Chapter 50: Bai Ma Du

(Chapter 61: Bai Ma Du)

Recalling the scene demonstrated that day by Wan'er and Rui Tong, Yan Qiu's complexion flushed even more.

While the two were speaking, a wisp of white cloud slowly descended from the sky, and Li Bucai and his party landed on the open ground outside the camp. The two hurried to open the camp gate and, together with the group of girls, stepped out to greet them.

"Sisters, I'm back. How's it going? Have you run into any trouble these past few days?" Returning to his own territory, the girls gathered around like blossoms of various colors, and Li Bucai's spirits lifted considerably.

Yan Qiu said, "Um... it's fine... On the night the Lord set out on the campaign, a pack of Qingwolf Beasts appeared nearby, but fortunately Yue'er chased them all away."

"Oh? Qingwolf Beasts? Did anyone get injured?"

"No, none."

Li Bucai finally nodded with relief.

The girls suddenly noticed Li Bucai's pallid face; Wu Zhuoyue was the first to speak up, saying, "Lord, your complexion..."

Li Bucai was actually forcing himself to stay awake and said, "Complexion? What's wrong? Looking a bit pale? Perhaps it's because it's hard to see sunlight in Luo Ping Hai, so I appear a little whiter than usual."

As he spoke, Wu Zhuoyue's gaze swept to Wu Zhuoran, who was being carried on a stretcher by Wan'er and others, and the joy on his face froze.

Li Bucai noticed the change on her face and said gravely, "You've taken such good care of the camp these past few days, yet I failed to look after your elder cousin. Ah, I'm truly ashamed."

Wu Zhuoran lay motionless on the stretcher; Wu Zhuoyue hurried to his side, called out a few times, but received no response. In a trembling voice he asked, "She... what's happened to her..."

Wan'er replied in a low voice, "She had her meridians severed by the rebels and lost too much blood. Fortunately the Lord saved her; her life is now secure, but she remains unconscious, and we don't know when she'll awaken."

Fang Ling'er couldn't help but sob, "It's all my fault. If sister hadn't protected me, she wouldn't have been injured like this."

At that moment, seeing Wu Zhuoran lying there as if asleep, Wu Zhuoyue gently patted Zhuoran's cheek a few times. Everyone knew that leaving Sky City to serve as the Lord's guard meant inevitable danger. Wan'er had said she had lost too much blood; seeing the Lord's pallor, it was clear it was caused by using her own blood to save her. She approached Li Bucai, fell to her knees, and sobbed, "Yue'er, on behalf of my sister, thanks the Lord for the life‑saving grace."

Li Bucai quickly helped her to her feet, offered a few words of comfort, and finally said, "Zhuoran's current condition is said to be caused by a blood conflict. A medical officer mentioned that the Wu family's bloodline is a solitary, slightly cold type. Have you ever heard of any similar cases in your family, and if so, how were they treated?"

Wu Zhuoyue shook her head in bewilderment; she had never even heard the phrase 'the Wu family's bloodline is slightly cold.'

Li Bucai said, "You needn't worry too much. If we can save her life, we will certainly heal her. Once the restriction is lifted, I will go to Sky City to ask your grandfather; I think then we will have a solution."

Although it was uncertain whether the sister could be healed, Zhuoran was not in mortal danger. A faint smile appeared on Wu Zhuoyue's face as she said, "Even if she cannot be cured, dying for the Lord is an honor for each of us lowly servants, so Yue'er will not be sad about this. The Lord is weary from the long journey; we should quickly bring the sisters back to rest. In the Lord's absence, Yan Qiu has spent each day overseeing the construction of the new camp and other duties, and has been yearning for the Lord's return day after day, her longing almost blinding."

"Oh?" Li Bucai's gaze shifted to Yan Qiu, who was already too shy to look up. "Wow, such a beautiful camp. I thought I had entered the wrong territory, trespassed into someone else's home. I never imagined I now have such a gorgeous castle. Could I trouble this beautiful designer to give us a tour?"

Flattered by the praise of her work, Yan Qiu felt overjoyed and immediately led the group toward the camp.

