026 The Horse's Prolonged Whinny

Dust billowed, stirring the dim, yellow wind and sand, scattering and rushing across the grounds…
All at once, everyone began to flee in all directions, shrieks echoing in the air.
Those boys and girls, dressed in luxurious equestrian attire, who just moments earlier had worn expressions of calm and were busy with their mockery, now resembled panicked mice, scrambling desperately.
They ran haphazardly, with no sense of order, even at the expense of harming their companions.
Some were pushed and fell, unable to rise, and could only crawl away in disgrace.
…
On this side,
Mu Qingcheng stood calmly, the attendants at her side having long vanished.
Qin Beichu, whom she had pushed aside, staggered back a few steps, still shaken and unsettled.
And at the very moment he finally steadied himself, the girl not far in front of him suddenly… flashed out of sight.
Immediately after, the furious pounding of hooves—
The wild, thunderous sound of horses' hooves swept past the spot where he had just stood.
Each strike of the hooves sounded like a heavy drum, thudding against the earth.
Even without seeing the horse clearly, it was evident how powerful its build was.
Had it trampled him, the consequences… were simply unimaginable.
“So, just now… she was trying to save me?”

Qin Beichu’s brows were tightly knit, a shadow passing over his usually warm and sunny face, a hint of confusion and surprise flickering in his expression.
Meanwhile, a large wave of staff, slow to react, finally arrived at the scene.
Every face showed shock and panic, but they quickly spread out to the periphery, helping the sons and daughters of each family, who had been thrown from their horses, back to their feet and busying themselves with comfort and reassurance.
Many vented their anger in frustrated complaints, but more chose to endure in silence.
The owner behind this stable possessed unfathomable power—not someone their families could afford to offend.
Ultimately, for many, the reason they’d given up opportunities to study abroad and chosen to attend university in the Imperial Capital…
Was none other than the chance to form connections with the Si family, that towering tree capable of sheltering all beneath it.
True, the Si family’s school was renowned in its own right.
But in the eyes of these families, the Si family itself was the greater prize, impossible not to covet.
With the chaos settling,
The dust and grass finally lay still upon the ground, letting people tread them underfoot without stirring another sound.
But who could know what the next moment might bring—
Suddenly, a sharp, abrupt neigh pierced the air, as if falling from the heavens, jolting everyone’s newly found calm.
Following the sound, people finally noticed, at the far end of the stable, a tall black horse had been intercepted midway
by a slender young girl.

Even from a distance, the black stallion’s coat gleamed with an oily, undulating sheen.
Its muscles bulged and rippled, its hooves restless as it paced back and forth, tossing its head and neighing in protest, struggling against something unseen—yet not daring to take another step forward.
…
“Is that the young lady from the Mu family?”
“How dare she overestimate herself?”
“She must be mad!”
…
A group chattered ceaselessly, while Qin Beichu stood at the front, his brows still furrowed.
That petite yet resolute figure, bathed in the harsh sunlight, radiated an extraordinary strength.
A muted halo surrounded her, understated yet impossible to look away from.
The scene stirred something intense in the heart.
And just at that moment, another had arrived, witnessing this sight as well.
Yet right then, Mu Qingcheng, who had been confronting the wild horse, suddenly reached out and seized the reins that had been flung before her.
Without hesitation, she vaulted onto the horse’s back!