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

Zhou Qingyun shared a room with Cui Ji and Nie Xiaoqian.

However, none of the three of them slept.

Nie Xiaoqian was worried about Guo Beixian's father, while Cui Ji was not used to the absence of a certain high-ranking official by his side.

Zhou Qingyun was simply excited.

The thought of having the chance to face a thousand-year-old demon made him want to draw the jellyfish sword and swing it in the open space.

She went out immediately after the rooster crowed three times.

Then, they saw Ximen Qing talking to a tall, straight-looking girl carrying a bow and arrow.

"Huh? Who is this girl?"

Zhou Qingyun couldn't help but ask.

Upon hearing this, the girl with the bow turned around, revealing a gentle face, and said, "My name is Hua Baoyan, and I'm Brother Ximen's sister! I used to live in Qingzhou, and when I heard Brother Ximen was coming, I rushed over overnight!"

"Sister? What kind of sister?" Zhou Qingyun looked at Ximen Qing with disdain, her tone somewhat sarcastic.

She wasn't stupid. Nie Xiaoqian and Cui Ji were clearly Ximen Qing's wives and concubines, so she naturally didn't think Ximen Qing was some kind of virtuous young man.

However, these days, it's normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines. Her father had her under the guise of going down the mountain for training.

"This is my real sister! My distant cousin!"

Ximen Qing scratched his head, inwardly cursing the system to the bone.

Damn it, Pang Chunmei could have arranged it flawlessly last time, but this time Hua Baoyan only has her own memories.

"Really? This is the first time I've heard you have such a younger sister!"

This time, it was Nie Xiaoqian and Cui Ji who came from behind, and even Chunmei who had rushed over after hearing the news. The three women stood with their hands on their hips, looking Hua Baoyan up and down.

Chunmei, in particular, felt that this woman was somewhat similar to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, and alarm bells were ringing in her mind.

Here it comes, here it comes, the inevitable battleground is about to begin!

Just as Ximen Qing stood there, preparing to unleash the skill of his predecessor, Little Li Flying Dagger Li Xunhuan, by opening his arms and declaring, "You are all my lovers."

The back door was pushed open, and Simon Da walked out. Seeing Hua Baoyan, his eyes lit up, and he waved, saying, "Hey! Isn't this my niece? She's grown so much! Come here, let me see her!"

In a single sentence, the subtle feeling from just moments ago vanished without a trace.

Ximen Qing breathed a sigh of relief; his father was really on the right track!

"My sister is carrying a bow and arrows; could she be a martial arts practitioner?"

Nie Xiaoqian stepped forward with a smile on her face, took Hua Baoyan's hand, and asked.

"Not really, I just know a couple of tricks, and my brother often teaches me!"

Hua Baoyan said in a very casual manner.

"I?"

Ximen Qing was speechless, then, under the gazes of everyone, he coughed dryly: "Yes! That's right! I am known in the martial arts world as the Invincible Archer!"

Destroy it!

System, you're slacking off! How did you manage to graft Hua Rong's life story onto me?!

"Really? I've never seen you use it when we were fighting side by side! Let's try it sometime!"

Zhou Qingyun's eyes lit up, and her gaze toward Ximen Qing was full of inquiry.

They are clearly eager to try.

"Let's do it another day!"

Before Ximen Qing could finish speaking, a clapper sound suddenly came from the village entrance in the distance.

Then came the deafening sound of gongs and drums.

"Bang bang bang!"

This woke up everyone in the village.

Ximen Qing drew Yang Zhi's sword almost instantly and leaped onto the roof.

Zhou Qingyun drew her sword and pointed it to the sky, then lightly touched the ground with her toes and naturally flew to Ximen Qing's side.

Unexpectedly, Hua Baoyan, who had just arrived, also took a running start, jumped onto the roof, and looked into the distance.

"Brother, it looks like a troop of government imperial guards!"

Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing and Zhou Qingyun looked into the distance, then back at her.

The morning mist was thick, and they couldn't see clearly yet.

A moment later, the earth shook violently, and the sound of horses' hooves thundered. Sure enough, it was two squads of imperial guards, which looked to be about a hundred men each.

