On a mountain peak two hundred miles west of Suining City, the bandits of Tiger Head Stronghold were gathered together, celebrating wildly.
In the backyard, box after box of fine silks and satins were being carried into the storehouse, while down below on the official road, the blood had not yet fully dried.
After two hours of baking in the harsh sun, the stench of blood was thick enough to make one retch. The ground was swarming with dense clouds of flies, a sight that would give anyone goosebumps.
Song Shixue bent down to carefully examine the bloodstains seeping into the soil.
"Dark brown. Given this morning's weather conditions, it shouldn't be more than four hours old."
"There are a lot of rut marks here!" a bailiff called out, pointing at the tracks on the ground.
Following the tracks all the way, they found four carriages scattered in the woods, alongside severed reins.
"County Princess, there seems to be something here!" a searching bailiff shouted toward Song Jinzhao's direction.
Walking over, they found the soil to be very loose, clearly having just been dug up.
Her eyes darkening, Song Jinzhao ordered coldly, "Dig it up immediately."
A few minutes later, two human faces were simultaneously revealed to the crowd.
As they kept digging, more bodies appeared. Once all were pulled out, there were seventeen corpses in total.
Upon getting a clear look at one of the faces, Liu Hucheng widened his eyes in shock.
"County Princess, I recognize this man. He is a manager of the Fu Family Fabric Store in Suining City, named Fu Yong."
"The Fu Family Fabric Store is one of the top three fabric stores in Suining City. They frequently travel to Songzhou City to restock. It's not like they haven't been robbed in previous years, but at least they were left with their lives. I never expected them all to be killed this time."
The bandits of Tiger Head Stronghold were growing increasingly ruthless. The County Princess and the Prefect were right; if they weren't eradicated soon, it would truly become impossible to live in peace.
Looking at the seventeen corpses laid out on the ground, the attire of seven of them clearly indicated they were armed escorts, and they bore the most wounds.
"Leave three men behind to guard the bodies. The rest of you, follow me."
The bandits of Tiger Head Stronghold had just finished a successful raid and were currently letting their guard down. Now was the best time to launch an attack up the mountain.
In the kitchens of Tiger Head Stronghold, cooking smoke billowed upward like pillars. The long tables were piled high with large cuts of meat and fish.
Once everything was served in the main hall, Hu Meng, the chief of Tiger Head Stronghold, raised his wine cup and roared at the packed room, his tone sounding exceedingly heroic and ambitious.
"Brothers! The first fat sheep of the spring is already in our bags. Today, there's plenty of meat and wine for everyone to eat and drink their fill. Tomorrow, we divide the spoils!"
As his words fell, a subordinate at his table immediately shouted in flattery, "The boss is mighty! With the boss, we get to eat meat. We brothers are bound to follow you for the rest of our lives!"
As soon as he said this, the others chimed in with agreement, their voices ringing out and startling a flock of birds in the surrounding area.
Song Jinzhao, who was climbing up the mountain, suddenly stopped in her tracks. From the distance came what sounded like the flapping wings of a large flock of birds.
Song Jinzhao asked, "How much longer until we reach Tiger Head Stronghold?"
The guard who had been sent ahead to scout hunched over and walked up, answering in a low voice while pointing toward the front right.
"Less than an hour. The first hidden sentry is just up ahead."
The higher they went, the colder the temperature dropped. They were covered in cold sweat.
Half an hour later, the first hidden sentry concealed in a tree had his throat silently pierced by an arrow from Song Shixue.
As the body fell from the tree, a quick-reacting guard decisively stepped forward, caught the man, and set him aside.
Accompanied only by the rustling of leaves, the entire process did not alert a single soul.
After downing over a dozen cups of strong liquor, Hu Meng roughly grabbed a woman by the waist.
He kissed her bright red lips, pale yellow liquor dripping steadily down from the corners of his mouth.
Hu Meng let out a couple of hearty laughs and began groping her right in front of his many underlings.
Seeing this, a bandit sitting opposite them couldn't help but gulp, his lower body immediately reacting as unbearable lust flared up.
Noticing this, the bandit sitting next to him covered his mouth and whispered to him.
"The boss is already tired of the younger one. She's locked up in the woodshed right now. I'll take you over there a bit later."
Hearing this, the man whipped his head around and pressed, his eyes full of pleasant surprise.
"Really?" If he could get it immediately, who would wait until tomorrow to visit a brothel?
The bandit nodded, an insatiable smile hanging in his greasy eyes.
"She was just tossed out yesterday. I've already had a go at her—she's incredibly tender."
The man gulped again. Unable to wait for nightfall, he immediately stepped over the bench and headed outside.
