Seeing Black Friday bringing them in, the shopkeeper didn't waste any words and directly led the three of them into the Beast Walk. It turned out that the stalls in this place were only used for entertaining guests, and the horses were kept in a specific area inside the Beast Walk.
Leaving the area of the stall, Shen Qing, Li Gou, and Chen Xuanze finally saw the true face of the Beast Walk: a variety of birds and beasts, chickens, ducks, cows, horses, sheep, and donkeys, everything imaginable.
The shopkeeper led them to a shed deep inside where there were only three horses. One was entirely black with pure white hooves – the same Uyun Treads on Snow that they had seen before. Inquiring about its price, it was a whopping four thousand two hundred taels, non-negotiable.
The second horse was chestnut red, with no stray hairs, well-muscled, and presented an enchanting streamlined appearance. The shopkeeper called it 'Red Cloud,' and this one was not as expensive, priced at fifteen hundred taels.
After introducing these two, Li Gou's eyes were already red, like a rabbit in heat. Men and their love for fine horses.
The horses must be thoroughbred, and the beauties like young horses!
Unfortunately, the purse was not fat enough; it was too expensive. They could only gaze at the horses and sigh.
Chen Xuanze had already figured out the shopkeeper's strategy. These two horses were just for show, commonly known as 'bait.' The real one they intended to sell was definitely the last horse. With the prices of these two good horses already revealed, the final one would be priced a bit higher, and most customers wouldn't notice.
As expected, the last horse was also very beautiful. Pure white overall, with only half of its head black, creating a uniform two-tone color, as if someone had intentionally given it a yin-yang facial makeup.
Two hundred taels of silver.
Li Gou, without saying a word, was about to take out the money, but Chen Xuanze reached out to stop him, saying, "Shopkeeper, we can't afford these two fine horses. Only this one is left, which is not enough for the two of us. Do you have any other horses to show us?"
The shopkeeper, still smiling, didn't reply. He raised his right hand and whistled. Soon, a young man dressed in Mongolian attire led another horse over.
Then, the shopkeeper spoke in somewhat awkward Mandarin, "Guests, this should be enough."
The newly brought horse wasn't as impressive as the yin-yang-faced one, slightly shorter and weaker. However, its color was excellent – a rare shade of green.
Chen Xuanze was surprised, and when he saw the horse, information popped into his mind: "Horse demon, possessing a faint peculiar bloodline, forty years of cultivation."
"Shopkeeper, how much for this horse?"
The shopkeeper didn't say a word but extended his right hand, spreading out two fingers.
"We'll take both horses. One fixed price, three hundred taels, with saddles, bridles, reins, and whips included. Deal, we'll pay immediately. If not, let's forget it; we're in a hurry." Chen Xuanze stated his bottom line, and the shopkeeper readily agreed on the spot.
Both of them felt like they had made a good deal. The green horse, picked up on their way from the border, meant that the shopkeeper had essentially earned over a hundred taels of silver. Chen Xuanze, on the other hand, thought that exchanging two or three hundred taels of silver for a demon beast with some cultivation, reselling it to the officials of the Xuan Character Division, would fetch them over a thousand taels!
Beside them, Li Gou was getting a bit anxious. The wooden pendant Chen Xuanze gave him wasn't an ordinary item. He had intended to bring Chen Xuanze along this time to help him get a mount. Reciprocity is the way to go. But now, it seemed they were going over budget. They had only brought two hundred taels of silver for this trip, and it was not enough!
Before he could say anything, Chen Xuanze took out a stack of silver bills from his pocket, counted out three, and handed them to the shopkeeper, finalizing the deal. Soon, the two of them walked out of the Beast Walk, leading the two well-equipped horses.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
The shopkeeper did a genuine business, not trying to deceive them with subpar items. The saddles, stirrups, and other accessories he provided were all of good quality. Black Friday's trip was not in vain, and he earned a generous five taels of silver as a reward.
On the way out, Li Gou, with a curious expression on his face, asked, "Xuanze, where did you get so much silver?" While speaking, he handed Chen Xuanze a hundred and fifty taels of silver bills. It was his horse money, and Chen Xuanze didn't refuse, putting it away in his pocket.
