Chapter 8: 第七章 买马

Wu'an was a strategic fortress and thus not a particularly prosperous place, so Qin Yang and Zhao Yun did not find the streets crowded as they walked through the city. Along the way, they purchased many items, including new clothing for the three of them, food, and other necessities. Qin Yang even made a special trip to a jewelry shop, spending eight taels of Lu gold to buy Qing Yao a gold-inlaid jade phoenix hairpin and a jade bracelet. Zhao Yun felt a pang of heartache once again, laughing and scolding Qin Yang for his excessive extravagance. Qin Yang merely smiled without a word.

By the time the two rushed toward the horse market, it was already the end of the midday hour. Both were worried that Qing Yao would grow anxious waiting at home alone, so they quickened their pace. Suddenly, Qin Yang heard a slight disturbance in the footsteps coming from somewhere behind him. Exceptionally vigilant, Qin Yang immediately realized that he and his Grandfather were being followed. He recalled how, back at the Lin Family Trading House, the shopkeeper Lin Chen's cunning gaze and the owner Lin Ye's subsequent, unnatural, beaming smile had been so out of place; everything clicked in his mind instantly.

Qin Yang did not turn around to look for that low-life stalker. Such a thing would have been nothing to him in another dimension, for not a single person who had ever attempted to follow him had ever lived to see the next day's sun. Absolutely never!

Qin Yang could only sigh inwardly: "What must come will eventually come; there is no escaping it. Why is the human heart of greed so vast? Is it just like those little devils from the East or the little monkeys from the South Seas? To grab things that do not belong to them at any cost?" Qin Yang had pondered this question for a full ten years, yet he could never quite figure it out.

The horse market was located in the northwest corner of Wu'an City. Since Qin Yang and Zhao Yun walked quickly, they arrived in no time. At this time, there were no wars, so horses were generally used for plowing fields or pulling goods; consequently, the horse market was affected, and to use an perhaps imprecise term, it was "deserted." Seeing that there were no buyers and with the July sun beating down from directly overhead, the horse sellers gathered under the pavilions to take the shade. Qin Yang let Zhao Yun rest to the side and entered the horse pens alone. Perhaps because Qin Yang appeared to be dressed in rags, no one came over to strike up a conversation. Qin Yang did not mind and picked through the horses on his own. While selecting a horse, he had already taken a careful look at that shifty stalker.

Qin Yang circled through the middle but found no particularly good horses. Feeling regretful, he was about to just pick two random ones and call it a day. Suddenly, a neighing sound drifted from a corner—a sound that seemed sorrowful, lonely, and calling out. Qin Yang felt a jolt in his heart and rushed toward the sound. He saw an old man with white hair desperately pulling at a horse's reins, trying to prevent the animal from breaking free. Nearby, another yellow horse kept its distance. Strangely enough, the moment this horse saw Qin Yang arrive, it suddenly grew quiet, though its front hooves continued to trot in small, nervous steps. Its large, round eyes stared directly at Qin Yang, looking as if it were about to shed tears. Greatly surprised, Qin Yang began to examine the horse closely.

The horse was pitch black all over with a dry coat. It stood about seven feet tall, a full tenth taller than the other horses. Its limbs were thick and its mane stood proud, yet it was pitifully thin, with its skeletal frame almost visible through its skin. There were also several deep, bloody wounds on its back, likely inflicted by its owner. Although Qin Yang did not know much about horse appraisal, his intuition told him this horse was extraordinary.

"Old gentleman, could you tell me about this horse? And what is the price?" Qin Yang asked, pointing at the black horse, having already decided to buy it.

"Hehe, to be honest with you, Young Master, I bought this horse as a foal from a Hu merchant several years ago. I intended to use it for plowing, but I didn't expect this beast to grow so temperamental. It runs off all day long; you can't even keep it penned, let alone use it for plowing. It won't let anyone ride it either; when it gets stubborn, two people can't hold it back. My family has only the old and the young with no labor to plow the fields, and just a few days ago, my wife fell ill. We have no money, so I have no choice but to sell it. As for that yellow horse, it is quite old, so I brought it along to get some money to treat my wife. As for the price of this black horse... just give me three hundred copper coins." The white-haired old man had been trying to sell the horse at the market for several days, but a thin horse that couldn't plow was truly of no interest to anyone. Now that a buyer had finally arrived, he spoke the truth and gave a direct price, yet he watched Qin Yang with a heart full of trepidation, deeply worried about the transaction.

On the way here, Qin Yang had already asked Zhao Yun about the current market rates and knew that a decent horse cost about ten *dan* of rice (approximately three hundred Qin Ban Liang). The old man's asking price of three hundred for this black horse was certainly not an overcharge.

Looking at the horse's misery and then at the old man's helplessness, Qin Yang felt a pang of sadness. "Old gentleman, I will take this horse," he said. He then casually took two pieces of two-tael Lu gold from his money pouch and handed them to the old man.

Seeing this, the white-haired old man waved his hands in a panic. "Young Master, it's not that much! I can't provide change!"

"Old gentleman, don't worry. Don't you have another horse? I will buy that one as well. You don't need to give me change. This horse is worth this much, truly. Besides, your family needs the money, don't they?" Qin Yang emphasized this, fearing the old man would refuse.

The white-haired old man froze for a long while before accepting the Lu gold. He gazed at Qin Yang with gratitude, unable to speak, and merely handed the reins to Qin Yang in silence. He knew that four taels of Lu gold could be exchanged for over twelve hundred Qin Ban Liang, which was enough to allow his entire family to live without worry for two full years.

Qin Yang smiled faintly, took the reins from the old man, and gently led the black horse out of the enclosure. As if possessed by a spirit, the black horse took a few steps forward, lowered its head, and began to nuzzle against Qin Yang incessantly. It snorted repeatedly, its four hooves making a "clack-clack" sound against the bluestone road, looking extremely happy and eager to try.

Qin Yang was very surprised. He turned back to embrace the horse's head, stroking it gently. Back in his original time, Qin Yang had once heard a comrade who had served five years in the cavalry say that horses are a person's most loyal friends; they possess spirit, and one can attempt to communicate with them. Thus, after a moment of thought, Qin Yang leaned close to the black horse's ear and whispered, "Little horse, little horse, I know you have suffered grievances. This is not where you belong. You want to gallop across the boundless grasslands, and you want to fight on battlefields filled with smoke and fire, don't you? Let us go together, to the place where we belong, alright?"

Unexpectedly, as soon as Qin Yang finished speaking, the black horse suddenly broke away from him, reared up on its hind legs, and let out a series of loud whinnies. It then began to trot in circles around Qin Yang.

Suddenly, the horses throughout the entire market began to grow restless. All the horse sellers stared in astonishment at this skeletal black horse...

"Haha, this horse can actually understand my words! It looks like I really have bought a treasure," Qin Yang said with great joy. He knew what an excellent warhorse meant to him in the era of cold weapons.

"Grandfather, the horse is bought. Let's go home." With an incredibly light heart, Qin Yang called out to Zhao Yun, who was resting in a nearby pavilion.

Zhao Yun responded, and the two of them, each leading a horse, gradually walked away under the watchful eyes of the crowd.