102: Chapter 102 Arriving Late

After all, dead men tell no tales.

Otherwise, Liu Qingyuan would have been so angry he'd rise from the dead.

Pei Qingyun gazed at the kneeling Liu Qingguang, his eyes devoid of emotion. "So you're saying that the attack on my Pei family's caravan was Liu Qingyuan's doing alone, and has nothing to do with you?"

"I am also at fault; I should never have listened to Liu Qingyuan's one-sided story. I only beg the Old Ancestor to spare my life, so that I, Qingguang, may make amends for my mistakes." Feeling that gaze as sharp as a knife, Liu Qingguang felt his scalp tingle, and he dared not look up into Pei Qingyun's eyes.

"Since you've realized your mistake—and I am someone who values kindness and harmony as the way to prosperity—I will give you this chance. Didn't you say you wanted to serve me and offer up half of the Liu Family's assets?"

"How about this: I'll give you three days. After three days, I want to receive half of your Liu Family's estate as compensation for this incident." Pei Qingyun held up three fingers, his eyes showing no emotion.

Hearing this, Liu Qingguang immediately kowtowed in gratitude, his joy plain to see.

"Thank you, Old Ancestor, for your magnanimity in giving me, Liu Qingguang, this chance."

Pei Qingyun waved his hand, signaling Liu Qingguang to leave. "Enough, get out of my sight. If you fail to do what you promised, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Liu Qingguang felt as if he had been granted a grand amnesty. Ignoring the dirt on his clothes, he left without looking back.

Being in the presence of a powerhouse who could take his life at any moment felt like sitting on pins and needles; it was an experience he never wanted to repeat.

Pei Qingyun was actually well aware of Liu Qingguang's little schemes, but what of it?

Killing Liu Qingyuan had already achieved the desired deterrent effect; Liu Qingguang's life or death wasn't that important.

The main reason Pei Qingyun spared Liu Qingguang was that he had his sights set on the Liu Family's assets.

Unlike in Wuyang County, where Pei Qingyun could directly intervene in the industries of other noble families...

...Jinhe County was not the Pei family's territory after all. If the Pei family rashly intervened, it would inevitably provoke dissatisfaction from the Jinhe County officials and even lead to the noble families of Jinhe County uniting against them.

Outside Jinhe County, it didn't matter how much of a scene he caused.

But once inside Jinhe County City, he couldn't just act recklessly.

Furthermore, given the Pei family's current scale, they lacked the capacity to manage so many industries.

If half of the Liu Family's assets could be converted into wealth, it would actually be more beneficial for the Pei family's current development.

As for whether the Liu Family would renege on the debt, Pei Qingyun wasn't too worried.

As a Five-Viscera Martial Artist, Liu Qingguang was more than capable of suppressing any internal dissent within the Liu Family. Unless Liu Qingguang was willing to abandon everything the Liu Family had accumulated over the past century and flee to a distant land, he wouldn't dare go back on his word.

As for whether they would pull any tricks with the assets, that was not something he was considering for the time being.

On the other side, the Liu Family guards descending the mountain happened to run into the approaching members of the Ma Family.

Watching the Liu Family guard units scurrying about like a swarm of bees, the Clan Leader Ma was completely bewildered.

He wanted to find someone to ask, but no one paid him any attention.

"What on earth happened? Wasn't the Liu Family lying in ambush here at Qingshan Ridge? Why are they suddenly coming down the mountain?" The Clan Leader Ma was baffled, trying to spot the Liu Family Head among the crowd.

After searching for a long while, he couldn't find a single trace of him.

"Does anyone know the situation on the mountain?" the Clan Leader Ma asked, looking at the Ma Family Elders beside him.

"Family Head, why don't we grab someone and ask? We might get some information from them," one Ma Family Elder suggested.

"Elder Elder Ma Ming, I'll leave this matter to you," the Clan Leader Ma said indifferently, glancing at the Elder who had made the suggestion.

Before long, a Liu Family guard was brought before the Clan Leader Ma, held like a little chick.

"Why are you all suddenly coming down the mountain? What exactly happened up there?" the Clan Leader Ma questioned.

"The Family Head is dead..." the Liu Family guard said in a low voice.

"What! Liu Qingyuan is dead!" The Clan Leader Ma's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

Among the major forces in Jinhe County, he had the most contact with Liu Qingyuan.

But he had to admit that whether it was in scheming or strength, Liu Qingyuan was a cut above him.

Originally, the Ma Family's power was slightly greater than the Liu Family's, but ever since Liu Qingyuan took over as Family Head, the Liu Family had become even more prosperous than the Ma Family.

It was because the Liu Family's mobility and execution were always a step faster than the Ma Family's.

This time, the Liu Family had even arrived at Qingshan Ridge before the Ma Family.

Yet, precisely because they were a step faster this time, something had happened to Liu Qingyuan.

After a long while, the Clan Leader Ma finally recovered from his shock and asked, "How did Liu Qingyuan die?"

"He was... killed by the Ancestor of the Pei family," the Liu Family guard said, his tone somewhat unnatural.

"Your Liu Family has two Five-Viscera Martial Artists. Pei Qingyun is nearly old and frail; how could he possibly kill Liu Qingyuan?" the Clan Leader Ma questioned.

"I... I don't know either. The Family Head's body is still on the mountain. If you don't believe me, you can go up there and see for yourself," the Liu Family guard explained, trembling.

Seeing the Liu Family guard in such a state, the Clan Leader Ma already believed about seventy to eighty percent of it.

But at a time like this, how would he dare go up the mountain?

Although he didn't know how Pei Qingyun had done it, he didn't dare take the risk.

"Elder Elder Ma Ming, go up the mountain to investigate the situation and come back to report to me," the Clan Leader Ma ordered, looking at Elder Elder Ma Ming.

"As you command," Elder Ma Ming said, cupping his hands, his tone somewhat helpless.

When there were good things, he was never considered, but when it came to these dangerous and offensive tasks, they were all his.

Who told him not to be the Clan Leader Ma?

And so, Elder Ma Ming led a group of people slowly up the mountain.

On the other side, after the Liu Family guards fled in all directions, the elite squad led by Pei Tianlin did not continue the pursuit.

The reason for this wasn't that one shouldn't press a cornered foe, but rather that there was no need.

The Pei family's mission wasn't to annihilate the Liu Family, but to "kill the chicken to warn the monkey"—to intimidate the major forces within Jinhe County.

With Liu Qingyuan dead, the effect was mostly achieved; the lives of the underlings were truly inconsequential.

After the Liu Family left, Pei Tianlin took the elite squad and searched the surrounding area once more. Only after confirming there were no other forces did he allow the caravan at the foot of the mountain to continue forward.

On the other side, after the caravan had passed through the Qingshan Ridge Canyon, Elder Ma Ming finally arrived at the peak.

However, after searching for a long time, he found no traces of battle. It wasn't until he saw a mangled corpse under a large tree that he realized why the Liu Family guards had fled so desperately.

Liu Qingyuan was not only dead, but he had also died such a miserable death.

Not to mention his body being split in two, he was left exposed in the wilderness.

Perhaps, acting quickly was not always a blessing.

If his Ma Family had arrived a step earlier, would they have met with the same...

...fate?

At this thought, a chill rose from the bottom of Elder Ma Ming's heart.

If he had encountered such a fierce person upon coming up the mountain, his life would likely have been forfeit.

Fortunately, he was clever enough to deliberately delay his ascent.