After this talk with Ji Yin, Ling Zhang had made up his mind and come to know what he should do next.

The two of them took their leave. Ji Yin, though unwilling to part with his grandson, saw them out of the house.

At the front gate, they met the principal and Professor Gu. Seeing they indeed didn't seem to have any conflict, both of them felt a sense of relief, which was why when Yuwen Tong said Ling Zhang needed a few days off from school, the principal unhesitatingly gave his consent.

After the request was granted, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong left the Imperial College, heading directly for the drugstore located in the trading center in the west of the city.

Wang Qing had been waiting for them in the drugstore. Seeing them coming, he walked up to their welcome. "Young Master, Marshal."

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong went into the rear yard, appraising the newly revamped drugstore. The more they saw it, the more satisfied they felt, particularly with the rear warehouse, which was not only spacious but also had many newly added designs suitable for storage of crude drugs. All other ancillary facilities were also in readiness.

"... Apart from that, all craftsmen have been fully paid. The next step is to hire some sales clerks with the right expertise. I've been putting up employment ads during the past two days. Yesterday some men came here to apply. I tested them and hired two. The hiring will continue and I'll offer a chance to whoever has the requisite qualifications. After the medicinal herbs are delivered here, I'll appraise them. If their performance is acceptable, they may all stay, and those who prove incompetent shall be fired," Wang Qing reported.

At this time, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had walked up to the second floor of the drugstore, where there were some booths specially reserved for VIP customers as well as some rooms provided for the storekeeper and store assistants staying in the store to take care of things.

After checking the whole drugstore, Ling Zhang was very satisfied. Wang Qing, who received praised for his work, was also very happy.

"There're probably still a few days before the trade caravan departs for this city from Tanyang. You might as well pay some visits to the general storekeeper of the Jiang's Drugstore Chain and see if you can get more pointers from him," said Ling Zhang.

Wang Qing replied, "I've been in constant contact with the general storekeeper and also told him I'd pay a visit to some branches of the Jiang's Drugstore Chain."

The general storekeeper of the Jiang's Drugstore Chain had stayed in the capital city for quite some time but didn't seem to have an intention of going back to Tanyang in the near future.

"Schedule a time for me to meet the general storekeeper. I want to thank him personally after the horse race," instructed Ling Zhang.

"Yes, Young Master," Wang Qing answered.

Ling Zhang, after seeing the drugstore, began to anticipate the day when the trade caravan built in Tanyang would arrive in the capital city. He was eager to find out what the future held for this drugstore of his.

Yuwen Tong said, "Don't worry. This is such a promising commercial area, and the medicinal herbs from the farm of your family are of pretty high quality, too, so I'm sure the business will be good."

Ling Zhang beamed, "Well, that's true. Medicinal herbs from the farm of my family are well-known to locals in Tanyang."

The two of them, after leaving the trading center in the west of the city, made for the racetrack to practice riding. Because of Yuwen Tong's high rank, they entered the place unimpeded by anyone.

Miao Shiba holding halters of two horses had been waiting for them in the hunting ground.

Neither of these two horses were from the racetrack. One of them was a winged steed of Yuwen Tong's which had been with him for many years. Its entire body was glittery-black, with glossy hair, sturdy legs and an air of arrogance about it. Its name was North Wind.

The other one, which appeared relatively docile, was specially prepared for Ling Zhang. It hadn't been named yet.

"Let's call it Snowflake."

This was a white horse. Its legs were just as sturdy as those of the other one, and its white hair was well groomed and very clean. Seeing Ling Zhang coming over, it didn't go wary or restless. Instead, it curiously stepped up and sniffed at him. As if smelling something making it feel close to him, Snowflake swished its tail.

Ling Zhang ventured to stroke its head and it willingly let him. He was very happy, growing to like it.

Compared with Yuwen Tong's North Wind which seemed quite haughty, Snowflake looked much meeker. Ling Zhang fed some fodder to it, and it rubbed its head against Ling Zhang, as if there was a natural affinity between the two of them.

Even Yuwen Tong was astonished by this. He had thought that it would take some doing for Ling Zhang to tame Snowflake. It was surprising that Snowflake liked Ling Zhang so much and things went so smoothly.

