Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

As Cao Xiong left the Cao residence, he suddenly realized that Fu Qingfeng was not suited to show his face in public, and that there was only coarse grain in the house.

He bought some pork, vegetables, and cooked food and returned home.

He pushed open the door and saw Fu Qingfeng standing on a chair picking dates.

Under the setting sun, the girl in the light blue dress looked like an elf, lively and cheerful, adding a touch of beauty to the desolate courtyard.

Cao Xiong was somewhat moved. The last time there was such a vivid scene in the courtyard was decades ago.

"Miss Qingfeng, I bought some meat and vegetables. If you don't know how to cook, eat some cooked food first, and wait for me to come back tomorrow."

Fu Qingfeng was startled by Cao Xiong's sudden appearance and almost fell off his chair.

"careful."

Cao Xiong used the Leaf-Picking Step to instantly appear beside Fu Qingfeng and support her.

Fu Qingfeng leaned against Cao Xiong's chest, patted his chest a few times, and looked at him with a mixture of reproach and resentment. "Uncle Cao, you scared me to death."

Cao Xiong released his grip, allowing Fu Qingfeng to rise from his embrace, before walking to the stone table and sitting down, placing the food he had bought on it.

"I'll be more careful next time."

Fu Qingfeng couldn't help but swallow when she saw the cooked food on the stone table. She had been running for her life and hadn't had enough to eat. She was starving.

Cao Xiong noticed Fu Qingfeng's predicament. "Have something to eat first. I'll be back tomorrow."

After saying this, Cao Xiong left the Cao residence and returned to the Hundred Household Office.

It was already evening.

The officers and soldiers he had sent out returned one after another, but none of them had found any information about the other family members of Vice Minister Fu.

"My lord, while searching for Vice Minister Fu's family today, we discovered that a plague has broken out outside the city."

After much hesitation, Yu Tong decided to report the unexpected events that had occurred that day to Cao Xiong.

"Plague?" Cao Xiong frowned.

Guobei County is located outside the Shiwan Mountains, and an epidemic occurs every few years, mostly in the hot months of July and August.

The plague broke out in November. He had lived in Guobei County for sixty years and had never seen anything like it before.

"Yes, and the symptoms of the plague are very strange. When people get sick, they lose their minds and bite anyone they see." Yu Tong carefully described the symptoms of the plague to Cao Xiong.

Cao Xiong got up and paced around the barracks. "These don't seem like symptoms of a plague."

He felt this was more like the work of a demon or ghost, which had lost its reason and was biting anyone it saw. Wasn't this just a zombie?

"Where did you find it? Did you treat the sick people?" Cao Xiong asked Yu Tong.

"I inform you, sir, that the plague was discovered in Zhengjia Village, Boli Township."

"As for those who fell ill, they had lost their humanity, so I had them all killed on the spot and buried."

Yu Tong sounded a little unsure of himself at the end, worried that Cao Xiong might think he was too murderous.

"You handled this matter well."

Cao Xiong breathed a sigh of relief.

"Take your men and seal off Zhengjia Village immediately tomorrow, and don't let anyone in or out." Cao Xiong realized that if they didn't act quickly, the entire Guobei County would probably fall into chaos before long.

"Yes, sir!"

After Yu Tong left, Cao Xiong's unease grew stronger.

"I don't know if this is a plague or the work of evil spirits." Cao Xiong pinched his brow.

Tomorrow is the middle of the month, the day he will meet Nie Xiaoqian.

He needed to find out from Nie Xiaoqian what the Tree Demon Granny and the Yaksha would do next.

Guobei County has been unusually calm lately.

……

……

……

The next day, Cao Xiong got up early and practiced the "Fierce Tiger Stance - Tendon Strengthening Chapter" for two hours. Then he immediately sent someone to call Sha Huizi and Liu Mingzi over.

After careful consideration last night, he felt that sending only Yu Tong's small flag to Zhengjia Village was probably not enough.

Therefore, he decided to send the entire Second Banner to Boli Township.

After receiving Cao Xiong's orders, Sha Huizi and Liu Mingzi rushed from the drill ground to the barracks.

"Greetings to the centurion."

Cao Xiong looked at the two of them. Sha Huizi's aura had subsided considerably compared to a few days ago, which meant that he had adapted to the internal energy of the Bone Forging Realm and his strength had improved further.

Since the backlash from the divination, Liu Mingzi has been recuperating.

Even now, her face is still pale, and she has not fully recovered.

Cao Xiong placed the written plan on how to deal with the plague on the table in front of him, near Sha Huizi.

"Yesterday, Yu Tong discovered a plague in Zhengjia Village, which is located in Boli Township. People who fall ill will lose their minds and bite anyone they see. This is no small matter. Yu Tong has already gone to Zhengjia Village to deal with it."

"But that's not enough."

"Next, you need to thoroughly investigate the entire Boli Township. If you encounter any people infected with the plague, take them all into custody."

Sha Huizi picked up the plan written by Cao Xiong, then left the barracks and went to the drill ground to gather all the officers and soldiers of the Second Banner.

Only Cao Xiong and Liu Mingzi remained in the barracks.

"Your next task is to continue searching for Vice Minister Fu's family. It's okay if you can't find them, but you must not let your guard down."

Cao Xiong specifically asked Liu Mingzi to follow up on the search for Vice Minister Fu's family because among all the banner officers, Liu Mingzi was the most meticulous, after all, he was a scholar.

As the Vice Minister of War, Fu Tianchou was far beyond what a mere centurion like himself could easily offend.

The search for Vice Minister Fu's family must be carried out thoroughly until Fu Tianchou's men arrive.

"Yes, ma'am!" Liu Mingzi quickly clasped his hands in response.

"Go on downstairs." After sending Sha Huizi and Liu Mingzi away, Cao Xiong got up and returned to his room.

He took out the "Leaf-Picking Step" manual from the wooden box under the bed, intending to hand it over to Fu Qingfeng.

"I've been busy cultivating since I got back, how could I forget about you!"

Cao Xiong only remembered when he saw the storage bag in the wooden box that he already possessed divine sense and could try using the storage bag.

He took the manual for the "Leaf-Picking Step" and a gray-white storage bag in his hands, and then put the wooden box back in its original place.

He closed his eyes, activated his divine sense, and slowly approached the storage bag.

"It really worked!"

Cao Xiong was extremely nervous.

Fortunately, the result did not disappoint him; his consciousness seemed to leave his body and enter the storage bag.

The space was dimly lit and only about two meters wide. He tried to transfer the "Leaf-Picking Step" manual into his storage bag.

The next second, the manual in Cao Xiong's hand suddenly disappeared.

After several attempts, Cao Xiong finally mastered the use of the storage bag.

He tied the storage bag to his waist, changed into casual clothes, and left the centurion's office.

After leaving the Hundred Household Office, there was a restaurant. Cao Xiong went in, ordered two dishes, and then returned to the Cao residence.

When he pushed open the gate of the Cao residence, he saw Fu Qingfeng sitting at a stone table under a jujube tree, lost in thought.

Perhaps it was the sound of Cao Xiong opening the door that woke Fu Qingfeng from his reverie.

"Uncle Cao, you're back." Fu Qingfeng got up and came to Cao Xiong, taking the food he was carrying.