Watching the fourteen figures and a dog emerging from the light screen, after they joined with those led by Pei Yan, including Xia Yu and others, a total of eighteen men in unified investigation hall uniforms stood before Sifuer's military formation.

At this moment, Pei Yan, who had already moved to the back of the team, glanced at the reinforcements dispatched by the investigation hall. Led by Gu Shenghui, standing behind him were Intelligence Chief Mei Simiao, Investigation Hall General Captain Ni Wenyong, Elder Zuo, Elder Lin, and next to Gu Shenghui was a man Pei Yan had never seen before. His thin frame under a wide-brimmed hat revealed a face as pale as if he had just recovered from a severe illness. This person sensed Pei Yan's gaze, looked at him, and gave a slight smile.

In the team behind these six people, Pei Yan was surprised to find several figures who shouldn't be here. Besides the friends he had already guessed would arrive, Jiang Feiyang, Wang Wenze, and his own friend Liang Qian, there was also Jiang Donghu, who had once protected his elder sister, and Zheng Jia Ru, who was equal to Ye Ruozai. However, what really puzzled Pei Yan was seeing Catherine, whom he had only met once when she belonged to Shen Yu, and Su Xiang, pardoned by Lin Junzhao, among the team.

Watching Su Xiang nod and smile at him while adjusting his hat, Pei Yan, with his gloomy face, walked slowly to the last person in the team, his elder sister Pei Jin, and patted the dog head of the giant dog, Trash, that had come with him and performed heroically in the battle at the Secret Prison. Leaning next to his sister, he whispered, "Why are you here too?"

"I insisted strongly. This time I must come no matter what!" Pei Jin replied without moving her gaze from the front.

"Sigh!" Pei Yan sighed softly, stroking the fluffy fur of Trash. Seeing its satisfied look, he couldn't help but remember Captain Shangxing. There were not many animals in the Spirit Monster Plane that could sense energy, and each ability-wielding animal shared a very close bond. This silly thing, always eating and sleeping, stopped eating for days in mourning after Shangxing sacrificed himself.

Thinking of this, Pei Yan shook his head, knowing he could persuade his sister once but not twice. He could only turn to others in the team and ask, "What's with those two? And who is that person next to Gu Chu?"

Before Pei Jin could respond, Wang Wenze chimed in, "Wasn't Su Xiang pardoned by Lin Junzhao? We found him but couldn't do much, so he was temporarily categorized as an investigative hall part-time staff, strictly monitored without allowing any mission. But for some reason, he is specially ordered to join this operation. As for Catherine, she is said to have left Shen Yu and attached herself to the ELS National Ability Investigation Bureau, and she is specially approved to join this mission here."

"Hmph! Any strange characters can just flock to our hall!" Xia Yu snorted coldly upon hearing this, looked provocatively at Catherine with disdain, and prepared to exact her revenge for a small setback suffered at her hands, only now to find she became a teammate.

"And who is that man next to Gu Chu?" Ye Ruozai signaled Xia Yu to focus on the big picture and then interjected.

"Xie, Chu, Jun!" Wang Wenze said mysteriously, exaggerating each word.

"Xie Chujun?" Pei Yan didn't catch on at first, but then his eyes widened in amazement, exclaiming, "He's Xie Chujun? Wasn't he insane?" After expressing this, Pei Yan turned his head to stare at Xie Chujun's back. He had come across this name when researching Mu Fanchen's background, a person once as stormy as Gu Shenghui himself, said to have gone insane from shock. It made him wonder if he had recovered now.

Just as he was filled with doubts, Gu Shenghui suddenly called out loudly, "Shitang, my disciple! Won't you introduce your friend to us?"

Hearing this, Pei Yan looked up to see Sifuer already leading a small group of lightly armored riders in front of the party, dismounted, and approached Gu Shenghui while constantly glancing toward the back of the team in Pei Yan's direction.

Seeing this, Pei Yan quickly stepped forward, reached out his hands towards Sifuer, and bowed, following Gu Shenghui's cue, introducing, "Teacher, this is Miss Sifuer, the lord of the Kataraga Autonomous Territory, whom I met in the Hell Plane."

After speaking, he turned sideways to point towards Gu Shenghui to introduce, "This is my teacher, the head of the Action Division of the Otherworldly Investigation Hall...."

Just as he was about to finish the introduction, Gu Shenghui stepped forward to introduce himself, "I am Mu Fanchen."

Hearing this, both Pei Yan and Xie Chujun couldn't help but chuckle, with Pei Yan shaking his head inwardly, thinking amusingly about him taking up the alias of Shitang Longsi and Gu Shenghui using Mu Fanchen, thus fulfilling the master-disciple namesake.

"Mr. Mu! A great master produces a great disciple. We have all seen Mr. Shitang's strength. Having you here to assist is an honor for our Kataraga Autonomous Territory." Sifuer bowed deeply in gratitude.

"Miss Sifuer flatters me. My disciple is stubborn and impulsive. He must have caused you a lot of trouble these days." Gu Shenghui, wearing a foxlike smile familiar to Pei Yan, replied courteously.

"There were some misunderstandings in the past, but Mr. Shitang's straightforward nature cleared them up now!" Sifuer looked at Pei Yan, who stood respectfully behind Gu Shenghui, intrigued by this unruly individual's compliant demeanor, her curiosity about the man's true strength piqued. She promptly stepped aside, saying, "The wind is strong here, let's move to the shelter. I've prepared a modest feast in your honor, Mr. Mu and gentlemen."

"Sure! Certainly!" Gu Shenghui laughed and stood alongside Sifuer, leading them towards the rear military formation. After everyone boarded the several luxurious carriages specially prepared by Sifuer, pulled slowly by the Eight-legged Beast, Jiang Feiyang, who had been tense all along, finally loosened his tightly fastened belt and exhaled a long breath. "My goodness, almost suffocated me! I say, Pei Yan, you really know how to make a scene!"

"Mind the discipline, you can't just call him by his real name here!" Jiang Donghu scolded sternly beside him.

Jiang Feiyang suddenly remembered this caution and shut his mouth hurriedly. He reached out to touch the seat made from some unknown animal's leather beneath him, then fondled the lavish crystal pendants inside the carriage, marveling, "Wow, extravagance! Never thought I'd get to enjoy such noble treatment! Pei! I mean Shitang, seems like you're doing pretty well here!"

"Just average!" Pei Yan said, taking a drink from a bottle he retrieved from his storage ring, his hand resting on the carriage window as he watched the scenery outside, saying, "We might face a series of fierce battles next, are you prepared mentally?"

"Don't worry! Gu Chu instructed us well before we came!" Zheng Jia Ru calmly played with the military dagger in his hand, stating, "Here, except for us, there are no allies, only enemies. There's no need to be constrained by worldly morals and laws; by any means, everything prioritizes the interests of the investigation hall!"