Yun Chengxuan grabbed the tiger's leg and was about to hoist it onto his shoulder when Jiang Jin hurriedly stopped him. "What are you doing?"
This was an adult tiger with a massive build. Whether it weighed five hundred pounds or not was uncertain, but it was definitely at least four hundred.
Yun Chengxuan replied as a matter of course, "Auntie, we can't drag it. If the tiger skin gets ruined, we won't be able to make a tiger skin coat out of it."
With that, he exerted his strength and swung the tiger directly onto his shoulder. He walked off carrying it, his steps as steady and effortless as if he were walking on flat ground.
Jiang Jin was speechless.
Yun Chengxuan's strength was truly unbelievable. Even his grandfather, Yun Shao, was probably nowhere near as strong. She wondered what his absolute limit was.
Jiang Jin quickly caught up. Ultimately, she softened her heart and stopped on the way down the mountain, where the two of them worked together to clear out a den of rabbits.
They caught a total of seventeen rabbits, old and young alike. All were captured alive, including a pregnant doe.
Looking at the pregnant rabbit's round belly, Jiang Jin had an idea.
Rabbits had a very strong reproductive capacity. If they kept a few for breeding, they would have a steady supply of rabbit meat in the future.
At the encampment at the foot of the mountain.
Seeing that Jiang Jin had been up the mountain for a long time without returning, Zhou Sui and the others were somewhat worried.
Dong Si looked toward the deep mountains. "Should we go up and look for them?"
Although both Jiang Jin and Yun Chengxuan were highly skilled, there were likely large beasts in such deep mountains. If they were unlucky enough to run into one, it would be troublesome.
Moreover, the terrain on the mountain was complex, and it was easy to lose one's sense of direction in the dense forest.
Zhou Sui nodded. He was just about to lead some men up the mountain when he saw Yun Chengxuan carrying a fierce tiger.
Following behind him, Jiang Jin was dragging a string of rabbits—literally dragging them.
She had tied one leg of each rabbit, stringing them together one by one. The ones that cooperated and hopped along were fine, but the ones that refused to move were simply dragged.
The crowd was dumbfounded. What... what kind of spectacle was this?!
Dong Si was the first to react, running over excitedly. "My lady, my lady, you caught so many rabbits! That's amazing."
Everyone else was speechless. Clearly, the one carrying the tiger was the amazing one—that was a tiger! Was he blind?
Zhou Sui and the others also snapped out of their daze and hurried forward to help.
Jiang Jin handed the rabbits to Dong Si and looked at the tiger that had been placed on the ground. "You guys figure out the best way to handle this tiger."
Yun Chengxuan emphasized, "The tiger skin must be kept intact. I'm going to make a tiger skin coat for my auntie."
Dong Si patted his shoulder. "We have people in our group who know how to tan hides. Don't worry, I'll definitely get it done perfectly for the lady."
Suo Qian ran over and made a request: "Tiger bones are good stuff, excellent medicinal materials. Can you leave them to me to process?"
Jiang Jin had no objections. "Alright."
Mu Zhuo was a bit envious. Tiger bones were rare, and he wanted them too, but he wasn't one of Jiang Jin's people yet, so he couldn't rightfully make such a request.
Jiang Jin continued instructing Dong Si, "See if you can keep two pairs of male and female rabbits to raise, especially this pregnant one. Process the rest; Chengxuan wants to eat rabbit meat."
Dong Si smiled brightly. "You got it."
By this time, lunch had been prepared. The group only began processing the tiger and rabbits after they finished eating.
Everyone else went about their duties. Those on patrol patrolled, those training trained, those making clothes made clothes, and those washing dishes washed dishes. Everything was in perfect order.
The rabbit meat was quickly prepared, and Dong Si brought it over in a large pot.
Jiang Jin had already mixed the spices in the carriage, grinding them into powder with a medicine mortar. It was a pity they didn't have chili peppers in this era, otherwise, the flavor would be even better.
However, they did have Sichuan peppercorns. A numbing spice was still a spice, and adding it would significantly improve the taste.
Before long, the unique aroma of roasted rabbit meat drifted through the camp. Even though everyone had just eaten lunch, they still drooled with craving.
Yun Chengxuan squatted next to Jiang Jin, watching her sprinkle seasoning powder onto the meat from time to time. The rabbit meat was roasted to a golden brown, sizzling with oil.
He wiped imaginary drool from the corner of his mouth and urged, "Auntie, is it ready? It smells so good. What did you add? Why is it so fragrant?"
