While eating, Song Qiming would pause from time to time to chat with the innkeeper.
"So the bandits in Longtou Mountain are very formidable?"
Longtou Mountain was the last mountain Song Jinzhao and her group had to cross tomorrow; once through, they would be in the Southwest Province.
The innkeeper nodded and explained, "Originally, there were several dens of bandits in the surrounding mountains, but they were all wiped out by the bandits of Longtou Mountain. Their numbers have only been growing."
"For the past two months, the weather was cold and heavy snow sealed the mountains, so there wasn't a single traveling merchant. You must be extremely careful when you pass through tomorrow."
Song Jinzhao took out a small silver ingot and placed it on the table.
"Boss, you've run this inn here for so many years, you must know the background of these bandits very well. Is it convenient for you to tell us about them?"
Seeing Song Jinzhao take out the silver, the man's eyes lit up.
He excitedly tucked the silver into his robe, nodding with a face full of flattering smiles.
"Of course, of course. When it comes to the bandits of Longtou Mountain, they are..."
He knew they would ask, but he didn't expect them to be so generous.
One tael of silver was enough to cover the inn's profits for several days.
The innkeeper spoke in detail, and Song Jinzhao and the others listened attentively.
At the door of the back kitchen, a young boy clung to the doorframe with both hands, secretly watching Anhao feed Xuetuan. His initial fear had already turned into envy.
"Mother, I want to keep a tiger too."
A capable-looking woman slapped the boy on the shoulder.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Keeping a tiger is so dangerous; it will eat people."
The boy pointed at Xuetuan and said, "But how come it looks more obedient than a dog to me? That little brother was just rubbing its face hard, and it was so well-behaved and good."
The woman looked at Song Anhao and saw his soft little hands petting the top of the tiger's head back and forth, truly like petting a dog.
"I guess it's because they raised it from a young age so it's close to them. They carry swords and are no ordinary people. You're even afraid of the snow leopards on the mountain, so don't even think about keeping a tiger. You wouldn't even be enough for one bite."
Not to mention anything else, seven chickens a meal was something their family couldn't afford to feed it.
After dinner, everyone briefly washed up and returned to their rooms to rest.
The moonlight shone on the bare mountains, making the night seem less dark.
The night was quiet and silent. Having traveled all day, everyone slept very soundly.
The superior room only had one bed. With the four Song siblings plus a tiger, Song Qiming could only sleep on the floor.
In the thatched hut behind the inn, a thin and small man had been continuously lying by the window.
It wasn't until the dead of night that he carefully opened the door and squeezed out sideways.
The man hunched over, pressing his body close to the fence as he circled to the front of the inn to look into the courtyard.
He saw ten horse-drawn carts full of boxes parked in the courtyard, and under the eaves were two more horse-drawn carriages with cabins.
Over a hundred horses crowded the entire courtyard to the brim.
The man gulped, his eyes flashing with excitement.
A big business, an absolutely huge business.
As long as he told the bandits this news, the reward would certainly not be small.
In the room, Song Jinzhao, lying on the bed, and Xuetuan, resting on the floor mat, opened their eyes at the same time.
Seeing it open its mouth to roar, Song Jinzhao immediately shot it a threatening look.
Xuetuan swallowed a mouthful of air and shook its head aggrievedly.
Song Jinzhao got up from the bed, pressed her finger against its forehead, and pushed it down.
Xuetuan lay back on the ground in frustration, covering its face with its paws, not wanting to speak.
The temperature at the foot of the mountain was low, so the windows were closed for sleeping at night.
Song Jinzhao walked to the window and listened carefully, but the footsteps had disappeared again.
After a while, the footsteps sounded again; it was the sound of shoe soles rubbing against gravel.
Judging by the sound, there should be only one person.
Song Jinzhao narrowed her eyes, a hint of danger showing between her brows.
Just as she wanted to wait for the other party to get closer, she found the footsteps getting further and further away, as if they were leaving.
