Uncle Qiu snickered when he saw the look on Lin Jian's face. He could see that the young man was infatuated by his Goddaughter. However, who was this youngster? It seemed like he had never seen this man in the Han Kingdom's noble circle. Even though he was called as a beast tamer here, he was actually an official who was only one rank lower than the Left Prime Minister.
Uncle Qiu just chose left all those behind him and as an official, he wasn't as harmless as he looked like at the moment. No one would be able to become an official without being shrewd.
He loved animal and it was his own decision to choose to stay here as a beast tamer. He could easily go back to the capital and get his position back, however... he was too lazy to do that. Only a few things that could spark his interest, this sacred pet, and Xiao Fang. He even didn't really care about his own son --- the man had grown up and held an official position himself, so he reckoned that his job for raising him had finished. His son already had his own family and his wife had already dead for so long. Thus, he chose to stay at Crescent Lake and enjoyed his life there.
"Where did you meet them?" Uncle Qiu asked softly. He tried to look as mild as possible, but he couldn't mask his cold gaze towards Lin Jian. He felt the hidden intention that the youngster had towards his Goddaughter and he didn't like it at all. For him, no man deserved to have his perfect Goddaughter.
Xiao Fang laughed. "Why don't we talk about it at lunch? I want to meet Bao Bei [=Precious] first!"
"Who is Bao Bei?" Yao Ling asked curiously.
"Bao Bei is the name of the sacred pet," Xiao Fang explained with a soft smile on her face. It seemed like she also liked this sacred pet.
"Why is it called a sacred pet?" Yao Ling asked excitedly. She had never heard about it before and it sparked her curiosity.
"It's a tribute from a faraway kingdom beyond the sea. A foreign ship was stranded to our kingdom by mistake and to show their goodwill, they presented the sacred pet to our kingdom," Uncle Qiu explained. He didn't tell them that after they got the tributes, the Han Emperor didn't hesitate to kill the whole ship and raid everything inside. He didn't behave like a monarch, instead, he behaved like a robber!
The Han Emperor was quite an iron fist and he became suspicious easily, thus, he was able to kill those people easily. This was also the reason Uncle Qiu left the officialdom behind, he had a disagreement with the Emperor because of this matter and he became disappointed with the result. Uncle Qiu was broadminded and he wanted them to make a treaty peace with the foreign kingdom. If they could, they could make a business partnership which could improve the lives of their citizens. But... he failed to convince the Han Emperor and he couldn't disobey his order, so there was nothing else he could do.
If he knew that the Han Emperor had started to target Xiao Fang's family, the man would be beyond angry and spit on that shitty Emperor! In his mind, the Han Emperor didn't have a good image.
"Can we take a look at it?" Yao Ling asked, feeling full-of-hope.
Uncle Qiu laughed. "You are Xiao Fang's friends, so I will allow you to take a look at it. I believe you will not harm Bao Bei."His meaning was actually quite clear, not all people are allowed to look at the sacred pet and the last sentence was said just to warn them. He only gave a face to Xiao Fang, but the trio didn't mind for one bit. They understood the meaning of the word 'sacred'.
While they were brought to the front of the cage, they didn't realize that someone was looking at them from afar with an intense gaze. If Yao Ying and Yao Ling didn't too focused on the gate's symbols, they would notice the intense feelings of being looked at. Too bad, they missed it.
"Young Master... isn't that...?" The man's subordinate asked a question. However, before he could finish his question, the man held up his hand to make him stop talking. He could see it for himself and he didn't need his subordinate to remind him.
"I know..." The young man smirked to himself. "It seems like we have a fate with that person." The man looked intrigued by the group's presence. It seemed like his trip to the Han Kingdom's capital would be a fun one. He would never guess that he would be able to meet that person so soon.
The young man gave an order to his subordinate, "Take a look at their group and find their real identities as soon as possible." He thought their last meeting was only by chance... She showed up by herself without him needed to look for her, so he could only say that it was because they had a fate.
"Yes, Young Master," his subordinate answered politely, then he quickly executed his order. In a flash, he was gone while the young master was still looking at the group --- to be exact, only one person attracted his attention. He couldn't take his eyes from each of her movements. Every part of her made him feel mesmerized.
The young man mumbled softly, "We meet again, huh?! What a coincidence!" However, he noticed something different from that person. She became more beautiful and mature in such a short time. He wondered if last night's passionate voice came out from her mouth. He felt regret that he didn't come out to that secluded place last night. There was only their party who was staying here... so there was a possibility that last night alluring voice was made by that woman.
He remembered how passionate and sexy that voice was.
The young man looked at his target intensely and wondered how it would feel when the woman submitted to him. It would be interesting to make her moan under him and call his name passionately.
After staring for a little while, he went away and went back to his room. He decided to wait for his subordinate's report before making a move. He needed to know his target first, besides, he wasn't in a hurry to make her his... Not only that, but he also loved the challenge. He was very confident that sooner or later, she would come to him herself. No woman was able to resist his charm, yes... he was that confident.
If Yao Ying knew that his wife was targeted by a mad man, he would certainly kill that man!
The group had finally arrived in front of the sacred pet's cage. They gasped in surprise at how beautiful the sacred pet was. It was actually a horse --- however, this horse seemed to be special. The color was pure white and it was a rare breed. There was a myth about this white horse in which connected to the heroic figures and it also stood for the balance of wisdom and power. Some also said that white horse symbolized prosperity, good luck, and purity.
That was why the Han Emperor loved it so much.
Not only that, there was a temple that was built especially because of white horses --- it was called White Horse Temple. According to tradition, this was the first Buddhist temple in the Han Kingdom. That was why a white horse was seen as a sacred pet by the Han people.
Hence... people didn't feel so surprised with the special treatment for Bao Bei. To Han People, Bao Bei was worth it because by having him, it meant a prosperity symbol for their kingdom! He was specially sent to Crescent Lake because only a few people could gain access to this special city, thus, it was safer to put Bao Bei here.
Yao Ling whispered to Yao Ying, "Don't you think she's a good candidate for Bao Bao[1]?"
Yao Ying, "..."
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[1]. Bao Bao: Yao Ling's new horse that needed to be tamed before their journey. Just a reminder for readers who forgot about him! XD