This roasted rabbit meat completely overturned his understanding of food; it was entirely different from the meat he used to roast with just a little salt.
Smelling the aroma, his mouth constantly watered, and he kept swallowing his saliva. If it weren't his auntie cooking, he would have snatched it by force.
Jiang Jin was amused by his greedy look. After making sure the meat was fully cooked, she handed it to him. "Eat up. Let's see if you can handle the spice."
Yun Chengxuan took it and, regardless of how hot it was, impatiently stuffed it into his mouth.
With one bite, the skin was crispy, and the inside was tender and juicy. The slight numbing and spicy taste, combined with that unique aroma, made it incredibly delicious.
Yun Chengxuan felt the rich meat flavor fill his mouth. It was as if his taste buds had opened up to a whole new world, and he couldn't stop eating.
He mumbled indistinctly to express his admiration for his aunt, "Auntie, you're too good to me. I will definitely take care of you in your old age and give you a proper burial."
Jiang Jin was speechless. Thank you very much, but I'm actually younger than you. It's still uncertain who will be burying whom.
She started roasting meat for herself; she was craving it too.
Dong Si had followed Jiang Jin's steps one by one earlier, and the meat in his hands was now cooked as well.
He swallowed his saliva, suppressing the urge to shove it into his mouth, and handed the meat to Jiang Jin. "My lady, you eat first."
Jiang Jin waved her hand. "I'll roast my own. You eat yours."
Dong Si was extremely touched. The lady was too good to him, letting him have the delicious food first.
He took a bite, and the rich, unique aroma swept through his mouth. The numbing spice elevated his sense of taste to a new level.
He sighed in satisfaction and mumbled, "Sho delicious, mmm, sho delicious."
Zhou Sui, Suo Qian, Feng Qingzhu, and the others also hurried over impatiently to freeload some meat.
Jiang Jin was very generous. "If you want to eat, roast it yourselves. We have over ten rabbits; there's plenty of meat."
In the distance, the crowd training on a large flat clearing couldn't help but look over frequently.
Yao Ji shouted, "What are you looking at?!"
The soldiers hurriedly gathered their focus, not daring to get distracted again.
Xie Nanxiao couldn't hold back. He winked at Yao Ji but spoke in a deadpan tone.
"Old Yao, I have some business to attend to. Help me keep an eye on these brats; I'll be back in a bit."
With that, he ran off in a flash.
Yao Ji watched him run to the campfire and join the meat-roasting squad with a flattering smile.
"I have some business too. Uh, please keep an eye out for me as well." Xia Chanyi also left in a hurry, acting as if she genuinely had urgent matters.
Yao Ji was speechless. Truth be told, he wanted to eat too.
Seeing so many people suddenly competing with him for the meat, Yun Chengxuan was unhappy. He quickly grabbed a few pieces of meat, figuring it was best to hoard them first.
The rabbit meat was indeed delicious, causing Jiang Jin to overeat. When they set out in the afternoon, she volunteered to ride ahead and scout the way to help digest her food.
Naturally, Yun Chengxuan followed her.
The tiger had also been processed. The tiger meat was drained of moisture, packed into sackcloth bags, and hung over the horses' backs to be carried.
The tiger bones were given to Suo Qian to handle, and the tiger skin was handed over to Dong Si so he could oversee the tanning process.
Jiang Jin and Yun Chengxuan rode leisurely along the road, not daring to gallop wildly for fear of throwing up the meat they had just eaten.
They rode for about an hour until they finally felt the food in their stomachs digest. Just then, the faint sounds of a fight drifted over from ahead.
Jiang Jin furrowed her brows, clamped her legs around her horse's belly, and hurried forward. Before long, she saw two groups of people fighting on the official road ahead.
Most of the people fighting on both sides were on horseback, showing that they were all from wealthy backgrounds.
However, the first thing that caught her attention wasn't the two factions engaged in combat, but the long line of horse-drawn carts halted in the middle of the road.
Stacked neatly upon the carts were bulging burlap sacks, shielded by oilcloth covers.
A quick glance revealed at least several dozen carts, making for quite a spectacular sight.
Numerous unarmed men were cowering beneath the carts or fleeing in all directions. These were likely the drivers, caught in the midst of absolute chaos.
Sitting right in the center of the convoy was an ornate carriage.
A middle-aged man frequently poked his head out from the cabin to assess the situation, his face pale with fright.
Standing guard beside the carriage were several men dressed in matching uniforms, their expressions a mix of anxiety and high alert.
