"Miss Zhang."
Guided by the adjutant, Li Xiang reached the clearing outside the encampment and immediately spotted Zhang Yunshang holding the reins of a magnificent white horse.
Not a single stray color marked its coat. Its build was perfectly proportioned, its four legs long and graceful, and each breath carried the faint sound of wind and thunder. It was clearly no ordinary breed, but a spirit steed raised through secret methods.
"Horse or car?" Zhang Yunshang held the reins in one hand and an elegant riding crop in the other. She turned to Li Xiang, her tone casual.
Li Xiang's gaze lingered on the white horse for a moment. What a fine horse.
In an age when Western machinery was gradually spreading through the Great Xin Dynasty, automobiles had become symbols of status among the powerful. But to many, those roaring metal cans could never offer the freedom of a spirit steed that resonated with their own blood and qi.
"Horse." Li Xiang answered without hesitation.
With that, he grabbed Dijiang by the scruff of his neck as the little creature circled his trouser leg.
The Ten Fiends cub, now resembling a small yellow dog, let out an aggrieved whimper. His four short, stubby legs paddled twice in midair before Li Xiang lifted him up, ready to take him onto the horse.
Zhang Yunshang looked at the little yellow dog in Li Xiang's hand, so dopey-looking that his eyes seemed full of innocent stupidity. A smile flickered in her eyes.
She lightly flicked her riding crop. "What, were you planning to ride with me?"
But before Li Xiang could answer—
"Yunshang, you only recently had your heart replaced. The jolting of a horse ride can't be good for you."
A displeased voice cut in coldly from behind.
Zhang Yunqing strode