Chapter 102: Is It a Wolf or a Dog?

Shen Yian turned his head and glanced behind him.

o(っ°Д°;)っ

He turned his head, unsure, and looked back again.

Turning back once more, Shen Yian took a deep breath.

Yes, he could confirm now. He hadn’t seen wrong. It really was the old man.

“Your son…”

Shen Cangtian raised his hand, interrupting the three’s formal greetings. “No need for formalities. I haven’t been out in a long time, so I’m taking advantage of the good weather to stroll around.”

“Dad, have you eaten lunch?” Shen Yian asked with a smile, moving his mask to the side. Since the old man had set this tone, he decided not to be overly formal. They were all family after all, why be so tense?

Hearing the term “Dad,” everyone was startled.

Shen Cangtian nodded and said calmly, “I’ve eaten. How about you?”

“Liyan and I ate at the mansion before coming out,” Shen Yian answered with a smile.

The gazes that focused on him made Shen Jingyu inexplicably nervous. He tugged at his sleeve, “Father… I mean…”

Realizing how awkward this address felt, Shen Jingyu quickly corrected himself, lowering his head respectfully, “In response to Father, I have eaten.”

“Mm.” Shen Cangtian nodded, then turned to Ye Liyan, briefly inquiring about her recent situation.

The questioning was fine, but the old man’s occasional glances made Shen Yian quite helpless. He was a good man, how could he possibly mistreat his wife?

After finishing the chat, Shen Cangtian followed the sound of shouting and saw an iron cage, and looked at it with interest.

Shen Yian noticed and followed his father’s gaze.

What he saw startled him.

A black and white wolf?

Wait, isn’t that a husky?

This world’s geography was partly similar to his previous life, with animal species not differing much. Seld dogs such as Huskies naturally existed here too, but they are mainly distributed in the territories of the three countries of Guding, Barbarian Nation, and Azure Nation.

Once Liaodong region was completely taken, there might be a small distribution in Great Qing as well.

Having said that, the old man is actually interested in the Husky. Is he really not afraid that the Husky will tear down his palace one day when it fails to vent its energy?

The iron cage had many tooth marks, showing this husky’s house-destroying abilities were definitely up to par.

“Gentlemen, this beast is called the Snow-Treading Wind-Chaser. It lives only in the extremely cold northern regions, has excellent endurance, is good at running and hunting, and is intelligent and easy to tame. It often hunts tigers and leopards for food…” As more people gathered around, the merchant hurriedly began introducing loudly.

The first part was fine, but how did it become more and more exaggerated towards the end?

Often hunts tigers and leopards for food?

If it weren’t for the husky’s eyes full of intelligence, Shen Yian would have almost believed it.

“Is that true? If it can eat tigers and leopards, wouldn’t we be just snacks to it?” someone questioned.

The merchant patted his chest, guaranteeing, “Sir, you’re overthinking. I can assure you, this Snow-Treading Wind-Chaser has been trained by us and is guaranteed not to bite people. Don’t believe me? Look!”

To convince everyone, the merchant reached through the cage, rubbing and scratching the husky’s head in various ways. The husky didn’t resist, instead seeming to enjoy it, making the surrounding crowd marvel.

“That’s impressive, even a wolf can be tamed.”

“Indeed, it looks so majestic. I bet even ten of my Wangcai (a common dog name) wouldn’t be a match for it.”

“Boss, how much for this Snow-Treading whatever?”

“Just 300 taels of silver! For 300 taels, we’ll deliver this Snow-Treading Wind-Chaser right to your mansion!” The merchant’s face bloomed like a chrysanthemum, having waited for someone to ask the price.

“This dog looks rather interesting,” Shen Cangtian commented to Zhao Hai beside him.

“My lord, do you mean…?” Zhao Hai silently moved to untie the money pouch at his waist.

“No rush, let’s watch a bit more.”

“This is clearly a wolf, how can you say it’s a dog?” A man behind them retorted to Shen Cangtian.

Shen Yian and Shen Jingyu simultaneously turned to glare at the man.

Seeing their fine clothes and noble bearing, the man quietly closed his mouth and withdrew a family genealogy book.

“Oh? You say it’s a wolf? Do you have proof?” Shen Cangtian asked with interest, not angered by the contradiction.

“Well… do you have proof it’s a dog?” the man muttered, shrinking his neck.

