Chapter 320: I'll make you a stablehand for a month

Before the words had finished, the spiral-horned sheep suddenly quickened its pace.

Its thick four hooves struck the ground, emitting a dull 'dong dong' sound; the turf was lifted in swaths, and its pair of spiral horns gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight.

The more it ran, the steadier it became; the more it ran, the faster it went.

Tuan Tuan on its back initially swayed a little, but gradually adapted to the undulating rhythm, its tiny body pressed against the sheep's back, the two little tufts on its head trembling wildly in the wind.

"Eternal Heaven!" an old herdsman narrowed his eyes, "This spiral-horned sheep runs incredibly fast!"

The grassland was vast; ten li distance passed in the blink of an eye.

Ha Ri Cha Gai took the lead; Black Cloud truly was a divine steed, running like flight.

He glanced back, his pupils constricting—the spiral-horned sheep had already closed to within less than ten zhang behind him!

"How is that possible?!" Ha Ri Cha Gai's heart jolted; he squeezed the horse's belly hard, "Black Cloud! Charge!"

Black Cloud let out a long neigh and instantly surged forward.

Yet the spiral-horned sheep continued at an unhurried pace, maintaining its steady rhythm, step by step closing in.

Eight zhang, five zhang, three zhang…

Neck and neck!

Ha Ri Cha Gai turned his head to look at Tuan Tuan; their gazes met in midair.

He gritted his teeth fiercely and lashed out with a whip.

Black Cloud suddenly erupted, lunging forward half a body length.

The red flag was right before their eyes!

The black mountain goat beneath the flag, seeing someone approach, grew even more panicked, struggling desperately.

"We're here!" Ha Ri Cha Gai's eyes flashed with sharp light as his right hand reached for the short knife at his waist.

As Black Cloud swept past the red flag, he bent low and swung swiftly.

"Swish!"

The leather strap binding the goat snapped in response!

The black mountain goat suddenly gained freedom, terrified out of its wits; its hind legs kicked hard at the turf, and it bolted off diagonally.

Ha Ri Cha Gai gauged the momentum, loosened the reins, threw his body sideways, and reached out with his right hand to seize the goat's nape.

And Tuan Tuan, catching up, lifted her little face and shouted crisply at the frightened black mountain goat:

"Yangyang! Come here!"

Though not loud, her voice strangely cut through the wind, the hoofbeats, and the surrounding deafening shouts.

The black mountain goat stiffened abruptly, halting its steps.

The next moment, it ceased struggling; instead, it pushed off with all four hooves and ran actively toward the spiral-horned sheep!

Ha Ri Cha Gai grasped at air, his body nearly toppling from the horse due to inertia.

He hurriedly pulled the reins to steady himself; looking up again, he saw the black mountain goat tottering up to the spiral-horned sheep and collapsing with a 'plop'.

The spiral-horned sheep stopped.

Tuan Tuan slid off the sheep's back, reached out her tiny hand, and gently stroked the black mountain goat's head: "Little Black, you're so good."

The entire grassland fell dead silent.

Only the wind howled, sweeping up grass scraps as it blew through the stunned crowd.

Ha Ri Cha Gai froze on horseback, his chest heaving violently as sweat poured down.

He fixed his gaze on the little child standing between the two sheep, smiling with a spring-breeze face; the back of his hand gripping the reins bulged with veins.

This was the rope he himself had cut, the goat he had herded.

He actually personally gave this Zhongyuan child the first prize!

"Clang!" the old chief's bowl fell to the ground, spilling milk liquor everywhere.

He was utterly unaware, only trembling as he raised his finger toward Tuan Tuan, lips quivering: "Shepherd... Shepherd Goddess!"

"Eternal Heaven above! This is the advent of the Shepherd Goddess!"

The onlookers all stared at Tuan Tuan with shocked faces.

"Shepherd Goddess? A Zhongyuan girl? Impossible!"

"Well done, little one!" Xiao Ran exclaimed, clapping and cheering regardless.

Xiao Ningxun smiled at her sister, while Xiao Er and Lu Qi wore looks of shared pride.

Ha Ri Cha Gai's face flushed crimson, as if about to bleed.

