The fine steeds moved with grace, their hooves stirring up wind, racing like lightning toward the finish line.
He Yan and Ma Damei were evenly matched – at this rate, it was impossible to tell who would reach the finish line first.
Liang Ping and Du Mao had already given up, knowing their horsemanship couldn’t match the two ahead. They resigned themselves to trailing behind at a leisurely pace, having already fulfilled Chief Instructor Shen’s requirements.
The night before, Chief Instructor Shen had called them out, instructing them to compete with He Yan in mounted archery today. Initially, Liang Ping and Du Mao had both refused – they weren’t new recruits, why should they compete with He Yan? But the Chief Instructor insisted, even directing them to create as many obstacles as possible during the competition to prevent He Yan from winning.
Liang Ping felt uneasy about it. Having to compete with He Yan while ensuring their defeat seemed deliberately unfair. It was already taking advantage when instructors competed against recruits, but having three people gang up against He Yan was the height of bullying.
Yet plans don’t always work out as intended. Forget about all three – he and Du Mao hadn’t managed to bully He Yan at all, instead ending up bullying themselves. Thank goodness the recruits hadn’t witnessed it – where would they have put their faces?
However, among the three of them, Ma Damei was the true horseman – how would He Yan fare against him?
In the distance, they could now see the red silk banner at the finish line.
He Yan pulled the reins, urging her horse forward, pulling ahead of Ma Damei by half a length.
Just as she focused on crossing the finish line, Ma Damei called out “Little one,” causing He Yan to instinctively look his way. She saw the old man standing straight up on his horse’s back, feet firmly planted, perfectly balanced. She mentally praised his skill, but then the old man flashed her a smile and suddenly flipped through the air toward her.
He Yan’s heart jumped as she tried to steer away, but the old man was like a winged bat, already hanging half his body onto her horse. He even complained about her evasive maneuver, “Young one, how can you be so unkind at such a young age, trying to make me fall to my death?”
He Yan tried to push him off, but he had already taken control, firmly grasping the reins. He struck out at He Yan with his palm, clearly intending to knock her off.
This person… he was certainly confident about his abilities, not worried at all about her getting hurt from a fall? He Yan thought to herself as she exchanged a couple more moves with him, neither gaining an advantage.
Ma Damei was also surprised. Among the dozens of instructors in the Liangzhou Guard, each had their specialties. Some excelled in archery, others in infantry tactics, while his expertise was mounted archery. When Shen Han asked him to compete with He Yan yesterday, he initially thought Shen Han had lost his mind. Now it seemed this youth called He Yan had far exceeded his expectations.
The youth’s horsemanship was superb, and their thinking was quick and decisive. Knowing they couldn’t hit the targets with three people interfering, they simply eliminated everyone else’s arrows. Even now, trading blows with him, they showed no panic as if accustomed to fighting in dire situations, completely composed.
He Yan wasn’t quite as composed as she appeared. The Liangzhou Guard instructors weren’t just idle rice-eaters, and this old man was particularly troublesome. The finish line was too close now – her goal wasn’t to fight him but to cross it first. If they kept this up, even if the horse crossed the line with both of them on it, who would be declared the winner?
How cunning.
She looked up, still smiling pleasantly without a trace of displeasure, “Though I’m young, I respect my elders. At your advanced age, sharing a horse with me – if you were to fall, I could never forgive myself. I’d better switch horses.” As she spoke, she leaned out, gripping the iron rings on the saddle, sliding sideways against the horse before letting go.
It was a beautiful move that lit up Ma Damei’s eyes. He Yan held one ring while using her crop to snag Ma Damei’s riderless horse nearby. As the horses drew close, she released her grip, leaping half her body onto the other horse, grabbing its reins, and pulling herself fully into the saddle.
“Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!” Ma Damei praised three times, his admiring gaze unconcealed. However, he smiled and said, “But if you think this means you’ve won, you’re still too green.”
Before his words faded, the horse under He Yan began violently struggling, refusing to move forward, instead thrashing wildly in place.
“This is my horse – it knows its master. Young one, your horsemanship is good, but you can’t control a horse that’s bonded to another.”
He laughed heartily as if He Yan’s move had played right into his hands, waiting to see her struggle.
The youth smiled slightly, voice showing no tension as they calmly replied, “I’ll still give it a try. What if I can control it after all?”
With those words, she bent down, bringing her lips close to the horse’s ear, whispering something unknown. Remarkably, after this brief interaction, the horse gradually calmed down.
Ma Damei stared in disbelief. He had encountered thousands of horses and could communicate with them simply, but he’d never seen someone calm a bonded horse with just a few words. Ancient legends told of people who could understand the language of all beasts – was He Yan… one of them?
In all his years, he had never believed in supernatural tales.
The youth pulled the reins, and the horse galloped away. Ma Damei hurried to follow, but his moment of surprise had cost him the best opportunity. The youth’s words lingered in the air, carrying a note of triumph, “Instructor, your chance to beat me ends here!”
…
At the end of the track, in a pavilion among the grove, Shen Han and Xiao Jue sat together.
Shen Han hadn’t touched the tea in his cup, while Xiao Jue had drunk half a cup. They had witnessed He Yan’s entire exchange with Ma Damei.
Shen Han closed his eyes briefly, a chill rising in his heart.
Xiao Jue was right – such a genius couldn’t possibly have emerged from the Liangzhou Guard. First place in every category, surpassing all his instructors. This wasn’t a good thing; it was too suspicious, as if… as if specially prepared for the Liangzhou Guard.
The red silk fluttered in the wind as the youth and horse flew past the finish line like a gust of wind. She reined in her horse, dust billowing around them, with Ma Damei following behind, his expression grave and tense.
They stopped one after another.
He Yan dismounted first, followed by Ma Damei. She walked over to Ma Damei and stopped before him.
“I didn’t mean to trick you earlier, Instructor. It was forced by circumstances – surely you won’t hold it against me?” The youth looked anxious.
Ma Damei paused for a moment, then smiled. “What are you saying, young one? In competition, naturally, we all use whatever means we can.”
A broad smile spread across the youth’s face. She wiped the sweat from her brow and, after some thought, said, “Then this time too, thank you for your graciousness.”
“Thank you for your graciousness” – in other words, she had won again.