Lu Zhi followed Jiang Yue and Wang Cao Tian to the grazing area. The boundless plains under the blue sky and white clouds were like a children's educational animation, full of fairy-tale colors and vibrant hues.
"Untie the reins and let the foals run wild for half an hour, but be careful not to let them stray too far," Jiang Yue said as he untied the reins. The white colt darted out like a gust of wind.
Next was Wang Cao Tian's little black horse, which galloped wildly. In the blink of an eye, they became two tiny black dots. Their speed made Lu Zhi understand what Jiang Yue meant by "a bit difficult."
These were just two young foals, and their speed was already like afterimages. If they ran when they were adults, wouldn't it be like flying?
"It seems you'll have to try harder," Lu Zhi patted the little pink horse's head and pointed to the two black dots ahead, saying, "Go, Pink Barbie Q."
Pink Barbie Q stared at him with its large eyes, seemingly perplexed.
"Hmm? What? You don't want to go?" Lu Zhi thought to himself, perhaps it felt it was too childish? Or perhaps it disdained playing with those two foals?
Pink Barbie Q glanced at him again, then lifted its noble four hooves, transforming into a bolt of lightning as it charged forward.
"Holy shit!" Wang Cao Tian and Jiang Yue exclaimed in unison.
Wang Cao Tian slapped Lu Zhi on the shoulder, "So the story about the Ferghana horses you told us was true?"
"Fake," Lu Zhi replied instantly, glancing sideways, "Didn't you realize I was telling a story to coax a child?"
Jiang Yue mused, "Do you suspect something? Or do you know something?"
Lu Zhi could only guess, saying, "The reward is closely related to the foals you're raising. Although they are horses, their intelligence is akin to humans. Do you understand what I mean?"
Jiang Yue pondered for a moment, then said, "When they reach adulthood, will they transform into horsemen? Or will they only transform into horsemen after the competition?"
"I don't know, but I lean towards the latter," Lu Zhi gazed at the majestic gallop of the three foals. The answer was somewhat ambiguous, "Horsemen are also people."
Wang Cao Tian listened, completely bewildered, "What do you mean?"
Lu Zhi explained more directly, "In your eyes, a horse is just a horse, untamable and wild, hence needing training. But adult horse races don't focus on rankings; they emphasize participation, like a tribe holding a coming-of-age ceremony for its adult children."
Wang Cao Tian suddenly understood.
"You must treat the children you are raising with your heart," Lu Zhi said meaningfully.
Jiang Yue seemed to grasp Lu Zhi's meaning, "Are you suggesting we treat the foals like human children?"
Lu Zhi looked at the three foals, a slight smile on his lips, "Don't you think their personalities are just like human children? Only by gaining a child's affection can you truly educate them to grow up."
Wang Cao Tian seemed to understand, it meant raising the foals as one's own children.
Lu Zhi didn't want to explain too much; he already felt like he was cheating, and the divine beings of this tower were helping him cheat.
Could it be that his identity, as Shen Qi said, was the father of the Zodiac animals?
(Shen Qi: Feeling a prickling sensation, is my wife thinking of me?)
Time flew by.
Lu Zhi was two days behind them. During these five days, he walked the horses in the morning, bathed them by the river at noon, and fed them grass in the evening.
For these five days, the foals showed no signs of growing. It wasn't until Jiang Yue and Wang Cao Tian reached their seventh day that, overnight, the two foals grew into adult horses nearly two meters tall.
This left them both bewildered.
But what Lu Zhi found most outrageous was that Pink Barbie Q had also matured, two days earlier. Was that really okay?
However, when he heard Pink Barbie Q open its mouth and call out to him, "Aya."
Lu Zhi's body trembled!