Top-notch Little Horseman

What?

Everyone stared at Ye Chen in utter shock. They hadn't expected him to accept this blatant death warrant so easily.

Liang Kun raised an eyebrow slightly. He had thought Ye Chen would make a scene and argue, but perhaps he had prepared a response.

After all, he is the shepherd, and he has the right to issue transfer orders. Wherever he wants to transfer Ye Chen, then Ye Chen has to go!

But to his utter surprise, Ye Chen answered so decisively that he was completely stumped.

This surprised him and left him feeling uneasy, as if he had punched a ball made with his own strength and ended up hitting a cotton ball.

Ye Chen held the envelope in his hand, looked at Liang Kun calmly, and then suddenly changed the subject.

"Chief, I accept the transfer order. However, I have three conditions!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Kun frowned and shouted angrily, "Insolence! Ye Chen, this is an imperial order; you have no right to bargain!"

"You must agree to these three conditions, otherwise... I will resign from this stable boy position and never accept a transfer order!"

"You!" Liang Kun was furious upon hearing this. How dare a mere horseman threaten him? It was outrageous!

He took several deep breaths; this was an opportunity to kill Ye Chen, and he naturally didn't want to miss it.

"What are your conditions? Tell me!"

Ye Chen held up one finger and said, "Yesterday at the stable, the lord personally agreed to my marriage in front of everyone."

"My first condition is that my subordinate must bring Yao Yao along!"

Ye Chen's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear and distinct, reaching the ears of everyone present.

"The Shepherd has sent me on a mission with an indefinite deadline and an uncertain return date. I must take Yao Yao with me!"

Liang Kun's smile froze.

He hadn't expected Ye Chen's first condition to be this. If Qin Mengyao were taken away, wouldn't his plan fall through?

He originally wanted to kill Ye Chen, so that Qin Mengyao would be cut off from her escape route, and the helpless young woman would eventually fall into his hands.

If Qin Mengyao goes with her and gets kidnapped, wouldn't all my hopes and dreams of the past few months be dashed?

No!

Absolutely not!

"Nonsense!" Liang Kun's face darkened completely. "What kind of place is Desolate Dust Pass! How dare you send a woman along?"

"Chief Shepherd!" Ye Chen said calmly, "Yao Yao is my woman, Ye Chen's woman. Her safety is my responsibility, and I don't need to explain it to anyone else."

Liang Kun choked, and his face turned even more pale.

Just as he was about to speak, Hong Chengye suddenly stepped forward.

"Lord Liang."

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone could tell that he had made some kind of preparation by speaking at this time.

"I have something I must say."

Upon hearing Hong Chengye's words, Liang Kun stared at him with wide eyes, a hint of displeasure flashing in them.

Hong Chengye seemed not to have seen it and continued, "Uncle Lao Gen's medical skills are no match for Ye Chen's. If it weren't for Ye Chen's intervention yesterday, those warhorses probably wouldn't have survived."

"I'm sure everyone knows the consequences; we will all be implicated."

Hong Chengye stood with his hands hanging down, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Although Warhorse's condition has stabilized, he is not fully recovered yet, and we still need Ye Chen to take care of him."

"What if the warhorse falls ill again, and Ye Chen has been sent to Desolate Dust Pass? Who will treat it then?"

He hadn't expected Ye Chen to agree so readily; it was tantamount to suicide, so he had no choice but to step forward.

No one can find fault with what Hong Chengye said!

"I think..."

Before Hong Chengye could finish speaking, Liang Kunli interrupted him.

"Deputy Pastor Hong!"

The air in the courtyard suddenly turned cold, and everyone felt a chill, as if a fuse had been lit.

Liang Kun turned around, staring intently at Hong Chengye, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Do I need you to teach me how to do things?"

Hong Chengye lowered his head, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said, "This subordinate wouldn't dare. This subordinate was merely stating the facts..."

"Let's stick to the facts?" Liang Kun sneered, his voice rising and falling sharply, becoming extremely cold.

"Deputy Chief Hong, listen to me carefully. I'm the one who calls the shots in the horse camp, and you're just a deputy!"

"Huangchen Pass is of paramount importance, and I have made my own decisions regarding who to send. If you feel I have acted incorrectly..."

He paused, then continued, "Wait until you're in that position before you speak!"

He wasn't just saying this to Hung Sing-yip, but to everyone!

Upon hearing this, Hong Chengye clenched his fist, lowered his head, and showed no change in expression.

He slightly tightened his hand that was hanging by his side, then relaxed it again.

"Your subordinate wouldn't dare!"

His voice was steady, devoid of any emotion.

"I was just doing my duty to remind you, sir. Now that you have made your decision, I will say no more."

He said this as he stepped back and stood back in the shadows of the corridor.

He tried, but since Liang Kun was so resolute, he had no choice but to back down for now.

Liang Kun stared at him for a couple of moments before turning back to look at Ye Chen.

"Ye Chen, as I just said, Huangchen Pass is dangerous, and women are not allowed. Your wife can stay at the post station; I will take care of her..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Chen interrupted him.

"Lord Shepherd!"

Ye Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it struck Liang Kun's heart like a heavy hammer.

To others, his words sounded different; they weren't a subordinate asking a superior for instructions, but rather a negotiation on equal footing.

"Yesterday, the master insisted on taking the horse, and I stood up to stop him. I told you then and there that if anything went wrong, don't blame us."

Ye Chen paused for a moment, then continued, "I'll say it again today! If the lord wants to transfer me to Huangchen Pass, I can go, but Yao Yao, I must take her with me."

He met Liang Kun's gaze calmly, making it clear that he would not back down in the slightest.

"This is my first condition, sir, you must agree!"

As Ye Chen spoke, he held the envelope in his palm and extended it forward half an inch to show his determination.

At that moment, it felt as if half the air in the courtyard had been sucked away.

Liang Kun's two lackeys twitched their faces.

Their hands reached for the knives at their waists; at Liang Kun's command, they would dare to rush over and chop Ye Chen down.

At this moment, Liang Kun's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, his cheeks bulged and then flattened, and his teeth were clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.

That's absolutely outrageous!

A mere horse herder dared to negotiate with him in front of his subordinates.

It was like this yesterday, and it's like this again today!

In this situation, all the squad leaders are watching him. If he backs down here, who will take his orders seriously from now on?

But if we don't give in today...

Liang Kun stared intently at the envelope in Ye Chen's hand. The transfer order was written by him personally, and the seal was stamped by him personally.

Ye Chen accepted the offer readily, and he's returning it just as readily.

If Ye Chen really refuses to obey the order, and the matter escalates to higher authorities, it could become very troublesome.