Chapter 21: White Horse Neighs in the West Wind, Fooling Ouyang Ke
Riding a horse is a basic skill for escorts.
Zhou Yan was proficient in horsemanship and understood horses.
The closer he got to the “Night-Shining Jade Lion,” the more he felt the horse was extraordinary.
Its eyes were bright and alert. Its muzzle was wide, its limbs long and powerful, and its joints clearly defined. The muscles in its chest and hindquarters were robust, and its immaculate white hair was as smooth as silk.
“What a fine horse!”
Seeing Zhou Yan approach, the “Night-Shining Jade Lion” let out a crisp snort, expelling two streams of white breath a foot long, and slowly backed away.
With a “snap,” the reins tightened, causing the horse stall to shake for a while.
The shopkeeper outside the stable saw this and worried, “Escort Huyan, will there be trouble? The hooves of this ‘Night-Shining Jade Lion’ have knocked down several grooms. Even when a groom holds the reins, if the horse gets angry and shakes its head, it can throw the groom like a rolling gourd.”
Huyan Lei laughed, “My Brother Zhou has great strength, trained with iron arms. Don’t worry.”
The shopkeeper nodded, but his face still showed a worried expression, his gaze fixed on the young man.
Zhou Yan walked slowly but steadily.
After consuming the treasure snake’s blood and guiding energy for cultivation, he had gained nearly five years’ worth of diligent cultivation of internal force. His current cultivation was no less than that of the Three-Headed Flood Dragon Hou Tonghai, and he possessed the arm strength that Huyan Lei also marveled at. Knowing horses well, he understood how to tame this fine horse.
In the gaze between man and horse, Zhou Yan gripped the reins and untied them.
“Hiss…”
With a neigh, the “Night-Shining Jade Lion” violently shook its head.
Zhou Yan let out a low growl, his legs splayed outwards, and with a “snap,” he planted himself in a horse stance, the ground shaking and dust scattering.
Force surged into his legs with the Thousand Jin Drop, and his arms pulled with ease.
A surging force exploded through the reins, and Zhou Yan’s right arm muscles bulged. He forcefully pulled back the horse’s head as it whipped past.
“Clip-clop…”
The “Night-Shining Jade Lion’s” hooves struck the ground, and it began to retreat step by step.
The moment the reins were taut, Zhou Yan suddenly relaxed his grip, and following the “Night-Shining Jade Lion’s” pulling force, he moved forward. His qi and strength merged, and as he delivered an “Iron Mountain Lean” to the fine horse, he passed his right arm under its neck, then followed with a “Embrace the Moon in the Arms” from the Yanqing Fist.
With the combined force of the “Iron Mountain Lean’s” hardness and the Yanqing Fist’s softness, with a “boom,” the “Night-Shining Jade Lion” was brought down to the ground by Zhou Yan like a wall.
He kicked his leg forward and stepped, executing a “Tiger’s Step Back” from the Yanqing Fist, and he rode on the horse’s neck.
The “Night-Shining Jade Lion’s” hooves, as large as bowls, stomped in the air, its strength having nowhere to go.
Zhou Yan placed his palm on the horse’s neck and applied the “Kanglong Regret” method of Internal Energy External Influence, channeling his internal energy into his palm, holding it back.
“Excellent skill, this beast should be subdued now,” Huyan Lei cheered.
The shopkeeper felt his calves trembling. This method of taming horses was unprecedented and eye-opening.
Unable to break free, the “Night-Shining Jade Lion” actually closed its eyes and became motionless.
“Good beast, pretending to be dead now.”
Zhou Yan released his grip and, with a horizontal chop, struck the horse’s back with a “Shenlong Tail Whip.”
“Hiss…”
The “Night-Shining Jade Lion” neighed, its tail swishing the ground, and its erect ears drooped.
“Truly eye-opening,” the shopkeeper said quickly, “I’m convinced, Brother Zhou, the horse is convinced.”
Zhou Yan could tell.
He leaped up, thinking how Hong Qigong would react if he knew he used the Subduing Dragon Eighteen Palms to tame a horse.
The “Night-Shining Jade Lion” stood up, its wild nature still present, but it was completely obedient to Zhou Yan, even nudging its head towards him.
Zhou Yan knew that riding it now would be akin to becoming one with the horse.
“Shopkeeper, bring the saddle.”
“Right away!”
