Ze Fang personally guarded Xiao Man's bedside, occasionally probing the spiritual energy within her. Seeing that it had recovered well, he breathed a sigh of relief, yet dared not leave Xiao Man's side.
Xiao Man slept for three days, only waking up from hunger. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Ze Fang asleep by the bedside.
"Ze Fang."
"Xiao Qin, you're awake. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?" Ze Fang asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"Yes!"
"Where does it hurt? Tell me quickly." Ze Fang nervously grabbed Xiao Man, looking her up and down. He was somewhat stunned. She had actually broken through while sleeping, to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment!
"I'm hungry," Xiao Man said pitifully. "Is there anything to eat?"
Ze Fang nodded and took out some spiritual fruits and dried rations from his spatial ring. Xiao Man glanced at them with disdain and grudgingly gnawed on two fruits before heading out.
"Where are you going?"
"To find food!" Xiao Man pointed to the pond outside. "Fancy some grilled fish?"
"Yes!" Ze Fang nodded without hesitation. The food at the City Lord's Mansion was truly unpalatable; his stomach had been spoiled by Xiao Man.
Ze Fang went into the pond and caught two fish. Upon returning to shore, he saw Xiao Man holding a large, plump goose. "We'll make clear fish soup for the fish, and roast the goose."
Ze Fang repeatedly nodded and efficiently cleaned the fish, slicing the meat for later. By the time he was done, Xiao Man had already placed the large goose on the fire to roast. She started another stove to cook the fish soup. She was simply too hungry and wanted to have a pot of soup first, lest she couldn't eat the fragrant roasted meat.
Discarding the last bone, Xiao Man licked her lips with lingering satisfaction. "This goose meat is truly fragrant, better than any goose I've eaten before. It's so flavorful and tender. After eating it, I feel utterly refreshed. It's a pity there was only one. If only there was another."
Ze Fang finished the last sip of soup and patted his bulging stomach contentedly. "I have a similar goose at home, raised by my nephew. It's bigger and fatter than this one. My nephew feeds it spiritual medicine every day, so it must taste even better. Next time we visit my home, we'll catch it and eat it."
Xiao Man nodded in agreement. "Alright, next time I'll visit your home for roasted goose. Tell your nephew to raise a few more, don't be stingy. One isn't enough."
"Okay, I'll tell him when we get back to raise more."
The Old City Lord had been in an exceptionally good mood lately. He thought he was nearing his end, but unexpectedly, when all hope seemed lost, he not only regained his life but his cultivation had only dropped from the late Golden Core stage to the early Golden Core stage. It was a blessing in disguise.
In his joyful mood, the Old City Lord carried food to feed his meticulously raised celestial crane. This crane was his mount, raised from a chick, requiring immense effort and wealth. He cherished it like a treasure. During his severe injuries, he couldn't care for it. After his recovery, he felt his celestial crane had grown thin and was determined to fatten it up.
The Old City Lord searched the courtyard three times but only found a feather; the celestial crane was nowhere to be seen. "Servants, have you seen my celestial crane?"
"Old City Lord, we haven't."
"Strange, it usually doesn't leave the courtyard. Where could it have gone?" The Old City Lord searched the courtyard again, still finding nothing. He then instructed his men to search, wondering if the celestial crane had gone for a stroll.
Meanwhile, City Lord Yan Yu's sole hobby, besides cultivation, was raising fish. He had a pair of Moon-Gazing Koi, which he kept in a pond, checking on them from time to time. Watching the koi grow day by day filled him with joy, as he planned to use this pair of Moon-Gazing Koi as a stepping stone to send his daughter to one of the seven major sects when they recruited.
Normally, as soon as he dropped bait, the pair of koi would leap out of the water to greet him. But today, there was no movement. "Strange, why aren't these Moon-Gazing Koi greedy today?"
"City Lord."
"Fan Ting, you're here. Quickly, help me see where my pair of Moon-Gazing Koi have gone?" The City Lord stretched his neck, looking around, his neck aching, but he couldn't see his koi.
Fan Ting glanced into the pond. There were many fish, but the City Lord's Moon-Gazing Koi were missing. The Moon-Gazing Koi were entirely red with golden tails, making them very conspicuous, and usually easy to spot, but today they were nowhere to be found.
Fan Ting couldn't help but furrow his brows. "City Lord, the Old City Lord's celestial crane is also missing. The Old City Lord is searching everywhere."
"The celestial crane is missing?" The City Lord, preoccupied with his koi, said absently, "My father's celestial crane is usually too lazy to even leave the courtyard. Did it suddenly decide to go for a walk today and couldn't find its way back?"
"I'm afraid not," Fan Ting hesitated for a moment before saying, "I fear it was stolen."
"Stolen?" The City Lord thought this was a huge joke. "Who could steal a large celestial crane from the City Lord's Mansion? And it can attack people."
Fan Ting stared at the City Lord, making the latter frown. "It was really stolen?"
"Likely."
"Who has the ability to steal a celestial crane from the City Lord's Mansion?"
"Your koi might have been stolen too," Fan Ting reminded the City Lord. Usually, the most lively were his pair of Moon-Gazing Koi. Now that they were missing, where else could they have gone if not stolen?
The City Lord immediately became furious. "Search! Dig three feet into the ground if you have to! I want to see which audacious scoundrel dared to steal my koi!"
"Yes, City Lord."
Fan Ting led his men to search the mansion ostentatiously, while Xiao Man and Ze Fang, full and satisfied, returned to their room to sleep. One hadn't slept enough, and the other hadn't slept much at all. After eating their fill, they felt even more drowsy. Yawning, Ze Fang collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
Xiao Man pushed him. "Move further in, I have no space to lie down."
Ze Fang rolled inward, his head hitting the wall with a thud and a pained cry. He rolled back half a circle. Xiao Man lay down, pulled the quilt over herself, and the two slept soundly, unaware that the City Lord's Mansion had been thrown into chaos.
The father and son searched the mansion three times and only found a few bird feathers. Fortunately, Zhu Qing thought the crane's bones were also nutritious and swallowed all the bones left by Xiao Man and their group, otherwise, the father and son would have found a pile of bones.
"Fan Ting, the mansion is in such a commotion, what are you doing?"
"Replying to the Eldest Miss, the Old City Lord's celestial crane is missing, and the City Lord's Moon-Gazing Koi are also missing. The mansion's people are searching everywhere."
"My father's koi are probably sleeping at the bottom of the pond. As for Grandpa's celestial crane, it usually just sleeps and eats, too lazy to even leave the courtyard. How could it be missing?"
"It was likely stolen."
"Who would dare steal from the City Lord's Mansion?" Yan Yan asked in surprise. "And the celestial crane has Grandpa's mark on it. Can't you just follow the mark to find it?"