The person being questioned saw that they had come out from the inner city and looked like they had been dealt with, not knowing the situation, dared not say much, and just casually mentioned, "They said he stole something in the inner city and was personally beheaded by the prison master."

Another thief? Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang looked at each other with a shiver, they too had been accused of theft and arrested.

The cause of death of the woman's corpse drew most of the attention, so the two emerging from the inner city went relatively unnoticed.

Most people coming and going from Zhixu City were in a state of constant movement; those who had seen the two being captured had already left in waves, few waited here for them to come out, and those who were here weren't waiting for them.

"Hey, Master Shi is out, all good?"

Someone asked in surprise, with a genuinely concerned expression.

Shi Chun recognized the face but couldn't recall who it was, shrugged with a helpless gesture, and then led a similarly disheveled Wu Jinliang away from the scene.

He saw Lan Qiaoyan among the crowd.

Lan Qiaoyan, protected by several people from Bowan Building and also watching the excitement, saw them too, turned around first with her group, and Shi Chun and his companion followed.

After the two had left, someone said to another, "They actually came out alive, lucky we didn't gloat over their misfortune earlier, otherwise, with those two's temperament, they would definitely have troubled us."

The other, "Since it's all good now, it's probably hard to see them again in the future, they likely won't return to East Nine Plain after Zhixu City lifts its lockdown. They should be leaving the Land of Exile."

The former stroked his chin and nodded, "Indeed."

In Bowan Building, no sooner had Lan Qiaoyan and her group entered than Shi Chun and his friend followed suit.

As they passed through the hall, a young man sitting in the corner guarding a pile of account books brightened up, sprang to his feet, and hurried over to size them up.

Wu Jinliang chuckled, "Sandy, missed us?"

While talking, he unloaded the bundle on his back, thrust his hand in, and after rummaging around, handed the young man a distinctly layered Five-Colored Stone.

This was an old habit of theirs; every time they came to see Miss Miao, they would collect some unique stones as gifts for the young man.

Their initial contact with Miss Miao was made by first "bribing" this young man.

"Sandy" was the nickname Miss Miao had given the young man because of his surname Sha and his fondness for sweets, which Shi Chun and the others had adopted.

Seeing the stone with such distinct and visually striking layers, the young man held it fondly and reassessed the two men, "Glad you're okay. I knew once the boss lady entered the inner city, you'd definitely be fine."

With these words, Shi Chun's eyes flashed. The whole demeanor of the interrogation had changed earlier, giving him a feeling, a suspicion that perhaps the boss lady had intervened; after all, when they were captured, his cries with Wu Jinliang were full of that hope.

Now his suspicion was confirmed.

"Little Sha." Tan's voice came.

The group looked over, only to see Tan, who had already entered the back hall, turn and come out again, staring at the young man with a warning look, clearly blaming him for his slip of tongue.

For Bowan Building, apart from conducting business here, they didn't interfere with anything in the Land of Exile, an unwritten rule.

The young man, realizing his mistake, stuck out his tongue but didn't seem overly scared of Tan, and quickly ran back to flipping through the account books.

Shi Chun quickly walked up to Tan, just about to ask to pass a message, when Tan slightly nodded and said, "Come on."

Shi Chun gratefully bowed his hands, and Wu Jinliang hesitated for a moment but ultimately stiffened up and followed.

After ascending the back hall stairs, they met Lan Qiaoyan, seated and brewing tea in the upstairs hall, her elegance and enjoyment a sight the people of the Land of Exile could only envy.

"Thank you, Madam, for saving my life." Shi Chun stepped forward, cupping his hands in gratitude.

Lan Qiaoyan waved her hand through the air and stopped him from bowing further. "I don't understand what you're saying. Has the theft been cleared up?"

Seeing that she refused the gesture, he could probably guess why. It was enough to keep the gratitude in his heart, so he simply gave up and shook his head. "It hasn't been cleared up."

At these words, both Lan Qiaoyan and Tan were taken aback.

Tan interjected with a question. "How did they let you out without clearing it up?"

"Ah," Shi Chun sighed helplessly, maintaining his courteous demeanor as he replied, "The accuser was killed by me."

He felt that Lan Qiaoyan's rescue might be somewhat attributed to the cultured demeanor he consistently displayed, which set him apart from the rougher characters. Otherwise, people wouldn't have treated him differently all this time.

"Ah?" Wu Jinliang exclaimed in shock, dumbfounded. "There's such a thing, and I didn't know?"

But now he finally understood what the city guard meant when they said the victim had died.

The other two were stunned as well, and Tan asked incredulously, "You killed the accuser inside the inner city?"

There was a clear underlying question in his words. If you acted so recklessly, how did the inner city folks not kill you instead?

Shi Chun immediately explained, "It's not what you think. It was a duel. They said the higher-ups issued a command, tired of the trifling matter, telling me to duel the accuser—loser to be executed, winner to be released. I won, so we were freed."

Silence fell in the hall, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Lan Qiaoyan frowned and muttered, "Is it really so capricious?"

She also wondered to herself, after making such a fuss, it turns out her intervention wasn't very useful—it was they who fought their way out.

Then, she heard Shi Chun's melancholy tone. "However, the case isn't over just yet. They said since I killed my accuser, the case cannot be closed. Hence, they let us out first. If any new evidence emerges, they might bring us back from the outside for a retrial."

Saying this, he couldn't help but sigh, lamenting what kind of karma he had incurred. Others left the Land of Exile and gained their freedom, while he left but with a 'tail' hanging behind, an issue that might erupt any day.

It also left him with a lingering worry, making it hard for him to feel happy about leaving.

"Something like this happened?" Lan Qiaoyan was surprised and turned to ask Tan, "Tan, can Life Prison really do such a thing?"

Tan shook his head in astonishment, like he had never heard or seen anything like it.

After a quiet moment in the hall, they decided to leave the matter for now, leaving any questions to be slowly clarified later.

Lan Qiaoyan changed the subject and asked, "How did Qi Yueru steal something and get killed by the prison master?"

Shi Chun, sensitive to the Qi surname but completely unaware of who Qi Yueru was, caught on from the words 'prison master' and countered, "The one hanged at the city gate?"

Lan Qiaoyan said meaningfully, "She is Shen Youkun's mother. Didn't you know?"

"Ah?" Wu Jinliang was the first to cry out in shock, as the brothers exchanged glances once again.

This time it was Shi Chun's turn to be surprised. "How could Shen Youkun's mother venture into the inner city to steal?"

Seeing that they genuinely seemed ignorant, Lan Qiaoyan did not press further. She sipped her prepared tea and after setting down her cup, she slowly said, "Qi Yueru went to Zhixu City, and because of theft, was personally killed by the aloof prison master. I don't believe that; there must be another incident that enraged the prison master.

Her son died, her brother died, Qi Yueru herself died—their lot might have been involved in some shady dealings in the Land of Exile, I don't know how deeply you two are involved or if you know what it is, but the Qi family should be aware.

The fact that you offended Shen Youkun is no secret. Now, with the prison master personally intervening to kill Qi Yueru, those who are aware of the situation know what the prison master is investigating. The guilty Qi family can only argue on the surface for justice but dares not get involved with any visible connection to that shady affair.

Especially since the vagueness of your arrest and release process means the Qi family will likely keep their distance from you. I don't know if you can understand the meaning behind my words, but in essence, the prison master's forceful action has inadvertently solved a big problem for you."

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