Chapter 16: The Gift Horse
The wind lifted the white veil covering her face as He Yan kept her head bowed low. She heard He Yunsheng gasp beside her, muttering under his breath, "Commander Xiao!"
It must have been the awestruck admiration of seeing one's hero in the flesh.
"Commander Xiao... What brings you here?" The young master Zhao, who had been so haughty before He Sui and the others, now resembled nothing more than a fawning lapdog in Xiao Jue's presence—a sight that made one's skin crawl.
"How much silver did you pay for this horse?" The young man on horseback asked calmly.
"Ah?" Young master Zhao was momentarily confused but answered truthfully, "Thirty taels."
Xiao Jue's lips curled slightly. In the next moment, two silver ingots flew from the dark blue pouch in his hand and landed in the grass. Only then did the onlookers realize that what had struck Zhao's wrist earlier had also been a piece of silver.
"I'm buying your horse," he declared.
Zhao's lips trembled, but no words came out.
He had wanted to salvage his pride by killing the troublesome beast, but Xiao Huaijin had spoken. That was the second young master of the Xiao family! Not someone to be trifled with. Swallowing his fury, Zhao forced a smile. "Commander Xiao, there's no need for that. If you want the horse, consider it a gift!"
"No need," Xiao Jue replied. "I accept no unearned favors."
He Yan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. As fellow generals, she and Xiao Jue naturally shared the same disdain for those who would slaughter a horse in the streets. This horse had narrowly escaped death thanks to him.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, He Yunsheng suddenly stepped forward, gazing at Xiao Jue with starry-eyed admiration. "Thank you, General Feng Yun! Saving a horse's life is as virtuous as building a seven-story pagoda! Truly remarkable!"
He Yan was speechless.
Even if He Yunsheng wanted to strike up a conversation with his idol, this was not the way to do it. She had told him time and again to study more—this was the embarrassing result of neglecting his education. Who knew how Xiao Jue was scoffing at him right now?
But today, Xiao Jue refrained from mockery. Instead, he turned his clear, star-bright eyes to He Yunsheng and asked mildly, "Do you like this horse?"
He Yunsheng glanced at the horse and answered honestly, "Yes."
"Then it's yours," Xiao Jue said.
"Thank you—wait, what?" He Yunsheng was stunned. Before he could say more, Xiao Jue and the youth in yellow had already urged their horses forward, clearly unwilling to linger. He Yunsheng chased after them a few steps before stopping, watching their retreating figures with disappointment.
He Yan walked up and waved a hand in front of his face. "Back to earth?"
He Yunsheng blinked and turned around. "Huh? Where's that Zhao fellow?"
"Long gone," He Sui said with an eye roll, clearly unimpressed by his son's foolishness. "While you were busy gawking at Young Master Xiao."
No matter how resentful Zhao was, he wouldn't dare challenge Xiao Jue. He had no choice but to take the silver and storm off in a huff.
He Yunsheng approached the abandoned horse and stroked its head as if caressing a lover's keepsake. "General Feng Yun gave this to me..."
"Should we take it home and enshrine it? Maybe build a memorial tablet?" He Yan teased.
He Yunsheng glared at her. "What do you know? If Commander Xiao hadn't passed by just now, this horse would have been killed by that Zhao! Commander Xiao is truly a chivalrous hero, righting wrongs wherever he goes...""Stop, stop, stop," He Yan interrupted him, "talk about something else." She thought to herself that He Yun Sheng was truly a child who didn't understand the dangers of the world. That Xiao Huaijin was no chivalrous hero who fought injustice—this man was utterly heartless.
"Yan Yan, why are you wearing a veil?" He Sui, who had been silent until now, finally found a chance to speak. "And how do you know how to ride a horse? You really scared me just now. You mustn't be so reckless in the future. If anything happened to you, how could I explain it to your mother?"
He Sui had much more to say to He Yan than to He Yun Sheng.
"This is the latest fashion. It's all the rage in the capital lately to go out wearing a veil—it adds mystery and beauty," He Yan said with a straight face, spinning nonsense. "Father, don't you think it looks good?"
He Sui: "Good, good! It looks wonderful!"
He Yun Sheng rolled his eyes. How could He Sui believe such a flimsy excuse?
Of course, He Sui believed it. He knew nothing about girls' fashions and only knew that He Yan had always loved dressing up and following trends. Moreover, he would never imagine that his pampered and delicate daughter would go to a gambling den to fight—it must have been a case of mistaken identity!
"As for riding a horse, I learned it with a friend. I only know a few tricks, but I'll practice more in the future," He Yan said vaguely.
...
Meanwhile, Xiao Jue and the youth in yellow were riding their horses away from the training grounds.
"That was really interesting just now," the youth in yellow said with a grin. "Uncle, did you see? That girl on horseback secretly tampered with things—that's why Zhao took a fall. So amusing, so amusing!"
Xiao Jue's expression remained indifferent.
He had indeed seen it—they happened to be passing by the outer edge of the field. The girl moved swiftly, and even when Zhao tried to kill the horse, he believed she would have intervened even if he hadn't spoken. Her hand had already reached for the iron-headed rod at her waist.
"Too bad she kept her head down the whole time. I didn't get a good look at her face," the youth in yellow mused, stroking his chin. "Should we turn back and ask for her name? Maybe we can see what she looks like?"
"You go by yourself," Xiao Jue said, unmoved.
"That won't do. She lowered her head after looking at you—she must have been dazzled by your beauty and got shy. I feel like there have been more interesting girls in the capital lately. Just a few days ago, I saw a girl fighting ten men at Zuiju Tower, and today I saw this girl riding a horse at the training grounds. With so many wonderful girls in the world, why isn't there one for me?" At this point, the youth in yellow began beating his chest and sighing dramatically.
Xiao Jue watched him calmly. "Cheng Li Su, if you don't shut up now, I'll send you back to the Cheng family."
"No!" The youth named Cheng Li Su immediately straightened up. "You're my own uncle—you can't abandon me in my hour of need. Right now, you're my only hope!"
As they spoke, they suddenly noticed a group of people standing not far ahead by the weapon racks. The leader was a young man in blue, slender and ethereal, like an immortal descended to earth. He smiled at them, though it was unclear how long he had been standing there. From this vantage point, he must have witnessed everything that had just happened at the training grounds.
"Isn't that the Fourth Young Master of the Shijin Earl's household?" Cheng Li Su whispered. "What's he doing here?"Xiao Jue did not respond. As the horse came to a halt, Cheng Li Su flashed his usual enthusiastic smile. "Isn't this Brother Zilan? What brings you to the training grounds?"
This was Chu Zhao, the fourth son of the current Earl of Shijin.
"Just taking a casual stroll. I happened to wander here and didn't expect to encounter Commander Xiao and Young Master Cheng," Chu Zhao replied with a faint smile. "Are you two out enjoying the spring scenery as well?"
"Of course! The spring days have been too splendid lately—it would be a shame not to take advantage of such beauty," Cheng Li Su laughed heartily before muttering under his breath, "Though it would be even better with lovely ladies accompanying us."
Chu Zhao pretended not to hear, his smile unwavering.
From beginning to end, Xiao Jue did not exchange a single word with Chu Zhao. He merely gave a slight nod as their horses passed each other.
After they had gone, Chu Zhao's attendant grumbled indignantly, "That General Feng Yun is utterly disrespectful!"
Chu Zhao remained unperturbed, shaking his head with a smile. "Well, he is Xiao Huaijin, after all." With that, he glanced at the empty track, as if recalling something highly amusing, and let out a soft chuckle.
(End of Chapter)
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