Chapter 225 - A Second Draw (1/2)

Chapter 225: A Second Draw

Translator: DragonRider

Ling Zhang replied, “I’ve been cultivating internal energy.”

Tao Yi widened his eyes which were full of incredulity. “The internal energy people talk about?”

Ling Zhang inclined his head.

Tao Yi was very excited. “This kind of thing really exists? What’s internal energy like? Tell me more about it.”

Tao Yi asked Ling Zhang a lot of questions pestering him for details. Eventually Ling Zhang ran out of patience and stopped talking, fixed him with a calm stare.

It was not until this moment that Tao Yi came to realize that he had asked too many questions. He scratched his head in embarra.s.sment. “You’re still recovering and need more rest, so I’ll stop disturbing you. When you’re better, I’ll pay you another visit. By the way, it seems that the horse race will be held as scheduled. You won’t be partic.i.p.ating, I suppose?”

Ling Zhang said, “I will.”

Tao Yi wore a worried look on his face. “But wouldn’t your injured arm be a problem?”

Ling Zhang replied, “Not if I don’t use it. Snowflake is very intelligent. I’m sure I’ll survive one lap.”

Tao Yi was still somewhat disapproving, but seeing Ling Zhang was insistent, he realized that if Ling Zhang was really not in a fit state to take part in the compet.i.tion, Yuwen Tong would be even less likely to let him. As a result, he said no more.

…

The day before the compet.i.tion, the cause of those horses running wild was identified – the gra.s.s beside that brook.

The gra.s.s there was the kind that horses liked, so theoretically it shouldn’t have been a problem, but for some unknown reason, all the gra.s.s beside the brook had been contaminated with some kind of poison which would cause horses to go mad if ingested. It seemed that the brook had washed the poison ash.o.r.e. Therefore, investigators had specially walked upstream to look into it.

So far the search had been fruitless.

Strangely enough, people in the courier hostel had been quiet all along as well. Ling Zhang was beginning to suspect that it was not those people from the Wan Kingdom who wanted him dead, that he and Yuwen Tong had wronged them.

Ling Zhang was not in a good mood. Originally he had wanted to lure his enemies out, but what if the enemies refused to take action? Wouldn’t all his efforts be in vain?

But Yuwen Tong was much more composed than him. “People in the courier hostel hasn’t made any move, but it doesn’t mean that the a.s.sa.s.sins haven’t either.”

Ling Zhang felt that Yuwen Tong had got a point. Even if they’d really had a wrong guess and those people from the Wan Kingdom were not responsible for the attempted a.s.sa.s.sination, those who wanted him dead would no doubt still take action, and all he needed to do was wait to see who would betray himself.

On the day of the horse race, Ling Zhang arrived at the racecourse in the eastern suburbs promptly, which astonished a lot of people. His arm injury was known to many, and they wondered why Ling Zhang was still partic.i.p.ating in this event. Even the princ.i.p.al was sent into a brief trance of surprise by his appearance.

“Brother Zhang, here!” Yuwen Jin yelled, his arms lifted above his head.

Ling Zhang, followed by Miao s.h.i.+ba and some others, walked up to him, spotting Ji Yin standing behind the princ.i.p.al on the way.

“You really did come here, Brother Zhang. It surprises me that my cousin agreed to let you do this,” said Yuwen Jin.

Ling Zhang said, “I’m only going one round, and I won’t be using my right arm. Snowflake will carry me to the finish line, so there’s nothing to be worried about.”

Ling Zhang was appraising this racecourse and its surroundings all along while saying this.

Previously he had read the map of Yuwen Tong’s and roughly come to know that at one side of this racecourse was a hill, which in fact was just a mound covered with trees. It was slightly higher than the hillock behind the Imperial College. At another side of it was a row of stables close to the hill, which people could look through and see what was behind, and which was not really the perfect place for hiding. The other two sides of the racecourse were completely un.o.bstructed, with large areas of meadows outside, the gra.s.s on which was fairly lush, and which didn’t seem barren. Therefore, if anybody was going to make underhand arrangements in this place, they would surely choose to hide somewhere near the small wood. The side of that small hill facing this racecourse was rather steep and difficult to climb, with plenty of rocks and barely any footholds, looking as if it had been hewed by people a long time ago. However, climbing-unfriendly for common people as it was, people with some kung fu skills and masters of lightness skills could get up and down the hill along this side quite easily.

Most of Ling Zhang’s attention was on that grove. Sure enough he wasn’t staring straight in that direction but was observing it out of the corner of his eye.

Yuwen Tong had told him that he had made adequate arrangements in this racecourse, details of which Ling Zhang was unaware of. It seemed that apart from students of the Imperial College, the only ones present were students of the Oriental Rite Academy, the headmasters of these two schools, some riding instructors and some security guards; there was n.o.body of any other particular ident.i.ty in sight.

“Brother Zhang?” Yuwen Jin called, noticing Ling Zhang’s mind was wandering.

Ling Zhang wrenched his attention back, looking at him.

“Brother Tao and the others are coming,” Yuwen Jin informed him, pointing in the direction of students of the Oriental Rite Academy.

Tao Yi, accompanied by the couple of schoolmates of his, walked over. Ling Zhang’s injury had come to the knowledge of them all, so they first politely asked Ling Zhang about it.

And then a schoolmate of Tao Yi’s said, “We have to count Ling Zhang out because he’s wounded. Does the bet still stand for the rest of us?”

“Of course it does. A bet is a bet. There’s got to be a winner today,” said Ji Feng.

“Good. That’s the spirit!” Students of the Oriental Rite Academy were very pleased. After reconfirming the number of partic.i.p.ants, they took their leave.