The entire camp bore no resemblance to Yan Qiu's delicate appearance; instead it exuded a grand, majestic aura. At the gate stood two opposing doors, each eight meters high and eight meters wide, with panels over five inches thick, requiring several girls to push them open. They were painted with a dark‑red lacquer made from fragrant‑flower tree bark; on either side of the gate were two city gates over ten meters tall, each topped with an arrow tower capable of housing at least seven or eight archers for defensive fire.

Between the two arrow towers lay a passageway that connected to the camp wall; the side of the passage facing outward on the gate featured a wooden post with a wooden plaque two meters wide and six meters long centered on it.

Li Bucai said, "This wooden plaque is the signboard."

Yan Qiu nodded, "Yes, after the Lord chooses a name, I will have them carve the characters onto it immediately."

It's time to give this camp a name; it's situated by the White Horse River, currently only a temporary settlement. When development matures, the main city will be moved to the vast plain behind it.

Li Bucai thought and said, "Let's call it Bai Ma Du. In the future this place will become an important gateway to the territory across the river. Let's call it Bai Ma Du."

Yan Qiu ordered someone to fetch paper and brush; Li Bucai flamboyantly wrote three large characters on it, and the servants immediately carved them onto the signboard.

Entering through the gate, the interior was an open space like a small plaza; a deep well will later be dug at its center. On both sides of the plaza stood a row of two‑story wooden houses resembling villas, five on each side, each containing seven or eight rooms. Since there was no glass yet, white cloth was temporarily affixed to the windowsills as a substitute.

The two slightly smaller buildings flanking the travel palace were originally intended for the Wu sisters as well as Yan Qiu and Qing'er. Since Qing'er has left and not returned, the left side is now occupied solely by Yan Qiu, while the right side belongs to Wu Zhuoyue; Wu Zhuoran was placed in the bedroom downstairs, and Wan'er was assigned the adjacent room for her care.

The other wooden houses contained dozens of rooms; the remaining ten‑plus girls each occupied one, leaving many vacant rooms.

In addition to the wooden houses, Yan Qiu built two warehouses in the corners on either side of the travel palace, slightly smaller than the palace itself; the left one stores food, the right one holds various materials. They are currently empty and will need storage cabinets purchased from Sky City to hold large quantities.

All the structures are connected by corridors, allowing guards to reach the camp wall from any point instantly for defense.

After touring these, finally Yan Qiu led Li Bucai and the others to the travel palace. From afar one could see the triangular eave of the main gate adorned with a relief of twin dragons playing with a pearl. After climbing twelve wooden steps and passing through eight hinged carved wooden doors, the interior opened up, resembling a small arena with antique‑styled flooring and dark‑yellow walls painted entirely with lacquer made from fragrant‑flower tree leaves, giving a sense of solidity without oppression.

Each side had a row of rooms, specially set up for the Lord's personal guards; the large number of rooms is because, in the future, the guards protecting the Lord will certainly be more than just Xianghong.

In front of the rooms, across the thirty‑six massive pillars arranged in two rows, stood wooden carvings of girls in various poses, each holding a treasure lamp filled with oil made from Lulu Beast fat. At night, the thirty‑six lamps light up, illuminating the spacious travel palace. The area before the pillars is left open for audiences with the Lord and for council meetings.

Like a palace, twelve steps above the floor stood a large Dragon‑Phoenix auspicious chair, serving as the Lord's throne.

Li Bucai specifically ordered that the Dragon‑Phoenix chair not be used, hoping to replace it with an ordinary chair, and also wished that everyone could sit and chat during council meetings.

Behind the screen at the back of the long bench, the travel palace splits into two levels here: one comprises several kitchens for cooking delicacies and a space for storing tableware.

At the center, two staircases branch left and right in a V‑shape leading to the second level. The first area on the second level is a spacious hall; opposite the stairs are the Lord's living quarters, study, and bedroom. On either side are twelve large rooms and twelve small rooms; the small rooms near the stairs are for maidservants, while the large rooms adjoin the Lord's chambers.

"Then who are these fully equipped rooms prepared for?" Li Bucai asked knowingly.

Yan Qiu replied shyly, "Um... they are for the Lord's future consorts."

Li Bucai thought silently: So it's not that you will all move in here in the future; how can just these few rooms be sufficient?