At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

At dusk, on the official road leading to Qinghe County.

A black horse was carrying an old man and a child, galloping hurriedly.

Horse hooves pounded on the dirt road, raising fine dust that gleamed with a dark golden light in the afterglow of the setting sun.

I left the village at dusk, and now it's twilight again.

For a whole day and night, the grandfather and grandson survived on just one steamed bun.

He gave most of it to Qingxue, and only took two bites himself.

At that moment, it felt like there was a fire burning inside his stomach, making him feel weak all over.

"Gurgle..."

Su Qingxue's stomach let out a loud rumble, which was particularly clear on the quiet official road.

The little girl covered her stomach shyly, turned to look at her grandfather, her face scrunched up: "Grandpa, I'm so hungry! Should we stop and rest, and find some wild vegetables to eat?"

Su Mu looked down at his granddaughter's thin face and his heart tightened.

He also wanted to stop.

But this area is called Xiongling.

As the name suggests, there are many bears here!

The bears in this forest are taller than two people when they stand up, and they can smash a cow's head with a single slap.

Every year, there are several cases of passersby being dragged away and eaten by bears.

So, who would dare to spend the night here?

"It's not safe in this desolate wilderness." Su Mu's voice betrayed his exhaustion. "We're almost at the inn, let's hang in there a little longer."

His own body was also about to give out.

The centenarian's back, after being jostled on horseback for a day and a night, was in protest from every bone.

The hand holding the reins had knuckles so stiff they looked rusty, and couldn't be straightened when loosened.

Su Qingxue gritted her teeth, her small hands gripping the horse's mane tightly: "Alright..."

Another hour passed.

It was completely dark when a few candlelight appeared ahead.

"It's the post station! Grandpa, we've arrived!" Su Qingxue pointed excitedly ahead, her voice filled with barely suppressed joy.

Su Mu squinted and looked over, feeling a sense of relief.

Arrived!

At least tonight, I don't have to spend the night in the wild.

……

The post station was small, with a main hall, a few side rooms, and a dim yellow lantern hanging at the door.

Su Mu slowly dismounted, steadied himself on the saddle, and then took the cleaver off the saddle.

Su Qingxue, holding onto her grandfather's arm, slid off the horse.

"Sir, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"

The waiter darted out from the door, all smiles, but his eyes kept darting around, constantly glancing at the black horse.

Su Mu saw all of this but remained silent.

"Check in." His voice was low and his words brief.

"Alright! Please come in!" The waiter smiled even more broadly and reached out to take the reins. "I'll take your horse to the backyard for you. You can fetch it yourself from the backyard when you go out tomorrow morning."

Su Mu hesitated for a moment, wondering if the waiter was planning to steal his horse.

But he had no choice.

Leading a horse into the shop? Impossible.

Leaving it by the door? That's even less safe.

"Tie it tighter," Su Mu instructed, handing over the reins and staring at the waiter.

The waiter was taken aback by that look and quickly nodded, "Don't worry, it'll be securely fastened!"

Su Mu picked up the horse-slaying sword, leaned on the hilt, hunched over, and led his granddaughter into the shop.

……

Behind the counter stood a fat man in his forties, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with shifty eyes.

Upon seeing Su Mu enter, the shopkeeper sized him up.

White hair, hunched back, tattered clothes, worn-out shoes, holding a chipped, broken knife in his hand, followed by a sallow-faced, emaciated little girl.

His lips immediately curled down, and his tone was like dismissing a beggar: "Stay at an inn? Three taels of silver a night."

Su Mu stopped in his tracks.

Three taels of silver?

He had worked in the sea and done business when he was young. Although he wasn't particularly knowledgeable, he knew the prices of roadside inns.

A shared room costs only twenty copper coins.

Even if you want a private room, it will only cost about a hundred copper coins.

Three taels of silver? That's enough for an average family to eat for half a year.

Su Mu took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said humbly, "Innkeeper, could you do us a favor? Just ten copper coins for the two of us, grandfather and grandson, to stay for one night will suffice..."

"Old man, do you think I run a charity?" The shopkeeper's eyes widened, his voice booming like he was cursing. "Ten copper coins for a night? You wish! Ten copper coins, I'd be losing money even if you stayed in my outhouse!"

Su Qingxue shrank back in fright, but she still mustered her courage, leaned over the counter, and looked at the shopkeeper with her big, watery eyes, her voice soft: "Uncle Shopkeeper, please have mercy, we only have so little money left..."

"Go away, go away!" The shopkeeper waved his hand like he was shooing away a fly. "Don't play the victim with me! There are plenty of miserable people in this world. If I were to be kind to every single one of them, how would I keep doing business?"

"Three taels of silver, not a penny less!"

"If you can afford it, stay; if you can't, go feed the bears!"

The shopkeeper pointed his finger toward the door, and his spittle almost splashed onto Su Qingxue's face.

Su Mu tightened his grip on the horse-slaying saber.

His thin, bony fingers gripped the knife handle, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.

The cleaver that had just cut down dozens of Northern Di people was now in his hand. If he wanted, he could cut the shopkeeper's head off with a single stroke.

But he didn't move.

