Changning's Imperial Army Chapter 82

Chapter 82 – I Need To Go To The Northern Border
When Shen Leng walked back, Shen Leng saw Chen Ran squatting down for some reason under the bright moonlight. He went over to Chen Ran and stood behind him before snorting. “You dare to take a dump in the wild behind my back?”

On this side of the river, it was an empty land where weeds grew everywhere. Chen Ran was squatting on an elevated ground. There was an opening of a cave, and there was something inside making some sounds.

“I think there's a wolf cub inside.”

Chen Ran turned around and looked at Shen Leng. “You hear that? It sounds like a wolf.”

“Have you seen a wolf before?”

“No.”

“Have you heard a wolf's howl before?”

“I have not either.”

Shen Leng glared at Chen Ran. “It is probably a pack of wild dogs.”

He squatted down and looked inside the opening of the cave. At this moment, a black figure suddenly came charging out from within it. It was extremely fast that it shocked them. If it was someone else, he might not have been able to dodge fast enough, but Shen Leng moved back in the nick of time. After that, in a flash, he grabbed that thing that charged out.

A pair of dark red eyes was right in front of Shen Leng.

It was indeed a wild dog, but it was not big – it looked as though it was only a few months old. Nonetheless, its eyes were extremely ferocious to the point that it made people feel scared. Even wolves might not have such a look in their eyes.

Shen Leng clutched the neck of the wild dog. The small dog's arms struggled continuously.

“Damn it, I got a scare. How can a puppy be so ferocious?”

Earlier on, Chen Ran got a shock that he fell on his butt. He stood up and dusted the dirt off his butt. “Kill it. This thing looks inauspicious. It could have eaten anything for it to grow this big.”

The hand in which Shen Leng used to clutch its neck exerted strength. The small dog wailed and its dark red eyes started to fade – it was replaced with fear. It looked at Shen Leng pitifully, as if begging for mercy. Shen Leng's heart went soft and released his hand.

Chen Ran kicked the dog hole open – it collapsed. They could vaguely see bone fragments and some fur.

“Damn, what did it eat to stay alive!”

Chen Ran was greatly taken aback.

“Don't think about it.”

Shen Leng carried the small dog and stood up. There was a strong decaying smell in the surrounding. He walked around the underbrush; less than thirty meters away from the dog hole, they saw the carcass of a wild dog that was already extremely decayed. It was huge – almost twice as big as ordinary dogs.

“It must be its mother.”

Chen Ran pinched his nose. “After it gave birth to a litter of puppies, it went to look for some food and ended up dying outside. By right, there should be a few puppies inside, but now there is only one left…is it lucky or is it ruthless enough?”

Chen Ran looked at Shen Leng. “Kill it. I don't like it.”

Shen Leng looked at the little thing in his hands that was wailing. He was silent for a moment before he shook his head. “What you said was right, it is lucky…I can raise it for fun.”

He tossed the full black puppy onto the ground. Instinctively the puppy ran back into the dog hole. Shen Leng looked at it and muttered to himself, “If you follow me, it'll mean that we are fated to be together.”

After he said that, Shen Leng walked in the direction of where his house was. Chen Ran pinched his nose and walked behind him. Ultimately, after Shen Leng walked a certain amount of distance, he broke a branch and went back. He used it to lift the decayed carcass and buried it near the dog hole.

The black puppy shivered inside the dog hole. It kept secretly lifting its head to look at Shen Leng and Chen Ran from time to time. After that, it looked at the area where the carcass was buried. Its eyes started tearing up.

Shen Leng walked back. As they walked, Chen Ran said, “You are kind…luckily that puppy didn't follow us. It's a black dog. People say that black dogs are inauspicious. If you think about it, you'll figure out how it survived. The sole survivor of the litter…”

Shen Leng shook his head. “It's still pitiful. Don't think too much.”

The two of them left the empty land and walked onto the path on their way to the town. After a few steps, they suddenly heard soft sounds behind them. Shen Leng stopped in his tracks and turned around. The small black puppy that was following them from afar was so scared that it turned around and hid in the underbrush. It was too afraid to come out.

Shen Leng sighed softly and continued walking ahead. A few stray dogs in the town were chasing a chicken. They came charging out. Chen Ran cussed at them and threw a rock at them. One of the stray dogs bared its teeth and came charging towards them. Shen Leng glared at it with a cold look in his eyes. The stray dog immediately slowed down.

At this moment, a small black figure charged over from behind Shen Leng. It stood in front of Shen Leng, protecting him, letting out a low growl. Shen Leng looked at it in a curious gaze and could not help but laugh.

That time, when Shen Leng jumped into the Nanping River, he was also very young, yet he showed great courage and disregarded his own life.

The small black puppy seemed to be entirely unafraid of the stray dog that was a lot bigger than it. It actually charged out. It was uncertain whether the stray dog was afraid of the small black puppy or the look in Shen Leng's eyes. It turned around and ran away.

“Come back,” yelled Shen Leng.

The small black puppy seemed to have understood what he said; it stopped giving chase. It wagged its tail and sat down next to Shen Leng's feet. It looked very scrawny – it must have gone hungry over a long period of time. However, when it tried to protect Shen Leng earlier, it gave off a ferocious aura, like that of a wild beast.

Shen Leng and Chen Ran walked in front, and the small black puppy followed them close behind. When they got to the entrance of their house, Shen Leng told it to wait there, and that it was not allowed to enter. The small dog actually sat there without moving. Perhaps, it was too weak to walk, or perhaps it was the will of heaven.

