Chapter 20

Yang Shouwen hurriedly sat up, following the sound, and saw a Huji (a foreign woman) cleaning the mat at the tent entrance. He recognized the Huji; she was the one named Lüzhu who had led him and Yang Chenglie to the tent the previous day.

He quickly turned his head and saw that the other bed was empty; Yang Chenglie was nowhere to be seen.

"The master left early this morning. Before he left, he instructed me to tell you that you don't need to wait for him and can go around as you please."

The master referred to Yang Chenglie.

Yang Shouwen rubbed his face, sat on the bed to calm down, and then stood up.

"The washing utensils are outside, already prepared." Lüzhu, barefoot on the mat, began to tidy up Yang Chenglie's bed while saying, "The master has had breakfast prepared for you. Just go to the hall and give your orders."

"Thank you!"

Lüzhu's Mandarin was quite good, much better than the Huji from last night.

Yang Shouwen walked out of the tent, rinsing his mouth and brushing his teeth, and asked, "From your accent... spit, it seems you've been to the Central Plains? Spit!"

The toothbrush was as difficult to use as the ones he was used to, constantly shedding bristles.

Lüzhu smiled, "I lived in Chang'an for some time. I suppose you guessed that from my accent?"

"Hehe, I just thought that a person like you wouldn't be found in such a cold and harsh place."

"You really know how to talk."

Lüzhu couldn't help but laugh softly, her laughter very pleasant to the ear.

Since the Tang Dynasty, hundreds of thousands of Huji have entered Chang'an. To those foreigners, Chang'an was like a foreign country, full of allure. Many Huji left their homes to make a living in Chang'an. When they grew old and less attractive, they either returned home or moved to distant, harsh lands.

Lüzhu was likely one of them.

Yang Shouwen chatted with her for a while, then picked up his spear and went to the large tent.

By then, the tent was already crowded with people. Not finding a seat, Yang Shouwen had the large Huji flatbread cut and wrapped. He slung his spear over his back, held the oil paper-wrapped flatbread in one hand, and walked out of the tent, eating as he went.

Outside, the sun was bright.

The market was bustling with people.

In the distance, herds of cattle and sheep could be seen leisurely grazing on the grassland, with shepherds riding horses and singing. The songs echoed far and wide, making one feel refreshed.

Yang Shouwen wandered around the market for a while but didn't find anything interesting.

So, he squatted by the roadside, watching the passersby, and leisurely ate his flatbread.

At that moment, a rustling sound came from behind him.

He turned his head and saw a dog not far away. The dog was over a meter long but looked emaciated. Most interestingly, it had a bag around its neck, and inside the bag were four puppies, peeking out curiously at Yang Shouwen. The large dog squatted not far from Yang Shouwen, occasionally licking its lips and eyeing the flatbread in Yang Shouwen's hand with longing.

A stray dog with puppies?

Yang Shouwen recognized that the dog seemed to be a Turkic dog.

In the future, this breed would be called the Mongolian Mastiff, a type of mastiff that lived on the grasslands. It was said that the Tibetan Mastiff evolved from this breed. However, in this era, Mongolia had not yet appeared, so it was called the Turkic Mastiff.

The Mongolian Mastiff was a very quiet creature, with keen observational skills, agile movements, and a brave nature, used by the grassland herders to guard their homes. But the mastiff in front of him seemed to have no owner and was a stray.

In his previous life, Yang Shouwen loved dogs.

He had once raised a Labrador, which stayed by his side even when he was paralyzed, like a member of the family.

Unfortunately, the Labrador eventually died, and Yang Shouwen was very sad for a long time.

Now, seeing this Mongolian Mastiff, Yang Shouwen suddenly felt an inexplicable fondness.

He took a piece of flatbread from the oil paper and extended his hand to the Mongolian Mastiff.

The Mongolian Mastiff quickly took two steps back, its eyes showing caution.

"Don't be afraid, I mean no harm. Come and eat."

Yang Shouwen smiled and took a step forward, still squatting.

The Mongolian Mastiff was very hungry; Yang Shouwen could clearly see saliva dripping from its mouth. However, it was very cautious and stopped after taking two steps, squatting on the ground.

