At that thought, Jiang Chuyun tightened her legs around the horse’s belly and leaned her weight forward. Following the instructions her riding instructor had given her, she urged the horse to move.
Unfortunately, Chasing Wind was already displeased about having a stranger on its back. The moment it felt the pressure of someone riding it, it instantly went wild.
“Whoa!”
The riding trainer noticed something was wrong and immediately seized the cheekpiece, gripping the snaffle reins tightly with his right hand.
But Chasing Wind was nearly fully grown, with a pure bloodline and a solid, muscular build. One person could barely restrain it—and with Jiang Chuyun screaming in panic on its back, the situation became even more chaotic.
“Look out!”
Qiuyun stepped forward and struck the major artery in the horse’s neck with the heel of her palm. While the horse was momentarily dazed, Jiang Linzhi reacted quickly, reaching out and hauling Jiang Chuyun onto his own horse.
Seeing that Miss Chuyun was out of danger, the riding trainer quickly mounted his horse.
“Neigh—!”
Tightening the reins, he rode after Chasing Wind while soothing it. The horse carried him around the riding arena, running off its agitation. In the end, no serious accident occurred.
Watching Chasing Wind gallop away, Jiang Chuyun lay sprawled across her Fourth Brother’s horse, her face deathly pale and her body limp as dough. She trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind, looking thoroughly terrified.
Jiang Linzhi dismounted and hauled his thoughtless cousin down before reprimanding her. “When riding, you have to be prepared for a fall. You don’t even know how to loosen the reins, and you can’t keep your balance, yet you still dared to ride someone else’s horse? You’re far too reckless!”
Jiang Chuyun trembled, tears welling in her eyes. She did not dare argue.
Outside the riding arena, her private tutor hurried over after realizing something was wrong. She wrapped an arm around Jiang Chuyun’s shoulders, still shaken with fear. “Thank you, Fourth Young Master! Thank you so much!”
She didn’t dare imagine what would have happened if Miss Chuyun had really been injured. Even if they sold her, they probably couldn’t afford to compensate the family.
Jiang Linzhi said, “Don’t just thank me. If Assistant Qiu hadn’t struck the horse so precisely, I wouldn’t have had the chance to pull her down.”
The tutor hurriedly turned to Qiuyun. “Thank you as well, Assistant Qiu. Thank you so much!”
Qiuyun shook her head. “It’s nothing. Just take good care of your young lady.”
Jiang Linzhi glanced at his cousin. “Take her home to rest. I’ll ask the instructor to excuse her.”
“Yes, yes. Thank you, Fourth Young Master.”
The tutor led the still-shaken Jiang Chuyun away.
Jiang Chuling shook her head. “She just had to take someone else’s things. Look what happened—now she’s learned her lesson the hard way.”
Qiuyun stepped forward and took hold of her young lady’s horse again. “Hopefully, Miss Chuyun will remember this lesson.”
“Exactly. She has such a bad habit of wanting whatever belongs to someone else.” Jiang Chuling clicked her tongue.
Jiang Linzhi looked at Qiuyun. “Assistant Qiu, you know how to ride?”
Qiuyun turned around. “Hmm? Why do you ask, Fourth Young Master?”
Jiang Linzhi shrugged. “Using pain to suppress a horse’s panic isn’t something an ordinary person would know how to do.”
Since he had put it that way, Qiuyun did not hide the truth. “I learned when I visited a scenic area before.”
“Oh? How good are you?”
Qiuyun answered modestly, “The instructor said I had quite a talent for it.”
Jiang Linzhi led his own horse over. “Want to give it a try? Don’t worry. This horse has been with me for three or four years, and with me here, he’s very docile.”
That was indeed the case.
To a horse, whether or not its owner was present was an important factor. Having its owner serve as an intermediary was more useful than spending an hour trying to familiarize yourself with the horse on your own.
Jiang Chuling immediately encouraged her. “Give it a try, Sister Xiaoqiu. If you can ride, I’ll have the stable choose a horse for you. Then we can take riding lessons together! You won’t have to wait outside the arena anymore.”
Qiuyun was somewhat tempted, and she could not resist her young lady’s relentless encouragement.
“All right. I’ll give it a try.”
She approached Jiang Linzhi’s horse from the side and held her palm beneath its nostrils, letting it become familiar with her scent.
