'An advance?'
'Horse Riding Skill?'
'Ah, right.'
Ji Xiu's heart trembled, and then understanding dawned on him.
Just a moment ago, the fierce horse beneath him had been raging, bucking and charging wildly. His blood had nearly run cold, thinking his life was about to end right then and there...
Then, out of nowhere, a mysterious, arcane power had poured into his body.
In an instant, it was as if he had been taming horses for many years.
Whether it was feeding, riding, or taming... he could do it all as if it were an extension of his own limbs, like an old master who had dedicated his life to the art of 'Horse Riding Skill'!
[Horse Riding Skill: Entry]
[Follow-up: Tame a horse one thousand times to achieve success.]
[Once 'Great Success Horse Skill' is fully mastered, the Tutor may initiate the next advance.]
He glanced at the lines of small, gilded text outlined in Spiritual Light on the Daoist Talisman—text that, it seemed, only he could see.
Ji Xiu finally understood the reason for it all...
'I can't believe it. The nameless Daoist Talisman I wore constantly in my previous life, a memento said to be a true heirloom of a Daoist Lineage, has become my chance to turn things around in this life.'
He looked at the horse beneath him, now incredibly docile. It remained perfectly still whether he patted its flank with his large hand or stroked its mane, merely snorting softly.
This 'Thousand-Mile Snow' was a world apart from the violent beast that had been bucking and charging just moments before...
Ji Xiu was finally beginning to understand just how terrifying this 'Daoist Talisman' in his possession truly was.
'It can actually reverse cause and effect, letting me master a skill first and then cultivate it later?'
'People always say that getting started is the hardest part. When faced with Scriptures, one often lingers at the threshold for years without ever gaining entry.'
'But now, I can completely reverse that process...'
'It works for Horse Riding Skill.'
'So, what about Martial Arts?'
Remembering the might of Qin Biao's whip—how he'd used it to intimidate the servants with a power that could shatter stone and monuments—Ji Xiu's heart couldn't help but pound. THUMP THUMP.
A mere Nursing Home guard for a powerful family in the County could be this strong.
So...
what about those Martial Artists who had actually founded their own sects or served in the County Yamen...?
CRACK!
The sharp sound echoed.
Just as Ji Xiu's mind began to wander, his attention momentarily drifting elsewhere,
Qin Biao strode over, kicking up dust. He cracked his whip hard against the ground, breathing heavily.
"Get down from there, now!"
"This horse is precious! Master Lin bought it for a hundred silver coins as a gift for the Second Miss. It eats nothing but refined rice, fine flour, eggs, and beans. Do you think a servant like you is worthy of riding it?"
As he spoke, he shot meaningful glances at Ji Xiu.
Snapping back to his senses, Ji Xiu saw the Second Miss Lin approaching slowly, supported by two maids. His heart tightened, and he immediately understood.
He had gotten carried away.
He'd forgotten where he was.
In a grand estate like the Lin Residence,
he was the lowest of the low, a slave!
Grooms, butchers, Medicinal Farmers, accountants, Nursing Home guards...
They were all higher in status than him!
Not to mention, the person before him was a noble from the inner courtyard.
As Master Lin's legitimate daughter,
if this Second Miss had a cruel and unreasonable temperament, she could order him to take thirty lashes, and he would have no choice but to accept it—and thank her for the "grace."
'This is exactly why I had to reprimand Ji Wei, asking her if she was truly ready for a life of servitude...'
'Once you enter this gate, your life is no longer your own!'
"Please forgive me, Miss!"
Ji Xiu dismounted in one fluid motion, quickly turning and lowering his head.
At a time like this, excuses about emergency measures or acting out of desperation were all pointless.
If he were facing someone good-natured, they might just laugh it off.
But if he were facing someone ill-tempered...
they would only think he was a servant trying to shirk responsibility, a cunning and deceitful person by nature.
After all, could the master ever be at fault?
'If it's not your fault, surely it can't be my precious horse's fault!'
The only real solution was to take all the blame.
"Lift your head."
Lin Ruyue spoke softly.
She waved a hand at the two maids beside her.
Then, she walked to Ji Xiu's side. She looked curiously at the fierce horse, 'Thousand-Mile Snow', but was also a little afraid, wanting to touch it but hesitating.
Seeing this, Ji Xiu offered a timely reminder:
"Miss, the horse's temper has calmed. It's safe now."
After he spoke, Lin Ruyue hesitated for a moment before reaching out her hand.
Just as Ji Xiu had said, the horse's temperament had returned to being gentle. It even took the initiative to nuzzle the cloud-gowned young woman before it.
It was as if that burst of excitement had passed, and it had returned to its original, harmless, and tamed state.
"Oh...?"
Her eyes widened.
"I didn't expect to find someone with your skills among the new servants."
Lin Ruyue recalled the earlier scene, a hint of fear lingering.
If Ji Xiu hadn't leaped onto the horse and brought it under control, she might have been knocked over. In that sense, she actually owed the young man a favor.
Thinking of this, and then remembering the scene of dappled golden sunlight on Ji Xiu's profile, Lin Ruyue's impression of him improved considerably.
