Chapter 67: Chapter 67 Zhou Qun [Thanks to the Elbow the Talking Alliance Head]
The place for Horse Taming was in a pasture not far from “Room A,” where wild horses without tethers strolled around the corral just like street strays; seeing a mare, they would excitedly rush over for a chaotic rub.
Heroes struggle to overcome the beauty, and the thousand-li horse is no exception, struggling with the mares.
“There are many types of wild horses, sorted by the difficulty of taming into four sectors: A, B, C, and D! The ones in D Sector are the easiest to tame and are also the cheapest, around 1000 Origin Currency upon successful taming. The ones in A Sector are the hardest, reaching up to ten thousand Origin Currency! Young master, which sector would you like to go to?”
Walking out of the room, the servant explained.
Zhang Xuan nodded, “Let’s go directly to A Sector!”
A thousand Origin Currency’s worth, even if tamed, wouldn’t solve the problem; better to go straight for the most expensive.
“This… has the young master had any experience with horse taming before?” the servant asked with some concern.
“Never tamed before, but it shouldn’t be a big problem!” Zhang Xuan said.
He had tamed dragons and indestructible phoenixes before, but as for wild horses… he indeed hadn’t tried.
“Um… then young master, please be careful!”
Knowing he couldn’t be dissuaded, the servant didn’t say more and continued leading the way. After a while, a slender pavilion appeared in their field of vision.
Inside, more than ten coachmen clad in short garments sat, each with bulging muscles, bright and alert eyes, clearly all adept at taming horses.
“Steward Liu, I haven’t arrived too late, have I!” Just then, a burly man nearly two meters tall strode over.
“Not at all, not at all, Master Zhou arrived just on time. That Scarlet one, just came over…”
Steward Liu, looking to be in his forties, talked with his mustache curling up, his gaze filled with warmth.
“Rest assured, now that I am here, it won’t think of running away again!” the burly man said with a nod and a smile.
“Of course… I am convinced of Master Zhou’s skills!” Steward Liu nodded repeatedly.
“This Zhou Qun is a well-known Grand Horse Tamer in Baiyan City. Some difficult-to-tame wild horses are mostly handled by him…”
The servant whispered, “A new horse arrived today named Scarlet; that’s the one. If tamed, it could earn a reward of ten thousand Origin Currency…”
Following the direction pointed out by the servant, Zhang Xuan indeed saw a Scarlet horse, mingling among a group of mares, stout and majestic, with a fierce demeanor.
Just from its appearance, it was clear that it was a thousand-li horse, no less formidable than Suxiang.
“Master Zhou’s strength is indeed formidable, but taming a horse isn’t just about strength, it also depends on affinity! I feel a very strong affinity with this Scarlet; there’s no doubt I’ll tame it!”
Just then, laughter rose among the crowd from a coachman.
“You? Don’t be a joke! Last time with Xue Rong, you weren’t successful, got kicked and broke seven ribs, lying at home for more than a month. Scarlet is even fiercer, definitely a task only I can handle!”
Another person scoffed.
“Nonsense, I was just careless last time, didn’t dodge…”
A series of discussions erupted inside the pavilion. It seemed that these more than ten coachmen all knew each other well, and their relationships seemed quite good; otherwise, they wouldn’t joke like this.
Amid the conversational noise, the servant led Zhang Xuan closer.
“Steward Liu, this young master also wants to take on the task of taming a horse… Could you arrange something?”
Upon hearing this, not just Steward Liu but all the coachmen present turned their attention to Zhang Xuan.
“Really, anyone dares to come here, just like him, with his frail arms and legs, he wants to tame a horse?”
“You’re not joking, right! The men who catch horses are imposing and robust; with his frame, he’s likely to get kicked to death on the spot…”
“The horse runs so fast, can he keep up?”
All the coachmen began to mock, and even Zhou Qun couldn’t help but give Zhang Xuan a contemptuous, cold sneer.
Horse Taming required the strength to confront the horse, and the young man before them, with his fair skin and handsome features, looked delicate and genteel, clearly someone from the Noble Stratum who had never suffered hardships. Horse Taming? It seemed more like he was about to be tamed by the horse!
“Young Master!”
Interrupting everyone’s conversation, Steward Liu frowned and looked over: “A Wild Horse is different from a domestic one, no different from a wild beast, very dangerous. Are you sure you want to try?”
“Yes!” Zhang Xuan nodded.
“Alright then!”
Knowing he couldn’t dissuade him, Steward Liu said no more and handed over a piece of paper: “This is a waiver; it is your choice to tame the horse. If anything happens, it has nothing to do with our ranch.”
After carefully reading the waiver and finding no issues, Zhang Xuan picked up a pen and signed his name.
Once he finished signing and saw that the time was right, Steward Liu spoke: “Horse Taming starts now. Everyone, play to your strengths… and if you can’t hold on, come back immediately; otherwise, even if you die on the field, you can’t blame anyone else.”
“Of course!” Everyone nodded in unison.
“Who will go first?”
Having said all that needed to be said, Steward Liu looked around: “The one who goes first will face a horse full of vigor, more dangerous, but if successful, there will be no chance for those who follow.”
“I’ll go first!”
A robust man stepped out from the crowd and strode toward the pasture, soon arriving about twenty meters away from Scarlet.
Taking a rope off his shoulder, he threw it toward Scarlet, encircling it perfectly around the Wild Horse’s neck.
“Hiss~~”
Scarlet, who had been teasing a mare, became furious when the rope caught her neck, and she launched into a rapid sprint, her hooves pounding with force.
The robust man pulled hard, the man and horse locked in a fierce struggle.
Watching for a while, Zhang Xuan’s mouth fell open, feeling somewhat speechless.
It seemed… in this Source World, the method of Horse Taming was quite primitive! It relied solely on raw strength, lacking any skill.
Bang!
In his musings, the robust man was kicked more than ten meters by Scarlet; who knew how many bones were broken? He hadn’t even managed to take off the rope before hurrying out in a rush.
Had he not escaped, he might have lost his life.
“That’s how Horse Taming goes; he’s lucky to be alive, as not a few have been kicked to death on the spot…”
Seeing him continuously watching, Steward Liu looked over: “If you find it too difficult and can’t do it yet, it’s still not too late to quit!”
“No need!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
“I’ll go…” The first injury did not deter the others; the second Coachman charged forward, enduring even less time, similarly returning severely injured.
Five people went one after another, none lasting more than a minute.
“This Scarlet is too formidable, Master Zhou, we can’t do it; it’s all on you now…”
After five consecutive failures, the remaining Coachmen no longer showed their initial enthusiasm, each of their eyes filled with trepidation and all eyes focused on Zhou Qun, who was the last to arrive.
“A mere Wild Horse, watch me go and return!”
With a slight smile, Zhou Qun suddenly stood up, took a couple of steps, then turned his head towards Zhang Xuan who was not far away: “Kid, taming beasts isn’t embroidery, nor is it sipping tea. It’s not for anyone who just comes and goes as they please. Without absolute strength, attempting is not only overestimating oneself but also disgraceful!”
Not expecting to be dissed while sitting there, Zhang Xuan was somewhat speechless: “Are you saying that you have absolute strength?”
With his hands clasped behind his back, Zhou Qun’s gaze was distant, his figure imposing: “Indeed, in Baiyan City, I claim to be second to none in Horse Taming, and no one dares to claim first. What I say goes!”
After speaking, without waiting for Zhang Xuan to respond, this Zhou Qun charged energetically and boldly toward the pasture.