138: Old Wang Next Door

"Old Wang? Why are you here?"

Upon seeing the man before him, memories from before the original owner's transmigration rushed into Ming Tian's mind like a gushing spring.

In truth, Ming Tian's memories prior to transmigration were exceedingly vague. Aside from a few matters the original body's owner cared about deeply, he remembered almost nothing at all.

Yet this person before him was remembered with exceptional clarity—so clearly that it even surpassed Gongsun Yuan, who had bullied him from childhood through youth.

The man was dressed in coarse garments so filthy their original color was nearly indistinguishable. He carried a bamboo basket of firewood on his back, and his face was as begrimed as that of a refugee from Africa.

When he opened his mouth in a smile, his full set of gleaming white teeth looked rather startling in this era.

"It really is you, Brother Bu Liang!"

Upon seeing Ming Tian, the man beamed broadly.

He limped toward them, gazing with undisguised envy at the warhorse Ming Tian was riding. His hand hovered just a few centimeters from the horse's rump, tracing the curve of its flank.

By the look of it, he desperately wanted to pet the beast, yet lacked the courage.

"Brother Bu Liang, what a magnificent horse you have," Old Wang said with wide-eyed admiration, utterly unable to tear his gaze away from the animal.

And understandably so. Horses were actually quite expensive; ordinary households simply could not afford to keep one.

To put it simply, in this era, a mule was equivalent to a basic sedan, a donkey to an executive car, while a horse truly belonged in the supercar tier. The warhorse Ming Tian had plundered was on par with a hypercar.

Even mules and donkeys were generally shared among several households. As for horses?

An ordinary horse typically cost between fifty and eighty taels, depending on its size and stamina.

Ming Tian's warhorse was of superior breed—a military mount—with a price tag usually ranging from three to four hundred taels, and they were strictly monopolized by the imperial court.

This exorbitant price was precisely why cavalry was rarely deployed in small-scale skirmishes: they simply couldn't afford the losses!

Moreover, whenever cavalry was fielded, the cost of the fodder required for the warhorses was even higher than the rations consumed by the soldiers.

As for higher-tier beasts like the Blood-Sweating Steeds... those were only introduced after the Silk Road opened, and their current prices were absurdly high, restricted exclusively to nation-defending grand generals.

The saying that a Blood-Sweating Steed was worth a thousand gold pieces was no empty exaggeration; in this era, they were breathtakingly expensive.

Therefore, although Ming Tian had been constantly riding, complaining that carriages were too slow and even suffering from motion sickness, the reality was that being able to ride a horse in this era meant one could easily catch the eye of almost any maiden by the roadside.

It was no wonder Old Wang was so astounded.

One must know that the entire Sumen Town possessed only ten horses, three of which had been stolen when Ming Tian encountered bandits on his way to the capital.

Old Wang—Ming Tian's memory of him was crystal clear.

Although Old Wang addressed him as "Elder Brother," he was actually six years older than Ming Tian.

Old Wang's full name was Wang Yue. From the earliest days of this body's memories, Old Wang had always been a retainer for his family, responsible for tending to the livestock, gathering firewood, and handling various chores.

Old Wang had worked for the Zhuge family since childhood, laboring faithfully for twenty years. It wasn't until last year, owing to his diligent service, that Ming Tian's father, Zhuge Fang, provided him with a thatched cottage and a sum of money so he could establish himself, settle down, and start a family.

It was only a pity that Old Wang was a man of few words and had yet to find a wife.

For the past two years, rather than squandering the money on indulgence, he had remained exceedingly frugal. He made his living by heading up into the mountains to gather firewood and carrying it down to sell in town, without touching a single coin of the sum Zhuge Fang had given him.

For a man with a limp, this was undoubtedly a hard life.

To put it plainly, he was an honest man.

Before Ming Tian's transmigration, the owner of this body, Zhuge Bu Liang, had shared a very close relationship with him, and Old Wang had looked after him dearly.

When Zhuge Bu Liang was twelve years old, out of mischief, he went up to play in the back mountains and ended up encountering three wild foxes.

If Old Wang had not arrived in the nick of time, Ming Tian would never have had the chance to transmigrate.

Yet, by the same token, in order to save Zhuge Bu Liang, Old Wang's ankle had been bitten through, leaving him with a permanent limp.

Therefore, although Old Wang outwardly called him elder brother, to Zhuge Bu Liang, Old Wang felt much more like an older brother to him.

And this intensity of affection had transferred over to Ming Tian as well.

"As expected of Brother Bu Liang, riding a horse looks so imposing and grand." Old Wang could not stop praising Ming Tian's mount.

At the same time, he cast a few glances at An Luo, Yin Chan, and Xiao Xinzhu standing nearby.

Perhaps due to his overwhelming aura, or simply because his face was too intimidatingly fierce, An Luo merely glanced at him with flat, emotionless eyes, scaring Old Wang into hurriedly averting his gaze.

