Reaching Tianshui Town, Bai Sheng walked into a deserted alley. She had Hengheng scout the surroundings, and after confirming it was safe, she let Lu Ye out of the space, and then released the "coolie," Wuyun.
Wuyun drank spiritual spring water every day, ate grass from the space, and bathed in the spiritual spring. It grew taller and stronger visibly, its fur becoming denser and more lustrous.
It always felt like it had inexhaustible strength and was honored to be its master's mount. It was proud and glorious.
"Bai Sheng, you've worked hard," Lu Ye said, looking at Bai Sheng with apologetic eyes.
Bai Sheng glared at him. "We're husband and wife, what's with the politeness? Do… does your wound still hurt?"
"Much better," Lu Ye smiled, his lips still a little pale.
"En, I'll put medicine on it again when we get back tonight."
"Okay," for some reason, thinking of Bai Sheng applying medicine to him, he felt a faint anticipation.
Bai Sheng planned to go to Boss Liu's place first to ask if the camel cart was ready. If not, many things stored in the space couldn't be brought out legitimately today.
Lu Ye needed to return to the martial academy to handle some matters. He asked Bai Sheng to wait for him under the red willow tree at the town entrance after she finished her errands, and they would go home together.
Bai Sheng told him to go ahead and take care of his business, and that she would meet him at the red willow tree as soon as she got the camel cart.
The two parted ways on the street.
Upon reaching Boss Liu's shop, Bai Sheng instructed Wuyun to wait at the shop entrance and not to run around.
Wuyun hummed in affirmation, indicating obedience.
As if praising it, Bai Sheng patted its head and walked into the shop.
Seeing Bai Sheng, Boss Liu's face lit up with a smile, and he immediately put down his work to greet her.
He said that the camel cart Bai Sheng had requested was ready and that they could try it with the camel now.
Bai Sheng was very excited and couldn't wait to see her "luxury car."
The camel cart was built very sturdily. The wheels used bearings, and the central axle was quite high off the ground, presumably taking Wuyun's height into consideration.
The sides were enclosed with railings, and a canopy was added to the roof, protecting it from wind, sun, and rain.
Just as Bai Sheng was immersed in the excitement of her new luxury car, Wuyun's "Ang, ang, ang" cries from outside the door suddenly sounded, its voice seeming strained, as if its neck were being choked.
At the same time, Hengheng reminded her in her mind, "Master, hurry out and take a look. Someone is trying to snatch Wuyun!"
Bai Sheng immediately rushed outside, and Boss Liu followed her out.
She saw a pair of emaciated middle-aged men using a rope to loop around Wuyun's neck, trying to lead it away. Wuyun resisted with all its might, yet feared being strangled to death by the rope in their hands.
"Hey! What are you doing! This is my camel!" Bai Sheng roared.
"Yours? This camel doesn't have a bit in its mouth or a rope tied to it, so you say it's yours, and it's yours?" the man shouted, raising his chin.
"Exactly! This camel looks like a wild camel with no owner. On what grounds do you claim it's yours?" the woman said, looking at Bai Sheng with disdain, echoing her husband.
"Does the law of Great Xia stipulate that owned camels must wear bits and be tied with ropes?" Bai Sheng asked them coldly.
Boss Liu was also very angry. "This camel belongs to Miss Bai. Its name is Wuyun. Miss Bai has been to my shop many times, always bringing it with her. Because the camel is obedient, it doesn't need a bit or a rope."
A neighbor nearby also said, "Indeed, people around here have seen it many times. This camel is very obedient."
The couple's movements with the rope faltered slightly, but they still didn't let go. "We don't care. This camel has nothing on it and is wandering around the street. Whoever sees it first owns it!"
Wuyun immediately let out an angry hum: Damn it! This Wuyun was not wandering around the street! This Wuyun has always listened to its master and stood obediently at the door of Boss Liu's shop. It was you who, while this Wuyun was unprepared, suddenly put a rope around my neck!
Bai Sheng, too lazy to waste words, rushed forward and snatched the rope from the man's hand, pulling it off Wuyun's neck. Wuyun's throat, freed from its fate, raised its head and sprayed a gust of water vapor at the man.
The man sneezed from the spray. Before he could react, he heard the woman behind him sneeze as well.
The crowd burst into laughter.
Wuyun was about to raise its hooves to give them both a stern lesson, but Bai Sheng stopped it.
These two looked like rascals. If Wuyun really injured them with its hooves, they would surely try to extort money again. It was better to avoid trouble. She still needed to get the camel cart and rush to the red willow tree to wait for Lu Ye. Bai Sheng didn't want to argue with them further.
To prove it was its master's little darling, Wuyun affectionately rubbed its head against Bai Sheng and kept licking her with its tongue.
Bai Sheng suddenly felt as if she had raised a dog.
Seeing that the camel's attitude was very clear, the couple could only leave, muttering curses.
Boss Liu hitched the cart onto Wuyun.
Wuyun proudly pulled the wide wooden cart back and forth in front of the shop several times, feeling quite pleased.
To prevent the previous incident from happening again, Bai Sheng asked Boss Liu to help make five small wooden tags. On the front of each tag, she carved the names: Hengheng, Shandian, Wuyun, Baoyu, and Xuehua. On the back, she carved the words "Belongs to Bai Sheng."
From now on, she would attach a small wooden tag to each animal to declare ownership, and see who dared to claim her animals again.
Wuyun was the first to wear its tag and excitedly hummed. It felt wonderful to have its ownership declared by its master.
Bai Sheng bid farewell to Boss Liu, happily sat on the camel cart, and was pulled by Wuyun to the town entrance to wait for Lu Ye.
Tianxiao Martial Academy.
In the main hall of the academy, Duan Wushang sat in the main seat with a grim expression.
Lu Ye stood with his hands clasped below the main seat. Scattered at his feet were pieces of white porcelain, clearly indicating a teacup had been smashed violently onto the ground.
"You can't even handle such a small matter! It's a disgrace that I value you so much!" Duan Wushang glared at Lu Ye and said angrily.
"There are dozens of elite guards ambushing the Imperial Prince's Villa, and each of them is highly skilled in martial arts. With the mere 'five hundred taels' of silver given by the Dean, I could only hire a few rookie assassins. How could they possibly defeat those well-trained guards?" Lu Ye showed a look of extreme grievance on his face.
He… was he complaining that the silver given was too little?
Duan Wushang quickly moved past the issue of money and continued to rage, "Couldn't you have acted outside the Prince's mansion?"
"Outside the mansion are all civilians. With so many eyes watching, how could we dare to act openly? Moreover, even outside the mansion, there would surely be hidden guards around the Imperial Prince. Even if there weren't, the Imperial Prince himself is a top-tier expert and not easy to deal with."
"The Imperial Prince knows martial arts?" Duan Wushang was shocked. The rumors were that this charming and arrogant prince was a cripple with zero combat power, and besides a poisonous tongue, he had no martial arts skills. Now it seemed that rumors were just rumors, and this Imperial Prince had hidden himself quite deeply.
However, this news was quite valuable. Duan Wushang breathed a sigh of relief, glared at Lu Ye, and shouted, "If there's nothing else, get out! Get out, get out!"