faction already hold official positions in the court, so even if they are dissatisfied, it's not easy to deal with them.

Then the five major powers changed their tactics and set their sights on the prisoners and wanted criminals under their command, except for the demonic path. Listen up, everyone: as long as you sign up to participate in the war and make considerable contributions, not only will you be pardoned, but you will also be rewarded with high-ranking positions and generous salaries according to the size of your contributions.

Those who refuse to participate within the stipulated conditions are deemed to have no remorse and will be punished with double the crime.

Do those prisoners even have a choice?
If the game continued like this, it would be fine. But many things follow the same principle: as you play, things gradually go wrong. Nobody wants to keep losing, so people start to cheat. In order to increase their chances of winning, some unlucky people will suddenly be caught and go to jail for "committing a crime".

At this time of year, the prisons would suddenly be filled with more inmates. Those who used to get away with petty theft would be severely punished if caught up in this situation, and there would be reports and denunciations. This was a period that could frighten the sons of powerful and wealthy families into staying obediently at home and not going out.

It should be noted that once you're on the list, it's really hard to get out. For example, once Mulan Qingqing signed up, even Mulan Jin couldn't easily change her mind.

Of course, not only prisoners can participate in the "amnesty campaign," but those who have not committed any crimes and are willing to contribute their own strength are also warmly welcomed and encouraged. Anyone with a clean record who signs up will be credited with a merit before the campaign even begins, and will be given priority for promotion under the same conditions.

Therefore, even those who haven't committed any crimes often have to sign up to participate because they need to be monitored.

Anyone below the Celestial Immortal realm who can fly can sign up to participate in the battle, meaning their cultivation level must reach the Human Immortal realm.

In fact, there are hardly any inmates at the Celestial Immortal level in the prisons of any party. Those who reach the Celestial Immortal level and are imprisoned without being killed are mostly those whom no party dares to release. Those not in prison are the pillars of their respective forces. Even if they are rogue cultivators, it is not something anyone can just put in.

Those who participate in the war will be thrown into the territory that the five parties are fighting over. As long as you can win, you can use any despicable means, bring any magical treasures, or even poison.

This shows just how cruel and bloody this 'amnesty war' was.

Basically, every hundred years, a general amnesty is held to resolve territorial disputes, which is the origin of the "centennial amnesty".

But Shengyu was uninvolved, so Shan scoffed, "'The Hundred-Year Amnesty' is an agreement between those five families, and it won't apply to our Shengyu."

Du Huoguan: "It really has nothing to do with us. Whether Shi Chuncan participates or not is his own business, and we will not interfere."

That being said, the timing of the release still puzzled Xu Yong, even though he knew all along that the prison inspector seemed to have other plans for Shi Chun.

After confirming that there were no further instructions, Qieshan immediately took his leave, striving to complete the task as soon as possible.

The result was indeed quite fast.

About two hours later, while Xu Yong was still by Du Huoguan's side, offering his opinions on the evolution of a certain star, Qieshan's figure reappeared at the door.

The two people inside the hall turned their heads to look at each other at the same time. Xu Yong said in surprise, "You've captured the person so quickly? Be careful not to miss the identification, or someone might find out."

However, Shan's smiling face turned somewhat strange. "Don't even mention it. I hadn't been gone long when I was ambushed and had to come back to report."

Xu Yong was increasingly puzzled. "Who would dare to block you for no reason?"

Du Huoguan smiled bitterly, “I had only been out for a short while when Mulan Jin came looking for me. She mentioned the favor I owed her when I captured the demonic cultivators back then and wanted me to repay it. She was after Shi Chun and hoped I could help her get Shi Chun out of trouble. I told her that this was not a good idea, and she immediately started to handle things officially and began to investigate the matter of me taking the demonic cultivators away back then.”

He said he had found some new clues and suspected that I had some connection with the demonic path, so he wanted to take me away to assist in the investigation.

The man is waiting outside the passage to the Twelve Cities, saying it's out of respect for me to come back, pack my things, and give you an explanation before leaving with him. Sigh, all that high-sounding talk, he just wants to force me to come back and try to get him out of there.”

Even the usually composed Du Huoguan couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances with Xu Yong upon encountering such a strange situation. It was too much of a coincidence; they were just about to release Shi Chun, and now Mulan had come to bail him out.
"Mulan is always very professional, she didn't even spare her own wife back then, why does she seem to be abusing her power today? What's going on?" Xu Yong muttered to himself, stroking his chin. "He's got something on you, if he really takes you away, who knows when he'll release you." Du Huoguan was also puzzled. "Why is he doing this? Does he still remember the time Shi Chun injured her daughter? So much time has passed, it shouldn't be like this, let alone come to us. He didn't say why he got Shi Chun released?"

Qieshan shook his head: "He didn't say."

Du Huoguan put down the gem in his hand, paced back and forth for a while, and then stopped and snorted, "Even if he doesn't come, we should still release him. If we release him without repaying the favor, he can still catch him. Let's just repay the favor in the meantime. However, we should spread the news of his rescue quietly, so we don't need to go to the Qi family."

Both of them understood his meaning, and Shan obeyed and carried it out.

Before long, Mulan entered Zhixu City, greeted and accompanied by Qieshan. She was shrouded in a black cloak, trying her best to conceal her appearance.

The rules of the prison cannot be broken. They underwent a strict inspection and were not allowed to bring in anything except their clothes.

They were searched once upon entering the city, then again after entering, and finally searched once more when they entered the inner city and were about to be taken to the prison.

Inside the dimly lit prison, Shi Chun, who was keeping company with loneliness, was braiding his long beard, humming softly as if flies were buzzing in his nostrils. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. He calculated the time and felt something was wrong. It was neither the time when Lan Qiaoyan was visiting him in prison, nor the time when she was coming to question him. He immediately scrambled to his feet and leaned over the prison bars, wishing he could stick his face out to see.

