The two searched the surrounding area for a long time but found no other markings.
The worry between Chu Liuyun's brows did not lessen in the slightest. "Wait here. They might come back."
Qin Yunqian frowned. "Lord Duke, it has been four months since the northern bandits attacked Huajia Village. Any who slipped through the net have likely fled long ago."
Waiting here would be a futile effort.
Chu Liuyun shook his head, pointing at the mark on the stone. "But the edges of this mark are rough, clearly carved only in the last few days. It's highly possible they have been hiding in the mountains all along, scouting the terrain in preparation for an attack on Dongzhao."
"Awooo~"
The wolf's cry startled a flock of birds into flight. Song Jinzhao climbed the nearest large tree.
Her purpose for entering the mountains was to find saltpeter; getting it back was the top priority.
As the wolf cries drew closer, a panicked sound of footsteps caught Song Jinzhao's attention.
They were still several mountains deep from the outer ranges; how could anyone be here?
She hid higher up in a cluster of foliage, looking down at the situation below.
"Split up! Meet at the ruined temple outside Xining City in three days."
The three men scattering in different directions had messy, straw-like dreadlocks, and their skin was a dark red all over.
Stains on their clothes were a mix of mud, sand, and dried blood, as if they had been through a major battle.
They were not people of Dongzhao.
Recalling the northern bandits' burning, killing, and pillaging in Huajia Village around the New Year, Song Jinzhao had a guess about the trio's identity.
Seven or eight wild wolves gave chase in the direction one of the men fled. Song Jinzhao jumped down from the tree and followed in another direction.
After running for nearly half an hour without stopping and seeing no wolves behind him, Gunahe slowed his pace, walked to a riverbank, and bent down to drink.
After gulping several mouthfuls, he sat down on a large rock by the river and took a spring pancake from his robe to eat.
Hidden behind the bushes, Song Jinzhao saw him spread a brownish-yellow animal skin on the rock and study it carefully. The distance was too great for her to see what was on it.
Just as she raised her crossbow to take a shot, a pair of fierce eyes appeared in the bushes opposite.
It was the tigress from North Mountain. What was it doing here?
Song Jinzhao held her breath, put down the crossbow, and quickly climbed the large tree beside her.
"Who's there?" Gunahe heard the sound and looked up alertly, scanning his surroundings.
Finding nothing, he warily stuffed the animal skin into his chest, preparing to leave.
"Roar!" The tigress burst from the bushes, pounced on Gunahe, and with crimson teeth, tore out his throat.
The unchewed spring pancake in his mouth fell out as his jaw went slack.
Gunahe, powerless to resist, breathed his last.
Song Jinzhao turned her head away, covering her mouth with her hand, forcefully suppressing the nausea in her throat.
The sound of the tigress chewing and swallowing the human corpse echoed in her ears, causing extreme discomfort.
When the sounds ceased and Song Jinzhao looked over, only a bare, mangled skeleton remained on the riverbank pebbles.
Song Jinzhao stayed in the tree for two hours. During that time, hyenas came to gnaw the remaining flesh from the bones, and birds flew down from the sky to join the feast, not dispersing until not a scrap of meat was left.
Confirming there were no carnivores around, Song Jinzhao climbed down, walked to the bones, and picked up the animal skin map torn in two.
It was patterned with cities and mountains; realizing it was a map of the surrounding terrain, she stored the skin in her bamboo basket.
These men were undoubtedly northern scouts. She had to report to the authorities.
She was about to leave when a flash of golden light crossed her eyes, blindingly bright.
Glancing at a crevice in the rocks, she saw a golden token.
A token representing that man's identity?
Song Jinzhao lightly scratched it with her dagger. It wasn't gold; the inside was black.
She pocketed the token; it could serve as evidence when reporting to the authorities.
She crossed the mountain and saw the number '8' mark she had left on the stone cliff face. Only seven mountains remained ahead before reaching Songjia Village.
Traveling after dark, she should arrive by nightfall.
Her ears twitched slightly, and a sharp glint flashed in Song Jinzhao's eyes.
"Turn around." Qin Yunqian, holding a long sword, shouted sternly at Song Jinzhao's back.
A sleeve arrow slid into her palm. The instant Song Jinzhao turned, she raised her arm, but her finger on the trigger suddenly stopped.
It was those two young masters from the restaurant.
Qin Yunqian stared at her face, exclaiming in surprise, "Miss Song?"
The distance had been too great before, and it was only her back; they had never imagined the person by the marking would be a young woman, and one they had met.
Song Jinzhao raised an eyebrow. "You know me?"
Qin Yunqian lowered his sword. "We heard from the waiter at Shiyouji. Miss Song, what are you doing here?"
Chu Liuyun pointed at the mark on the cliff. "Does this mark have something to do with you?"
Song Jinzhao glanced at the '8' on the cliff. "This is the mark I left when entering the mountains, representing the eighth mountain."
Chu Liuyun frowned, pointing to the peaks to the east and writing a '7' on the ground with his sword. "And this one?"
Song Jinzhao shrugged. "The seventh mountain."
Chu Liuyun asked with a furrowed brow, "Where is your home?"
"Songjia Village, outside Xining City."
Qin Yunqian nodded thoughtfully. "From here east to Songjia Village, there are indeed seven mountains."
Most of Chu Liuyun's suspicion dissipated. It turned out to be a misunderstanding.
"I thought these marks were left by the northern bandits and misunderstood you, young lady. Please forgive us."
Thinking of the three men she encountered, Song Jinzhao's lips twitched with suppressed amusement. By sheer coincidence, they had guessed correctly.
"Who are you? Why would you think of northern bandits?"
Not wanting to reveal their identities, Chu Liuyun replied, "We are soldiers from the army, so we tend to be more vigilant."
The clothes they wore would cost dozens of taels of silver, and the long swords in their hands were certainly not ordinary items. These two were definitely not mere rank-and-file soldiers.
Remembering the animal skin map and token in her basket, Song Jinzhao asked, "Do you know General Qin Guo, commander of the Thunderbolt Army?"
Qin Yunqian's eyes fixed on her. "Why does the young lady ask? Qin Guo is my father. I am Qin Yunqian."
Song Jinzhao stared at Qin Yunqian's face, examining it carefully. "No wonder your eyes look somewhat like his."
She put down her bamboo basket, untied the rope of the hemp bag, and handed the animal skin map and token to Qin Yunqian.
"I came down from the mountain next to this one earlier and encountered three northern men. These were on one of them. They should be useful to you."
"They were being chased by a wolf pack. When they split up to escape, they agreed to meet at the ruined temple outside Xining City in three days. You could lie in wait for them."
Before Qin Yunqian could open the animal skin, Chu Liuyun snatched the token first.
"This is a token from the northern kingdom's commandant office. Miss Song, where is the person who held it?"
Song Jinzhao blinked. "Dead beyond dead. Eaten by a tiger and hyenas until not even bone fragments remained."
Chu Liuyun pressed, "Which directions did the other two run?"
Song Jinzhao pointed southwest behind her. "One west, one south. The one fleeing south was chased by seven or eight wild wolves. Don't know if he's dead or alive."
Qin Yunqian stared at the route drawn in charcoal on the animal skin. "Lord Duke, it seems they really intend to take the mountain paths."
Song Jinzhao's gaze fell on Chu Liuyun. A Duke so young?
He looked barely over twenty.
