The New Stablehand
Shen Jingchuan patted Big Black's neck and looked at Sanma.
"I'll take you to a nice place in a bit, don't be afraid."
The three horses seemed to understand, but not quite, and they all swished their tails.
Shen Jingchuan put one hand on Big Black and the other on Little Black's Treading Snow. With a thought, he and the horse entered the space of his Heaven and Earth Ring.
The scene before my eyes suddenly changed.
Big Black was startled and instinctively took a half step back. Little Black and Treading Snow were also stunned, pawing at each other uneasily, exhaling white breath from their nostrils and looking around.
They had already developed a sliver of intelligence, and felt as if they had just been in the familiar stable, and in the blink of an eye they were in this strange place—the ground beneath their feet was soft soil, the air was warm and crisp, and taking a breath made them feel comfortable all over, completely different from outside.
The three horses looked around for a while, and seeing that there was no danger, their curiosity overcame their fear, and they lowered their heads to sniff the ground beneath their feet.
A ghostly figure floated out; it was Xian'er. She glanced at the three horses, then looked at Shen Jingchuan.
"Oh, you brought all three of your precious darlings in here?"
With Shen Jingchuan by their side, the three horses, though startled by the sudden appearance of the ghostly figure, were not alarmed. They merely turned their ears back and stared at her uneasily.
Xian'er slowly circled the three horses, nodding occasionally.
"Not bad, the bloodline still contains traces of the Heavenly Horse. Raise it well, it will be of great use to you in the future."
She glanced again at the horns that had just sprouted on the foreheads of the three horses and raised an eyebrow.
"Especially since these horns have all grown out, you brat, these three horses of yours might just cause some miracles in the future."
"Sister, what do you mean?" Shen Jingchuan perked up.
"That means if they evolve further, their rank won't be low; they'll most likely be high-level Demon Beasts. You must take good care of them."
Shen Jingchuan immediately moved closer, looking shameless.
"That's why I'll have to rely on you, sis, to keep an eye on things for me."
"What, are you treating me like your personal stable boy?" Xian'er glanced at him sideways.
"No way, I wouldn't dare even if you gave me a hundred lives." Shen Jingchuan quickly waved his hand.
Xian'er was too lazy to argue with him, and pointed to the ground under her feet.
"Go back and get some grass seeds, plant them all here. You'll see when the grass grows. The grass grown in this space is completely different from the ordinary grass outside. It's very beneficial for their evolution."
She paused, then said seriously:
"Also, we need to keep gathering Spirit Stones, the more the better. Once this Ring recovers a bit more, you'll discover a significant change inside."
"Okay, sis, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Xian'er said no more, raised her finger, and lightly touched his brow.
A surge of information immediately flooded his mind, Shen Jingchuan's body trembled. He quickly regained his senses, and a Cultivation Method was clearly imprinted in his Divine Sense: the "Profound Ice Soul Condensation Instruction," which was the most suitable ice- Heaven-Grade Cultivation Method for Ice Spirit Roots.
After the transfer of power was completed, Shen Jingchuan looked at Xian'er's stunningly beautiful face, his expression becoming more serious.
"Sister, thank you. On behalf of Ruoli... on behalf of my wife, thank you."
"Hmph, you brat." Xian'er crossed her arms and glanced at him sideways. "Instead of focusing on your cultivation, you've taken in one woman after another."
Shen Jingchuan touched his nose and gave an embarrassed smile.
"Well... when fate brings us together, there's nothing I can do about it."
He was still joking around, but suddenly stopped talking, his playful smile disappeared, and he looked at her seriously.
"Sister, I will be good to you too. I will do everything I can to earn more Spirit Stones so that you can rebuild your physical body as soon as possible."
Xian'er was taken aback when he suddenly said something like this, after he had been joking around just a moment ago. She turned her face away, her tone a little unnatural.
"You're so glib; who cares if you're nice to me?"
That's what they said, but the translucent soul figure paused very slightly.
"Alright, alright, hurry up and go." Xian'er waved her hand, looking disgusted. "Take your new Cultivation Method and go curry favor with your little wife. Don't hang around in front of me."
Shen Jingchuan felt a little embarrassed by what was said and gave a dry laugh.
"Well, sister, I'll be going now." He paused, then added, "These three horses are entrusted to you."
Before the words were even finished, the person had already left the space.
Outside, Liu Hu remained standing still, not daring to move.
He had just watched in shock as his young master disappeared with three horses, his mouth agape. But then, remembering his young master's instructions, he swallowed back the gasp he was about to utter and just kept shaking his head.
Young Master's skills are truly growing stronger; he appears and disappears without a trace. Even a god couldn't be more skilled.
He didn't dare leave; since the young master hadn't given any orders, he obediently waited there.
Not long after, Shen Jingchuan reappeared out of nowhere, but the three horses behind him had vanished.
Liu Hu hurriedly went to meet him.
"Young Master."
"I've settled those three horses in another place. From now on, you don't need to take care of them anymore," Shen Jingchuan said.
Liu Hu was stunned for a moment, a hint of disappointment flashing across his face. He had been the one to raise these horses, especially Big Black, which was very intelligent. Now that he was told he didn't need to take care of them anymore, he felt a real sense of emptiness.
"Okay... fine."
Shen Jingchuan noticed his thoughts and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't look at me like that. You still have to look after the other horses at home. I've just moved them to a better place. You know, these three are different from ordinary horses. They need to be carefully trained; they'll all have great potential in the future."
Upon hearing this, Liu Hu smiled again and nodded emphatically.
"Okay, I understand, young master."
"Come on, take me to the feed shed and get me all the feed these three horses usually eat."
Liu Hu responded and led the way, guiding him to the feed shed next to the stable. Shen Jingchuan glanced at it and saw that the feed was indeed excellent. Bags of black beans, sorghum, soybean cake, and bran were all high-quality feed, and bundles of hay and alfalfa were stacked next to them, all good things that he usually couldn't bear to feed the horses too much of.
He decided not to be picky, to avoid the hassle of going back and forth again and again. With a thought, he swept up all the stock in the shed, including the materials and grass, and put it all into his Heaven and Earth Ring. He then ordered the Ring to nurture and optimize it.
Inside the space, the three horses smelled the rations and were about to approach when suddenly a layer of eerie green light rose from the pile of feed, glowing on its surface, looking quite strange.
The three horses shrank back in fright, pawing the ground and daring not to go forward.
Shen Jingchuan watched from the side with his Divine Sense, not caring at all. They were just ordinary things, rising up very quickly, and would naturally be fine once the green light dissipated.
After this enhancement, the fodder becomes something imbued with Spiritual Qi.
He withdrew his Divine Sense and left the space.
After leaving the stable, he raised his hand and cast a Cleaning Technique on himself, brushing off the hay dust and the smell of the stable, making himself feel refreshed again. Then, with his hands behind his back, he walked towards Lin Qingyao's house.