Blackie stole the spotlight today.
Damsels in distress, losers risking their necks, and a collapsing tower of chaos—sounds like the perfect moment for the protagonist to burst in and save the day. Last chapter, when that shadow knocked the gray-robed monk flying, nine out of ten people probably thought, "If not now, when?"
But instead, the hero’s big moment got hijacked—by a horse.
Blackie’s been on fire lately—always popping up and stealing the show.
Blackie’s got a real attitude. As a heavenly horse born to run, getting smoked by a human in a footrace was a major blow to his ego. He’s fine with being a mount, but when it comes to running, he never admits defeat. So every day, besides hauling people around, he dashes left and right, up and down, training non-stop.
Yang Qi saw how motivated he was and gave him a big pat on the head. See? Even a horse knows how to hustle—my kind of ride! Wonder if a horse can master the Dragon Elephant Technique… and if so, how would you even teach him? Either way, Yang Qi started mixing some diluted elixir into Blackie’s feed, just to see what would happen.
And guess what? It worked.
With the elixir kicking in, Blackie got stronger and tougher every day. His speed and power soon left regular horses in the dust. Every so often, feeling cocky, Blackie would challenge Yang Qi to a race. A horse challenging its owner? That’s not something you hear every day. But Yang Qi, being a total goof, always took him up on it.
Wu Zhengfeng’s take: "If this gets out, people will think it’s a joke, but I can’t stop her—let her have her fun."
So every few days, it was man versus horse in a mad dash. Just the two of them, tearing down the road—it was always a blast.
Today, while climbing Shaoshi Mountain, Blackie threw down another challenge. Smart as ever, he knew the finish line was at the top of the stone steps, so he bolted ahead at full speed. On the way, he zoomed past a donkey tied up by Guo Xiang—the poor thing was panting and half-dead, but when Blackie thundered by with a loud neigh, the donkey nearly jumped out of its skin.
For the race, Blackie went all out, sprinting like a hundred-meter dash and barely looking where he was going. When he shot up to the finish, the gray-robed monk and Guo Xiang happened to be right in his path. No idea who was who, unable to stop, Blackie kicked out—and the bigger, flashier, and more 'hoofable' gray-robed monk was the unlucky target.
Replay the scene: the gray-robed monk hears something, turns his head slowly, looking suspicious like Conan—then WHAM, Blackie’s hoof lands right on his cheek. Under the iron hoof, his face ripples, expression twisted, Conan instantly turns into Kogoro Mouri, neck twisting over a hundred degrees, and he spins away like a top.
After that, well, you know how it goes.
Back to the present.
"Hey, there you are! Long time no see!" Yang Qi greeted Guo Xiang with a big, bright smile, then playfully patted her on the head like a big sister. "You’ve grown taller—looking good!"
"Yang Jie…" Guo Xiang was overwhelmed to meet someone so unexpected in such an unexpected place. But she’d grown up—this wasn’t the place for catching up. Sure enough, a few monks nearby were already annoyed. "Who are you? Why are you letting your horse run wild?"
Yang Qi was a little surprised.
What’s going on—running wild with a horse?
Did Blackie just cause trouble again?
She shot Blackie a glance. Blackie pawed the ground and tossed his head, as if to say, "Not my fault! If you stand in such a tempting spot, how could I not kick?"
Then she looked around.
To the left—a dazed-looking young man, facing off with two old monks, clutching a zither and a sword, looking totally out of place. That must be Howard Dao.
Speaking of Howard Dao, that name sounds exactly like someone who runs a foot massage parlor.
You know, the kind of place you see under city neon lights, where a mysterious lady hands you a business card. You glance down and it says: "Howard Dao, from Kunlun Mountain, true master of foot massage." The card even has a dreamy girl posing like the Three Beauties, with slogans like "Skilled in holding, riding, and wellness—pure satisfaction guaranteed!" (If you know the original story, you’ll get the joke!)
Okay, enough daydreaming—back to reality.
Looking ahead—wow, what a crowd! Over a hundred bald guys, all with signs of practicing Iron Head Technique. The lineup was so shiny, the Shaolin gate looked brighter. You almost wanted to roll a giant bowling ball down the line and see if you’d score a strike.
To the right—nothing but open ground, with Blackie happily prancing around.
Anyway, Monk Jueyuan should still be alive, right? If he’s alive, then there’s hope for the Nine Yang Technique.
Spit it out—why did you let your mount hurt someone? This is Shaolin’s sacred ground, you can’t just run wild here! The monks were fired up. They didn’t know the full story, but seeing a fellow monk get kicked was enough to unite them in outrage.