Library of Heaven’s Path 2: Eternal Destiny
Chapter 68: Taming a Horse with a Horse

Chapter 68: Taming a Horse with a Horse

As Zhou Qun charged forward with great speed and confidence, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask the stablehand, "Is this guy really that good?"

The stablehand nodded, "Absolutely! Master Zhou's horse-taming skills are among the best in all of White Roc City. You've heard of Miss Mo Yanxue’s horse, Su Shang, right?"

"Yes," Zhang Xuan nodded, recalling that it was the horse he had killed.

"Master Zhou was the one who tamed it! He also tamed Miss Liu Mingyue’s horse, Dao Li. Almost all the famous horses in White Roc City were tamed by him, which explains his high status," the stablehand continued, then paused as he seemed to recall something. "Speaking of Dao Li, it just occurred to me, the horse you were riding earlier looks a lot like it..."

"Yes, that was Dao Li," Zhang Xuan confirmed. "Miss Liu gave it to me."

"What?" The stablehand's eyes widened in disbelief.

Dao Li was a well-known, valuable steed worth tens of thousands of Source Coins. To think it could be given away so casually... This person’s identity must be far from ordinary if he’s worthy of receiving such a precious gift from Miss Liu.

As they spoke, Zhou Qun had already entered the pasture and was approaching Fei Hong.

This wild horse, having repeatedly been roped and provoked, was clearly enraged. Seeing someone new approaching, it abandoned its earlier playful demeanor and charged directly at Zhou Qun with all its might.

The ground shook under the horse’s powerful strides, and within moments, it had closed the distance between them.

"So fast!" Zhang Xuan thought, his eyes narrowing.

The horse’s speed was nearly on par with Dao Li’s. If it charged at him suddenly, his only option would be to kill it, with no other way out.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qun was also taken aback by the horse’s speed. He quickly leaped to the side, and in one fluid motion, cast a rope that looped around the horse’s neck.

"Neigh!" Fei Hong let out an enraged cry, rearing up to strike with its front hooves.

Despite his large stature, Zhou Qun was incredibly agile. He rolled to avoid the lethal attack and used the rope to vault onto the horse’s back in one smooth motion.

The series of actions was executed so perfectly that it seemed preplanned, each movement flowing seamlessly into the next.

"Well done!"

"As expected of Master Zhou!"

The other trainers couldn’t contain their excitement, shouting in praise. They all understood the difficulty of what Zhou Qun had just accomplished and were in awe of his skill.

"Impressive!" Even Zhang Xuan, who wasn’t very knowledgeable about horse-taming, couldn’t help but be impressed.

Zhou Qun’s expertise was undeniable. If Zhang Xuan had been in his place, he would likely have resorted to brute force, unable to execute such precise techniques.

Now that he was on the horse's back, Zhou Qun had the upper hand. He gripped the rope with one hand and formed a fist with the other, repeatedly punching the horse’s back.

Thud, thud, thud!

Each punch was powerful, causing Fei Hong to cry out in pain. Enraged, it sprinted forward, covering over a hundred meters before abruptly stopping, as if hitting the brakes.

The sudden stop caught Zhou Qun off guard, and he was flung forward, crashing to the ground.

Thud!

He spat out a mouthful of blood and, just as he tried to get up, Fei Hong was already upon him, its front hooves crashing down toward his chest.

"Damn it…" Zhou Qun's pupils contracted as he desperately rolled out of the way. But he was already at a disadvantage, and the horse relentlessly pursued him. Finally, one of its hooves landed a solid blow, sending him flying and breaking several ribs. His face turned deathly pale.

In horse-taming, like in bullfighting, maintaining momentum was crucial. Zhou Qun’s repeated failures drained his energy, while the horse’s grew stronger. The idea of taming it now seemed impossible.

"Did Master Zhou fail?"

"This horse is too strong! It’s untamable…"

Seeing their last hope dashed, everyone present exchanged worried glances. If Zhou Qun couldn’t do it, there was no way they could.

Badly injured and knowing he couldn’t tame the horse, White Roc City’s top horse trainer scrambled back to the shelter. As he arrived, he noticed the young man he had mocked earlier was now looking at him with curiosity.

"Is this what you meant by 'absolute strength'?" Zhang Xuan asked, somewhat amused.

Zhou Qun, who had expected to dominate the situation, was now retreating in humiliation. Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but wonder why he had been so boastful in the first place.

"You…" Zhou Qun’s face flushed with anger, and he spat out another mouthful of blood. Gritting his teeth, he wiped the blood from his lips and declared, "I underestimated that horse’s strength, but if I can’t tame it, then no one in White Roc City can!"

"Alright then," Zhang Xuan replied, not interested in arguing. He stepped forward to the edge of the shelter, looking at Fei Hong in the pasture.

There were 10,000 Source Coins at stake—he wasn’t about to give up easily.

"What are you planning? Don’t tell me you’re going to try! You, who knows nothing about horse-taming, think you can belittle Fei Hong?" Zhou Qun scoffed, incredulous.

"Do you even know the right moment to throw the rope? Do you know when to jump onto the horse’s back? Do you know the weak points of wild horses?" Zhou Qun continued, mocking Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan didn’t respond, his gaze still fixed on Fei Hong, which had now bitten through the rope around its neck and was glaring angrily at the crowd, ready to charge at any moment.

"Young master, are you really going to try taming it?" the stablehand asked, his voice trembling with fear.

Zhang Xuan smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I never said I was going to do it myself."

"You're not?" The stablehand was confused. "Then how will you tame it?"

Zhang Xuan smiled and called out loudly, "Dao Li, come here!"

The sound of hooves echoed as Dao Li, who had somehow freed itself from the stable, galloped toward Zhang Xuan like a shooting star. Within moments, it was standing by his side.

"Dao Li?"

"Is that the horse the Liu family bought?"

"Why did he bring another horse?"

Everyone was stunned, including Zhou Qun, who was utterly bewildered.

Wasn’t Zhang Xuan supposed to tame the horse? Why had he brought another horse into the mix?

Noticing their confusion, Zhang Xuan smiled again and addressed his horse, "Dao Li, go tame that Fei Hong for me! If you want to eat, you have to work for it. There’s no such thing as a free meal..."

"???"

In an instant, everyone was completely dumbfounded.