After a period of confusion, Wang Yao found himself in a beautiful and serene bamboo garden. There were immortals sitting under the bamboo, drinking tea and wine, and others swaying their heads and looking up at the sky, as if they were reciting poetry. The scenery was very similar to what he had seen from outside the wall.
"Hey! You audacious immortal, what crime have you committed? Confess the truth at once!" A fat, drunken immortal sat on the ground with his chest exposed, glaring at Wang Yao with his drunken eyes.
"I...I don't know what crime I committed." Wang Yao shook his head.
"How could you not know what crime you have committed?" The immortals in the garden immediately became curious, and they all turned their gazes to look Wang Yao up and down.
"He's under temporary detention. The patrol generals didn't dare to take him in, so they sent him directly here. He probably hasn't been interrogated yet," Zhao Cai explained for Wang Yao.
“Old Ruan, your questions are quite novel. What kind of suspect admits to being guilty?” Another elegant immortal shook his head upon hearing this and smiled at Wang Yao. “Young friend, don’t be nervous. We are just jailers. Whether you have committed a crime or not has nothing to do with us.”
"We're just bored. Since the Heavenly Inspector Generals don't dare to detain you, you must have offended some powerful immortal. So... could you tell us about your heroic deeds? We won't let you talk for nothing; there will be benefits."
"Mr. Shan, you mustn't make any rash wishes! This kid is cunning and mischievous. Don't let him fool you into agreeing to something you shouldn't. If you get into trouble, everyone will suffer the consequences!" Zhao Cai hurriedly shouted.
"This celestial criminal has only just arrived, how do you know he's mischievous and cunning?" A fairy with a zither in front of her frowned and asked. This was the fairy Li Xian who had asked Wang Yao to arrange a marriage for Zhao Cai. Wang Yao recognized her voice as the one that had summoned them earlier.
“He…he visited me in prison before…the time Xi Fu died…” Zhao Cai stammered in response.
"Xi Fu? I remember now, the one who died without cause during supervision... wasn't it the time we were fined a month's salary?"
"Zhao Cai, what are you up to? He's connected to Xi Fu's death, and you've been keeping it from us all this time?"
"Damn it, they inexplicably deducted a month's salary from my paycheck. Why didn't you say it was related to this criminal?"
...
Upon hearing this, the immortals stared at Zhaocai in astonishment and asked questions all at once.
"Um..." Zhao Cai blushed and paled as the immortals questioned him, and his eyes unconsciously drifted toward Jin Bao.
“Don’t look at me. That’s your business with that hunchback from the west. It has nothing to do with me,” Jinbao shouted.
"What's wrong with Jinbao?" Li Xian looked at Jinbao with a serious expression.
"It happened a few years ago. Back then, Lao Ji and Xiao Wang had a fight, and everyone went off to travel. Only Zhao Cai and I were left in the east wing to hold our posts..." Jin Bao honestly and frankly recounted in detail how Wang Yao, Xiangu, Qing He, and their group had come to visit him in prison.
“Hmm…Hua Tuozi doesn’t get up early for nothing. You got Hua Tuozi to open the prison gate and cover up the fact that Xi Fu died during a prison visit. You must have received a lot of benefits!” Mr. Shan said decisively.
"Damn it, Zhao Cai, that's not fair of you! Everyone else had a month's salary docked, but you're the only one taking the benefits and making a fortune in silence. If it weren't for the celestial criminal coming again today, wouldn't we have all been fooled by you?" A muscular, burly immortal said slowly.
"I didn't. All the benefits went to Hua Tuozi. I... I just... offered some love..." Zhao Cai hurriedly explained.
"That's exactly what he said to me that time!" Jinbao shrieked.
"Forget it, with your petty mindset of Zhao Cai, what kind of compassion do you have to offer? It seems that our entire month's salary will ultimately fall on your shoulders! No, you should compensate us for one month's salary, at the very least you have to pay everyone two months' salary!" Upon hearing this, the immortals immediately began to shout.
"I really didn't take a single penny..." Zhao Cai was about to speak anxiously when Li Xian's eyebrows furrowed and she shouted sharply, "Zhao Cai, you come here right now!"
Zhao Cai shuddered, shut his mouth, and obediently walked to Li Xian's side. Li Xian then reached out and grabbed Zhao Cai's ear.
"We, the Thirteen Sages of the Bamboo Grove, have long ago sworn an oath to share both good and bad fortune. Tell me, what benefits have you received? Spit it out right now! Even a single piece of cake should be divided into thirteen pieces. You damned devil, will you tell me or not?"
As Li Xian spoke, her hand twisted like a rope several times, and Zhao Cai's ear also became twisted into a pretzel. Wang Yao felt a sharp pain just watching from afar.
"Oh, sister, you're being awkward, you're being awkward, sister... I... I'll take it out, I'll take it out, okay? But there's one condition... Oh, sister, you're still being awkward... I... I'll take it out right now..."
Zhao Cai was twisted so hard by Li Xian that he cried out in pain. He still wanted to negotiate with Li Xian, but Li Xian wouldn't listen to him. Unexpectedly, Zhao Cai could only take out a piece of paper from his pocket and wave it in front of Li Xian. That piece of paper was the IOU that Wang Yao had given him.
Li Xian glanced at the IOU and her face flushed red. She spat and released Zhao Cai, snatched the IOU, and with a tremor of her hand, the IOU turned into a pile of tiny scraps of paper.
"Hey! You... why did you tear it?" Mr. Shan was greatly surprised when he saw this.
"I'm happy, so what?" Li Xian looked up at Mr. Shan.
"Alright, alright, it's quite rare for Li Xian to call herself a young lady. Lao Shan, just let Zhao Cai go. We'll have him and Li Xian pay us a month's wages and treat us to a meal later," said the burly old man, Lao Ji.
"Why should we?" Riken and Zhaocai shouted in unison.
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