"Boss, I sold one of those things you hang on your waist for six hundred taels." With an empty hand, he made a 'six' sign with a hearty smile. Li Gou was shocked. Goodness, he had over a thousand taels of silver hanging on him. The copper coins he had were not ordinary; the two or three coins were quite valuable. At critical moments, they could be used as magical tools, with a deterrent effect on lower-level supernatural beings and a certain level of danger warning.
Feeling embarrassed, Li Gou thought he had taken advantage of the situation and quickly said, "Xuanze, you're tall. I'll give you my horse, and you can let me ride yours." He reached out to exchange reins with Chen Xuanze, but how could Chen Xuanze agree to trade his 'demon horse' for Li Gou's yin-yang-faced broken horse?
"Boss, don't be polite with me. Besides, you're now a Captain, not too big or too small, quite an official. Riding my short thing would be inappropriate." After some persuasion, Li Gou's unrealistic idea was dispelled.
However, the green horse wasn't happy. Who said it was short? This little master was much better than that yin-yang-faced horse. It immediately gathered demonic energy, ready to give Chen Xuanze a lesson, making him realize who was the master and who was the servant!
Before the green horse could make a move, Chen Xuanze gently stroked its head. A faint electric current flowed from his hand. The demonic energy gathered by the green horse was dispersed, and as Chen Xuanze got closer to its head, he softly said, "Behave as a mount, or you might end up in a stew. Your choice."
The restless horse demon immediately quieted down and became extremely docile. It wasn't stupid; it recognized this big and hearty guy as a formidable character who could kill it in an instant. Recognizing the black robe, it was familiar with it—a person from the Division of Demon Suppression. The black linen gown already had a slight deterrent effect on it.
Originally, it wanted to show some mystique, hoping the newly appointed Demon Suppression Captain would value it more. Now, it seemed it had gone too far. Captain of the Demon Suppression? Using such extreme yang thunder magic? Dirty, too dirty!
Understanding the situation, the horse demon decided to behave. Its yin-yang-faced short rider was still better than being stewed.
After joining the waiting team, everyone in the squad had envy in their eyes. Some of the older folks, who could afford a horse at hand, were unable to surpass Li Gou until now due to his lack of a mount. Now, seeing the two riding horses, they could only eat dust behind them with their legs. It was impossible not to envy them.
Several old people were already considering getting a mount after completing this mission. Too good would be unaffordable, but getting a donkey or a mule shouldn't be a problem. As for why they had to wait until they reached Clear River County, within fifty miles of the capital, apart from the recently left Beast Walk, there was no place to buy horses. Riding back to the capital with a horse after completing the mission would be splendid.
Some wealthier individuals were thinking of getting a good horse from the Beast Walk on their return journey. It might not have a better appearance than Li Gou's, but it mustn't be inferior to the green, hearty pole of a horse.
Li Gou, riding on the yin-yang-faced broken horse, was thinking about how nice it would be if everyone in the squad had mounts. It would make tasks much easier in the future. The idea was a bit unrealistic, as new members couldn't afford it. That's why he hadn't gotten a mount before, to maintain harmony in the team. It was only because of the foot injury from the last mission that he decided to buy a horse.
As for what other squads thought about selling their horses, it was none of his business. After leaving the northern outer city and reaching the official road, Li Gou cracked the whip, enjoying the refreshing feeling as they sped along. The trees on both sides of the official road passed by, as if he had been uplifted entirely. It felt great.
The older folks watched with envy. When Li Gou rode the horse back to the team, an old man tried to get a ride on his yin-yang-faced horse, taking advantage of his good relationship with Li Gou. However, Li Gou coldly refused, saying, "Wives and horses are not for borrowing." Little did he know, when he returned to the Demon Suppression Division, his yin-yang-faced horse caught the eye of Manager Ma, who took it away for a good half month.
At that time, no one heard him saying anything about wives and horses. Manager Ma's own horse had died during these few days of the task, and no one asked Chen Xuanze to lend them a horse. The green horse carrying Manager Ma was shaky and trembling; the old folks were afraid to get on it. Whip and stirrups? Forget about it.
The official road to the northwest led directly to Datong, with relay stations along the way, much better than the last trip to the Big Walnut Tree Village. At night, when the moon rose above the willows, the team reached a relay station thirty miles from Clear River County. After finishing their dry rations, they got a good night's sleep.
Rejuvenated, they would officially start their work tomorrow. Tomorrow would be the 270th year of the Great Liang, the Chinese Halloween.