"Childe Ling, it seems that this horse is meant for you. Although it looks very docile right now, previously it refused to let anybody approach it or touch it, except for me and the groom. I never thought it'd let you stroke it on first acquaintance. Just now it struck me as a pet of yours," observed Miao Shiba in an envious tone of voice.

Ling Zhang became even happier after hearing this. He'd taken a liking to Snowflake at a glance, feeling that Snowflake had an uncommonly imposing presence and fit perfectly his mental image of a horse that could cover a thousand miles a day. Now, after being informed of Snowflake's exceptional attitude towards him, he couldn't help but put his arms around its head and gently rubbed his forehead against that of Snowflake.

Snowflake meekly let him and gave a snort of delight in response.

Ling Zhang decided to spend some more time cultivating good relations with Snowflake before trying riding it.

Yuwen Tong's North Wind had been having an arrogant bearing all along, but surprisingly, when Ling Zhang afterwards failed to keep from giving it a tentative stroke, it willingly let him, which amazed Miao Shiba even further. "North Wind is actually letting you touch it, Childe Ling!"

Ling Zhang was also somewhat surprised. He had thought that North Wind would dodge aside.

This horse of Yuwen Tong's obeyed nobody but Yuwen Tong. Even the groom and Miao Shiba could merely approach it. If any of them tried to get on its back or do something else, it would definitely fly into a temper.

Yuwen Tong gave his loved horse a praising look, feeling that his horse indeed would never let him down.

Ling Zhang, out of curiosity, stroked all horses in the racetrack one by one. To everybody's surprise, all horses didn't mind Ling Zhang touching them. Though none of them affectionately rubbed their heads against Ling Zhang as Snowflake had done previously, all of them acted very docilely.

All staff members of the racetrack were shocked, for many of these horses were temporarily left in the care of them by others, every one of which had its particular type of temper. Apart from the groom and their masters, in the normal course of events they wouldn't let anybody else get close to them, but strangely enough, they were all very meek to Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong looked at Ling Zhang, a thoughtful expression on his face. He remembered that those horses hadn't shown such docility back then when they'd been in Tanyang.

Ling Zhang returned from his horse-stroking trip and said to Yuwen Tong, "It's so surprising. None of them is afraid of me. Previously when we were in Tanyang, horses owned by my family were the only ones obedient to me."

Ling Zhang himself had also sensed the anomalous part of this situation. "Is it because horses in this racetrack are relatively docile?"

A staff member of the racetrack replied, "That's not possible, Childe Ling. You see that horse over there? The General Zhongwu's (AKA. General of loyalty and valor) nephew left it with us. It's a pedigreed horse from the Western Regions (the area west of Yumenguan, including what is now Xinjiang and parts of Central Asia). Except for its master and the groom, it doesn't allow anybody to get close to it, not even its own kind, and the stable for it is the roomiest in this racetrack, but it didn't show a shred of temper when you walked up to it a moment ago."

Ling Zhang was astonished, looking at Yuwen Tong in perplexity, a confused expression in his eyes.

Yuwen Tong, face impassive, gave him a wink, as if suggesting he show patience. Then he said to the staff member of the racetrack, "Maybe it's because Brother Zhang has a mild disposition. Also, the incense he used today has the efficacy of easing nervous tension. Horses are intelligent animals, and they naturally don't shun those meaning no harm."

After hearing Yuwen Tong's explanation, the staff member of the racetrack, who didn't know the exact reason for this situation, felt that Yuwen Tong had got a point, so he merely made a few remarks about Ling Zhang possessing some natural attribute appealing to horses. After that, he said no more.

"Today you don't have to wait upon us. We'll just be practicing riding in the racetrack," said Yuwen Tong.

The staff members answered "Yes, Marshal," and then all left.

After they took their leave, Ling Zhang cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at Yuwen Tong. "What's going on?"

The aroma about him was from his clothes which had been incensed with a spice after being washed by servants. It was faint, and he wasn't carrying any sachets on him. This was a fact both he and Yuwen Tong were fully aware of.

Yuwen Tong responded, "I don't know for sure either, but I guess it has something to do with the mental cultivation method you've been following."

