"By the way, Bingyan, have someone send that panda plush toy back to Baiyun Manor. Shuang'er likes it." Before leaving, Shen Lang pointed to the four-meter-tall culprit panda.

"Okay, sure."

After Shen Lang and the other two left, Xia Bingyan and Song Dajiang also left the toy store.

From beginning to end, no one paid any attention to Zhao Zesheng, who was standing there in a daze.

At this moment, Zhao Shanhe, the head of the Zhao family, who was sitting in the Zhao family courtyard drinking tea, would never have imagined that simply sending his son to survey the scale of Tianxiang City would lead to the extermination of his entire family.

Inside the elevator, Shuang'er clung to Shen Lang's arm and exclaimed excitedly, "Honey, you're so handsome!"

"Basic stuff, basic stuff!" Shen Lang said confidently.

Although Shuang'er comes from the Yu family, a top-tier family in the Yanhuang Kingdom, and is a Heaven-rank expert, she is still just a girl in her early twenties. How could she not be happy that her beloved would spend a fortune to buy an entire shopping mall for her?

The sixth floor of Tianxiang City houses Haizhonglao, a well-known hot pot restaurant in Yanhuang Kingdom.

This was Shen Lang's first time dining at this hot pot restaurant. He'd often heard tales of how delicious the food and how excellent the service were when he was training staff at the Yasi Hotel, but he'd always been too busy to try it himself. Today, he was taking the opportunity to experience it for himself.

Before the three even reached the entrance of the hot pot restaurant, uniformed waiters came up to greet them and escorted them into the restaurant.

And according to Shen Lang's request, an excellent location was arranged for him.

Fortunately, it was weekday and still early, so there weren't many people eating.

Then two waiters came over, one carrying a bowl of plum juice and the other holding a tablet.

Shen Lang wasn't really interested in eating hot pot in the summer; he was just there to experience it, so he casually ordered a few dishes.

Yu Xian'er also randomly picked two items.

When the tablet was in Shuang'er's hands, she was overjoyed, pointing at the dishes on the menu and bombarding the waiter with questions. In the end, she ordered a whole table of food.

A moment later, Xia Bingyan came up with a file folder and sat down next to Shuang'er.

"Is everything going smoothly?" Shen Lang asked.

Xia Bingyan nodded: "With your influence, Young Master Shen, everything will naturally go smoothly. And the price is five percent lower than the market price."

“Song Dajiang is a smart man,” Shen Lang said with a smile.

"Oh right, how's Gu Beisheng, the guy I arranged to join the group, doing?" Shen Lang suddenly remembered the enthusiast who worked part-time at McDonald's.

Xia Bingyan said, "It's not bad, but he doesn't know enough professional knowledge. I plan to arrange for him to study for a few months."

Shen Lang nodded: "His sister, Gu Nanyi, is disabled. You leaders should pay more attention to her."

"I know, my dear Mr. Shen!" Xia Bingyan laughed. "Isn't Gu Nanyi very pretty? She makes our husband so hung up on her. Looks like we're going to have another girlfriend!"

Shen Lang rolled his eyes at Xia Bingyan and said, "I've never even seen it, okay? Stop slandering me."

Then they stuffed a piece of lamb roll into Xia Bingyan's mouth to shut her up.

Halfway through the meal, Shen Lang couldn't eat anymore, so he put down his chopsticks and asked Xia Bingyan, "Bingyan, are you confident in dealing with the Shanhe Group?"

Xia Bingyan nodded and answered affirmatively, "Shanhe Group is already in decline, but the Zhao family hasn't realized it yet. If we join forces with Sheng Group and Yaotang Group, it should be done in three to five days."

"Then you can handle it as you see fit," Shen Lang said. "I'll give you a week to get these things sorted out, and then a week later we'll go on a family trip."

Xia Bingyan took a bite of food, shook her head, and said, "I'm afraid that won't work. The company still can't do without me. I won't go; I'll stay home and look after the house."

At this moment, Yu Xian'er spoke up: "No, all the sisters must go. No one can be missing, Xiao Bingyan."

“That’s right, that’s right,” Shuang’er said while burying her head in her rice.

"Alright then!" Yu Xian'er, the mistress of the harem, spoke up, and Xia Bingyan dared not refuse. So she agreed to go on a trip together a week later.

As the meal drew to a close, it became the women's domain.

Yu Xian'er is alright, she's rather quiet.

Shuang'er and Xia Bingyan, whether it was because they hadn't seen each other for too long or what, kept chattering away.

After lunch, the group strolled around the mall until the afternoon.

Even Yu Xian'er, who usually dislikes going out, started exploring on her own initiative after being influenced by Shuang'er and Xia Bingyan.

They shopped until four o'clock in the afternoon when Xia Bingyan received a call from her company, and the three women reluctantly ended their shopping trip.

Shen Lang and the other two drove back to Baiyun Villa.

Just as the three of them got out of the car, something strange happened at Baiyun Manor.

A surge of black energy suddenly appeared in the direction of the secluded meditation room.

"What's going on?" Shen Lang frowned slightly as he looked in the direction of the black mist.

"Young man, this is demonic energy, go and take a look." Zhao Wuji also sensed the black energy and instantly floated out from the Ghost Ring.

Shen Lang and the other two hurriedly ran towards the secluded training room.

Meanwhile, deep within the Qinling Mountains, Bai Qi, dressed in white, seemed to sense something as well. His gaze locked onto the direction of Baiyun Manor, and he muttered to himself, "How can there be such pure demonic energy?"

Immediately afterwards, a soldier dressed in black armor appeared behind Bai Qi and knelt on one knee: "Lord Wu'an, His Majesty orders you to leave the mountain and investigate the movement of the demonic energy."

"Understood." Bai Qi grabbed the bronze sword beside him and vanished from the spot in a flash.

Similarly, in Lijia Village and Zhaojia Village near the imperial tomb, as well as Meng Xi and Meng Fang of the Meng family, they also felt the fluctuations of this demonic energy.

Outside the closed-door training room, Shen Lang looked at the tightly shut door, his heart filled with anxiety.

"Shuang'er, is there any way to open the stone door to the secluded cultivation chamber?" Shen Lang asked.

Shuang'er shook her head: "Once you go inside this stone door, it can only be opened from the inside."

The demonic energy lingering outside the secluded room lingered for a long time.

The little sprite also flew out at this moment.

"Little guy, can you detect what's happening inside the closed training room?" Shen Lang asked.

After closing its eyes and sensing for a while, the little elf opened its eyes and said with a serious expression, "Master, something has happened to the little cook."

"What's wrong with Shiya?" Shen Lang asked anxiously.

The little elf shook her head: "I don't know either, but this aura should be coming from the little cook."

"Shuang'er, break open the stone door." Shen Lang immediately decided to forcefully break open the stone door of the secluded training chamber.

However, Shuang'er shook her head with a similarly solemn expression: "Husband, if Shiya has reached a crucial stage in her cultivation, rashly breaking through the stone gate will have a great impact on her. It may even shake her foundation."

Yu Xian'er walked to Shen Lang's side, gently took his hand, and softly comforted him, "Husband, don't worry. With Dongxue and the other three protecting you inside, Shiya will be fine."