"Father, even if you didn't bring it up, I was going to report this matter anyway."
"It's getting late. I'm heading into the mountains now."
After the father and son finished their discussion, Liu Gang set off immediately.
At the foot of the great mountain, Liu Tiezhu drove the mule to the spot where they had tied the horse yesterday.
The two unloaded all the dried meat from the mule cart, loaded it onto the horse's back, and then led the horse toward the stone cave.
Now that they had completely fallen out with Zhang Jingyang, he had to guard against Zhang Jingyang using any excuse to raid their home.
Liu Tiezhu thought of moving the meat to the stone cave to prevent Zhang Jingyang from taking it all in one fell swoop.
The horse was fast, and within an hour, it had hauled all the thousand-plus jin of dried meat from home to the stone cave.
To better preserve the dried meat, Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi dug a large pit in a corner of the cave.
The two spread a layer of colorful tarp in the pit and placed the dried meat inside.
Then they wrapped the excess colorful cloth tightly around it, backfilled the soil, and tamped it down firmly before finishing the job.
This whole ordeal took another hour or so.
The two were exhausted, and their stomachs were growling loudly.
Liu Tiezhu had Er Gouzi light a fire to roast the meat, while he led the horse to the back to cut grass.
In the freezing cold, without enough fodder, the horse would struggle to survive the night.
After about forty minutes, Er Gouzi's meat was cooked, and Liu Tiezhu returned with the horse.
This trip yielded over three hundred jin of grass, enough to feed three horses for two days.
They tied the horse in a corner of the stone cave, piled up the fodder, and then began to eat the meat.
Er Gouzi chewed a few bites of dried meat and said, "Brother Tiezhu, who do you think the bandit's informant is?"
"I've thought about everyone in the village, but I can't figure out who in our village would have the guts."
"Who the bandit's informant is doesn't matter to us."
"As long as he passes the message to the bandits quickly," Liu Tiezhu said.
Right now, he wasn't worried about the bandits, but about that bastard Zhang Jingyang.
If that bastard went mad, his family would be in danger.
"It's been a day since we spread the news. By now, the bandit's informant should have reported it."
"I just don't know if those bandits have the guts to go after that bastard Zhang Jingyang," Gouzi said.
"A treasure worth a hundred thousand isn't just a few jin of rice."
"Once the bandits get the news, they'll definitely seek an explanation from Zhang Jingyang."
"Once the bandits take care of Zhang Jingyang's men, we'll find a chance to kill that bastard."
Liu Tiezhu's tone was icy cold, his face full of murderous intent.
After finishing the roasted meat and seeing the sky gradually darken, the two didn't dare to delay any longer.
They left the great mountain and led the mule back home.
When they were almost at the village, Liu Tiezhu suddenly stopped the mule.
Er Gouzi looked puzzled, then saw Liu Tiezhu make a gesture to stay quiet while pointing to the right, about thirty meters away.
To the right was the village's farmland, with only a narrow yellow dirt path.
This path stretched all the way to the great mountain.
Er Gouzi followed Liu Tiezhu's gaze and saw a figure walking toward the village.
In the dim light, he could only make out the silhouette, not the person's face.
"Damn it, that guy must be the bandit's informant."
"He's coming back from that direction—did he go to report to the bandits?" Er Gouzi said.
"Whether he's the bandit's informant remains to be seen."
"Gouzi, take the mule back. I'll follow him and check it out."
After giving his instructions, Liu Tiezhu quickly jumped off the mule cart, crouched low, and crept toward the field path on the right.
Over by the rice paddies, Liu Gang took a few steps, then stopped and looked back.
Colluding with bandits was a serious matter, and he was worried about being discovered.
That's why he chose this remote field path on his way back.
Liu Gang walked and stopped, covering a distance of just a few dozen meters in over ten minutes.
Liu Tiezhu, following behind, kept a distance of about thirty meters from Liu Gang.
Whenever Liu Gang stopped, he quickly dropped to the ground.
Though it wasn't fully dark yet, at that distance, unless someone looked very carefully, they wouldn't spot him.
When they reached the entrance of Liu Family Village, Liu Gang no longer paused and quickened his pace.
Seeing this, Liu Tiezhu started running.
By the time he reached the village entrance, Liu Gang had already disappeared through two alleys.
"Damn it, I lost him." Liu Tiezhu stomped his foot in frustration.
Based on the person's reactions and movements, he was definitely the bandit's informant.
He glanced left and right at the roads near the village entrance and finally decided to take a gamble, plunging into the left path and then turning left repeatedly.
After covering a few dozen meters, Liu Tiezhu abruptly stopped.
At that moment, from the neighboring alley, there came the sound of footsteps halting as well.
In the alley to the right, Liu Gang quietly pressed himself against the wall, listening carefully to the surroundings.
On the other side of the wall, Liu Tiezhu didn't dare move a muscle, and his heart began to race.
His heart raced not out of fear, but as a normal reaction to tension.
Now Liu Tiezhu was certain that the other person was in the neighboring alley.
He had clearly heard Liu Tiezhu's footsteps and stopped as well.
The two remained frozen, neither daring to take another step.
Time ticked by, second by second.
In the silent night, Liu Tiezhu could even hear his own heartbeat.
Liu Gang was also too nervous to move, his palms slick with cold sweat.
Just then, a cat darted past Liu Tiezhu.
The cat was fast, quickly reaching the end of the alley.
"Crap." Liu Tiezhu cursed under his breath.
He had finally managed to tail the bandit's informant, and now this might scare him off.
A clatter rang out as a tile shattered.
Then, a cat's cry, like a child's wail, echoed through the entire alley.
Just as Liu Tiezhu thought the cat would ruin everything, a curse came from the neighboring alley.
"Damn, it's just you, you beast. You scared the hell out of me."
Liu Gang patted his chest, cursed, and continued on his way.
Liu Tiezhu still didn't move.
The other person was too cautious; if he followed too closely, he'd easily be discovered.
Only after Liu Gang had walked several meters did Liu Tiezhu breathe a sigh of relief and quietly follow.
The two passed through several alleys, and Liu Gang walked straight into a courtyard.
"Damn it, so it's you, you bastard."
Liu Tiezhu cursed under his breath and arrived outside Liu Gang's house.
After carefully observing the surroundings, he turned to the left side of the courtyard, then jumped up, grabbing the courtyard wall with both hands, and quietly climbed over.
Landing inside the courtyard, Liu Tiezhu crouched low and continued to observe.
The house's main door was tightly shut, with only the living room lit.
He silently pressed himself against the wall and moved to the window on the right side of the living room.
Through the gap in the window, Liu Tiezhu saw Liu Gang and his father.
The two were sitting by the stove in the living room, roasting dried meat.
"Son, what did the bandit contact say?" Liu Shan asked.
Liu Gang said, "The contact said the second-in-command will personally bring people down in two days."
"This time, Zhang Jingyang is definitely dead."
Liu Shan continued, "What about Liu Tiezhu? Did you report that too?"
Liu Gang nodded: "Reported it too. When the time comes, the bandits will take care of his whole family."
Hearing this news, Liu Tiezhu's fists clenched instantly, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Good thing he had followed.
Otherwise, this time he would have fallen right into Liu Gang and his father's trap.