Ling Zhang was surprised. The mental cultivation method of internal energy he'd been following was from the Millennium Pavilion. It could make him attractive to horses?

"If there's anything different you've been doing after coming to this city from Tanyang, it'd be your cultivation of internal energy. I'm not certain about this, of course. We may pay some extra attention to this matter in the future," said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang inclined his head, feeling that they had no alternative.

After Snowflake finished the hay, Ling Zhang led it out of the stable, walking it in the racetrack and talking to it along the way with the intention to bond with it, heedless of the fact that Snowflake might not understand him.

Yuwen Tong leading North Wind walked side by side with him. The two of them, leading two horses, walked around the racetrack several times. During the process, Ling Zhang had tentatively tried riding it several times. Finding that Snowflake was okay with him riding it, he'd felt greatly relieved.

"There's no hurry. Take your time," said Yuwen Tong.

There were some horses in Yuwen family that had been tamed and were very docile, and anybody could ride them, but none of those horses compared with Snowflake. Ling Zhang would have a better chance of winning a prize if he used Snowflake as his racehorse during the competition.

Next, Ling Zhang swung himself onto Snowflake's back and slowly walked along the racetrack, trying to establish a stronger bond with it.

There were three days left before the horse race. This was the first day. Yuwen Tong was in no hurry to teach Ling Zhang advanced riding skills.

"Bonding with Snowflake is more important than any riding skills," Yuwen Tong said.

Snowflake was a good horse which was of great inwardness and intelligence. Ling Zhang would get twice the result with half the effort during his practice of riding after building a basic rapport with it, which would save him a lot of time.

They spent the whole day in the racetrack. When it was time to return home, Yuwen Tong suggested that Ling Zhang ride back to the city, that he groom Snowflake and spend more time with it at home.

Ling Zhang, feeling that Yuwen Tong had got a point, rode back to the city with him.

Both Snowflake and North Wind were progressing at a gentle pace, and their masters were in no hurry. They leisurely returned to the city, dismounted and walked along the street side by side. The two of them seemed to be meant for each other, and so did their horses. All pedestrians looked at them.

There was a restaurant on the street, which was crowded with customers, one of whom was wearing a student's uniform of the Imperial College. Hearing the commotion from the crowds outside, he also looked at the street and caught sight of Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong, who were proceeding abreast of each other, talking and laughing. His eyes rested on Yuwen Tong, a mixture of misery, jealousy and intentness in his eyes. It was not until the two of them walked far away that he turned around and resumed eating the food in his bowl.

Ling Zhang, after leaving that crowded section of the street with Yuwen Tong, flicked a backward glance at that restaurant, looking somewhat confused. A moment ago, he had sensed that someone had been staring at them. The gaze of that person had been different from that of other people and struck him as very strange, but he had no idea who that person was.

When he had returned to the Ling Mansion, everybody was astonished and excited by Snowflake's appearance in the residence. All of them gathered around it, but just as Miao Shiba had said, Snowflake was not as friendly to other people as it was to Ling Zhang. Qiu Bing curiously ventured to touch it but nearly got kicked by it. Seeing this, Ling Zhang thoroughly believed Miao Shiba's words.

Ling Zhang gave Snowflake a bath. The delighted horse swished its tail and splashed water all over him.

"Well, I wish you nothing but happiness." Ling Zhang looked at it resignedly.

He spent the next two days learning riding skills from Yuwen Tong, and then the day for the horse race came.

Early in the morning, Yuwen Jin, Zhao Jiusi and the others came over to his residence.

"Brother Zhang, are you ready?"

Yuwen Jin, Zhao Jiusi and the others were finally allowed to change out of student's uniform of the Imperial College. In light riding outfits, they all looked a lot more youthful, expectation and excitement washing over their faces.

On top of this, all of them brought their respective favorite horses with them. Ling Zhang flicked a glance at their mounts and found that his Snowflake was the prettiest.

"Wow, Brother Zhang, your horse is gorgeous!" Yuwen Jin exclaimed.

"This is Snowflake," said Ling Zhang.

