"What are you looking at? It's just you, buddy..."
Zhuang Rui smiled smugly, raised his right hand in a mystical manner, and said, "Zhuang Rui says you can stand up now, I'm giving you power..."
As he spoke, Zhuang Rui infused a large amount of spiritual energy into the red horse. He thought that with so much spiritual energy, the red horse should be able to recover half of its strength.
To Zhuang Rui's surprise, the white horse did try to stand up as he said, but after supporting itself in the stream for a moment, it fell heavily to the ground again, splashing Zhuang Rui with water.
Unbeknownst to Zhuang Rui, after a night of frantic running, the poison from the wolf's claws had penetrated deep into the red horse's body, and his limited spiritual energy was insufficient to expel it.
To Zhuang Rui's relief, after the spiritual energy was injected into the red horse's body, the red horse no longer looked at him with the same wariness and hostility as before, and it no longer resisted or struggled against Zhuang Rui's approach.
"Damn, the blood is black, could it be poisoning?"
Zhuang Rui untied the towel from around his neck and wiped it on the red horse's rear end, finally figuring out why the red horse had fallen.
Chapter 1142 Taming (Part 2)
The white towel in Zhuang Rui's hand was stained with blood that was a dark black color, and when brought close to his nose, it had a foul, fishy smell. Although Zhuang Rui didn't know much about treating illnesses and injuries, he knew that this was not normal.
"Damn, I wonder if spiritual energy can help it remove the poison?"
Zhuang Rui felt a little uneasy. He first separated a large amount of spiritual energy and let it seep into the red horse's skin, and then used the stream water to clean the red horse's wounds.
When the icy stream water first touched the red horse's wound, the red horse shuddered slightly, but it knew that Zhuang Rui was healing it, so it endured the pain and did not move.
After cleaning the wounds on the red horse's forelegs and rump, Zhuang Rui finally had the mind to observe this extraordinary red horse, which even when lying on the ground, it still showed great promise.
"Wow, your skin is so smooth. I wonder what breed of horse you are..."
This red horse is completely different from those Mongolian horses with thick coats. Its hair is very short, making its body look as smooth as brocade, and it feels very comfortable to touch.
Zhuang Rui could tell that this was definitely not a Mongolian horse, nor did it resemble a Qinghai horse or an Ili horse. In terms of physique, it looked more like a European crossbred Dutch or English horse.
However, the history of crossbred horses is only a few decades old. Although some wealthy people in China have introduced them in recent years, it is absolutely impossible for them to end up on the grasslands, because the price of such a horse would be at least several hundred or even tens of millions.
Moreover, even if it were a European crossbred horse, Zhuang Rui believed that its running speed and endurance would be far inferior to this red horse. If he had to classify it, Zhuang Rui would rather believe that it was a Ferghana horse... that is, the legendary Akhal-Teke horse.
Zhuang Rui examined the red horse while wiping its wound with a towel. He noticed the oozing blood was still black and frowned. "No, it seems washing alone won't be enough to neutralize this toxin..."
Zhuang Rui had used spiritual energy to heal wounds on both people and animals, and it was always incredibly effective. When spiritual energy entered the body, the wounds were basically cured instantly. The amount of spiritual energy he had just channeled was not small, but the red horse's wounds showed no signs of healing at all.
"Could it be caused by toxins?"
Zhuang Rui's brows furrowed into a deep frown. He had never helped anyone remove poison before, and he really didn't know if spiritual energy would have any effect on the virus in the red horse's body.
Seeing that the red horse seemed to be getting weaker and weaker, and that the light in its eyes had dimmed considerably, Zhuang Rui was anxious and could no longer care about anything else. His spiritual energy surged out and poured into the red horse's skin.
"Dude, it all comes down to whether you're lucky or not?"
As he channeled his spiritual energy, Zhuang Rui gently stroked the red horse's neck. He had a feeling that the horse had accepted him.
"Whoosh..."
Seemingly sensing Zhuang Rui's kindness, Red Horse was slightly unaccustomed to being so close to someone before, but it still accepted Zhuang Rui's stroking. After a while, Red Horse actually closed its eyes comfortably and started snoring.
Unlike the foul smell of most animals' breath, the red horse's breath was surprisingly fresh and didn't make Zhuang Rui feel uncomfortable, perhaps because the horse was grazing.
"Damn, is she asleep?"
Seeing Hongma's appearance, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, "I'm working so hard here, while you're enjoying yourself."
However, despite what he said, the red horse's performance made Zhuang Rui realize that spiritual energy still had an effect. Immediately, streams of deep purple spiritual energy shot out from his eyes and seeped into the red horse's body as if it were free.
