In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

Qin Shaolang's concerns were not unfounded.

Yesterday, the county magistrate used his own money to pay for it, which is why they were able to receive one hundred taels of silver in time.

Moreover, after purchasing various items yesterday and thoroughly understanding the value of the one hundred taels, Qin Shaolang felt even more strongly that the county magistrate might have added extra silver to attract them.

Seeing Qin Shaolang's worried and distressed expression, Chu Wu couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so frequent about that? The county government has posted it on the notice board in black and white, and even arranged for someone to read it to the people. They'd love for us to send a few more head over so they can create some achievements for us."

As he spoke, Chu Wu suddenly moved closer to Qin Shaolang.

"I heard from someone yesterday that the magistrate wrote a memorial on the spot and had it sent up, and he even held a grand banquet for guests last night."

Qin Shaolang listened with some suspicion.

When he heard the word "political achievements," he knew the magistrate's attitude. What puzzled him was how Chu Wu had learned this information.

Yesterday, he went hunting with me. He carried a wild boar to the county town and pushed a wheelbarrow back. Wasn't he tired at all?

Even if he really is that physically strong, how could he stay up all night and still go out to gather information?

This is clearly beyond the scope of human understanding.

Qin Shaolang now has every reason to deduce that there is a mysterious force behind Chu Wu, and without subordinates, Chu Wu would have no way of finding out this information.

Thinking of this, Qin Shaolang couldn't help but turn around and glance at the two sisters, Su Jin and Su Tang.

His two wives have unknown backgrounds, and his newly sworn brother, Chu Wu, also has forces behind him that are currently unclear.

None of them are easy to deal with; I'll have to be a little more careful in the future.

It's best to avoid agreeing to sworn brotherhood agreements in the future.

Just as he was thinking about it, Chu Wu explained in more detail.

"I heard that the magistrate sent a team of soldiers to kill this white-browed tiger, but the tiger injured several people and escaped. If we take it to the county government office, the magistrate will be very happy and will not make things difficult for us."

Qin Shaolang nodded immediately.

"Okay, let's go take a look together today, but it might be a bit difficult for just the two of us."

The large wild animals in this world are very clever, and ordinary hunting techniques are ineffective. Traps such as animal traps can only be used against small animals like pheasants.

If they were to really go head-to-head with that white tiger, Qin Shaolang wasn't sure if the two of them could gain any advantage.

Chu Wu suddenly chuckled.

"Brother Qin, with our skills, we should be able to protect ourselves. Let's go check the situation first. If we really can't take it down, I'll try to find some helpers. The bounty for this tiger is a full two hundred taels of silver."

Qin Shaolang nodded, then took Chu Wu back to the house for breakfast.

During the meal, Su Jin carefully packed the baked flatbread and filled the kettle with water, helping Qin Shaolang prepare for the hunt.

Before leaving, Chu Wu spoke warmly to Su Jin.

"Sister-in-law, don't forget the wine. I'm having a good drink with Brother Qin tonight. You know where to buy it, right?"

Seeing Su Jin nod, Chu Wu followed Qin Shaolang up the mountain.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the village.

Er Mazi also called over a dozen hunters. He stood on a high place and spoke to the hunters below.

"Today I'm taking everyone to chop up that tiger on the mountain, and we'll exchange it for some silver for drinks! A full two hundred taels of silver! Each of us will get at least ten taels, enough to drink until next year!"

Er Mazi grinned widely as he addressed the hunters below.

Unfortunately, his words did not hit the mark with these hunters.

This year's harvest is very poor, and every household is facing a food shortage, especially after the government officials collected taxes a few days ago, which made things even worse.

It wouldn't be a problem if it were a normal winter, but the problem is that this year winter came exceptionally early and was exceptionally cold.

If we don't store enough food, I'm afraid we won't survive this winter.

They weren't drunkards; once they received the silver, they naturally wanted to stock up on food and winter clothing first.

If it weren't for Er Mazi's seniority as the hunting team leader, they wouldn't even bother listening to these useless words.

Seeing that everyone was listless, Er Mazi thought for a moment before speaking.

"Don't be discouraged. I've been watching that tiger for several days and figured out its movement patterns. I almost caught it yesterday. This time, if we set up an ambush, we're sure to catch it."

Just then, one of his underlings suddenly ran over and whispered something in Er Mazi's ear.

"I saw Qin Shaolang and Chu Wu go up the mountain. Judging from the route they took, they were probably heading for the tiger."

Er Mazi immediately frowned.

"That son of a bitch! He stole my wild boar yesterday, and now he wants to steal the tiger I've got my eye on? He's got some nerve! Brothers, grab your weapons, don't let him get there first!"

After shouting this, Er Mazi quickly walked up the slope and watched Qin Shaolang and Chu Wu walk into the forest from afar.

The henchman leaned over, a sneer on his face.

"The two of them couldn't possibly defeat that tiger. Even several of the government soldiers were bitten, so they were even less of a threat."

Er Mazi's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little.

He knew about the tiger in the mountains, and he was the one who led the soldiers to hunt that tiger last time.

The truth was that three soldiers were bitten to death, and about ten soldiers were injured. The remaining soldiers, seeing that they couldn't handle the tiger, scattered and fled. Luckily, he was quick-witted and ran away as soon as he saw the situation was not right, otherwise he would have been targeted by the tiger as well.

To protect his reputation, the magistrate concealed the truth from the villagers, claiming only that the encirclement had failed and several people had been injured.

Also in order to stabilize public sentiment and protect their own reputation, the bounty, which should have been increased, was stopped at two hundred taels of silver.

As for the extra silver given by the county magistrate when the tiger was shot down, it naturally belonged to him, the captain of the hunting team.

To avoid any potential dissatisfaction, he naturally wouldn't tell anyone else this news.

At this moment, Qin Shaolang and Chu Wu had already entered the woods and could no longer be seen, so Er Mazi asked.

What weapons did they both carry?

The younger brother quickly explained.

"It seems they brought a knife and a bow and arrow, but nothing else."

Er Mazi looked disdainful.

"They're going to feed that tiger. Let the brothers hurry up and use them as bait to lure the tiger out so we can reap the benefits."

The younger brother immediately grinned mischievously.

"It's all thanks to the captain's cleverness. That tiger would never have guessed that these two were bait we'd placed in front of them. We attacked while they were locked in a fierce battle..."

Er Mazi suddenly let out a cold laugh, his face contorted with malice.

"Fighting fiercely? I'll make my move while the tigers are gnawing on their corpses. Daring to steal the wild boar I've set my sights on, they're asking for death!"