All five of Yunyang’s beastmen stood over 1.9 meters tall. When they stood side by side like this, they gave off an intimidating sense of pressure.
Pei Wenye had done nothing wrong, so naturally, he had nothing to fear. But he also didn’t want his rivals to know that Yunyang had called him by his nickname.
He avoided their gazes and said, trying far too hard to cover it up, “It was nothing.”
The five beastmen didn’t expose him.
After all, unlike Pei Wenye, they hadn’t been betrayed by their own brothers. Letting him save face was no big deal.
The five men strode downstairs on their long legs and gathered around Yunyang again.
Looking at their expressions, Yunyang inexplicably felt that they must have heard every word Pei Wenye had said just now.
But it made sense when she thought about it.
With the strength of these beastmen, as long as the soundproofing system wasn’t turned on, they could hear the sounds on the first floor even from the fifth floor, let alone the second.
Pei Wenye had realized that as well. He pursed his lips.
“You… heard everything?”
“Of course.” Xuan Yu showed no guilt whatsoever at having eavesdropped. “Who told you not to turn on the soundproofing?”
Pei Wenye: “…”
He would have liked to turn it on, but the place didn’t even have one!
Qin Mo gave him a sympathetic look. “That’s rough.”
Suddenly, he felt that his half-brothers—who shared a mother with him—were much more lovable.
Although they occasionally went against him, at least they didn’t play dirty tricks like Pei Wenye’s brothers.
Rong Jin nodded in agreement. Pei Wenye really was pitiful.
He almost felt embarrassed to compete with him for Yunyang’s favor—but of course, that was absolutely impossible.
Fuyuan compared his own experiences with Pei Wenye’s and thought for a moment, unable to decide who had suffered more.
Forget it. Whoever had it worse, Pei Wenye was still someone he sympathized with right now.
Fu Shiyi picked up a glass of water and handed it to Yunyang. Only after she took it and drank a couple of sips did he look at Pei Wenye.
“Aren’t you planning to pursue this matter?”
Pei Wenye: “How could I not?”
Pei Qingyang had nearly gotten him killed. If he let the matter slide so easily, he would be unworthy of his status as an SS-rank esper!
“But I’ve been driven out of the family now, so I can’t get near the mine.”
If he had any evidence, he would have already stormed over to confront them.
Xuan Yu rubbed his chin. “That’s true. You’ve been kicked out of the Pei family, and your mother definitely won’t let you get involved in family affairs.”
He had dealt with the Pei family head during a previous commission, so he knew that she was an uncompromising woman who always kept her word.
“That still doesn’t mean we can just let this go!”
Rong Jin was even more concerned than Pei Wenye, the person involved.
“If your brother hadn’t interfered, you would be the heir to the Pei family. All the family assets and mineral deposits would belong to you in the future.”
“What’s yours belongs to our female sovereign. Since it belongs to our female sovereign, we can’t let your brother seize it!”
The corner of Pei Wenye’s eye twitched.
Was there a possibility that even if he became the heir, it would be decades before he inherited the family assets?
His mother was still young!
Rong Jin completely overlooked that possibility.
His words even convinced the other beastmen.
That was right. What belonged to Pei Wenye belonged to their female sovereign. How could they let it fall into the hands of outsiders?
The beastmen immediately began coming up with ideas.
Qin Mo: “Do you need me to contact the military and have them investigate for you?”
Xuan Yu: “I’ve dealt with Pei Fangying before. Should I help you plead with her?”
Rong Jin and Fuyuan didn’t have as many connections as Qin Mo and Xuan Yu. All they could do was crack their knuckles and say, “How about we help you capture your brother?”
Qin Mo shot Rong Jin a sidelong glance at the terrible idea.
“Kidnapping someone illegally is against federal law.”
Rong Jin: “…”
Pei Wenye also found it speechless. Rong Jin had meant well, but that idea was far too unreliable.
He only wanted to prove his innocence, not send himself to a federal prison.
He shook his head at Qin Mo. “If the military gets involved, it’ll alert them, and Pei Qingyang will definitely destroy all the evidence.”
