I'm Just a Beast Tamer

Chapter 47: Chapter 45: Settling Down

"Gentlemen, my cart is just filled with medicinal herbs. I’m something of a physician myself. Please, I ask that you show mercy and let us pass."

The robbers had chosen this spot precisely because they knew the carriage couldn’t move quickly, making escape impossible.

Seeing no way out, Huang Youqi could only address the robbers earnestly.

Robbers generally didn’t harm physicians; it was a code of the underworld. They were men who led dangerous lives, and no one needed a physician more.

Besides, you never knew if a physician had saved some important figure. Harming one could easily bring disaster upon yourself.

"Enough talk! Hand over your valuables now!"

But these robbers, clearly, had no intention of abiding by that code.

Huang Youqi sighed. He knew these men were just opportunists trying to make a quick score amidst the chaos. They wouldn’t care about any so-called code.

Huang Youqi decided to hand over some valuables and see if that would be enough to get them through.

Just then, an earthy-yellow shadow shot forward from the rear and rammed headfirst into one of the knife-wielding robbers.

THUD!

The man was scrawny to begin with and completely blindsided by the attack.

With a dull thud, he was sent flying, landing in an unconscious heap on the ground.

"Third Brother!"

"A dog?"

"No! It looks like a wolf!"

The remaining four robbers cried out in alarm, their gazes fixed nervously on Great Black.

Great Black had been running for a long time, and his fur was caked in mud, turning his entire body an earthy yellow. He looked less like a dog and more like a wolf.

Faced with a "wolf" this large, the robbers couldn’t help but grow tense.

"Older Brother Huang, let’s go! Quick!"

Jiang Zuo recognized Great Black instantly. He had no idea how the dog had escaped from Red Fox Town, let alone tracked him all the way here.

But regardless, he was happy to see him again.

For now, the priority was to get away from these robbers. With Huang Youqi and his family here, it wasn’t a good time for him to make a move.

"Right! Let’s go!"

Huang Youqi had no idea what was going on, but he knew this was their chance to escape.

"Don’t run!"

one of the robbers shouted, starting to give chase.

"WOOF!"

Great Black immediately lunged forward, forcing the man to turn and face him.

It was clear that none of the men were Martial Artists. After seeing their companion sent flying by a single headbutt, they were all intimidated by Great Black’s massive frame. Too scared to split up, they could only watch helplessly as Huang Youqi and Jiang Zuo departed.

"Older Brother Huang, you all go on ahead. The one holding off the robbers is probably just a big dog. I’ll go call it over so it stops fighting with them. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. I’ll just call from a distance; it won’t be dangerous."

Huang Youqi and his wife climbed into the carriage, and the driver urged the horses onward.

But at that moment, Jiang Zuo spoke up.

"Liang, you are a righteous man. I will proceed slowly and wait for your return."

Huang Youqi was also worried about the big dog, and he spoke with admiration.

The road ahead was clear, so he no longer feared the robbers could catch them.

Still, as Jiang Zuo turned to head back, Huang Youqi kept a worried eye on the road behind them.

If anything looked even slightly amiss, he was ready to tell the driver to flee at full speed.

"Father, will Liang be in danger?"

Huang Wanwan asked worriedly.

She was only a little over ten years old, and when the robbers had appeared, she had been too frightened to utter a single word.

"Don’t worry," Huang Youqi comforted her. "Liang is a clever young man. And judging by his build, he’s not as weak as he looks. He’ll be fine."

As he spoke, he saw a man and a dog walking briskly toward them from the rear.

"He’s back!"

Huang Youqi’s spirits lifted, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

’It seems those robbers gave up and didn’t follow,’ he thought.

The robbers hadn’t pursued them, but not because they had given up. They were already lying dead in the woods beside the road, their eyes wide with disbelief.

When Jiang Zuo had returned, he hadn’t given the robbers a chance to react. He’d finished them off with a few well-aimed stones and tossed their bodies deep into the woods.

The robbers had seen Great Black. To be safe, Jiang Zuo decided to silence them permanently. He considered it a public service.

Originally, Jiang Zuo had intended for Great Black to leave and continue following from a distance.

But the dog was hesitant and unwilling to go.

Sensing Great Black’s fear of being abandoned again, Jiang Zuo relented and let him come along.

"Daddy, can we keep the big dog?"

Huang Wanwan pleaded, looking at Great Black while shaking her father’s arm.

She had been terrified by the robbers, and Great Black had appeared like a hero to save them.

Now, seeing the poor dog covered in mud, she felt an overwhelming urge to take care of him.

"Alright! Here, boy, come here," Huang Youqi called out. "How would you like to come with us?"

Huang Youqi was already tempted. A dog that could fight off robbers was a rare find. He wondered who had owned such an animal, only for it to end up as a stray.

Raising such a large dog would surely be expensive, but it was an expense he could afford.

"Haha, Older Brother Huang, I feel like this dog and I have a connection. I was just thinking of keeping him myself," Jiang Zuo said with a laugh.

Jiang Zuo hadn’t expected this turn of events, and could only laugh as he spoke.

"Ah... Liang, you can see how much my little girl likes the dog. How about you let her have him?"

