Chapter 667: Prelude to the Cold Tide

Two people came out of the city gate and saw soldiers guarding that pile of "meat mountain". Such a bizarre sight—even though the great cold wave is about to strike and it's still early, there are people gathering to watch. They are all city folk who have plenty to eat and drink, a group of them pointing and whispering from a distance.

Da Wang didn't ride the white dragon; he also pretended to be a passerby and went over to watch, but the soldier beside him blocked him back, telling him to stay away.

Da Wang persisted, and even when chased away he wouldn't leave. This guy circled the "little mountain", then moved closer to gossip, "Has no one claimed it yet?"

One soldier glanced at him, shook his head, and stood there expressionless, though he was actually quite wary. Da Wang and Wei Shen had brought two personal guards; the four of them were dressed well and rode fine horses, so they didn't look like they were scheming over the meat—more like the son of some prominent city figure. But in these times… one can't let one's guard down.

Wei Shen crouched down to examine one of the dead horses, and Da Wang, thick‑skinned, moved in as well.

"What do you see?"

"This horse has no horseshoes; in Youzhou, anyone who owns a horse is either a scholar‑official or a wealthy merchant, at the very least a small trader—surely they wouldn't lack the horseshoes that are everywhere on the streets."

"Outside… a neighbor's horse?"

Wei Shen also mimicked Da Wang's line from last night: "Good news, the victims might not be Youzhou locals; bad news, these game animals have no wounds."

Who likes to slap game to death with a palm?

Tripping stone, Xiao Jin!

Da Wang's hanging heart finally died halfway; the matter is about eighty percent clear now.

"But… maybe not! It can't use tools, and with this many cattle and sheep, how did it haul them back and dump them at the city gate? Carrying one at a time would take countless trips, and if it caught the game, why wouldn't it bring it home? I have to criticize it for this!"

Wei Shen tightened his cloak, lifted his chin, and pointed at Da Wang's towering, almost sky‑piercing city wall; even squinting at it made him dizzy. "It climbs up effortlessly, but lugging all that bulk is a hassle."

Not having caught them in the act, Da Wang vowed to stand firm: "You're just guessing……"

Before his words even faded, Xiao Jin happily appeared at the edge of sight…… How to say happy? Because from far away it smelled out Da Wang's presence, then it sprang up high in one leap, bouncing and hopping over.

The soldiers couldn't make it out clearly, each on high alert: "What is that?"

"A horse? …No!" As it drew nearer, obviously someone already knew what it was. Everyone fell silent, sending only one person back to report to superiors.

His Majesty the Emperor dotes on it.

Not long ago, just after returning to the city with the imperial carriage, many people had gathered to watch Xiao Jin's majestic bearing. Da Wang either wore a face‑covering armor or rode in a carriage; more people knew Xiao Jin than knew the Emperor.

Da Wang blinked hard, and after a moment found his own chin. "Next time anyone calls Xiao Jin stupid, I'll personally give it a black‑eye."

Wei Shen: "It's just you saying that! I don't dare say it either……"

Da Wang: ……

In the distance a ball of golden light came rolling at great speed, dragging a long tail behind it; looking closely, the tail was a sizable branch, with a larger limb lodged on Xiao Jin's back.

How this pile of cattle and sheep came about is crystal clear.

On the branch Xiao Jin was dragging hung a string of plump, white lambs.

Da Wang realized it instantly and felt moved: "Looking at this direction, it came from the north, right? Could it have been dragged from Xianbei lands? Our Xiao Jin is far too thrifty and industrious!"

"You didn't used to say that before."

It doesn't matter; Da Wang had already trotted over, forgetting his pretense of being a passerby. "Xiao Jin, quickly tell me where you caught these sheep—was it yesterday on the north side of Zhiyan Mountain?!"

Xiao Jin tossed aside the branch it was dragging, rushed over and rubbed up against Da Wang, "Look how much game I'll get for you!"

"Just eat it—three meals a day of meat!"

"Quickly say where you hit it, is it over there?" Da Wang strained to turn its massive head, "Was it across the mountain?"

Xiao Jin gave a casual nod, then started rubbing Da Wang again, "To get back at the bastards who stole its prey, it hasn't come home at night!"

Da Wang couldn't care less; he loudly declared, "I say it was hunted on the opposite plain—our Xiao Jin travels a thousand li a day!" He dropped the act.

The soldiers guarding the game knelt down in confusion to pay respects; Da Wang waved a hand: "Send someone to Ning'an County to the north to ask if any household lost cattle or sheep; if not, then our Xiao Jin brought them back from the plain. Take these back into the city and send them to Shengping Meat Union for processing."