Since the upgrade of spiritual energy, minor ailments can be resolved with just a trace of spiritual energy. When Zhuang Rui was helping his grandfather regulate his body, he only used a very small amount of spiritual energy. This is the first time in the past two years that he has used spiritual energy in this way.
After fighting wolves and running for nearly ten hours, the red horse was exhausted. Under Zhuang Rui's spiritual comfort, the red horse fell into a deep sleep, and its peaceful appearance made Zhuang Rui like it more and more.
"Damn it, my buddy cried again while doing a good deed..."
After more than half an hour of continuous spiritual energy healing, the spiritual energy in Zhuang Rui's eyes was finally exhausted. The long-lost feeling returned, and with red and swollen eyes, tears streamed down Zhuang Rui's cheeks.
"Xiaobai, can you keep watch for me? If there's any danger, wake me up, okay?"
Without the support of spiritual energy, Zhuang Rui felt completely limp. The aftereffects of staying up all night yesterday were also eroding his brain like a virus, making him drowsy.
Zhuang Rui only had time to call out to the white horse that was roaming nearby, and without caring whether it could understand him, he fell into a deep sleep, resting his head on the red horse.
In his dream, Zhuang Rui found himself riding on a red horse, whose originally smooth body had sprouted two wings on its sides, carrying him through the sky.
The exhilarating feeling made Zhuang Rui drool with joy even in his dreams. He had long been thinking about having the golden eagle carry him around in the sky, but although the golden eagle was large, it couldn't carry him to take off. Now that he had actually obtained a celestial horse, Zhuang Rui was so happy he felt like he was in heaven.
"Damn, it's raining! This Pegasus is good, but it's still not as good as an airplane; it doesn't provide shelter from the rain..."
In his sleep, Zhuang Rui suddenly felt lightning and thunder in the sky, and large raindrops hit his body and face, making him completely soaked.
Suddenly, Zhuang Rui noticed a bolt of lightning heading straight for him, which startled him awake. He muttered to himself, "Damn it, I was practically in tears saving a horse, God, are you going to strike me down with lightning?"
"Huh? Red Horse? You're all done?"
When Zhuang Rui opened his eyes, he realized it was all a dream, but the wetness on his face was real—it was all the red horse's saliva.
"Pfft...whoosh..."
Red Horse was startled by Zhuang Rui's movement when he woke up and took several steps back. Now that Zhuang Rui had spoken, it cautiously approached and used its tongue to wash Zhuang Rui's face again.
"What's wrong with you? Why are they all like this?"
Zhuang Rui reached out and pried open the red horse's mouth, then stood up, holding its head in his arms.
"Hehe, that's great..."
The first thing Zhuang Rui did after getting up was to check the red horse's wounds. He was relieved to find that his efforts had not been in vain. Although the wounds on the red horse's forelegs and hindquarters had not yet fully healed, they had scabbed over and there was no more bleeding.
Moreover, observing the red horse's eyes, they were full of energy, completely unlike its previous listlessness, which indicated that the red horse had passed the danger period and should no longer be in mortal danger.
But this is good. Many people saw that Red Horse was injured yesterday. If there wasn't even a wound now, it would obviously arouse suspicion.
"Oh no, are we really going to have to come back empty-handed this time?"
After Zhuang Rui examined Hong Ma's injuries, he then assessed his own condition and discovered that the once abundant spiritual energy in his eyes had dwindled to a pitiful few strands. He figured he could only manage to soothe his exhausted body.
The distance that Zhuang Rui can observe with spiritual energy is also related to the amount of spiritual energy. The more energy there is, the farther one can see. With just a few strands like these, it would probably be difficult to even extend them ten meters outside the body.
Based on Zhuang Rui's experience, given the current situation, it would take at least four or five days to recover most of the spiritual energy. This means that he would only have two or three days left to search for the imperial tomb.
"Whoosh..."
Seeing Zhuang Rui stand up, the red horse affectionately approached him, constantly rubbing its neck fur against Zhuang Rui's cheek.
Red Horse is very perceptive. It sensed from Zhuang Rui's actions that his "savior" didn't seem to like him expressing his gratitude with his tongue.
"Alright, as long as you're willing to come back to Beijing with me, that's fine..."
Seeing how intelligent the red horse was, Zhuang Rui's frustration dissipated considerably. Indeed, even if he could find some imperial tomb or underground palace, the inanimate objects inside couldn't compare to the red horse before him.
"Luffy..."
The red horse suddenly neighed, and with its cry, Zhuang Rui saw several horses running towards them in the distance.
