Thin Red Date Horse

"Taoist priest, you seem very happy today."

"Yes."

"You didn't buy a horse, so what are you happy about?"

Three Flower Lady tilted her head and looked up at Song You, her expression full of curiosity. She was incredibly cute.

"Even though I didn't buy a horse, I got to see the excitement."

"You like excitement."

"Sometimes."

"When are we going to buy a horse?"

"No rush, no rush."

The two, one big and one small, arrived at the courtyard gate on Tianshui Lane, only to find two people already waiting.

They were wearing thick Taoist robes and leading a horse. They were Yingfeng and Chuyun, two Taoist priests from Fuqing Palace.

Song You was very surprised to see them and hurried to greet them.

"Two Taoist priests, why have you come here?"

"Greetings, fellow Taoist brother."

The two drew in cold breaths and bowed to him.

Catching sight of the young girl beside him, they couldn't help but ask:

"This is..."

"Three Flower Lady."

"It's actually Three Flower Lady!"

"Greetings, Three Flower Lady!"

The two quickly paid their respects to Three Flower Lady, surprise evident in their eyes. They had only heard their elders talk about tales of Yao transforming into humans, and due to their shallow cultivation, this was their first time seeing one.

Three Flower Lady imitated their gesture and returned the greeting.

Then Yingfeng spoke: "Our grand-master learned that you, fellow Taoist brother, are planning to travel the world and are in need of a horse. Today is the opening of the King Yue Temple fair, and we assumed you would be looking to buy a horse. However, there's a shortage of horses on the northern border recently. Our grand-master guessed that you likely wouldn't be able to find a horse you liked. Coincidentally, we were also coming to the temple market to buy some things and to exchange ideas with the Taoist priests in Yidu. And by chance, one of our palace's benefactors had some connections. So, our grand-master had us bring a nag to gift to you, fellow Taoist brother. Even if it's not for riding, it can help you carry some of your luggage on the long journey."

Chuyun added:

"We were actually worried. We were worried that by the time we found you, fellow Taoist brother, you would have already bought a horse, and we would have to take it back. But it seems we were fortunate."

Song You looked at the two.

The cold-weather protection of their Taoist robes was truly limited. In this cold winter night, their lips were already blue from the cold. Moreover, a fog had rolled in, dampening their eyebrows and the tips of their hair, likely adding to the chill.

And this horse was hardly a nag.

Although it wasn't tall and wasn't particularly striking, not a magnificent steed, its large head, short neck, strong physique, broad chest, long mane, and thick hide clearly indicated it was a Northern Yuan horse. At most, it wasn't the finest specimen among Northern Yuan horses, but it was still a Northern Yuan horse, most suitable for long journeys.

Song You stood still, his eyes flickering.

The two felt uneasy.

After a few seconds, Song You reached out, a smile appearing on his face, and took the horse.

"Thank you very much."

The two breathed a sigh of relief.

"There's no need for politeness, fellow Taoist brother."

"It's late and cold, please come inside to warm yourselves by the fire."

"We won't intrude for long," Yingfeng said quickly. "We've been out for a while, so it's best we return soon."

"Our palace is on good terms with Qingxiao Temple in the west city, and our elders are staying at Qingxiao Temple," Chuyun added. "There are many thieves at night, and if we don't go back soon, our elders will worry. We'll visit you again tomorrow."

"Junior sister is right, we still need to come for the temple fair tomorrow."

"Be careful, fellow Taoist brother. This horse is young, its temper might not be stable yet."

"Fellow Taoist brother possesses divine abilities, after all."

"That's true."

"Oh horse, oh horse, you must be obedient from now on. It's a blessing from your past lives to be able to travel the mortal world with fellow Taoist brother. We wish we could have such an opportunity."

"Fellow Taoist brother, we shall take our leave now."

The two spoke one after another, seamlessly, which felt quite peculiar.

Song You could only watch them walk away.

He turned back to look at the horse. It was indeed a very young horse. He couldn't help but sigh. He couldn't say much about Guanghua Zi's cultivation, but his understanding of human relationships and his calculating abilities were extremely high. This old Taoist priest would never achieve immortality in this life, but he had already become a worldly wise man.

"Pfft..."

The red date horse snorted.

"Shhh..."

Song You calmly spoke to it, "Please be quiet in the city. Once I have some free time, I'll take you out for a gallop."

The red date horse indeed quieted down.

It didn't seem to have an unstable temperament at all.

Song You smiled in satisfaction.

The Three Flower Lady, holding her head high the entire time, stared at the horse with wide, sparkling eyes, as if they held stars. As soon as the two Daoists left, after browsing the horse market, she quickly asked:

"Is this horse good?"

"Of course, it's good."

Upon hearing this, the Three Flower Lady became incredibly happy.

