I Can Devour Spirits

Duan Rong had just finished chatting with Xiao Yu about some information he discovered when a rustling sound came from the other end of the secret room.

Xiao Yu stood up immediately and crouched, somewhat nervously gripping the hilt of her sword.

Duan Rong said, ”It’s okay. It’s Yang Zhen.”

Although Xiao Yu’s hand didn’t leave the hilt, her tense body noticeably relaxed a little.

After a while, following the sound of footsteps, a figure walked out, and sure enough, it was Yang Zhen.

Yang Zhen placed a basket covered with cotton cloth in front of the three of them and said, ”Beef soup and flatbread.”

Duan Rong immediately opened the basket and saw a black ceramic pot inside. He picked it up and smelled it, it was indeed the beef soup he had been thinking about all day.

Duan Rong looked at Zhu Xiaoqi and said, ”Xiaoqi, bowls!”

While Zhu Xiaoqi was hiding here alone, Yang Zhen only prepared her some baked buns and plain water. She hadn’t had anything hot for days.

Zhu Xiaoqi quickly fetched three porcelain bowls from beside the wall behind them.

Duan Rong gently shook the black ceramic pot before filling the three porcelain bowls with it.

The steaming beef soup immediately whetted their appetites; each person picked up a porcelain bowl and began to indulge heartily.

While eating the beef soup and pairing it with flatbread, Duan Rong suddenly looked up at Yang Zhen and said, ”Aren’t there any chili peppers?”

Yang Zhen’s face darkened and he replied, ”I might as well move the entire beef booth over here for you.”

Duan Rong said, ”No need for that. Just bring the chili pepper jar.”

”Bah!” Yang Zhen, a bit ticked off by Duan Rong, turned his head to leave.

Duan Rong suddenly called after him. ”Yang Zhen, come back, there’s important business.”

Yang Zhen reluctantly stood at the doorway. ”What is it?”

Duan Rong drank the remaining beef soup in his bowl in two big gulps, put the porcelain bowl down, and stood up, reaching into his crotch to pull out a piece of paper.

The paper seemed to have been torn from somewhere, with dried paste still clinging on its back.

Duan Rong said, ”I don’t trust anyone else. You should personally take a trip. Go to the Prefecture City and deliver this letter to Ximen Kankan.”

”A letter?”

Yang Zhen furrowed his brows deeply, looking at the crumpled paper in Duan Rong’s hand, which indeed was covered with dense small writing, but in the dim light, you could also see a curled hair on it.

Recalling where Duan Rong had just taken it from, Yang Zhen looked disgusted, unwilling to reach out and take it.

Duan Rong also noticed Yang Zhen’s expression, looked down, and immediately flicked his hand to shake off the hair. Then he turned his head to look at Xiao Yu and said, ”Xiao Yu, lend me that envelope you have.”

Xiao Yu understood, took out the envelope from her pocket, carefully extracting her father’s last letter, and handed the empty envelope to Duan Rong.

Duan Rong took the envelope, folded the paper and stuffed it in, then handed it to Yang Zhen.

Only then did Yang Zhen reach out to take it and asked, ”When should it be delivered?”

”As soon as possible,” said Duan Rong. ”You’d better set off today.”

Yang Zhen’s eyes glimmered for a moment. ”Okay!”

Yang Zhen tucked the letter into his sleeve and left the secret room.

Duan Rong watched Yang Zhen leave, then turned around, picked up the black ceramic pot and found the beef soup inside was gone.

”Did you two eat it all?” Duan Rong asked, displeased, looking at Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi.

Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi touched their rounded bellies, embarrassedly burping.

Even though the beef soup in the black ceramic pot was already emptied, Duan Rong still used his Divine Sense to accurately pick several pieces of beef from inside.

The beef had stuck to the inner wall.

Duan Rong wrapped the beef in flatbread and ate it.

After eating, Duan Rong had no time to rest. He stood there, and in an instant, his entire body crackled as his skeleton compacted, quickly transforming into the guise of the little beggar. The only difference was his slightly protruding stomach.

Duan Rong wrapped his tattered clothes over his stomach and turned to leave.

As Yang Zhen delivered the letter to Ximen Kankan, he had to continue gathering intelligence to confirm the next moves of Ruan Fengshan and Sun Qian.

At the moment Duan Rong turned around, Xiao Yu said, ”Duan Rong, be careful!”

Duan Rong turned his head and smiled slightly, saying, ”Don’t worry. I won’t make you a widow.”

”Bah.” Xiao Yu spat on the ground in disdain.

But Duan Rong had already exited the secret room.

Upon hearing Duan Rong’s remark about leaving Xiao Yu a widow, Zhu Xiaoqi’s heart skipped a beat. She looked at Xiao Yu and asked, ”Miss, you and he...”

Xiao Yu’s face blushed slightly. She and Zhu Xiaoqi were as close as sisters, so she explained her situation with Duan Rong to Zhu Xiaoqi, stating that Duan Rong had initially planned to propose to her father upon his return, but unexpectedly, such a big change occurred as soon as he returned.

As Xiao Yu spoke, her eyes reddened unconsciously.

Zhu Xiaoqi listened, her heart a mix of emotions, unable to tell if it was sweetness or bitterness...

Upon arriving at the government office, Yang Zhen immediately asked Chief Constable Ding Xingxing for leave.

Upon hearing his request, Ding Xingxing’s face turned cold and he said, ”No. The office is busy. How can you take leave now?”

Yang Zhen argued, ”Chief Constable, I really have something important. If you don’t grant me leave, I might have to abandon my post.”

Seeing Yang Zhen’s determination, Ding Xingxing’s eyes flickered slightly. In the past three years, this was the first time Yang Zhen asked for leave; usually, even small injuries wouldn’t keep him off his duties. He understood that Yang Zhen truly had something pressing. ”Alright then, go. Come back as soon as possible! There’s still a lot to be done here!”

”Ah... Thank you, Chief Constable!” Yang Zhen gratefully thanked him and hurried off.

Ding Xingxing watched Yang Zhen’s retreating figure and smiled slightly. Over the three years of working together, he had grown quite fond of this youngster. However, the County Magistrate had just called him to the flower hall, asking him to find a reliable person to investigate the social connections of the two registered disciples, Duan Rong and Xiao Yu, who had entered the sect three years ago. He originally planned to assign this task to Yang Zhen. But since Yang Zhen had urgent matters, he’d let Zhu Baogui handle it instead.