"Hmm? Who's speaking?" Wang Cao Tian poked his head out from beside the black horse, his face full of confusion. "Whose little girl's voice is that?"
"Ayah?" Jiang Yue withdrew her gaze from the black horse and slowly looked at the pink Barbie Q beside Lu Zhi. "Did she… just speak?"
"Really?" Wang Cao Tian was surprised, then quickly calmed down. "It's quite normal for them to speak, isn't it? Horse people speak so fluently. I don't know if my Little Black can. Little Black? Say something? Call me Daddy?"
Little Black looked down at Wang Cao Tian's foolishness from a high position, baring its teeth and spitting a mouthful of saliva onto his face.
Wang Cao Tian: ...Fine, if you don't want to call me that, then don't. Why are you looking down on me?
"Hahahaha..." Jiang Yue laughed so hard her eyes disappeared as she watched Wang Cao Tian get spat on. Then she said, "Ayah, I remember this term was used the same way as 'father' in modern times, right?"
Lu Zhi looked at the pink Barbie Q with a melancholic gaze and sighed, "I don't know either. Perhaps I was too good to her, and she mistook me for her adoptive father?"
Jiang Yue raised an eyebrow, "Then if she's matured early, will she be participating in the adult horse competitions with us?"
"Let's see how your competition goes first," Lu Zhi was unsure if Barbie Q's situation could be considered forcing growth. She seemed mature, but was actually still two days away.
"That's fine. We'll go inform the tribal chief first and have her take us to the competition," Jiang Yue said, then led her adult white horse towards the tribal chief's yurt.
From afar, they could see many horse people leading adult horses and queuing. Jiang Yue and Wang Cao Tian joined the back of the line, and it wasn't long before they went in to register.
Lu Zhi watched the horse people lead their horses, their actions exceptionally rough. Towards the horses they had raised, most maintained a professional attitude, neither overly enthusiastic nor excessively indifferent, appearing to be all business.
This made Lu Zhi frown. He thoughtfully observed the horse people after they registered, leading their horses into another yurt. Several red cloth strips were tied to the yurt's door curtain, making it very conspicuous.
After a moment of thought, Lu Zhi walked towards the yurt with the red cloth strips.
Barbie Q followed closely behind. Even after maturing, she was still very attached to Lu Zhi.
If he hadn't heard her call him 'Ayah', Lu Zhi would have suspected he had raised a very ordinary horse.
But thankfully, since he didn't respond, Barbie Q also remained silent. She quietly guarded behind him, always looking at him with a pair of lonely and sad eyes.
"Wait for me outside," Lu Zhi instructed, and Barbie Q obediently stood outside, unmoving.
Lu Zhi lifted the curtain and entered the yurt, only to find it was a shop selling saddles, along with many reins and whips. The owner was a man.
"You can collect a saddle and whip for free after registration. Don't be greedy," the man said, resting his chin on one hand, his eyes closed, and he even yawned.
Lu Zhi didn't speak, but asked, "Does the competition require participation with the horses?"
The man, who had been dozing, suddenly opened his eyes, his dark pupils staring directly at Lu Zhi. "Are you the owner of that abnormal breed?"
Lu Zhi's expression was calm, "Barbie Q is my horse, my family. I don't like you calling her an abnormal breed."
The man was taken aback, "How could you give her such an unpleasant name?"
Lu Zhi raised an eyebrow, "My horse naturally gets the name I like. Besides, the horse didn't object. Why are you angry?"
The man snorted coldly, "You won't win."
Lu Zhi's eyes flickered, "How will you know if you don't try?"
The man said, "Without the recognition of the Horse God, you will harm her. Exile is her best destination."
Lu Zhi understood the man's words implied hidden meaning. The competition carried a certain danger, possibly even death. Therefore, the ranking was not important; survival was the most crucial thing.
"Thank you," Lu Zhi said, then walked out of the yurt.
He was met by Jiang Yue and Wang Cao Tian. Seeing their serious expressions, they must have encountered some other issues during registration.
Jiang Yue stated directly, "For the registered horse competition, there are two choices: one is for the horse to participate alone, and the other is for the horse trainer to participate together."
Wang Cao Tian added, "The reason the ranking isn't important is because the finish line is the Horse God's divine tomb. Only by gaining the Horse God's recognition can one emerge. As for the failed horses, they must remain in the divine tomb."
Lu Zhi frowned, "Which option did you choose?"
Jiang Yue and Wang Cao Tian exchanged glances. Jiang Yue said, "I chose to participate together."
Wang Cao Tian: "Me too."
Lu Zhi mused, "Although this method is the most secure, I have a feeling this divine tomb is not simple. You two must be careful."
After collecting a saddle and whip, Jiang Yue and Wang Cao Tian headed to the competition area.
The competition area was also a patch of green grass. As far as the eye could see, a gray wall connected to the sky had appeared in the distance.
Within the wall, the dark silhouettes seemed to show countless horses galloping down from the sky, a vast throng.
"One, two, three… a total of twenty-six horses are participating," Jiang Yue frowned. "But only we chose to participate in the competition with our horses."
Lu Zhi also noticed that the competition area was merely a demarcated zone, without any grand spectator stands or hosts.
Only two white clouds paralleled each other in the blue sky, leading straight to the divine tomb. The trainers who came to compete stood behind, gazing towards it. Very few other horse people came to watch.
Lu Zhi frowned. It wasn't an illusion; these horse people seemed to be merely making up the numbers.
After about half an hour, the tribal chief finally arrived. Her eyes calmly swept over Barbie Q beside Lu Zhi before she retracted her gaze and said, "The competition will last for three days. After three days, any horses that have not returned will be considered failures."
Jiang Yue and Wang Cao Tian simultaneously mounted their horses.
The tribal chief gave the order, "Depart."
It wasn't a "start" to the competition, but a simple "depart." Therefore, entering the divine tomb and emerging safely was the true trial.
Lu Zhi asked, "Normally, how long would it take?"
The tribal chief replied, "One day is sufficient."
Lu Zhi nodded, asked no further questions, and sat down cross-legged. He intended to let Barbie Q rest too, but noticed her eyes were fixed on the direction of the divine tomb.
Time flew by. As the first horse and then the second horse returned, it was already close to sunset.
Lu Zhi counted silently. About twelve horses had returned.
As the sky darkened, even the competition area did not allow overnight stays. So, Lu Zhi and Barbie Q went back to sleep. They returned the next morning as soon as it was light.
Lu Zhi noticed that the horses that had successfully returned looked no different from ordinary horses. It wasn't until one horse transformed into a horse person in front of Lu Zhi that he had two hypotheses.
The first: they passed the Horse God's trial and recognition but did not have the qualification to become horse people.
The second: they passed the Horse God's recognition and became horse people.
And the former did not need to choose, while the latter could choose whether to become a horse person.
Waiting and waiting, soon another day passed.
On the third day, Lu Zhi's eyes darkened.
All the horses had returned, except for them. Lu Zhi felt he couldn't wait any longer.
So, he brought Barbie Q and said to the tribal chief, "Tribal Chief, I want to participate in the trial."
...
Inside the divine tomb, Jiang Yue and Wang Cao Tian were facing a difficult choice.
Should they get out alive normally, or become horse people and get out alive.