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

Without the burden of supplies, the return journey was significantly faster.

Cao Xiong and his group continued their journey and arrived in Huanglong Township in the evening. After asking around, they finally found Tanxiang Village, which Miao Yuan had mentioned.

Tanxiang Village is located in a remote area, surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing a lake on the other.

When Cao Xiong and his men arrived at Tanxiang Village, it was already 9 PM.

The entire village was silent, with only a few houses emitting light.

Cao Xiong led his soldiers into the village and stopped outside a relatively spacious courtyard.

There are two stone lions at the entrance, and the plaque reads "Chen Mansion".

Cao Xiong ordered his soldiers to knock on the door. Not long after, the gate opened and a servant dressed in blue came out.

By the light from the lanterns on both sides of the gate, the servants could see Cao Man, who looked like an iron tower.

"Oh my god, help!" The servant was horrified. He took two steps back and tripped on the ground.

"Don't be afraid, he's not a monster."

Cao Xiong's calm voice rang in the servant's ears.

The servants, who had fallen to the ground, finally noticed Cao Xiong and the others, but when they saw the armor Cao Xiong was wearing, a hint of avoidance flashed in their eyes.

With the blessing of the "Stone of the Mind" attribute, Cao Xiong could not escape the servants' perception.

There's something wrong with this servant!

"I am Cao Xiong, a 100-household officer from Guobei County. I am passing through Tanxiang Village and would like to ask for lodging for the night. Please inform the homeowner."

The servant quickly stood up. "Please wait a moment, sir. I'll be right there."

After saying that, the servant hurriedly ran into the courtyard.

About ten minutes later, a middle-aged man with a bulky figure and dressed in rich clothes jogged to the door and knelt down on the ground.

"This humble citizen, Chen Lian, greets Your Excellency, Commander."

"Get up. I apologize for the late hour." Cao Xiong said gently.

"Sir, you are too kind. Your humble abode is truly honored!"

"Please come in, sirs. I have already instructed my servants to prepare meat."

Chen Lian kept his head down, making it impossible for anyone to see his expression.

Cao Xiong nodded, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Cao Xiong looked at Cao Man and said, "Cao Man, you rest nearby and remember not to disturb the villagers."

"yes!"

Subsequently, Cao Xiong and his group, led by Chen Lian, arrived at the main hall of the Chen residence.

Inside, two maids were setting out bowls and chopsticks.

Cao Xiong arranged for his men to sit down, and Chen Lian was placed next to him.

Before long, the servants brought the food and wine to the table one after another.

During this time, Cao Xiong's attention was always on Chen Lian, and he did not notice anything unusual.

After all the dishes were served, Chen Lian opened a jar of wine and filled it for Cao Xiong.

"My lord, please try this sweet and sour thousand-acre fish."

"This fish is unique to Qianmu Lake and is extremely rare. You're lucky; we just caught one this afternoon."

"No need to be so polite, please sit down." Cao Xiong didn't touch his chopsticks and instead started chatting with Chen Lian.

"I just left Linya City. I heard that a caravan had an accident nearby. Is that true?"

Cao Xiong extended his divine sense, not missing any of Chen Lian's slightest movements.

Upon hearing Cao Xiong's question, Chen Lian's right hand trembled slightly, and his face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered.

Cao Xiong saw all of this.

"My lord, I really don't know. Huanglong Township is not far from Linya City, and the bandits and robbers in the vicinity have long been killed by the imperial court."

"Who's so bold as to rob a caravan?"

Chen Lian's tone was filled with disbelief.

Cao Xiong's lips curled slightly. "I also heard that a garrison commander sent by the county town garrison to investigate the disappearance of a merchant caravan a couple of days ago has also disappeared."

Have you seen the officers and soldiers of the garrison?

Cao Xiong picked up the wine glass, took a sniff, and finding no unusual smell, drank it down directly.

Chen Lianzuo pondered, as if he were really recalling something carefully. "I've never seen it before. Logically speaking, Tanxiang Village is only so big. If an official really came here, there shouldn't be no commotion at all."

"Hehe~ Then it must be a rumor." Cao Xiong chuckled.

After that, Cao Xiong did not ask any more questions.

After Chen Lian started eating, Cao Xiong confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the food before he took the lead in eating.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Chen Lian had rooms arranged for Cao Xiong and the others.

……

……

After the servants who had led the way left, Cao Xiong gathered his soldiers and officers. "You will take turns on guard duty, spreading out around the courtyard. Keep a close watch on everything. No one from the Chen family is allowed to leave."

Although it was only a brief encounter, Cao Xiong was already certain that Chen Lian, including the servant in the Chen household, must know something.

However, he didn't rush to interrogate Chen Lian. Instead, he planned to wait until tomorrow, after visiting the village, to pry Chen Lian out of his mouth.

Nothing happened that night.

The next day, Cao Xiong changed into an ordinary long gown, left the Chen residence, and wandered around the entire Tanxiang Village.

……

……

……

[This chapter is still a few hundred words short. Give me half an hour, don't rush to read it, the following content is irrelevant!]

He didn't feel tired at all; on the contrary, he seemed quite energetic.

"The entry for 'still going strong in old age' certainly did not disappoint me."

In the past, when practicing the "Fierce Tiger Stance," after completing one set, my back would ache, and I would need at least half a day to recover before I could continue practicing the second set.

Cao Xiong didn't want to waste time and continued. With the perseverance of an ox or horse from his previous life, what was martial arts training?

The days that followed were uneventful, and Cao Xiong practiced the "Fierce Tiger Stance" four or five times a day.

Eight days later.

Name: Cao Xiong

【Age】：60/80

[Cultivation Level]: Physically Strong (Not Yet Entered the Realm)

[Entry 1] Still vigorous despite old age (in white)

[Technique]: Fierce Tiger Stance - Skin Tempering Chapter (Beginner) 99/100

Eighteen Forms of Wind Slash (Perfect) 8/400

[Fragments]: 0~2

Miao Yuan waved his hand, "There aren't so many rules in the military camp. You've taken in a good prospect."

"I was just lucky," Cao Xiong said calmly, though he was genuinely afraid that Miao Yuan would try to take the man from him.

"The centurions in the thousand-household office have been busy lately. Since you're here, you can help me out." Miao Yuan took out a stack of files from the side of the table.

"He can be ordered around by the commander." Cao Xiong thought to himself that Wei Qiang was right.

"Take a look and see which ones interest you." Miao Yuan picked out several cases that had been thoroughly investigated from a stack of files and handed them to Cao Xiong.

"I've heard that there have been cases in the county town recently where people have lost limbs and organs after death. I wonder if there's any progress?" Cao Xiong took the file but didn't open it. Instead, he asked about the mutilated corpses.

"The case you mentioned does exist, and it has had a very negative impact. We don't have many leads yet." Miao Yuan knew immediately that Wei Qiang must have told Cao Xiong about it.

"My lord, the case file I handed to you when I last visited the Thousand Household Office contained records of the case of Commander Fangzheng, which is exactly the same as the case of the mutilated corpse in the county town."

Upon hearing Cao Xiong's words, Miao Yuan recalled for a moment and realized it was indeed true.

However, Miao Yuan didn't take Fang Zheng's file seriously at all after reading it.