Three punches shattered the demonic soul, young hero, I'm an honest man!

The commotion at the Zhao residence gradually subsided.

All that remained were the soft rustling sounds of the Imperial Guards rummaging through drawers and the occasional low sobs of women and children.

Pei Yun turned a deaf ear to this.

He walked with his hands behind his back, through the messy courtyard, and headed straight for Zhao Zheng's study where he usually rested.

My fingertips lightly traced the cool pear wood bookshelf as my gaze swept across it.

In his mind, a line of pale gold characters, visible only to himself, slowly appeared and then quietly disappeared.

[Intelligence Update]

[The recent behavior of Assistant Minister Zhao Zheng is suspicious; he may be associating with sorcerers. He has hidden a token in a secret compartment of his study, along with a 'Red Sun Warm Jade Grass' plant.]

[Number of refreshes: 0]

This is what Pei Yun relied on to become a centurion.

The daily intelligence system refreshes specific intelligence based on his current identity.

Risk? It can always be avoided in advance.

Opportunities? Never missed.

Pei Yun already had information about Zhao Zheng's collusion with the demonic path, thanks to the intelligence system.

My visit today is simply to collect the final, irrefutable evidence as part of the established process.

His real purpose, however, was the "Red Sun Warm Jade Grass" mentioned in the intelligence report.

This item is a holy remedy for healing, and it may be of some help to him now that he has lost all his cultivation.

Walk to the northeast corner of the study, where a landscape painting hangs.

Pei Yun reached out and gently pressed the bottom of the scroll.

"Click".

With a soft sound, a crack silently appeared in the wall, revealing a hidden compartment about half a foot square.

Inside the hidden compartment lay several wax-sealed letters, next to a sandalwood box.

Pei Yun picked up the letter and casually glanced at the special markings on the sealing wax; it was the symbol of the Joyful Zen sect.

unambiguous evidence.

He pursed his lips and casually tossed the letter to Zhang Quan, who had followed him in.

"Keep this safe and present it to Commander Qian."

"Yes, Commander!" Zhang Quan respectfully accepted the document.

Pei Yun's attention was completely focused on the sandalwood box.

He took a deep breath and slowly opened the wooden box.

A small grass, entirely crimson with leaves that resembled carved warm jade, lay quietly among them.

The edges of the grass blades shimmered with a subtle, swirling light, radiating a warm yet gentle comfort.

It is the warm jade grass under the red sun.

Pei Yun stretched out his finger, hovering the fingertip above the blade of grass, carefully sensing the flow of warm energy.

A moment later, Pei Yun slowly withdrew his hand, a barely perceptible shadow passing through the depths of his eyes.

It didn't work after all.

The medicinal properties of this Red Sun Warm Jade Grass are indeed pure and mild.

But for his current special circumstances, it's like a drop in the ocean, not even scratching the surface.

Although he had vaguely anticipated this outcome, given the unusual nature of his injuries, ordinary rare and precious herbs might not be effective.

But the disappointment after verifying it with his own hands still made Pei Yun feel a bit depressed.

Pei Yun expressionlessly closed the wooden box and carefully tucked it into his pocket.

Although this thing is useless to him, it is priceless and cannot be wasted.

"Fall back."

This time, Pei Yun's voice was even colder than before, carrying a hint of barely perceptible irritation.

He turned and left without looking at the Zhao mansion, which was about to be reduced to ruins, and headed straight out of the mansion, preparing to return to the Northern Garrison.

Behind him, Zhang Quan waved his hand, and the remaining Imperial Guard captains immediately stopped moving.

The collected gold, silver, valuables, land deeds, real estate, and other physical evidence were simply packaged together.

As for the crying family members and servants, the imperial guards from the imperial prison will come to escort them away.

They needed to catch up with the commander as soon as possible and return to the headquarters to report back.

……

The Northern Garrison Command Office.

The bronze beast gate stood majestic and solemn.

Wearing flying fish robes and embroidered spring knives, the Imperial Guard captains who came and went had cold expressions and hurried steps.

The captains on duty at the gate all bowed respectfully to Pei Yun, keeping their eyes straight ahead.

As Pei Yun stepped into the threshold of the yamen, a group of people walked towards him.

The leader was also dressed in a flying fish robe and had an embroidered spring knife at his waist.

He was only a bit more robust than Pei Yun, and had a half-smile on his face.

It was Liu Mang, another centurion of the same rank as Pei Yun.

