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...

The next morning.

The sun shone brightly in the sky. It made the entire city look golden, the autumn vibes heavy in the air.

Fang Zhengzhi ran over to Yan Xiu’s room the moment he woke up.

Yan Xiu had already woken up, but he did not look well. It was unlikely that Yan Xiu would be able to participate in the hunting competition.

After saying his goodbyes, Fang Zhengzhi went downstairs.

The moment he left the hotel, he saw a figure by the entrance. She was dressed in the Red Flame Flower Armor and wielded the Blazing Qilin Spear.

"I heard that you are participating in the competition?" Ping Yang asked haughtily.

"Do you have any objections?" Fang Zhengzhi replied.

"You’re riding this horrible horse?" Ping Yang queried scornfully when she saw Fang Zhengzhi’s deplorable stallion.

Fang Zhengzhi turned back to take a look.

In all honesty, his horse was...

Quite bad.

However, he had already left his Snow Treading Dragon Stallion in Dong Lin City. He had bought this horse as a cheap replacement.

"Yes." Fang Zhengzhi asserted.

"As a servant in my residence, your horse is an insult to my reputation. If you beg me, I will lend you my second best stallion." Ping Yang pointed to the horse next to her Snow Jade.

Beside Snow Jade...

There was a battle horse adorned with green scaled armor.

Fang Zhengzhi did not recognize it. However, if Ping Yang called it her second best stallion, it could not be much worse than the Snow Jade or the Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion.

"It’s okay." Fang Zhengzhi rejected the proposal unequivocally. If he accepted the stallion, he would be admitting to being a servant in Ping Yang’s residence.

"You really don’t want it? I hear that the prize was set by the Emperor himself. It is definitely going to be good. Don’t you want it?" Ping Yang tempted.

"Based on pure quality, even if I took your offer, my stallion would still be second to yours." Fang Zhengzhi replied.

"Of course... there is no stallion that can match my Snow Jade in the city!"

"What about the Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion?"

"Not close! It is ranked third at best!" Ping Yang replied haughtily.

"Oh? Which stallion is second?"

"Second? That is Sister Yan’s Scarlet Flame Snow Cloud."

"Damn it!" Fang Zhengzhi did not like to curse. However, when he thought of the Scarlet Flame Snow Cloud, he couldn’t help himself. After all... that was his horse...

...

By the time Ping Yang and him made it to the hunting grounds, the sun was high up in the sky. Its beams lit up the hunting grounds and the surrounding areas golden.

Just as Fang Zhengzhi expected...

The area was bustling with activity.

Many armored talents were interacting with each other. Most of them were compliments about the others’ horse. They would also look surprised when they fawned over the quality of the horse.

Other than compliments for the horse, they complimented armor, weapons, even the hair clip used.

Fang Zhengzhi had always not been interested in this.

It was a good thing no one complimented him. After all, his horse was so horrible it didn’t deserve any praise. Even its ears were drooped as it looked at the grass by the side of the road lacklusterly.

"Oh? It’s Fang Zhengzhi?"

"Who would have thought that he would participate in the hunting competition and horse race?"

"I heard that ever since the previous incident, he had never attended such gatherings. Why is he here all of a sudden?"

"I guess it’s for the Emperor’s reward"

"Hang on, his stallion is... what is it called? I can’t remember it’s name."

"Mud Striped Horse! It is native to Dong Lin City and is herbivorous."

"Herbivorous? Aren’t all superior breeds carnivorous? Is this horse good? Why is he riding it to the competition?

"Not at all. You can easily get one from Dong Lin City for 20 silvers!"

"Hahaha..."

All of them began to laugh. Then, they realized that Fang Zhengzhi was travelling with Ping Yang.

Before long, many gathered around Fang Zhengzhi.

This was a competition hosted by the Emperor himself. Everyone brought their best stallion and Fang Zhengzhi’s ride stood out from the crowd for all the wrong reasons.

However, Fang Zhengzhi did not mind. If a competition depended entirely on the horse, what was the human for?

Ping Yang did not mind either. In fact, she was smiling very happily. She wore the Red Flame Flower Armor, wielded the Blazing Qilin Spear, and rode the Snow Jade.

Ping Yang was definitely the best equipped person there.

As such, Ping Yang was glad to stand beside Fang Zhengzhi. She shone like a bright star next to him. Furthermore, she stuck to him like glue. Wherever he went, she went.

Fang Zhengzhi knew that Ping Yang was using him to make herself shine.

After the gong rang out, the Emperor’s arrival was announced. There were a few princes dressed in gaudy attires following behind.

This was a gathering of the elites, and was also a chance for the princes to show off their skills.

Fang Zhengzhi quickly spotted the Ninth Prince riding the Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion. Then, he spotted the Crown Prince and King Duan riding battle stallions.

Other than them, there were many officials following behind. However, there were significantly less officials than there were at the preliminary court examinations.

That being said, there were more than twice the number of generals.