Song You pondered for a day and roughly guessed what she was thinking. Whether he could fully understand her was not entirely necessary. People can't fully understand each other, let alone a person and a cat.

As for the horse, it was a common red date color. Northern Yuan horses weren't particularly tall, and this one was on the shorter side even for its breed. However, most of the time, he only needed it to carry some luggage for slow travel, not for urgent marches like in the army, so it didn't need to be exceptionally strong.

Song You closed the courtyard gate and only led the horse to the bamboo grove before saying, "The conditions in this small courtyard are simple, and there's no stable. I'll have to trouble you to stay here temporarily. Please don't make a sound, and tomorrow morning, I'll buy some fodder."

The horse stood still and indeed made no sound.

"From now on, through mountains and rivers, I'll trouble you to accompany me and carry my luggage. I will certainly not mistreat you."

As he spoke, Song You even clasped his hands in a gesture of respect towards it.

It was strange, but although the horse remained still, it blinked its dark eyes as if it had understood.

Just then, there was another knock on the door from outside.

The Three Flower Lady reluctantly shifted her gaze from the large horse and scurried out to open the door.

Standing outside was Constable Luo.

He wore black official clothes and boots, with a saber at his waist.

With the King Yue Temple's temple fair ongoing these past few days, many martial artists had come to the city, making it a mixed crowd. The constables had also replaced their iron rods with steel sabers.

Seeing that it was a little girl again today, Constable Luo's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't show it and maintained the unspoken agreement of not calling her the Three Flower Lady. He simply cupped his hands and asked, "Has the Mister returned?"

"He has..."

As the Three Flower Lady finished speaking, she turned around and saw Song You walking up behind her.

"Haven't you gotten off work yet, Squad Leader?"

"There's another strange case, and I've come to ask the Mister for advice."

Ever since Song You figured things out before the start of winter, he no longer intentionally restrained himself. Now, whenever Constable Luo encountered a peculiar case that required consultation, he no longer sought out experts from temples, monasteries, or private homes, but came directly to his neighbor to ask Song You. Song You could usually provide answers. And he usually didn't refuse the small items Song You brought with him.

The two had developed a certain rapport.

At this moment, he was also invited to speak freely.

"Today, the yamen received many reports from esteemed individuals claiming their silver had mysteriously disappeared, mostly while they were watching a magic show. The theft occurred during the performance," Constable Luo explained in detail. "One could say that the temple market is inherently chaotic, and it's common to have petty thieves mixed in. But what's strange is that these people only lost their silver ingots; they didn't lose any loose change or copper coins. Some people were heavily guarded, and even officials traveling in sedan chairs had their money kept in chests inside the sedan, yet their silver ingots still went missing. And only the silver ingots vanished."

"Does the Squad Leader have any suspicions..."

"Among these street performers, there are those with nimble fingers, and some with unusual abilities. Constable Luo suspects it's a group of these street performers operating in a string of crimes," Constable Luo quietly observed Song You. "One group performs a trick called 'Three Immortals Return to Cave,' making things appear out of thin air. Not only is this related, but most of the esteemed individuals who reported thefts had them occur during this particular performance. I'd like to ask the Mister, are there any methods in this world that can steal silver from a distance?"

"There is a type of sorcery called the 'Summon and Dismiss Method.' The conditions for learning it are harsh, and it's not widely spread among the common folk. However, if mastered to a high level, one can retrieve objects from afar without the owner's awareness, or make them disappear into thin air."

Constable Luo continued to study Song You's expression.

It seemed as though the Mister was merely answering his question, but having interacted with him for several months, Constable Luo could tell from his tone and demeanor that the Mister had already confirmed his suspicions.

"Even so, such methods are difficult to track, and the laws are strict. If we can't find evidence, arresting people arbitrarily would likely cause trouble."

"For this type of sorcery, if the caster has the ability to retrieve items from a thousand miles away, not to mention a thousand miles, even a hundred or ten miles, or even just one mile, they wouldn't need to perform magic tricks," Song You said. "Since the money was taken from people nearby, even if they were to hide it, it wouldn't be far."

"!"

Constable Luo's expression sharpened, and he immediately understood. With a snap, he clasped his hands towards Song You.

"Thank you, Mister! I'll take my leave now!"

He then hurried out.

However, as he reached the doorway, he suddenly paused, turned to look in the direction of the bamboo grove, and quickly added, "Did Mister buy a horse at the temple market? If it's inconvenient to keep it, the yamen has dedicated stables. If Mister needs it, I can help you take it to the yamen to be kept. The expenses will be covered by the imperial treasury."

Song You couldn't help but smile and quickly thanked him.

The sound of footsteps quickly faded away outside.

He remembered that when he returned from the King Yue Temple, the magician hadn't yet finished his performance. He wondered if Constable Luo would be able to find the person now.