Demon, come and cultivate for me.

"Don't tell anyone I'm here. If they ask, just say I went up the mountain!" Xie Ning saw the scene outside through the window and quickly looked for a place to hide.

The house was only so big, and the furniture was simply arranged; there was nowhere to hide.

In the end, he had no choice but to squeeze into the closet.

"Old Zhou, come out quickly." Xu Yuan jumped off his horse and pushed open the gate to Zhou Chu's courtyard.

The young man on horseback waved his hand, and the armored soldiers behind him scattered and surrounded Zhou Chu's courtyard.

He then jumped off his horse and walked in with Zou Jin.

Zhou Chu immediately guessed that they were looking for Xie Ning.

He said to Lu Meng and the other two, "This is none of your business. Continue practicing your skills."

Xu Yuan introduced to the young man:

"This is Zhou Chu, who single-handedly ventured into the wolf's den to rescue people."

He then said to Zhou Chu, "This is Xie Qi, the second young master of the Xie family from the capital."

Xie Qi carefully examined Zhou Chu and nodded:

"The third peak cultivator in Wuyang City is actually a young upstart, but he's quite handsome."

Zhou Chu was somewhat confused.

So I followed his example and looked him up and down:

"You have excellent taste."

Xie Qi smiled, stopped talking to Zhou Chu, and instead called out into the house:

"Xie Ning, I know you're in there, don't hide."

No one responded from inside.

Xie Qi continued, "If you don't come out, I'll go in and tie you up and take you home."

Still no one responded.

Xie Qi stepped forward, pushed open the door, and found the room empty.

He looked puzzled and turned to look at Zou Jin.

Zhou Chu had long wanted to get rid of this rich young lady who freeloaded on him and was always trying to spend his money, and now the opportunity had finally come.

He strode into the house and blocked Xie Qi's way, saying:

"Xie Ning isn't here; she went up the mountain early this morning."

As he spoke, he gave a thumbs-up, pointing to the cabinet behind him.

Xie Qi understood and walked over to pull open the cabinet door.

Xie Ning cried out and tumbled from the small cabinet to the floor.

"Second Brother." She scrambled to her feet, clutching her waist, her head almost buried in her chest, like a little girl who had done something wrong.

"You said you were going out for a walk to clear your head, so I let you out, but you went hundreds of miles away to clear your head?" Qing Xieqi scolded.

Xie Ning pouted, and tears streamed down her face.

Xie Qi sighed and shook her head, saying, "Never mind, come home with me."

"Second brother, I'm not going back." Xie Ning wiped away her tears. "I don't want to marry that old man."

Xie Qi said, "What old man? That's the Crown Prince! You'll be the principal wife after you marry him, and later the Empress."

Zhou Chu then realized that this girl had run away from her arranged marriage.

The little mouth is quite well sealed.

"Too late, I'm his now!" Xie Ning pointed at Zhou Chu.

"Um?"

Xie Qi turned to look at Zhou Chu, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Eh?" Zhou Chu took a step back, secretly circulating his true energy to prevent the other party from suddenly launching an attack.

"It wasn't me, I didn't do it, don't talk nonsense."

Xie Ning walked over and took Zhou Chu's arm:

"I've seen his whole body, I have to take responsibility for him."

Xie Qi's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and the soldiers in full armor outside the door surrounded him.

Zhou Chu estimated that they were all at the middle level of cultivation, while Xie Qi was at least at the peak level, and he couldn't help but feel a little panicked.

If his gang swarms him, with his current strength, it will be difficult for him to escape easily.

"Young Miss, I don't need you to take responsibility. Go back with your brother."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he reached out to pry Xie Ning's arm open, but he couldn't pry it open after several attempts.

"Little sister, this boy doesn't even dare to speak up for you. Is it worth defying your parents' orders and offending the royal family for such a coward?" The young man drew his sword and pointed it at Zhou Chu.

Zhou Chu was displeased upon hearing this. He had never known the meaning of the word "coward" since he was a child.

