Chapter 8: Galloping Through the Busy Street

"Eating, drinking, causing trouble, showing off in public, and having no respect for elders—it seems none of that has changed." "Is that so?" He Chunhua glanced at her, his expression meaningful. "I haven't been at the residence much lately; you rarely dine with him, do you?"

Ying Hongchan’s expression shifted: "Master, it is Lingchuan himself who does not wish to be home! It would be a miracle if he returned to the residence for dinner twice in the last ten days."

He Chunhua sighed: "You must be more understanding of him. After all, he is nearly sixteen."

"That goes without saying." Lady Ying agreed readily, just as she had in the past. "Regardless of anything else, Lingchuan is still the eldest son of the He family."

Lady Ying returned to her room, and He Chunhua watched her retreating back, letting out a long sigh.

Steward Mo appeared from nowhere and stood by his side.

He Chunhua said with his hands behind his back: "The people sent by Donglai Prefecture to track the leopard demon disappeared once they reached Heishuicheng. If the matter is of great importance, they will not let it rest; I fear there will be further developments."

He sighed: "What I worry about most is not this, but the situation in the east. Our connection with the Royal Court has been severed for too long. I always feel that a great chaos is near."

"Even if it is a calamity, Master will be able to pass through it safely." Steward Wu’s tone was firm. "It has always been so."

￥￥￥￥￥

Ten days passed, and all was calm.

As the day for the closure of the Red Cliff Road drew nearer, the number of merchants entering and leaving Heishuicheng increased, keeping the He Prefecture Governor busier than ever, while the communication breakdown between Qiansong Prefecture and the eastern part of the Yuan Kingdom remained unchanged.

The eldest young master of the He family continued to throw his weight around.

Life was truly so boring that he didn't know how to find peace in the passing years.

He Chunhua had been as busy as a windmill lately and had no time to come home for dinner. Lady Ying did not gather the two children either, so they all ate separately, which He Lingchuan found quite relaxing.

Compared to Lady Ying, He Chunhua was a benevolent father.

However, unlike what most people imagine, a second-generation official like He Lingchuan usually didn't have to pay for his own wining and dining. For instance, today it was Liu Baobao who invited him to the Hongyan Restaurant, the reason being to thank He Lingchuan for obtaining the customs clearance pass for the Liu family, as their caravan had returned safely.

Although Liu Baobao spoke of a "simple meal," the dishes served were rare game, and the wine was a vintage the Liu family had treasured for twenty years.

Not to mention that the beauty pouring the wine was Liu Baobao’s favorite concubine; her pair of peach-blossom eyes were bright and sparkling, constantly darting toward He Lingchuan, and she was the most diligent in pouring his wine.

Liu Baobao saw this and cursed the little vixen under his breath, yet he had to put on a face full of regret: "Young Master, do you really have to wait until you are eighteen to indulge?"

"Mmhmm." Setting down the red-braised venison, He Lingchuan asked for a plate of peanuts pickled in plum, taking a sip of wine with every two peanuts.

After eating rich fish and meat, mountain delicacies, and wild game for nearly two months, he suddenly found himself missing pickled vegetables, fried dough strips, noodle soup with fermented bean paste, scallion pancakes, and wontons.

In the past, he would have to eat these at the end of the month after paying off his loans.

Yet now, seeing a pancake stall on the side of the road, he actually had the urge to go downstairs and buy a portion.

Having not eaten them for so long, his soul missed them.

It was just like a middle-aged man who had married a wealthy beauty and reached the pinnacle of his life, yet occasionally, in the middle of the night, would dream of his first love who was as plain as clear noodle soup.

Just then, a commotion came from outside.

Liu Baobao had invited him to dine in a private room on the second floor of the Hongyan Restaurant, so they were already sitting by the railing, with the center of the street right outside the window.

He Lingchuan leaned out the window and happened to see the originally crowded street suddenly part to both sides, followed by two tall horses galloping toward them.

