Two more days passed in the blink of an eye.

Pei Ze finished constructing Will Rune No. 25, and his Spirit attribute subsequently rose to 113.

During this time, he led Su Ya and Peng Yan on a thorough search of their assigned area, earning another thirty-odd merit points.

In front of the white stone house, Su Ya waited until Pei Ze finished absorbing the Soul Energy before asking, "Sir, what are our plans now?"

Pei Ze replied without a moment’s hesitation, "We’ll go back to where we started and search the entire area again."

Su Ya nodded, a hint of regret in her voice. "It’s a shame we can’t interfere in other zones. With you here, Sir, clearing out another area would be no problem at all."

Pei Ze smiled noncommittally.

When the zones were first assigned, it was made clear that unless someone called for aid, Wizard Apprentices were forbidden from entering other zones to avoid conflict.

After all, everyone was here for merit points, and no one wanted their prey stolen by others.

"Let’s go. One more careful search might turn up a few fish that slipped through the net."

Pei Ze boarded the carriage, with Su Ya and Peng Yan close behind.

Once the three were seated, the barbarian driver cracked his whip, urging the Black-Horned Horses to pull the carriage forward.

RUMBLE!

The carriage traveled down the empty streets. Silvery moonlight spilled from the sky, casting a long, swaying shadow of the carriage on the ground.

Pei Ze leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes to rest, the Demon’s Finger clasped in his palm as usual.

Su Ya and Peng Yan sat on either side, each staring out the window at the passing scenery, remaining vigilant of their surroundings.

Over the past few days of sweeping the area, they had twice encountered heretics who, out of desperation, had ambushed them on the road.

Although Pei Ze had detected both ambushes in advance and turned the tables, killing the heretics lying in wait, the incidents served as a stark reminder for Su Ya and Peng Yan. Since then, the two had become even more cautious, never letting their guard down for a moment, even while the carriage was moving.

Just then, Su Ya caught a glimpse of Pei Ze opening his eyes from the corner of her vision. Seeing the strange expression on his face, she immediately asked, "Sir, what is it?"

Pei Ze narrowed his eyes. He didn’t answer, instead saying in a low voice, "Stop the carriage."

The carriage slowly came to a halt. Before the driver could ask what was wrong, Pei Ze had already pushed open the door and stepped out.

Su Ya and Peng Yan were completely baffled, but they reacted quickly, immediately following him out of the carriage.

With a flick of his wrist, Pei Ze tossed the driver a Gold Coin and said, "You can head back to the garrison."

The driver’s eyes were glued to the Gold Coin. He took it without a single question, thanked Pei Ze profusely, and drove away, overjoyed.

It was then that Su Ya understood. Her expression turned grim. "Sir, have you found a heretic?"

Pei Ze nodded slightly. "A big fish, at that."

’A big fish?’

Su Ya froze for a second, and then her expression changed drastically.

For someone of Pei Ze’s strength to describe the target this way, it had to be an existence even more powerful than a Peak Grand Knight-level Demon Cultivator.

’In other words... a Blooddrinker!’

Su Ya’s expression instantly became grave. She drew her weapon and scanned her surroundings.

Seeing Su Ya’s demeanor, as if she were facing a formidable enemy, Peng Yan also realized something was wrong. His face grew solemn as he drew the greatsword from his back.

Pei Ze paid no mind to their actions. He casually put away the Demon’s Finger—which had grown so hot it felt like it was about to combust—into his dimensional pouch. Then, he looked ahead and called out, "Since you’re already here, stop hiding. Come on out."

After several seconds of silence, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness in the distance, walking toward them at an unhurried pace.

The moonlight cascaded down, dispelling the shadows shrouding the person and revealing their form.

It was a scrawny man.

His face was a sickly pale, and his entire being exuded a lifeless aura, as if a strong gust of wind could blow him over.

And yet, the moment the man appeared, both Su Ya and Peng Yan instinctively tensed up, their grips tightening on their weapons.

They felt an unprecedented, intense threat emanating from him, as if they were facing a ferocious and powerful ancient beast. It was a terror that struck them to their very core.

’So this is a Blooddrinker!’

Su Ya couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath.

Even Peng Yan, who was usually unfazed, couldn’t help but swallow hard.

The pressure emanating from the man before them was simply overwhelming.

The man, however, didn’t spare them a single glance. His eyes were fixed on Pei Ze as he asked with great interest, "That little gadget of yours should only have a detection range of five hundred meters. How did you spot me ahead of time?"

He had already set up an ambush beyond the five-hundred-meter mark, planning to launch a lightning-fast strike to quickly eliminate his target the moment the carriage entered his trap, then make a swift getaway.

But who would have thought the carriage would stop from so far away?

When he saw his target get out and dismiss the carriage, he knew he had been discovered.

When dealing with a Wizard Apprentice, it was naturally best to finish him off before he could react.

But if he was prepared, a sneak attack was pointless.

"Just a little trick of my own," Pei Ze said with a shrug, then changed the subject. "I’m more curious about how you knew about my ’little gadget.’"

Hearing this, Su Ya and Peng Yan were taken aback.

That was right—how did a Blooddrinker know they had a Demon’s Finger?

And how did he know its specific detection range?!

In response to Pei Ze’s question, the man gave a grim smile. "It won’t hurt to tell you. Someone made a deal with me. They offered to help me escape the North District in exchange for me killing you."

A look of understanding dawned on Pei Ze’s face. "Huo Nan?"

The man sneered. "You lackeys of the Dawn Council go on and on about how we’re a wicked cult, but don’t you do your own share of filthy, underhanded deeds in private? What a bunch of hypocrites!"