The muddy dirt road after the rain slowed the carriage considerably compared to daytime travel.
They only reached the nearest courier station at daybreak.
Su Luobai pounded on the door with such force that his fists turned red and swollen.
The station attendant, roused from his slumber, opened the door from inside, his face full of anger.
"What's going on? Making such a racket first thing in the morning?"
Su Luobai quickly clasped his hands in salute. "Honorable officers, I am a student from the Anyang Academy. Last night, we lodged at an inn, only to discover it was a den of murderers."
"After subduing the innkeeper and his wife, we found the kitchen full of human flesh. We rushed here without delay to report it to you."
The station attendant's face instantly changed, his eyebrows knitting into a deep frown.
"Show me your household register."
Su Luobai immediately handed over his household register and his academy student identification.
The attendant eyed Su Luobai suspiciously up and down. It seemed implausible that a mere scholar could subdue ruthless killers who ran a murderous inn.
"Were the two suspects subdued by you, Master Su?"
Su Luobai quickly shook his head, stepping to the left to make room. "It was Miss Song. She was the first to suspect the innkeeper. We stayed up late, and they made their move, even trying to drug us with smoke."
The two attendants frowned deeply. "Master Su, you must be frightened out of your wits, talking nonsense. This young lady looks only in her teens."
Song Jinzhao took out an official commendation letter from her robe, written by the magistrate of Haoyue City.
"I have some modest skill in martial arts. This is a commendation from the magistrate of Haoyue City for my assistance in helping the local authorities eradicate a band of mountain bandits."
Seeing the official seal of the Haoyue City magistrate's office on the letter, the attendants finally believed Su Luobai's story.
"In that case, we must trouble Miss Song to lead the way. The others may rest here at the station."
Traveling by horse, it took only two hours for Song Jinzhao to lead the attendants back to the murderous inn.
The two figures tied to the pillars saw her return with government officers, and their hearts sank into despair.
Upon entering the kitchen, the four attendants couldn't help but rush outside, crouching on the ground to vomit.
Fortunately, having not eaten breakfast, their stomachs were empty. No matter how much they retched, it was only dry heaves and a little bile.
They packed all the human remains into sacks, collected the knives separately, and with the two suspects in tow, the five of them hurried back to the courier station.
Other attendants at the station, upon seeing the contents of the sacks, immediately took the innkeeper and his wife and set off on fast horses ahead to Liaodu City.
Before leaving, they said, "We must ask you all to go to the county office in Liaodu City when you arrive. There will inevitably be some procedures and statements requiring your cooperation."
Song Jinzhao and the others reached Liaodu just before nightfall. After entering the city, they slept at an inn overnight and went to the county office the next morning.
The Liaodu county magistrate treated Song Jinzhao with great respect.
After hearing from the attendants that the one who captured the criminals was a young woman named Song Jinzhao from Haoyue City, he had thought of the very Song Jinzhao who invented the waterwheel and was commended by imperial decree.
"The two murderers have confessed. They killed thirteen people in total, first drugging the victims with smoke, then killing them and dismembering the bodies."
"Aside from the heads and limbs, most of the bodies were cooked into dishes and sold to passing travelers."
Song Dazhuang and the others were horrified. They had thought there might be two or three victims, but it was a full thirteen people.
Had it not been for Song Jinzhao sensing something amiss, they would have been numbers fourteen through twenty-one.
Only after giving their statements and clarifying the events did they leave the county office.
Su Luobai muttered to himself, "Perhaps from now on we should travel through the night and avoid staying in the wilderness."
If they encountered such a thing again, he truly feared for his life.
Song Jinzhao said, "The distances between the next three cities are relatively short. If we set out in the morning, we can arrive by evening."
Su Luobai facepalmed. In his panic and haste, he had completely forgotten that.
Having rested poorly the previous night, they stayed an extra day in Liaodu before departing.
Fortunately, the next few days of travel were smooth and uneventful.
Su Luobai lifted the carriage curtain. Seeing the scenery outside growing increasingly familiar, he hooked the window open.
He pointed at the city wall of Anyang Prefecture and said to Song Qiming and Song Gaoli, "That ahead is Anyang Prefecture. We're about to enter the city."
This return journey had been truly perilous, leaving a deep impression on Su Luobai's mind.
If he ever returned home again, he would rather endure the hardship, fatigue, and higher cost of traveling with a security escort than journey alone again.
Upon entering Anyang Prefecture, Su Luobai first escorted Song Jinzhao and her group to an inn.
"Miss Song, I must return to the academy now. If there is ever anything I can assist you with in the future, please come to the Anyang Academy to find me."
Song Jinzhao nodded slightly, smiling. "Thank you for your guidance to the two children along the way, Master Su. If they pass the examinations, we will certainly visit with gifts."
Su Luobai waved his hand modestly. "A few days can hardly count as much guidance. Qiming already possesses the capability to pass the scholar examination. We merely discussed poetry and verses to pass the time on the road. You needn't be so courteous, Miss Song."
There were still ten days until the prefectural examination. Many scholars from other regions had already arrived in Anyang Prefecture. In taverns and teahouses, one could see scholars in long gowns everywhere, speaking in classical phrases.
In the most popular tea house in Anyang Prefecture, Song Shixue held a steaming cup of pearl milk tea and took a sip. The sweetness that filled her mouth was identical to what they sold back home.
"Elder Sister, this milk tea tastes exactly like yours, but the price is double."
The attendant had even said the price would increase by another ten coins in the summer.
Song Jinzhao picked up a sweet rice ball with red bean paste from the plate and took a bite. The outer layer wasn't soft enough, and the bean paste filling wasn't smooth.
"Prices in the prefectural city are higher than in Xining City. Naturally, they sell it for more."
She was now about eighty percent certain that this "Sweet Snow Pavilion" was opened by the Li family. There were two branches in all of Anyang Prefecture, selling iced drinks in summer and hot drinks in winter, never closing throughout the year.
It was said that last summer was truly packed; there wasn't even room to stand inside the shop, everyone crammed together like a mille-feuille.
"Miss Song?" Li Zien stood to the right rear of the table, holding a folding fan, his eyes full of surprise.
Song Jinzhao withdrew her gaze from the storyteller at the front and turned towards the source of the voice.
Li Zien walked over and sat down at the table. "I didn't expect Miss Song to come to the prefectural city so soon?"
It had been less than a year since he bought the recipe from her last summer.
Song Jinzhao nodded with a slight smile, raising her cup to take a small sip.
"I also didn't expect you to have built the tea house so successfully, Master Li. By the time I truly bring my business to the prefectural city, I won't know where to start."
Li Zien closed his folding fan and pointed to the servant waiting nearby. "Tell the manager that Miss Song's table is on the house today. Also, bring a few more of our best-selling pastries."
"Might I ask the purpose of your visit to Anyang Prefecture this time, Miss Song?" Bringing the whole family, even an infant, surely meant she wasn't just here for business.
