He Quanxin candidly smiled and said, âMerely luck, brother Yuan.â
This time, the father and son were truly overjoyed. At the same time, their revere for the He familyâs strength climbed to new heights.
A clan with a tenth layer expert was already an almost unprovoked existence. As such, with two tenth layer experts, He familyâs name would certainly spread far and wide. Even those clans possessing millenniums of legacies wouldnât dare easily provoke them.
In terms of scale, Tai Cang countyâs He family lacked behind Yuan family. However, in terms of battle strength, there was no comparison between the two sides.
He then glanced at He Yitian and He Yiming behind He Quanxinâs body, âThese two from the young generation are probably going to gain some experience.â
As vast as his experience was, he couldnât imagine that He Yiming was even more powerful than He Quanxin.
After two hours, eight horses suddenly rushed out of He manor.
Among these eight horses, apart from He Yimingâs Red Silk, the rest were also the manorâs best horses. Although comparing them with Red Silk would be simply unjust, during long journeys, they were far better than relying on manpower.
After two hours, Yuan Earnest had eaten, washed off, and taken a short nap. Although he was an eighth layer expert, after rus.h.i.+ng through such a distance, he still felt extremely tired. If his heart hadnât been br.i.m.m.i.n.g with anxiety, he certainly would have rested for a few days.
On the other hand, He Quanxin and the rest quickly bid farewell to their families. Although Cheng Yanli and Lin Wenyu were a little upset at their departure on the eve of new year, they didnât try to stop them.
He Quanxin was basically the familyâs head. Once he made a decision, apart from He Wude, n.o.body could try to correct it.
Thereupon, in merely two hours, they had left the He manor and stepped on the road, heading to Gold Forest country.
Two days later, on a desolate official road, eight horses sped past.
Ahead was a stream. In the cold winter, this stream only had a small layer of ice forming on it. Even the m.u.f.fled sounds of the water running under could be vaguely heard.
One of the riders faintly pulled the reins, and all the horses immediately stopped one after another.
He Quanxin glanced around and said, âBrother Yuan, weâve already sped for half a day. How about we take a rest for a few moments?â
Yuan Earnestâs face already looked extremely tired. Although his heart was still burning with anxiety, he said without the slightest hesitation, âIt sounds reasonable.â
The reason four people had brought along eight horses with them was to enable them to take turns. However, even under such arrangements, the horses were unable to endure such a frantic journey.
By the side of the stream, they broke the layer of ice and washed off, immediately regaining some spirit.
Yuan Earnestâs vision fell on Red Silk beside He Yiming before he sighed, âNephew He Yiming, where did you buy this horse from? It is truly a treasured colt.â
Among all the eight horses, the burden Red Silk carried was far above the weight carried by the other horses. That three hundred and sixty jin heavy chopper, apart from Red Silk, none of the other horses could endure its weight.
Moreover, He Yiming had been riding on it since the beginning, not switching even once.
However, even under such circ.u.mstances, it still seemed in the best condition among all the eight horses. Furthermore, from its appearance, it even seemed eager for more, as if it still hadnât enjoyed the two days of hastened journey to
its heartâs content.
As long you are human, you canât help but envy such a good horse.
He Yiming faintly smiled and lovingly stroked Red Silkâs body a few times, âUncle Yuan, it was gifted to me by someone.â
âGifted?â Yuan Earnestâs insides went cold. This colt was simply priceless. He couldnât imagine who could possibly gift such a treasured horse to He Yiming.
Actually, He Quanxin was quite envious of this horse as well. However, he knew a bit about He Yimingâs experiences. Therefore, heâd no doubts regarding this matter.
Suddenly, a sound of galloping horses sounded from afar. A group of people was rus.h.i.+ng along the official road.
It was a group of more than thirty riders. Their leader suddenly pulled the reins and stopped. After a few moments, they headed in the direction of the stream.
At a distance of a few tens of meters from them, these men also broke the ice. Furthermore, some among them bluntly pushed their heads into the streamâs water, seeming as if they didnât care about the ice-cold water at all.
Not too long after, these thirty plus men began to unbridledly laugh and shout, making He Yiming and others frown.
âHorse bandits!â Yuan Earnest suddenly said.
He Yiming faintly started before asking, âUncle Yuan, how did you find out?â
Yuan Earnest randomly pointed around, âThis place, the border of the Heaven Sieve and Gold Forest, has always been the paradise of horse bandits. If you look at their movements and outfit, you can tell.â
He Yiming looked at their clothes. Sure enough, on their heads or necks, a red turban was fastened.
His mind slightly stirred, âRed Cloth Bandits?â
Yuan Earnest astoundedly asked, âNephew He actually knows about Red Cloth Bandits?â
He Yiming faintly nodded. Heâd once fought against these men. How could he not know?
âArenât Red Cloth Bandits in Atai county? Why have they come here?â He Quanxin asked with creased brows.
Yuan Earnest involuntarily laughed and said, âBrother He, they are but horse bandits. As long as itâs a lawless region, why will they not come?â
He Quanxinâs face turned slightly red. Although his strength was quite high, in terms of experience, he was indeed a notch below the former.
âWe should leave.â Yuan Earnest stood and softly said, âWeâre not afraid of trouble, but thereâs no need to invite it.â
He Yiming hesitated a bit before asking, âSince they are horse bandits, why havenât they come to rob us?â
Yuan Earnest conceitedly smiled and said, âThese horse bandits certainly have some discerning eyes among their group. Even if they wish to loot, they ought to see their targets first.â
He Yiming looked at himself, then the other three and immediately understood somewhat.
The four of them had brazenly placed their weapons on the horses. Furthermore, his eldest uncle, Yuan Earnest, and even He Yitian were all seventh layer experts at the very least.
Their every movement, even expression in their eyes exuded a calm, stable feeling.
Furthermore, upon seeing a group of thirty riders, every one of whom was a vicious-looking huge man, they had remained completely unfazed and hadnât shown the slightest bit of panic.
If it had been He Yiming, he wouldnât have easily acted against such an unfathomable group either.
The four individuals sorted out their things a bit, then pulled their horses towards the mainland. As far as those thirty men were concerned, they didnât even spare a superficial glance for them.
Upon arriving on the main road, He Yiming suddenly leapt on Red Silkâs back.
As if it understood that they were about to hit the road, Red Silk suddenly raised its neck and loudly neighed.
A few tens of meters apart, there were two individuals among those thirty plus men, who had been silently paying attention to their movements.
Precisely as Yuan Earnest had said, since they couldnât see through their opponentâs depth, they hadnât dared to act.
However, as soon as Red Silkâs neigh echoed. The majority of the heads turned. These were the people who dealt with horses throughout the year. As soon as they heard the neigh, they knew that they had come across a fine horse.
When Red Silk was standing in the midst of the other eight horses, it didnât seem anything special. However, as soon as it neighed, it attracted everybodyâs attention.
âStopâŚ.â
A fierce voice echoed from within the group. Following which, a tall and st.u.r.dy man with his whole face covered in beard walked out. His gaze was fixed on Red Silk, and greed overflowed out of his eyes.
âSir, what do you intend to do?â
Yuan Earnestâs complexion strictened as his heart burned with fury. To hasten the journey, heâd tried to avoid all unnecessary troubles. However, these people were too lacking in understanding, really wis.h.i.+ng their own destruction.
However, his vision s.h.i.+fted and also fell on Red Silkâs body before he inwardly sighed. If heâd not known He Yimingâs ident.i.ty, he would have most probably also tried every means to take this fine horse for himself.