Jiang Linzhi stroked the horse’s mane and had his assistant bring over some carrots and bananas that Jade Shadow liked. He had Qiuyun feed them to the horse.
“Jade Shadow is pretty well-behaved,” Jiang Chuling praised.
“That’s right,” Jiang Linzhi said with a smile. “I told you Jade Shadow was gentle. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let Assistant Qiu try.”
Qiuyun fed the horse while soothing it softly, allowing it to grow familiar with her voice. Before long, the two of them had become acquainted.
She stroked the horse’s shoulder and neck, then quickly vaulted onto its back from the side. After mounting, she remained still for several seconds to let Jade Shadow adjust. Only then did she gently tighten her legs around its belly and lightly control the reins, allowing her body to rise and fall naturally with the horse’s stride.
After walking for a while, she lifted herself slightly from the saddle and squeezed the horse’s sides in succession. The horse immediately broke into a run.
Honestly, it was no wonder people loved this kind of breakneck sport.
There was truly an exhilarating thrill to galloping at full speed.
“Whoa—!”
After completing a lap, Qiuyun took her feet from the stirrups and dismounted neatly. Once on the ground, she did not forget to stroke Jade Shadow’s neck, praising it for running so well.
Jiang Chuling stared at her in amazement. “Sister Xiaoqiu, did you really only learn to ride at a scenic area?”
Whether it was the way she mounted and dismounted or the movements she made while riding, Sister Xiaoqiu looked so cool and elegant!
She looked exactly like an English knight.
“Yes.”
Qiuyun handed the reins back. “The main reason is that Fourth Young Master’s horse is so good and cooperative.”
Jiang Linzhi took the reins, looking slightly surprised. “That’s also because your skills are excellent.”
After completing a lap, Jade Shadow was relaxed, its mouth moist and its nostrils expanding and contracting evenly. That showed the horse had been comfortable throughout the ride.
It also proved that its rider had excellent technique.
Jiang Chuling dismounted. “Come on, let’s go to the stables and choose a horse.”
The two of them led their horses away together. Jiang Linzhi stroked Jade Shadow, but his eyes remained fixed on Assistant Qiu’s retreating back.
At that moment, his assistant handed him his phone. “Young Master Pei is calling.”
Well, well.
So that kid had finally been released!
Jiang Linzhi answered the call. “Hey, Old Pei. They finally let you out?”
“They kept me confined for nearly five months. If they didn’t release me now, even Grandma would have objected.” Pei Cizhou spun his car keys around one finger. “Where are you? I’ll come find you.”
“At home. Today is riding class.”
“Is Miss Qiu there too?”
“Huh? Who?”
Pei Cizhou repeated himself. “Qiuyun. Is she there?”
Jiang Linzhi’s brows drew together slightly. “She is.”
Pei Cizhou got into his car. “Good. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
What?
Jiang Linzhi stared at the phone after the call ended. After a moment, he handed it back to his assistant.
It should… be about discussing company business with Qiuyun, right?
“Oh, and one more thing.” He instructed his assistant, “Go meet him at the side entrance and make sure he doesn’t register under his real name.”
That way, he wouldn’t attract unwanted attention.
“Understood.”
The riding stable had riding jackets and boots ready for use. After changing, Qiuyun put on a helmet and led her horse out. The sight of her was so striking that she looked impossibly cool.
Jiang Chuling had initially been somewhat resistant to riding. She had even considered asking her mother to cancel the lessons.
But the moment she saw Sister Xiaoqiu’s tall figure standing beside the horse, her enthusiasm for riding was instantly ignited.
She looked amazing!
Like a standard English knight!
Qiuyun mounted her horse. “Come on. Let’s trot a couple of laps.”
Jiang Chuling had been learning to ride longer than Jiang Chuyun, and this was her own horse, so they were familiar with each other. She could trot without needing anyone to lead the horse.
Although it was Qiuyun’s first time riding this particular horse, her excellent technique allowed her to quickly find her rhythm with it.
After two laps, she could already control the horse freely, keeping pace beside her young lady and instructing her on when to loosen the reins and when to tighten her legs around the horse’s belly.
Jiang Linzhi also mounted his horse and took it for a ride around the arena. His assistant jogged over to him.
“Young Master Pei has arrived.”
He dismounted and saw Old Pei leaning against the wooden fence around the riding arena, watching the riders with a smile at the corners of his mouth.
