Fire Cloud Horse

"Hiss... hiss..."

A high-pitched neigh suddenly erupted from outside, followed by a wave of chaotic, ear-splitting commotion that left everyone still sitting in the main hall bewildered.

Viscount Aixing was the first to walk out, with Lin Lei and the others following closely behind; such a disturbance outside clearly meant something had happened.

The moment Lin Lei stepped out of the gate, his eyes lit up. A fiery red figure had appeared in the courtyard, seemingly gone berserk. The surrounding servants were desperately trying to calm it down, but their efforts were in vain as they couldn't even get within half a step of the beast.

The maddened Fire Cloud Horse was rampaging through the courtyard like a tank, sending the nearby servants screaming in terror. Bowls, dishes, fruits, and tea were scattered across the ground, leaving the area in a complete mess.

Seeing that the situation showed no signs of improvement, Lin Lei, who had taken an interest in the creature, could no longer stand by. He rose to his feet, took three long strides, and arrived directly in front of the Fire Cloud Horse, leaping onto its back in one fluid motion.

Feeling a foreign object on its back, the Fire Cloud Horse became even more frantic. This was a wild horse that had just been captured; unlike horses raised in captivity since birth, it was currently gripped by the anxiety of losing its herd and the fear of a strange environment. Lin Lei's actions only served to further agitate it.

"Watch out..."

The Fire Cloud Horse charged toward the granite wall at maximum speed, as if determined to perish along with the person on its back.

Not far away, Aierlan turned pale with fright at the horse's sudden move and immediately wanted to rush toward Lin Lei, but she was held back by Allen, who had been observing from the side.

"Don't be impulsive. My brother-in-law can handle this easily; if you go over now, you'll only be a hindrance."

Aierlan was deeply worried about Lin Lei, her lips bitten white, but she knew Allen was right. For now, she could only watch from the sidelines; if Lin Lei dared to charge up there, he naturally had his reasons.

The others around them were not as nervous as Aierlan. Coming from military families, these men—young and old—had all seen blood and killed magical beasts and foreign races; this scene was nothing more than a trifle to them.

Viscount Aixing, on the other hand, watched with great interest. A person's character could be seen through their actions, and Lin Lei's way of taming the horse was a perfect opportunity to understand the man himself.

In the courtyard, Lin Lei pulled on the reins, shifting the Fire Cloud Horse's head to the right to divert it from the wall, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic collision.

Under the sunlight, as the Fire Cloud Horse bucked violently, Lin Lei's feet left the horse's back due to the intense jolting, his body swaying in the wind. Only his two hands gripped the reins tightly, barely keeping him from being thrown to the ground.

Suddenly, the rapidly moving Fire Cloud Horse came to an emergency stop. Caught off guard, Lin Lei was launched forward like a massive cannonball, slamming into the ground in front of the horse and kicking up a cloud of dust.

The onlookers were stunned by this sight. Even the usually composed Viscount Aixing couldn't help but frown, while Aierlan gasped, her expression frozen in a mask of pure worry.

"Ptooey, ptooey..."

Lin Lei stood up from the dust and patted the dirt off his body. His once resolute and handsome face was now like a beggar's, covered in various scrapes and cuts.

After getting up, Lin Lei still had the composure to signal that he was fine to Aierlan and the others, then turned his gaze toward the Fire Cloud Horse, which stood motionless after throwing him off, letting out a long neigh as if mocking him.

"Very well, you've successfully angered me. It seems I have to get serious with you."

Lin Lei charged at the Fire Cloud Horse once more. The beast, seeing the detestable thief move again, immediately bolted.

But it realized too late that its movements couldn't keep up; Lin Lei's explosive speed far exceeded its own, and he was back on top of its head in an instant.

This time, Lin Lei had learned his lesson. He clamped his legs tightly around the horse's back and locked both hands firmly onto its waist, clinging to it like a human-shaped octopus.

The Fire Cloud Horse bucked, jumped, and thrashed repeatedly, only succeeding in tiring itself out until it was drenched in sweat, unable to shake Lin Lei off in the slightest.

After a while, as the sky began to turn completely dark, the Fire Cloud Horse finally ceased its futile struggle and lowered its head in submission. Only then had it truly been conquered by Lin Lei.

Lin Lei loosened his grip and legs, sliding off the horse like an oversized sloth. His inner thighs were in excruciating pain, and his arms were so sore he could barely stand upon reaching the ground.

Aierlan hurried over to support the exhausted Lin Lei, saying with a pained expression, "Why did you have to go up there? You could have just let the servants tame it later. Look at yourself."

As she spoke, Aierlan noticed a bright red patch on Lin Lei's chest, along with blood-red stains on his pant legs and arms.

"You—are you hurt? How did you lose so much blood? Let me see."

"Haha, look at Aierlan. She's not even married into the family yet, and she's already so concerned about her husband.

But you're mistaken; that isn't blood. It's the sweat of the Fire Cloud Horse. This horse is different from others; the sweat it secretes is blood-red in color. It's not blood from your husband's injuries."

