Uncannily Understanding

The horse broker finished arranging the branding and paying the deed tax, then pointed diagonally across from the horse market. "Young master, there's a longstanding tack shop over there. They have high-grade saddles, bridles and halters too. If you want good saddles, you can't go wrong choosing them there."

Shen Jingchuan nodded and took the reins, leading the horses that way. Strangely enough, the three Whirlwind Horses followed behind him with the reins hanging slack; they never once pulled taut. When he walked faster, the horses kept pace. When he slowed down, they checked their steps too. They behaved like old companions who had been with him for years, needing no pulling or coaxing at all.

In his previous life, Shen Jingchuan had only ridden ordinary, thoroughly tamed horses on the Bashang grasslands. He had never seen anything so understanding of people. Delighted, he silently resolved to get the very best saddles for these three treasures.

When they entered the tack shop, the shopkeeper spotted the three magnificent black horses at the door, and his eyes lit up at once. Those were Whirlwind Horses! A customer who rode horses like these would never choose cheap saddles costing eight or ten taels. At the very least, he would have to offer top-grade calfskin saddles costing several dozen or even over a hundred taels.

He hurried forward with a broad smile, just about to introduce the shop's finest saddles, when he saw Shen Jingchuan glance along the shelves and touch the most exquisite carved cowhide saddle with his fingertips. Shen Jingchuan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The saddles looked finely carved, and the leather was thick, but underneath it all they were just cowhide over wood, without even a decent layer of padding. A long ride would still leave him sore from chafing. Compared with modern professional saddles, with their shock-absorbing foam and ergonomic designs, they fell far short.

Having made up his mind, he saw no need to buy them in a hurry. He would wait until he returned to the modern world, choose a few top-grade ones and bring them back.

"There's no hurry to buy saddles." Shen Jingchuan waved a hand, then turned and asked, "Do you have any good horse feed here?"

The shopkeeper's heart sank. It looked as though this big deal was about to fall through, but he dared not neglect the customer. He quickly answered, "Yes, yes, yes! The finest dried alfalfa, fragrant roasted black beans and soybeans, and concentrated feed mixed with wheat bran. They're all good things for feeding warhorses."

"I'll take a load of each. Add it up."

In the end, they chose two bundles of dried alfalfa, a sack of roasted black beans and half a sack of concentrated feed. It cost less than two taels of silver altogether, and they loaded it all onto the big stallion's back. The shopkeeper watched helplessly as the three men and three horses left without buying even a mid-grade saddle. Deeply disappointed, he stood in the doorway sighing for a long while.

On the way back to the residence, pedestrians kept looking over. Many stared at the three tall horses, their eyes full of wonder and envy.

One man who knew his horses narrowed his eyes and studied them for a long while before drawing a sharp breath. "Good heavens, are those Whirlwind Horses?!"

The person beside him was puzzled. "What Whirlwind Horses? Aren't they just black horses that are a bit taller than usual?"

"A bit taller? What do you know!" The man lowered his voice. "A while ago, General Li from the garrison commander's residence rode one just like these. It ran like a gust of wind. These horses are precious. They're not only expensive, they have to acknowledge you as their master. If they don't, you can't ride them no matter how much silver you spend. See that? The reins are slack. There's no need to lead them at all; the horses are following on their own. They've truly acknowledged him as their master!"

"Hiss... One man got three Whirlwind Horses to acknowledge him as their master? Isn't that a little too uncanny? All my life, I've heard it was remarkable enough to get one to acknowledge you, but three? Who is that young master?"

The chatter drifted over on the wind. Hearing it, Shen Jingchuan's steps grew a little lighter.

When they reached the stable in the residence's rear courtyard, Liu Hu first swept the trough spotless with a broom before turning back.

"Young master, these Whirlwind Horses are clever. There's no need to tie them up. Tell them clearly to stay here, and they won't run off. Train them gradually from now on and settle on a whistle as a signal. Whenever you whistle, they'll come looking for you. It works wonderfully."

As soon as he finished speaking, the big stallion beside him shook its mane and gently nodded its head twice, as though it understood the praise.

