Chapter 64: All Yielding
The steed was swift, its hooves kicking up wind as it raced toward the finish line like a bolt of lightning.
He Yan and Ma Damei were neck and neck, making it impossible to predict who would cross the finish line first.
Liang Ping and Du Mao had already given up. Knowing their horsemanship couldn’t compare to the two ahead, they leisurely trotted behind. After all, they had already met Chief Instructor Shen’s demands.
The night before, Chief Instructor Shen had summoned them and ordered them to compete with He Yan in mounted archery today. At first, Liang Ping and Du Mao had refused outright—they weren’t recruits, why should they compete with He Yan? But the chief instructor insisted, even demanding they do their best to create obstacles for He Yan during the race to prevent him from winning.
Liang Ping felt uneasy about it. Competing with He Yan while deliberately making sure he didn’t win—wasn’t that blatantly unfair? Instructors competing with recruits was already bullying, and now three of them ganging up on He Yan? That was just taking advantage to the extreme.
But as fate would have it, even with three of them—well, at least he and Du Mao—they hadn’t managed to bully He Yan. Instead, they’d been outmatched by him. Thankfully, none of the recruits had witnessed it, or where would they hide their dignity?
Still, among the three of them, Ma Damei was the true master of horsemanship. How would He Yan fare against him?
In the distance, the red silk flag atop the finish pole was now visible.
He Yan tugged the reins, urging his horse forward and overtaking Ma Damei by half a step.
Just as he focused on charging toward the finish line, Ma Damei suddenly called out, “Hey, youngster!” He Yan instinctively turned to look. The wiry old man stood half-upright, feet planted firmly on his horse’s back. Impressed, He Yan barely had time to admire his balance before the old man grinned and flipped toward him.
Startled, He Yan tried to steer his horse away, but the old man moved like a winged bat, already latching onto He Yan’s mount. He even had the audacity to scold He Yan for dodging, “Young man, where’s your kindness? Trying to kill an old man with a fall?”
He Yan tried to shove him off, but the old man had already seized the reins like a cuckoo taking over a nest. With a sudden palm strike, he attempted to knock He Yan off the horse.
This guy… really had too much confidence in him. Wasn’t he afraid He Yan might actually fall and get seriously hurt? Grumbling inwardly, He Yan exchanged a couple of moves with him, neither gaining the upper hand.
Ma Damei was equally surprised. Among Liang Province’s dozens of instructors, each had their own specialty—some excelled in crossbows, others in foot combat, while his own forte was mounted archery. When Shen Han had ordered him to compete with He Yan yesterday, he’d initially thought the man was mad. But now, it seemed this recruit named He Yan had far exceeded his expectations.
His horsemanship was superb, his mind sharp and decisive. Knowing it would be difficult to hit the straw targets with three opponents, he had simply knocked all their arrows away. And now, these two exchanges with him were executed flawlessly, as if he was accustomed to fighting under pressure.
He Yan wasn’t as calm as he appeared. The instructors of Liang Province weren’t just idle eaters—this old man was truly troublesome. The finish line was too close now, and his goal wasn’t to fight but to cross it first. If this dragged on, even if the horse reached the end, with both of them still mounted, who would be declared the winner?
What a crafty move.She looked up with a bright smile, showing no trace of displeasure. "Though young, I know to respect my elders. With your advanced age sharing a ride with me, if you were to fall, I truly would be at fault beyond redemption. I’d better switch horses." As she spoke, she leaned out, gripping the iron rings on the saddle with both hands, pressing her body against the horse before letting go.
The move was executed beautifully, and Ma Damei couldn’t help but be impressed. He Yan held onto the rings with one hand while her other hand flicked the whip, coiling it around the reins of Ma Damei’s riderless horse nearby. As the two horses drew close, He Yan released her grip and leaped halfway onto the other horse, seizing the reins and swinging herself into the saddle.
"Good! Good! Good!" Ma Damei exclaimed three times in a row, his admiration for He Yan evident in his gaze. Yet he chuckled, "But if you think this means you’ve won, you’re still too green."
No sooner had he spoken than the horse beneath He Yan began to buck violently, refusing to move forward and instead thrashing wildly in place.
"This is my own horse—it recognizes its master. Young man, your horsemanship is impressive, but a horse that knows its master won’t be tamed by another."
He laughed heartily, as if He Yan’s actions had played right into his hands, and he was now eagerly awaiting her struggle.
The young man merely smiled, his voice calm and unruffled. "I’ll still give it a try. What if I can tame it after all?"
With that, she bent low, bringing her lips close to the horse’s ear, murmuring something inaudible. To everyone’s astonishment, the horse gradually calmed under her ministrations.
Ma Damei was stunned, hardly believing his eyes. He had seen countless horses in his time and could communicate with them to some extent, but he had never witnessed a master’s horse obeying someone else after just a few whispered words. Ancient myths spoke of those who understood the language of beasts—could He Yan be one of them?
At his advanced age, he had never believed in such supernatural tales.
With a tug of the reins, the young man urged the horse into a gallop. Ma Damei hurried to follow, but in his momentary distraction, he had already missed the best opportunity. The young man’s words still echoed in his ears, tinged with triumph: "Instructor, your chance to best me ends here!"
...
At the end of the path, within a pavilion nestled in the woods, Shen Han and Xiao Jue sat.
Shen Han hadn’t touched his tea, while Xiao Jue had sipped half of his. The entire exchange between He Yan and Ma Damei had been witnessed by them both.
Shen Han closed his eyes briefly, a chill creeping into his heart.
Xiao Jue had been right—such a prodigy couldn’t possibly emerge in Liang Province. To excel in every discipline, surpassing even the instructors—it wasn’t a good sign. It was too suspicious, as if... as if it had been arranged specifically for Liang Province.
The red silk fluttered in the wind as the young man and his steed swept past the finish line like a gust of wind. He reined in his horse, raising a cloud of dust, with Ma Damei following close behind, his expression grave and far from relaxed.
The two came to a halt one after the other.
He Yan dismounted first, and Ma Damei followed suit. She approached him, stopping just before him.
"I didn’t mean to tease you earlier, Instructor. It was truly a matter of circumstance. I hope you won’t hold it against me?" The young man’s expression was uneasy.
Ma Damei was silent for a moment before laughing. "What are you saying, young man? In a competition, one must use every means at their disposal."The young girl's face broke into a wide smile. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, thought for a moment, and then said, "Well then, I'll take this victory as well."
"Take this victory as well"—meaning she had won again.
(End of Chapter)
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