Huang Youqi hadn’t expected Jiang Zuo to want the dog too. But seeing his daughter’s face, he had a sudden idea.

’You’re a scholar. Surely you wouldn’t compete with a little girl, would you?’

"Older Brother Huang, how about this?" Jiang Zuo said with a smile. "Let’s let the dog choose. Whoever he picks gets to keep him. What do you think?"

’Whoever he chooses? I guess that’s fair!’

Huang Youqi glanced at his daughter and gave her a subtle wink.

Though just a little girl, Huang Wanwan was very bright. She paused for a second, then her eyes lit up in understanding. She quickly pulled out a large meat bun.

"Here, doggy doggy! Come here, I’ve got something for you to eat!"

Huang Wanwan tore the bun open, releasing the fragrant aroma of its meat filling.

’What stray dog could possibly resist the temptation of a meat bun!’

Both Huang Wanwan and her father were confident. Then, they watched, dumbfounded, as the dog completely ignored the fragrant meat bun, walked right up to Jiang Zuo, and began licking his fingers.

"WAAAH!!!"

Seeing this, Huang Wanwan felt terribly wronged and burst into tears.

"Alright, alright, he’s yours," Jiang Zuo said hastily.

At that, Huang Wanwan’s tears turned to smiles.

But alas, the happy moment was short-lived. About a couple of hours after the dog had boarded the carriage, it suddenly stood up, leaped from the moving vehicle, and bolted into the woods, vanishing from sight.

"WAAAH!!! DOGGY!!"

Huang Wanwan burst into tears again, this time crying even more heart-wrenchingly.

"His home is probably around here," Jiang Zuo said, trying to console her. "A big dog like that is unlikely to be a stray. He probably just got lost."

"That seems likely," Huang Youqi said. "Wanwan, don’t cry. When we get home, Father will find you an even better dog!"

"No! I want *him*!"

Huang Wanwan shook her head vehemently.

But the sky was growing dark. If they didn’t hurry to an inn for the night, they risked running into trouble on the road.

Huang Youqi didn’t indulge his daughter’s tantrum and told the driver to press on.

Jiang Zuo said nothing more.

’The inn will be crowded,’ he thought. ’I don’t want too many people seeing Great Black.’

’Tomorrow, we have to pass through the checkpoint. Crossing with Great Black would make us far too memorable, and that’s not good.’

After reassuring Great Black that he wasn’t being abandoned, Jiang Zuo had told him to follow from a distance and find his own way through the checkpoint.

...

「Three days later.」

Jiang Zuo and Huang Youqi parted ways.

Huang Youqi was originally from the Liuyun Kingdom. His family had been in the medical field for generations, either practicing medicine or selling herbs.

The Da Xi Kingdom revered martial arts, and Huang Youqi had once thought he would have better prospects there.

But Da Xi had been stable for a thousand years. All the profitable businesses had been claimed long ago. How could an outsider like him possibly compete with old, established names that had been operating for generations?

After languishing in Da Xi for over a decade, Huang Youqi decided to take advantage of the current unrest to bring his wife and daughter back to the Liuyun Kingdom and seek a new livelihood.

Although Jiang Zuo had never deliberately shown off any special talents during their travels, his conduct and courteous nature had left a very favorable impression on Huang Youqi.

Upon entering the Liuyun Kingdom, Huang Youqi invited Jiang Zuo to his hometown, offering to be a proper host and introduce him to the local literary societies.

However, Jiang Zuo had no interest in such things. He had only adopted the identity of a scholar for convenience on the road.

Going to Huang Youqi’s hometown would only leave a clearer trail behind him, so that was out of the question.

Thus, Huang Youqi could only bid Jiang Zuo a reluctant farewell.

From inside the carriage, Wanwan waved at Jiang Zuo from a distance.

Young as she was, she suddenly felt a pang of loss.

Jiang Zuo continued his journey east, with no plans to linger in the Liuyun Kingdom.

When the road was empty, he would walk alongside Great Black.

Once Great Black was clean of mud, Jiang Zuo noticed a scorched patch of fur on his neck, which initially worried him.

But upon closer inspection, he saw that only the fur had been singed and there was no serious injury, much to his relief.

Jiang Zuo continued east. The scholar identity proved very useful, and he encountered no trouble along the way.

He did, however, meet some enthusiastic local scholars who, thinking this outsider looked quite talented, were eager to exchange pointers with him.

Jiang Zuo, of course, knew some classic poems, but he would never do something so conspicuous.

Traveling at a leisurely pace, it took Jiang Zuo a full month to cross the Liuyun Kingdom.

After leaving the Liuyun Kingdom, Jiang Zuo traveled for another two months, putting an immense distance between himself and the Da Xi Kingdom.

「One day.」

Jiang Zuo came to the bank of a great river.

The great river seemed to surge from the very edge of the horizon, its sheer power immense, as if it could swallow the entire world. Turbulent waves crashed against the banks, creating a constant, deafening roar.

Standing before the river, Jiang Zuo felt its vast, powerful presence wash over him, and his spirit soared.

He decided then and there. This was the place he would settle down.

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