Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Thunder Leopard

“Just what?”

asked Chen Tang.

The horse market owner said, “It’s just that this horse isn’t very good-looking, but don’t worry, it has a very good temperament!”

“Let’s take a look.”

Chen Tang said with a nod.

The horse market owner had his assistant watch the stable, then he led Chen Tang for a short walk until they reached a courtyard.

As soon as he stepped into the yard, Chen Tang immediately saw the horse.

Indeed, it was truly ugly.

The horse’s color was a mottled mix of yellow and brown, resembling tiger stripes and leopard spots, with no discernible pattern. At a glance, it looked like a mess, as if overgrown with weeds.

Yet, the most notable thing wasn’t the horse’s appearance.

It was the overpowering smell of alcohol emanating from the horse, which lay sleeping soundly in the courtyard, with an empty wine jug beside it.

Chen Tang had previously thought that horses slept standing up, but today he had his assumptions challenged.

“You beast, stealing wine again!”

Seeing this scene, the horse market owner flew into a rage, his face flushed as he rushed over and gave the horse a hard kick in the belly, waking it up.

His family had been raising horses for generations.

This horse was brought back by his father a year ago, from Liangzhou Longxi, across a thousand miles. His father claimed that despite its ugly appearance, the horse was actually a rare Divine Steed.

But since the horse had been with his family, besides loving alcohol and meat, it didn’t show any divine qualities, becoming nothing more than a glutton.

Aside from his father, the whole family despised this horse.

After his father’s passing not long ago, the family had been urging him to get rid of the horse quickly.

He had taken it to sell at the horse market, but given its poor appearance, no one was interested.

He even drove the horse outside the city, but the next day when the city gates opened, the horse found its way back home on its own.

The family had several heated arguments over this.

This horse was indeed useless, consuming as much as a person, if not more, and constantly stealing alcohol. Who could afford such wastefulness?

Now, he finally managed to lure in a gullible buyer, but as soon as they entered, they saw the horse drunk and sprawled out, which was embarrassing and disappointing!

The ugly horse, in pain, woke up, but instead of getting angry, stood up, shook its coat, and looked curiously between the market owner and Chen Tang.

The horse’s gaze was lively, landing rather intentionally on the wine gourd at Chen Tang’s waist before averting its eyes again.

This horse was indeed amusing.

Although Chen Tang didn’t know much about horses, this one seemed quite perceptive and intelligent.

The horse market owner seemed to realize he had let something slip in his agitation, so he turned and gave a sheepish smile, “This horse just has this one bad habit, a fondness for a little drink…”

“Haha!”

Chen Tang laughed heartily, unconcerned, “No problem, I too enjoy a little drink.”

The horse market owner’s eyes lit up, “That’s wonderful! I could tell from the start that you are an extraordinary individual, perfectly in tune with the spirit of a Divine Steed like this one!”

“How is this horse’s temperament?”

As Chen Tang approached the horse, he asked, “I hope it doesn’t scare easily and bolt like others.”

“You can rest assured of that!”

The horse market owner pounded his chest, vowing confidently.

In truth, he wasn’t entirely sure, but when selling something, one had to be shameless and exaggerate.

Chen Tang slowly approached the ugly horse, eyes widening with surprise.

The horse flared its nostrils, taking a careful sniff, clearly detecting the unique scent on Chen Tang.

The ugly horse fixed its gaze on Chen Tang, with a hint of wariness and caution, yet showing no fear or panic.

“Interesting.”

Chen Tang thought to himself.

Having wandered and hunted across the Three Thousand Snow Ridges, even the fiercest beasts of the Snow Ridge would keep their distance upon detecting his scent.

This ugly horse possessed such boldness!

Chen Tang reached out to gently pat the horse’s back, slowly soothing the creature’s nerves.

The ugly horse seemed to sense no malice from Chen Tang, and the alertness and caution in its eyes gradually faded.

This ugly horse wasn’t very tall, only reaching up to Chen Tang’s chest, and felt rather lean, lacking much flesh.

“Hmm?”

As he got closer, Chen Tang noticed something on the horse’s forehead that resembled a lump of flesh.

When he lightly touched it, the horse seemed quite unaccustomed, shaking its head with a soft neigh.

The sound the ugly horse made was also peculiar, different from typical whinnies, with a hint of thunder in it.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck in Chen Tang’s mind.

He suddenly recalled reading about this horse in old stories!

It was said that during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, a certain general had a steed named Thunder Leopard, measuring ten feet long and eight feet tall, also known as the Dragon Steed.

Legend had it that this horse usually didn’t make a sound, but had a lump under its jaw with three bristles. If you pressed the lump, the horse would whinny softly; if you pulled the bristles on the lump, the horse would raise its head and give a long, thunderous cry!

The more formidable thing is, if other horses hear this call, they immediately collapse in fear, lose control of their bowels, and are unable to stand up.

