Never Let My Lord Be Implicated

Although Hao Jiyong was simple and kindhearted, he was no fool. He knew perfectly well that if they moved out the grain and Medicinal Herbs from the warehouse and still found nothing, Liu Yuanqing and the others would surely seize the chance to shirk responsibility.

Song Ankang, the new manor lord, had only just arrived and had not held the position for long. The affairs of the manor had all been controlled by Steward Wang, Liu Yuanqing, and the others.

Now that something had gone wrong with the warehouse, Liu Yuanqing would be the first to be held accountable, followed by Steward Wang, with Song Ankang, the new manor lord, coming last.

As the third party responsible, Song Ankang would have faced very little punishment.

But in order to clear Hao Jiyong's name, Song Ankang, who had originally had nothing to do with this matter, had already intervened and become the second party responsible. Now they were going to empty the warehouse, which would inevitably cause some damage to the Medicinal Herbs inside.

Once Liu Yuanqing reported this to the family elders, combined with what had happened before, Song Ankang would surely replace Liu Yuanqing as the primary person responsible for The Case of the Stolen Warehouse. If the culprit could not be found, he would also receive the harshest punishment.

After all, many of the Song Family's higher-ups did not think highly of Song Ankang, this son-in-law.

Seeing that Hao Jiyong was still thinking of him under such circumstances, utterly disregarding his own life and death and repaying kindness with gratitude, Song Ankang felt a little more comforted.

Glancing at Liu Yuanqing, whose face was full of delight, Song Ankang smiled. "If you're worried about me being punished, then use every bit of your ability to minimize the damage to the Medicinal Herbs during the move."

"Go deal with this immediately. If I weren't sufficiently certain, do you think I would take such a risk?"

"Th-this... yes, Manor Lord. I will certainly give it my all." Hao Jiyong said solemnly, "I will never disappoint Manor Lord's expectations."

After saying that, Hao Jiyong immediately directed the warehouse hands he knew, having them gather manpower and begin moving the grain and Medicinal Herbs out of the warehouse.

As for the more valuable Medicinal Herbs, Hao Jiyong handled them personally, refusing to let anyone else touch them in the slightest, for fear that they might suffer even the tiniest bit of damage.

While Hao Jiyong organized people to move the grain and Medicinal Herbs, Song Ankang carefully inspected every inch of the warehouse nearby.

The reason he was so certain was simple: Song Ankang had indeed discovered something unusual.

It was the faint traces of aura lingering around the Cunxi Grass. According to the original owner's memories, this aura should have belonged to some kind of Demonic Beast.

Since a Demonic Beast had entered the warehouse, it must have left traces behind. Yet no traces could be found now, leaving only one possibility: the traces had been buried beneath the grain and Medicinal Herbs, and could only be seen after they were moved away.

The Demonic Beast that had entered the warehouse was clearly quite cautious. It had actually left no traces anywhere else. Especially around the missing Medicinal Herbs, aside from that faint abnormal aura, it had left nothing else behind.

It was simply a little unbelievable!

Under normal circumstances, demons of the ninth rank were not very intelligent. They would always leave behind all kinds of clues when acting, allowing humans to easily determine who had done such things through those clues.

But this demon was formidable. It seemed to be deliberately concealing its tracks. Demons capable of such intelligence were generally not weak.

At this thought, Song Ankang recalled the strange feeling he had experienced when he had first entered the warehouse. Although that feeling had now vanished, the sense of danger within it still left lingering fear in his heart.

It seemed that if he were careless, he might be swallowed whole by the demon lurking in the darkness.

Then there were the faint traces of aura left on the Cunxi Grass. They definitely belonged to a demon. Thinking of the horrifying sight of the Earthworm Beast devouring people, Song Ankang's expression grew grave as well.

Fortunately, his mental will far exceeded that of ordinary people. Otherwise, he would never have sensed this strangeness or the Demonic Beast's aura. If he had muddleheadedly investigated the warehouse and given the demon hiding in the dark an opportunity to notice him, he would likely have been in danger.

The two times he had sensed something wrong should both have been when that demon was inside the warehouse. When the strange feeling disappeared, it should have meant that the demon had already left.

Song Ankang focused on the areas cleared of grain and Medicinal Herbs, hoping to find clues there. Jiang Yunhe seemed to have noticed something as well. His brows furrowed slightly as he followed Song Ankang in examining those places.

Some Tenant Farmers from the estate who had finished their farmwork received the news and came over to watch and help. Low murmurs rose all around them.

"Did a demon really enter the warehouse? But the warehouse is lined inside and out with incomparably hard Qinggang Stone. How could a demon possibly get in?"

"If a demon had truly entered the warehouse, it would definitely have left some clues behind. Even Instructor Jiang can't find any clues now, so how could this have been the work of a demon? The manor lord has made another mistake."

"I said long ago that the manor lord was an outsider. His character is outstanding, and he is the Capital's Foremost Filial Son, but he has never planted grain or Medicinal Herbs. How could he understand such things? He's just making a mess of things."

"After this, Manor Lord Song has thoroughly dragged himself into it. If the culprit can't be found, the family elders will definitely punish him. Hopefully, they can replace him with a capable manor lord."

No one thought highly of Song Ankang's actions. Some even felt that he was making a desperate gamble, trying to salvage his dignity and pride.

Liu Yuanqing stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he watched Hao Jiyong and the others move the grain and Medicinal Herbs. He secretly mocked Song Ankang for seeking suffering and courting death. This matter had originally had little to do with him, yet he had insisted on sticking his neck out. Now look what had happened.

Still, this was a tremendous stroke of good fortune for him. If Song Ankang had not forcibly stepped forward for Hao Jiyong, Liu Yuanqing would still have been the primary person responsible for The Case of the Stolen Warehouse. Hao Jiyong and Song Ankang were both such good people.

As the grain and Medicinal Herbs were moved out bit by bit, more and more empty space appeared in the warehouse. Many areas that had been covered were exposed, yet there were no traces of a demon's intrusion.

No burrows, no cracks, no traces of a demon... Thus, more and more people began to doubt Song Ankang's judgment, and the looks they gave him became increasingly strange.

Hao Jiyong's face gradually turned pale, but he still took advantage of a break to come to Song Ankang's side. With a solemn expression, he said, "Rest assured, Manor Lord. I will never allow this matter to implicate you."

Seeing the resolute look already appearing on Hao Jiyong's face, Song Ankang vaguely realized something. He waved a hand. "Don't worry. I'll find the problem."

After saying that, Song Ankang found a hardwood stick nearby and began tapping the warehouse floor, especially the areas that had just been cleared.

"Tap, tap, tap... tap, tap, tap..."