Fan Ting's expression was difficult to describe: "We followed the tracks, but only found a few bird feathers. No immortal crane."
Yan Yan looked surprised. "Where did you find the bird feathers?"
"The small courtyard to the northwest, usually deserted."
"Besides bird feathers, did you find anything else?"
"Traces of a fire."
Yan Yan's expression twitched strangely. "Could it be that someone caught Grandpa's immortal crane and boiled it for food?"
Fan Ting chuckled. "How could that be? Immortal cranes are spiritual beings. To eat them would be a terrible waste. Besides, how arrogant and daring would one have to be to catch a Golden Core cultivator's mount and make soup out of it..."
Fan Ting's smile suddenly faltered. The people from the City Lord's mansion certainly wouldn't dare. But now, two big shots were residing in the City Lord's mansion: Xiao Qin, who had just healed the old City Lord, and Ze Fang, whose origins were a mystery. If these two had caught the old City Lord's immortal crane and boiled it... it wasn't impossible!
"I'll go check if Young Master Xiao Qin is awake." With suspicion gnawing at him, Fan Ting went to the courtyard where Xiao Man was resting. Xiao Bai was still coiled at the entrance, preventing anyone from disturbing its master's rest. Helpless, Fan Ting raised his voice. "Young Master Xiao Qin, Young Master Ze Fang, are you awake?"
Xiao Man pulled the blanket over his head, blocking out the noise from outside, and continued to sleep. Ze Fang, worried about Xiao Man, hadn't had a good rest in days. At this point, even if lightning struck, he wouldn't wake up. And Xiao Man had actively blocked out the outside noise, ignoring it, so both continued to sleep soundly.
Fan Ting shouted until his throat was dry, but no one answered. What made him feel even more wronged was that Xiao Bai, fearing he would disturb its master's peace, swatted him away with its tail.
Fan Ting landed squarely on the bluestone slabs outside the courtyard, his face contorted in pain. He was, after all, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet he was sent flying by a snake. The snake hadn't even exerted its full strength, and he felt his internal energy surge, causing him to vomit a mouthful of blood.
"Captain, are you alright?" the guards quickly stepped forward, helping Fan Ting up. Fan Ting wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the white snake coiled in the courtyard, his heart sinking further. Who exactly was this Ze Fang? This snake was so powerful; the old City Lord might not even be its match.
"I'm fine. Watch this place and don't let anyone disturb the young masters' rest." Fan Ting, clutching his chest, left unsteadily. As soon as he turned the corner, he leaned against the wall and vomited another mouthful of blood. He quickly sat down to recuperate. That strike was truly formidable; his internal spiritual energy had been violently disrupted, showing signs of qi deviation. If he didn't recuperate immediately, he feared he would fall into a state of demonic deviation.
By the time Yan Yan found him, Fan Ting had just finished recuperating.
"Fan Ting, why are you sitting here?" Yan Yan asked, puzzled.
Fan Ting touched his still-aching chest and stood up. "I suddenly felt my qi flow obstructed, so I sat down to recuperate for a moment."
"Are you alright then?"
"Thank you, Miss, I'm fine now," Fan Ting replied. "Miss, why have you come?"
"I'm a little worried about Xiao Qin, so I came to check on him," Yan Yan said, not entirely at ease. After all, he had come because of her and had healed her grandfather. As the host, she should entertain him properly. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Young Master Ze Fang's spirit beast is guarding the entrance and won't let anyone in," Fan Ting advised. "That spirit beast is incredibly powerful. It's best to let Young Master Xiao Qin rest before anything else."
"I'll just take a look," Yan Yan explained. "If I don't come to see, I'll always feel uneasy. Also, I've made some food. I don't know when they'll wake up, but I hope they can eat something as soon as they do, rather than feeling like the City Lord's mansion has neglected them."
Fan Ting followed Yan Yan with concern. He feared the large snake would attack Yan Yan without question, just as it had him. His Foundation Establishment cultivation was no match for it; if Yan Yan took a hit, she'd be severely injured, if not killed.
Yan Yan entered the courtyard and put down the food box. "If Xiao Qin and Ze Fang wake up, tell them to eat something first. If they have any particular preferences, send word and I'll have the kitchen make it for them."
Xiao Bai raised its head and nodded.
Fan Ting looked at Xiao Bai nodding amicably and a mouthful of blood got stuck in his throat. You can communicate so well, why did you hit me?
Xiao Bai didn't even spare him a glance. Fan Ting felt utterly dejected. He, the esteemed captain of the City Lord's guard, had fallen so low that even a snake looked down on him!
Outside the courtyard, Yan Yan saw Fan Ting looking utterly defeated and covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Fan Ting, did Xiao Bai hit you?"
Fan Ting's expression changed. He wanted to say no, but he didn't want to lie. He nodded aggrievedly. He had indeed been hit by Xiao Bai.
"Xiao Bai can understand human speech. You need to be patient when facing it, and don't make loud noises in the courtyard to disturb Xiao Qin and the others' rest, or Xiao Bai will get angry."
Fan Ting thought to himself, how was he to know a hairless beast would be so troublesome? The reason he was shouting in the courtyard was his suspicion that Xiao Man had woken up and was stewing the old City Lord's immortal crane. Now, even if Xiao Man had indeed eaten the old City Lord's immortal crane, he could only pretend not to know!
"I still need to search for the immortal crane. I'll take my leave now."
Yan Yan waved her hand, signaling him to leave. Fan Ting took a different path and called over someone. "Have you seen Ze Fang come out?"
"Reporting, sir, no."
"Has Xiao Qin not come out either?"
"Neither," the guard replied. "We've been guarding outside the courtyard and haven't seen anyone come out."
Fan Ting couldn't help but wonder, had he misunderstood? It was true that Xiao Qin looked utterly depleted after treating the old City Lord, and would likely need quite some time to recover. The old City Lord's immortal crane was rather plump, but its movements were quite agile. Even he couldn't get close, let alone a stranger.
Fan Ting thought to himself that he had surely judged a noble heart with ignoble thoughts. Xiao Qin, at first glance, was a shrewd person. How could he not recognize an immortal crane, and how could he possibly do something as wasteful as eating an immortal crane?
The people from the City Lord's mansion searched every corner of the mansion but found no trace of the immortal crane or the Moonlit Brocade Carp. They immediately suspected someone had stolen them and began a city-wide search.
The city's inhabitants were surprised to hear that someone had stolen the old City Lord's immortal crane. "Who is so powerful as to be able to steal the old City Lord's immortal crane? This is truly courting death, like an old man hanging himself."
"And they stole the City Lord's Moonlit Brocade Carp. The old City Lord is a Golden Core expert, and the City Lord is a late Foundation Establishment expert. What kind of fearless person dares to offend these two?"
"They probably borrowed guts from heaven," the crowd laughed, treating it as a jest.