Is the beginning of a catastrophe? The little farm cook is raising a family with a full warehouse.

The next morning, the city lord's mansion was still shrouded in mist, and dew on the stone steps meandered like little snakes, soaking the dark patterns on the night watchman's black boots.

Two rows of armored guards stood in front of the vermilion lacquered gate, their armor leaves rustling slightly with their breathing, and the bronze rims of their spears resting on the ground gleamed coldly.

Shen Linfeng lay on his back on the large carved bed, with dark blue silk curtains hanging around him. His brows were relaxed, with a faint smile on his lips, as if he was having a sweet dream.

Last night, he held a lavish banquet in his house and partied all night with a group of his confidants. They were accompanied by fine wine, delicious food, music, singing and dancing. It was a very extravagant and absurd banquet. It was not until the second half of the night that he returned to his bedroom drunkenly and fell asleep.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps coming from afar broke the silence.

The confidant Zhou Qingxiong ran to the door breathlessly, not caring about etiquette, and knocked on the door hard, "City Lord, City Lord! Something terrible has happened!" His voice was full of anxiety and panic.

Shen Linfeng was awakened by the sudden noise. His brows were furrowed with anger and he was in a terrible mood.

The beauty beside him was also awakened by the shrill sound. Her long eyelashes trembled a few times, and she opened her eyes lazily, with some sleepiness still in her eyes. Half of her face peeked out from the pile of brocade quilts, and she muttered a few words in dissatisfaction, "Who is it... so early in the morning..." Then she snuggled weakly in Shen Linfeng's arms, trying to fall asleep again.

Shen Linfeng suppressed his anger and shouted impatiently, "What is it that you have to report so early in the morning? You've disturbed this city lord's sweet sleep!"

Outside the house, Zhou Qingxiong's voice was trembling. Due to excessive fear, he just poured out all the information he knew in one go, without any order or structure.

"City Lord, something terrible has happened! Early this morning, the warehouse was in chaos. I rushed over to see the guys in charge, all terrified. They told me tremblingly that as soon as they opened the door, they found that the things that were usually piled high were gone. They don't know what happened. The doors and windows were all fine, so how could the things be gone? I'm rushing to report this to you..."

Shen Linfeng had been drunk all night, and his head was dizzy. He was not yet fully conscious. After hearing this series of unclear words, he was even more confused. He immediately became furious and shouted angrily: "Get in here and get to the point!"

Zhou Qingxiong pushed the door open tremblingly, rushed into the house, and knelt on the ground with a plop. He stammered, "City...City Lord, the warehouses in the City Lord's Mansion... have all been emptied!"

"What did you say?" Shen Linfeng's eyes widened instantly, and the sleepiness in his eyes disappeared instantly, replaced by full shock and anger, "Explain it clearly to this city lord!"

Zhou Qingxiong swallowed hard, trying to calm himself, but his voice couldn't stop trembling. "From the grain and cloth to the gold, silver and jewelry, everything is gone! The warehouse is now empty, but the doors and windows are intact. I really don't know who did this and how they did it..."

Shen Linfeng's face was filled with suspicion. "Are you telling the truth? Don't try to deceive this city lord with such a thing! The warehouse is heavily guarded, how could it be emptied so easily? Did you see it wrong, or are you stealing from the storehouse and deliberately making up a lie to fool me?"

Zhou Qingxiong's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground. His voice was filled with tears as he desperately waved his hands, saying, "City Lord, even if I had the guts to do this, I wouldn't dare lie to you! As soon as I heard the news, I rushed to report to you. I've personally checked all the warehouses, and it's absolutely true. They've been emptied!"

Shen Linfeng still refused to believe it, gritting his teeth and saying, "Go and confirm it again. If you tell me even a single lie, I will make sure you die!"

Zhou Qingxiong wanted to cry but had no tears. Even at this time, Shen Linfeng was still doubting him. But he didn't dare to refute him, let alone delay, so he had to stumble out.

Shen Linfeng rubbed his temples, which were aching from his hangover, trying to sober himself up. He kept comforting himself in his heart that this must be an illusion after being drunk. The City Lord's Mansion was heavily guarded and on high alert, so how could such a thing as a theft happen?

Even if there were really a thief with such audacity, it would be impossible for him to move all the supplies piled up in the warehouse overnight.

Yes, this must be because I haven't fully woken up from the hangover and am still having an absurd nightmare.

The beauty beside him keenly sensed the low pressure in the air and curled up in a corner of the bed, not daring to even breathe, for fear of angering the city lord who was on the verge of a rage.

After a while, Zhou Qingxiong rushed back, panting, and fell to his knees again with a plop, crying, "City Lord, it's absolutely true! All the warehouses are empty, there's nothing left!"

Shen Linfeng was truly panicking now. The color drained from his face in an instant, turning it pale. He hurriedly put on his clothes and, while tying his belt, he roared at Zhou Qingxiong, "What are you still standing there for? Why don't you take this city lord with you to check it out!"

After saying that, he strode towards the warehouse. Zhou Qingxiong behind him didn't even have time to tidy up his clothes. He could only wipe the cold sweat from his face while running and followed closely behind him.

When Shen Linfeng arrived at the warehouse and kicked open the still closed door, the scene in front of him made him freeze in place.

The warehouse, which was originally piled high with all kinds of supplies, was now empty. You could hear the echo of every movement. The morning light slanted in through the carved window panes, illuminating the ground with gold powder and dust dancing in the air, as if silently mocking it.

"This is impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" Shen Linfeng yelled frantically while pacing back and forth in the empty warehouse.

He turned around abruptly, grabbed Zhou Qingxiong by the collar, and violently lifted him up, roaring, "What the hell is going on? Where are my things? What are you doing here?"

Zhou Qingxiong was so frightened that his face turned pale, his legs trembling constantly, and he could only stammer and repeat: "City Lord, I really don't know..."

Shen Linfeng was so angry that his seven orifices were fuming, veins popping out on his forehead. He threw Zhou Qingxiong aside and roared, "Search the city immediately! The roads outside the city are all broken. Even if the thief is very capable, there's no way he could have transported so many things out of Junhua City overnight! He must be hiding somewhere in the city. Dig deep to find him!"

How could Zhou Qingxiong dare to disobey? He leaned forward, put his hands on the ground, lowered his head, and eagerly accepted the order: "Don't worry, City Lord, I'll do it right away!" After that, he suddenly stood up, staggered out of the warehouse, shouted to gather people, and prepared to launch a carpet search in the city.

"Everyone listen up, assemble immediately!" The voice was sharp and urgent, echoing in the yard.