Shen Leng went in to put his things down. He drew some water with a bucket and bathed the dog. Master Cha squatted by the door and stared curiously. “Where did you pick it up from? It looks dirty, but it's pretty fun to look at it.”

Shen Leng bathed the dog twice and realized that there were some worms in its fur. They could not be washed off. Hence, he looked for a pair of scissors and cut off its fur, before applying some medication on the dog.

When it was dinner time, Shen Leng made a bowl of stew and placed it in the yard. After it called out to the puppy, it finally dared to enter through the door. Judging from the way it was eating, it was evident that it was famished.

Shen Leng poured a cup of wine for Mr. Shen and Uncle Chen. “After our vacation ends, Chen Ran and I have to make a trip to Changan city. We have to escort a ship with textiles from Jiangnan. I'm guessing we will be gone for at least two months.”

Mr. Shen nodded. “Zhuang Yong is still taking care of you. Such missions are not dangerous, but you will still be able to accumulate credits. You should go. When you get to Changan, explore the area a little and have fun. The last time you went there, you didn't get a chance to experience and see for yourself how Changan city is truly like.”

Shen Leng looked at Master Cha. His brows twitched.

Master Cha curled her lips. “Yeah, explore the area and have fun. Changan city is a colorful world. Don't get lost.”

Chen Ran started laughing. “Well, Leng said that this time when we go to Changan, we should head to the brothel to take a look.”

Shen Leng looked at Chen Ran; the latter lowered his head and continued eating.

Master Cha nodded. “Leng is not young anymore. It's only natural for him to go to the brothel.”

She got up and went back into her room. A while later, she took a money pouch walked out again. She placed it in front of Shen Leng. “Don't be such a scrooge when you head out. Find a good one.”

Shen Leng lifted his head. “It's winter now. How cold…”

Master Cha took a cup of wine and finished it at one go. “Sir said before that on the whole, he taught us the same skills, except for a portion, which can only be learned by men. I guess this portion is…”

She looked at Shen Leng, and Shen Leng looked at Mr. Shen. Mr. Shen looked at the sky. “The moon on the fifteenth is truly round.”

Master Cha replied, “Today is the eighth.”

Mr. Shen said, “It's only the eighth, but it's already the full moon. How great.”

Chen Ran lowered his head and said, “Men are subjected to different life experiences, while the moon waxes and wanes…”

The small black puppy looked at the moon. “Woof, woof woof!”

After they finished their meal, Shen Leng and Master Cha walked next to each other as they strolled along the river bank. At this moment, it was already nightfall. It was dark and quiet all around. However, the moon tonight was indeed exceptionally bright. Otherwise, Shen Leng and Chen Ran would not have been able to find the small black dog.

“I can tell that there is something you did not say.”

Master Cha spoke as she walked, “Sir said that men tend to hide the truth about dangerous things from women, because they are afraid that the women would worry. But…do you think women are fools? That we cannot tell? The more you do that, the more we will let our imagination run wild and worry more.”

Shen Leng smiled and answered, “It's not anything dangerous, and I do not plan to leave you at home.”

Master Cha abruptly stopped in her tracks. She turned around and looked at Shen Leng. Her eyes lit up.

There was a saying that a beautiful woman appears to be more beautiful under the moonlight.

At this moment, Master Cha was as beautiful as a painting.

Shen Leng lifted his head and looked up at the moon. “Oh…don't think too much. It's not because I will miss you as a result of not being able to see you for a long period of time. It's because I feel that you will feel bored staying in this little town, so why don't you explore around instead? The ship that we are escorting will carry the textiles for the nobles in the palace to select and pick the design they want. General said that they are very meticulous when it comes to choosing, hence we will have to stay there for a period of time. Hence, I couldn't help but think that nobles lead a difficult life – they have to stress over choosing clothes that will make them look better. How can they be compared to our Master Cha? They need clothes to make themselves beautiful, but Master Cha is the one who makes the clothes she wears beautiful.”

Initially, Master Cha laughed; her eyes lit up even more. After that, she snorted. She stepped on Shen Leng's foot as hard as she could. “Where did you learn how to say things like that!”

Shen Leng replied, “Ouch, ouch…it hurts…I didn't learn this from anywhere. It's just that every time I see you, these words will instinctively come out of my mouth. I can't control it.”

Master Cha lifted her leg. She turned around and did not look at Shen Leng. It seemed as though she was angry, but in truth, she was smiling widely.

Shen Leng said earnestly, “But Master Cha fancies pretty clothes too, right? Hence, before I left, I requested something from the general. I kept some of the textiles in every single design. It's not counted as tribute as it has not been set. The nobles will select a few, but we are not going to select them – we want all of them.”

Master Cha snorted. “Do you think that you can squander recklessly with just your meager salary? You also said that I look good in everything, hence why do you have to buy the new designs? The ones from last year will definitely drop in price, so we can buy those after they have lowered the prices.”

She started laughing. She suddenly thought of something that made her feel as though she had found a treasure.

Shen Leng shook his head, “Every girl should have a huge closet filled with beautiful clothes. You don't need one, I will build a storage room for you.”

Master Cha replied, “Did they add another segment to your training, called how to make girls happy? Tell me, are you the representative?

Shen Leng was speechless.

Master Cha reached out her hand and grabbed Shen Leng's hand. “Stop trying to make me happy. I know there is something you don't dare to tell me about.”

“Yeah…”

Shen Leng looked at Master Cha. “I need to go to the northern border.”

Master Cha's hand that was holding onto Shen Leng's hand gripped it harder. After that, she nodded and said, “Alright.”

Chapter end