The move Batel is using now is called "Three Rings Around the Moon," which he developed from the Mongolian horse-latching technique. Its effect is far more precise than that of the herdsmen's latching.
Let alone such a large red horse, even a slippery venomous snake, Batel was confident he could snare it. So after releasing the rope, he confidently urged Crimson Blood forward, preparing to rush forward and jump onto the red horse.
Just as Batel had predicted, the distance of a few meters was less than a second for Crimson Blood. As soon as Batel threw out the rope, he arrived in front of Red Horse.
Without giving it much thought, Batel placed his hands on Crimson Blood's back and, following his instincts, leaped towards the red horse.
"Huh? Where's the horse?"
After jumping off the red horse's back, Batel was dumbfounded, because the red horse that "should" have stayed in that position had disappeared.
"Damn it, it's not on?"
Reaching out and pulling on the rope, Batel realized that the snare, which had always hit its mark, had not actually caught the red horse.
This frustrated Batel. He used to be able to lasso a galloping horse from more than ten meters away, but now, even at such close range, he couldn't lasso a wounded horse that was standing there motionless.
Batel knew his grand plan to tame the horse had failed. He turned his head with great difficulty and finally spotted the red horse standing only six or seven meters away from him.
The red horse tilted its head, sizing up the person in front of it. With its keen animal instincts, it could sense that the other party didn't seem to want to hurt it. However, due to its animalistic self-preservation instincts, the red horse was naturally unwilling to be trapped by Batel.
Horses have very distinct likes and dislikes towards people, and they have very strict conditions for contact and cooperation with humans.
First, you must be able to handle it. In this process, courage alone is not enough; you also need skill, to show your wisdom to the horse, and then your affection and care.
If all of the above can be accomplished, then you can be considered to have won the horse's approval. The horse will then develop a deep attachment to its owner, recognizing him as its master for life and never abandoning him.
Batel was brave enough, and he was full of affection and care, but his hands were a bit rough. He didn't even touch a single hair on the red horse, so naturally he couldn't win the red horse's favor.
"Alright, I give up. How about I treat your wounds? Wolves' claws are poisonous..."
Batel spread his hands and actually started talking to the horse. This is quite normal for herders, who believe that horses can understand their language. If you go to the grasslands for the first time and see herders talking to their horses in a mysterious way, don't be curious.
At this point, Batel had already lost interest in taming the red horse. He said these words only out of his love for horses, not wanting to see the poison on the wolf claws of this magnificent steed affect its health.
"Luffy..."
The red horse completely ignored Batel's good intentions, let out a soft neigh, proudly raised its head, and ran in the opposite direction from where Batel had come from, while the herd of wild horses trotted along with it.
Although there were only a little over a hundred horses, Batel could feel the ground trembling beneath his feet. He quickly turned to look for Chi Xue, but being among the wild horses, he couldn't find him.
"Damn it, we're not going to catch up..."
Batel knew that the red horse would definitely run away to a great distance this time, and the chances of finding this herd of wild horses again would probably be slim.
But just when Batel was almost in despair, a white shadow suddenly flashed past him. Looking closely, Batel couldn't help but exclaim, "Zhuang Rui?"
That's right, the white figure was Zhuang Rui riding on Little White. After seeing Batel suffer a setback in front of the red horse through the binoculars, Zhuang Rui mounted Little White and rushed over here at full speed.
Both the wild horses and Zhuang Rui were exerting their strength. In just a few minutes, the huge herd of wild horses had run hundreds of meters away and disappeared into the deep night.
"Holy shit..."
After the herd of horses disappeared, Batel, who was standing still, finally found his Chixue. However, to his amusement and dismay, there was a yellow mare nestled next to Chixue, and the two were cuddling.
"Damn it, let's go..."
Since obtaining Crimson Blood, Batel had never been able to bring himself to slap it, but now he couldn't resist and reached out to pat Crimson Blood's butt.
This thing was just too much. Even after Batel mounted it, it still leisurely flirted with the mare.
Batel knew the horse was in heat, and even if he forced it to chase Zhuang Rui, it would only go through the motions. When animals are in love, it can be quite intense.
Batel shook his head and shouted to the riders catching up behind, "Timur, Qiqige, keep up with Brother Zhuang Rui. If you can't catch up, that's fine, but whatever you do, don't let Brother Zhuang get hurt..."
"Brother Batel, don't worry, I won't let Zhuang Rui'an get into trouble..."
Timur's horse was a bit inferior to Little White's. Although they started at the same time and chased after each other, he was now lagging behind and getting left behind. Fortunately, the herd had just passed by, and even in the darkness of night, it was no problem for Timur.