Perhaps it's a fellow inmate's family visiting. Is it a man or a woman? Is it old or young?

When Qieshan arrived with a cloaked figure, he was stunned. He naturally remembered Qieshan well, but after capturing him, he had never seen him again. Who was the other person with his face covered?
He slid his head down the railing and looked up from below.

Shan instinctively covered his nose; people locked up for so long must smell awful.

Mulan tilted her head and said, "I'll call you when I'm done."

Okay, that meant to avoid it, and Yamashi Haru gave a strange laugh before quickly leaving.

Mulan Jin also raised her hand and lifted the hood of her cloak, looking down at Shi Chun, who was almost squatting on the ground.

"..." Shi Chun, who had been startled and squatted down as if taking a dump, was stunned with a look of astonishment. A thousand thoughts were flying through his mind. What was this guy doing here?
Mulan took a good look at the current state of the prisoners and found that they were indeed the kind of people who had been imprisoned for twenty years. There were prisoners in his prisons who had been imprisoned for hundreds of years, so he was not surprised.

"Do you want to go out?" Mulan's words struck a chord with the other person.

Shi Chun immediately climbed to his feet like a monkey climbing a tree, his eyes shining, and said, "Your Excellency isn't joking, is he?"

Mulan had no interest in wasting words with such trash and asked directly again, "Have you ever heard of a 'century-long amnesty'?"

"Uh, I have heard of it..." Shi Chun suddenly became suspicious, pointed to himself, "It doesn't seem to have anything to do with me. Amnesty doesn't go to prison."

Mulan said, "I can get you out, but you need to do something for me after you get out."

Although Shi Chun's eyes were shining, he still pretended to be suspicious and said, "I know the rules of the Prison of Life all too well. How could the Lord of the Prison of Life possibly have jurisdiction over it?"

"Enough with the nonsense. If you don't want to go out, then forget it." Mulan Jin said and left.

He knew all too well what kind of people had been locked up in prison for a long time. He could tell just by looking at the prison environment. Moreover, he even knew that Shi Chun had been suffering so much that he was talking to himself.

Sure enough, Shi Chun immediately gave in and almost knelt down to beg.

He was already quite flexible, and it would be a sin not to seize the opportunity to go out.

He immediately shouted, "Your Highness has misunderstood! How dare I hold a grudge against Your Highness? What I mean is, Your Highness, please just give me any instructions. I will go through fire and water for you, even at the cost of my life!"

I have no choice but to back down. If they're willing to come here and say these things, they might actually be able to get me out of trouble.

Mulan paused, and to be honest, he felt a bit disgusted, disgusted that his daughter would fall for such a scumbag.

He wasn't stupid. His daughter had come to him several times, wanting to visit him in prison. If he still couldn't see through her, then his position as the head of the Star Gazing Pavilion would be meaningless.

Looking back, it becomes clear that it probably started with the Meteor Shower Gathering. The reason is simple and direct: that girl was probably conquered by this bastard without realizing it.

There are plenty of decent men out there. He was firmly against his daughter dating this kind of scum. His daughter even wanted to visit him in prison. What a load of rubbish. He'd rather she be locked up in a living hell so he wouldn't feel disgusted just thinking about it.

The most disgusting thing is that he actually had to come and rescue this bastard so he could hang out with his daughter.

Facing reality and swallowing his anger, he slowly walked back, ignoring the other person.

Shi Chun, however, tried his best to put on a dirty, sycophantic look, "Just give the order, my lord. I'm all ears."

At the same time, I subconsciously pressed down on a small insect crawling on the railing with one finger, resisting the urge to put it in my mouth, and pressed it down firmly before releasing it.

Mulan glanced at his movements and said bluntly, "Qingqing secretly signed up for the 'Battle of Amnesty' without her family's knowledge, and you..."

"Ah!" Shi Chun couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "So willful? Why?"

He couldn't understand it; what kind of medicine would someone take to do something that others would avoid like the plague?

Mulan continued, "After you get out, you should also sign up. There's only one rule: protect her. I don't care about anything else, you must do everything you can to bring her out alive."

"Me?" Shi Chun was surprised and doubtful, finding it hard to believe. "With the Lord's abilities, what kind of expert couldn't he find? Why would he entrust such an important task to a lowly person like me?"

Mulan's lips tightened. He certainly had many choices, but he had unspeakable suffering.

The problem arose because of my daughter's willfulness. Who could have imagined she would suddenly pull such a stunt? Everything takes time to prepare, especially something like sending someone to their death. Can you just arrange things smoothly like that? The more skilled the person, the harder it is to arrange things. No matter how many arrangements you make, it won't work if you're a lousy person.

In his haste, he simply didn't have enough time to make arrangements, so he could only do what he could as quickly as possible. Otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed here; this was just the first stop.

After being met with his cold stare, Shi Chun immediately changed his tune and stopped asking questions. He patted his chest and guaranteed, "I'll take care of it. As long as I can leave this prison alive, I will definitely bring your daughter back alive from the battlefield. Heaven and earth bear witness to this!"

He spoke with a swaying head, spreading an even stronger stench.

Whether it smelled bad or not, Mulan didn't care. He was quite satisfied with this explanation, so he promised, "If you can do it, I'll consider it a favor I owe you. If you can't, the amnesty can only pardon crimes committed outside the prison, not those in the living prison. If I can get you out, I can send you back!"

Shi Chun was not afraid of this threat and said in an unusually fierce tone: "If you can't do it, don't bother the master to send me back. Just chop me up and feed me to the dogs!"

He felt he would be betraying his ability to hide in the underworld if he hesitated even for a moment before saying these words.

(End of this chapter)