I'm Ximen Qing, living in a ghost story!

Ximen Qing's wishful thinking failed.

Miss Chunmei has been transferred there by the quick-thinking Cui Ji to take care of her.

Ximen Qing strongly suspected that she did it on purpose, but there was nothing he could do.

Faced with Cui Ji, who was pale-faced, clutching his stomach, and still forcing himself to do squats, Ximen Qing still chose to let him go.

Anyway, his passive skill's cooldown hasn't finished loading yet, probably in another day or two.

It's not too late to practice diligently then.

However, when he told his father, Simonda, what he had heard at the county government office, the father reacted with great force:

"Oh no! This is terrible! No, son, pack your things, we're leaving today!"

Simon paced back and forth in the main hall, his face filled with anxiety.

"What's wrong, Father? Is there a problem? Let them destroy this branch altar. Wouldn't that be perfect for erasing our clues, and then we wouldn't have to hide from the Naked Cult anymore?"

Ximen Qing was taken aback.

Simon looked at him helplessly and said, "You're still too naive. Do you think the battle between the two sides is so easy? As far as I know, each branch of the sect has a sect leader and three elders, whose strength is unfathomable. If they release all their Gu worms, they can cause an insect plague! Back in Miao territory, more than ten years ago, I personally witnessed an entire county turn into Gu corpses!"

"So arrogant?"

Ximen Qing was somewhat incredulous.

Thanks to Gu Yunzi's words, in his mind, shouldn't the Naked Sect be like rats in the gutter, the kind that die when exposed to the light?

"When gods fight, mortals suffer! We can't stop them. In Qingzhou, it's been so many years since we've seen a battle between good and evil. Mortals are dying city after city! I don't believe monks and Taoists will protect us. Besides, even if Yuantong and Guyunzi win, so what? The supplies for the Naked Sect are all provided by us. What if the government settles accounts later? Today I'll give you the land deeds and silver notes from the sale. Go to Qingzhou City, and I'll be there soon! There are the monasteries and temples of the various righteous sects there. Evil cultivators won't dare to mess around there."

Simonda urged.

However, Ximen Qing didn't respond. He thought of the paper crane he had received that morning, and after a moment's thought, he said, "Father! You go first today! I have things to do, I'll catch up with you tomorrow!"

"What's more important than escaping? What's the point if I run while you don't?"

Simon looked at him helplessly.

"You all go first, we'll meet in Dongcheng Guo this afternoon!"

"All right!"

Ximen Qing could tell that the paper crane was written to him by Gu Yunzi.

As for why this method of communication was used, he didn't know; it was simply for the sake of secrecy.

After noon, we went to the Laoshan Taoist Temple to look for pine nuts.

Why not go find Master Guyun?

In the morning, Gu Yun and Yuan Tong would leave the city with Constable Xu's team and head to the branch altar of the Naked Sect, which was fifty miles away.

I imagine they're already preparing to leave the city by now.

The reason they wouldn't let him go in the morning was probably to prevent Ximen Qing from running into the people from Lanruo Temple.

Ximen Qing showed no intention of seeing him off.

"My lord, has something happened at your residence?"

Before they knew it, they had returned to their own courtyard. Cui Ji, along with her personal maid and Chunmei, were waiting there.

The maids left behind by the original owner have been dismissed, since it's not advisable to have too many female relatives on the way when leaving.

"It's nothing, I just have to go on a long trip." Ximen Qing waved his hand.

"Oh? What about the engagement between you and Xiaoqian?"

"this……"

Ximen Qing scratched his head; this was indeed a problem.

He lacked the confidence to persuade Nie Yunhai to let Nie Xiaoqian leave with him, and he had no right to force Nie Xiaoqian to leave her father.

In a way, their hasty departure from Guobei County might be considered cowardly.

The Ximen family's herbal medicine shop has been having a huge clearance sale these past few days, which has made many people envious.

After all, apart from Simonda, no one had ever personally experienced the true power of the Naked Cult.

Qingzhou is too far from the Miao region.

"If it is inconvenient for you, sir, I can convey your wishes on your behalf. I have never been to the backyard of the county government office before."

Cui Ji saw that Ximen Qing's brows were slightly furrowed, so he gently stood on tiptoe, opened his mouth, and smoothed his forehead, then whispered.

"Very well, just give this letter to Miss Xiaoqian, no need for further words."

Ximen Qing nodded, picked up his brush and wrote a piece of calligraphy that looked like a dog's scribbles, and handed it to Cui Ji.

He smiled gently as he watched the departing figure of the daughter of a cabinet official who had been there just a few days before.

Having gone through time, it's not like I accomplished nothing; I did change someone else's life.

By the time the sun had climbed high into the sky, it was noon.

Ximen Qing then got up and stretched, his magical power had almost fully recovered.

It's time to go take a look at the south side of the city.

This time, he did not choose to ride in the mansion's carriage.

Simonda is directing the relocation of the remaining able-bodied men in the mansion, and all the carriages have been requisitioned.

So he leaped onto the wall and began running wildly across the rooftops.

Taking advantage of Shi Qian's passive ability [Junzi on the Beam], his speed and balance are excellent.

Before long, they landed in front of the Laoshan Taoist Temple, where Qing Songzi was indeed waiting.

Seeing Ximen Qing jump down from the roof, Qing Songzi remained expressionless, stepped aside, and made a "please" gesture.

Ximen Qing didn't stand on ceremony and went straight in.

There was hardly anyone in the Taoist temple.

"My junior brothers have gone with Master to conquer the Naked Sect, leaving me here to guard the temple."

Qingsongzi spoke up to answer the question.

"I wonder what business Master Guyun has with me?"

Ximen Qing cut to the chase; he had no time for beating around the bush.

Qing Songzi didn't waste any more words and took out a long, strip-shaped object wrapped in cloth from the room.

Even though it was disguised, Ximen Qing still recognized it.

It is the remains of a tree spirit's clone.

"Take this item and go to Qingzhou Prefecture to find Lord Yan Chixia, the judge of the provinces of Guandong! Set off immediately!"

Qing Songzi looked at Ximen Qing and said, word by word.

Why?

Didn't Gu Yunzi promise Monk Yuantong to cause trouble for the Naked Sect?

Qing Songzi pointed to the room behind him, where there was a disfigured female corpse, the one called "Qing'er".

"The Yin energy of the tree demon is not much different from that of the fragrant corpse demon. In the past few days, Master has already found out the whereabouts of this fragrant corpse when she entered the city. She has been going in and out of Lanruo Temple outside the city many times. The tree demon is obviously after you. If she escapes, she will definitely not let you go. This is also for your life!"

"It's Qing Songzi," said Qing Songzi.

Ximen Qing nodded. It seemed that Gu Yunzi had figured out the matter on his own, since he couldn't remind him of it.

"A single piece of evidence is insufficient, but some things, even with only the slightest possibility, still require preventative measures! Therefore, this item is entrusted to Young Master Ximen!"

Qingsongzi handed over the trunk left behind by the tree spirit to him.

Ximen Qing hummed in agreement and carried it on his back.

He suddenly had a sense of déjà vu. If this were a game, he would be hearing a notification sound right now—"Your mission has been updated."