"When my father brought Thousand-Mile Snow to me, he said it was already tamed and had a gentle nature. And it's never been this wild in all the time I've had it..."
she muttered, her brows furrowed in confusion, unable to figure it out.
Ji Xiu, however,
looked at the horse's belly, his eyelids twitching. He seemed to have realized something but said nothing.
With his newfound entry-level Horse Riding Skill, Ji Xiu could actually see why the horse had suddenly become excited and violent.
Its abdomen was still bloated with undigested food.
Analyzing the scent, he determined it was likely from a drug like the 'Saffron Pill', something that could drive it into a state of excitement and frenzy.
The drug had probably just taken effect a moment ago, which was why it had broken free from the cloud-gowned young woman's grasp and bolted.
She was lucky she wasn't riding it at the time, or her life might have been in danger.
'The great houses are full of strife.'
'But that has nothing to do with me, Ji Xiu.'
Since Second Miss Lin Ruyue wasn't going to blame him, that was for the best.
He just needed to lie low, complete the "payment" for the advance on his 'Horse Riding Skill', and then he could start planning his pursuit of 'Martial Arts'...
Ji Xiu was making calculations in his head, but his brow furrowed slightly.
'Tame a horse a thousand times.'
'Easier said than done.'
'Even the most Lower Grade mule costs several silver coins. My pitiful life is only worth three silver, less than a mule. If you really get down to it, it's not even clear who would be taming whom.'
'Where am I supposed to find horses to raise and tame?'
'The stables at the Lin Residence aren't a place an ordinary servant can just go. The horses in there eat refined rice, fine flour, beans, and eggs—they're treated like gold.'
'Plus, it's staffed by fewer people than the kitchens. Countless servants with years of seniority have been fighting tooth and nail to get in there and skim a little off the top, but in the end, there's still just one old man holding his position securely.'
'I'm a newcomer, a stranger here. How could it possibly be my turn...'
"That's right."
"You're so skilled at taming horses. It's a waste of your talent for you to be a tenant farmer and servant."
"You must be new to the residence, right?"
"Nursing Home Qin, please trouble yourself to inform the Steward. Have him... him... oh, what was your name again?"
'Talk about an opportunity falling right into my lap!'
Hearing the chance to go to the 'stables', Ji Xiu was overjoyed, but he didn't let it show on his face. He simply bowed his head.
"This servant is Ji Xiu."
The cloud-gowned young woman nodded, then pointed at Ji Xiu and looked to Qin Biao, saying:
"Yes, promote Ji Xiu to the 'stables' to be a Groom. He'll be in charge of caring for 'Thousand-Mile Snow' for me."
"If anyone asks, just say I ordered it. Also, give him a reward of some silver coins. Look how skinny he is. Anyone who didn't know better would think our Lin Residence mistreats its servants."
She made no effort to hide her words.
This caused the other servants who had entered the Lin Residence in the same group as Ji Xiu...
to look on with envy. At the same time, as they watched Lin Ruyue's slowly departing figure, they felt a lump in their throats, unsure of what to say.
'Mistreats them or not...'
'Even if they do, who would dare say anything!'
'Who could be as lucky as that guy?'
'It's true, everyone's fate is different...'
"You kid, you've got some luck! To actually catch the Second Miss's eye and get promoted to 'Groom' in the stables!"
"Tsk tsk, that's a fine post."
Watching Lin Ruyue walk away, Qin Biao dropped his subservient expression. He walked over to Ji Xiu's side, his eyes glinting.
"Those fluid movements just now, it was like you'd achieved Waist and Horse Unity. If it weren't for your sallow and scrawny appearance..."
"I almost would have thought some official from the County Yamen had paid our residence a visit!"
He clapped Ji Xiu on the shoulder, drawing a wry smile from him.
"You flatter me, Master Qin. It was just a lucky break, nothing to speak of."
"I just helped the master tame some cattle and sheep years ago, so I had to take a risk. Otherwise..."
Ji Xiu shook his head, putting on an expression of lingering fear. This made Qin Biao roar with laughter, clearly pleased by the flattery of being called 'Master'.
For a moment, even the ferocity on his face dissipated a fair bit.
"Opportunities are won through struggle. See? Didn't it pay off?"
As he spoke,
Qin Biao cracked his whip, shouting at the timid servants who were eavesdropping.
"Go on, go on! What are you all standing around for? Don't you have the jobs you were just assigned to do?"
"Keep lingering here, and you'll get a taste of my whip!"
After saying that, he turned back to Ji Xiu with a pleasant expression.
A moment ago, if it weren't for Ji Xiu, and if the Miss had been frightened... never mind how imposing he was in front of these servants; in front of the masters, a whipping would have been a light punishment.
In a way, Ji Xiu had saved him from a disaster.
He wasn't a true 'Martial Artist' who had crossed the threshold, after all. He didn't have all those special privileges.
Thinking this, Qin Biao found the kid much more agreeable.
"Come on, come on, I'll take you to the stables."
"But don't go throwing that 'Master' around. If word gets back to Master Lin, I won't be able to bear the consequences..."