He shielded Xie Ning behind him and said:

"Whether I'm a coward or not is not for you to decide. If you're so tough, don't call for backup. Let's have a one-on-one fight."

"Swords have no eyes; don't blame me if I hurt you!" Xie Qi shouted, "Take this!"

He drew a sword and thrust it towards Zhou Chu's throat.

Xie Qi only used 30% of his strength in a probing attack.

Before Zhou Chu could make a move, Xie Ning stepped in front of him.

"Second brother, no!"

The young man had practiced swordsmanship since childhood, and his swordsmanship was already highly skilled and he could control it with ease.

His steps faltered, and the sword's edge barely stopped in front of Xie Ning.

"What? Afraid I'll kill him?"

Xie Ning extended two fingers and brushed aside the sword blade in front of her, saying:

"I'm afraid he'll accidentally kill you."

"Him? Kill me?" The young man laughed in anger at Xie Ning's words.

"The Xie family's swordsmanship is unmatched among those of the same level. If he can withstand three of my moves, he'll be the winner."

Xie Ning asked, "If he wins, does that mean he doesn't have to take me home?"

"If he wins, I won't kill him. You must come back with me today." Xie Qi was very confident in his swordsmanship.

Even in the capital city, where masters gathered, he had never encountered an opponent of the same level.

Xie Ning had a sudden thought and a plan came to her mind. While her second brother and Zhou Chu were fighting fiercely, she would take the opportunity to sneak away.

She said, "Alright, if you want to compete, then go compete in the yard."

"How about it, kid? Do you dare to compete?" Xie Qi raised his sword again, pointing it at Zhou Chu.

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Zhou Chu was the first to walk outside.

Xie Qi and Xie Ning, a brother and sister, followed closely behind.

The soldiers at the gate made way for the three of them.

Zou Jin had overheard the conversation inside and wanted to dissuade them, but she couldn't squeeze in.

Now that the two have made up their minds to compete, it's probably too late to persuade them otherwise.

He leaned close to Xie Qi's ear and whispered:

"The Xie family's swordsmanship is unmatched among those of the same level. Young master, please show mercy. He is someone the Crown Prince has his eye on."

Xie Qi said, "No need for further words, I know what I'm doing."

Meanwhile, Xu Yuan also whispered a reminder in Zhou Chu's ear:

"The Xie family is very powerful, with disciples and former officials all over the Yan state. We must not harm their lives."

Zhou Chu nodded to indicate that he understood.

Even if Xu Yuan hadn't warned him, Zhou Chu wouldn't have killed her brother out of respect for Xie Ning.

"Swords have no eyes, all of you go outside." Xie Ning chased the soldiers out of the courtyard, while she stood at the gate, ready to escape at any moment.

Zhou Chu told Lu Meng and the other two to wait in a safe place outside the courtyard.

Zhou Yue waved his fist and said, "Master, give him a good beating."

Lu Meng pushed Zhou Yue away and said, "Master is so amazing, do you even need to tell me?"

Xu Yao said with concern in her eyes, "Brother Zhou Chu, be careful."

After everyone else left, only Xie Qi and Zhou Chu remained in the courtyard.

Xie Qi said, "Kid, no weapon? Don't blame me for bullying you when you're unarmed if you lose."

When Zhou Chu was inside the house, he sensed that Xie Qi's swordsmanship was extremely sharp. At this level, even if the blade did not touch the body, the sword energy could still injure people.

If you use Dragon Elephant Fist to fight him, you're bound to suffer a loss.

But Zhou Chu couldn't admit defeat verbally:

"I can defeat you without a sword, but outsiders will only say that I look down on you and don't even bother with weapons."

"What do you want?" Xie Qi asked.

If you want to do something, of course you'll use a sword.

Zhou Chu turned his head to look outside the courtyard, where Xu Yuan and the soldiers were all using swords.

Only Zou Jin and Xie Ning had swords, but he wasn't familiar with Zou Jin, so he could only borrow Xie Ning's sword again.

Then he looked at Xie Ning and said:

"Sword, come!"