Seeing someone fall off his horse, Li Long had already sprung into action, but he had only run two steps before Jade Mountain River pulled him back.
"Leave him be. He'll get up." Jade Mountain River waved a hand. "Look, someone else has taken the lead. All those riders behind want to get out in front. We'll see who's fastest!"
"Are you sure we should leave him? He still hasn't got up..." Li Long was still rather worried.
"A fall like that won't hurt him. The horse didn't land on him-look, he's up, and so is the horse."
Just as Jade Mountain River had said, the fallen horse struggled to its feet, and the rider got up too. He limped as he walked, looking injured, though not seriously.
In just those few minutes, the lead had already changed hands several times. The competition was fierce.
When the horses were less than a hundred meters away, an unremarkable dark bay horse that was not particularly tall charged into the lead. Its rider was a somewhat dark-skinned boy who looked under eighteen. Rather than half-standing like the jockeys in Hong Kong horse races, he sat firmly in the saddle, holding the reins in one hand and raising his whip with the other, though he did not bring it down.
The horse ran steadily, its four hooves flying, yet its upper body seemed to stay level all the while. It ran faster and faster, gradually stretching its lead from one body length to two, then three, before charging past Harimu's position. The boy cheered and waved his whip. He had taken first place!
When the second horse came through, Li Long felt a little sorry for it. It was a very tall, beautiful black horse, its coat like black satin, very much like