Now looking at this pile of meat, however you view it it's pleasing to the eye; the money‑loving Da Wang feels refreshed and clear‑headed, and this chilly weather hasn't dampened his brief moment of good mood.

"Good~ really capable! You must be exhausted—let's go home and eat!"

Da Wang immediately tried to drag Xiao Jin back to the city, but it refused, charging into the little mountain of its own prey and digging fiercely; finally it dragged out a clump of yellow fur from underneath. Xiao Jin happily tossed it to Da Wang, who thought it was a civet cat, gave it a casual kick with his foot—what a fine fellow, a tiger cub!

"We don't want this, it's not tasty!" Street‑vendor giants have sold it before, and it's very hard to sell.

Xiao Jin wouldn't have it, tossed it again at him, "This one's tender—that's why it fought the villains to snatch it!"

However, Xiao Jin had run to Zhiyan Mountain yesterday; at the mountain base it sensed living things inside. Looking back, it couldn't even see Da Wang's shadow, so it decided to go up the mountain to play, not noticing the sky‑obscuring clouds and having flown far away to roam freely.

It charged straight into the mountain's depths, stirring up the uninhabited zone into chaos—chickens flying, dogs jumping. As for this xiao, Da Wang didn't take it seriously, though it too is a mighty beast; the mountain's animals all gave way.

When the beasts retreated, could Xiao Jin make them retreat? It followed them up, not eating—just playing. This play quickly took it to the north slope; the north slope of Zhiyan Mountain is where Xianbei people operate, and winter life on the plain is harsh, so a tribe bands together to go deep into the mountains to hunt.

Xiao Jin first spotted a patterned fierce tiger; it didn't think of eating the tiger, its mouth having been sharpened by Da Wang, it felt such a huge bulk couldn't be tasty, it eyed the two little ones the tiger held in its jaws—Da Wang picks lambs when eating roasted mutton, and those two little ones look tender indeed~

Xiao Jin, the adult xiao, isn't polite either; it went over, pried open the mother tiger, and snatched her cubs. Xiao Jin didn't want to eat the big one and didn't kill the people; the mother tiger rolled around, lay on the ground dazed, and was shot dead by a bunch Xiao Jin hadn't even noticed! When Xiao Jin turned back, the mother tiger's head had several arrows stuck in it, she struggled twice and then collapsed.

Xiao Jin got a bit angry, feeling these people had taken advantage of it! Its thought process is that the adult Xiao Jin had let it go, yet you lot took the chance while I was overturning it to launch a sneak attack?!

It hadn't decided whether to return the favor to these people, but who knew those jabbering folk would, without a word, start shooting arrows at it!

Is Xiao Jin a xiao that takes hits without striking back? It threw the tiger cub it was holding into the fray. Who knew these people were so ruthless—it didn't deal a lethal blow to humans, yet they went for the kill on it, and shot dead a tiger cub it had set on the ground!

Dead isn't fresh!

Xiao Jin's anger rose from the heart—how long has it been since it suffered such a loss! It thought of Da Wang's instruction; Da Wang hadn't nodded, so it couldn't kill people, but these folks…… they wanted to enrage the xiao!

The mighty beast's anger wouldn't subside; after the Xianbei were beaten by it until they cried for their parents and fled, it followed behind, thinking how to retaliate. Then it discovered these villains' homes had cattle and sheep! No killing people was said, but no killing sheep either!

The Duan tribe nearest the north slope of Zhiyan Mountain basically suffered disaster—whether shooting arrows or slashing with blades, they couldn't stop Adult Xiao Jin from hunting in their sheep pens. One trip wasn't enough; it made round‑trips all night.

This creature's intelligence is high enough to drag a branch back and forth to transport cattle and sheep; in the end the tribe's shamans all came out to kowtow, and they told the people not to obstruct it anymore.

Xiao Jin diligently caught a heap of cattle and sheep for Da Wang, also keeping that golden‑shiny live mouth—something Da Wang had never eaten!

Da Wang obviously didn't grasp its wholehearted effort, "You wouldn't be trying to raise it, would you? It eats meat; I don't need another rice‑bucket."

Wei Shen joined in the clamor, "That's great—raise it big and it'll be impressive!"

"Then take it, you bring it back to Changzhou to raise—Changzhou has no tigers." Da Wang cheerfully passed the buck.

Xiao Jin wouldn't have it; it wobbled over, personally carrying it in its mouth as it followed Da Wang back to the city.

The Great King was pondering Xiao Jin's intelligence when he suddenly felt a chill in his nose, and upon coming to his senses realized it was snowing.

Just after he passed the city gate, the snow grew heavier; by the time he entered North Hua Gate, it was already a goose-feather blizzard, and the overture of the great cold wave had finally arrived.