As for Peng Fei, who was behind him, he was just there for show. Riding the yellow-spotted mare, even though he had high aspirations, he had to accept the fragility of his fate. After chasing for a kilometer, he simply reined in his horse and turned back.
Forget about the wild horse herd, Peng Fei can't even find Timur and Qiqige anymore, so he can only go back to keep Batel company.
Leaving aside Peng Fei and Batel, Timur, who had been trailing the wild horses for five or six kilometers, grew increasingly alarmed as he pursued them.
Although the wild horses had not left Timur's sight, they had been running for more than three hours, from a little after 2 p.m. to now at 5 p.m., and the morning star was about to set, yet the wild horses showed no sign of slowing down.
Just over ten minutes ago, Uyunqiqige's horse stumbled and fell to the ground, and Timur's horse was also clearly exhausted. Compared to wild horses, domesticated horses are much weaker.
However, what puzzled Timur was why Zhuang Rui was able to stay close to the leading group of wild horses. After all, that white horse didn't seem to have much better stamina than the one he was riding.
Chapter 1141 Taming
Timur was clearly not going to get an answer, because his mount stumbled and its front legs gave way. If Timur hadn't been agile enough, he would have fallen and gotten a bloody nose.
By now it was broad daylight, and Timur could clearly see the tracks left by the galloping horses ahead. But looking at the panting horses beside him, Timur could only shake his head and smile bitterly, offering his moral support to Zhuang Rui in capturing that horse king.
Of course, this was just a fleeting thought in Timur's mind; he never really expected Zhuang Rui, someone who had never dealt with wild horses before, to actually bring back that magnificent horse king.
"That's great, really great! This is so much more exciting than flying..."
As Zhuang Rui rode on the white horse, facing the morning sun, the dew blown from the grass by the wind pattered on his face, feeling exceptionally comfortable. The continuous five or six hours of running had truly given Zhuang Rui a taste of what it meant to be fast as lightning.
This is a completely different feeling from driving a car or riding a motorcycle. When you are on horseback, you feel as if you are one with the horse, the grassland, and the world. Your soul seems to be purified.
Of course, Zhuang Rui also used his spiritual energy to help Xiao Bai nourish his body. In addition, his hips and buttocks were also the main targets of his spiritual energy. Otherwise, after running for five or six hours, his crotch would probably have been rubbed raw. Zhuang Rui did not prepare any crotch protectors or similar items before this trip.
Zhuang Rui looked at the red horse, which was only seven or eight meters away from him, and couldn't help but marvel.
After running for five or six hours straight, the red horse never stopped, not even having time to rest. Yet, it still managed to stay ahead of its little white horse. Even though Zhuang Rui used a lot of spiritual energy to cleanse the little white horse's body, it still couldn't surpass the red horse.
However, this made Zhuang Rui love the red horse even more. Zhuang Rui was even looking forward to seeing what kind of speed it would reach if he infused the horse with some spiritual energy.
"Pfft!"
The red horse, which was running, tilted its head and snorted, as if it was looking down on Zhuang Rui. During the chase between the two horses, the red horse only glanced at Zhuang Rui at the beginning, and then never looked at him properly again.
"Let's see who can outlast whom? I don't believe I can't outrun you, buddy!"
When Zhuang Rui saw the red horse, he couldn't help but feel a little depressed. He had never been looked down upon by a beast before. Did he have to dismount and run past it on his own two legs before he would be convinced of his defeat?
Of course, Zhuang Rui wasn't stupid. He wasn't an ostrich, and he couldn't outrun four legs with two legs. Zhuang Rui's plan was to use spiritual energy to wear down the red horse and see who would be the winner in the end.
So throughout the chase, Zhuang Rui never used his spiritual energy to groom the red horse or treat its wounds. He was determined to see if he could tame the horse without using his spiritual energy.
Since it was born and could run, the red horse had never seen a fellow horse that could run faster than itself. Perhaps it was spurred on by the white horse, because it ignored the herd behind it and kept charging forward.
On this fertile grassland, many herders who were sleeping outdoors saw a sight they would never forget when they woke up early in the morning.
A magnificent horse, nearly two meters tall and entirely chestnut in color, galloped ahead, followed closely by a snow-white horse. On the white horse's back sat a young man.
Two horses, one red and one white, galloped across the vast grassland with lightning speed. By the time the herders reacted, grabbed their horses, and prepared to give chase, the two horses had already vanished from sight.
Two more hours passed, and the sun was high in the sky, its dazzling light causing Zhuang Rui to squint.
