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

The village occupied most of the mountain stream, leaving only a mountain path for caravans to pass through.

Squeak.

The gates of the village were wide open.

Ximen Da and Ximen Qing stood side by side, with more than twenty burly servants behind them, holding bows and crossbows, ready for battle.

A man as thin as a straw walked out of the village, followed by a group of armed men, numbering only seventy or eighty, carrying various weapons and even farm tools.

This doesn't seem like the equipment of a faction that can monopolize a path.

The man cupped his hands in greeting to Simon Da on horseback and said, "Greetings, honored guest! Our stronghold is Black Wind Stronghold, and I am its second leader, named Qin Jing!"

"Chief Qin, I've heard so much about you!" Simon stepped forward, nodded, and exchanged pleasantries.

Ximen Qing, feeling utterly bored, looked around.

The firelight in the village illuminated the surroundings. The dead trees on the mountain ridge had branches that stretched out in all directions, like ferocious arms. On these branches stood many black crows, their eyes wide open, looking down.

This is not a good sign.

Ximen Qing narrowed his eyes, and suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught something strange.

The magical power within his body fluctuated slightly.

Look in the direction of the target.

But then, from a corner of the stockade wall, a blurry figure was peering down, and their eyes met.

Those were strange eyes, bloodshot and veiny, emitting a faint bloody glow.

Ximen Qing wanted to investigate further, but the other party suddenly disappeared.

At this moment, Simonda's voice suddenly rose: "Chief Qin, are you trying to trick me? In all the world, this is the first time I've ever heard of having to pay your guide just to pass through a checkpoint!"

Whoa!

Behind him, a group of servants nocked their crossbows, and Ximen Qing instantly reached for his waist.

The two sides were on the verge of conflict.

But the chieftain named Qin Jing remained calm and ordered his men to lay down their weapons. He then said, "Lord Ximen, you may not believe me, but I have a story to tell. Please listen carefully."

The mountain behind us is called Black Wind Mountain.

It often stirs up black whirlwinds, and when the wind rises, mountain demons wreak havoc, and all kinds of beasts howl.

Only by hiding in the temple of the mountain god can one escape this calamity; otherwise, the mountain demon will twist off its head and use it to make wine.

If you're not a local, you won't be able to find the mountain god or the temple; you'll die if you go into the mountains.

Several caravans had previously disregarded this superstition and never returned after entering the caravan.

"Ha, do you think I, Simon Da, am easily frightened?"

Simon had no patience left to listen to this guy spouting nonsense, so he waved his hand dismissively.

"Very well, as long as you bypass the mountain stronghold and take the side path, you can leave."

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Qin Jing's face. He then stepped aside and pointed to the road next to the mountain stronghold.

This time, it was Simon's turn to be incredulous. He looked at the man and asked in disbelief, "No toll required?"

"No need!" Qin Jing shook his head and looked at the convoy behind Simon.

"Father, I have a few questions to ask this Second Master Qin."

At this moment, Ximen Qing rode over and looked at Qin Jing in front of him.

"Please ask, sir."

"Brother Qin is the second-in-command, so what about the chief?"

"The chief has gone to sleep."

"Oh? Your village is truly extravagant, needing so many torches to light your bed."

Looking at the sky behind the stockade wall, illuminated by the firelight, Ximen Qing spoke slowly.

Qin Jing was speechless, staring at Ximen Qing and said, "The situation in the stronghold is quite prosperous."

"Okay, how much would it cost if I hired one of your guides?"

"Well, it just so happens that there aren't enough guides in the village, so your timing is unfortunate..."

Qin Jing waved his hand, but before he could finish speaking, the cawing of crows echoed through the air.

The sounds of "Ah, ah, ah" echoed around like screams of agony.

Qin Jing quickly shut his mouth and leaned forward, as if he were listening intently to something.

Ximen Qing frowned and almost instantly looked up at the stockade wall.

Soon, a strange look appeared on Qin Jing's face.

"They just said we couldn't climb the mountain without a guide, and now there's no guide at all. Is Chief Qin just making fun of us?"

Simonda only shouted at the top of his lungs when the crows stopped cawing in the sky.

"Haha! You flatter me, esteemed guest. I was mistaken today. We do have a guide, and we can arrange it for you free of charge to take you away from Black Wind Mountain."

"Oh?" Ximen Qing withdrew his gaze, speaking before his father could: "Then, what is the price?"

"Haha, young man, you're quite perceptive!"

Qin Jing chuckled softly, pointed a finger at the carriage in the distance, and said, "Not many, just leave one woman behind."

"Hahaha!" Ximen Qing laughed.

"Hahaha!" Qin Jing laughed along, feeling that the deal was done.

Wouldn't that mean he would catch that person's eye?

Then, a flash of golden light appeared!

Peng!

Pfft!

A loud thud was heard as something heavy fell to the ground.

Qin Jing turned around in astonishment and saw a black crow with a wingspan of about one person fall from the top of the wall to the ground.

Brain matter splattered, head broken and blood flowing.

It slammed heavily against the corner of the wall.

[Soul Points +3]

At the same time, the cawing of crows rose and fell from all directions.

The sounds of "Ah, ah, ah" were like a death knell, a demonic cacophony.

"You...you...you are...a sword immortal?"

Qin Jing watched as a golden light flew into Ximen Qing's hand, turning into a gold brick, and then he tremblingly raised his finger.

Then, he was knocked down by a brick.

"Charge in!"

While shouting, Ximen Qing leaped off his horse and, taking advantage of his passive ability as a "gentleman on the roof beam," easily scaled the wall.

Looking towards the village, one could see flames shooting into the sky.

No wonder the lights in this village seemed abnormally bright from a distance; it turns out the houses had been burned down.

Inside the village, many corpses lay scattered about, and countless crows perched on them, eating their eyes.

Perhaps sensing Ximen Qing's spying, all the crows simultaneously raised their heads, blinking their bright red eyes at him.

In an instant, even Ximen Qing felt a chill run down his spine.

But the next moment, all the crows took flight, gathered together, and transformed into a black gust of wind, rushing towards the mountains behind them.

Meanwhile, the battle at the village gate also came to an end.

Simonda's fighting skills were not for nothing. Facing a group of poorly trained bandits, he moved through their territory as if it were empty, his fists invincible.

When everyone entered the village, they were stunned to see corpses scattered all over the ground.

Ximen Qing landed gracefully.

"What's going on?" Simon looked at his son. Although he had also sensed that something was wrong, he hadn't expected it to be like this.

"I don't know either, but when Qin Jing asked for one of the women in our group, I saw this bastard. Daring to covet my family, this is what happens!"

Ximen Qing walked to the wall and kicked the large crow on the ground.

Of course, he also had two stacks of talismans in his arms, along with the tree demon's trunk, which had been given to him for self-defense.

Only then would they dare to act in this way!

"This bird is so big, could it be a spirit?"

Nie Xiaoqian and Cui Ji stepped forward and just then heard Ximen Qing's voice.

"It's good that it's become sentient! We can ask it a question!"

Ximen Qing pushed the two men aside and ordered Chunmei and Laiwang to bring up the incense table, incense sticks, and glutinous rice, and place them in front of the large crow.

Who says that the "Questioning the Soul" skill can only be used to inquire about a person's soul? Gongsun Sheng's skill is not something so inconvenient.