They wore different armors. They were at least 50 of them of various ages.

The accompanying party brought the number close to 100. They galloped from the distance, kicking up clouds of dust.

Fang Zhengzhi estimated...

Without taking into account the soldiers guarding the perimeter, there were at least 50 military personnel, seven officials, and more than 300 talents participating in this competition.

It was a grand sight.

Fang Zhengzhi knew that there were almost 200 candidates participating in this edition of the court examinations. Furthermore, they had to pass the imperial examinations before being allowed to participate in the court examinations.

As such, he was sure that there were at least a hundred talents who had fluffed their way here.

This was not a surprise. After all, this was a gathering of talents. Many youths relished the opportunity to showcase their skills to the Emperor.

...

The Emperor arrived soon after. He had left the dragon robes behind, choosing a golden armor and a golden dragon cape. He rode a bright red battle stallion.

When he saw Fang Zhengzhi...

Emperor Lin Mubai was clearly taken aback. He looked at the Mud Striped Horse Fang Zhengzhi was riding, shook his head, then left.

All of the other princes had also noticed Fang Zhengzhi.

"That is Fang Zhengzhi? Why does he look like a spectator?"

"I think he is here to provide comedic value."

Two young princes murmured to themselves. Then, they puffed their chests and followed behind the Emperor.

King Duan looked on mockingly when he glanced at Fang Zhengzhi.

The Crown Prince snickered and did not take a second look.

The Ninth Prince glanced at all of the other princes before looking at Fang Zhengzhi apologetically. He rode over.

"Official Fang, would you like a different horse? I have a few other good ones. I can still get them here in time for the competition."

"Thank you your highness. My horse may not look good, but it can run quite fast." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.

"I see." The Ninth Prince hesitated before leaving.

All of the officials and the princes were confused to see the scene unfold.

"How does the Ninth Prince know Fang Zhengzhi?"

"No idea."

"I heard something about it. Fang Zhengzhi had managed to get Ninth Prince’s Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion from..."

"From what?!" A shrill voice rang out beside Fang Zhengzhi.

That official felt a chill down his spine. It was almost as if an icy gust had brushed past his neck, causing all of the hairs on his back to stand.

"Humph!" Ping Yang snorted as she glared at the official.

...

The door to the hunting grounds were open. The Emperor and his entourage entered.

It was time for the opening ceremony.

Ladies dressed in long sleeved dresses began to dance. There were also servants walking around offering wine, food, and snacks.

Fang Zhengzhi had a seat to himself as a rank four official. He began to eat without restraint.

"Eat up eat up. I’ll like to see you race on a full stomach!"

"Official Li, I am guessing Official Fang is here to eat?"

All of the officials looked at Fang Zhengzhi in disgust when they saw him ravaging the food.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping did not say anything. He raised his glasses to toast all of the officials.

They were eating as well, but they ate sparingly.

After the opening ceremony...

The arena quietened down. One of the officials stepped out, cleared his throat, then announced the rules of the competition.

After the announcement, it was time for the Emperor’s speech.

Once that was done, registration officially opened.

Fang Zhengzhi decided that he would throw his hat in since he was here.

The officials in charge of registration were shocked to see Fang Zhengzhi register. All of the talents and generals could not help but lower their heads and snicker.

"Fang Zhengzhi registered?"

"I guess he is accompanying someone?"

"I guess he can’t do much else."

"Of course! If he can actually get a decent ranking with that Mud Striped Horse, I will write my name backwards!"

"That’s all? I am willing to run around this place butt naked. Do you dare to do the same?"

"Sure, what’s there to be afraid of?!"

The generals and talents continued to joke by the side.

Fang Zhengzhi looked on by the side. In the end, he decided to give them a chance. He brought a piece of paper to them.

"Why don’t you write it down? Words are meaningless."

"Brother Li, will you do it?"

"Of course!"

Before long, there were a few signed slips.

Then, they all realized that there was no forfeit for Fang Zhengzhi if he lost.

Just as they were about to add that into the slip, Fang Zhengzhi had slipped off to the starting point.

"Forget it, let’s give him a chance! Hahaha... let’s not even talk about rankings. He’s lucky if he doesn’t end up last!" The group of youths chuckled.

...

Ping Yang and Fang Zhengzhi stood side by side at the starting line. However, the aura surrounding them was vastly different.

All of the spectators were eagerly waiting for the starting gong.

Speed was paramount in a competition like this. In direct conflict, the differences between a superior and inferior stallion may not be that obvious.

However, in a competition of speed, the differences were immeasurable.

The Ninth Prince was also at the starting line with his Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion. He was extremely eager for the competition to start.

He had swore that he would rank amongst the top three.

As for the first and second places...

He had thought of them, but it was incredibly difficult to get that. If the competition was within the capital, he would be extremely confident.

However, the participants here were completely different from before.

They were elites from all corners of the empire. They had stallions of similar quality and skills to match his.

"Dong!" The gong rang out and the competition was underway.