15: Chapter 15 Clear Rewards and Punishments

Time passed quickly.

Half an hour went by in a flash.

Except for that initial bump, the journey was exceptionally quiet, and no untoward incidents occurred.

This left Pei Qingyun, who had been harboring some expectations, feeling somewhat disappointed.

"Old Ancestor, we are almost at the No. 1 Mine. The road ahead is quite bumpy, and the carriage will have to slow down. Would you like us to carry you up?"

Arriving at the Pei Family mining camp, the guards reverted to their original form of address.

Hearing this, Pei Qingyun gave a wry smile.

He was indeed a bit old, but not to the point of being like those pampered masters who couldn't even walk.

However, he understood that this wasn't what the guard meant.

The No. 1 Mine was located halfway up the mountain.

Although the Family had repeatedly repaired and maintained the road, the path up the mountain was still not easy to traverse.

"Slow is fine, we aren't in a rush." Pei Qingyun pulled back the curtain and looked around.

In his view, he spotted dozens of simple stone houses scattered across a hillside not far away. Judging by their appearance, they were all of a uniform design.

Although this was Pei Qingyun's first time here, as long as he wasn't thinking with his backside, he could guess that the place above was indeed the Pei Family's No. 1 Mine camp.

After watching for a while, Pei Qingyun withdrew his gaze.

Because this inspection was a spur-of-the-moment decision by Pei Qingyun, no one in the entire Family, apart from the few members of the guard unit, even knew of his movements—not even Pei Tianrong.

Let alone the Elder in charge of the No. 1 Mine.

With no one there to welcome him, Pei Qingyun actually enjoyed the peace and quiet. If he had notified them in advance, he wouldn't have been able to see the true situation.

Before long, the group arrived at the No. 1 Mine camp.

By this time, the vast majority of miners had already entered the mine shafts. The few still inside the houses were either mine managers or those who were unwell.

Pei Qingyun and his party did not conceal their whereabouts, and their arrival quickly caught the attention of the mine guards.

"Who are you?" the guard asked coldly, his expression stern, hands gripping his weapon tightly.

"We are here to inspect the mine; we are all our own people," the guard unit replied.

To prove the credibility of his words, the guard even took out the token from his waist.

Seeing that it was a token of the Pei Family guard unit, the guard still did not let them pass immediately. After a moment of thought, he said, "I haven't received any notification that the guard unit was coming to inspect the mine today. Therefore, I cannot let you in right now. Unless you have a written order from the Patriarch or Elder Pei Tianming."

Hearing this, Pei Qingyun hadn't spoken yet, but the guard became angry instead.

He had originally wanted to perform well in front of the Old Ancestor and leave a good impression.

But now that they were blocked here, if the Old Ancestor were displeased because of this, he would be unable to escape punishment.

"Are you saying that if we don't have a written order, we have to stand here?"

"Yes. I don't want to repeat myself. Without a written order from the Patriarch or Elder Pei Tianming, no one is allowed to enter." Facing the enraged guard, the sentry remained unfazed.

Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter.

As a guard, he had to put the safety of the mine first.

The guard token might be real, but that didn't prove that the people in front of him were actually Pei Family guards.

Perhaps someone else had intercepted and killed the guard unit, and it wasn't impossible that they were impersonating them.

Besides, even if the people in front of him were truly members of the guard unit, so what?

Following protocol was his duty.

But the guards accompanying Pei Qingyun didn't think so.

Blocking them was a small matter, at most losing a little Face.

But having the Old Ancestor blocked outside the door was their dereliction of duty.

The Old Ancestor was inspecting the mine for the first time, yet was blocked at the entrance. If this got out, it would truly be a huge joke.

Just as the guard was about to lose his temper, Pei Qingyun inside the carriage also noticed something unusual.

The carriage had stopped suddenly; if they had already entered the mining camp, the guards should have notified him to get off.

"What exactly is going on?"

Pei Qingyun pulled back the curtain and noticed the sentry post not far away, where his accompanying guards were confronting the mine guard.

Immediately, Pei Qingyun got out of the carriage and slowly walked toward the sentry post.

"What exactly is going on?" Pei Qingyun glanced at the group, a vague guess forming in his mind.

"Reporting to the Old Ancestor, the guard has blocked our path. He says that without a written order from the Patriarch and Elder Pei Tianming, he cannot let us pass." Hearing this, Pei Qingyun understood the whole story.

On the other side, when the guard heard the words "Old Ancestor," he suddenly felt a chill run through his heart.

Although he had never met Pei Qingyun, he had seen his portrait.

The old man in front of him was so similar to the portrait of their own Old Ancestor. Combined with the guards' description, he could basically confirm it.

The one who had come down from the carriage was indeed their own Old Ancestor.

Although he had always believed he was not in the wrong and was just executing orders for the safety of the mine, the thought that he had blocked his own Old Ancestor's carriage outside, that confidence vanished in an instant.

At the same time, a deep sense of panic washed over him.

The next second, the guard fell to his knees with a thud, his words filled with pleading.

"Old Ancestor, this small one did not know you were coming to the mine, which is why I stopped the carriage from entering. Please, Old Ancestor, forgive this small one."

"You were diligent and responsible; what crime have you committed? It is precisely because of this diligent and responsible attitude toward the Family's affairs that the Family's No. 1 Mine can remain secure. Not only will I not punish you this time, but I will also grant you a small merit."

"As long as you are diligent and responsible in working for the Family, you are all heroes of the Family." As he spoke, the Old Ancestor turned his gaze toward the group of guards.

Clear rewards and punishments are one of the core tenets of a strong Family.

If they couldn't even achieve this most basic point, how could the Pei Family talk about rising to power?

Nearby, the kneeling guard hadn't expected that Pei Qingyun would not only not punish him but would actually reward him.

This transition from Hell to Heaven almost made him weep with joy, and he almost forgot to say words of gratitude.

It was at this moment that a gentle force slowly lifted him up, and he stood up.

"There is no need to kneel."

"Thank you for the reward, Old Ancestor." The guard's eyes were filled with respect.

"Do not forget your duty." Pei Qingyun replied indifferently, and the group entered the No. 1 Mine camp.

Hearing this, the guard's gaze became even firmer.

With such an Old Ancestor, the Family has more hope.

Not long after Pei Qingyun entered the camp, the person in charge of the No. 1 Mine, Pei Tianming, walked out of the mine shaft.

Pei Tianming was covered in dust, his expression somewhat weary, and he did not look to be in good condition.

Seeing his Old Ancestor, Pei Tianming perked up and bowed respectfully, "Old Ancestor, you have come."

"Hmm." Pei Qingyun acknowledged, then immediately said.

"Tianming, looking at you, it seems you went into the mine shaft yourself. Why aren't you in the camp properly Cultivating, instead of running into the mine shaft?"