Shi Lou and Shi Zhipu walked out of the ancestral hall and nodded slightly to the three people on the roof.

Although he was a little curious about where Hua Baoyan came from, he didn't have time to ask and quickly headed towards the village entrance.

Ximen Qing and his two companions also jumped off the roof and followed.

The village entrance is not far from the ancestral hall; it only takes a few minutes to get there.

Midway through, Shi Zhipu spoke up directly: "Judging from their appearance, they are soldiers from Qingzhou, probably sent by Governor Weng!"

"Why send troops here? To protect Miss Changting?"

Ximen Qing asked curiously.

"I don't know, but judging from their appearance, they don't seem to have good intentions!"

Shi Zhipu looked into the distance and murmured something.

But the imperial guards outside the village showed no intention of dismounting. Instead, they stood on their horses like iron towers, silently watching the approaching people.

"Gentlemen, what brings you to my Changting Village?"

Shi Lou stood still, leaning on his cane, neither humble nor arrogant.

The leading soldier wasn't too arrogant; he bent down and handed him a transfer order:

"By order of the Prefect, the situation outside the city is unsettled; Miss, please return home!"

"What?"

Shi Lou glanced at the official transfer order stamped with the seal in his hand, then couldn't help but look at the person before him, saying, "No! This was ordered by Judge Yan. Besides, without the arrangements made in our village, the city is in danger!"

"The Lord Prefect will make the decision on this matter; you only need to follow orders!"

Before the leading state soldier could even speak, someone nearby couldn't help but curse.

As a result, no sooner had he finished speaking than he fell off his horse, a large bump swelling up on his head.

"who!"

One hundred cavalrymen quickly drew their swords and looked at the opposite side.

On the other side, Zhou Qingyun drew his sword, Ximen Qing held a brick, and Hua Baoyan had an arrow nocked.

"Brother Shi, you threw that stone really fast! We didn't even have time to make a move!"

Ximen Qing looked at Shi Zhipu, who was patting the dust off his hands, and laughed.

"Not at all. The dignity of the Shi family head must naturally be protected by the Shi family! Thank you all for your righteous act!"

Shi Zhipu looked across at the other side and snorted coldly: "My elder sister has just passed away, and I don't have a very good temper. If you insist on taking her away, then I can only ask that you stay in my Changting Village for a few days."

"Are you planning a rebellion?"

Upon hearing this, the general of that state was enraged. He pushed his hands out horizontally, and layers of energy waves rose around him, clearly indicating that he was a mid-stage acquired expert.

Curious, Ximen Qing asked Zhou Qingyun, "Is this also a cultivator at the Acquired Realm?"

"He's just a martial artist. He'll never be able to break through to the Innate Realm or condense his Yin Spirit. Moreover, he only cultivates True Qi, not Dharma Power. A swordsman of the same level can defeat more than a dozen martial artists."

Zhou Qingyun made no attempt to muffle her voice, which resounded throughout the surroundings.

The opposing general was enraged, and in the next moment, he lunged forward.

The palm strike was powerful, like a tidal wave.

That's incredibly intimidating!

But the next moment, a golden light flew out.

Snapped!

Ximen Qing caught the gold brick.

On the other side, the general fell directly to the ground, a rectangular brick imprint on his forehead.

"Hey! Why did you beat me to it again!"

Zhou Qingyun looked at Ximen Qing and angrily sheathed the jellyfish sword.

"Magic treasures? Are you sword immortals? When did the Shi family ever have three sword immortals?"

The dazed general who had just gotten up instantly regained his senses and put on a big smile.

The Shi family is the Shi family; they can be threatened.

Demon hunters are not true reclusive sword immortals, but if three sword immortals are added to the mix, then it's a different story.

Three people? Does that include Hua Baoyan?

However, Ximen Qing did not explain, but only glanced at him sideways.

The general waved for everyone behind him to dismount, then trotted up to Ximen Qing and Shi Zhipu, and whispered:

"Ahem, gentlemen, please don't make things difficult for me! May I have a word with you in private?"