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

Like the previous ones, this rumor quickly spread throughout the city.

In the streets and alleys, people gathered together, either huddled under the eaves or around a barely burning small fire, rubbing their hands to resist the cold and whispering to each other.

"Have you heard? The city lord's mansion's storehouse has been emptied. It's a punishment from the immortals!" A young man crouched down, quickly approached the crowd, and spoke in a low voice, his eyes flashing with uncontrollable excitement.

"That's right!" An older woman nearby nodded quickly, her eyes filled with awe. She subconsciously glanced around, fearing some mysterious force might overhear her. "I've also heard people say that immortals have boundless magical powers. They can just wave their sleeves, chant a few incantations, and cast a spell, and everything will disappear without a scratch, leaving doors or windows unscathed. It's like a magic trick."

"The cold disaster is so severe, but he doesn't care about our lives and just enjoys the good life himself. Shouldn't he be punished?" An old man frowned, his face full of indignation.

Everyone was talking at once, their voices small but filled with long-suppressed emotions.

Soon, the news spread like wildfire and reached the City Lord's Mansion again.

The confidant Zhou Qingxiong was extremely anxious. He trotted all the way through the winding corridor and hurriedly walked into the hall. His forehead was covered with sweat, and he didn't even bother to wipe it off. He knelt on the ground with a plop.

"City Lord, I am incompetent and still haven't found the thing." Zhou Qingxiong's voice trembled. He didn't dare to breathe. He could only lower his head and look at the cold ground in front of him.

At this time, Shen Linfeng was sitting in the main seat. Upon hearing this, his face was so gloomy that water could drip out of it. He threw the teacup in his hand heavily to the ground, making a crisp sound of breaking.

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

Shen Linfeng's eyes were wide open with anger, like a trapped beast. He suddenly stood up and kicked the table beside him hard.

With a loud "crash", the pens, ink, paper, inkstone, precious ornaments and other items on the table were scattered all over the floor, rolling and colliding on the ground, making a chaotic noise.

"I've been searching for you all day and still can't find you. What are you all for? What's the point of keeping a bunch of good-for-nothings like you!" His angry roar echoed in the hall, making people's eardrums hurt.

Zhou Qingxiong was trembling with fear. He hesitated for a moment, knowing that the news outside would most likely be impossible to conceal, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "City Lord, there's another thing... The rumor in the city is that the immortal can't stand you, so he emptied the warehouse..."

"Shut up!" Shen Linfeng roared like thunder. "What kind of nonsense are these? Someone must have deliberately fabricated this rumor to confuse the people!"

He paced back and forth, the anger on his face almost overflowing.

Although there is still a batch of grain stored in the granary outside the city, which is enough to support the daily food and clothing of the City Lord's Mansion in the short term, what Shen Linfeng is more distressed about at the moment is the gold and silver treasures he has collected over the years by all means and with great effort.

Those were all things he had accumulated with great effort, but now they disappeared without a trace overnight. How could he not be heartbroken and extremely angry?

Thinking of this, he shouted again at Zhou Qingxiong who was kneeling on the ground: "Now! Immediately! Keep looking! No matter what method you use, you must find it back. If you still can't find it, you will be beheaded!"

Zhou Qingxiong knelt on the ground, listening to Shen Linfeng's roar. He felt dizzy and his heart was in unspeakable pain.

All day, they searched house to house in the icy snow, their hands and feet numb from the cold, their stomachs growling with hunger. The people were already quite resentful of their search, and the brothers were under tremendous pressure, and were already filled with anger.

But the city lord completely ignored all this and didn't even give them a moment's rest.

Zhou Qingxiong knew that if this continued, his men would inevitably rebel. However, looking at Shen Linfeng's furious face, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He could only sigh helplessly in his heart and replied tremblingly, "City Lord, calm down. I will do it right away, right away..."

After saying this, he struggled to get up from the ground and slowly walked out of the hall, worrying in his heart how this matter would end.

As Shen Linfeng's confidant, Zhou Qingxiong understood Shen Linfeng better than anyone else, knowing that he was a complete and utter egoist. In Shen Linfeng's eyes, his own interests always came first. Anyone who disobeyed him or failed to satisfy him would inevitably face endless trouble.

Zhou Qingxiong knew that he was in a dilemma. If he did not follow Shen Linfeng's orders, he would be the first to suffer.

Those who had angered Shen Linfeng were either demoted or expelled from the City Lord's Mansion. Some even disappeared inexplicably, their whereabouts unknown. Thinking of this, Zhou Qingxiong shuddered, gritted his teeth, and decided to go and convey the order.

As expected, when he passed down the order to continue the search, there was a burst of complaints from the crowd.

"It's already this late, and they still won't let us rest. It's freezing cold, who can stand it?"

"We're busy from morning till night and can't even get a hot meal. The city lord only cares about his treasures and doesn't care about our lives!"

But even though they complained, due to the oppression of Shen Linfeng's power and the long-standing habit of obedience, although everyone was unwilling, they ultimately had no choice but to obey orders.

……

At the same time, Cheng Yuntao and his family were sitting together in the house to keep warm. The cold wind was howling outside the window, but the house was warm.

Cheng Yuntao cupped her hands over the charcoal basin, the dancing flames reflecting two golden-red dots in her eyes. She spoke with a hint of excitement, "I was originally worried about how to safely deliver the supplies looted by Shen Linfeng to the people. Now, the opportunity has come to me."

The family members looked at him with confusion, not quite understanding the connection between them.

Cheng Yuntao picked up the teacup, took a sip, moistened her throat, and explained slowly, "There are rumors all over the city right now. They all say that the strange things that happened in the City Lord's Mansion were a lesson given to Shen Linfeng by an immortal. So I will use this as an excuse to become an immortal for once."

"The people are already dissatisfied with Shen Linfeng, and they also believe in the immortal's words. I will distribute the supplies in the name of the immortal, which will not only help the people but also make Shen Linfeng speechless."

As soon as the words fell, Jiang Yu's eyes suddenly lit up: "I know! You are planning to build momentum, using this rumor to create a more reasonable identity for yourself. By wearing the 'cloak' of an immortal, it will be easier to act, right?"

Cheng Yuntao turned her head, her eyes meeting Jiang Yu's eager gaze, nodded, and said affirmatively: "Yes, it is to build momentum and distribute food."

Jiang Yu nodded repeatedly after hearing this, his eyes full of approval: "The idea sounds good, but how do we implement it specifically?"

Cheng Yuntao looked at Shaobing, who was listening attentively, and said gently, "Shaobing, I'll make some more buns tomorrow morning. Take these buns to your friends and ask them to help spread the news in different areas of the city."