Liu Mang seemed not to have seen Pei Yun, or rather, he deliberately did not see him.

He strode forward, his shoulder bumping straight into Pei Yun.

Pei Yun has now lost all his cultivation, and his physique is not much stronger than that of an ordinary scholar.

The deliberate bump caused him to stagger back two steps, almost falling over.

Zhang Quan reacted quickly, grabbing Pei Yun and glaring at Liu Mang:

"Commander Liu, you!"

Liu Mang then stopped, a fake smile on his face, and reached out to help Pei Yun:

"Isn't this Pei, the youngest and most promising commander in our Northern Garrison?"

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"But speaking of which, Commander Pei, you are still so frail and weak."

"He's probably not even as good as the newly recruited captain under my command."

The sarcasm in his words was undisguised.

Liu Mang's voice was quite loud, attracting the attention of many Imperial Guards around him.

Pei Yun steadied himself, his face showing no anger, but instead he smiled.

His smile was like a gentle spring breeze, handsome and warm.

He raised his hand and gently brushed off the shoulder that had been bumped.

"It's alright."

Just when Liu Mang thought Pei Yun would either walk away with a cold face or give a lukewarm reply as usual,

"Snapped!"

A crisp, loud slap suddenly rang out in the quiet front hall of the Northern Garrison Command.

Pei Yun slapped Liu Mang hard across the face.

It wasn't fast, and the force wasn't particularly strong.

However, it is extremely insulting.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Everyone was stunned.

Pei Yun was by nature never one to suffer a loss.

Now that his wish to heal with the Crimson Sun Warm Jade Grass has been dashed, he is still in a bad mood.

Isn't this just a punching bag that's come to me for revenge?

Liu Mang's smile froze instantly, replaced by disbelief and rage.

The flag bearers and captains following behind him drew their embroidered spring knives in unison with a "whoosh".

The blade flashed with a cold light, pointing directly at Pei Yun.

"presumptuous!"

Zhang Quan and his group were equally unyielding.

With a roar, he instantly drew his sword and stood protectively in front of Pei Yun.

The air was thick with the glint of blades, and the atmosphere was tense and fraught with danger.

"Liu Baihu".

Pei Yun shook his wrist.

He spoke in a flat tone, as if discussing the weather today.

"I didn't expect you to still have such a thick skin."

"I'd rather slap you than hurt my hand."

These words are harsher than that slap.

"Pei Yun! How dare you hit me?!"

Liu Mang was furious. His face stung with pain, and his anger burned fiercely within him.

"If you say another word, I'll slap you again."

"I don't mind your thick skin, and you shouldn't mind my weak strength."

Pei Yun remained calm and unconcerned about Liu Mang's anger.

"certainly……"

Pei Yun opened his arms and looked at Liu Mang with a light laugh.

"You can fight back."

Liu Mang's breathing gradually became heavy.

Everyone in the Northern Garrison knows that Pei Yun has lost all his cultivation and is very weak.

Hands-on?

Liu Mang was worried that the wind from his palm strike could blow Pei Yun away.

But... would he dare to make a move?

How Pei Yun lost his cultivation and how he rose to the position of centurion was something every member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard knew perfectly well.

If it weren't for his tremendous contributions, how could a useless person have risen to the position of a centurion?

If things really come to a head, Pei Yun will at most be with the courtesans at the White Emperor Tower in the capital.

Listen to music for a few more days, eat well, drink well, and sleep well to recover from your injury.

He will likely face severe punishment from the commander!

But if he didn't fight back, Pei Yun would truly trample his pride into the ground...

Just as tensions were about to rise...

"Stop it, all of you!"

A deep and authoritative shout came from the back hall.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

A middle-aged official, dressed in a qilin robe, with a square face and sharp eyes, slowly walked out of the hall.

It was Zhou Mingxuan, the commander of the Northern Garrison.

"What kind of behavior is this!"

"Are you planning a rebellion by drawing swords at the Northern Garrison Command?"

Upon seeing his superior, Liu Mang's eyes flickered a few times.

He waved his hand reluctantly, signaling his men to sheathe their swords.

Zhang Quan and the others also looked at Pei Yun.

Pei Yun shrugged indifferently and sheathed his sword.

Zhou Mingxuan glanced at the two of them, then turned and walked back into the hall.

"Pei Yun, Liu Mang, you two come in with me."

"The Garrison Commander has arrived!"