Moreover, this horse is very peculiar, often needing to drink, with strength and valor. Chen Tang had a deep impression when he read this part.

Later, this horse became the mount of Qin Qiong, invincible on the battlefield.

After Qin Qiong’s death, the horse neighed mournfully and starved itself to death.

The ugly horse before him somewhat resembles the records related to Thunder Leopard in his past life.

Of course, there are also some differences between the two.

For instance, the ugly horse’s lump is not under its jaw, but on top of its head, and it has no hair.

Its body also doesn’t appear very large, at most six feet tall.

This frail body can hardly be called strong and mighty.

Chen Tang asked, “How much for this horse?”

The horse market owner rolled his eyes and said, “One hundred taels!”

Chen Tang had seven hundred and fifty taels of silver notes on him, so he could accept one hundred taels.

But he didn’t reply immediately, instead circling the ugly horse once more.

The horse market owner, thinking he had priced too high, quickly said, “Young hero, don’t think it’s too expensive. The main reason is that this horse was left to me by my father after his death, and I have a unique sentiment for it. Sigh, every time I see it, I think of my dad.”

After speaking, the horse market owner showed a mournful expression, deeply grieving.

Chen Tang saw through his thoughts at a glance and smirked inwardly, saying, “Then this horse indeed holds extraordinary meaning for you. I shouldn’t deprive you of what you love.”

The horse market owner, thinking he had overacted, quickly corrected himself, “It does have meaning, but not immense…”

“Old Ma, are you fooling people again!”

At this moment, a woman rushed out from inside, pointing at the horse market owner and scolding fiercely, “I’ve been watching for some time, what one hundred taels—sell it for ten taels!”

To be honest, this horse can’t even be given away.

Ordinary people struggle with their own lives, unable to afford a horse.

Rich families can afford it, but who would keep such a horse that only knows how to drink and eat meat?

Moreover, this horse is too ugly, not even having a decent appearance, utterly worthless.

Now, it’s rare that someone is interested, and her old man is asking for the sky—she couldn’t stand it, so she rushed out.

The horse market owner, realizing his act was in vain, reluctantly said, “Alright, alright, listen to you, just ten taels.”

In the horse market, even the most ordinary horses start at one hundred taels.

For slightly better warhorses, they’re upwards of a thousand taels.

Ten taels of silver is indeed cheap.

The horse market owner, seeming to remember something, quickly added, “But let’s agree beforehand: once the deal is made, there’s no going back! You can’t regret it later and come back for a refund if anything goes wrong.”

“Alright.”

Chen Tang agreed pleasantly and paid immediately.

Then Chen Tang asked, “Now tell me, what else is wrong with this horse?”

Having heard the horse market owner’s earlier words, Chen Tang knew he was still hiding something.

The horse market owner, caught by Chen Tang in his thoughts, cleared his throat and awkwardly laughed, “It’s not a big deal, just that this horse has a peculiar temper; it doesn’t allow a saddle on its back. Young hero, it might not be convenient for you to ride it…”

Chen Tang raised an eyebrow.

The horse market owner quickly said, “Just now we agreed, you can’t back out! Ten taels of silver isn’t expensive; just think of it as buying a mule home.”

Chen Tang didn’t mind this.

For ordinary people with poor riding skills, it’s inconvenient and dangerous without a saddle.

But having martial skills, even without a saddle, he could control it after getting familiar.

The horse market owner handed the ugly horse’s reins to Chen Tang.

Chen Tang took the reins and was about to lead the ugly horse away.

But with a gentle tug, the ugly horse didn’t budge.

When Chen Tang used a bit more force, the ugly horse resisted with all its might, pulling against Chen Tang, still standing firm, seemingly unwilling to leave.

Chen Tang was both surprised and delighted.

The strength he just used wasn’t small—for not just a horse, but even a cow, it would have been dragged along!

This ugly horse, looking frail, could withstand his strength!

Before Chen Tang could say anything, the woman nearby got anxious, wielding a horsewhip and lashing a few times, saying, “Hurry up and go, don’t linger here! If you stay longer, we’ll slaughter you for meat sooner or later!”

The horse market owner looked helpless, clasped his hands, and said, “Oh ancestor, just leave. Your previous owner has passed away, and now you have a new owner, so don’t come back in the future. I beg you, spare my family. We really can’t afford to serve you anymore.”

The ugly horse, upon hearing ’the owner has died,’ lowered its head slightly, its emotions clearly shifting.

Chen Tang loosened his grip on the reins, not urging it.

The ugly horse wandered around the courtyard, then looked up at a dilapidated hut behind them.

The horse market owner also followed the ugly horse’s gaze.

That was the room where his father lived when he was alive; after he passed away, no one lived there anymore, and it was now used as a storage room.

The ugly horse gazed at it for a while, then turned around, silently following behind Chen Tang, leaving this home.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep