Scales Growing Across Its Face

The three arrived at the stable and saw Red Mountain. The junior official next to the Record Keeper's eyes lit up and he ran up to examine the horse.

He looked from the horse's teeth to its tail, and then to its shoes, his eyes filled with growing admiration.

Red Mountain sensed something and proudly raised his head.

"Lord Liang is truly willing to invest. It is extremely rare to find a horse of such quality among those of the fifth rank. You must have fed it a lot of Treasure Plant, right?"

The minor official was Groom Official, responsible for raising horses in the horse administration. The quality of a horse was judged primarily by its mane.

The Red Mountain Horse hangs down naturally, glossy and smooth, with each hair distinct and fine, a sign of excellent breeding.

Especially his pair of horse eyes, which are bright and piercing, as if they were sparkling with lightning, indicating that he must be full of energy.

You can't raise a dog to this quality by feeding it ordinary grass; you have to feed it Treasure Plant, and not just occasionally, but regularly, two meals every three days.

"Yes, we fed them quite a lot."

Liang Qu harvests Treasure Fish every day. After joining the army of River Dolphin, he can catch five or six fish a day on good days, and dozens of other Marsh Essence.

Feed Red Mountain scraps regularly, such as dried fish bones that are ground into powder and mixed into its feed; it will naturally thrive.

It doesn't cost much money, it's self-produced and self-sold, not to mention that Fan Xinglai at home takes care of Red Mountain's horse, and all his energy is devoted to it, taking good care of it.

The Groom Official didn't think so.

Treasure Plant, Bao Rou costs money. To be willing to spend such a large sum of money, he must be a horse lover. I immediately felt a sense of goodwill towards him. My resentment at being included in the mission and traveling a long distance vanished, and my eyes showed a hint of respect.

Liang Qu, not understanding why, simply handed over the sandalwood box containing the Grade-Raising Pill.

The Groom Official took the sandalwood box and took out the Grade-Raising Pill.

The moment the Grade-Raising Pill appeared, Red Mountain's eyes immediately turned red. He kicked the horse railing and tried to stick his head out to eat the pill.

The servants around dared not approach; they couldn't pull such a powerful horse.

Just as the Groom Official held the pill in his palm, drew his dagger, cut it open, and mixed it into the lotion, preparing for a quick victory, he heard Liang Qu shout from beside him.

"Tch!"

Red Mountain's big eyes cleared again. It stopped kicking the horse railing and lowered its head, staring intently at Da Dan.

The long, sticky saliva slid into the feeding trough, as thick as glue.

Hiss! The Groom Official was genuinely startled.

It's only natural for the Dragon Blood Horse to crave the Grade-Raising Pill; it's driven by instinct and, like being in heat, it's uncontrollable.

It's not a question of whether or not I want to, it's a question of whether my second brother will listen.

He worked in the horse administration office and had never seen a Dragon Blood Horse below the third rank restrain its desires in the face of the Grade-Raising Pill.

"If Lord Liang were to come and serve in the Horse Administration, it wouldn't be impossible for him to the Grand Master of the Palace the Imperial Stud in the future."

"I have never had such an ambition."

Liang Qu smiled and said that he didn't know why, but he seemed to have a natural aversion to horses.

He thought of the monkey crouching on the hitching post in front of his house.

Perhaps it was because the monkey was incompatible with the horse? Red Mountain calmed down, and the Groom Official stopped rushing. He slowly prepared the Great Dan and fed it little by little.

After finishing the entire giant pill, about fifteen minutes later, Red Mountain began to pace around, his body temperature rising.

The surrounding horses gradually became uneasy, retreating to a corner of the stable and refusing to eat their fodder.

The Groom Official said, "It will take about half an hour for the Dragon Blood Horse to be promoted. If Lord Liang has something to attend to, you can leave me here to watch over it."

Liang Qu shook his head, half an hour wasn't a long time.

Red Mountain was a little dazed from the heat; it was breathing out hot air from its mouth and nose and kept shaking its head.

