Chapter 460: Unceasing War
The red foal's bright eyes looked at him as it nodded softly in agreement.
The young red horse was quite enamored by Yun Yang from his grass tactics earlier, and was unable to reject his request; however, if it were to know the glorious history of Yun Yang's misadventures, it would rather have leaped off a cliff than to be named a friend by this conscienceless owner.
It did not know now though, and when it did - it was too late! It could be considered game over for the poor horse!
"You're red all over. Let's call you... Big Red?" asked Yun Yang.
The red horse looked at Yun Yang in shock, its tail shaking in consternation.
Big Red? What a horrible name! Could it be any worse?
"You don't like Big Red? It's rather unfitting to call you Big Red since you're so young. Why not Little Red?" Yun Yang asked inquiringly.
The red foal was still swishing its tail unhappily.
"Big Red and Little Red? This king of horses is a male! Did you not see the length of my manhood when I roll over?"
"Why are you so inept at giving a name? Don't you know anything about majesty and bravery?"
"Ridiculous!"
"Are you still unsatisfied?" Yun Yang frowned.
"I really think Little Red is not bad, it matches you quite well. Let's try another one since you're so dissatisfied, but this is the last one. We'll go with this name, no more changes!"
The horse looked at Yun Yang in anticipation. It looked forward to a remarkable name given by its new owner, like South Supreme, Warhorse King, Flying Charger, Dragon Mount, King Crimson and many other grand titles... Even if it was called Little Red Dragon or Little Red Tiger, it still wouldn't be too bad.
"I've decided to call you... Reddie!" Yun Yang said excitedly. "Reddie, this name is terribly apt! People will know how red you are, the moment they hear it! You're red all over, your name is red all over, double the redness as well! There isn't any other name which is more suitable!"
The red stallion felt like spitting foam.
"Do others have to hear the name? They would be able to see it with their own eyes!"
"You've thought for such a long time and this is what you came up with?"
"Big Red and Little Red are both better than Reddie!"
"Double the redness? Can you be more horrible than this?"
"Reddie..."
The red foal no longer had the strength to grumble about its new name, so it snorted in protest, blowing saliva all over Yun Yang's face.
How would it know that Yun Yang's previous naming records were so horrible that it was considered terrifying? Its name as Reddie was similar to the ones given to Whitey and Jiji!
Destiny - this was what destiny looked like!
The temporary gratification of being greedy had a price to be paid, a heavy and sad price!
Thus was King of Horses Reddie born!
"Oh Reddie, look at how excited you are! You must really like this name I've given you!" Yun Yang said happily and shamelessly, "There's a shop in front of us. Let us go have some food and take a rest. You have no idea how tired I am riding you, my back and my legs hurt. I'm not in a good condition now, so I can't keep up. When I'm well enough, it will be time for you to watch your master's impressive state. Don't you look forward to it? "
The red horse, Reddie, was tearful.
"When did you see that I'm contented with this name?"
"I'm a horse, you're a human. Our communication isn't effective, how do you know if I'm contented or not?"
"To overwrite a horse's wish like this... Reddie will seek revenge for this affront!"
However, Reddie's eyes went wide at once.
What was its master having? Why was it so aromatic?
What could give out such a heavenly odor?
Yun Yang sat at a random alehouse beside the road and ordered some dishes and wine. He also took some healing medicine and rubbed his recovering thigh. The faint throb was an indication that he still had to be careful, due to his injuries. If he were to continue at such a strenuous gallop, his barely healed leg might be ruined again before he could reach the battlefield.
As the only customer at the roadside alehouse, Yun Yang's dishes and wine were served quickly. Not only were there three steaming stir-fried dishes, there was a platter of sauced meat.
Chewing, he discovered that the smoked meat was not beef, but the meat of a low level mystical beast. Yun Yang could be considered a purveyor of farmed animal meat and mystical beast meat; after all, he had been a glutton for so long, he was incredibly well-versed in it.
He poured himself a bowl of wine. Just as he was about to drink and enjoy himself, his vision went dark.
"Reddie? What are you doing?"
Yun Yang was genuinely shocked. A large, crimson, horses' head pushed itself over at the most inappropriate time and looked at the bowl of wine, salivating and snorting.
I want to drink!
Although Reddie did not know how to speak the human language, its intentions were impeccably expressed.
Reddie was a horse who wanted to drink wine!
Yun Yang's mind stopped working for a moment.
When he regained his cognitive ability, the bowl of wine before him was already empty.
Reddie snorted a few times in ecstasy; if it were not a foal that was entirely red, its face would definitely be flushed right now.
"... It actually drank my wine..."
Yun Yang was speechless.
