Chapter Thirty-Four Becomes Reality (One)

  The street of the Baojian workshop is not very long, after all, it is located on the coast of Donghai, and seems to be far away from war. At least this is not a concentrated area for war, so wealthy families are willing to spend more money to buy some valuable items to increase their elegance, while ordinary people are more willing to buy a few more to add some security to their lives. Those who truly purchase weapons are not many, so the number of shops that open as Baojian workshops is also not a lot.

  The State of Yan is not like the State of Wei, where people are trained in military affairs from a young age and instilled with the idea that they are a superior nation. The enthusiasm for weapons and fine horses among the people there is unmatched by other countries.

  There is a vacant lot on the street, where idlers usually sit and chat. Under several tall trees, there are always people sitting around, and some small vendors who can't afford storefronts squat here to set up stalls selling things. Usually, the police won't bother them either, as they understand that these small vendors don't have much money to squeeze out.

  When Han Qing brought Han Mo here, he saw that under a big tree, there were already many people crowded together. Three or four people formed a large circle, and from inside came the sound of a horse's neighing. The horse's voice was extremely loud and full of energy, and Han Mo knew just by listening to the horse's voice that it was a good horse.

  The crowd watching from the sidelines occasionally cheered, these cheers were also involuntarily emitted, which made Han Mo very puzzled, not knowing what good show was waiting for him inside.

  Han Qing relied on his good physical condition, which he had cultivated for over a decade, to easily make way for Han Mo. Only after Han Mo squeezed in did he notice that amidst the crowd, someone was performing horse riding stunts.

  That fine horse had a luxuriant mane, its entire body covered in shiny black fur, strong and tall. But on its back, lightly jumping up and down, was a small, frail figure, no more than twenty-three or four years old, with dark, coarse skin, seemingly from a poor family. At least the clothes he wore were only worn by beggars in Donghai City, tattered and torn beyond recognition.

  However, the beggar's horse riding skills were truly astonishing. The fine horse galloped forward and backward under his control, performing various extremely difficult movements, some of which were almost unimaginable. He could even hang both legs on the horse's neck, staring at the horse with a big eye to small eye gaze, causing the surrounding people to burst into laughter, but also involuntarily applauding.

  Han Mo didn't have many people he admired, but those who could make him admire them must have had unique skills and abilities in some way. This little beggar who performed horse riding stunts really made Han Mo feel a few points of admiration, and he also applauded along with the crowd.

  Just as everyone was dazzled and thrilled, the little guy suddenly pulled the reins, made a beautiful somersault and landed on the ground, then bowed to the crowd around him.

  Han Mo only then saw the beggar's face clearly, a face with sharp angles and no expression, like a rock, even in those deep black eyes, there was not a hint of emotion, giving people a cold feeling.

  He thought that after the beggar bowed, he would come up with a speech asking for money, but contrary to his expectations, this beggar seemed to be inarticulate. After bowing, he turned around and picked up a bamboo hat from the ground, held it in his hand, walked to the edge of the crowd, looked at the guests in front of him with a wooden expression, yet with a hint of expectation, hoping to get some coins as alms.

  Nowadays, everyone is eager to join in the excitement, but when it comes to spending money, they all try to avoid it. As soon as the beggar picks up his bowl, many people disperse. When the beggar stretches out his bowl asking for tips, the excitement of the crowd immediately subsides. After all, the people of Donghai City are far from being wealthy, and they can't even afford to spend money on themselves, let alone give it away to others.

  The beggar walked around in a circle and got only a few dozen copper coins.

  "How much silver will you sell this horse for?" A young man who looked somewhat wealthy said, "Name a price and I'll pay the silver to buy it."

  The beggar still shook his head expressionlessly, holding the bamboo hat, and after circling around the remaining crowd, he finally came to Han Mo's side and poked out from under the hat.

  His face was dark and sallow, his body very thin, looking as if he were suffering from malnutrition, his forehead slightly protruding, his appearance quite ordinary, the kind that would not attract anyone's attention even in a crowd.

  Han Mo smiled and asked: "You are a man with great skills, why do you perform on the streets and beg for money, don't you feel ashamed?"

  The beggar raised his head and glanced at Han Mo, his voice as cold as ice: "I work hard on my own, the silver money I get is not shameful!"

  "Good!" Han Mo chuckled and said: "Interesting, interesting." He was about to touch the silver when he suddenly remembered that he had just given all his money to Manager Han. So he turned to Han Qing and said: "How much silver do you have on you? Give it all to him!"

  Han Qing was taken aback for a moment, but quickly fished out one or two pieces of silver and said: "Young master, that's all I have." He put them into the beggar's bamboo hat.

