After bidding farewell to Li Hu, the village chief, and the others, Su Qi’an helped Qin Ziyin back to their room.

As soon as they were inside, Qin Ziyin threw herself into his arms. Her delicate hands roamed over Su Qi’an’s face, as if to confirm that what she was seeing wasn’t an illusion.

Her small, delicate face was filled with worry, and seeing her like this made Su Qi’an’s heart ache. He gently stroked Qin Ziyin’s long hair and quickly tried to comfort her.

"Alright, alright, don’t worry. Look, your husband is back safe and sound."

"Hmph, I’ll let it slide this time. But if I ever find out you’ve gone tiger hunting again, I won’t forgive you!" Qin Ziyin said, her small fists clenched as she pounded lightly on Su Qi’an’s chest.

She had initially thought Su Qi’an would just tag along to spectate, but when the tiger escaped, Su Qi’an had joined a group of hunters in chasing after it. That had terrified Qin Ziyin. If it hadn’t been for Shopkeeper Guan stopping her on the road, she would have gone after Su Qi’an herself.

Seeing Qin Ziyin’s worried face, Su Qi’an instinctively held her hand with one of his own while wrapping his other arm around her slender waist.

The gesture left Qin Ziyin momentarily stunned, but she didn’t resist. Her face flushed, and she buried her face in Su Qi’an’s chest.

Su Qi’an, a spirited young man, couldn’t resist lifting Qin Ziyin in his arms. He closed the door, and the two fell onto the bed. Soon, an atmosphere of intimacy filled the room...

As night deepened, the creaking sounds of the thatched cottage continued into the late hours. By the time Su Qi’an got up, it was already past midnight.

Looking at Qin Ziyin, who was sleeping peacefully with a contented expression, Su Qi’an carefully tucked the blanket around her and quietly got out of bed.

While having his wife by his side was wonderful, Su Qi’an knew that if he wanted to protect everything he held dear, he needed to prepare.

The events of the day had shown that he had earned the trust of the villagers. In the future, if he needed to leave for any reason, he wouldn’t have to worry too much about Qin Ziyin’s safety.

For now, his priority was improving his bow and crossbow.

Although his longbow had proven effective in the tiger hunt, Su Qi’an wasn’t satisfied with its power despite its accuracy.

In his previous life, Su Qi’an had trained in archery to the point of being able to hit a target with pinpoint precision from a hundred steps. But in the Great Liang Dynasty, a feudal and underdeveloped era, the bows and crossbows made by the village blacksmith were still of subpar quality.

Creating a better bow would require higher-quality materials, but such materials were unavailable in Dongshan Village. Even in the nearby county or prefecture cities, acquiring them would cost a fortune.

Glancing at his humble thatched cottage, Su Qi’an shook his head in self-mockery.

For now, he would have to make do with his current bow. Improving their home’s living conditions was just as important. After all, he wasn’t living alone anymore—he had Qin Ziyin, his beloved wife. Especially after what had transpired between them, Su Qi’an felt a deep sense of responsibility toward her.

At daybreak, he planned to deliver the tiger’s carcass to the county office to claim a reward. Afterward, he would tackle things step by step.

The rest of the night passed quickly. When Su Qi’an had just finished modifying his bow and crossbow, the dark night sky began to fade, and a faint light appeared on the horizon.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

"Mr. Su, are you awake?"

Hearing the familiar voice of Li Hu, Su Qi’an yawned and quietly opened the door.

Li Hu, Zhao Da, Shuisheng, and Tieniu stood outside, their hands rubbing together for warmth as they shivered in the early morning chill. Behind them was a three-wheeled cart.

Su Qi’an glanced at the four of them and motioned for silence with a "shhh" gesture. He tiptoed back inside, wrote a note on a piece of paper, and left it for Qin Ziyin. Then, he grabbed a thick coat and quietly left the room.

After locking the door behind him, Su Qi’an joined the group, and they quickly set off.

The four hunters had come as instructed to pick up Su Qi’an at first light and head into the wild forest to retrieve the tiger’s carcass.

The tiger had been successfully hunted after a two-day pursuit, but moving the several-hundred-kilogram carcass without tools had been impossible.

After the hunt, Su Qi’an had suspected that trouble might arise in the village, so instead of bringing the tiger back immediately, he had it buried on-site. As events unfolded, his foresight proved correct. If they had returned to the village with the tiger, things could have taken a far worse turn.

Because of this, the four hunters' admiration for Su Qi’an had grown immensely. Their respect was practically written on their faces.

During the journey, the four insisted that Su Qi’an sit on the cart while they took turns pulling it. Though Su Qi’an initially protested, he couldn’t refuse their well-meaning insistence.

As dawn broke, they finally reached the burial site. After some digging, they unearthed the tiger’s carcass, which had partially decomposed after two days. Although the decomposition would reduce the reward, there was no way around it.

The four hunters remained optimistic. They loaded the carcass onto the cart, covered it with straw mats, and sprinkled dirt over it to mask the stench of decay.

They then set their sights on Lingbei County and began their journey.

The distance from the forest to Lingbei County wasn’t far—only about 20 to 30 li (10–15 kilometers). With their pace, they estimated it would take about an hour.

The journey went smoothly without any wild animal encounters. With the tiger’s death, the forest was temporarily safer for hunting.

Before leaving the forest, the group checked the traps they had set the previous day. As they approached, a faint metallic tang of blood filled the air. The traps had already been triggered.

The scene was a mess, with broken wood and splatters of blood scattered around a large pit.

Li Hu and Zhao Da mustered their courage and inspected the pit. Their expressions grew serious as they exchanged a glance with Su Qi’an.

Without saying a word, they nodded solemnly.

Inside the pit was a mangled corpse, likely someone traveling through the forest at night who had stumbled into the trap. The blood had attracted small predators, which had attacked the injured individual. Between the bleeding and the attacks, the person had died a gruesome death.

Judging by the clothing, the deceased was none other than Shopkeeper Guan.

Just as Su Qi’an had planned, there was no need for them to act directly—Shopkeeper Guan had walked straight into the trap on his own. His death was self-inflicted.

The four hunters felt no pity. Instead, they were relieved. The death of Shopkeeper Guan lifted a great weight from their hearts. If Guan had escaped, his vengeful nature would have undoubtedly led him to rally the bandits of Dongzi Mountain to massacre the village.

Thanks to Su Qi’an’s foresight, they had avoided catastrophe. With Guan’s death, the village was safe—for now.

Even if Guan’s family eventually found his body, it would appear to be an accident: a man traveling at night, falling into a trap, and getting mauled by animals. There would be no reason to suspect foul play. Even if someone sought revenge, they’d have no direction to pursue it.

Killing someone without lifting a finger—that was true mastery.

The group left the forest and eventually reached the main road. As they approached Lingbei County, the number of travelers increased.

Roughly an hour later, the county came into view.

Lingbei County was small, covering only a few hundred meters. Its walls, made of rammed earth, stood about 15 meters tall and looked rather shabby.

At the city gate, two armored guards yawned as they lazily patrolled.

Li Hu and Zhao Da, familiar with the routine, greeted the guards warmly and discreetly handed over some coins.

The guards, feeling the weight of the bribe, smiled and waved them through without trouble.

Once inside, the group made their way through the bustling main street, lined with street vendors shouting to attract customers.

Li Hu and Zhao Da didn’t linger, knowing that stopping would mean spending all their money. The vendors were shrewd and persuasive, and any hesitation would surely lead to empty pockets.

After roughly 15 minutes of walking, the group finally arrived at Lingbei County Office.

[--------------------------------------------]

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