Chapter 255
Chapter 255
Xia Ximo won the first round, leaving Zhao Wan livid.
Yet even knowing the gap between them, she refused to concede and immediately ordered the second round to begin.
This time, she was noticeably steadier. After the little chestnut completed one circuit, she drew her bow and aimed as she approached the shooting point, then released a controlled shot.
To everyone’s surprise, the arrow just managed to strike the bull’s-eye.
The servants watching from the sidelines erupted in cheers again.
Zhao Wan herself was elated in the saddle.
Though luck had played a part in that shot, it guaranteed that she could advance to the third round.
Rubbing his chin, Yu Lang predicted, “Looks as though the second round will be a draw.”
Xia Ximo followed onto the ground. As expected, her arrow struck the bull’s-eye, as effortless and clean as before.
“A draw, just as we thought,” Yan Zhengchu said.
Despite only drawing even, Zhao Wan still looked proud. From a distance, she called to Xia Ximo, “If the third round is another draw, we’ll have to start all over again.”
Clearly, she now had great confidence in her own ability.
Xia Ximo glanced at her. “Then let’s speed things up. We’ll compete at the same time in the third round.”
Unable to stand that arrogant tone, Zhao Wan agreed at once.
“Fine. We’ll go together. But my horse has a very fierce temper. If it collides with you, Miss Xia, don’t blame me.”
Having two riders on the ground was certainly harder than having one. Not only would it impose more limitations, but it would also increase the risk of losing control and falling.
It effectively raised the difficulty of the third round.
Xia Ximo simply wanted to finish the contest as quickly as possible.
Zhao Wan, however, had another motive for agreeing so readily.
As the horn sounded, the two fine horses, one white and one chestnut, set off simultaneously from the eastern and western sides, passing one another in the middle of the ground.
The chestnut was clearly much faster than the white horse.
The first circuit passed without incident.
On the second, however, as the horses passed one another at a turn, Zhao Wan deliberately jerked her reins. The chestnut neighed, startling the white horse. With the ground so slippery, the white horse stumbled and collided with the chestnut beside it.
Fierce by nature, the chestnut instantly grew agitated. It broke free of Zhao Wan’s control and began racing around the ground, sending her into terrified screams.
Xia Ximo’s white horse might have lacked spirit, but it was fortunately placid by nature and did not lose control.
She soothed it briefly, and it stopped. Then she heard Zhao Wan crying out nearby.
Seeing this, the mansion’s servants immediately called a horse trainer to rescue the princess. But the angry little chestnut proved as difficult to appease as its mistress. The trainer could not get near it and was helpless to act.
At the edge of the ground, Ren Fengjue saw the chaos and was about to intervene when Xia Ximo galloped toward Zhao Wan on the white horse.
Then, just as she drew close to the chestnut, she leaped and landed squarely behind Zhao Wan.
Everyone watching drew a sharp breath.
Zhao Wan froze at first. Realizing that the person behind her was Xia Ximo, she let out another shriek.
At her scream, the chestnut twisted, trying to throw both riders from its back.
“Be quiet.”
Xia Ximo took the reins and steadied Zhao Wan, ordering coldly, “Calm down. Keep soothing it.”
Jolted about in such a desperate situation, Zhao Wan could only force herself to calm down through her sobs.
Yet the chestnut was difficult to tame and refused its young mistress’s attempts to soothe it. Instead, it gave a loud neigh and bolted off the ground.
The chestnut moved so fast that the eye could barely follow it.
In the time it took to turn around, it was already far from the riding ground.
Ren Fengjue’s expression changed. He rushed onto the ground, mounted Xia Ximo’s white horse, and gave chase.
The people from the mansion stood ashen-faced and stunned for a long while. Only after Yu Lang prompted them did they think to pursue and rescue the princess.
As the chestnut raced madly down the road, Zhao Wan cowered on its back, scarcely daring to breathe.
Had Xia Ximo not been behind her, controlling the reins with one hand and holding her steady with the other, she would have fallen countless times by now.
The frenzied horse neighed and galloped, trying to break free of control.
But its rider simply refused to let go.
Woman and horse fought a silent battle of strength.
Just then, the road ahead not only came to an end, but seemed to break off entirely…
On the white horse, Ren Fengjue followed the chestnut’s tracks all the way.
But the white horse could not possibly match the chestnut’s speed.
Even after pursuing them for some time, he could see neither Xia Ximo nor Zhao Wan.
He followed from a broad, level road onto a winding path, then into the wooded hills, the scenery rushing backward around him.
Suddenly, the hoofprints vanished, and a “cliff” appeared ahead.
“Whoa!”
Ren Fengjue reined in at once. His heart pounding, he hurriedly dismounted and peered over the edge, then breathed an instant sigh of relief.
The drop below this supposed cliff was not very deep. This patch of ground simply stood higher than the rest.
The chestnut’s fall had not been fatal, but it had fractured a hoof and could only lie on the ground, breathing heavily.
Xia Ximo and Zhao Wan, however, were sitting nearby, unharmed.
Ren Fengjue jumped down at once and strode over to Xia Ximo to check on her.
“Are you all right?”
Before Xia Ximo could answer, Zhao Wan burst into tears.
She seemed to have been holding them back for a long time. Now she could bear it no longer, and her tears poured out like water through a broken dam.
Beside her, Xia Ximo frowned and cast her a cold glance.
Meeting her eyes, Zhao Wan froze again, then obediently stopped crying.
She no longer looked at Xia Ximo with her former insufferable arrogance.
Instead, there was a measure of fear in her gaze.
In truth, the instant the chestnut fell from the “cliff,” Zhao Wan had thought she was doomed.
The drop was not high, but the horse had been moving with such force that plunging headlong over the edge would have left her badly injured, if not dead.
Yet at that critical moment, some force seemed to lift her body, keeping her from falling straight down.
The chestnut had been injured in the fall, but she had landed steadily on the ground without so much as a scratch.
Zhao Wan’s mind had gone blank. Her instincts told her that Xia Ximo was the one who had saved her.
For Xia Ximo, too, had landed as steadily as she had.
That was precisely what frightened Zhao Wan.
She could not understand what means Xia Ximo had used to save her.
Knowing Princess Fenghua’s temperament, Ren Fengjue tactfully offered her a way to preserve her dignity.
“You’ve had a fright, Your Highness. The horse doesn’t appear to be badly hurt, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
Zhao Wan merely pursed her lips. Then she looked at Xia Ximo and volunteered, “I concede this contest. When Steward Sun arrives, I’ll tell him to help you investigate the disappearance from ten years ago.”
“But it’s a very strange case. Father investigated for a long time back then and found nothing. In the end, he could only let it drop.”
“After all these years, looking into it again will only be harder…”
Hearing her sincerity, Xia Ximo softened considerably.
“We’ll know whether anything can be found once we’ve investigated.”