Chapter 152: Captured

Yan Buji sat in the inn, aware that this public, crowd‑filled assassination of a court official had already crossed the line, and remained composed in the inn.

"Great Hero Hu Yan, you are truly amazing, you actually killed that greedy official in public!"

"Great Hero, is this really safe? Perhaps you should find a place to hide for a while."

"Great Hero Hu Yan, you have already done enough. Overcorrecting will make the court certainly not let you go."

Yan Buji watched some of the people feel exhilarated by what he had done, others contemplating his future, and felt moved.

But for him, the inn's purpose was to stage a show; counting the time, it was almost up.

Seeing Yan Buji, who had been silent all along, suddenly stand up, the people in the inn were startled.

Only hearing Yan Buji speak softly: "I have treated you all sincerely, yet I do not know why some of you would betray me."

When Yan Buji said this, the entire inn's people were shocked.

Those who secretly plotted treachery and reported to officials sweated coldly, lowered their heads, and dared not speak.

Yan Buji sighed: "Zhang Cheng, Liu Yi, Wang Xiaoer. You were previously oppressed by that tyrant, and I was the one who saved your lives. I don't know what I have done wrong to you, why this?"

"You three?!" Others instantly widened their eyes, unable to believe, and turned away from the three in fury.

"Great Hero Hu Yan, you must have evidence; when did we betray you?"

"Exactly, exactly."

"Great Hero Hu Yan, would betraying you bring us any benefit? We are just grasshoppers on a rope, no need for this."

Seeing the three still arguing, Yan Buji shook his head: "Those soldiers outside, you called them, didn't you?"

"You....."

"I act with a clear conscience, but I didn't expect you to commit such treason for the city's bounty. Lao Huang, go to the third pillar in the kitchen and move that sauerkraut jar, see what's hidden underneath."

Everyone's expression changed; Lao Huang hurried to the back kitchen, soon returned angrily with a sack of silver coins and silver notes, and slammed them heavily on the ground!

"You three white‑eyed wolves!!!"

The three, seeing the truth exposed, trembled and knelt, crying: "Great Hero Hu Yan, Great Hero Hu Yan, spare us, we… were only driven by greed…"

"Greed… hahaha. Ah, people of this world can never escape fame and fortune." Yan Buji reached out, about to slay the three, when suddenly several martial practitioners burst in from the door, surrounding Yan Buji.

"Hu Yan thief! You cannot escape, surrender peacefully!"

Seeing them in official robes, Yan Buji pressed his toe, instantly moved behind the three and took their lives.

The imperial martial practitioners' pupils contracted; they knew not how fierce the man before them was, yet did not expect his Martial Dao realm to be so high; as members of the Inner Court Martial Sect they could not see his strike!

At once, several Martial Sect members sensed something wrong, gathered together and stared tensely at Yan Buji.

Yan Buji shook his head, waved his hand: "I have broken the law, I know I am guilty. Yet you all must not harm these pitiful people; I will go with you."

Saying so, Yan Buji sealed his acupoints, stretched out both hands as if awaiting judgment.

The martial practitioners' faces changed instantly, unsure whether it was admiration or caution, and they did not step forward at once.

"What's the matter? Do you think I, Hu Yan Feng, am that shameless scoundrel?" Yan Buji chuckled lightly.

"We dare not; since you are thus, we have no choice but to offend you."

"It doesn't matter."

Several Martial Sect members walked forward solemnly; the people they had dealt with still wanted to say something, but Yan Buji looked at them and gently shook his head:

Before putting on the shackles and leaving the inn, Yan Buji turned and said: "Everyone, remember what I said. Be a respectable person, be someone useful to the world."

"Great Hero Hu Yan!!"

"Heaven is so unjust, Great Hero Hu Yan saved us from water‑deep fire‑hot, yet we are treated like this!"

"These three damned thieves, dying like this is truly a mercy for them!!"

Everyone present knew that Hu Yan Feng was willing to be taken away to protect them, and the inn wailed in grief, cries of sorrow echoing everywhere.

Boarding the carriage, Yan Buji looked at the martial practitioner beside him and asked: "If you all intend to sentence me, then do not harm those good people."

"Since you know you have broken the law yet mingle with them, why do you still think those people are innocent?"

"Because rescuing people is not half‑hearted; if I don't consider their future lives, who can show great compassion to them? Is it you, or the court?" Yan Buji chuckled lightly.

The martial practitioners fell silent.

"But you must not have killed Minister Su; publicly stabbing a court official is a capital crime."

Yan Buji said calmly: "When a person dies, that's that; living with a clear conscience."

Hiss!!!

What a spirit, what a hero!

No wonder someone of our age could have such a Martial Dao realm; truly a heart of pure bravery.

Several Martial Sect members felt ashamed; they sought only fame and profit for the court, call them court hawks and hounds, truly cannot compare with the man before them.

"May I ask, am I to be beheaded directly or…?"

"Well… the proper procedure still applies; you should first go to the Heavenly Prison."

Yan Buji nodded, smiled: "Thank you."

Soon, Yan Buji was taken to the Heavenly Prison.

The Heavenly Prison could not be inside the imperial palace; it was underground beneath the Huang Du Prefecture Office.

Inside the Heavenly Prison, dark and damp, Yan Buji was bound to a cross and had his pipa bone pierced.

"You're a tough one; ordinary prisoners would scream in pain when their pipa bone is pierced, yet you stay silent?" The jailer sneered.

Yan Buji said nothing, endured dozens of lashes, and was thrown into a cell, hung on the wall with an iron hook.

"It seems I won't be taken to the execution ground anytime soon," Yan Buji thought to himself with a faint smile.

For a law‑breaker like him, the court would love to kill him on the spot, leaving no life spared.

Though if it truly came to that, all his previous deeds would have been in vain, yet it seems to have succeeded.

A criminal who breaks the law also depends on what kind of person breaks the law.

Firstly, Huyan Feng is absolutely a Martial Dao expert; for an ordinary dynasty, this is an indispensable part;

Secondly, he is also one who eliminates violence and protects the good, moreover a person of benevolent justice, and he is willing to voluntarily submit to the law for those he saved, indicating that he does not overly oppose the court;

Finally, how to deal with him is the emperor's business; other ministers, even if they know he has been captured and want you to execute him, but since the process has begun, it shows that someone behind the scenes, upon learning Yan Buji's whereabouts, has already started coordinating forces to try to help him.

Regardless of whether the person wanting to help him is a court official or the emperor's intention, for Yan Buji it ultimately means developing in a good direction.