When Ling Feng returned, he didn't see Tao Wanniang and her group at the same spot, and he was a little panicked. But when he heard a sound in the woods and saw a ball of fire flashing, Ling Feng immediately went over.

"Ling Feng, you've come at the right time. Secure that horn." Chen Yan said to Ling Feng.

Several torches were stuck in the trees, and bonfires were lit on the ground, illuminating the area brightly. Ling Feng saw Tao Wanniang standing to one side with her arms crossed, while Chen Yantong was pulling a large piece of cloth.

The wind howled, making the large cloth rustle loudly.

"You have nowhere to stay, huh? Go and set up the tent for me," Tao Wanniang instructed.

"Is this... prepared by the General?" Ling Feng couldn't help but ask. Although the military tents didn't look exactly like this, they were somewhat similar.

Tao Wanniang was taken aback, and gave a vague reply.

With Ling Feng joining in, a tent was quickly set up. Although it was just a tarpaulin on the ground, at least there was a place to shelter from the wind and rain.

"Go back into the woods and see if you can gather some more firewood," Tao Wanniang said, gesturing for Yun Pingting and the others to get off the carriage and into the tent.

We've stayed at inns all along the way, this is the first time we've stayed in the forest.

Yun Pingting was very curious, and even after entering the tent, she couldn't help but look around and touch things.

"Is this the military tent my father was talking about? Do the soldiers all live in tents?"

"This is the first time I've ever seen anything like it. What kind of cloth is this? With such a strong wind outside, not a single wisp of it has blown in," Chen Lian said curiously.

Tao Wan's mother found a good spot, called Xiao Qiao'er over, used her luggage as a pillow, and muttered to herself, "Next time we get to town, we'll have to buy some bedding and stuff. Tonight, we'll all have to make do. We don't have any pots or pans, so we'll just have to eat dry rations!"

"Mother, if we have a pot, do we still need to go hunting in the forest?" Little Qiao'er couldn't help but swallow as she thought of the grilled fish she had eaten in the forest with Tao Wan's mother.

"You little glutton, you've been traveling these past few days and your taste buds have been a bit bland. Once we get to town, Mother will treat you to something delicious," Tao Wan's mother said with a smile. She hadn't touched a kitchen knife in days and was itching to get it!

"Woo~" Suddenly, the sound of a wild beast came from the forest. Yun Pingting immediately ran to Tao Wanniang's side and asked nervously, "Sister Tao, what is that?"

"It's probably a wolf!" Tao Wanniang said nonchalantly. "Chen Yan, go outside and take a look."

Chen Yan nodded, lifted the tent flap, and went outside. Several horses became restless. There seemed to be a green glow in the forest, but a ring of fire kept the wild animals from venturing out.

From the other direction, Ling Feng and An Fen also came over carrying some dry, withered branches.

“It’s a wolf!” Ling Feng said. “But we have torches, so the wolf won’t dare to come over.”

“Let the three of us take turns keeping watch!” Chen Yan said.

“You go into the tent to protect them. The two of us will spend the night in the carriage,” Ling Feng said. “The torches here are bright, which may keep wild animals away, but if there are bandits, they might be attracted to us.”

The three exchanged glances, all ready to proceed.

Tao Wanniang and the others quickly fell asleep. Although the wind was howling outside and there were occasional sounds of wild animals, it did not disturb the people sleeping peacefully in the tent.

The next morning, the chirping of birds woke Tao Wanniang. She quietly stepped out of the tent, breathed in the fresh air of the mountain forest, and felt refreshed all over.

"Manager Tao!" Ling Feng called out.

Tao Wanniang had naturally already seen Ling Feng leaning against the carriage. She nodded and asked, "Didn't you sleep all night?"

“Anfen and I take turns keeping watch, I’m on the second half of the night,” Ling Feng replied. “Manager Tao, your tent seems different from the ones in the army.”

"Of course," Tao Wanniang glanced at the tent and pretended not to understand, "Many of these things were prepared by your general. I've never used them before."

Ling Feng, without suspecting anything else, simply said, "Last night I surveyed the surroundings. If we want to enter the city, we should set off early to avoid missing out on finding lodging."

"Then let everyone get up!" After Tao Wanniang finished speaking, everyone else in the tent came out, except for Xiao Qiao'er, who was still rubbing her eyes, looking a little sleepy.

“Now that you’re up, pack your things. We need to continue our journey,” Tao Wanniang said.

Packing up the tent was a task for Ling Feng and the other two to do together. Tao Wanniang looked at Chen Yan as she handed her the folded tent and tried to help her put it in the box, but she hesitated. The box was already full.

"Don't put them in yet," Tao Wanniang said. "When we get to town, I'll buy some warm clothes and bedding, and we can put them together then."

Chen Yan didn't think much of it and went along with Tao Wanniang's suggestion. After everything was settled, the group set off again.

After walking for another half a day along the mountain road, the official road opened up, and in the afternoon, the group arrived at the nearest town.

"Have you heard? A female fiend has appeared in the Wushan area. She's said to be eight feet tall, with a robust and imposing appearance. She possesses a unique hidden weapon; with just a few bangs, anyone hit by it is certain to die!"

"Calling her a female demon is an exaggeration. She killed those thieving bandits, so she did the work of ridding the people of a scourge!"

"Our Black Bear Town is quite close to Wushan Mountain, so that female demon should stay away from our Black Bear Town!"

Tao Wanniang and her companions were eating at the inn when they overheard the guests talking amongst themselves. Tao Wanniang vaguely felt that they were talking about her, but was she really eight feet tall? That would make her a giant!

"Gentlemen, all the specialties of our shop are here. Please enjoy your meal."

Having traveled this far, Ling Feng and the others no longer adhered to the distinction of rank, and they sat around a table to eat.

"They're talking about Sister Tao, aren't they?" Yun Pingting whispered. "But the rumors are way off."

"Let's pretend we don't know," Tao Wanniang said softly. "Let's stay in this town for the night and buy everything we need. If we need to buy another horse, let's make another carriage to carry the purchases."

Tao Wanniang didn't make a suggestion, but rather a decision. Since she said so, no one else would have any objections.

In Black Bear Town, there were some clothing stores. Tao Wan's mother and several others bought winter clothes, as the mornings and nights were especially cold.

"This rumor is a bit exaggerated, but we didn't delay on the road. I didn't expect the rumor to have reached this town first." Shen Lian asked curiously, "Sister Tao, what do you think is going on?"

“Someone is deliberately creating this situation!” Tao Wanniang said. “Or maybe the bandits don’t want any more casualties and are demonizing me.”

“I look at the map and it seems we’ll be able to reach Youzhou in about half a month. Sister Tao, I’ve seen quite a few scenes along the way that are different from those in the capital.” Chen Lian chatted with Tao Wan’s mother, while the shopkeeper of a clothing store was altering Xiao Qiao’er’s clothes.

“When we came here, it was still hot in the capital, but now it feels like winter. The seasons are different, and so are the local customs and traditions,” Tao Wanniang said. “Master Shen, there’s no need to feel sentimental. Our perspective is limited to this place, but there is a much broader world out there.”

Chen Lian was puzzled, but looking at the smiling Tao Wanniang, she became even more curious.