Opening the window, she followed the direction of the sound with her gaze.
Through the gaps in the fence, a black shadow could be seen moving.
It moved as slowly as a turtle; had Song Jinzhao not possessed such sharp hearing, she might not have noticed it at all.
After confirming there was no one else around, Song Jinzhao raised her right hand and aimed at the figure.
The next second, a short arrow flashing with a silvery white light pierced through the night sky.
"Ah—" A cry of pain rang out.
The man clutched his arm, looking at Song Jinzhao with a face full of astonishment.
Inside the carriage, the guards responsible for the night watch snapped their eyes open. The two of them quickly rushed out, and upon meeting Song Jinzhao's sharp gaze, any lingering drowsiness vanished instantly.
With anxious hearts, the two vaulted over the fence and apprehended the man.
Terrified of being reprimanded by Song Jinzhao, the guards furiously interrogated the man, "Who are you? What are you trying to do?"
This commotion woke up everyone else who had been sleeping soundly in their rooms.
Qu Ya rushed out and stopped at the door of the adjacent room. Seeing that everything was fine inside, he finally relaxed; he and Guan Nianshan's wife were sleeping next door.
Song Jinzhao walked out. Xuetuan, pressing against her leg, caught the scent of blood, raised its head, and let out a long roar.
The tiger's roar echoed through the valley, jolting the villagers of Longshan Town from their slumber.
"What was that sound? A wolf howling?"
A woman instinctively shielded her child, her tone trembling slightly.
"With a sound that loud, could the wolves have come down the mountain?"
"I'll block the door with the table." Saying this, a man climbed out of bed, not only moving the table but also checking the windows.
Other households that had been awakened took the exact same precautions.
Afterward, they didn't dare to go back to sleep, sitting with machetes in hand for nearly an hour before finally daring to close their eyes.
In the woodshed in the inn's backyard, the innkeeper hid by the door, too afraid to go inside.
"Do you know him?" Lan Xi nodded toward the man.
The innkeeper shrank his neck and nodded.
"His name is Wang Er. He lives in the house right behind the inn and is a notorious ruffian in town."
Wang Er was pinned to the ground, barely able to catch his breath, sweat dripping endlessly from his forehead.
Surrounded entirely by outsiders, the innkeeper was the only person he knew.
"Uncle Yuan, save me! I just came out to use the latrine, it's all a misunderstanding."
Pressing a knee forcefully into the man's shoulder blade, the guard snapped, "Do you need to sneak around and peek just to use the latrine? Tell me the truth, right now!"
Noticing the bloody hole in Wang Er's arm, the innkeeper covered his eyes in fear.
"Do as you please. I have to get up early to make breakfast tomorrow, so I'm going to bed."
Not to mention that Wang Er usually liked to engage in petty theft, even if he were a good person, the innkeeper wouldn't dare to speak up for him.
The other party had numbers, weapons, and even kept a tiger as a pet. Crossing them was practically a death wish.
Seeing the innkeeper turn and walk away, Wang Er instantly felt as if the sky had fallen.
He was dead for sure now. Had he known he would be caught, he never would have come.
Not wanting to die, Wang Er struggled to lift his head and pleaded with Song Jinzhao, his face full of bitterness and a forced, fawning expression.
"I really just came out to use the latrine. I beg you, Miss, spare my life! I will work like a horse and toil like an ox for you in my next life."
Not wanting to waste time, Song Jinzhao handed the man directly over to Lan Xi and the others to handle.
"I want the truth in half an hour. Everyone else, go back to rest."
It was so late, and everyone was tired; getting covered in blood would just mean having to bathe all over again.
"Yes." Lan Xi nodded vigorously, bouncing the leg that was pressing down on Wang Er.
After the crowd dispersed, the simple slatted door of the woodshed slammed shut with a bang. Wang Er was instantly scared so badly he wet himself.
A stench of urine spread through the air, and Qingshuang held her breath in disgust.
Lan Xi shoved a piece of firewood, thick as half a fist, into Wang Er's mouth, scraping the mucous membrane inside. Soon, the metallic taste of blood mingled with the scent of sawdust.
