However, to avoid encountering thieves, the innkeeper leaves every night, leaving the pavilion empty, which is just right for them to stay in and hide from wild dogs and wolves. They can also pick up a bit of leftover food discarded by guests from the ground to use as dinner.

For the past half month, Henry Clark and his companion have been staying there at night.

At dusk, when the sky was tinged with evening glow,

Henry Clark supported Big Ben to one side of the pavilion, squatting down to rest in a patch of wild grass nearby. This pavilion was a simple bamboo hut built from bamboo, with an open-air canopy at the entrance, and more than a dozen tea tables and benches under the shelter.

At this moment, the innkeeper had not yet left. The old innkeeper and a young waiter were busy, serving more than a dozen men in matching blue robes, each carrying a knife. This group of men was making a ruckus inside the pavilion, shouting and toasting, eating meat and drinking wine in large mouthfuls, creating a lively scene.

Henry Clark smelled the aroma of wine and meat wafting from the pavilion and was dying of hunger, but after just a glance, he quickly shrank back in fear, not daring to look again. These lean and tough men were all dressed in the uniforms of government officers from Zhuqi County.

When he first came out from the countryside to look for food, he almost mistook these men in official uniforms for good people. But after begging in the county town and several villages for more than half a year, having witnessed much evil, he had become extremely wary of these people.

If they were bandits, it would be better; without money or valuables, bandits wouldn’t kill for no reason. These officers, however, were far more ruthless than bandits. If they took a dislike to someone, they would beat them to death, and then cut off the head and claim it as a bandit’s to collect a reward in the county.

Henry Clark was so poor he only had a tattered hemp cloth to cover himself. He would rather meet bandits than see government officers.

Big Ben was so hungry he was getting dizzy and didn’t realize those men were officers; he wanted to crawl over and beg for food.

Henry Clark was startled and quickly pulled him back, holding down Big Ben’s arm. Big Ben struggled with all his strength, trying to say something. Henry Clark hurriedly covered his mouth, desperately signaling with his eyes not to go over and court death.

Big Ben was younger than him and injured; after struggling a bit without breaking free, he was exhausted and could only lie down in a daze to rest.

The two of them huddled together in a hidden spot outside the pavilion, trying their best not to attract any attention from the officers.

Henry Clark glanced at the sky. The sun was about to set, and he believed that once these officers had eaten and drunk their fill, they wouldn’t stay long in this desolate place. After they left, he might be able to find something they had left behind.

He sighed inwardly. He didn’t know when this life of digging up tree roots to survive would ever end.

Under the pavilion, the men’s boisterous laughter and chatter could be heard.

Surrounded by the others, a middle-aged officer with a thin, sallow face sat in the center, exuding authority—clearly the leader.

The middle-aged officer gulped down a mouthful of wine, wiped the remaining drops from his beard, and said loudly, “Damn it, what bad luck! Those bandits sure can run. They fled dozens of miles from Zhuqi County to this godforsaken place, nearly exhausting us. Eat and drink your fill, brothers. We still have to travel in the dark tonight and catch those bandits as soon as possible.”

Henry Clark, hiding in the wild grass beside the pavilion, was more than ten paces away from the officers inside, but he could hear every word they said.

The officers all flattered the middle-aged officer.

“It’s all thanks to Mr. Thompson taking action personally, otherwise those bandits would have disappeared without a trace. It’s fine for us to suffer a bit, but we can’t let those bandits escape and waste Mr. Thompson’s efforts.”

“That’s right. As long as we catch those bandits and bring back their heads for the reward, Mr. Thompson will surely receive a generous reward. We brothers will also get some benefits!”

“Mr. Thompson truly deserves to be the top constable in our county. He never fails when he takes action. This time, we’re lucky to have Mr. Thompson with us!”

Chapter 2: The Herbal Hall

The thin, sallow-faced middle-aged officer grabbed the last piece of beef bone on the plate and took a bite.

“Of course. When I, Mr. Thompson, first spotted the bandit leader in the county, I sprinkled him with ‘Three-Day Scent’. Do you know what that is? It’s the famous tracking powder from the ‘Herbal Hall’ in the county. Just a tiny bit…”

The officer surnamed Li gestured with his little finger, looking quite pleased with himself as he continued, “Within three days, no matter where that bandit leader runs, I, Mr. Thompson, can drag him out. But this stuff isn’t available to just anyone. If I weren’t related to Mr. Thompson the Good of the Herbal Hall, I wouldn’t have been able to get it.”

“Mr. Thompson is related to Mr. Thompson the Good of the Herbal Hall?”

The officers all put on looks of surprise and exclaimed in astonishment.

Although they had heard this story from Officer Thompson not just hundreds, but thousands of times and were sick of it, they knew their boss loved to show off this connection, so every time they put on a look of amazement and admiration to please Officer Thompson.

Speaking of which, the Herbal Hall was indeed very famous in Zhuqi County. Its main business was herbal medicine, owning thousands of acres of good farmland, dozens of shops, and employing thousands of retainers and apprentices. It was the largest and most powerful household in Zhuqi County.