The Groom Official borrowed a wooden bucket and poured cold water on Red Mountain's body. As the water passed through the surface, it emitted wisps of white smoke.

Half an hour later, large drops of fresh blood dripped from Red Mountain's nose.

Liang Qu looked at the Groom Official, Groom Official hurriedly explained.

"It's a normal phenomenon; it's a process of blood transfusion and regeneration."

Scales?

Liang Qu stared at Red Mountain, and more and more blood gushed from its nose, flowing onto the ground. Then, along a thin straight line from its forehead to the tip of its nose, layers of fine scales gradually grew!

The scales are very narrow, no more than a finger's width, like a midline on the head, so fine that they are barely visible unless you look closely.

Not only the horse's head, but also the chest, shoulder blades, and sides of the neck of the Red Mountain began to grow crimson scales! "It really is mixed with dragon blood."

Liang Qu was slightly shocked. Could it be that the imperial court had captured a dragon for breeding purposes?

Dragons belong to the water element, right? Why couldn't they be controlled? The proportion of land beasts far exceeds that of Water Beast? Liang Qu thought that might be the reason. Before today, Red Mountain looked no different from ordinary horses, at most it was more majestic. Only after advancing to the fourth rank did it reveal its different characteristics.

I wonder what the third and second ranks look like? Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the Red Mountain gradually calmed down.

The Groom Official poured the last bucket of water, wiped the sweat from his face, and examined Red Mountain's various physical characteristics. He was overjoyed.

"It's done! The horse's head, chest, and shoulders all have scales, which is a characteristic of a fourth-grade horse. Moreover, your Dragon Blood Colt has a good foundation. The scales on its chest and shoulders are connected. Only one or two out of ten horses have this quality!"

Liang Qu stepped forward and touched Red Mountain's head.

Its newly grown scales are crimson red, extremely fine, and hidden under the horsehair, except for those on its chest and abdomen, which are clearly visible, like a natural armor, forming a "V" shape, protecting its vital parts.

Scratching the scales with your fingernail produces a metallic clanging sound, quite remarkable.

Its overall shape hasn't changed much, except it's become much taller and stronger, exuding a much stronger aura and looking even more imposing.

After exchanging pleasantries and expressing his gratitude to the Record Keeper and the Groom Official, Liang Qu eagerly mounted Red Mountain and pulled on the reins.

Before the servants could open the stable, Red Mountain slightly pushed off the ground, and the entire horse leaped out of the stable, which was more than a meter high, like a tiger leaping over a ravine.

Immediately, the scenery around Liang Qu rushed past, and a powerful wind pressure came head-on, forcing him to lower his body.

Passersby looked up and saw a blurry red figure. When they came to their senses, a strong wind blew up around them, and the red figure disappeared.

"Did you see a ghost in broad daylight?"

The horse's hooves kicked up grass clippings, which flew through the air and startled crabs that were emerging from their burrows in the mud and sand on the shore to hunt.

In a short while, Liang Qu arrived at the familiar Shang Rao Wharf. He could feel Red Mountain's chest and abdomen rising and falling between his legs, clearly indicating that he had used all his strength and was somewhat out of breath.

but...

It takes about six li from River Conservancy Office to Shang Rao Wharf. How long did it take?

Liang Qu didn't have a watch and couldn't accurately estimate the time, but he guessed it was definitely no more than a minute!

The speed is unbelievable!

They come and go like the wind!

Strong winds!

Even a normal person wouldn't be able to visit their neighbor so quickly, right? Overjoyed, Liang Qu grabbed Red Mountain's head, used the Azure Wolf to cut open his fingers, and then drew the character "water" on its forehead again.

Blood remained on the scales on Red Mountain's forehead, congealing under the influence of a strange force.

A crimson light burst forth, the blood contracting beneath the scales, and in an instant, Red Mountain's pupils dilated.

The man and the horse had been together for a long time and had no intention of resisting at all.

A Mental Link appeared smoothly in Liang Qu's Sea of Consciousness.

To rule over the Red Mountain.

It's done!