Chapter 677: Subdue
It was silent in the stable.
Yan Liqiang stood on the grass calmly. The rhinodrake steed that he sent flying snorted. It did half a roll on the ground, flattening the grass in the process, then quickly got up.
It seemed to be enraged by Yan Liqiang. After standing up, it glared at Yan Liqiang, shook its head and body quickly, then pawed its hooves hard on the ground a few times. With a long neigh, it charged headlong at Yan Liqiang. Its four hooves hit the ground powerfully, splashing soil all around as it moved with the speed and momentum of a tank.
“Liqiang, watch out…!” Little Li who was watching from a distance couldn’t help but shout.
While watching the fast-approaching rhinodrake steed, Yan Liqiang crouched slightly and lowered his shoulder. When the steed was right in front of him, Yan Liqiang slammed his shoulder hard against its chest and neck which were as strong as a durable shield.
Although the rhinodrake steed was strong, its strength definitely couldn’t be compared to Yan Liqiang who had condensed the strength of nine elephants in his Dantian from cultivating the Ten Dragons Ten Elephants Divine Technique.
Yan Liqiang didn’t even budge despite the powerful impact. Only his feet sunk completely into the soil, but the rhinodrake steed let out a whinny as Yan Liqiang knocked it down once again.
All the servants from Eunuch Liu’s residence were stunned by the scene.
This time, Yan Liqiang didn’t allow the rhinodrake steed to charge at him again and strode toward the fallen steed instead. As soon as the steed got up on its feet, Yan Liqiang punched it squarely in the head and knocked it into the ground again, then yelled, “Are you going to yield now?”
The rhinodrake steed neighed as it tried to get up again, but Yan Liqiang gave it another punch.
“Are you going to yield now?”
The aggressive rhinodrake steed tried to get up again, but was met with another blow!
“Are you going to yield now?”
The fourth punch never came. Yan Liqiang lifted his foot and stepped directly on the rhinodrake steed’s body. The powerful steed could only struggle and whine like a turtle being crushed under a huge boulder. It kicked its hooves around, making several trenches in the ground. It tried to roll over, but found it impossible. Yan Liqiang’s foot had it completely pinned against the ground.
The rhinodrake steed struggled futilely under Yan Liqiang’s foot for seven or eight minutes. Yan Liqiang only lifted his foot and allowed the rhinodrake steed to get up again when its struggles finally grew weaker due to exhaustion.
The rhinodrake steed snorted and shook its head after it got up. When it saw Yan Liqiang made no moves to assault it again, it rubbed its head up against him.
Yan Liqiang rubbed the steed on its head with a smile, then flipped over onto its back. He squeezed the steed between his legs and had it stroll two rounds on the field before stopping it again. He jumped off the steed, then walked over to Eunuch Liu with a smile. “This rhinodrake steed can be ridden now…”
Eunuch Liu looked at Yan Liqiang from head to toe, then sighed, “Liqiang, your method in taming this rhinodrake steed is certainly an eye-opener. Now I can finally understand why so many horsemasters failed to tame it. It seems like this steed will only yield to someone as powerful as you. Oh, that reminds me, this rhinodrake steed doesn’t have any name yet. Why don’t you name it now?”
Yan Liqiang thought for a while. “I have a rhinodrake steed named Snowstorm Cloud. This rhinodrake steed is as white as snow, has a scale-like pattern on its neck, and has the sign of dragon transformation present on its body. I shall name it Chasing Moon!”
Eunuch Liu repeated the name in his head, then nodded. “Chasing Moon. Hm, it’s a fine name, quite fitting for this steed. That’s quite an elegant name you have chosen for it…”
“You are flattering me, Eunuch Liu!”
“Ah, the steed isn’t harnessed yet. This won’t do!” While speaking, Eunuch Liu gave an order, “Go to the storage room, Little Li. Tell the manager to retrieve the golden black leather harness I collected from the Molo Kingdom and dress this rhinodrake steed so that Liqiang can ride this steed when both of you go back later.”
“That is very thoughtful of you, Eunuch Liu!” Little Li praised Eunuch Liu, then quickly went to retrieve the harness.
