33: Chapter 33 Unexpected Gain

Taking the demon spirit pearl into his hand, Pei Qingyun examined it carefully.

Before holding it, he had imagined the demon spirit pearl would be icy cold, similar to the crystal glass beads from his previous life.

But upon touching it, he realized his deduction was wrong. Not only was the demon spirit pearl not cold, it constantly emitted a wave of heat, feeling more like a warm stone.

After playing with it for a while, Pei Qingyun felt it wasn't particularly interesting and put it back into his pouch.

"The Tier 3 Demon is dealt with, and it's time to head back. It's just a pity about my good horse," Pei Qingyun said regretfully, looking at the horse's carcass not far away.

Without a warhorse for the journey, he could only return on foot.

"Eh, the sound of horses. Could it be that Tianlin and Tianyun have returned?"

Pei Qingyun hadn't walked far before he heard the sound of galloping hooves in the distance, which gave him a pleasant surprise.

If he could ride a horse, he naturally didn't want to walk.

Even if walking didn't actually tire him.

Following the sound, Pei Qingyun did not stay where he was.

But as soon as he caught up, he noticed something was wrong.

There wasn't a single familiar face among the group; they weren't members of the Pei family at all.

Regardless, since he had encountered people, it was fate, and it was only right that he borrow a warhorse for use.

With a light leap, Pei Qingyun blocked the path in front of the group.

"Borrow a warhorse for me to use?"

The group hadn't expected a 'tiger' to suddenly block their path.

To arrogantly want to borrow a warhorse—had he been drinking?

But just as they were about to scold him, they saw Pei Qingyun's appearance clearly, and their pupils constricted violently.

However, they remained calm on the surface and spoke up.

"Who are you? On what basis do you ask to borrow our warhorses?"

Although the group disguised their tone well, who was Pei Qingyun?

Not even the slightest emotional change could escape his eyes.

From their eyes, he could sense their nervousness.

Originally, he truly just wanted to borrow a warhorse, but now he had become interested.

If they really didn't know him, why would they be nervous?

Clearly, they at least knew his identity.

Knowing his identity yet pretending not to recognize him.

Pei Qingyun would never believe there wasn't something fishy going on here.

Since they were putting on an act in front of him, Pei Qingyun didn't mind playing along.

"Pei Qingyun." After saying those three words, Pei Qingyun specifically emphasized his tone and added, "Could it be that none of you have heard my name?"

The group hadn't expected Pei Qingyun to be so blunt, which immediately threw their thoughts into disarray.

In an instant, their expressions froze, and their movements were visibly a beat slow.

At this moment, the short man who reacted first hurried to speak, "So it is Ancestor Pei. Your name is legendary, Old Ancestor; of course we have heard it. To meet the Old Ancestor here is truly the fortune of three lifetimes."

While speaking, the short man didn't forget to signal the other two with his eyes, "Yuanhe, Yuanbao, why haven't you dismounted yet?"

"Whichever warhorse the Old Ancestor desires, please take your pick. To be chosen by the Old Ancestor is their honor."

It had to be said that the short man's reaction was very fast. While answering the question, he didn't forget to flatter him.

If he hadn't noticed their small gestures, Pei Qingyun might have doubted if he had seen wrong earlier.

The more they acted this way, the more Pei Qingyun doubted their identities. Their minds were so agile that they could still handle themselves with ease when facing him.

Since a normal approach couldn't force a slip-up, Pei Qingyun did the opposite.

"Is that so? But I, the Old Ancestor, feel that you don't look like good people. Speak, who sent you here?" Pei Qingyun looked at them coldly, a hint of killing intent flickering in his eyes.

Sensing the killing intent in Pei Qingyun's eyes, the short man hurried to explain.

"Old Ancestor, please believe us, we have no ill intentions. Actually, the three of us are just escorting guards. Because our caravan was attacked by a Demon, we accidentally got separated. Later, while searching for the caravan, we lost our way."

After the short man finished, Pei Qingyun spoke unhurriedly.

"You say you are caravan guards, so I'll believe you for now. But as far as I know, any Escort will hang their own agency's flag in the most conspicuous place on their person. Yet, I don't see one on any of you."

At this point, the short man anxiously wanted to rebut.

But Pei Qingyun didn't give him the chance to speak and continued.

"Of course, you could explain that the flag was lost. But there is one thing you cannot fake. Look at your fingers, necks, and faces—where do you look like veteran guards should?"

Hearing this, the group subconsciously looked at the parts Pei Qingyun mentioned.

And it was this very look that made them realize their lies had been exposed.

"Now you can speak. Who exactly are you?" Pei Qingyun questioned.

"We didn't intend to deceive the Old Ancestor. Actually, we are scouts from the Evil Suppression Bureau. We beg the Old Ancestor to spare our lives," the short man blurted out first.

"You say you are scouts from the Evil Suppression Bureau; what evidence do you have?" Pei Qingyun watched the three coldly, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

Feeling Pei Qingyun's icy gaze, the three knew very well at this moment that if they didn't produce evidence, their heads could be separated from their bodies at any time.

