Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

When Cao Xiong arrived at the Wei residence, he found Wei Qiang and his steward already waiting for him at the gate.

He quickened his pace, stood before Wei Qiang, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Lord Wei!"

"Haha, Commander Cao, please come in. Let's have a good drink tonight." Wei Qiang pulled Cao Xiong's arm and walked towards the gate.

Faced with Wei Qiang's enthusiasm, Cao Xiong inevitably felt a little uncomfortable, but it was understandable.

Wei Qiang will most likely be transferred to the Thousand Household Office to be in charge of logistics.

In terms of rank, the two are equal, and both are martial artists at the Tendon Refining Realm, with comparable martial arts levels.

Most importantly, Wei Qiang always regarded Cao Xiong as his savior.

Having figured out the key point, Cao Xiong stopped being hesitant and walked into the courtyard with Wei Qiang.

Upon entering the hall, the table was laden with dishes.

Wei Qiang drove all the servants and maids out of the room.

"Once you leave, it will be very difficult for you to come back."

Wei Qiang picked up his wine glass and clinked it against Cao Xiong's, his face showing undisguised melancholy.

"Why come back? The county seat is much safer." Cao Xiong downed his wine in one gulp.

"Brother Cao, you don't understand. I, Wei, started learning martial arts at the age of eight and joined the army at the age of seventeen."

"I thought that with my talent, as long as I dared to fight and kill, the future would be bright."

"But I come from a poor family, with no background or resources, and I was injured countless times while on the front lines."

"I should have been promoted to junior officer at the age of nineteen, but just because I am not a hereditary military household, I have to make way for a good-for-nothing who has accomplished nothing."

"At the age of twenty-six, I was already a Bone Forging Realm martial artist and my military merits exceeded the standard, but I was replaced by someone else for the position of Captain."

"That's why I don't like you hereditary military households."

Cao Xiong listened without expressing any opinion.

The conflict between the meritocratic faction and the hereditary faction was far beyond what a mere centurion could decide.

Wei Qiang chuckled, "However, Brother Cao, you're different. You have real skills and you're fair-minded."

"I will never forget the time you saved me. If there's anything I can do for you, brother, just let me know."

"I want everyone to know that even if I, Wei Qiang, am stuck at the Muscle Refining Realm and can't go to the battlefield to kill enemies, I can still achieve something."

Cao Xiong smiled and said, "It's good that you can understand. I only broke through to the Bone Forging Realm when I was sixty. No one can guarantee what life will bring. You are not even fifty yet."

"There are plenty of opportunities."

"Brother Cao, you're right, let's do it!"

Wei Qiang drank three cups of wine in a row without circulating his internal energy, letting the alcohol take its toll.

"I heard that Yinzhou is in chaos. Linya County is so close, who knows when the flames of war will spread over."

Cao Xiong left the Wei residence in the early hours of the morning.

……

……

……

In the following days, Cao Xiong was busy dealing with the affairs of the centurion's office.

After everything was settled, it was already mid-October.

The day that he had agreed to meet with Nie Xiaoqian arrived.

Before setting off for the ancient tomb, Cao Xiong first visited the Lu family's blacksmith shop.

"Old Lu~"

Upon seeing Cao Xiong, Lu Qing jogged over to him and circled him once.

"You're pretty lucky."

Cao Xiong lightly tapped Lu Qing's chest with his fist. "Don't worry, I'm lucky. Even if you die, I'll still be there to carry your coffin."

"Pah, you can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth."

Lu Qing returned to the recliner and lay on her side.

"Tell me, what equipment are you coming to get this time?"

Cao Xiong placed the Evil-Sniffing Longsword and the tiger skin on the stone table. "What, do I have to have something to say before I come to see you? Can't I just come to have a drink and a chat?"

Lu Qing gave Cao Xiong a disdainful look. "Aren't you ashamed to say that?"

Cao Xiong coughed lightly twice. Over the years, it seemed that he only came to the blacksmith shop when he needed Lu Qing's help.

"I lost the scabbard, make me a new one."