Yan Liqiang looked embarrassed. “Eunuch Liu, this is too expensive for a gift. My only intention here today was to pay you a visit. Now all this is really making me feel a little awkward…”
Eunuch Liu feigned a glare at Yan Liqiang. “Why are you being so shy with me? Back when you sent a four-wheeled carriage all the way from the manufacturing bureau to me, making me the second person to own one in the Imperial Capital aside from His Majesty, you gave me so much honor. I wasn’t shy toward you back then, so why are you being shy over only a steed now? If you will keep doing that, I’m going to get really upset…”
“The manufacturing bureau has a newly improved four-wheeled carriage now that runs much quieter and more comfortably. If you like it, I will have the manufacturing bureau specially make one for you…”
“Hahaha, now that’s how it should be. Although I am now in charge of His Majesty’s imperial stable, I have to admit that I much prefer the four-wheeled carriage you invented more than any steed. The carriage is comfortable, presentable, and provides shelter from wind and rain. It is certainly so much more comfortable than riding a steed…”
Eunuch Liu laughed heartily as he patted Yan Liqiang’s shoulder, “Don’t be in a hurry to leave. I had the kitchen prepare lunch for us. We shall have a nice drink together today!”
…
After having lunch at Eunuch Liu’s residence at noon, Yan Liqiang bid his farewell and left with all the ‘gifts’ he received from Eunuch Liu.
In Yan Liqiang’s previous life, none of the eunuchs he’d seen in films were normal. They were either extremely wicked or eccentric. Now that he had gotten to know several eunuchs in this life, he could say that he hadn’t met any irritating ones. At least the ones he met were all nice to him and they got along pretty well.
His meeting with Eunuch Liu this time was extremely necessary. In addition to maintaining the relationship between them, the tense situation between Yan Liqiang and the Emperor was also dissolved through Eunuch Liu.
When Yan Liqiang exited Eunuch Liu’s residence, he let out a long sigh of relief. With the Psychic Serpent on him this time, none of Eunuch Liu’s thoughts escaped him. Truth be told, if Yan Liqiang didn’t manage to reconcile with the Emperor, another ending would have awaited him. Although this other ending wouldn’t cost him his life, the Emperor could have easily dismissed all the efforts he had put into the northwestern region and Gan Province over the past few years with just a command…
“I guess I really have the potential to be Wei Xiaobao [1]…” Yan Liqiang laughed deprecatingly at himself while riding on the majestic Chasing Moon.
The Imperial Capital’s streets were still filled with people lining up to drink the Vitality Soup. Not only that, but the queues were also still very long and the crowds didn’t seem to thin out at all. Although the fear of pestilence still shrouded the Imperial Capital, the Vitality Soup seemed to have brought back some life to the city.
By the time Yan Liqiang returned to Deer Villa, a bucket of Vitality Soup from the Imperial Academy of Medicine had been delivered to the villa too. Little Li, who had transformed back to Eunuch Li, got everyone in Deer Villa to line up for a bowl. He also sent a big bowl to Yan Liqiang.
Of course Yan Liqiang wasn’t worried about being infected by the pestilence. Since he didn’t know how the Vitality Soup was made, he didn’t drink any. Instead, he gave the bowl that Little Li delivered to him away to the servants who brought him his dinner.
Although Yan Liqiang was in Deer Villa for the next few days, most of the news he heard was about the Vitality Soup. Apart from the Imperial Capital, the soup that the Imperial Academy of Medicine prepared was also being continuously delivered to the other capital regions. With the arrangements made by the bureaucracy, all citizens gratefully lined up to receive the Vitality Soup every day.
Time passed very quickly. In just the blink of an eye, the day for the Emperor to tour the south was approaching!
During this period of time, Yan Liqiang trained arduously in Deer Villa every day. Any spare time he had, he spent it on bringing Chasing Moon for a ride in Deer Villa’s stables. The time wasn’t too difficult to bear.
Ever since the Vitality Soup came out, the White Lotus Society had been dumping fewer and fewer blood corpses. It was unknown if they were intimidated by the power of the Vitality Soup. And for some reason, as the Emperor’s trip drew nearer, Yan Liqiang grew more uneasy. He just couldn’t stop feeling that something was amiss…
Translation Note:
[1] Wei Xiaobao is the witty protagonist from ‘The Deer and the Cauldron’ novel.
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