Bai Suzhen, I really need to punish you properly.

On the surface, it was Wang Xuan holding Zhong Li's wrist, as if he were carrying the girl and flying through the air.

But in reality, it was Mingzhu, who had the highest cultivation level, who led the three of them to activate their movement techniques together.

When the group of four returned to the backyard of the county government office, it was already afternoon.

In the study, Bai Suzhen had come down from the court and was quietly flipping through the stacks of official documents.

Seeing the group enter, including a strange young woman, Bai Suzhen gently rose, a helpless smile appearing on her lips. She looked at Wang Xuan with a teasing gaze and softly called out, "My lord."

Wang Xuan approached and introduced, "Madam, this is Zhong Li, the younger sister of an old friend from my hometown. I brought her here to find her brother, so I've settled her in our residence for now."

Bai Suzhen smiled gently and nodded lightly: "Sister."

"Hello, sister."

Zhong Li nodded slightly in greeting, looking somewhat reserved.

She never expected that Wang Xuan had a legitimate wife in his family.

Moreover, it is so ethereal and otherworldly.

Wang Xuan smiled and said, "Zhong Li, tomorrow I'll take you to a place to meet a master who can help us."

In fact, with Bai Suzhen's cultivation level, she could easily break through the boundary between the human world and the underworld, but Wang Xuan was naturally unwilling to let Bai Suzhen do such risky things.

The place he's taking Zhong Li to tomorrow is Lingyin Temple.

The master whom Zhong Li was to meet was naturally Daoji.

Facilitating the reunion of the siblings is a good deed, and given Daoji's character, there's no reason he wouldn't do it.

Logically speaking, someone of Daoji's rank shouldn't have the authority to have Wang Xuan personally visit him.

But Wang Xuan just wanted to find more opportunities to spend time together and slowly cultivate her feelings for Zhong Li.

"Thank you, Brother Wang Xuan!"

"No need to be polite." Wang Xuan then instructed, "Yanzhi, you and Mingzhu take Zhongli to familiarize herself with the backyard, get to know the young ladies of the manor, and also prepare a place for her to stay."

"Mm." Rouge responded, taking Zhong Li's wrist and smiling slightly. "Little sister, come with us."

Rouge had already anticipated such an instruction.

From Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing, to Mingzhu, Feng Sanniang, Fan Shiyi Niang, and then to Nie Xiaoqian and Ao Jin, she led them all to arrange their accommodations.

She felt there would be more in the future.

The only thing that worried her was that there wasn't enough room for so many women in the backyard.

Rouge and Mingzhu led Zhong Li out of the study.

On the way, Zhong Li asked curiously, "Are there many older sisters in your household?"

Rouge smiled meaningfully: "Anyway, there are quite a few. The stories between everyone here and their husbands are... um... interesting. If you're interested, we can tell you."

Inside the study.

Wang Xuan sat back down in his chair, reached out and pulled Bai Suzhen onto his lap, his large hand slipping inside her clothes and resting casually.

Bai Suzhen gently placed her fingertips on his lapel, looking at his handsome and dashing face so close to hers.

Under his gentle caress, a sweet and soft smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

Her tone carried a hint of teasing: "My lord, I'm afraid you're not just thinking about finding a brother for Zhong Li, are you?"

Wang Xuan chuckled softly and pulled her closer, saying, "My wife, I haven't really thought that much about it yet."

"Temporarily?" Bai Suzhen raised her eyebrows slightly, her smile a mix of reproach and coquettishness.

Wang Xuan cleared her throat strategically, changed the subject, and began to recount in detail the difficult life story of Zhong Kui and Zhong Li, the siblings.

"Zhong Li's brother was named Zhong Kui. Like me, he lived near Zhongnan Mountain. On his way to the capital for the imperial examination, Zhong Kui was ambushed by a demon and his appearance was disfigured. He was originally a top scholar, but because of his ugly appearance, he was looked down upon by the emperor and stripped of his academic honors. He was strong-willed and could not accept it, so he committed suicide by hitting his head against a pillar in the Golden Palace."

