Chapter 13: Yue Fei Selects Horses

  Zhou Cong saw that Li Xianzhu had said so much, and it was not good to shirk. Moreover, Wang Ziyu was intelligent and ambitious, if he was well-cultivated, he would definitely become a pillar of the country in the future.

  "Xian nephew, get up! I promised to do so. However, I'm old and my energy is insufficient to teach you martial arts." Zhou Dang said.

  "Thank you, Master." Wang Zipeng stood up and said happily.

  "Zi Peng, among the eighteen martial arts, which one would you like to learn?" asked Zhou Tong.

  "Just like with Brother Yue, whatever he learns, I learn too." Wang Zipeng said without hesitation.

  "Alright! I'll teach you these skills." Zhou Dong nodded in agreement.

  "Old hero Zhou, from now on you can stay in the mansion to teach Zi Peng, let him focus on learning martial arts and achieve great things in the future. What do you think?" Li Chun asked.

  "This is the case - I'm afraid - I've been teaching four disciples in Qilin Village, and their parents have been very polite to me. I couldn't just stay without even saying hello, so I'd better communicate with them and ask for their opinions." Zhou Tan said.

  "It's fine, as long as the brothers are willing to come to the county town. I won't make things difficult for them; we're all one family and don't distinguish between each other. Tomorrow, I'll accompany you back to Qilin Village and discuss this matter with the officials, and also pay a visit to your mother's relatives." Li Chun said.

  Seeing Li County Magistrate's sincere invitation, Zhou Dang could no longer decline and had to agree.

  The next morning, the four brothers of Yue Fei got up early to bid farewell to Li Xianzhong. Zhou Tong and Wang Ziqing also got up early.

  "My father-in-law, brothers and I have come to bid you farewell. We didn't return home for the night, so we're worried that our family will be anxious, and we want to go back home early to report our safety," said Yue Fei.

  "My son-in-law, you are right, but your master and three brothers all rode horses back home, while you walked. How can this be? Now that you are my son-in-law, I cannot let you suffer such humiliation. My stables have many fine horses, go choose one for yourself." said Li Chun.

  Yue Fei listened to Li Xianzhi's words and said with a flushed face: "What virtue or ability does Yue Fei have, thanks to the adult's kindness, allowing me to marry his daughter is already a great favor, now you also want to give me horses, how can Yue Fei bear it."

  "Son-in-law, don't be polite. Since we are in-laws, let's not bother with formalities. I know a good horse matches a hero. Here, I have over ten fine horses for you to choose from. Consider them my gift to welcome you." Li Chun said, and then led Yue Fei and the other brothers to the stables.

  Zhou Tong also followed to see Yue Fei's eye for selecting horses.

  "Son-in-law, all the horses are here. You carefully choose one yourself and have the groom saddle it up for you. Groom, follow the young master to take a look, don't be slow."

  The groom responded with a "yes" and followed behind Yue Fei, ready to listen for instructions at any time.

  Yue Fei walked around the horse stable, patted this one and looked at that one, choosing those with good colors, but they were not useful. Yue Fei pressed his hand on a horse's back, and it immediately softened. He tried all the other horses, but none of them satisfied him. Yue Fei sighed and left after looking at these horses.

  "Son-in-law, don't you think any of these horses are to your liking? These are the best horses I have here. Don't they serve any purpose for you?" Li Chun asked curiously.

  "My father-in-law has misunderstood. These horses are not useless, they are only suitable for the young masters of rich families to ride with beautiful saddles and bridles, just for traveling and playing. What I want is a good horse that can charge into battle without fear, gallop on the sandy field without getting tired, and help me achieve great things and serve the country." Yue Fei said.

  Li Chun listened, shook his head and sighed in regret: "I originally thought that giving a horse to my son-in-law would be enough for him to ride for generations. I didn't expect my son-in-law to think so deeply. Where can we find such a precious horse in this small county of Neihuang? Alas, it's hard to find!"

  Just as he was sighing, a loud neigh came from the horse stable next door.

  "What a fine horse! Father-in-law, may I take a look?" Yue Fei asked after his praise.

  "Fei'er, you only heard the sound but haven't seen the horse, how do you know it's a good horse?" Zhou Tong asked in puzzlement.

  "Uncle Gan, you hear how loud and clear this horse's neigh is? It must be very powerful and enduring," said Yue Fei.

  "Son-in-law, you indeed have a keen eye for this. This horse was brought back from the north by our family member Zhou Tianlu over a year ago. It has boundless strength and kicks and bites people randomly when it sees them. No one can tame it, so it's been sold and returned multiple times. Many people are afraid to buy it, so we had no choice but to lock it in the high-walled enclosure next door, where all you can do is listen to its neighs." Li Chun said.

  "Since it's like this, why don't you bring your son over to take a look?" Yue Fei said.

  "I'm afraid the son-in-law can't be subdued, but if he is subdued, in the future when we go to battle, we will surely succeed immediately." Li Chun said as he led Yue Fei and others to the adjacent horse stable and ordered the groom to open the lock.

  "Uncle, this horse is quite fierce, you'd better be more careful." The groom reminded.

  "Alright, don't worry, I'll be fine," Yue Fei said and came to the horse's side, carefully examining it.

  The horse saw Yue Fei come to his side, and kicked its hooves wildly. Yue Fei quickly dodged and moved to the front. The horse saw Yue Fei again and shook its head, biting wildly. Yue Fei glanced back and swiftly grabbed the horse's mane, punching it with his fist. After several punches, the horse dared not move again.

  Yue Fei untied the reins and led the horse out of the stable, leaped onto its back, and the horse galloped wildly with Yue Fei on it.

  Yue Fei tightly grasped the reins, galloping with the horse as it frantically kicked its hooves, seemingly intent on throwing off its rider. Although Yue Fei had never ridden a tall and powerful horse before, nor did he know how to tame one, he relied on his own strength and courage to ride the horse, firmly grasping the reins and clamping his legs around the horse's belly as they galloped together. The horse, despite its fierce nature, was quite intelligent and after a frantic dash, seeing that its rider was no ordinary person, it knew it had met its master. However, the horse was not willing to give up yet, wanting to test its master's endurance and ability to respond to sudden changes, it suddenly slowed down. Yue Fei, riding on the horse, saw it slow down and was overjoyed, thinking he had tamed it. Just as Yue Fei hesitated for a moment, the horse let out a long whinny, raised its front hooves, and stood up like a person, aiming to throw Yue Fei off its back.

  Yue Fei was no ordinary person. When he saw the horse let out a long whinny, he was already on guard. He clamped his legs tightly around the horse's belly, grasped the reins with both hands, and stuck his body tightly to the horse's back, as if glued on. The horse suddenly went wild and couldn't shake off its rider, so it had no choice but to throw open its hooves and gallop desperately for over ten miles without stopping.