Wufu sped up her horse, as if it could feel her excitement, galloping down the official road and kicking up a trail of dust.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of horse hooves from behind. Wufu turned around and saw a rider drawing nearer, she raised her eyebrows slightly.
She deliberately slowed down a bit, and the person quickly caught up with her. Behind him, a few more horses and riders were in pursuit.
"Huh," Wufu glanced at him, "What’s this about?"
Ah Jiu laughed, "Seeing you run so freely, I couldn’t resist the itch."
A wastrel he is, getting the urge to race just because someone else is riding their horse fast and easy. Doesn’t his bum hurt?
Wufu looked at him sideways, "So, how about a race?"
"Is there a wager?" Ah Jiu asked with a smile.
"If you win, I’ll treat you to a meal," Wufu said with a hint of slyness flashing in her eyes.
"Alright," Ah Jiu snapped his whip, and the horse neighed and bolted forward; he didn’t stop to consider the trap hiding in Wufu’s words.
Wufu cursed him for being sly and also raised her whip, giving chase.
Behind them, Hoo Die and Su Luo had just caught up when the two of them had already raced away some distance.
"What are they doing? This isn’t a horse race," complained Hoo Die as he rubbed his sore behind.
He was completely worn out. It wasn’t a forced march, and there was no emergency to tend to. Was there any need to run themselves ragged?
"Stop complaining and hurry up. I think they are indeed racing," Su Luo said with a bitter smile.
Hoo Die grumbled, "One is already tough to handle, and now there’s another one. Isn’t that like having two Chaotic Devil Kings, planning to tear the sky asunder for fun?"
Yuan Ye glanced at him and gave chase.
Meanwhile, the two racing didn’t have such complex thoughts. Their horses charged neck and neck, one surpassing the other then being overtaken in turn. Not only were the two riders filled with a competitive spirit, but the horses beneath them, sensing their riders’ intentions, galloped furiously, each determined to outdo the other.
Ah Jiu glanced over and saw her focusing on the path ahead, gripping the reins, with her feet just touching the stirrups and her body leaning slightly forward. Her other hand cracked the whip to urge the horse on. Her bottom wasn’t even seated on the horseback firmly.
This posture and her skilled riding didn’t seem fitting for a girl in her teens from the rural hills.
Ah Jiu’s momentary distraction caused Wufu’s horse to get nearly a head’s length in front, prompting him to refocus and spur his horse forward.
Half an hour later, at Maofeng Town’s archway, Ah Jiu won by a horse’s head against Wufu.
"I won!" Ah Jiu reined in his horse and looked at Wufu with a smile.
Her face was flushed from the rapid run, and her forehead was covered in sweat, yet her eyes sparkled brightly.
Wufu, touching her horse’s neck, complimented, "Ninth Master, your riding is excellent."
"It’s only by a head’s distance, you’re not far behind," said Ah Jiu, gazing at her intently.
He had been learning to ride since he was a child and was naturally skilled, but what about her? When had she learned? Or rather, who really was she?
After all, the life of the impoverished mother and daughter depended solely on her mother’s embroidery work; where could she have found a horse to ride?
Wufu did not ponder his gaze; stroking her horse’s coat, she momentarily felt as if she had returned to the past, to her days of racing horses on the track.
Horseback riding was another of her favorite activities. She loved speed, as well as surfing, driving fast cars, and so on...
She looked up at the sky, now painted with red hues, and said to Ah Jiu, "Thank you for treating me to dinner this evening, Ninth Master!"
Ah Jiu was taken aback, "But I won..."
"You win, I treat you to a meal," Wufu smiled cunningly like a wily Little Fox.
Only then did Ah Jiu realize the hidden pitfall in her wager and couldn’t help but laugh.