"Afraid? Miss Su Wan, this isn’t about fear—it’s about whether this is fair. Of course, if Miss Su Wan insists that I should tame two horses back to back, I have no right to complain. After all, I’m just a commoner, while you are a noblewoman of Southern Lyn."
But I’m quite curious—do Southern Lyn’s horse-tamers always have to tame two wild stallions in one day, and without a single break?
Serena Feng’s words were aimed directly at the Emperor. A noblewoman from Southern Lyn, bullying Eastlyn’s people right here on Eastlyn soil—would the Emperor really just let that happen?
"Ahem." The Emperor coughed lightly and ordered, "Go, bring out Eastlyn’s horse." He was clearly cutting off any further argument from Su Wan and Princess Yara.
Su Wan and Princess Yara didn’t dare argue with the Emperor anymore. No matter what, they’d never embarrass the Eastlyn Emperor in public. He wasn’t Serena Feng—he wasn’t someone they could manipulate. But that didn’t mean they’d accept defeat willingly.
"Your Majesty, I concede this round," Princess Yara said. If she couldn’t refuse openly, she’d resist in secret. To make Princess Yara of Lyndaria enter the ring and tame a horse like a crude servant, in front of everyone? Dream on.
Even if Princess Yara had to lose, she would lose with dignity and style.
"Concede? Since Princess Yara has given up, then it’s Miss Su Wan’s turn." The Emperor was clearly displeased by Princess Yara’s outward obedience but inner resistance.
An emperor has an emperor’s pride—his word is law, and no one can defy him.
Su Wan wanted to admit defeat too, but seeing the Emperor’s thunderous expression, she could only curse her luck and grit her teeth as she stepped into the ring.
Truth was, both she and Princess Yara might be decent riders, but neither of them were true horse-tamers. Taming wild horses was dangerous—one wrong move and you could end up dead or crippled. Girls born into privilege, pampered their whole lives, would never risk something so reckless.
Su Wan had already decided—once she entered the ring, she’d just go through the motions. She wouldn’t let Serena Feng get much rest.
"Your Majesty, I’d like to step out and tidy myself." As soon as Su Wan left, Serena Feng turned and walked away too. Not long after, Nolan Dongling, Adrian Dongling, and Crown Prince Terrence Dongling left their seats as well.
Seeing them leave like that, it was obvious they didn’t think much of Su Wan. After witnessing Serena Feng’s incredible horse-taming skills, Su Wan’s performance was nothing to them.
Led by a eunuch to the nearest rest room, Serena Feng finally dismissed the attendants. Only then did the smile fade from her face.
"Tss..."
Serena Feng gasped sharply from the pain, carefully peeling off her trousers. The black pants were stained with blood and dust, filthy beyond description. Her underpants were just as bad, soaked in blood and grime, their original color long gone.
She pulled off her underpants next. The cloth had stuck to her wounds, and as she peeled them away, chunks of flesh tore off, making the injuries even worse.
Her thighs were a bloody mess—there wasn’t a single patch of good skin left on the insides. Serena Feng had seen wounds like this before, almost like blast injuries from a battlefield.
"I’ve never been hurt this badly on the battlefield. Who’d have thought I’d end up like this on a horse field?" Serena Feng shook her head, feeling her pain tolerance slipping.
Activating her Smart Med-Pack, Serena Feng pulled out bandages and medicine, dusted a mix of medication and painkiller onto the bandages, then wrapped her wounds layer by layer—quick, rough, but effective.
Ideally, she’d clean and treat these wounds properly, but there was no time. All she could do was bandage them for now and deal with the rest after the horse-taming was over.
Once both thighs were wrapped, Serena Feng pulled her bloodstained trousers back on. With the bandages as padding, the wounds wouldn’t reopen so easily. The pain was still sharp, but compared to before, it was much more bearable. At least, when she rode again, her inner thighs wouldn’t feel like they were being sliced open.
Serena Feng had no idea that, as she treated her wounds, a man was standing outside the window, silently taking in everything.
"Serena Feng, I’m sorry!" The man’s eyes were full of guilt and heartache; finally, with a quiet sigh, he slipped away.
Aside from her inner thighs, there was another serious injury—her feet. The soles had been ground raw from running and standing so long; the skin was broken, blood seeping through. Serena Feng glanced down and sighed, deciding not to touch them.
The shoes fit her feet perfectly. If she wrapped them in bandages, she wouldn’t be able to wear the shoes at all. She could only grit her teeth and endure.
Lesson learned: next round, she’d inject the sedative early. The horse Princess Yara and Su Wan had prepared for her was especially vicious—without a tranquilizer, nobody could break it.
On top of her injuries, Serena Feng was exhausted. She rummaged through her Smart Med-Pack for something to restore her strength, but after searching for ages, couldn’t find anything that worked fast and didn’t have side effects. Helpless, she settled for a stimulant.
Stimulants have side effects. Some athletes secretly use them in competitions, and if they’re caught, the consequences are severe. But here, no one would check. Serena Feng took out the pill and swallowed it without hesitation.
"Hope this works. This contest was never fair, so using a few tricks is only natural." Serena Feng wiped the dirt from her face, re-tied her hair, and looked a little more refreshed.
She closed her eyes to rest, figuring Su Wan, even if she couldn’t tame Eastlyn’s horse, would at least pretend for half an hour. But Serena miscalculated—she’d barely closed her eyes before a eunuch arrived: "Miss Feng, Miss Su Wan has lost. The Emperor asks you to return and continue the contest."
"Alright." Not even fifteen minutes had passed—Su Wan’s patience was truly lacking. She was obviously just going through the motions for the Emperor.
"Your Majesty." Her clothes were still filthy, but Serena Feng’s eyes were brighter than ever, her confidence undiminished.
"Serena, I’m waiting to reward you handsomely." The Emperor’s ambition burned in his eyes, making Serena wonder if she was heading into battle, not a horse-taming contest.
"I won’t let Your Majesty down!" Serena Feng answered loudly. At this moment, she couldn’t afford to lose—if she did, the Emperor would never let her off.
"Good! Go on, I’ll be waiting." Unlike the first round, this time the Emperor was certain Serena Feng would win. And she had no choice but to win.
As Serena Feng headed for the ring, Su Wan passed by in a fresh outfit. Their eyes met—Su Wan looked more excited than worried. "Miss Feng, take care of yourself," she said.
Serena Feng lifted her eyelids, casting Su Wan a sidelong glance. "Don’t worry, Miss Su Wan. I won’t be defeated the moment I step into the ring. Cangshan Blackcloud and the Blood-Sweat Stallion—I’m claiming them both."
"Heh, I’ll be waiting." Su Wan walked away lightly, heading back to the main seats.
Watching Su Wan’s retreating back, Serena Feng grew thoughtful. As she prepared to tame Cangshan Blackcloud, a new worry gnawed at her—she suspected the horse had been sabotaged by Su Wan again, making things even tougher. But for now, it was only a suspicion.
Serena Feng shook her head and walked toward the taming ring.
Accusing someone without proof would only cause trouble. Even if she had evidence, some things were too dangerous to say out loud.
As Serena Feng entered the arena, the eunuch beside Nolan Dongling returned and whispered in his ear: "Prince, I saw Miss Su Wan’s bodyguard approach that horse. I couldn’t see exactly what he did—the Southern Lyn people guarded the stable tightly."
"Mm." Nolan Dongling nodded expressionlessly, for the first time turning his gaze to the taming ring.
No one knew what was wrong with that horse. Could Serena Feng really subdue it?