Library of Heaven’s Path 2: Eternal Destiny

Chapter 73: Chen Hong

Zhang Xuan hadn’t expected that these fools would suddenly kneel before him, causing him to instinctively shrink back. "What are you doing?" he asked, exasperated. This kind of public display was anything but low-key!

Zhou Qun, the head tamer, replied earnestly, "We just want to learn your horse-taming techniques, Master."

"Get up first, then we can talk," Zhang Xuan waved his hand, urging them to rise.

"Yes, Master!" Zhou Qun and the others stood up, realizing that kneeling might have been a bit too much.

"Actually... taming horses isn’t that complicated," Zhang Xuan began, offering some simple advice. "As long as you’re willing to beat down their arrogance, break their pride, and grind down their dignity..." He casually explained a few techniques that horse tamers from the Master Teacher Continent used. Given how underdeveloped this world seemed in comparison, he figured he might as well share some basic knowledge.

"Thank you, Master Zhang, for enlightening us..." Although Zhang Xuan only spoke a few sentences, Zhou Qun and the others felt as though a veil had been lifted from their understanding of horse taming, elevating their skills to a new level.

"See you!" Zhang Xuan didn’t want to linger. The more questions they asked, the harder it would be to remain low-key. Without saying anything further, he turned and walked away.

Zhou Qun couldn’t help but marvel, "Just a few words from Master Zhang gave us such insight. His understanding of horse taming is far beyond ours! No wonder he could tame so many horses in such a short time."

"Indeed!" The other tamers nodded in agreement. "It's a pity we can’t always learn from him. If we could, our skills would surely improve even further..."

"I heard he’s a teacher at White Rock Academy. Why don’t we visit the academy tomorrow? If we get the chance to attend one of his classes, we’ll surely benefit greatly!" one of the tamers suggested.

"Great idea! Let’s all go together tomorrow morning..." Another tamer agreed, and even Zhou Qun looked excited. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "It’s settled then!"

...

Zhang Xuan arrived at a small, somewhat unkempt courtyard and frowned slightly. The place was littered with horse manure, and the smell was overwhelming. Several fine horses lay on the ground, two of them seemingly on the brink of death. A few robed individuals, who appeared to be veterinarians, rushed around with anxious expressions.

"This is where they treat horses. If you want to look at books about horses, this is the only place that has them," the stablehand explained.

"Alright," Zhang Xuan nodded and walked inside. Before he could enter the building, a hurried veterinarian bumped into him.

The man, an elder in his sixties, glanced at Zhang Xuan and the stablehand, frowning. "Du Qing, why are you bringing random people here? Don’t you know we’re busy?"

The stablehand, whose name was Du Qing, quickly explained, "This is Young Master Zhang, who wants to look at some books about horses..."

Turning to Zhang Xuan, Du Qing continued, "Young Master Zhang, this is Elder Chen Hong, the Ninth Elder of the Chen family and the most skilled horse expert in White Roc City. If he says a horse can’t be saved, then it’s practically a death sentence."

Zhang Xuan nodded and cupped his hands. "My apologies for the intrusion."

Chen Hong wasn’t impressed. "No need to apologize. First, we’re busy and don’t have time for idle visitors. Second, if you want to read books, go to the library. Why come here?"

Zhang Xuan gave a sheepish smile. "I recently bought a fine horse and want to understand it better, so I planned to study its anatomy and meridians. These details are only available here, not in the library."

If he told them he was trying to help a horse ignite its Source Furnace and become a Source Beast, they’d likely be scared out of their wits. This explanation was more reasonable.

Chen Hong wasn’t convinced. "We do have the books you mentioned, but... they’re the result of years of painstaking research by our veterinarians. Why should we let you read them?"

"Well... I can pay you!" Zhang Xuan hesitated briefly before taking out some Source Bills.

"Money? Do you think I lack money?" Chen Hong sneered. "Our books aren’t for just anyone to read, unless... you’re also a veterinarian and can treat horses!"

"You want me to treat a horse?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Exactly! See that horse outside? If you can get it back on its feet and walking again, then you can read all the books you want," Chen Hong pointed to a horse lying on the ground, barely breathing.

Zhang Xuan glanced at the horse—it was one of the two he had noticed earlier, almost at death’s door. It seemed to have stopped breathing entirely. How was he supposed to treat something that close to death?

"Chen Hong, can’t you make an exception..." Du Qing pleaded, worried. "Young Master Zhang only wants to look at the books, not take them away."

"I’ve already said—if he can treat the horse, he can read. If not, then he should leave!" Chen Hong waved his hand dismissively.

"Young Master Zhang may not be a veterinarian, but he has extraordinary horse-taming skills..." Du Qing began, but Zhang Xuan interrupted him with a smile. "I’ll give it a try. Given the horse’s condition, it can’t get any worse."

Zhang Xuan could tell that Chen Hong was deliberately making things difficult. However, the elder had a point. The knowledge in those books was the culmination of many years of research by the Chen family’s veterinarians, and it wasn’t something they would easily share. If anyone could just walk in and read them, this place would have closed long ago.

Du Qing blinked, uncertain. Taming horses and treating them were two different skills. Experimenting recklessly could easily kill the horse. But considering the horse was already on the verge of death, maybe there was no harm in trying. Who knew? Perhaps Young Master Zhang might succeed.