Zhao Jiusi and all the others gathered around, but Snowflake didn't like it when people crowded around it. It looked rather impatient, as if on the verge of losing its temper. Ling Zhang soothed it and told Yuwen Jin and others not to get too close to it lest Snowflake get angry and kick them.

"This horse is so individual, and it's of such great presence as well. Where did you get it, Brother Zhang?" Yuwen Jin had backed off a few steps, but his eyes were still fixed on Snowflake, as if glued to it.

Ling Zhang gave a cough and replied, "Yuwen Tong found me this horse."

Yuwen Jin huffed indignantly, "My cousin is so partial. I'm his cousin, and I'm participating the horse race as well. Why didn't he get me a horse like this?!"

Ji Feng gave him a dirty look. "Don't you have a horse of your own already?"

Yuwen Jin was just deliberately saying this with affected jealousy and wasn't really angry with his cousin. Ling Zhang, who was fully aware of this, gave a smile and made no remarks.

"You've been on leave for several days. Do you know that His Majesty will be present in the racetrack?" asked Ji Feng. Though believing that Ling Zhang was probably aware of this, he still reminded him.

Ling Zhang gave a bob of his head. "I do. Yuwen Tong told me about it."

"By the way, where's my cousin? His Majesty must have requested his presence on an occasion like this, I suppose?" Yuwen Jin inquired.

"He's gone to the imperial palace and will depart with His Majesty. I'll go with you guys," replied Ling Zhang.

"Then let's move," said Yuwen Jin in excitement. He couldn't wait to see how fast Snowflake could run.

Ling Zhang could tell what he was thinking, and it was indeed high time to get going, so he departed with Yuwen Jin and the others, followed by Wang Dashan, Liu Yi, Xie Shi and Miao Shiba.

It was on horseback that this group of people exited the city. On their way, Ji Feng asked Ling Zhang, "You haven't gone to the Imperial College to attend class for several days. Did anything happen?"

"I was worried that my defeat would be too humiliating, so I practiced riding for two days," replied Ling Zhang.

On hearing this, all others observed that Ling Zhang was too cunning. Ji Feng said, "I would have asked for leave as well had I known beforehand this was doable."

"You could've reminded us, Brother Zhang," Yuwen Jin complained.

"I'd have got myself several more rivals had I reminded you, wouldn't I?" Ling Zhang joked.

"You're indeed a wily old fox," others chortled.

After they finished laughing, Ling Zhang replied honestly, "I'm a terrible rider. These two days' practice was nothing but a frantic last-minute effort. I still cannot hold a candle to any of you."

"Haha. There's no need for you to worry about that. Xun Huo's riding skills are definitely poorer than yours," said Ji Feng, pointing at Xun Huo.

Xun Huo, with a rather embarrassed countenance, said, "I'm not good at riding."

Ling Zhang flicked a few glances at him. He could tell that Xun Huo was somewhat nervous on horseback, which was a stark contrast with others' unhurried bearing.

"It's something he was born with, and he once made an effort to overcome it. Previously he couldn't even ride. It's a great improvement that he is now capable of staying on horseback," Zhao Turui also said.

Ling Zhang reminded him, "Then you need to be cautious during the horse race, Xun Huo. Try not to get too close to those people."

All riders would be galloping fast during the race, and there was a high risk that an uncontrollable situation would come up. If Xun Huo's horse crashed into any of those people's, things would definitely get very tricky.

Xun Huo inclined his head. "I know. Ji Feng and others also told me to take it easy. Actually, I'll get nervous when they pick up speed, and I won't dare approach them."

"Given the situation you're in, I'm sure they'll only let you take part in the first round. Keep your safety in mind. Nobody would blame you even if you leisurely trotted your horse across the finishing line," said Ji Feng.

"But His Majesty will be watching the race. It he rides too slow, wouldn't he be accused of being disrespectful to the game?" asked Yuwen Jin.

After hearing this, Xun Huo got somewhat nervous. "Then what should I do?"

Ling Zhang thought for a few moments and replied, "It's okay. Just do as much as your strength permits. Given your situation, I think it'll be very easy to tell whether you're deliberately being disrespectful to the game or not, and His Majesty would probably see the truth as well."