Plans always fall short of changes.
Bi Fang had intended to be all set and ready to go by June 1st, but he underestimated the time it would take to train a camel. Although he was patient enough with the task itself, he was a bit short on time.
Fortunately, the training was remarkably successful, which made Bi Fang decide to stick to it and wait a couple more days.
If one could acquire a camel, it would be entirely possible to cut the traversal time down to about two months—there was still ample time.
When the first day arrived, the camel's lead-laying training had just ended. By evening, nearly three days of training allowed Bi Fang to make the camel follow his commands to lie down and move about without being blindfolded, and to a certain extent, allow physical contact.
At the very least, when it was time to eat, Bi Fang could touch the camel without causing any resistance or getting kicked unexpectedly.