Nourished by the spiritual energy, the white horse beneath him still had plenty of energy, but after running for eight or nine hours without sleep, it was severely dehydrated. The horse was panting heavily, and even its eyes were somewhat glazed.
"My God, what kind of horse is that?"
Zhuang Rui looked at the red horse and found that although the horse was also panting heavily and snorting from time to time, its eyes were still very clear. When it occasionally looked at the white horse and Zhuang Rui, its eyes still seemed to carry a hint of... contempt.
"Restoration... law..."
As it ran across a stream, the white horse finally gave out. The stream water was now far more attractive to it than the spiritual energy that Zhuang Rui had given it. With a long neigh, the white horse stopped.
"Damn, just hang in there a little longer..."
Zhuang Rui looked at Xiao Xi, licked his already chapped lips, and felt extremely frustrated. He had been running alongside the red horse for nearly ten hours, but all his efforts had been in vain. At this crucial moment, the white horse started to break down.
Zhuang Rui didn't know any grassland tracking techniques, so once the red horse ran more than ten kilometers away, he could no longer find it. Helpless, Zhuang Rui had to use his last resort: using spiritual energy to attract the red horse.
To Zhuang Rui's astonishment, just as the spiritual energy in his eyes overflowed from his body and before it could be infused into the red horse, the red horse, which was more than twenty meters ahead, suddenly stopped.
The red horse stopped and turned to look at Zhuang Rui and the white horse who were standing by the stream. A hint of pride appeared in its eyes. It took a few steps up the stream, glanced at Zhuang Rui warily, and then lowered its head to drink.
"Does this guy look like a bad guy? You don't need to be on guard against fire, theft, or someone like me, Zhuang, do you?"
Seeing the red horse's condition, Zhuang Rui was somewhat annoyed. He squatted down by the stream, washed his face, scooped up a handful of water, and drank it. However, Zhuang Rui, who had his head down, did not notice that the red horse in front of him suddenly swayed a few times.
"Whoosh..."
Suddenly, Zhuang Rui heard the sound of water splashing. He looked up and was startled to see that the red horse, which had been standing steadily, was now half-submerged in the stream.
Although the red horse struggled to stand up, its limbs were weak, and after several unsuccessful attempts to get up, the red horse let out a mournful cry.
"What...what happened? Did I get scratched by a wolf yesterday and suffer internal injuries?"
The contrast between the red horse's current weakness and its previous valor was too great for Zhuang Rui. Lost in thought, Zhuang Rui walked along the stream toward the red horse.
"It really was caused by the injury..."
Zhuang Rui saw streaks of bright red blood in the stream flowing down from upstream, which immediately confirmed his guess.
However, Zhuang Rui did not know that the reason why Red Horse was so weak was not simply because of this injury. To be honest, the wolf claws were not a great threat to him. The most deadly thing was the toxin on the wolf claws.
This toxin is caused by a type of bacteria that is extremely harmful to living organisms. In layman's terms, it is caused by poor hygiene.
When wolves eat, they mainly use their teeth and claws. When they are extremely hungry, they will also eat some slightly rotten carcasses. Since they do not brush their teeth or wash their faces, a large number of viruses and bacteria accumulate in their teeth and claws over time.
These toxins wouldn't normally be a problem for Red Horse, but after a night of running wildly, his blood flow accelerated, and the virus spread throughout his body, ultimately costing him his life.
Just now, the red horse had been holding its breath and hadn't felt anything, but now that it had completely relaxed, it immediately couldn't hold on any longer, and a sense of impending death surged into its heart.
"Getting caught twice shouldn't be a big problem, right?"
Zhuang Rui walked to the red horse and squatted down.
"Damn, buddy, I'm here to treat your illness, okay?"
Zhuang Rui reached out his right hand, intending to touch the injured spot on the red horse's rump, but the unruly fellow turned its head and almost bit his hand.
Looking at the small, broken teeth in the red horse's mouth, Zhuang Rui felt a chill run down his spine. In this world, there is only animal protection law, and it is a crime for a person to kill a protected animal, but I have never heard of a protected animal being sentenced to death for biting a person to death.
"Alright, I'll give you something in return first..."
Zhuang Rui knew that without giving this guy some benefits, he wouldn't be able to get close to it. So he could only let a wisp of spiritual energy overflow from his eyes and pour it into the red horse's head. Zhuang Rui wanted it to become a little smarter, at least to be able to distinguish between friend and foe, right?
"Luffy..."
The red horse reacted very quickly. It noticed the spiritual energy as soon as it entered its body. Its big, spiritual eyes looked at Zhuang Rui with a puzzled expression. Its small head was analyzing whether the comfortable feeling it had just experienced was given by the person in front of it.