Chapter 7

"Tell him the specific situation." The female general said to the person in charge of the beast garden.

"Yes." The person nodded first, then sized up Ren Bāqiān, who could clearly see the strange look in the other's eyes.

Ren Bāqiān was almost immune to such gazes by now, but he was more concerned about what was wrong with the white bear.

This was related to whether his head would remain in its proper place.

"The bear was sent by the Xia Kingdom. Its lifespan is similar to that of a human, about fifty to sixty years, symbolizing the friendship between our country and the Xia Kingdom. As long as this bear lives, the two countries will never go to war." The person said solemnly.

The corners of Ren Bāqiān's mouth twitched. Could this really be a polar bear? Seeing the bear lying motionless in the water, it was very likely.

Sending a polar bear to such a hot place without telling how to care for it, the friendship of the Xia Kingdom—ha! They probably didn't expect the bear to live more than a year, did they? They were probably already preparing to fight with you at any time?

There was no need to even look for a reason. The bear, a symbol of friendship between the two countries, was sent to you and died within a year. You must have done it on purpose, right? You want to start a war, don't you?

"What's its current condition?" Ren Bāqiān asked after inwardly criticizing.

"It was fine when it was sent, but after the people from the Xia Kingdom left, the bear became inactive, lying in the water all day. No matter what we feed it, it only eats occasionally and is now very weak. If there's no solution, it probably won't last much longer." The person in charge said with a worried look.

Then his expression became resolute: "This is my dereliction of duty. If that happens, I am willing to die to repay the emperor's grace."

Ren Bāqiān was speechless after hearing this. They were clearly playing you, right? And if the bear dies, you die too? The people from the Xia Kingdom would laugh to death, wouldn't they?

Hearing the person in charge describe the bear's behavior, he felt even more that it was due to the heat.

In such a hot environment, even he couldn't bear it, so it was strange that the bear would want to eat.

However, to be on the safe side, he still had some questions to ask: "When was the bear sent here?"

"A month ago."

"Did they say anything when they sent the bear?"

"The bear comes from the northern part of the Xia Kingdom, is entirely white, and is very rare and precious, so it must be well cared for."

"Is the Xia Kingdom in the north?"

"Yes." The person had an expression as if to say, "How can you even ask this?"

"Have you ever seen snow?"

"..."

"I see." Ren Bāqiān stood there in his red shorts, nodding thoughtfully.

"As long as you can handle this, the emperor will not be stingy with rewards. Otherwise..." The female general named Xin Zhe put her hand on her sword, not caring at all what he understood. Her suspense was completely wasted.

"This is no problem." Ren Bāqiān looked delighted. He could finally save his life, and to encounter such a simple problem, this red shorts was indeed useful.

"Two requests!" Ren Bāqiān raised his fingers: "First, get me some clothes. Is that too much to ask?"

Xin Zhe ignored him and asked directly: "What is the other request?"

"Get some saltpeter." Ren Bāqiān said. With saltpeter, he could make ice, and everything would be solved. Polar bears are cold-resistant and heat-sensitive, so giving it a block of ice should help a lot.

However, it would be best to seal off the area and fill it with ice.

"What is saltpeter?"

"..." Ren Bāqiān fell into deep thought. What is saltpeter? That's a good question.

He remembered saltpeter, but couldn't recall how it was made.

He only remembered that it existed in ancient times and was easy to obtain.

"Is there any ice?" Ren Bāqiān changed his request.

The others looked at Ren Bāqiān as if he were a fool. Not to mention the summer, even in winter, there was no ice here. Ice, like snow, only existed in the Xia Kingdom.

"Get me some clothes first, and give me five days. I can definitely solve this." Ren Bāqiān said helplessly.

Fortunately, he could still go back. He could buy some saltpeter, which was sold everywhere, and look up where to find saltpeter online.

"Alright, give you five days. If you can't solve it... you know the consequences."

"I know, of course I know. Five days is enough." Ren Bāqiān said repeatedly.

"For the next five days, he will stay here, and you are responsible for watching him. If anything goes wrong..." Xin Zhe said to the other two soldiers.

"Yes, we understand. If anything goes wrong, we will come to you with our heads." The two stood straight and said in unison.

"Get him some clothes, and I will report to the emperor." Xin Zhe instructed the two and left without even looking at Ren Bāqiān.

Ren Bāqiān, fearing any mistakes, watched the white bear, checking for any other issues. He planned to go back and look it up online or ask a veterinarian.

After all, it was a matter of life and death, and he couldn't be careless.

Soon, the person in charge brought an old, rough cloth garment. It was very uncomfortable to wear, but it was better than walking around in shorts.

"What's wrong with it?" The person in charge asked, curious to hear his explanation after he said he could definitely solve the problem.

"It's too hot." Ren Bāqiān said.

"Too hot?" The person in charge was surprised.

"If you were wrapped in fur and left in the sun, you wouldn't eat either." Ren Bāqiān said casually.

"Uh, the saber-toothed tigers and other wild animals also have fur." The person in charge still didn't believe it.

"Is it as thick as this?" Ren Bāqiān pointed to the bear, whose fur was about an inch long and was now wet and clinging to its body. The fur on its back, which had dried, made it roll in the stream to get wet again and continue lying there.

Apart from that, the white bear was completely listless.

Seeing this, Ren Bāqiān was almost certain that it was due to the heat.

Seeing that the person in charge still wanted to ask, Ren Bāqiān waved his hand: "Forget it, you'll know in a few days. Just watch it."

That night, Ren Bāqiān stayed in a row of houses in the beast garden, where the miscellaneous servants also lived. The environment wasn't great, but compared to the dungeon, it was heaven and earth.

For the next two days, Ren Bāqiān mostly watched the bear, and the rest of the time, he wandered around the beast garden, looking at the animals that were somewhat similar to those on Earth but not exactly the same.

On the third night, if Ren Bāqiān's guess was correct, he would return to Earth that night.

Before entering the room, he said to the two guards who had been with him for two days but didn't answer any questions: "I have already thought of how to save the white bear. Don't disturb me tomorrow; I need to prepare. Just put the food at the door. If anything goes wrong and ruins everything, I will take you two with me to the grave."

After saying this, he didn't look at the two and went straight into the room, closing the door. The two guards exchanged glances and stood on either side of the door.

They didn't care what he was doing inside, as long as he was in there.

At the same time, in a palace, a woman in red sat on a couch, holding a tin pot and occasionally taking a sip.

"How is the situation in the beast garden?" The woman suddenly remembered something and asked.

"That person said he would solve it in five days. It has been three days, and during these three days, he has been wandering around. I feel like he is just stalling for time." Xin Zhe, who was in armor, stepped forward and said with a bow.

"Hmm, two more days, watch him closely. If he can't do it..." The woman paused slightly and said, "Just execute him, no need to tell me."

After saying this, she took another sip.

...

That night, Ren Bāqiān tossed and turned, afraid that he wouldn't return, which would be disastrous for him.

He didn't know how long he tossed and turned before finally falling into a deep sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly woke up, reaching out to touch the much softer bed than in that world, and seeing the familiar scene through the light coming in from the window, Ren Bāqiān finally put his heart at ease.

"I'm back!"

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