Chapter 171: Chapter 171 What is a true horse battle! (Thanks to the sunshine!)
Translator: 549690339
In Zhongdu, where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold, the An Family actually owns their own horse ranch.
At this moment, over a dozen purebred horses were leisurely grazing.
An Xue proudly said, “The horses here are even purer in bloodline than those of the British Royal Family, each one worth tens of millions!”
Having said this, An Xue looked disdainfully at Xue An, expecting to see his face full of astonishment.
After all, anyone who had visited the An Family and seen their horse ranch, regardless of their status, was always utterly shocked.
But surprisingly, Xue An appeared indifferent, showing not the slightest bit of surprise.
An Xue’s eyes grew cold as he thought to himself with a sneer, he’s probably just a bumpkin who has never seen the world and doesn’t know the value of these creatures.
At that moment, someone led over a tall, white horse.
An Xue affectionately patted the horse’s neck, then lightly touched it and leapt onto its back.
This skillful move drew a round of applause from the numerous servants.
An Xue smiled smugly, then said in a deep voice, “Bring me my Fangtian Halberd!”
Soon, a brawny man grinning from ear to ear brought over an enormous Fangtian Halberd.
An Xue took the halberd, swung it in a flourish, and then said with a proud laugh, “Today, I shall show you the art of cavalry warfare from ancient times!”
As An Xue finished speaking, he spurred the horse with both legs and the horse started running wildly around the arena.
Many straw dummies were standing in the arena.
As An Xue rode past a straw dummy, he suddenly let out a roar.
“Die, thief!”
His voice was like a thunderclap.
Then a flash of the blade followed, and the straw dummy was cleanly sliced in half at the waist.
Many maids couldn’t help but turn pale with fright.
Yet Xue An, with arms crossed, watched with great interest.
Taken by the thrill of the display, An Xue went chop after chop.
After cutting down all the straw dummies, he couldn’t help but laugh heartily to the sky.
“Exhilarating!”
Only then did he turn back, saying coldly, “Xue An, now it’s your turn!”
All eyes were now on Xue An.
He simply shook his head gently.
An Meng snorted with derision, thinking he must have admitted defeat.
But unexpectedly, Xue An said calmly, “If you want my opinion, this so-called art of war on horseback is completely worthless.”
Upon hearing this, An Xue’s face turned extremely ugly.
“Worthless? Ha, you sure have a big mouth, kid!”
Xue An shook his head, “Don’t believe me? Then I’ll have to show you myself!”
With that, Xue An walked toward the stables.
There were all kinds of precious horses here, but Xue An was particularly interested in a black horse that was keeping its distance from the others, head lowered to drink water.
The stables were managed by a head steward of the An Family.
Seeing Xue An approach the black horse, the steward couldn’t help but sneer, “Sir, this black horse was only brought here the day before yesterday and is extremely temperamental. If it injures you, don’t blame me for not warning you!”
Xue An didn’t respond and continued moving towards the black horse.
The black horse was drinking and, feeling someone approaching, snorted loudly, then haughtily raised its head.
The stable manager watched gloatingly, expecting Xue An to be kicked flying by the black horse any second.
But then, a surprising scene unfolded.
The black horse, as if beholding something of great reverence, started trembling slightly, knelt on its front legs, and gently touched Xue An’s foot with its head.
This scene stupefied all the onlookers.
What was happening?
Could it be that this Xue An knew how to train horses too?
But this black horse was known to be wild and untamed, having defied many top horse trainers; how did it become so docile upon his approach?
As the crowd was filled with astonishment and doubt,
Xue An smiled faintly, extending his hand to gently caress the black horse’s mane.
“It really is an injustice to have you confined here! Well then, I will ride you today!”
The black horse snorted excitedly.
Xue An immediately mounted the horse, and it stood up, carrying Xue An to the center of the horse ranch.
At this point, An Xue’s face was filled with uncertainty and a dark expression.
He hadn’t expected Xue An to be able to tame the black horse.
However, simply knowing how to ride a horse is not enough, Sabers are easy to use on foot.
But when slashing from atop a speeding horse, it requires extremely high skill.
An Xue had practiced diligently for several years to achieve his current level of proficiency.
At that moment, Xue An said indifferently, “I don’t like to use sabers!”
He then pointed to a Fangtian Halberd resting on the weapon rack in the corner.
“This looks good, I’ll take this one!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room burst into laughter.
An Meng even laughed so hard that she clutched her stomach.
“I thought this guy really knew something, turns out he’s just full of hot air! That Fangtian Halberd is made of pure steel and weighs more than a hundred pounds, it’s meant to be a decoration and to press down the weapon rack, and he actually wants to use it?”
Many others also wore looks of disdain.
Xue An slowly scanned the people present.
The laughter gradually subsided.
Xue An’s gaze was too calm, almost mockingly so.
He then flicked the reins, leading the horse over to the weapon rack.
Xue An reached out, took hold of the handle of the Fangtian Halberd, and then slowly pulled it out under the astonished gazes of the onlookers.
This scene also greatly shocked An Xue.
Impossible!
If he used brute force, An Xue could also move the Fangtian Halberd.
But Xue An drew it slowly, making it look as easy as picking up a stick.
With the halberd in hand, Xue An looked detached.
“Now… I will show you what real cavalry warfare is!”
Having said that, Xue An galloped off.
The black horse, like a streak of black lightning, began to sprint around the entire riding ground.
In the riding ground, many flagpoles were erected, all used for tying various ropes and cables.
While galloping, Xue An suddenly let out a light shout, and thrust out with the halberd.
Bang!
A loud clashing sound of metal.
The pure steel flagpole was loudly snapped in two.
And this was just the beginning.
Xue An casually twirled the Fangtian Halberd and struck out continuously.
Bang bang bang!
All of these flagpoles were snapped in succession.
The towering sound astonished everyone present, leaving them with faces full of shock.
An Xue was especially wide-eyed and speechless.
At this moment, Xue An cracked a faint smile, flicked the reins, and the black horse charged straight towards An Xue.
An Xue was startled and raised his saber in an attempt to defend.
But Xue An’s Fangtian Halberd, like Mount Tai, bore down irresistibly.
Fear finally gripped An Xue as he cried out in alarm.
The saber snapped into two with a crack.
At the same time, the halberd chopped down.
An Xue shut his eyes, his mind went blank.
But a moment later, An Xue only felt a breeze on his forehead and nothing else.
An Xue slowly opened his eyes, only to see the Fangtian Halberd just inches from his forehead, a centimeter more and it would have shattered his skull.
With the halberd in hand, Xue An stood as immovable as a deep pool or a towering peak.
An Xue was taken aback.
The crowd was as silent as if their throats had been gripped, mouths agape, staring dumbfounded.
At this time, Xue An withdrew the halberd and casually tossed it backward.
The halberd flew back to its original place as if guided, perfectly aligned.
Clang!
The impact made the weapon rack resonate with a buzzing sound.
Xue An said calmly, “Now, are you convinced?”