"After his death, he harbored immense resentment, which can be considered a blessing in disguise, as he was appointed as the judge of the underworld to punish evil."

"Young Zhong Li was left all alone, barely making a living by doing needlework. There was a wealthy merchant in the area who was half-buried and wanted to force her to become his concubine. I was worried about her, so I brought her over first."

"I see." Bai Suzhen looked enlightened, a hint of worry appearing between her brows. "My lord, you're not thinking of going to the underworld, are you?"

"Don't worry, I won't go. Daoji will go then."

Wang Xuan lowered his head and buried it in the crook of her neck, kissing her neck and breathing in her scent with longing.

Bai Suzhen's face, resting on his shoulder, revealed a contented expression, and she slowly raised her arms to embrace his neck.

Wang Xuan raised his head and looked at the beauty in his arms, whose clothes were slightly disheveled and whose eyes were moist. He was about to take another step forward when Bai Suzhen gently stopped him with her hand.

"My lord, there's a whole pile of official documents waiting to be reviewed."

Wang Xuan looked troubled: "Wife, there's no rush, I..."

"You only care about Sister Zhongli, don't you care about the people of this county?" Bai Suzhen teased, then added softly, "Come to my room tonight."

Wang Xuan instantly understood, a smile appearing on his lips. It turned out that Bai Suzhen wanted to have him all to herself for the entire night.

After watching Bai Suzhen leave the study, Wang Xuan calmed down and began to review today's official documents.

Strangely enough, since the toad demon was killed after causing trouble last time, there have been no more evil spirits causing trouble in Qiantang County for a long time.

……

Seeing that she had almost finished reviewing all the piled-up official documents, Xiaoqing slowly walked out of the study.

Xiaoqing looked at Wang Xuan with slightly cold eyes and let out a soft chuckle, her appearance charming and lively.

Her lips were slightly pursed, and the tip of her nose twitched slightly, showing a hint of innocent naivety from being bullied.

Wang Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly, looked her up and down, and chuckled, "What do you mean by that? Just say what you have to say."

After saying that, he continued to look down and review official documents, preparing to quickly deal with the remaining small portion.

Xiaoqing walked up to the table, pouted, and complained, "I think you shouldn't come out with me for the Dragon Boat Festival, so you don't have to bring a girl back with you."

"Your sister isn't jealous, so why are you?" Wang Xuan chuckled. "Besides, I brought Zhong Li back to help her find her brother."

"There are plenty of people who can't find their brothers, why didn't you bring them all back?"

Wang Xuan put down his brush and said meaningfully, "Alright. Life is full of divergent paths, you go to Hunan and I go to Qin. Then let's go our separate ways on the Dragon Boat Festival."

Xiaoqing frowned and pressed, "What do you mean?"

"I made a promise with someone that I'd help her with a small favor during the Dragon Boat Festival. You go to your river, and I'll go to my mountains."

Xiaoqing was indignant: "Others? More women, right? You never intended to go out with me for the Dragon Boat Festival!"

"See, you're in such a hurry, but there's no conflict between the two. From now on, every Dragon Boat Festival, as long as I'm free, I'll definitely accompany you to the mountains to escape the summer heat."

Wang Xuan smiled, took her wrist, and led her around the desk to his side.

Even if Xiaoqing frequently reveals her true form, consider it as increasing your own resistance.

To some extent, he and Xiaoqing were gradually getting used to each other.

Xiaoqing looked at her with suspicion and scoffed, "Would you even have time? You've never taken me out before."

Wang Xuan spoke sweet words without hesitation, and casually sat down with Xiao Qing, taking her temperature as he did so, and said softly, "I can't be the magistrate here forever. We have plenty of time for the next few hundred, several thousand, or even tens of thousands of years."

Xiaoqing looked at her hands in front of her, gently shifted her body, and asked, "Are your hands cold again?"

"Not this time," Wang Xuan said seriously. "I've never had anyone to rely on since I was little. I always feel insecure if I don't have something to hold onto. Do you want to hold onto something?"