Chapter 287: First name on the tablet
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
A few of the scions heard it and chuckled.
To these rich youths, what was five silvers? Even if they dropped it on the ground, they would not bother picking it up.
"Ten silvers then!" Wen Dabao’s face flushed.
"Come on. How about this, four of us will wager you 500 silvers for a total of 2000. I am sure you have enough silvers?"
"2... 2000?!" Wen Dabao felt sick.
...
The competition continued to heat up but without incident. Names appeared on the tablet at the finish line.
More than half of the people had already passed the second tablet.
Fang Zhengzhi’s name continued not to appear, almost as if he had disappeared.
Wen Dabao stared at the tablet, murmuring to himself and praying for a miracle to happen.
The four others involved in the wager just smiled leisurely by the side.
Even if Fang Zhengzhi had the Snow Jade now, it was unlikely that he would be able to catch up to the competition.
The officials seated below Emperor Lin Mubai all smiled when they saw the tablet.
No one bothered with Fang Zhengzhi.
He did not deserve their attention.
Before long...
A name appeared on the third tablet.
Xiang Tianying.
It was no surprise that Tang Zhongming’s name appeared shortly after.
Before long, Ping Yang’s name appeared. Then, it was followed by Zhang Feiyu and the Ninth Prince.
The standings had not changed.
"I think that the race for top three will be between these five."
"Xian Tianying has a natural advantage here. He is seventh on the Rising Dragon Roll and he was trained in horse riding from a young age."
"Indeed, the Xiang Family guards the ‘Star Plains’. That is an actual plain. He was trained in horse riding since a young age. I doubt anyone is his match."
"Princess Ping Yang is doing well." An official complimented as he looked towards Emperor Lin Mubai.
Emperor Lin Mubai was happy to see Ping Yang holding her own. "Ping Yang is prone to causing trouble. I am sure she is doing something to keep Zhang Feiyu down."
"Your highness, I doubt it. Ping Yang is one of the best at horse riding in the city. Furthermore, her Snow Jade is one of the best stallions in the empire. Also, such competitions are bound to cause some friction." Yu Yiping stepped out and tried to speak up for Ping Yang.
"Prime Minister Yu, you don’t have to speak up for Ping Yang." Emperor Lin Mubai replied. However, his happiness still slipped through.
"In my opinion, Ping Yang does take after you, your highness!" Another official stepped out.
"That is a given. A powerful man like the emperor is bound to have talented children." Many other officials chimed in.
Emperor Lin Mubai did not speak again. However, everyone could tell that he was feeling good.
Politics was a dirty business.
As the leader of the empire, he had much to worry about everyday.
Coming out to enjoy this competition was a rare break for him. To be able to see his daughter compete and do well was a moment to be treasured.
To hear his subordinates sing praises about his daughter made him even happier.
...
There was a youth in a blue long sleeved shirt standing by the fourth tablet.
He held the head of a green beast in his hand.
If not for the fact that he had a disappointing yellow colored horse, he would have been quite awe inspiring.
Fang Zhengzhi sized the tablet up.
The tablet was made from a black colored stone. It stood over five meters high and was over two meters wide.
"What a huge tablet!" Fang Zhengzhi exclaimed.
Then, he dismounted and walked to the tablet. It was cold to the touch.
After feeling it for a moment...
Fang Zhengzhi squatted down and tried to carry it.
He quickly realized that this tablet was much heavier than he had imagined. Furthermore, it was rooted to the ground. No matter how hard he tried, it did not move from the ground.
"That’s it!" Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth twitched. He had only thought of the process but he never anticipated such problems.
His plan was simple.
His first plan was to kill all of the beasts in the area. However, he rejected this proposal.
It was too cruel.
That was the excuse he gave himself. The real reason was that there were simply too many beasts.
They were spread over too large an area as well.
In the first place, he had no energy to kill nearly a thousand beasts at a go. Even if he did, chasing them down was no easy feat.
Killing one was not a problem.
Killing 1000...
It would be impossible unless he had a months worth of time.
Did he?
Definitely not.
As such, he had to use the second plan.
He would have to do something with the tablet. However, it was not as simple as he had thought.
Smash it?
That was against the rules. Furthermore, what if they wanted him to pay for it after the competition? Destroying public property was definitely not the way to go.
Since he couldn’t smash it, his best option was to carry it away.
However, its weight was quite ridiculous.
"I’ll try it anyways!" Fang Zhengzhi took out a small shovel exasperatingly. This was what he used to dig wells.
It was something he need on his travels.
He would work for his victory!
Fang Zhengzhi kept encouraging himself as he dug.
Soil and mud was sent skywards and the buried portion of the tablet began to show. However, the more it showed, the worse Fang Zhengzhi felt.