  The beggar didn't say another word, only looked at the yin-yang stick in Han Mo's hand, his eyebrows slightly twitching as he turned and walked away.

  "Young master, why are you giving him so much silver?" Han Qing asked in a low voice.

  "He's a man with backbone, ending up like this, he must have fallen on hard times. A few silver coins might be able to help him out." But in his heart, he was calculating whether or not to bring this beggar back to the mansion, after all, it's not often that one comes across someone with such extraordinary horse-taming skills, bringing him back to teach himself horse riding would be a great idea.

  He was just thinking of going up to invite the beggar to sit in the wine building when he heard someone behind him shouting: "Huang Ban Tou has arrived!"

  The onlookers immediately dispersed, and what was originally a densely packed crowd had by now dwindled to just a few scattered individuals.

  Han Mo's mouth curled up in a cold smile. This Huang Ban Tou was the head of the East Sea Prefecture's guard, and could be considered one of Xiao Mu Zong's trusted followers. He himself had been brought over from Yanjing when Xiao Mu Zong first took office.

  Han Mo pulled Han Qing's clothes, and the two walked to the back of a large tree. Looking far away, they saw Huang Bantou wearing a black uniform, leading three or four yamen runners carrying killing sticks, slowly walking towards them.

  In the crowd, a kind-hearted person whispered to the beggar: "Tamer, hurry up and ride your horse away, or you won't be able to leave later."

  The beggar was picking up things, heard the call, and turned back to face the person who reminded him, with a faint smile on his face. His originally cold face became much warmer because of this smile.

  The beggar gathered his belongings, Huang Bantou had already led the people over, and several yamen runners immediately surrounded the beggar, snickering.

  Huang Bantou had a knife hanging from his waist, walking three steps and swaying two steps, his eyes fixed on the fine horse, full of greedy color.

  He was, after all, a worldly person and at a glance he could see that this fine horse was an authentic Wei horse, and one of the best among them. Its strength and speed were top-notch, and if taken to the horse market, even if sold cheaply, it would be worth two or three hundred taels of silver, which is a great treasure.

  "Where did you come from?" Huang Bantou glanced at the beggar and asked lightly.

  The beggar remained as still as a rock, his face expressionless, and said faintly: "Wei Guo!"

  "I knew you were from Wei State!" Huang Ban Tou sneered coldly, "The tattered boots on your feet are a habit only people from Wei would have."

  The beggar's boots were quite tattered, but they were very different from those of the State of Yan. Apart from being high and deep, the most striking feature was that there was an arc-shaped curl at the back, like a crescent moon, which looked rather beautiful.

  Huang Bantou looked at the beggar again and continued to ask: "What brings you to Donghai County?"

  "Struggle for life!"

  "Discussing life?" Huang Bantou sneered: "Can't Wei Guo survive?"

  The beggar raised his head, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and said faintly: "Sir, what law of the State of Yan have I broken?"

  Huang Bantou grasped the hilt of his sword and said in a cold voice, "You're a Wei countryman, dressed in tattered clothes, yet you have such a fine horse. What do you want to do in my East Sea County? Hmm, I wonder if you're not a spy from Wei country? I've heard that Wei country has a department called 'Black Flag'. The Black Flag troops are all over the various countries, gathering intelligence on other countries and secretly disrupting their order. I think you're one of the Black Flag troops."

  "I am not!"

  "Not so?" Huang Bantou was about to go forward and pull the reins of the horse: "This can't be decided by you, let's go, come with us to the yamen for a trip, is it? You go tell County Magistrate."

  He hadn't even touched the reins when the fine horse suddenly let out a loud snort, a long whinny, and lifted its two front hooves, ready to trample Huang Bantou.

  Huang Bantou was shocked, fortunately he still had a few tricks up his sleeve, and rolled on the spot to avoid the horse's deadly kick. Although he managed to dodge it, the ground was already muddy from the heavy rain that had just passed, so when he rolled, his entire suit was instantly covered in mud, looking utterly disheveled.

  "Damn it!" Huang Bantou flew into a rage: "Brothers, take down this spy from Wei State for me!"

  Several constables responded with a shout, and without hesitation rushed towards the beggar, wielding their batons and striking him on the head and face. The beggar, however, stood firm like a rock, not fighting back as the blows rained down on him. After just a few strikes, the beggar's forehead was cracked open, and blood began to flow out immediately.

  "Master!" Han Qing clenched his fist, about to rush over, but was pulled back by Han Mo, who whispered, "Wait a minute, I'd like to see just how much endurance this kid has!"