In the evening, the pharmacy delivered two jars of soaked wine. Manbao opened one to take a look, then sealed it up again, "The herbs are good, and the wine smells nice too. Let it soak for longer, the longer the better."

So they packed the wine deep inside their luggage to let it mature properly.

As they had to set off early, the next day they rose before dawn. This was a stark contrast for the Post Station Steward, who had grown used to their late morning routines, knowing that during their stay, they didn’t wake up until well into the morning.

Well, except for the day they climbed the Great Wall.

Fortunately, they informed the Post Station Steward of their departure time the night before, so he got up early to arrange breakfast for them.

When court officials stay at a post station, there’s a strict limit on the number of dishes, and the quantity they can eat each meal, as well as what they can take with them.

The larger the post station, the more strictly these regulations are adhered to; anything extra must be paid for.

Thus, while Manbao and the others were having breakfast, their steward went to settle the bill with the Post Station Steward, supplementing the extra expenses during their stay.

After eating and drinking their fill, and gathering their belongings, they set off, leaving the post station and heading outside the city. They had only gone a short distance when they encountered Guo Tian and others coming to see them off.

Both parties were surprised. Bai Shan said, "We didn’t expect you, Guo, Yue, and Quan, to come see us off."

The three of them: ... We didn’t expect you to leave so early either.

But they wouldn’t say that out loud, so the three joined them out of the city, and upon reaching the city gate, found Governor Duan and his son already waiting there.

The group accompanied them out of the city. Governor Duan welcomed them to come again, while Deputy Chief Duan and Guo Tian stood together, enviously watching them, wondering when they could also go on such a study trip.

Of course, going on a study trip means solving not only safety issues but financial ones too.

After all, not everyone can travel like Zhou Man and her companions, with protection from court soldiers and free lodging at post stations.

Even Deputy Chief Duan worries about money when he’s away for too long, let alone Guo Tian and the other two.

Manbao waved goodbye to them and left Liangzhou City happily.

Governor Duan assigned two officers to guide them. They said, "There’s a difficult stretch ahead, and the Governor feared you might lose your way."

In the afternoon, just as the sunset appeared, they reached the fork in the road and finally understood why Governor Duan had sent someone to guide them.

Ahead lay a not-too-small grassy road, still showing the tracks of wagons, leading into a lush green mountain, disappearing into the distance.

However, the officers took a turn, pointing to a grassy path beside it, "There’s a small path here that can also accommodate carriages."

Several of them got off the carriage, scrutinizing the grass intently. Bai Shan squatted down pretending to understand, examining the grass earnestly, but had to give up after a while, "How does this look like a road at all?"

An officer said, "Not many people walk here, even the merchants who often pass by don’t know about it. It’s just people from here, who come to graze occasionally, that know a bit about it."

The two officers said, "The road is longer, circling around to a lush grassland where many herders graze. It takes almost a day longer than the main road, but since you’re not heading to Suzhou City, you could travel another day, go around to another main road direction, and be only half a day late."

Mr. Zhuang squinted, gazing for a moment, then asked, "But what’s wrong with this main road? Why shouldn’t we take it?"

The officers chuckled, "Nothing wrong per se, just some bandits in the mountains. From time to time, they come down to disturb passing merchants. Our governor has conducted raids a few times, but they’re cunning. Every time soldiers approach, they hide in the mountains. Though the hills aren’t extensive, the dense forestry makes them hard to find."

That’s the downside of plains. Beyond these few low hills lies endless prairie; soldiers are visible from afar, making stealth impossible.

Moreover, the bandits on the prairie have fine horses, making it hard to completely eradicate them.

As long as one escapes, eventually, he’ll gather a new group. While leading the way, the officers complained, "It’s unclear where they recruit so many people from. Even after driving them away, they return with another group after a year or two."

Bai Shan and the others no longer rode in the carriage; the uneven path was better traveled by horse. Even Yin Huo rode along, his horse clip-clopping ahead.

The rough path slowed them all down. Bai Shan looked up at the dense forest on the hills, "Raising an army requires money, same for bandits. The escapees recruit because they have money, right? Seize their stash, and without funds, even if they escape, they can’t recruit, naturally halting their activities."

"The young master is right," an officer laughed, "Our governor thinks so too. Hence, in two raids, we’ve searched the mountains thoroughly for their stash. But the mountains, though not grand, hide their spoils well, so..."

Manbao’s eyes brightened, pulling her horse to a stop. As she halted, so did the others, and the carriage behind came to a standstill.

Bai Shan turned and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Manbao didn’t know how to explain, so after a moment, simply "shushed," softly asking, "Did anyone hear something?"

Everyone quieted, ears pricked intently. Bai Shan hesitantly guessed, "Birdsong? Are you trying to catch a bird? Did you hear a species you haven’t seen before?"

Manbao loved plants and trees she hadn’t encountered, as well as unfamiliar insects, fish, birds, and beasts. Or rather, it was Keke who preferred them.

Manbao: "...You’re overthinking. I asked if anyone heard a cry for help."

On hearing this, everyone perked up, cocking their ears in earnest. After a long pause, they collectively shook their heads. Even Yin Huo couldn’t help but question, "Did you not sleep well last night?" Hence the auditory hallucination...

Manbao said, "No, my hearing is excellent."

But she also strained to listen further, hmm, no sound yet, but Keke’s intuition was never wrong, suggesting the source was far off.

Bai Shan tried attentively but couldn’t decipher anything, so he gave up, winking slyly at her, "Did you hear it, or was it Keke?"

Manbao blinked, and Bai Shan understood—it was Keke’s doing.

Bai Erlang and others watched them with puzzled expressions and then directly questioned, "Is there anything that can’t be said outright?"

Bai Shan had already spoken, "Alright then, assuming we heard cries for help, we can’t ignore them, can we?"

The group: ...We didn’t, we heard nothing.

But Bai Shan had already turned to instruct the guards to find Assistant General Nie in the middle, then asked Manbao, "Can you tell how many people based on what you heard?"