Reddie looked like it did not have enough, nudging and rubbing; its tail swished across Yun Yang's face constantly, its desire obvious.
"Waiter, give me another bowl."
No matter how speechless Yun Yang felt, he had to voice it out. At the very least, the bowl he had could not be used anymore. The thick red tongue had taken care of both the inside and outside of the bowl with a curl; no matter how Yun Yang favored Reddie, he was not yet at the stage where they could share a bowl!
When another bowl came, Yun Yang picked up the wine pot and poured Reddie more wine, thinking, "I can't guarantee a constant supply of blood and grass, but I can't limit the wine either. I just hope that this fellow won't drink too much and get drunk."
Reddie emptied three bowls consecutively and maintained its composure; it obviously could hold its alcohol. It was truly a god of wine among horses!
Yun Yang was remarkably astonished.
Yun Yang manipulated his mystical Qi several times while eating. Other than recovering his energy, he escalated the efficacy of the medicine he had just consumed in his meridians as well, so his bones that had been re-grown could be fortified.
The effect of a medicine was best seen with mystical Qi as the catalyst.
After the recuperation, he felt lighter indeed
.
However, Yun Yang was aware of his current physical state. He could not afford to gallop at a breakneck speed anymore later.
He sighed at his body's weaknesses. Even by using Reddie as his mode of travel, with the barely noticeable bump on its back, the trip was still too long and was an extreme damage to his recovering body.
A person's experience was to be gained from time and incidences; it was not substitutable with the degree of cultivation base!
"I'll really have to go slower."
Yun Yang pressed on his injured leg. "No matter how impatient I am, I can't go to the battlefield half crippled. I'll only be a burden. With Reddie as a substitution to walking, I'll surely arrive at the eastern border earlier than expected. There's no need to push myself - better to be safe than sorry!"
Unfortunately, ideas were ideal but reality is always cruel; the world would never go according to one's wishes.
Taking the road again, Yun Yang realized with vexation that this horse that had drank like a fish was fine when it had finished drinking, but after some galloping and a good circulation of blood, it had been intoxicated by the alcohol stored within it...
An intoxicated horse charging forward without a care was no longer as stable as a sober one, causing Yun Yang to grow dizzy.
"I'll never let you near a drop of wine again!" Yun Yang swore in his heart.
When it was near evening, before the sky was even darkening, Yun Yang stopped for the night in an inn when he saw a town.
Recovery! It was his ultimate priority right now.
There were about four thousand miles of distance to reach the war zone, and when he arrived, he must face a violent war! He had to be in a perfect state to be able to fight effectively.
There had been no news relayed, yet, this was the best news. It meant that the war was still raging.
It was still going on!
It was already a great boon that they had not been defeated yet.
...
At the Fortress of Resilience, the war was terribly devastating and ceaseless, regardless of days; it was the war of the century and was at an unprecedentedly large scale.
The battle between Yutang and Dongxuan was gaining momentum. Not only did Dongxuan gain more relief troops, the entire nation had exhausted its resources to take down the east line. Yutang also had relief troops coming in daily, comprised of martial world practitioners, ordinary people, and even Yutang's official military personnel.
The first to get there was the hundred and fifty thousand men from the western border.
The western border marshal Wang Yunzhu had not kept his best from the fray - what he sent was the most elite among the western troops, the direct troop lines that were the best in combat!
To put it simply, the current western border that was without these men was basically an empty shell; its overall combat power had reduced by half.
Wang Yunzhu, the marshal of the western border, had given a memorable speech, "Lord Supreme Cloud was in Zilong City and has intimidated the Empire of Ziyou, so much so that their morale has been significantly reduced to the point that they no longer intend to start the war. They will not be able to mount any threat of an attack for the time being. In a way, the war that the western line should have fought has been fought for us by Lord Supreme Cloud. Our line is free! However, Yutang is still at risk, war is still ongoing. The eastern border is facing a tough war with the Empire of Dongxuan deploying millions of soldiers to take down the Resilience Fortress with Han Sanhe as their marshal. Now, we're going over to help. Actually, help is only secondary; mainly, I want you rascals to go learn how the eastern troop fights! Learn why Marshal Fu Baoguo is Yutang's acknowledged top militant of the younger generation!"
"Still, your father has something to say beforehand. I picked all of you from the four hundred thousand soldiers we western troop have to go and help out; don't you dare to embarrass me! Whoever embarrasses us there embarrasses the western troops! F*ck, even if you die on the battlefield, your father will forge a 'f*cker' tombstone and send it over to your house! I'll personally set in front of your house! I'll f*cking set it on your ancestor's grave!"
"Now, depart! Go to the eastern border and f*cking take Han Sanhe down!"