Chapter 317
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Zhang Xiaohua laughed and said: “Shopkeeper, you’re clearly hiding your best—this steed is far stronger than the one I saw just now, and not by just a little.”
The burly man didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed and laughed heartily. “This fine steed is the apple of my eye! How could I casually let it go? If not for the fact that Young Master truly seems like one who cherishes horses and asked with such sincerity, I wouldn’t have been able to part with it even with a broken heart.”
“Bullshit. Isn’t it just because he wants more money? Do I look like someone who cherishes horses? I’m just trying to find a horse strong enough to carry a longsword, that’s all. Heh.” Zhang Xiaohua cursed silently in his heart.
With a smile, Zhang Xiaohua said: “May I take a closer look?”
The burly man replied: “Of course. But Young Master should be careful—this horse has a wild temper and doesn’t take kindly to people. It took quite a bit to subdue it.”
Zhang Xiaohua waved his hand, signaling it was no matter, and slowly walked closer.
It was a fine horse—well-fed and strong, easy to tell at a glance. As Zhang Xiaohua approached, the horse’s eyes showed a wary glint. Its hind legs trembled slightly, as if ready to spring. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua halted his steps and turned to ask: “Shopkeeper, may I touch it?”
The burly man laughed and said: “Of course you may.”
Zhang Xiaohua strode up to the chestnut horse, grabbed the reins, and gently combed its mane with his hand. The horse immediately quieted down, though its hooves still pawed the ground as if issuing a warning to him.
Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua moved to the front of the horse and stroked its back. The mane was soft to the touch—pleasantly so. Ji Xiaohua, curious, also stepped forward, looking at the chestnut horse with undisguised envy.
After stroking it for a while, Zhang Xiaohua shot a glance at Ji Xiaohua. Ji Xiaohua was momentarily stunned but quickly understood. He walked behind the burly man and asked: “Shopkeeper, I have something to ask.”
The burly man turned his head, replying: “What is it, little brother? Ask away.”
Just as he turned around, Zhang Xiaohua suddenly exerted strength with both hands. The chestnut horse’s legs gave out all at once, nearly collapsing to the ground. Then it raised its neck and let out a high-pitched, sorrowful whinny. Zhang Xiaohua quickly withdrew his hands and clasped them behind his back.
The burly man hadn’t even finished his question when he heard the whinny. His expression changed dramatically, and he quickly turned around. By then, the chestnut horse had already stood back up, though its legs were still trembling slightly. Its head swayed uneasily, and its eyes stared at Zhang Xiaohua, filled with fear.
Zhang Xiaohua stood off to the side, hands behind his back, looking as if nothing had anything to do with him.
The burly man glanced at the uneasy chestnut horse, then looked at Zhang Xiaohua’s tall and thin figure—a completely harmless-looking youth—and couldn’t help but feel puzzled. He quickly turned to soothe his beloved steed.
Ji Xiaohua, however, had seen everything clearly. His heart surged like stormy seas, filled with disbelief. Back at the roadside in Songning Town, even when he used every ounce of his strength, he couldn’t move that unremarkable longsword in the slightest. Yet just now, this frail-looking youth had pressed his hands down and nearly brought a towering steed to its knees. Coupled with what Zhang Xiaohua had said earlier about needing a horse that could carry several thousand catties—he wasn’t stupid. How could he not realize this youth was anything but ordinary?
He only managed to calm himself once the burly man turned back around.
“Young man, what was it you wished to ask me?”
Ji Xiaohua’s eyes flickered. “About this magnificent steed,” he said, struck by a sudden idea. “May I ask what price the shopkeeper has set?”
The shopkeeper perked up at once, his eyes gleaming with a trace of mystery. He raised one finger in front of them.
Ji Xiaohua let out a breath of relief and smiled. “Ten taels of silver, then?”
Though Ji Xiaohua had grown up in the southern part of the city, he had only ever observed trades from afar. He wasn’t familiar with the actual market rates, but even so, ten taels seemed steep to him.
Zhang Xiaohua didn’t have much experience with buying things either, but he recalled spending seven taels of silver on a longsword with He Tianshu. How could such a divine-looking chestnut horse only be worth ten taels? Still, since he no longer intended to buy the horse, he didn’t speak up.
The shopkeeper’s face changed slightly at those words, but he kept his smile. “Young man, you jest. Ten taels of silver wouldn’t buy you more than a mule. How could it buy such a fine horse as this?”
“What?? Don’t tell me… you’re asking for a hundred taels?”
Ji Xiaohua bit his lip and named a number he could scarcely imagine.
“No, no,” the shopkeeper shook his head.
“Oh… less than a hundred taels?”
“You’re mistaken, young man. It’s one thousand taels.”
The shopkeeper chuckled as he spoke to Ji Xiaohua, but his gaze was fixed on Zhang Xiaohua.
Zhang Xiaohua jumped in surprise and cursed inwardly: That’s outright daylight robbery. Might as well go loot someone.
“You, you…” Ji Xiaohua was left speechless, pointing at the burly man with a trembling finger.
Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua had no intention of lingering. He smiled and cupped his hands in salute. “Shopkeeper, thank you for letting us admire such a divine steed. Unfortunately, I am but a poor man. We’d best take a look elsewhere.”
With that, he smiled, turned, and led Ji Xiaohua away the way they had come.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper hurried to follow behind and said: “Young master, if you don’t have enough silver on hand, I can have one of my assistants go with you to fetch it.”
But Zhang Xiaohua paid him no mind.
The shopkeeper continued: “How about this? You clearly have a genuine interest, young master, so I shall part with it reluctantly—eight hundred taels, no less. Will that do?”