Although the idiom is "an old horse knows the way," horses actually have the ability to find their way, and they are especially sensitive to smells. These horses probably followed the scent of the red horse.
"Heh, so you're summoning your subordinates..."
Zhuang Rui laughed. These were all Mongolian horses, much shorter in stature. He didn't know how the red horse became the king of horses; they were clearly not the same breed.
The horses that ran up to him looked at Zhuang Rui with strange eyes when they saw a person standing next to the red horse. With their simple thinking, they probably couldn't understand why their leader would be so affectionate to a stranger.
"Go find your men, I need to rest..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and said to the red horse, not afraid that it would run away. For a proud horse, as long as it recognizes its master, it will develop a deep attachment and will be loyal and devoted to him for life.
Seeing that the red horse was still leaning against him, Zhuang Rui said again, "Cough, I'm really hungry..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at his watch and was startled. He had fallen asleep around 11 a.m., and it was already past 5 p.m. If it weren't for the long summer days, it would probably be dark by now.
Only then did Zhuang Rui feel his stomach start to rumble. After persuading the red horse not to stick so close to him, he summoned the white horse that had been guarding him and took the food bag from its body.
Zhuang Rui didn't light a fire. He simply ate a few pieces of dried meat with the stream water and then sat down to recover his strength. He only had a few wisps of spiritual energy left in his eyes, but he dared not use them casually.
Chapter 1143 Following
As time went by, the sky gradually darkened. Zhuang Rui cleared a patch of grass near the stream and lit a campfire. Lighting a campfire in the dry summer was a very dangerous thing, as it could easily cause a grassland fire.
However, Zhuang Rui had no choice. He sensed his condition and realized he couldn't use his spiritual energy. If he rode back on horseback, his pants would probably be worn out by the time he found Batel and the others. It was better to light a fire and wait for them to come looking for him.
However, they waited until after 1 a.m. and still did not see Batel and the others. Instead, the herd of wild horses returned one after another. Zhuang Rui counted them and found that there were more than eighty wild horses back.
The horses all looked at Zhuang Rui with a hint of hostility, standing or lying down far away from the campfire. Zhuang Rui knew they were probably resting, because horses can fall asleep in any posture, even standing.
"Huff... Pfft" After disciplining its subordinates, the red horse came to Zhuang Rui, bent its front legs, and lay down, its large, intelligent eyes staring intently at Zhuang Rui.
In the animal world, the strong rule is an inevitable law. Take wolves, for example. If the alpha wolf gets old, it must step down and leave on its own, otherwise it will be ruthlessly attacked by the new alpha wolf.
Since the red horse expressed goodwill and submission to Zhuang Rui, the position that originally belonged to the white horse next to Zhuang Rui has been taken by the red horse. However, the white horse, which is smaller and heavier than the red horse, obviously has no objection.
Zhuang Rui reached out and stroked the red horse's silky body, laughing as he said, "What are you doing? You're enjoying yourself, but I can't take it anymore..."
Although spiritual energy can regenerate automatically, this time it was used up too much, and it wouldn't be able to recover in less than three to five days. However, Zhuang Rui wasn't too worried. "Huff huff..."
The red horse was panting heavily. It turned its head and licked Zhuang Rui's hand with its tongue. It could feel Zhuang Rui's goodwill towards it. After galloping for hundreds of miles, the red horse also recognized Zhuang Rui's ability. In other words, it had submitted to Zhuang Rui.
"Alright, get some rest. We'll head back tomorrow..."
Zhuang Rui chuckled and gently turned the red horse's head down, then lay comfortably on its neck, feeling the horse's pulse. He soon fell into a deep sleep. ...
As the first rays of sunlight rose in the morning, Zhuang Rui opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the red horse's big eyes, dark and deep, as mesmerizing as gemstones.
The campfire from last night has gone out, but wisps of smoke still rise from the bottom of the fire, drifting crookedly and disappearing over the grassland.
"Time to get up..."
Zhuang Rui did a somersault and stood up, and the red horse also stood up. The man and the horse were bathed in the morning sunlight, looking so harmonious.
"Restore... the law!"
A long neigh from the red horse stirred up the herd of horses not far away, and several more neighs followed, adding a beautiful scene to the vibrant grassland.
After recovering last night, Zhuang Rui felt that his spiritual energy had become much more abundant. Although it was not yet suitable for large-scale surveying, it was enough to support him at least to return to the settlement.
He had been separated from Red Horse and Batel and the others for a day and a night while tracking Red Horse. He could imagine that Peng Fei must be so anxious that he had blisters on his lips. If he didn't go back soon, Peng Fei would probably go to the garrison to search for him.