Viscount Aixing and the others walked over, and he teased Aierlan.

"Really?"

Ignoring the Viscount's teasing, Aierlan asked Lin Lei with concern, her eyes fixed on him. Lin Lei saw his own reflection in her azure eyes.

"Mm."

Lin Lei nodded. At that moment, his resentment toward Aierlan suddenly diminished. He no longer hated her for setting such a grand trap for him. Looking at this girl whose eyes were filled only with him, Lin Lei suddenly felt his heart stir.

It was no longer a matter of being forced by circumstances or an exchange of interests; this time, a genuine feeling had sprouted in his heart, pure and unadulterated.

"Haha, Centurion Lin's skills are truly extraordinary. Since it is already late, why not stay at our mansion tonight?"

Aitepu's sudden words interrupted Lin Lei's thoughts.

"No, the City Defense Department has a major operation the day after tomorrow. I need to return and make arrangements early."

"Very well. Allen, you go with Centurion Lin and return to the City Defense Department to sleep."

Leading the newly tamed Fire Cloud Horse, Lin Lei placed Red Fire onto the horse and left the Ai Mansion with Allen.

The streets were much quieter now, and patrolling guards were becoming more frequent. With the Fire Cloud Horse, they returned to the North Wind Garrison in less than half a quarter of an hour.

Lin Lei and Allen parted ways after entering the gate. As a centurion, he had his own private quarters, while Allen shared a room with three others, and their dormitories were not close.

Looking at the Fire Cloud Horse standing in his courtyard, Lin Lei walked back and forth in excitement. A great man born between heaven and earth should gallop freely across the battlefield, and a fine mount was indispensable.

"From now on, we are partners. What kind of name should I give you?"

Lin Lei stroked the Fire Cloud Horse's coat and spoke to it.

"In ancient times, there was Lu Bu among men and Red Hare among horses. You are so similar to that Red Hare, so I shall call you Red Hare."

After Lin Lei finished speaking, Red Hare let out three long neighs, as if it were very happy to have a new name.

"Red Hare, oh Red Hare, let me help you clean up."

Red Hare was a wild horse that had just been captured. During its life in the wild, its body had become very dirty, and to preserve its wild nature, those who captured it had not cleaned its body.

By the time it reached Lin Lei's hands, its four hooves were covered in all sorts of foreign matter, mostly mud, and the lower quarter of its legs were coated in dust. Its originally fiery red fur had turned gray, making it look quite unsightly.

Lin Lei drew a large basin of water from his well and, taking a brush from one of his subordinates, began a top-to-bottom transformation of Red Hare.

Lin Lei's movements were not too rough; he paid attention to Red Hare's expression with every stroke, reducing his force if the horse looked to be in pain.

The brush made a pleasant sound against Red Hare's body as streaks of black, filthy water washed away. The fiery red fur on its upper body became more vibrant, and its lower body was also completely refreshed; the entire horse looked like a different creature.

Lin Lei wiped the sweat from his forehead and poured out the dirty water on the ground, marking the end of the cleaning process for Red Hare.

"Not bad."

Lin Lei looked at his handiwork and couldn't help but praise himself, while Red Fire, down on the ground, hopped about, appearing very excited.

After tidying up, Lin Lei returned to his room, closed the doors and windows tightly, and took out a letter.

This letter was from Viscount Aixing to Lin Lei. Viscount Aixing was extremely cautious; even in the secret chamber, he hadn't revealed any key information, choosing instead to hand Lin Lei a letter and telling him to open it only after returning to his garrison.

"Huh..."

Lin Lei let out an exclamation of surprise. This was not a message, but a last will and testament, detailing how his assets should be divided after his death. It stated that the rural lands were to be given to Aierlan, and the assets in Flower Territory and other small town properties were to be given to his two sons.

"This is..."

Lin Lei pondered the purpose of Viscount Aixing writing this will. Could it be that he was not confident in surviving this crisis? Had the evil forces in Flower Territory become that powerful?

Lin Lei knew that Viscount Aixing couldn't have given this will only to him. A cunning rabbit has three burrows; he likely gave it to Lin Lei simply because he found him reliable, using him as a contingency. If he were truly to pass away, Lin Lei would certainly make the contents of this letter public for the sake of Aierlan's territory.

"Clever. An old fox is still an old fox."

Having figured this out, Lin Lei couldn't help but admire Viscount Aixing for being able to think so far ahead and arrange so many contingencies.

As a viscount of Kul Tiras, when facing death, his first thoughts were still of his children. Faced with unknown danger, he possessed the human quality of sacrifice and dedication, choosing not to flee or abandon this restless Flower Territory.

Lin Lei felt a bit somber as he tucked the letter away into a drawer. If the opportunity arose, he wouldn't mind doing them this favor.

Based on the information gathered over these past few days, Lin Lei vaguely sensed that the time to encounter these filthy dark creatures was the day after tomorrow—the time of the hunt.