Hearing the voice, Wang Xiu happily shouted, "Big brother is back."

The little girl excitedly waved her little arms and hurried out to greet him at the gate.

Zhang Yuanqing and the Queen both saw this, and their expressions changed drastically.

He's back at this time! This is going to kill me. Just out of the wolf's den and into the tiger's mouth. Zhang Yuanqing knew that he was likely to encounter the Qinglong Gang and Shenrui Army forces after leaving the palace.

After all, this was an "elite monster" in the dungeon, but he never expected that he would run into a member of the Qinglong Gang's house as soon as he escaped from the palace.

What if he was a member of the Qinglong Gang? He doesn't know I'm the emperor. Maybe he's just an ordinary member. Even if he knows I'm the emperor, he can easily subdue me and then hypnotize me. But what if he's an expert?

If they fight, it will definitely attract the attention of the city defense army. Once my whereabouts are exposed, I will surely die. While these thoughts flashed through his mind, footsteps gradually approached the door. A short, stubble-faced young man strode in, wearing a blue short jacket, carrying a cloth-wrapped weapon on his back. Wang Xiu sat on his shoulders, her little hands tightly wrapped around his neck, her big head beaming with smiles.

The stubble-faced young man was originally full of smiles, but when he suddenly saw three strangers, his footsteps paused, and the smile on his face disappeared. He scrutinized Zhang Yuanqing and the others, then looked at his mother: "Mom, are there guests at home?"

The aunt first snorted coldly, then said in an annoyed tone, "What guests? These are your cousins!"

The stubble-faced young man was stunned on the spot, and said blankly, "Cousins? My dad and I are both single heirs. All of my uncle and second uncle had sons. Where did I get cousins? And this isn't my cousin!"

The aunt was also stunned. At this moment, her cognition and memory suddenly conflicted, and her brain was in chaos as she murmured, "Indeed, my elder brother and second brother only had sons."

The stubble-faced young man's expression gradually became serious. He took two steps back, put Wang Xiu down from his shoulders, and reached behind to grip the cloth-wrapped weapon.

The Fire Queen immediately tensed up, and Jiang Jingwei narrowed her little face and arched her back, ready to strike.

Although she didn't understand the situation, the Fire Master's combat intuition was very keen, and she had already sensed the hostility of the young man in cloth. She was able to notice something was wrong in the moment of her mother's confusion, instead of continuing to ask questions.

She knew to put her little sister down before the fight. If he's not a Fire Master, then there's still a chance.

Zhang Yuanqing's heart skipped a beat. He put his left hand behind his back and pointed at his aunt in the Queen's field of vision, signaling her to take a hostage. The Queen understood and quietly moved closer to the aunt who was in mental confusion.

Zhang Yuanqing led Jiang Jingwei forward, blocking between the two sides. As expected, the stubble-faced young man's expression changed slowly, extremely solemn, but the hand holding the weapon did not move for a long time.

His sharp eyes swept over the strange man, then he lowered his head and said to his sister, "Xiu, go to the door and see if Grandpa is back?"

The young Wang Xiu didn't understand the tense atmosphere. She obediently said "Okay," and ran out with her short legs. After her sister's figure crossed the threshold and disappeared, he retracted his hand, no longer gripping the weapon, and smiled, "So, my cousins have arrived. Cousin, can I talk to you in private?"

His eyes stared fixedly at Zhang Yuanqing, with an expression that said, "Don't force me to fight to the death." Zhang Yuanqing understood his emotions and breathed a sigh of relief.

The young man didn't choose to attack, which meant that he wasn't confident in protecting his mother. That ruled out the possibility of a Saint. If he was a Saint, he could kill the three of them in an instant!

Zhang Yuanqing said, "No need to let Aunt go back to the house." He meant that it was impossible to talk in private. If the other party suddenly attacked and captured him, he would be a hostage for hostage exchange.

The Queen understood and smiled, "Aunt, you don't seem to be feeling well. I'll help you back to the house to rest! Don't be like your cousin."

After hearing her son admit that they were "cousins," the Aunt's confusion disappeared, and she rubbed her forehead, saying, "Why am I suddenly dizzy? I feel bad as soon as I see your cousin."

Supported by the Queen, she entered the main room. The young man glanced at the closed door and tried to walk into the courtyard. As soon as he took a step, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Cousin, stand there and don't move."

The young man reluctantly stopped and said in a deep voice, "Which path are you from? What do you want? Let me make it clear first, I won't give you my life. If you're here for revenge, then you can attack!"

Zhang Yuanqing said, "Now you can draw your sword and kill yourself!"

The young man sneered, "If that's the case, then I can only be a motherless child!"

"What skill did you learn?"

"Killing!"

"With a knife or a sword?"

"With a sword."

"Who is your master?"

"No master."

"How did you learn without a master?"

"Self-taught, crude skills."

"From the Qinglong Gang?"

"Yes."

"What is your position?"

"Thug!"

The two of them answered very quickly, Zhang Yuanqing seemed to be trying not to give the other party time to think, asking quickly, answering quickly, blurting out without thinking.

Their eyes were familiar with each other!

"Drop the sword!" Zhang Yuanqing commanded.

The stubble-faced young man took off the sword from his back, threw it at his feet, and kicked it away with one foot. The sword flew out dozens of feet.

Zhang Yuanqing's expression relaxed, and he smiled, "Passing through your precious land, we have no ill intentions. We just want to stay for two days."