While Du Qing hesitated, Zhang Xuan approached the dying horse and placed a hand on its neck. The moment he touched it, his eyebrow twitched.

The horse was even weaker than it appeared, clearly on its last breath. In this condition, even a miracle couldn’t save it... But getting it to stand and walk a few steps wasn’t too difficult.

With that thought, Zhang Xuan moved to the horse’s hindquarters and gave it a swift kick. At the same time, he infused a burst of Heaven’s Path Source Energy through his foot.

"Get up! Stop playing dead!" Zhang Xuan commanded.

At his words, the nearly dead horse suddenly opened its eyes and, after a brief struggle, stood up and neighed loudly: "Neigh! Neigh!"

"???" Chen Hong was stunned, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. He had diagnosed this horse multiple times, deeming it beyond saving. Yet, after a single kick from Zhang Xuan, it was not only up but also lively. Since when did kicking a horse become a valid treatment method?

Du Qing was equally dumbfounded. Taming horses required a good beating, and now treating them seemed to involve a good kick. Was physical contact with horses really this effective? Maybe he should quit being a stablehand and take up boxing...

"Chen Hong, the horse is standing," Zhang Xuan said with a slight smile. "Can I read the books now?"

"You... you..." Chen Hong’s face twitched as he stared at the now-healthy-looking horse. Although he couldn’t understand what Zhang Xuan had done, the horse was undeniably on its feet. After a moment’s hesitation, Chen Hong snorted. "It’s still not enough!"

"Oh?" Zhang Xuan’s brows furrowed. "You said as long as it could stand and walk, I could read the books..."

"I know what I said!" Chen Hong snapped. "But these books are the culmination of countless years of research by the Chen family’s veterinarians. You’re not a member of the Chen family, so you’re not qualified to see them. Even if I agreed, the patriarch and elders wouldn’t approve... Speaking of which, Patriarch, Elders, what brings you here?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Chen Xiao, the patriarch, and Elder Chen Yun entered the courtyard, scanning the area. When they saw Zhang Xuan, their faces lit up, and they hurried over.

"Elder Zhang, here is your guest elder token. We made it just for you," Patriarch Chen Xiao said with a wide smile, as if he couldn’t be more pleased.

"Oh," Zhang Xuan casually took the token.

The token was about the size of a baby’s palm, with "Guest Elder" inscribed on the front and "Zhang Xuan" on the back.

"Elder Zhang, here is your first month’s salary," Elder Chen Yun added, handing Zhang Xuan a stack of Source Bills, his face beaming.

"..." Chen Hong felt like his brain had short-circuited.

Just a moment ago, he had told Zhang Xuan he wasn’t qualified to read the books because he wasn’t part of the Chen family. Now, the patriarch and elder had shown up, one to present a token, the other to deliver money—both with expressions of utmost respect.

What in the world was going on?

Unable to hold back his curiosity, Chen Hong looked at the patriarch. "Patriarch, Elder... what’s going on?"

"Oh, Chen Hong!" Elder Chen Yun smiled warmly and introduced Zhang Xuan. "This is Zhang Xuan, our newly appointed guest elder of the Chen family. He enjoys the highest level of authority within the family, with a status equal to the patriarch’s. Aren’t you going to greet him?"

"G-Greet him?" Chen Hong stammered, feeling his face flush with embarrassment. If Zhang Xuan had revealed his status earlier, Chen Hong would never have said what he did...

"Is there a problem?" Chen Xiao sensed something amiss. "Is there a conflict between you and Elder Zhang? Elder Zhang, if Elder Chen Hong has offended you, please forgive him..."

"It’s nothing," Zhang Xuan shook his head, pocketing the guest elder token before asking, "So, can I read the books now?"

"Of course! Elder Zhang, this way, please!" Chen Hong quickly gestured toward a small room.

Zhang Xuan glanced over. It was a modest room with just two rows of bookshelves, holding a few hundred volumes.

"Thank you," Zhang Xuan said, bowing slightly to Chen Xiao and Elder Chen Yun. "Patriarch Chen, Elder Yun, I’ll go read the books now. We can talk more later."

With that, he strode into the room.

Once Zhang Xuan was out of earshot, Chen Xiao’s expression turned stern. "Chen Hong, what happened? Did you upset Elder Zhang?"

"It’s like this..." Chen Hong recounted the events, feeling more and more embarrassed as he spoke. By the end, both Chen Xiao and Elder Chen Yun were staring at each other in disbelief.

"Not only does he excel at taming horses, but he can also treat them? And all it takes is a kick?" Chen Xiao was astounded.

"How on earth did he do that?" Elder Chen Yun wondered aloud, glancing toward the horse.

The once frail horse now stood tall and proud, showing no signs of illness. Curious, Elder Chen Yun reached out to touch its head.

Thud!

The horse collapsed instantly, twitched a few times, and then lay still—its breathing had stopped.

Just a Heaven’s Path Source Energy had kept it going this long... but now, it was dead.

"???" Chen Hong finally realized what had happened. "He used True Energy to keep it standing?"

Damn it, I thought he cured it with a kick... Turns out it was just for show!

Suddenly, Chen Hong wasn’t so sure about this new guest elder.

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