After that, he actually followed right behind Zhang Xiaohua, lowering the price again and again, all the way down to two hundred taels. Zhang Xiaohua still had no idea how much the horse was truly worth, but since he had already made up his mind not to buy it, he stayed silent the whole time despite the relentless price cuts. When they reached the shop’s entrance, the shopkeeper finally grew anxious and asked: “Young master, how much silver are you willing to offer?”
Zhang Xiaohua paused, intending to bargain at ten taels. But after a moment’s thought, he reconsidered. What’s the point? Business isn’t easy for them. And I never intended to buy the horse anyway—why waste time with idle haggling?
With that, he simply smiled, shook his head, and walked straight out.
Seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s demeanor, the shopkeeper didn’t pursue any further. He shrugged, changed his expression completely, and went back to tending to his own business.
Zhang Xiaohua walked with Ji Xiaohua for a while, then suddenly stopped and asked: “Ji Xiaohua, weren’t you supposed to be leading the way? Why am I the one walking in front?”
Ji Xiaohua quickly forced a smile and replied: “Young master walks too fast—I couldn’t keep up!”
As he spoke, he hurried to take the lead again, guiding Zhang Xiaohua onward.
At this moment, in Ji Xiaohua’s eyes, Zhang Xiaohua was no longer just a kind-hearted, soft-spoken rich youth. Now, he was cloaked in an air of mystery.
After walking a bit more, the sound of neighing horses came again. Ji Xiaohua glanced back and said: “Young master, the horse market we just visited—Yumen Horse Trading Hall—is the largest and most reputable in Songning Town. If they didn’t have anything suitable, I doubt the other two places will either.”
Zhang Xiaohua nodded and said: “I was careless. I didn’t expect horses to be so poor at bearing weight.”
Ji Xiaohua was speechless—Now that sounded like something a proper young master would say.
Sure enough, the horses at the other two markets were not only fewer in number, but also clearly inferior to the ones before. The asking prices, however, were even higher. Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t even be bothered to test them. After exchanging a few words, he waved his hand and left.
Seeing that he hadn’t helped Zhang Xiaohua accomplish anything, Ji Xiaohua grew sullen and walked with his head down.
Glancing at the sun overhead, Ji Xiaohua forced a smile and said: “Young master, is there anything else you’d like to do now?”
Zhang Xiaohua saw that Ji Xiaohua was disheartened and smiled. “What comes next is simple—I want to know how to get to Pingyang City or Lu Town. What do you think—where should I head next?”
Ji Xiaohua thought for a moment, then smiled. “I understand. Please follow me, young master.”
With that, he led Zhang Xiaohua to the front of a teahouse.
Zhang Xiaohua was puzzled. “You mean to say I can find out such things inside a teahouse?”
Ji Xiaohua smiled and replied: “No rush, young master. In the market districts, teahouses and taverns are the most well-informed places. But if I had you running around with me, wouldn’t that defeat the point of having me help? You sit here, enjoy a good pot of tea, and take your time. I’ll go gather the information for you. How does that sound?”
“Ah, is that so?” Zhang Xiaohua had never enjoyed such treatment before. He rubbed his chin and smiled: “Alright then, Ji Xiaohua—if you can find out all the details, I’ll give you a bit more copper as a reward.”
Ji Xiaohua beamed. “Now that would be wonderful. Young master, this way please.”
Then, Ji Xiaohua led Zhang Xiaohua into the teahouse, ordered him some tea, and began weaving through the establishment, asking questions left and right before darting off again to continue his inquiries.
Zhang Xiaohua sat there in the warm sunlight, basking in its glow, sipping fragrant tea in silence. For the first time, he began to grasp the true meaning of “silver”. In his mind, he slowly removed the equal sign between “silver” and “food”. He sighed and lifted his gaze from the curling steam rising from the teacup, turning toward the street outside the teahouse. The avenue was bustling with crowds, and he couldn’t help but feel a sudden insight—human life…
In that instant, Zhang Xiaohua became slightly dazed. His consciousness soared upward, higher and higher, watching the people in the street below shrink in his eyes. Soon he could see several streets, then even more people, and eventually the entirety of Songning Town. He even caught sight of Ji Xiaohua darting about busily. But all of these people, in Zhang Xiaohua’s view, gradually became as small as ants. Their actions looked utterly absurd to him.
His consciousness floated higher and higher, and he felt like a white cloud drifting across the sky. Everything in the world below had nothing to do with him. What his heart longed for was only that pure, unshackled freedom.
Back in the teahouse, under the sunlight, Zhang Xiaohua sat utterly still—left hand holding the teacup, motionless. Even his eyes didn’t blink. He looked as if he had transcended the mundane, faint traces of radiance flickering around him, and at times, he seemed almost transparent.
And Zhang Xiaohua’s awareness continued to rise. He actually saw the sea—the vast ocean, with boats like tiny black dots and distant islands like smudges. His heart held not even the slightest ripple of emotion—he just kept floating higher.
Suddenly, a thunderous voice boomed through the world: “Young master, what are you doing!?”
In that instant, Zhang Xiaohua’s consciousness—drifting at unfathomable heights—plummeted downward. Everything that had unfolded moments before seemed to rewind rapidly, rushing back toward the ground. In the blink of an eye, he fell from the skies down into the teahouse once more.
His body remained motionless, but life had returned to his eyes. He blinked once, and saw Ji Xiaohua standing beside him, face pale with fright.
The teacup in his hand, once piping hot, had already gone cold. The noon sun had already passed overhead.
