Chapter 262: Lady Calico at the Horse Racing Event

The night grew slowly deeper.

The Daoist did not, like others who had not brought tents, find a random spot to rest in the camp below. Instead, he walked a long way in the darkness and climbed up a nearby mountain.

Where there were many people, there were many troubles; where there were fewer people, there were fewer dangers. The Daoist was indifferent to both troubles and dangers. He simply wanted to be farther away, to find some peace and quiet, with fresher air. Moreover, from this mountain, he got a perfect bird's-eye view of the campfires across the entire campsite, making for a rather pleasant sight.

Lady Calico walked to the edge of the mountain slope and gazed down. She left the Daoist with only a tiny silhouette, almost invisible among the grass.

Below, a large bonfire was burning brightly, and many torches were scattered throughout the tents. People had gathered in a circle around the fire, dancing. The sounds of singing and shouting were still clearly audible, even from such a distance. The intense, unrestrained emotions seemed to be felt even by the cat.

The Daoist, however, sat cross-legged on a woolen mat in the back, holding a small blue-and-white porcelain bowl, which was filled with about half a bowl of water.

“Lady Calico, you should drink some water.”

“...”

The small figure in the distance finally turned around. She first glanced at the bowl in his hand, then looked up at him, and gently said, “I’ve already drank some water.”

“Lady Calico, you only licked two sips.”

“That’s enough.”

“It’s not enough.”

“It’s enough.”

“You haven’t had water all day. Water is the source of life. Lady Calico, you should be a little child who loves to drink water,” Song You said calmly, as if he knew what she was about to say. After a brief pause, he added, “Or, to be precise, a little cat.”

“Alright, alright...”

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Lady Calico was great at accepting advice. She muttered softly, then reluctantly averted her gaze from the view below and walked back. She bent down to the small bowl, licking the water with soft “

plop-plop

” sounds.

As she licked the water, she looked up at the Daoist and said, “Tomorrow morning, they’re going to have a horse race!”

“Mm.”

“The fastest runner gets a sheep!”

“Mm.”

“Our horse is a good horse! It runs very fast!”

“Of course.”

“I know how to ride a horse too!”

“Drink more water.”

“I will, I will...”

The calico cat lowered her head again, licking a few mouthfuls of water with a slurping sound, though she didn’t drink much. She then raised her head, her eyes sparkling in the dark. “Daoist priest, do you think I could join them in a horse race and win a sheep as a prize? Just like how you won that lantern!”

As she spoke, she turned her head to look beside her. The little horse-shaped lantern was still with her.

“You probably could.”

“So, can I go?”

“You’re asking me?”

“I’m asking you...”

“Lady Calico, you’re a mature and clever cat. If you know that drinking water is good for your health and can decide to drink more on your own, then I believe you also understand other matters well enough to make the right choices,” Song You said calmly, sitting on a woolen mat. “A wise cat like you can obviously make your own decisions.”

“Of course I know!”

After Lady Calico finished speaking, it seemed she wanted to prove that she truly knew. She immediately lowered her head and took a few sips of water.

Whether or not she actually grasped what Song You meant, she still lifted her head afterward and looked at him, asking, “Then, can I go?”

“Since you can already make your own decisions, if you want to go, how could I possibly stop you?” Song You thought for a moment. “However, horse racing isn’t something you can do alone. You should still discuss it with the horse first.”

“The horse is our horse. It’ll listen to me.”

“Well, that’s good,” Song You nodded. “But since we’re outsiders, we’re unfamiliar with the procedures of the festival. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have to find an official to ask about it.”

“Find an official to ask!”

“I’m quite good at dealing with officials.”

“I’m good at dealing with ground rabbits.”

“Very true.” Song You smiled slightly and said no more.

Lady Calico, however, eagerly bent down and continued drinking water. Normally reluctant to drink much, today she managed to finish an entire bowl, leaving it completely dry. As she moved around afterward, the water sloshed inside her belly, making gurgling sounds.

This added quite a bit of difficulty in her dealings with ground rabbits.

Meanwhile, Song You closed his eyes, comprehending the spiritual resonance of the world.

It was now early March, already the late spring season.

In the south, if the weather were good and the sun shone brightly, one might even get a hint of summer warmth by now. If the weather turned bad, it could still feel like winter.

But here, on the grasslands of Yanzhou, the temperature difference between morning and evening was significant. Even though the past few days had been sunny, the nights still carried a chill. You had to dress warmly and wrap yourself in a blanket to keep out the cold.

This place was vast, without towering mountains or rushing rivers. The tallest peaks were barely over a hundred zhang, yet the spiritual resonance of this land had its own unique qualities.

It was vast and serene.

Throughout history, Yanzhou had always been the battleground between the northern grassland tribes and the Central Plains dynasties. Countless heroes and warriors had fought on this land, and countless renowned generals once rode through here, leading their troops in gallant charge.

This vast expanse, like the starry sky above, bore witness to the struggles between the two sides and the rise and fall of civilizations.

The howling wind seemed to carry whispers of history.

As Song You attuned himself to this piece of land, he also offered his heart to it, letting the land know that in the late spring of the sixth year of the Mingde era, a Daoist like him once passed through here.

Perhaps, many years from now, another cultivator would come to this place, sit cross-legged for an entire night, communing with the spiritual resonance of the land, and engaging in a silent conversation across time with him from centuries past.

Meanwhile, Lady Calico continued darting across the grasslands, sometimes chasing wild hares, other times chatting with the horse. It wasn’t until midnight that she finally returned to Song You’s side, staying quietly with him, absorbing the spiritual resonance around him as well as the essence of the moonlight.

