Chapter 439 - 169: Dog Market (Part 2)
Chapter 439: Chapter 169: Dog Market (Part 2)
"We can work on both things at the same time; they won’t interfere with each other. We can head over to the Xie Family to borrow the books, then exchange them on my day off. That way, we get the best of both worlds, and everything gets done."
De’an wanted a couple more days of freedom. "This is too rushed. I feel like I haven’t even had a chance to rest."
"You can get a proper rest after you’ve become an official and retired from your post."
"Tch, Jing, you can be really harsh. Don’t just go bringing up things that are decades away. Who knows if I’ll even live that long? Life is short—just a few tens of thousands of days. You have to enjoy it while you can."
"Then why don’t I leave you at home and go to the academy first by myself?"
De’an’s face fell, and he waved his hands frantically. "If my sister finds out, she’ll kill me."
And just like that, the matter of attending the academy was settled.
But as they prepared to handle the enrollment procedures for the academy, Zhao Jing grew anxious again.
He said to Chen Wanqing, "Let’s buy two more servants to guard the front courtyard. I don’t feel safe leaving just you ladies in such a large residence."
Chen Wanqing saw his predicament clearly. "Alright, whatever you say. Or how about we go to the dog market and buy a couple of big dogs to guard the house? What do you think of that?"
"Good idea."
Chen Wanqing was left speechless.
’Didn’t Jing get what I meant? I was just teasing him, I wasn’t actually serious.’
But Zhao Jing genuinely thought it was a good idea. After visiting the Wang Family, he asked Wang Jun and Wang Xiao about a well-known dog market nearby. Then, without even going home first, he took Chen Wanqing straight there.
The moment the two of them entered the dog market, they were met with a cacophony of barking. As far as the eye could see, the road was lined with iron cages filled with dogs of all sizes, all looking distressed.
They had just found their footing when someone came pushing a two-wheeled cart, shouting, "Make way, make way!" before stopping in an empty space not far off.
Chen Wanqing’s gaze was drawn to the group, and she watched them intently.
She saw a dog trafficker roughly unloading several covered iron cages, large and small, one by one from the cart.
In one of the cages—perhaps because the lock was rusted and useless, or perhaps because the drug the dog inside had been forced to swallow had worn off—the dog tore through the oilcloth covering, slammed violently against the door, and burst out.
It was a wolf-dog, looking part wolf, part dog.
It was skinny as a bone, its brownish-black fur matted in clumps across its body. A festering wound on its leg left it covered in blood, and it looked terribly filthy.
And yet, this massive dog also had a small pup with it.
The soft little pup was no bigger than two adult palms. It was covered in black fur, and even its whimpers sounded squeaky and young.
But hardly anyone noticed the little one, because the moment the big dog started snarling viciously, the entire market descended into chaos.
"Holy shit, that bastard didn’t lock the cage properly."
"Is that a dog or a wolf? It looks kind of like a wolf-dog."
"It’s so vicious! Oh my god, it’s biting someone!"
The one bitten by the wolf-dog was a tall, powerfully built man. With a brutish face and a fierce glint in his eyes, he didn’t look like a good person at all.
The wolf-dog went for the man’s neck, but the man was experienced. He dodged nimbly, avoiding a fatal blow. His arm, however, was caught in the dog’s jaws, and blood instantly gushed out.
The man howled in pain and shouted to his accomplices, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and kill this beast!"
"But-but this beast is ferocious! Didn’t you say you were going to sell it to a brothel for a high price?"
"Sell my ass! Is my life more important, or is a few taels of Silver? Get moving! Kill the little one, too. Daring to mess with me... they clearly don’t know who they’re dealing with."
This burly man was truly fierce. Even with one arm caught, he balled his other hand into a fist and slammed it into the dog’s head several times.
The dog recoiled in pain, but as it pulled away, its gleaming white fangs viciously tore off half of the man’s arm.
Amidst the man’s screams, the wolf-dog’s frenzied howls, and the spray of blood, the scene devolved into utter chaos.
In the confusion, the wolf-dog took its chance, snatched up the puppy in its mouth, and fled.
The burly man, of course, wasn’t about to let the vicious dog get away. He grabbed an iron rod and went to give chase.
But the pain was too much. After just two steps, he collapsed to his knees, drenched in sweat.
"It hurts like hell! It hurts like hell!"
A circle of onlookers had gathered to watch the spectacle. Chen Wanqing found herself sheltered in Zhao Jing’s arms.
When she opened her eyes and looked at the bloody scene, she saw the ground covered in gore and the burly man shaking uncontrollably from the pain.