He gave a soft "oh," identifying at a glance that the creatures galloping down the street were not purebred steeds, but hybrids with the bloodline of the Bo beast. Their hallmarks were large heads, sharp teeth, greenish-red bodies, and bulging, crimson eyes.

These mounts were known as Fierce Horses; they inherited the Bo beast’s ability to move like the wind and possessed excellent stamina, though they were also short-tempered and fond of flesh and blood. They could even be used as combat assets on the battlefield. Twenty horses chosen from a thousand would not necessarily be enough to trade for one Fierce Horse.

Of course, Fierce Horses also had grades. He Lingchuan’s own beloved steed was a Fierce Horse, a gift from a small western nation to the Governor of Qiansong Prefecture; it was carefully selected and of top quality, yet it was only on par with the two below.

If the horses were like this, who were the riders? The two riders were one behind the other; in front was a youth in white robes, around seventeen or eighteen years old, with fine brows and bright eyes that shone with a sharp light. Behind him was a guest in gray, wearing a bamboo hat, whose face was invisible from He Lingchuan’s angle.

Directly in front of the youth in white robes, a spiritual pearl the size of a goose egg hung in mid-air, spinning incessantly, and the crowd in front of the horses was pushed aside by an invisible force, leaving a path in the middle.

That force was not gentle; pedestrians were knocked about, and a fatty fell onto a stall behind him, crushing the vendor's piping hot rice cakes into pancakes.

The vendor naturally wouldn't have it, and the two began to argue.

This was a world of strange powers and chaos, so He Lingchuan didn't feel surprised, only chuckling: "Galloping through a busy street—what great majesty."

Large cities in the Yuan Kingdom had regulations requiring riders to dismount and lead their horses. Although Heishuicheng allowed people to ride, they were required to go slowly and were absolutely forbidden from galloping, otherwise, they would be dragged down, given twenty lashes, and fined five silver taels, with additional penalties for injuring anyone.

The local customs were fierce, and the regulations had to be equally fierce.

Liu Baobao heard this and stole a glance at He Lingchuan, thinking to himself: Aren't you usually the same?

The two riders were about to pass below the restaurant. This was a "T" shaped intersection, and after turning into the side road, the number of pedestrians was at least halved. The youth in white robes then put away the sphere, as releasing such a thing required the consumption of power.

Just at this moment, a young boy ran past the side of the road, and his rattle flew out of his hand after being bumped by a pedestrian, landing—as luck would have it—right in the middle of the street!

The child immediately rushed out to pick up his toy.

He was blocking the path directly in front of the Fierce Horses.

His parent cried out in alarm and rushed over from behind, but was blocked by the crowd in front and could not reach him in time.

The riders showed no intention of slowing down; in at most two seconds, the massive hooves would trample the child.

Again! He Lingchuan sighed inwardly: Why is it that in every world, there are children who crawl under the chassis?

Fortunately, times were different now; he no longer needed to take action himself.

"Uncle Hao!" He Lingchuan rested his chin on one hand and pointed downward with the other.

Uncle Hao, who had been standing by his side acting as an invisible man, immediately produced two copper coins and flicked them downward.

Both copper coins struck the ground directly in front of the Fierce Horses, more than three feet apart. If the riders continued to gallop, the horses' legs or bellies would likely be struck by the coins. The reason for throwing two was to prevent the riders from knocking one away and continuing at full speed.

Uncle Hao’s copper coins were not easy to catch. He Lingchuan had once seen him use a copper coin to pierce the skull of a black bear. There was no need to elaborate on the hardness of a large bear’s skull; it was at least no less than that of these two Fierce Horses.

The youth in white robes below judged the situation and, sure enough, pulled hard on the reins. The Fierce Horse reared up with a neigh, coming to a sudden stop, its hooves less than seven feet away from the child on the ground.

(End of chapter)