Chapter 8: Chapter 8, Chapter 1011: Riding a Horse Through the Bustling Market

Chapter 8: Chapters 10-11: Galloping Through the Bustling Market

Eating, drinking, causing trouble, showing off in public, and having no respect for elders—it seems none of that has changed.

"Is that so?" He Chunhua glanced at her, his expression meaningful. "I haven't been at the manor much lately. You rarely dine with him, do you?"

Ying Hongchan’s expression shifted. "My lord, it is Lingchuan himself who refuses to stay home! It’s a miracle if he returns to the manor for dinner twice in the last ten days."

He Chunhua sighed. "You should be more understanding of him. After all, he is nearly sixteen."

"That goes without saying." Madam Ying agreed readily, just as she always did. "Regardless of anything else, Lingchuan is the eldest son of the He family."

Madam Ying returned to her room. He Chunhua watched her retreating back and let out a long sigh.

Steward Mo appeared from nowhere and stood by his side.

He Chunhua said with his hands behind his back, "The people sent by Donglai Prefecture to track the leopard demon disappeared once they reached Blackwater City. If this matter is of great importance, they won't let it rest. I fear there will be further developments."

He sighed again. "What I worry about most is not this, but the situation in the east. Our connection with the Royal Court has been severed for too long. I always feel that a great chaos is approaching."

"Even if it is a calamity, you will be able to pass through it safely, my lord," Steward Mo said with a firm tone. "It has always been so."

￥￥￥￥￥

Ten days passed, calm and peaceful.

As the day for the closure of Red Cliff Road drew nearer, the number of merchants entering and leaving Blackwater City increased. Governor He became busier and busier, while the communication breakdown between Qiansong Prefecture and the eastern part of the Yuan Kingdom showed no signs of improvement.

Young Master He continued to throw his weight around.

Life was truly so boringly smooth that he didn't even know how to enjoy the peace and quiet.

He Chunhua had been as busy as a windmill lately and had no time to come home for dinner. Madam Ying didn't gather the two children either; they all ate separately, which suited He Lingchuan just fine.

Compared to Madam Ying, He Chunhua was a benevolent father.

However, contrary to what most people imagined, a "second-generation official" like He Lingchuan didn't usually have to pay for his own food and entertainment. For instance, today Liu Baobao was treating him to a meal at the Hongyan Restaurant again, the reason being to thank He Lingchuan for the customs clearance permit he had obtained for the Liu family, which had allowed their caravan to return safely.

Liu Baobao called it a "casual meal," but the dishes served were rare game, and the wine was a vintage the Liu family had treasured for twenty years.

Not to mention, the beauty pouring the wine was Liu Baobao’s favorite concubine. Her peach-blossom eyes were bright and watery, constantly darting toward He Lingchuan, and she was the most diligent in refilling his cup.

Liu Baobao saw this and cursed the little vixen under his breath, yet he had to put on a look of feigned regret: "Young Master, do you really have to wait until you're eighteen to indulge in such pleasures?"

"Mhm." Setting down the braised venison, He Lingchuan asked for a plate of plum-pickled peanuts, taking a sip of wine with every two peanuts.

After eating nothing but rich meats and exotic delicacies for nearly two months, he suddenly found himself missing pickled vegetables, fried dough strips, noodle soup, scallion sugar pancakes, and big wontons.

In the past, he would have to live on those at the end of the month after paying off his loans.

Yet now, seeing a pancake stall on the side of the road, he actually had the urge to go downstairs and buy one.

He hadn't eaten them in so long that his soul missed them.

It was just like a middle-aged man who had married a wealthy beauty and reached the pinnacle of his life, only to occasionally dream of his first love, who was as plain as clear noodle soup.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside.

Liu Baobao was treating him in a private room on the second floor of the Hongyan Restaurant, so they were already sitting by the railing, looking out over the center of the street.

He Lingchuan leaned out the window and happened to see the crowded street suddenly split in two, followed by two tall horses galloping toward them.

He gave a soft "Oh," instantly recognizing that the creatures galloping through the street weren't pure horses, but hybrids with the bloodline of a *bo* beast. Their hallmarks were large heads, sharp teeth, blue-red bodies, and bulging, crimson eyes.

These mounts were called "Vicious Horses." They inherited the *bo* beast's ability to move like the wind and possessed incredible stamina. They were also bad-tempered and loved to eat flesh, making them capable of outputting combat power on the battlefield. Twenty horses chosen from a thousand might not even be enough to trade for one Vicious Horse.

Of course, Vicious Horses also had grades. He Lingchuan’s own beloved steed was a Vicious Horse, a gift from a small western nation to the Governor of Qiansong Prefecture—carefully selected and of top quality—but it was only on par with the two below.

If the horses were like this, who were the riders?

The two riders were one behind the other. In front was a youth in white robes, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with fine eyebrows and bright eyes that shone with a sharp light. Behind him was a guest in gray, wearing a bamboo hat, whose face was invisible from He Lingchuan’s angle.

Suspended in mid-air in front of the white-robed youth was a spirit bead the size of a goose egg, spinning incessantly. The crowd in front of the horses was pushed aside by an invisible force, leaving a path in the middle.

That force was not gentle; pedestrians were knocked off balance. A fat man fell onto a stall behind him, crushing the vendor's hot rice cakes into pancakes.

The vendor, naturally, wouldn't have it, and the two began to argue.

This was a world of strange powers and gods, so He Lingchuan wasn't surprised, merely chuckling, "Galloping through a bustling market—what great majesty."

Large cities in the Yuan Kingdom had regulations requiring people to dismount and lead their horses. Although Blackwater City allowed riding, the speed had to be slow; galloping was strictly forbidden. Otherwise, the offender would be dragged down, given twenty lashes, fined five taels of silver, and punished further if anyone was injured.

The local customs were fierce, and the punishments were equally so.

Liu Baobao glanced at He Lingchuan upon hearing this, thinking to himself: *Aren't you usually the same?*

The two riders were about to pass below the restaurant. This was a T-junction, and after turning into the side road, the number of pedestrians would at least be halved. The white-robed youth then put away the orb; after all, keeping it active consumed energy.

Just then, a young boy ran across the road. His rattle slipped from his hand when he bumped into a pedestrian and, as luck would have it, landed right in the middle of the street!

The child immediately rushed out to pick up his toy.

He was standing directly in the path of the Vicious Horses.

His parents cried out in alarm, rushing from behind, but they were blocked by the crowd and couldn't reach him in time.

The riders showed no intention of slowing down. In less than two seconds, the massive hooves would trample the child.

*Again!* He Lingchuan sighed inwardly. *Why do children in every world insist on crawling under wheels?*

Fortunately, times had changed; he no longer needed to take action himself.

"Uncle Hao!" He Lingchuan rested his chin on one hand and pointed downward with the other.

Uncle Hao, who had been standing by his side acting like an invisible man, flicked his wrist and fired two copper coins downward.

Both coins struck the ground directly in front of the Vicious Horses, more than three feet apart. If the riders continued to gallop, the horses' legs or bellies would likely be struck by the coins. He had fired two to prevent the riders from knocking them away without slowing down.

Uncle Hao’s copper coins were not easy to catch. He Lingchuan had once seen him use a copper coin to pierce the skull of a black bear. The hardness of a bear's skull went without saying; it was certainly no less than that of these two Vicious Horses.

The white-robed youth below assessed the situation and, sure enough, pulled hard on the reins. The Vicious Horse reared up with a shrill neigh, coming to a sudden stop. Its hooves were less than seven feet away from the child on the ground.

(End of chapter)