***

The next morning...

After tidying up, Song You descended from the mountain and returned to the campgrounds.

In the past, when the grasslands of Duoda were under the control of the Northern King, this gathering was hosted by him. Now that the Northern King was no more, and Duoda had been integrated into Yanzhou, the event was naturally organized by the local authorities.

Song You approached an official to make some inquiries.

The officials of Great Yan had great respect for monks and Daoists, and they enjoyed engaging in conversation with them. It didn’t take long for Song You to get all the information he needed.

The official horse racing event organized by the authorities was set to start at around 9 o’clock in the morning. Registration didn’t require much—simply showing up with a rider and a horse was enough.

There weren’t many strict rules: the racecourse circled the encampment, nearly encompassing the entire hill. As long as participants didn’t take shortcuts or join midway, the first to cross the finish line would be the winner.

It was said that the final day’s event would be more elaborate, with writing on the horses and betting pools set up, and the prizes would be grander. However, the first few days were straightforward, focusing on entertainment.

Anyone could participate.

When Song You arrived at the starting line with Lady Calico and the jujube-red horse, the area was already crowded with people.

Most of the participants were young men, riding either carefully selected, well-bred horses or beloved steeds they had grown up with. Almost none of the horses had saddles or stirrups, only reins. While this was similar to Lady Calico’s jujube-red horse, hers was the only one without even a rein.

Aside from Lady Calico, there were a few other girls participating, but none as young as her. And certainly, there was no one as delicately beautiful and fair.

Thus, when Lady Calico rode her jujube-red horse into the gathering of horses, nearly everyone—both the participants and the onlookers—turned their gaze toward her.

It wasn’t just that she was small; her horse was also small.

Although most of the horses present were

Beiyuan

breeds, and should be the same breed as the jujube-red horse, hers was visibly the smallest among them.

The crowd either broke into grins or began murmuring in hushed voices.

Among the crowd, Song You spotted a familiar face—it was the same young man he had met yesterday.

The youth had arrived early and secured a spot near the front.

As soon as he saw Song You, he waved cheerfully, flashing a bright smile. “Sir, we meet again!”

“Fate brings us together,” Song You replied with a smile.

Not seeing a horse or the young girl beside Song You, the youth glanced back. Sure enough, there they were. He looked surprised and asked, “You’re here for the horse race too?”

“Just for fun,” Song You replied.

“Heh, so you want to win a sheep too?”

“Mainly just for fun.”

“But your horse is so small, how can it possibly keep up?”

“There’s an old saying,” Song You replied calmly from the sidelines, his tone gentle, “that you can’t judge a person by their appearance, nor can you measure the sea with a bucket. The same applies to horses. You might not know this, but although my horse is small, it excels in running. And as for Lady Calico, she’s quite the exceptional rider. It’s still too early to say who will win.”

The young man couldn’t help but laugh out loud at Song You’s words.

All around them, people were speaking in the local dialect. Though Song You couldn’t fully understand what they were saying, he could roughly guess their meaning.

This was all just for Lady Calico’s enjoyment, so Song You wasn’t bothered by the comments and had no desire to say more. He simply stood to the side, smiling quietly.

It wasn’t until a kind-hearted person came over, expressing concern that Lady Calico was too young and that her horse had no rein—making it dangerous in case she fell—that Song You finally spoke up, offering a few words of explanation to prevent anyone from pulling Lady Calico out of the race.

An official arrived to oversee the event. The young man, in good spirits, offered to translate for them.

The little girl on horseback listened intently.

Then came a loud shout—

The crowd of spectators burst into a lively commotion, cheering in a distinct, local style. The horses at the front, urged on by their riders, surged forward, while the youths at the back quickly spurred their horses to follow.

“Run, horsey, run!” a soft, delicate voice called out.

Lady Calico leaned low, clutching the horse's mane with both hands, leaving everything else to fate.

The jujube-red horse galloped forward.

The air filled with the chaotic sound of galloping hooves and shouts—at least dozens of horses charging at once. Though most of the riders were young, the spirit of youth lent the race an impressive energy.

But Song You’s gaze was fixed on just one—the small jujube-red horse, without a rein.

The little girl clung tightly to the horse’s back, her expression serious and focused. She had an unexpectedly gallant and spirited look.

Amidst the group of larger horses, the jujube-red horse appeared short and small. Were it not for the youngest rider atop it—an exceptionally beautiful little girl—it might have gone completely unnoticed.

However, it wasn’t long before the spectators noticed something unusual. Despite its small stature, the jujube-red horse was incredibly fast!

Starting from a position far behind, it quickly began overtaking one horse after another once it started running. In no time, and before even reaching the halfway point, it had surged to the front of the pack.

“Whoa!” The onlookers, both surprised and delighted, grew even more excited.

The sound of galloping hooves faded into the distance, only to circle back again.

Leading the charge was none other than the jujube-red horse.

Though the jujube-red horse was naturally small and lacked in size, it had long since compensated for these shortcomings through its acquired speed, to the point of almost being extraordinary.

Lady Calico, despite not knowing how to ride, had an advantage in her small size and lightweight. Even as the jujube-red horse raced far ahead, it was holding back its full speed. The outcome was clear and unquestionable.

Song You showed neither surprise nor excitement.

It was only when he heard the cheering around him and saw Lady Calico joyfully returning while leading a sheep amid the crowd’s praise and adoration, and saw the uncontainable joy on her face that he finally let a small smile slip.