"How long do I have to dig for..."
...
On the road to the fourth tablet.
A youth riding a ink black stallion wave his whip in the air. He was closely followed by a youth on a green stallion.
"Xian Tianying! The first place is mine!" The green armored youth on the green stallion finally moved. With a wave of his hand, an icy ray of light shot towards Xiang Tianying.
"Hiss!"
The horse reared and whinnied. Then, the black stallion twisted and crumpled to the ground.
Xian Tianying’s expression changed.
He knew that Tang Zhongming would not dare attack him. However, attacking his stallion was something very normal.
"Tang Zhongming, go to hell!" Xiang Tianying saw a crystal clear needle on his stallion’s leg.
"Hahaha... this ice needle will melt upon contact with flesh. However, I placed a little anesthesia on it. I’m really sorry, but I am sure it won’t do any lasting damage to your beloved stallion!" Tang Zhongming’s eyes glimmered.
Xiang Tianying was just one rank above him on the Rising Dragon Roll. It was quite impossible for Xiang Tianying to kill him.
Furthermore, he doubted that Xiang Tianying would dare to.
"Despicable!" Xiang Tianying bellowed. He quickly retrieved a jade bottle and poured out a red pill.
He flicked it into his stallion’s mouth.
"Hiss!" His stallion stood right back up. Its eyes glimmered red as cracking sounds could be heard from its body.
"You have a booster pill! You... you prepared for this all along?!" Tang Zhongming knew that things were going to take a turn for the worse. These pills were the secret pills of the Xiang Family. They could boost a battle stallion’s bloodthirst and ferocity in the blink of an eye.
It would last for an hour.
The only consequence was that the stallion would be put out of commission for at least a month.
A whole hour?
This competition would have been over.
The price to pay would be miniscule compared to the rewards it promised.
"Of course I prepared for it. However, I only wanted to use it after crossing the fourth tablet. I guess... I don’t have any other choice but to use it now!" Xiang Tianying chuckled.
He had prepared well in an attempt to get the top spot.
During this confrontation, the sounds of a horse galloping intensified behind them.
Before long, a figure clad in red appeared. That was Ping Yang. Behind her were Zhang Feiyu and the Ninth Prince.
"Young Master Tang, I’ll be off first!" Xiang Tianying did not bother with Tang Zhongming any more. He shot off into the distance.
He was much faster than before.
"Damn it!" Tang Zhongming cursed. He quickly retrieved a green pill and flicked it into his stallions mouth.
"Aroo!" The green stallion shuddered and its legs were instantly covered in green scales. It radiated thirst and ferocity.
Tang Zhongming had also come prepared.
However, his pill was still inferior to Xiang Tianying’s. Even though it provided the same explosiveness...
But...
It came at the cost of the stallion’s lifespan.
In other words, after this competition, the horse would be retired.
Even though his green stallion was not as good as Ping Yang’s Snow Jade and the Ninth Prince’s Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion, it was still an incredible stallion.
As such, he did not want to use it unless he absolutely had to.
However, with the Emperor himself hosting the competition, there was too much at stake. Even the best battle stallion was worth sacrificing.
This horse had accompanied him for a whole three years. It had won him many competition previously.
All of this did not matter. He was only focused on this one.
...
Names began appearing on the ranking tablet. This meant that people were beginning to cross the third tablet.
Wen Dabao wanted to faint when he thought of the 2000 silver wager.
"Brother, brother please! Please show us something!" Wen Dabao was on the verge of crying.
He wanted to fall to his knees and pray, but he knew it was of no use.
2000 silvers would empty most of his savings. He would not be able to enjoy his favorite luxuries for at least a month after that.
He could not take that!
"Oh?" Just at that moment, a spectator next to him gasped and his eyes widened.
"What... what’s going on?" Another spectator gasped in disbelief.
Just as Wen Dabao was about to ask, he scanned the ranking tablets. His eyes widened when he saw the name at the top.
Blood rushed to his eyes.
"Hahaha... he’s appeared, he’s finally appeared!" Wen Dabao exclaimed in excitement.
On the top tablet...
Fang Zhengzhi!
"It really is Fang Zhengzhi’s name!"
"Look, Fang Zhengzhi is on the board!"
"He is... right at the top?!"
When all of them heard Wen Dabao exclaiming, they stared at the name right at the top tablet.
The results tablet was also split into four. The one at the bottom represented the first checkpoint whilst the one at the top was the fourth checkpoint.
"Fang Zhengzhi passed the fourth checkpoint?!"
Everyone looked at each other in awe and disbelief. Even though they had all expected Fang Zhengzhi to do this, it felt completely different when they saw it for themselves.