Yang Shouwen thought for a moment, placed the flatbread on the ground, and stepped back a few paces.

"Does no one want this dog?"

He pretended not to care and asked a Hu merchant at a nearby stall.

The Hu merchant glanced at the Mongolian Mastiff, "You mean Maoyihan? It's a good dog... Its former owner was called Hutaga, a very capable man. But last year, Hutaga's business failed, and now he can only make a living by doing odd jobs. Maoyihan initially followed him, but the man didn't cherish her and drove her out of the house.

Maoyihan just had a litter of puppies and is very cautious."

Maoyihan means "ugly girl" in Turkic.

While Yang Shouwen was chatting with the Hu merchant, Maoyihan darted over and swallowed the flatbread in one bite.

"Does no one want to adopt her?"

"Of course, but she won't leave her puppies and always carries them around.

This breed eats a lot. An ordinary person can barely afford one, let alone four... unless they are rich."

Yang Shouwen listened and looked at Maoyihan again.

This time, Maoyihan didn't retreat, squatting in place and watching Yang Shouwen quietly.

Yang Shouwen squatted down and took out another piece of flatbread.

Maoyihan tentatively took a step forward, looked at Yang Shouwen, lowered her head, and quickly bit the flatbread with her mouth.

Her movements were lightning-fast, but she didn't hurt Yang Shouwen at all.

"Truly a formidable ugly girl."

Yang Shouwen said, opening the oil paper and holding it out with both hands.

"Do you want to adopt her?"

The Hu merchant smiled, "Then you'd better be prepared. Once those four little ones grow up, it will cost a lot of money."

Money?

Yang Shouwen laughed!

Once his business took off, he could afford not just four dogs but forty.

Maoyihan came over and devoured the flatbread. Yang Shouwen reached out and stroked her head, and she didn't resist.

"Ugly girl, come with me?"

After Maoyihan finished eating, Yang Shouwen stood up and asked softly.

To his surprise, Maoyihan didn't respond but circled around him, nudged his leg with her head, and then turned and left.

What does that mean?

Yang Shouwen was stunned.

At that moment, a commotion came from a distance, followed by a scream, and someone shouted, "Murder! Murder!"

Yang Shouwen was taken aback and quickly ran over.

He ran out of the market and saw a small stream nearby, with a crowd gathered around it.

Yang Shouwen pushed through the crowd and saw a body lying by the stream. The body was face up, with a dagger embedded in its chest.

"Lüzhu?"

Yang Shouwen immediately recognized the dead woman as the Huji who had cleaned his room that morning.

At that moment, Lüzhu's face was pale, her eyes wide open, and she clutched a piece of cloth in her hand, her face filled with despair.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I saw her arguing with someone, and that person suddenly killed her and ran away."

Someone pointed to the other side of the stream, and Yang Shouwen, without a word, rushed out. He ran about two li and saw a man in Hu clothing running to a horse.

He untied the reins and mounted the horse.

Yang Shouwen, who was about a hundred meters away, felt a surge of urgency and accelerated, running a few hundred meters before throwing his large spear with a powerful arm. The spear spun through the air, whistling as it drew an arc.

Thud!

The spear pierced the ground in front of the horse, which neighed and reared up, throwing the rider off.

The man, skilled in martial arts, rolled a few times and stood up, drawing his sword.

Yang Shouwen rushed forward, pulled out his spear, and was about to attack when a Mongolian Mastiff suddenly appeared, leaped at the man, and bit his wrist fiercely.

The bite was severe.

The Mongolian Mastiff's bite force was astonishing, and it severed the man's wrist.

Clang! The man's sword fell to the ground, and he clutched his wrist, letting out a piercing scream.

Yang Shouwen hadn't expected this turn of events and couldn't help but laugh.

"Ugly girl, well done!"

Ugly girl, who had appeared from nowhere, turned and barked twice at Yang Shouwen, as if reporting her success. Yang Shouwen didn't say anything more, kicked the man to the ground, and thrust his spear at the man's chest, saying sternly, "Move again, and I'll kill you!"

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