The shopkeeper of the horse market personally delivered the saddle. Zhou Yan fitted the saddle, stepped into the stirrup, and mounted the horse. The “Night-Shining Jade Lion” neighed and galloped out through the opened stable door.
The horse market was in the suburbs. In the sight of Huyan Lei and others, the sound of hooves thundered as the rider and horse sped away into the distance.
“Shopkeeper, how much silver?”
Huyan Lei watched Zhou Yan disappear into the distance and said this.
Flowers bloom again, but youth never returns. Huyan Lei saw a shadow of his younger self in Zhou Yan, but the latter was even more spirited.
…
Fine horses gallop with the wind, traversing a thousand li with great speed.
Zhou Yan felt the wind whistling past his ears, the trees on either side of the road appearing to shift like moving shadows.
It took the Qingcong horse half an hour to reach the West Mountain forest farm after leaving the city, but the “Night-Shining Jade Lion” took only half that time.
Zhou Yan cherished the fine horse. He gently pulled the reins, and the horse, as if telepathically connected, slowed its pace, trotting rhythmically for over a hundred feet before slowing down.
“To travel a thousand li in a day and eight hundred at night, that’s what such a magnificent steed is capable of,” Zhou Yan sighed.
After riding for half a li, as Zhou Yan was about to turn his horse back, he suddenly heard the melodious sound of camel bells. He followed the sound and saw three snow-white camels galloping rapidly from a bend in the road. Each camel was ridden by a man in white robes.
Zhou Yan’s pupils contracted slightly.
In the world of Legend of the Condor Heroes, there was no one else who rode white camels except Ouyang Ke and his concubines from White Camel Mountain.
The men on the left and right white camels were about twenty-two or twenty-three years old, with delicate features.
They were naturally Ouyang Ke’s beautiful concubines, disguised as men.
The man on the central white camel was over thirty, with slanted eyes, a handsome and elegant face, and attire befitting a noble prince.
Zhou Yan let out a slight breath.
His luck seemed worse than Guo Jing’s.
The Golden Saber Consort was heading south, but he had encountered Ouyang Ke’s concubines who were heading to Daxing Prefecture in batches.
He, however, had encountered the man himself.
He withdrew his gaze, gently tugged the reins, and the telepathically connected “Night-Shining Jade Lion” turned around, flicked its tail, and with its four hooves, prepared to gallop away.
The moment Ouyang Ke saw the “Night-Shining Jade Lion,” his eyes lit up.
If it were any other color, Ouyang Ke might not have been so moved, but he liked white, and his own white camel could not compare to the “Night-Shining Jade Lion,” which was rarely seen in the Western Regions.
Ouyang Ke had no intention of buying it from Zhou Yan. Firstly, it was unnecessary; the road was empty, and it would be easiest to take the fine horse and discard the opponent’s corpse in the forest. Secondly, the opponent would not sell it; famous swords and prized horses, like beautiful women, were meant to be taken, not given away.
“Brother, please stop. I have a question.”
Ouyang Ke said this, and the concubines on either side covered their mouths and giggled.
However, in the next moment, the “Night-Shining Jade Lion” within Ouyang Ke’s sight began to gallop away.
“Heh, do you think you can escape?” The Young Master of White Camel Mountain was enraged. He considered himself intelligent and cunning, skilled in scheming, but how could this wild boy have seen through his intentions?
Ouyang Ke let out a cold laugh, his body leaped up, his toes touching the camel’s hump. His figure swayed, and he was already several zhang away, landing and darting forward.
At this moment, the “Night-Shining Jade Lion” had not yet picked up speed. Ouyang Ke’s white robes fluttered in the wind, and his speed was astonishing. The momentum he carried stirred up the fallen leaves on the ground, creating a straight line. In just a few breaths, he was behind Zhou Yan, leaping into the air like a swooping eagle, his right palm striking towards Zhou Yan’s back.
Suddenly, the young man on horseback performed a “Hidden in the Stirrup,” his body sliding fluidly to the side of the horse as his right hand suddenly swung up.
With a swish, lime powder filled the air, carried by the wind, and enveloped Ouyang Ke from head to toe.
Ouyang Ke was greatly alarmed. He couldn’t maintain his internal energy and fell to the ground with a “thump.” He held his breath and retreated frantically, the burning pain already spreading from his nose and eyes.
Many thanks to Chen Jiahui for the generous tip and monthly ticket support. Thanks to all the great supporters of monthly tickets, there will be an extra update tomorrow.