“Wolves travel a thousand miles to eat meat, dogs travel a thousand miles to eat shit. Wolf or dog, feed it some shit and you’ll know,” a rough man next to him blurted out crudely.

“That does make some sense,” Shen Cangtian laughed.

Zhao Hai tensed up, worried the Emperor might ask him to find some excrement on the spot.

“Hey! Merchant, are you selling a wolf or a dog?” the rough man yelled, emboldened by support.

“Sir, you jest! How could a dog hunt tigers and leopards? This is certainly a wolf,” the merchant answered with a forced smile.

“Then can you feed it some shit? If it eats, it’s a dog. If not, it’s a wolf,” the rough man shouted louder, making the merchant’s face turn green.

“Yeah, yeah! You say it’s a wolf? I think it looks more like a dog!”

People tend to have a rebellious streak, and many started to join in the commotion, eager to see the drama unfold.

Shen Yian’s mouth twitched slightly. If he remembered correctly, both wolves and dogs might have this habit.

The merchant, his head pounding, gritted his teeth and stomped his foot. He borrowed a fresh sample from the neighboring dog seller using a stick.

“Gentlemen, watch closely! If it eats this, I’ll give this Snow-Treading Wind-Chaser for free to the loudest gentleman from earlier. If it doesn’t eat, I request that gentleman to buy it for 300 taels!” The merchant glared fiercely at the rough man.

Many people suppressed their laughter as they looked at the rough man. He was in a tight spot now, wasn’t he?

The rough man’s face turned bright red. Three hundred taels of silver? He couldn’t afford that even if he sold himself.

If he spoke up to stop this now, he’d lose all face.

“Merchant, let me make a wager with you. If it’s a dog, you give it to me. If it’s a wolf, I’m willing to buy it for 500 taels of silver,” Shen Jingyu suddenly spoke up.

The rough man looked at Shen Jingyu with gratitude.

The merchant looked at the husky in the cage, then at the schadenfreude expressions of those around him, and gritted out, “Fine, no problem!”

The rough man instantly looked at Shen Jingyu with immense gratitude.

The husky had some wolf blood, and besides, he had fed it well this morning.

He’d risk it all on this gamble.

If he could sell it to this man for 500 taels, the merchant thought he could live comfortably for quite a while. Besides, he still had another one. If he lost out, he’d just run to another city to sell it.

The merchant opened the cage and extended the stick inside.

Shen Yian silently raised his hand to cover Ye Liyan’s eyes.

“Husband?”

“It’s a bit disgusting. I can’t let your eyes be sullied,” Shen Yian said with a dry cough.

All eyes were on the husky as it lowered its head to sniff first, then raised its head to look at the merchant with eyes full of intelligence.

Seeing this, the merchant was overjoyed and looked towards Shen Jingyu, but before he could speak, the husky lowered its head again, licked, and then gulped it down in one go.

“Ugh!” Someone in the crowd, unable to bear the scene, let out a retch.

The husky raised its head again, straightened up, and with its pink tongue still smeared with “chocolate sauce,” licked towards the dumbfounded merchant.

“Ugh!” Retching sounds and roaring laughter intermingled in the crowd.

Shen Cangtian turned to leave, having lost all interest in the husky after witnessing such a scene.

Shen Jingyu silently turned to follow, deciding he wouldn’t want this husky even if it were given to him for free.

The show ended, Shen Yian took Ye Liyan’s small hand and followed the others.

Though Shen Cangtian had seen many interesting animals during this tour, he showed no intention of buying any, not wanting his palace to turn into a zoo.

Shen Yian and the other two successfully became small followers, staying close behind Zhao Hai and Shen Cangtian.

Along the way, Shen Yian bought some more seeds, and as they strolled, the group gradually left the flower and bird market.

“Don’t you all have your own business to attend to?” Shen Cangtian looked at the three tagalongs and asked.

“Dad, then Liyan and I will go first. We’re planning to browse Thousand Gold Pavilion,” Shen Yian immediately decided to make his exit. Though it was nice to shop with the old man, it wasn’t advisable to do so for too long.

“Thousand Gold Pavilion? It’s still early, we could go take a look,” Shen Cangtian nodded.

Shen Yian: “…”

Shen Jingyu respectfully said, “Father, I also need to go to the Thousand Gold Pavilion to buy some items.”

“Mm.”

Shen Yian: “…”