So the three glanced at each other. They not only pulled out their identification tokens but also revealed engravings on their forearms.

"Old Ancestor, please look, these are our tokens," the three said in unison.

Taking the tokens, Pei Qingyun carefully examined both the front and back.

Regarding the Evil Suppression tokens, Pei Qingyun had naturally seen them before. The front represented the wearer's status, while the back bore their name.

By comparison, Pei Qingyun found that the names on the back of the tokens were identical to the engravings on their forearms.

In other words, their identities as scouts for the Evil Suppression Bureau were essentially confirmed.

With his strength, killing the three of them would be effortless.

In other words, even if Director Chen discovered the three were killed by him, it would be impossible to hold him accountable.

But simply killing the three brought him no benefit.

By then, Director Chen would just arrange new scouts to monitor the Pei family.

"You should know the fate of scouts whose identities are exposed. Even if I were to kill you on the spot, Director Chen wouldn't dare say much."

At this, the hearts of two of them trembled. Thinking Pei Qingyun still intended to kill them, they immediately knelt down to beg for mercy.

Only the short man frowned deeply, pondering the meaning behind those words.

Literally, the sentence had two layers of meaning: one was that Pei Qingyun held the power of life and death over them, and the other was a warning.

But if Pei Qingyun really wanted to kill them, there seemed to be no need to say all this.

Could it be that Pei Qingyun was truly giving them a warning?

Or was there an even deeper meaning in these words?

The short man thought of a possibility.

However, before he could speak, Pei Qingyun's gaze focused on him. "Why aren't you begging for mercy like them? Are you not afraid of death?"

"I am certainly afraid of death, but I understand even better that if the Old Ancestor truly wanted to kill me, he would never let me go just because I begged for mercy."

Pei Qingyun looked at the short man, his gaze sharp and soul-piercing. "Oh, you are very confident. Then do you think I will kill you or let you go?"

Hearing this, the short man's face turned pale, and cold sweat poured down his forehead; his previous confidence vanished without a trace.

If he answered poorly, his head would roll on the spot.

At this moment, he even felt a hint of regret for acting so clever.

Since Pei Qingyun had the intention of letting them go, why didn't he just go along with it?

Begging for mercy like the other two would have been the safer, middle path.

In fact, the short man wasn't wrong.

As the Ancestor of the Pei family, his predecessor had at least hundreds of lives on his hands.

Under such circumstances, Pei Qingyun naturally wouldn't be influenced by the emotions of a stranger.

But those in high positions shared a common trait: they could never let others figure out their inner thoughts.

Seeing the short man remain silent for a long time, the killing intent in Pei Qingyun's heart finally dissipated. "It seems you cannot answer, so I can only send you on your way."

With that, Pei Qingyun made a move as if he were about to strike.

The short man hurriedly knelt on the ground. "I beg the Old Ancestor to spare my life! I am willing to serve as the Pei family's mole within the Evil Suppression Bureau."

As those words were spoken, the oppressive Aura over his head vanished.

A satisfied smile appeared on Pei Qingyun's face. "Very good, I indeed did not misjudge you. If I remember correctly, your name is He Cong. You are indeed clever and know how to act in the grand scheme of things."

"Thank you for the praise, Old Ancestor," He Cong immediately bowed in gratitude.

"Stand up. There's no need for restraint before me. From now on, the stipend my Pei family gives you will be five times what you earn at the Evil Suppression Bureau. But if you dare to betray my Pei family, the consequences will be more than you can bear." At this point, the Aura on Pei Qingyun's body suddenly erupted, and a pressure like a great mountain swept toward He Cong.

In just an instant, this pressure disappeared without a trace.

But He Cong understood that it wasn't an illusion just now, but a warning from Pei Qingyun.

Just as he thought it was over, Pei Qingyun's voice rang in his ears again.

"These two people are for you to handle."

He Cong knew this was the first task Pei Qingyun had given him.

With the fall of his blade, the two died on the spot.

Initially, Pei Qingyun had intended to spare all three.

But after taking He Cong as a mole for the Evil Suppression Bureau, he changed his mind.

However, he had not forgotten his main business.

The Pei family group was still waiting for him. If he delayed for too long, the members of the Pei family might start to worry.

"I still have a task on my end and cannot leave for too long. For now, proceed according to the original plan."

"Since Chen Yuanba had you monitor the Pei family, then carry out your task as he assigned."

Just as Pei Qingyun was about to turn around, a sentence from He Cong interrupted his movement.

"Reporting to Old Ancestor, I believe there is an urgent matter I need to report to you. Please wait a moment."

Pei Qingyun was somewhat surprised and looked at He Cong with a look of astonishment.

Although He Cong had defected to the Pei family, Pei Qingyun never believed it was his 'overlord Aura' that did the trick.

He didn't have that much charm to make someone bow down immediately.

The reason He Cong chose the Pei family was merely a helpless choice after his life was threatened.

At this time, he didn't really believe He Cong had much loyalty.

But at this very moment, He Cong had called out to stop him.

From the look of it, the matter was not small.

This made Pei Qingyun curious while also being surprised.