Although… he might have destroyed it already.
Pei Wenye then turned to Xuan Yu. “I know my mother’s temperament. Just having dealt with her before won’t be enough for your plea to work.”
Of all his rivals, Fu Shiyi was probably the only one whose plea might be effective.
His mother had always wanted to ask Fu Shiyi to design an exclusive combat mecha for her. Unfortunately, Fu Shiyi never accepted private commissions.
But since Fu Shiyi hadn’t offered to help, Pei Wenye couldn’t bring himself to shamelessly ask him.
He said to the other rivals, “I appreciate your kindness, but I’ve already asked my father to find an opportunity to plead with her for me.”
After all, his father was his mother’s most favored beastman and could occasionally get a word in with her.
At that moment, Yunyang handed the glass back to Fu Shiyi. “What kind of mineral deposit is the undersea mine?”
Pei Wenye answered, “It’s a rare-metal deposit, one of the auxiliary materials used to make aircraft.”
This wasn’t a secret. And even if it had been, there was nothing he couldn’t tell his own female sovereign.
In the Federation, practically everyone owned an aircraft.
So even though the metal deposit owned by the Pei family was only a source of auxiliary materials, it was still enough to make the Pei family nobles on Planet S28.
Fuyuan suddenly raised his eyes. “The one in the S-HY13 waters?”
At that, Pei Wenye’s expression shifted slightly. “You know about it?”
Not many people knew the exact location of their family’s mine.
“I lived in the S-HY13 waters before I was captured and taken to Planet T01,” Fuyuan explained. Then he secretly hooked his little finger around Yunyang’s. “Female sovereign, there’s something good beneath the Pei family’s mine.”
Something good?
Yunyang shifted backward and crossed her legs. “What kind of something good?”
“I’m not sure whether it’s still there, but the old merfolk in my tribe said that it was very beneficial to a female’s mental power.”
The moment he said this, everyone—including Yunyang—turned their eyes toward Fuyuan.
Did being beneficial to a female’s mental power mean it could help restore mental power, or…?
Yunyang didn’t dare jump to conclusions. But since Fuyuan had said this, she absolutely had to go take a look.
Seeing how interested she was in the thing Fuyuan had mentioned, Fu Shiyi took the initiative to say, “Female sovereign, I’ll contact the Pei family head for you.”
Given Yunyang’s status, Pei Fangying would certainly show her respect if Yunyang contacted her directly.
But Fu Shiyi would never let his female sovereign be the one to make that request.
Otherwise, what use would they, her beastmen, be?
Yunyang had no objections.
She trusted Fu Shiyi to handle the matter.
She simply curled up on the sofa, browsed the StarNet, and absorbed a few more insect cores.
They had only just arrived on Planet S28. In theory, they should have gone sightseeing at the places they had planned to visit beforehand.
But Yunyang had never liked pushing herself too hard while traveling.
She had already gone to the seaside that day, watched Fuyuan weave silk, and looked at the ocean. For the rest of the day, curling up at their lodgings and browsing the StarNet was much more enjoyable.
There were still six days left, after all.
While Fu Shiyi contacted Pei Fangying, the other five beastmen weren’t idle either.
Rong Jin and Fuyuan studied the evening menu, while Qin Mo, Xuan Yu, and Pei Wenye took turns attending to Yunyang.
Before dinner, Fu Shiyi had finished making contact with Pei Fangying.
“Female sovereign, the Pei family head has agreed that you may visit the Pei family at any time and tour the Pei family’s mine.”
Fu Shiyi didn’t say why the Pei family head had agreed, but Yunyang could guess that he had probably given up something in return.
She had just been preparing to eat a piece of fruit fed to her by Xuan Yu. Upon hearing this, she reached out and took the fruit fork, then handed the piece of honeydew melon to Fu Shiyi as a reward.
Seeing the melon slice held out to him, Fu Shiyi lowered his head and, guided by Yunyang’s hand, took it into his mouth.
After finishing it in just a few bites, he boldly pressed his luck. “Female master, as a reward, could you allow me to accompany you tonight?”
Xuan Yu: !
