CHAPTER 644: CHAPTER 101: DEVIATION

Despite being a knight of the Black Dragon Camp of the Imperial Dragon Cavalry, Little Jinuo rarely had the chance to visit the Linglong Stables. After wandering around nearby, he thought Yue Jinghua had already chosen the Lion-faced Vulture. However, turning back, he discovered her standing in a plain-looking stable.

"In the Empire, aside from hauling grain and some impoverished households in the city, very few people use horses anymore," Horse breeds were once widely used in ancient times, but on the Eastern Continent, with an abundance of exotic Dark Beasts, horses could only serve the lowest class of animals.

Little Jinuo found it strange, wondering how there could be an ordinary horse in Linglong Stables.

Upon closer inspection, what attracted Yue Jinghua’s attention was a small foal lying in a stack of dry hay, covered in thick golden fur.

"A golden horse? I was wondering how the imperial stables could still have horses; turns out it’s just that their fur is somewhat unique," Generally, the color of horses is black, white, brown, or chestnut - golden horses are indeed rare.

After all, the Linglong Stables belonged to the Royal Family, and besides those high-level Dark Beasts, they also bred creatures for ornamental purposes such as Phoenix Pigeons and Seven-Colored Eagles. It seemed this golden foal was one such creature.

"May I see this horse?"

Seeing that Yue Jinghua had a particular fondness for the golden foal, the cultivator next to her was also baffled.

This golden foal was sold to the Beast Fighting Arena by a foreign mercenary a few months ago. When delivered, it was weak and frail.

The hidden owner of the Beast Fighting Arena, Princess Yunxue, seeing that it was young and frail and that its coat shone like gold, sent it to the Linglong Stables.

The cultivators quietly nurtured it for a while, but to their surprise, the foal’s condition did not improve. Out of the 24 hours in a day, it kept its eyes closed for 23 hours, motionless.

The cultivators had planned to abandon it but worried about explaining themselves if the Princess asked one day, so they temporarily left it in a corner of Linglong Stables, randomly providing it with clean water and dry hay, leaving it to fend for itself.

"Young Master Yue, this horse cannot be ridden, much less endure long journeys," the cultivator still cautiously reminded him.

"No matter, open the gate first, I’d like to take a look," Yue Jinghua insisted, and the cultivator had to let Yue Jinghua into the stable.

This was a foal, barely a year old, with a coat more brilliant than the purest gold Yue Jinghua had ever seen. Its fine fur was groomed so neatly, strand by strand.

Though its limbs were not very robust, they were sleek and straight. Underneath its curled eyelashes were two large eyes, half-open.

When someone entered, the golden foal snorted a few heavy breaths through its nostrils, struggling to stand up, its forelimbs mustering the last of its strength to lift.

"Quite a temper," Yue Jinghua pressed down on its forelimbs and sent a thread of Spiritual Sense into the foal’s body. Her keen gaze settled on the dense mane on the top of the foal’s head.

On the top of the foal’s head, there was a bump that would be impossible to notice if not looked at carefully.

The foal opened its eyes, revealing a pair of emerald-green irises, like the water of a lake in spring. But at this moment, the lake appeared to be undergoing a raging storm, its angry gaze fixed on Yue Jinghua.

That probe of Spiritual Sense was an offense against its own.

But now, it is weak, and cannot break free from the hands that hold its limbs down.

"What’s this? You also understand horse appraisal?" Little Jinuo stood with his hands behind his back, curiously watching the humorous standoff between Yue Jinghua and the little colt.

"!" Once Yue Jinghua’s Spiritual Sense entered the body of the little colt, she noticed something was amiss.

This colt, which appeared to be less than a year old, had incredibly powerful Dark Energy inside its body. But what was strange was that all the untamed Dark Energy was rampantly scattering throughout its body without heeding commands.

The Dantian was severely damaged, like a punctured ball, unable to store the dispersing Dark Energy at all.

Clearly, this was a manifestation of deviation.

How could a normal colt suffer from deviation?

The corners of Yue Jinghua’s mouth curled up into an attractive arc.

It seems she had found her ideal mount.

"I’ll take this horse," Yue Jinghua proclaimed without hesitation, withdrawing her hand and then explaining to the Cultivator.

The Cultivator hesitated for a moment, then sent someone to inquire about Princess Long Xue’s wishes, and Princess Long Xue had no objections.

Yue Jinghua asked another question: "May I know, where was this little colt found?"

"It was bought by the Princess. The Cultivator who brought it over said it was found near the ridge of Xuan Beast Mountain," the Cultivator said while providing Yue Jinghua with the Beast Contract and all information regarding the colt’s daily diet and routines, which Yue Jinghua recorded meticulously.

"Brother Jin Nuo, could I borrow your Black Beauty for a moment? I need to take this disobedient little fellow back to Duke Mansion," Yue Jinghua said as she placed the visibly irate little colt on Black Dragon’s back. Under the force of the Dragon Power, the golden colt had no choice but to let Yue Jinghua take it all the way back to Duke Mansion.

After temporarily settling the golden little colt, Jin Nuo also had to depart.

"Little Brother Yue, this time I cannot accompany you to Fandi Port. The matter of Long Rui has caused a complete fallout between Duke Mansion and General Mansion. This time, Long Jiuzun will most likely take the opportunity to mess with you. Remember, in the presence of those stronger than you, you must endure, and then endure some more, and then continue to endure." Little Jinuo, despite his towering physique, was someone of meticulous thought. His advice, like that of an elder brother, warmed Yue Jinghua’s heart.

"Don’t worry. With our brotherly cooperation, all the ghosts and spirits we encounter will have to step aside. You should also be careful. Not to mention Zhan BeiAo with his narrow mind, but specifically Fa Xiaoyi," Yue Jinghua paused, "Fa Xiaoyi is no simple character. If one day you encounter him on the battlefield and you see this symbol, you must not engage with him and must find a way to evade at all costs."

Having said that, Yue Jinghua drew a Six-star Demon Summoning Array on the ground.

Ever since hearing of Fa Xiaoyi’s sudden rise to power, Yue Jinghua suspected that Fa Xiaoyi must have had some fortuitous encounters. He was originally a Silver Level Demon Summoner, and God knows if his capabilities have increased after this life-threatening experience.

Looking at the mysterious symbol on the ground that he had never seen before, Little Jinuo laughed heartily, "Little Brother Yue, don’t underestimate your Brother Jin Nuo. I’m a top-notch Imperial Dragon Rider in the Empire. It should be said that Fa Xiaoyi better not encounter me, otherwise Black Beauty will trample him. Speaking of which, you seem to know quite a bit about Fa Xiaoyi, what exactly is your relation to him?"

Yue Jinghua grinned, "In any case, not friends. Let’s not talk about this too much. Just so you don’t crave a drink on your march, I’ve prepared fifty barrels of excellent beer for you. Remember to take them from Helen Tavern before you set off."