Shen Jingchuan found it remarkable. He reached out and patted the horse's neck, then pointed at Liu Hu and said with a smile:

"Did you hear that? He'll be the one feeding you from now on, so be good and listen to him, all right?"

The big black horse blinked, blew a puff of white vapor from its nostrils, then tilted its head and nuzzled his palm, looking for all the world as though it had agreed.

Liu Hu breathed a sigh of relief at the sight. He hurried over to unload the fodder from the horse's back, then poured the mixed concentrated feed and alfalfa into the clean trough. The big stallion sniffed it, lowered its head and began chewing in great mouthfuls. The two mares beside it, however, stood without moving, their ears turning slightly as they watched Shen Jingchuan.

Shen Jingchuan paused, then laughed. He walked over and rubbed each mare on the forehead. "Eat. From now on, you can eat whatever he feeds you. Be good."

Only then did the two mares lower their heads, move up to the trough and begin eating at a leisurely pace.

"Goodness, they really are sensible." Shen Jingchuan stood watching, utterly delighted with them. He could see now that the three horses listened only to him. Unless he gave his approval, they wouldn't touch the feed anyone else gave them, no matter how good it was. Fortunately, they had accepted Liu Hu feeding them. Otherwise, with him traveling between the two worlds every few days, how could he make sure he personally fed them every meal? If it really came to that, it would be troublesome instead.

Shen Jingchuan walked halfway around the stable and knocked on its wooden door, then turned to Liu Hu.

"This door is too flimsy. We'll have to replace it with a sturdy one later. Otherwise, if someone takes a fancy to these horses and steals them, we'll have trouble."

Liu Hu couldn't help laughing. He stepped forward and pointed at the big black horse in the stall.

"Young master, you can put your mind at ease. A Whirlwind Horse isn't an ordinary animal. You could beat it to death, but you could never steal it. Forget stealing it—even three or five ordinary unarmed men couldn't get close to it. If it really turned vicious, it could cripple someone with a single kick. Unless soldiers armed with spears and broadswords surrounded it, there'd be no subduing it."

As he spoke, he pointed at the horse's black hoof, which was as large as a bowl.

"Look at that hoof. It's thick and hard. If it went into battle, you could fit it with spiked war horseshoes—just forge a few half-inch iron spikes onto the edges of ordinary horseshoes, like little awls, and they become the horse's weapons. Put armor on it too, and when it charges across the grasslands, every stomp, kick and collision is a killing move. It can fight better than an ordinary foot soldier. The warhorses of the northern Tatars' elite cavalry all wear these shoes. When they charge into a mass of men, anyone grazed is wounded, and anyone struck dies."

Shen Jingchuan clicked his tongue in amazement. He had only known that horseshoes protected a horse's hooves; he hadn't expected they could be turned into weapons. Looked at that way, these three horses were not just mounts. If trouble really came, they were three fierce generals as well.

"All right, I was worrying too much."

He smiled and patted the doorframe. "There's no hurry to replace the door. Just stock up on enough feed first. Later, find a blacksmith and have him forge a few sets of those spiked horseshoes you mentioned for each of the three horses, then fit them on. It never hurts to be prepared."

Liu Hu pointed at the small, narrow south-facing room beside the stable and spoke with confidence. "All right, young master, don't worry. I'll move all my things over in a little while. From now on, I'll live in this room and guard the stable day and night. Nothing will go wrong."

Hearing that, Shen Jingchuan was completely reassured. He patted Liu Hu on the shoulder, looking at the quick-handed, thoughtful youth before him with considerable satisfaction.

"All right. With you keeping watch here, I can rest easy. Take good care of the three horses, and I won't treat you unfairly."

A narrow side door opened in the stable's eastern wall. Shen Jingchuan pushed it open and stepped straight into the outer courtyard. This was the residence's first courtyard, next to the street gate; the second courtyard lay farther in, through the ornamental gate.

Liu Cui, who was busy working in the courtyard, heard the movement and turned around. Seeing him, she quickly stopped what she was doing, turned sideways and curtsied. "Young master."

Shen Jingchuan nodded to her without saying much and followed the covered walkway straight toward the inner courtyard.