Chapter 64: Conceding again
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The swift horses raced, their hooves kicking up the wind, as fast as lightning, charging straight towards the finish line.
He Yan and Ma Damei were evenly matched, and at this rate, it was difficult to say who would reach the finish line first.
Liang Ping and Du Mao had already given up; they knew their horsemanship couldn’t match the two in front and couldn’t keep up. They chose to amble along behind, content in knowing they had fulfilled Instructor Shen’s request.
Last night, Instructor Shen had called them out and instructed them to compete in horseback archery against He Yan. Initially, both Liang Ping and Du Mao had refused. They weren’t recruits; why should they compare themselves to He Yan? Yet, Instructor Shen insisted on this arrangement, asking them to make things difficult for He Yan during the race and prevent her from winning.
Liang Ping felt uncomfortable about this arrangement. Having to compete with He Yan and not letting her win felt unfair. Comparing instructors to recruits was already a form of bullying, and teaming up against He Yan was taking it to another level.
Who knew that things wouldn’t go as planned? Not only did they fail to trouble He Yan, but they also ended up being troubled by her. Fortunately, the recruits didn’t witness this. If they had, where would they put their faces?
However, among the three of them, Ma Damei was the expert in horsemanship. How did He Yan compare to him?
In the distance, they could see the red silk flag at the finish line.
He Yan pulled on the reins, urging her horse forward, and edged ahead of Ma Damei by half a step.
She was determined to cross the finish line first. However, just then, Ma Damei shouted, “Young fellow!” He Yan instinctively looked towards him. She saw the elderly man standing half-upright on his horse, both feet planted firmly on its back. He Yan admired his skill but was surprised to see him smile at her. In the next instant, he flipped himself over, hurtling towards He Yan’s side.
Startled, He Yan tried to steer her horse away, but Ma Damei was like a bat with wings, half of his body already hanging over onto He Yan’s horse. He chided her for trying to avoid him, “Young sir, you’re so young, yet your intentions are not kind. Are you trying to throw me off?”
He Yan wanted to push him away, but he had firmly grabbed onto the reins. He moved to strike her, aiming to knock her off the horse.
This man… was quite confident in himself. He wasn’t afraid that she might fall and get seriously injured? He Yan thought angrily, and they exchanged a few moves, each unable to gain an advantage.
Ma Damei was also surprised. Among the dozens of instructors of the Liangzhou Garrison, each had their own strengths. Some were skilled in archery, some in close combat. His own expertise lay in horseback archery. When Instructor Shen had told him to compete with He Yan today, he had thought Shen Han was crazy. But now, looking at this young person named He Yan, he realized that he had far surpassed his expectations.
His horsemanship was superb, and he was agile and decisive. He knew that the three of them teaming up wouldn’t be able to hit the grass target, so he simply knocked away all the other arrows. The moves they were exchanging right now were smooth and well-coordinated, as if they were used to sparring with others in such critical situations.
He Yan, on the other hand, wasn’t as composed. The instructors of the Liangzhou Garrison were not mere pushovers; this old man was quite tenacious. With the finish line so close, her goal wasn’t to engage with him; she wanted to cross the finish line first. If this continued, even if her horse reached the finish line, both she and the old man would still be on horseback. Who would win then?
Truly cunning.
She lifted her head and smiled, seemingly undisturbed. “Though I’m young, I respect my elders. You, being so much older, are riding with me. If I cause you to fall and something happens, I would be to blame. I should switch horses.” As she spoke, she leaned out and grabbed onto the iron ring on the saddle with both hands, leaning to the side of the horse and letting go.
Her move was indeed impressive. Ma Damei’s eyes brightened. He saw He Yan grab the iron ring with one hand while the other held her riding crop, wrapping it around the empty saddle of his horse nearby. As the two horses came close, He Yan released her grip, leaped onto the other horse, grabbed the reins, and flipped herself back into the saddle.
“Good! Good! Good!” Ma Damei exclaimed three times in a row, his admiration for He Yan not hidden in the slightest. However, he chuckled, “But you think you’ve won just like that? You’re still too inexperienced.”
Before he could finish speaking, the horse beneath He Yan suddenly began to struggle vigorously, refusing to move forward and acting as if it had gone mad right there in place.
“This is my own horse. It recognizes its master. Young sir, your horsemanship is good, but this horse that has recognized a master cannot be controlled by you.”
He laughed heartily, as if He Yan’s actions were playing right into his hands, and he was eagerly anticipating the spectacle.
The young man gave a faint smile, his voice calm and not a hint of nervousness as he replied, “I’ll still give it a try. What if I can control it again?”
With that said, she leaned down, her lips close to the horse’s ear, murmuring something. Under her manipulation, the horse gradually calmed down.
Ma Damei was taken aback, hardly believing his eyes. He had seen countless horses and had simple communication with them, but he had never witnessed a horse listen obediently after just a few words from a human. In ancient myths, there were legends of people who could communicate with animals. Could He Yan… be one of them?
Despite his age, he had never believed in such supernatural stories.
The young man tugged on the reins, urging the horse forward, and Ma Damei quickly followed suit. However, in the time he was still in shock, he had already missed the best opportunity. The young man’s words still echoed in his ears, carrying a hint of arrogance, “Instructor, your chance to win over me ends here!”
…
At the end of the horse track, inside a pavilion nestled within the woods, Shen Han and Xiao Jue sat.
The tea in Shen Han’s cup remained untouched, while Xiao Jue had already consumed half of his. The exchange between He Yan and Ma Damei just now had been fully observed by Shen Han.
Shen Han closed his eyes, a chill creeping over him.
Xiao Jue was right. It was inconceivable for a genius like this to appear within the Liangzhou Garrison. Topping every aspect, outperforming all their instructors—it wasn’t a good sign. It was all too peculiar, almost as if… it was deliberately prepared for Liangzhou Garrison.
The red silk flag fluttered in the wind as the young man, riding his spirited horse, raced past the finish line. He reined in the horse, and a billowing cloud of dust followed, revealing that Ma Damei was right behind him. His expression was stern, far from relaxed.
The two of them came to a halt, one in front of the other.
He Yan dismounted first. As she got off her horse, Ma Damei followed suit. She walked toward him and stopped in front of him.
“I wasn’t intentionally teasing the instructors just now. It was the situation that forced me to act. Instructor, you won’t take it too seriously, will you?” The young man’s expression was somewhat anxious.
Ma Damei paused for a moment, then chuckled. “Young sir, you’re mistaken. In a competition, everyone naturally uses all means available.”
A wide smile spread across the young man’s face. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, thought for a moment, and then said, “In that case, I’ll acknowledge the concession this time.”
Acknowledging the concession meant that she had won again.
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