"Don't call me Bu Liang anymore. I have a courtesy name now; call me Ming Tian," Ming Tian said with a gentle smile as he dismounted.

Perhaps because of their closeness, Ming Tian, who had a mild case of germaphobia, felt not the slightest aversion toward Wang Yue, who reeked of sweat and was as filthy as a coal miner.

"Ming Tian?" Wang Yue repeated blankly.

Well, the name was actually a bit inviting of trouble.

Upon arriving in this world, Ming Tian learned that the character "Tian" (heaven) in his name carried a slight air of taboo during this era, though not nearly as severe as forbidden words like dragon, divinity, or supreme.

It was no wonder Wang Yue was stunned.

"Let's put that aside for now, Brother Ming Tian. I happened to bring along some good things while gathering firewood this trip."

With that, Wang Yue set down his bamboo basket and produced seven or eight plums from his pocket.

He handed them over with a beaming smile, but realizing it might be unseemly, he quickly pulled his hand back, meticulously wiping the plums against the cleanest part of his garments before offering them to Ming Tian once more.

"I just picked these, Big Brother. Have a taste," Wang Yue offered with an honest, good-natured smile.

"Uh..." Ming Tian's mouth twitched slightly. He swallowed hard, and ultimately, feeling compelled by politeness while inwardly weeping, he accepted them with a grateful expression.

Plums... raw plums... I don't like eating sour things... and ones this sour? If I eat these, my eyeballs are bound to pop right out from the tartness.

Yet, he lacked the heart to reject Old Wang's kind intentions.

The man had picked them with such laborious effort; if he didn't eat them, he couldn't just throw them away. Ah well, he'd find an opportunity later to trick An Luo into eating the whole lot.

As if by telepathy, the moment Ming Tian thought this, An Luo, sitting atop his horse, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His beastly instinct told him some misfortune was about to befall him.

"Right, Big Brother, I heard you went to Jiankang to marry a commandery princess. Why have you returned?"

Seeing Ming Tian back this time, Old Wang was evidently overjoyed; his grin had been stretched wide with excitement ever since he laid eyes on him.

"I did go, so I brought my wife back with me," Ming Tian said with a faint smile, lightly patting Old Wang's shoulder and gesturing toward the three people on horseback.

"Let me introduce them. This is An Luo, a chiliarch of the Di tribe's Zhenfeng Army, and a good buddy of mine."

"Greetings," An Luo nodded, flashing a smile so unsightly that even the most hideous descriptions would sound like compliments.

"Y-You..." Compared to An Luo's status as a chiliarch, Old Wang seemed far more shocked by the sheer reality that a human being could grow to look so hideous, causing him to instinctively take a step back in fright.

"And that is Yin Chan. No particular status, she's a physician and a student at our town's Imperial Medical Academy. She has saved my life on several occasions."

"Hello." Though Yin Chan rarely spoke much, when the occasion called for greetings, she appeared poised and graceful.

"Hello." A trace of immediate admiration flashed in Old Wang's eyes.

Because she was returning to Sumen Town, Yin Chan had already changed into men's attire. In Old Wang's eyes, she merely looked like a rather refined young man with a slightly effeminate name.

And precisely because Yin Chan was so young, Old Wang held her in deep respect.

One must realize that the Sumen Town Imperial Medical Academy was established by a former imperial physician, holding the highest prestige in Sumen Town. To put it bluntly, a petty magistrate like Magistrate Yue wasn't even qualified to carry shoes for the Medical Academy.

Being a student at the Imperial Academy was proof enough of her exceptional skill.

"As for this last one, she is my wife." Ming Tian deliberately paused for effect.

It wasn't to show off, but rather to slow the pace just a bit, allowing Old Wang time to process it—after all, the poor man's heart wasn't particularly strong.

"Wife?"

Old Wang was stunned for a moment. A second later, realization seemed to dawn upon him; his entire body began to tremble involuntarily, and his eyes filled with overwhelming terror.

A commandery princess!

This was a member of the imperial family, a figure utterly unreachable for a commoner. Old Wang hadn't paid his respects to the princess yet, which by rights was a capital offense!

Ming Tian would never do such a thing, but Wang Yue didn't know that!

Although her albinism had been treated, Xinzhu's white hair and red eyes remained prominent features, so she had kept her helmet on.

At this moment, as she lifted her helmet, her peerless beauty bloomed brilliantly under the sunlight once more.

"Hello, my name is Xiao Xinzhu," Xinzhu said, her tone as gentle as a spring breeze, carrying an indescribable sense of warmth and intimacy.

*Thud.*

Old Wang dropped to his knees on the spot, kowtowing heavily. "Y-Y-Young... This humble commoner Wang Yue, unaware of the Princess's presence and failing to pay proper respects... I beg... I beg Her Highness the Princess to be magnanimous and forgive this humble one's transgression!"