"Alright, then the grand manager, please follow me."
Watching the group leave together, a crow on a nearby branch flapped its wings and immediately took off in pursuit.
On the way to the Five - Spice Restaurant, Feng Yunshu secretly communicated with Xiaoling using her spiritual power. "Xiaoling, where are you? Why haven't you come back yet? Is something wrong?"
Seeing that Xiaoling hadn't returned for a long time, Feng Yunshu couldn't help but feel worried. If this matter was really related to the Demon Clan, she was afraid that Xiaoling might be in danger.
After waiting for quite a while, there was no response from Xiaoling. Feng Yunshu felt uneasy and was hesitating whether she should go look for her when Xiaoling finally replied.
"Master, master, don't worry. Xiaoling is coming back right away!"
Shortly after this voice faded, Feng Yunshu saw a fat cat dashing towards her not far away. Despite its plumpness, the cat was surprisingly agile. In a few quick bounds, it reached Feng Yunshu.
Shopkeeper Jia and several of his伙计 stared wide - eyed at the approaching fat cat. They thought it was going to attack someone and were about to block it.
"This is my cat. It's okay."
Feng Yunshu opened her arms, allowing Xiaoling to jump into her embrace.
"Xiaoling, did you find out anything about that evil spirit you chased?"
Xiaoling pouted apologetically. "Master, am I too useless? Just now, I chased that evil spirit all the way to a wasteland on the outskirts of the city. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared... I looked everywhere, but there was no sign of it."
As if it was expected, Feng Yunshu stroked Xiaoling's head. "As long as you're safe, it doesn't matter if you couldn't find it."
"If I'm not mistaken, that evil spirit was just a minion out for food. There must be a mastermind behind it pulling the strings."
"Ah? So, according to you, master, someone deliberately released that evil spirit?"
Feng Yunshu nodded.
Just then, Shopkeeper Jia frowned and asked in confusion, "I don't know what's going on in the imperial city recently. It seems like there's something evil at work. For several nights in a row, people have been getting into trouble."
Hearing this, Feng Yunshu couldn't help but ask, "What kind of trouble? Could you please tell me in detail, Shopkeeper Jia?"
"It is said that some unclean things come out at night. For several days in a row, people have seen corpses lying on the streets during the day. Most of these corpses have similar symptoms: their faces are blue, they show no sign of pain, and there are no fatal wounds on their bodies."
As he was speaking, a gust of night wind blew by. Shopkeeper Jia and the other伙计 couldn't help but shiver.
"Now, no one dares to go out on the streets at night. The bustling night market that used to be open late has closed early. The government has been investigating this matter, but they haven't found any results."
"Yes, yes." At this time, the nearby assistant nodded in agreement. "This has only happened recently. There has never been such a thing in the imperial city before. The night market used to last until late at night..."
Feng Yunshu frowned thoughtfully. "I see. It seems that the imperial city has been in turmoil recently."
"Yes, the young master has been very worried about your safety, grand manager. We've sent many people to inquire about your whereabouts, but we've found nothing."
"Master, I remember you mentioned before that the emperor of the Dan Kingdom is seriously ill and bed - ridden, right?"
"Yeah."
"If that's the case, it can explain why this evil spirit has only appeared recently."
Feng Yunshu quickly realized. "Indeed. Since ancient times, emperors have been protected by the purple aura, and the imperial aura can protect the people in the area. If the emperor of the Dan Kingdom were in good health, as this is the foot of the imperial city, such a problem would never have occurred. It seems that the emperor of the Dan Kingdom is really on his last legs..."
"Master, do you think the mastermind behind this has been sucking the essence of these common people several times. Could it be for cultivating something or maintaining something?"
Feng Yunshu nodded thoughtfully. "It's not impossible..."
After communicating with Xiaoling, Feng Yunshu heard Shopkeeper Jia's words and asked him, "Where is your young master now? It's been a long time since I last saw him. It seems that the Five - Spice Restaurant has developed well during my absence."
Shopkeeper Jia nodded. "Thanks to your suggestions, grand manager, and with the young master's personal guidance, the Five - Spice Restaurant has indeed developed well. The young master should be resting in his mansion by now."
As they were talking, they soon arrived at the Five - Spice Restaurant.
Feng Yunshu didn't want to waste any time and immediately said, "Shopkeeper Jia, to be honest, I'm here today to ask for help. The Five - Spice Restaurant should have some thugs, right? Could you lend me a few people with good skills? I'm going to rescue a friend in danger."
Shopkeeper Jia's expression became a bit more serious. "Since the grand manager has asked, there's no problem. We've indeed hired several well - trained martial artists with a high salary to guard the restaurant."
Feng Yunshu felt relieved. "Good. In that case, please ask them to get ready. I still need to assign each person their tasks."
"Is the grand manager in a hurry? If necessary, let me send someone to inform the young master. There are also several well - trained guards in the young master's mansion. If possible, let them go with you, grand manager. More people mean more strength."
It was still some distance from here to the Chang Mansion, and it was already late at night. Feng Yunshu didn't want to involve too many people to avoid complications. After thinking for a while, she made a decision.
"Shopkeeper Jia, I'll borrow your people first. As for the guards in the Chang Mansion, you can go find them after dawn. If I haven't returned to the Five - Spice Restaurant before dawn, then..."
Feng Yunshu leaned over and whispered her plan into Shopkeeper Jia's ear. Shopkeeper Jia nodded, but his expression was a bit complicated. "Grand manager, there's a question I don't know if I should ask. Who harmed your friend, and where are you going to rescue them?"
Feng Yunshu looked at Shopkeeper Jia and slowly shook her head. "Shopkeeper Jia, it's better for you not to know some things. It's getting late. You should go back and rest. I have to get busy."
Shopkeeper Jia didn't ask any more questions. He found the best - skilled martial artists in the restaurant for Feng Yunshu. "You must cooperate fully with the grand manager. Do as she arranges and don't let her down."
"Also, you must ensure the grand manager's safety."
Shopkeeper Jia didn't know that these burly martial artists wouldn't be of much help in protecting Feng Yunshu, but in an emergency, an extra person did mean an extra bit of strength.
Feng Yunshu looked at the martial artists in front of her and then took out several pills from her treasure pouch. "Gentlemen, please take these pills. These pills can help you hide your aura and improve your physical agility."
"Oh, and there's one more thing I need to explain in advance. I've learned some magic arts. So, later when you follow me, no matter what you see or hear, don't be too surprised or ask too many questions. Just remember to cooperate with my actions."
The martial artists looked at each other and hesitated.
"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. After this is done, I'll reward each of you with a hundred - tael silver note. How about that?"
"A hundred - tael silver note?"
The martial artists' eyes lit up instantly. A hundred taels was several years' worth of income for each of them.