"Don't say I didn't take care of you. I'll give you the tiger skin from the Qi Refining Realm demon beast, and the rest of the materials."

Lu Qing got up and stroked the tiger demon's fur, admiring it. "Good stuff, good stuff indeed."

"Make a fur coat out of this stuff, and you won't have to worry about winter."

Cao Xiong couldn't help but shake his head. Only Lu Qing would do something like using the fur of a Qi Refining Realm tiger demon to make a coat.

"Do whatever you want with it, just knock my scabbard out first."

Lu Qing's attention was entirely on the tiger skin; he didn't even look up. "Leave it to me."

Cao Xiong didn't linger. He left the blacksmith shop and went straight out of the city to the ancient tomb.

The Shiwan Mountains are exceptionally beautiful in October, with yellow and blue hues intertwined. The river beside the ancient tombs is covered with all sorts of fallen leaves.

Cao Xiong and Nie Xiaoqian arrived at almost the same time.

Today, Nie Xiaoqian wore a black dress embroidered with peonies, which made her look even more noble and beautiful.

"I already told you that the Yaksha could come after you at any time, and I warned you to be careful. Why didn't you listen to me?"

Nie Xiaoqian's eyes were filled with worry and anger.

"As you know, as a government official, there are some things I have to do," Cao Xiong said with a wry smile, shaking his head.

"Hmph~"

Nie Xiaoqian turned her body away, her back to Cao Xiong.

Cao Xiong walked to Nie Xiaoqian's side, straightened her body so that she was facing him.

"I'm fine, I'll be more careful in the future."

"Oh, our Lord Cao is so amazing! I thought I'd see you at Lanruo Temple. Do you also want to become a ghost and elope with me?"

Ignoring Nie Xiaoqian's sarcastic remarks, Cao Xiong half-embraced her.

"If I become a ghost, who will provide you with yang energy?"

Nie Xiaoqian's voice was tinged with grievance, "It's good that you know."

"I'm not the kind of woman who's expected to be virtuous. If anything happens to you, don't blame me for finding an even stronger man."

Cao Xiong suddenly discovered that Nie Xiaoqian had the potential to be a yandere.

He held Nie Xiaoqian even tighter, wanting to calm her down as quickly as possible and then find out more information about the Tree Demon Granny and the Yaksha.

Having wiped out all the mountain bandits and killed the tiger demon, Cao Xiong has probably become nothing more than a speck of dust in the eyes of the Tree Demon Granny.

Whether it's a Yaksha or a tree spirit, he is bound to have a battle.

"Xiaoqian, can you tell me just how many demons and ghosts the Tree Demon Granny commands?"

Nie Xiaoqian's expression turned serious. "Grandma mainly has eight Qi Refining Realm demons under her command. You have already killed the Mountain Lord."

"You've seen the Yakshas too. Besides these two, there's also the Eagle Beast, the Flower Fairy, the Wild Boar Demon, and me..."

"Besides us demons and ghosts, there are two Qi Refining Realm cultivators, one of whom is skilled in alchemy. They all call him Danyangzi."

"Another Qi Refining Realm cultivator named Zang Polong is a poison cultivator who lives deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains year-round."

Cao Xiong frowned. "I didn't expect the Tree Demon Granny to have such great power."

"Grandma Tree Demon is a powerful demon in the late stage of Qi Refining. She has cultivated for a thousand years. If it weren't for some special reasons, she probably would have broken through to a higher realm long ago."

"The demons and monsters under her command are also not easy to deal with."

Nie Xiaoqian's voice had returned to normal, but the strength in her grip on Cao Xiong's hand had increased significantly.

"I will be careful." What Cao Xiong feared most was the unknown. Now that he knew about the power of the Tree Demon Granny, he was mentally prepared.

Nie Xiaoqian didn't want to tell Cao Xiong too much about the Tree Demon Granny, because the more she knew, the more dangerous it would be.

But now that things had come to this, Cao Xiong could no longer avoid the tree demon, so Nie Xiaoqian simply told him everything she knew.

"In fact, the Tree Demon Granny's plundering of people and collection of their essence blood is very likely in order to break free from the limitations of her original form."