It's not that I'm afraid.

Qingxue was standing beside her.

He didn't want to kill someone in front of his granddaughter.

Su Mu took a deep breath, put the knife back at his side, and turned to leave.

At this moment, the waiter ran back from the backyard, leaned close to the shopkeeper's ear, and whispered a few words.

The shopkeeper's beady eyes lit up, and the look of disdain on his face instantly turned into a fawning smile.

"Old man, if you need a place to stay, I have an idea..."

"It depends on whether you're willing or not."

Su Mu stopped and turned to look at him.

"What method?"

"Sell me your horse." The innkeeper's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile. "Six taels of silver. That way you'll have money for lodging and food. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

Six taels of silver.

A cold glint flashed in Su Mu's eyes.

This horse is worth at least a thousand taels of silver.

Six taels?

This isn't buying and selling; this is outright robbery.

The shopkeeper saw that he was old and frail, and had a little granddaughter with him, so he thought he could bully him and would devour his horse.

Just as he was about to speak, a clear female voice came from behind him!

"Shopkeeper, such a warhorse for six taels of silver? You really know how to do business."

"Yes, they know how to treat people differently based on their status. They saw that the old man was all alone and tried to steal his things."

Another female voice followed closely behind, sarcastic and barbed.

Su Mu turned around and saw two familiar faces walking in from outside the door.

It is Xiao Zhixia and Xiao Zhiqi.

The two sisters changed into clean clothes. Although they still looked a bit travel-worn, they were much more energetic than when they were tied up in the woods.

"Wha...what robbery?" The shopkeeper choked, his face turning bright red. "It's not like I'm not paying!"

Xiao Zhi Qiu held up a finger and waved it in front of him, laughing, "Six taels of silver for a warhorse? If that's not robbery, what is?"

She tilted her head and blinked her eyes: "How about this, I'll give you six taels of silver, and you sell this post station to me, okay?"

The shopkeeper opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Xiao Zhi Qiu chuckled and patted the counter, then changed the subject: "But don't think this old man is easy to bully. See that knife in his hand? It's not just for show. If you keep bidding recklessly, he might just chop you in half."

The shopkeeper glanced at the horse-slaying saber in Su Mu's hand, then at Su Mu's wrinkled old face, his heart filled with disdain.

How could such a wretched old man kill me?

That's utter nonsense!

Xiao Zhixia walked up to Su Mu and respectfully cupped her hands in greeting: "Grandpa, please sit over there with your little sister. We'll take care of things here."

She squatted down again, looked at Su Qingxue, and smiled as she patted her head: "Little sister, be a good girl, take Grandpa over there to sit and wait for your older sisters, okay?"

Su Qingxue looked at her older sister, then at her grandfather, and nodded obediently.

Su Mu did not refuse.

He's old, so we should try to avoid arguing with him.

Leaning on his horse-slaying sword, his body hunched over, he led his granddaughter to the table in the center of the hall and slowly sat down.

The chair was a bit high, and when he sat down, his knees bent with some difficulty, and he slumped down a little before he could sit still.

The saber rested against the edge of the table, its hilt just within his reach.

Su Qingxue sat next to him, her little hands clutching the hem of her grandfather's clothes, refusing to let go.

Over there, Xiao Zhi Qiu walked to the counter...

"Bang!"

She slammed her hand on the counter, making the abacus beads rattle and clatter.

Immediately afterwards, with a "clang," a long knife was drawn from the waist and planted precisely in the wooden board of the counter, the blade humming and vibrating.

The shopkeeper was so frightened that he trembled and his face turned pale.

Xiao Zhi Qiu pulled out thirty copper coins from his sleeve and slammed them on the counter with a "thud." The sound wasn't loud, but his manner was quite imposing: "Give me two rooms and prepare a table of food and wine."

The innkeeper stared at the long sword stuck in the counter, his lips trembling for a long time before he finally mustered up his courage: "Miss...heroine, a room here costs three taels of silver..."

"You really think I'm a fool?" Xiao Zhi Qiu sneered. "I've stayed in more inns than you've eaten at. In a place like this, I'd think twenty copper coins a room is too expensive!"

She leaned forward, smiling as she stared into the innkeeper's eyes: "Here's thirty copper coins. Arrange two rooms and a good meal. Hurry up and do it, or else..."

She glanced down at the long knife stuck in the counter, and didn't finish her sentence.

The shopkeeper broke out in a cold sweat and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I'll have the waiter prepare it right away! Right away!"

Xiao Zhi Qiu then sheathed his long sword with satisfaction and turned to walk towards Su Mu's table.

The two sisters sat down opposite Su Mu, and Xiao Zhixia said with a smile, "Grandpa, everything is arranged. You and your little sister should get some rest tonight, and we'll set off together tomorrow."

Su Mu nodded, and was about to speak...

"Bang!"

The door of the post station, which had been somewhat concealed, was kicked open.

Seven or eight burly men filed in, each with broad shoulders and thick waists, their waists bulging, and weapons tucked into their hands.

The leader had a scar on his face and eyes like a hungry wolf, scanning the room as soon as he entered.

These people are definitely not good people!