He clenched the reins tightly; Black Cloud seemed to sense his master's anger and reluctance, stamping its hooves anxiously and exhaling heavy breaths.

He shouted: "This doesn't count!"

"She really is fast, but she's riding a sheep! What kind of horse race is that?"

"On the grasslands, horse racing measures the unity of rider and steed! It's the skill of control! It's the kung fu of heart-to-heart communion with the horse!"

"She doesn't even have reins! She's just lying on the sheep's back! Apart from some gallantry, where's any horsemanship to speak of?"

The riders on horseback all nodded at those words.

Horse racing tests not just speed, but also the skill of 'guiding'.

"Indeed, what kind of horse race is this!"

"Ha Ri Cha Gai lost unjustly!"

"Who would have thought that spiral-horned sheep could outrun Black Cloud!"

Seeing his tribesmen all agree with him, Ha Ri Cha Gai grew more resolute: 'That basically doesn't count as a loss at all!'

Xiao Ran, hearing this, flared up and wanted to jump: 'Nonsense!' but Lu Qi pressed her shoulder: 'Don't rush, Miss can handle it.'

Tuan Tuan had one hand stroking the goat's head and the other rubbing the spiral-horned sheep's neck, lifting her little face to look at him: 'You not accepting defeat?'

Ha Ri Cha Gai suddenly raised his hand and pointed at the crystal‑clear azure sky:

"I won't accept it! I just won't accept it!"

"Truly skilled," his voice rose higher, "you got 'White Feather' to choose you!"

"If even the divine eagle acknowledges you, I, Ha Ri Cha Gai!" He paused, his teeth chattering, "I, Ha Ri Cha Gai, will be your horseman for a month! Wherever you go, I will follow!"

The moment the words "White Feather" left his mouth, the atmosphere of the whole pasture changed abruptly.

The herders who had been whispering fell silent together; the elders' cloudy eyes filled with awe, and the children instinctively tucked in their necks.

Tuan Tuan looked up at the sky, and a crisp voice rang out: "Who is White Feather?"

The herders began explaining one after another.

"White Feather is the divine eagle worshipped by generations of our Ke Lie tribe!"

"It can live beyond a hundred years! The elders say it is an envoy of the Everlasting Heaven sent to the mortal world!"

"Every year at the Nadam, it appears, selects a person, and gives them a feather!"

"Whoever receives that feather becomes the Heaven‑chosen child favored by the Everlasting Heaven!"

"Last year, it was Ha Ri Cha Gai who got it!"

Ha Ri Cha Gai's face instantly showed pride; it was the most glorious moment of his life.

"Oh!" Tuan Tuan understood, "So it's just a big bird!"

Whoosh—!

Just then, a clear, lingering eagle cry rang from the sky.

Everyone simultaneously tilted their heads upward.

On the deep blue canopy, a speck of white rapidly expanded.

At first it was just a vague white dot among the clouds, but in an instant its outline became clear.

The divine eagle spread its wings fully, as large as a felt tent; each feather glittered in the sun, as if it had gathered the entire prairie's sunlight onto its wings.

"White Feather has arrived!"

"White Feather!" The herders all leapt and shouted in joy toward it.

White Feather's massive wings beat slowly, the wind pressing the grass down and rustling the garments.

It circled above the crowd several times, its golden eyes scanning the ground as if inspecting its domain.

Then it dived straight toward Ha Ri Cha Gai!

Ha Ri Cha Gai held his breath.

He tilted his head upward, staring at White Feather, his heart pounding wildly, a buzzing in his ears.

It's coming! White Feather indeed still remembers him!

He still kept last year's eagle feather in his tent; his mother said it was a blessing from the Everlasting Heaven, able to protect him to become the bravest warrior on the steppe!

When White Feather hovered three zhang above his head, it suddenly paused and began a low circling.

"Choosing Ha Ri again!"

"The divine eagle truly only recognizes warriors!"

"How could that Zhongyuan kid possibly obtain the eagle feather!"

Ha Ri Cha Gai's mouth curved upward; the frustration he had just felt finally dissipated.

He smugly glanced sideways at Tuan Tuan, who was looking up at White Feather, and thought, White Feather would never give you the feather!