Poyang County.
Chen Sanshi's estimate wasn't far off.
The most valuable parts of the cheetahs were the gallbladders and hearts, while the rest of the carcasses sold for 46 taels of silver in total.
Once he finished his business, he hurried back to the garrison before dark.
"Running back and forth like this really wastes too much time! I need some proper transport," he muttered.
Lately, Chen Sanshi had been training almost nonstop, barely practicing archery and only visiting the stables once.
Thinking of that, he decided not to return home but went straight to the camp stables instead.
"Neigh—!"
Before he even reached the gate, the white horse inside started neighing restlessly, stomping its hooves and snorting as if warning him to stay away.
Chen Sanshi's patience instantly ran thin.
The moment he opened the stall gate, the white horse charged out like a gust of wind.
Chen Sanshi grabbed the saddle with one hand, leapt onto its back, and cracked his whip hard.
The white horse, startled by the pain, bolted faster, doing everything it could to throw him off.
But Chen Sanshi held firm, using the reins to force it to follow his direction.
He was already at Minor Achievement in tempering blood—his raw strength wasn't something a single horse could fight against.
At first, the white horse thrashed wildly, but as time went by, it either exhausted its spirit or finally realized resistance was pointless. Slowly, it began to obey.
After another half hour, the horse moved exactly as he commanded, responding to every subtle pull and gesture.
The reins in his hands felt like a carriage wheel—under his full control.
[Skill: Horsemanship (Beginner)]
[Progress: 0/200]
[Effect: The steed recognizes its master; hearts move as one.]
"A fine steed, huh?"
Even the system called it a fine horse—so its bloodline wasn't ordinary. Just a bit too stubborn for its own good.
As for "hearts move as one," that was hard to explain—it was more instinct than reason.
If he had to describe it, it felt as if this white horse, though newly tamed, was as familiar to him as an old dog he'd raised for 20 years. They understood each other without words.
That was crucial.
On the battlefield, a warrior and his horse were inseparable partners. Good coordination could mean the difference between life and death.
He remembered reading about how the Great Sheng Dynasty's founding emperor, Cao Xie, had once been a servant tasked with tending to horses. He'd bonded deeply with a single colt.
Later, when enemies came after him, that very horse saved his life.
Without it, there would have been no Great Sheng Dynasty at all.
After taming the white horse, Chen Sanshi planned to head home for the night.
But when they reached the stables, the horse refused to go in—stamping and shaking its head, clearly unwilling to stay in a cramped stall.
Chen Sanshi didn't mind.
His home was big enough to house a horse anyway. So he brought the feed trough and hay back with him.
"Shi ge'er looks so dashing," Gu Xinlan said, her heart skipping a beat as she watched him ride the horse into the courtyard.
He was still just a Flag Officer, but in her eyes, he already looked every bit like the generals from the storybooks.
Hungry from the long day, Chen Sanshi finished dinner, then swallowed a cheetah gallbladder and went straight to spear training in the courtyard.
The wind howled with every strike. Yet the white horse wasn't afraid at all—it stood calmly beneath the osmanthus tree, occasionally munching on grass until it grew tired and fell asleep standing up.
When he finally finished training, Lan jie'er had already prepared hot water for him to bathe and change.
"I've finished working on the tiger hide you brought back," she said, holding up a soft, gleaming pelt. "Should I turn it into clothing for you? It'll keep you warm this winter."
Chen Sanshi leaned back in the tub, steam rising around him. "You wear it first. Let me see."
"Huh?"
Before Gu Xinlan could react, he added, "I mean—wear only that."
"Shi ge'er…"
Gu Xinlan's face turned scarlet all the way to her neck. "Where did you even learn this? You keep coming up with new tricks!"
Who on earth told him it was romantic to have her dress up like a tigress?
...
The next morning.
Dew clung to the sweet grass as hoofbeats echoed faintly in the cool dawn air.
Chen Sanshi rode the white horse to the garrison for roll call.
After drills ended, he went straight to Hundred-Household Wang's tent and reported the strange disappearances and possible Witch God Sect activity in Poyang, asking him to relay the matter to Thousand-Household Xiang Tingchun for investigation.
Then, he requested another day off—he was going back into the mountains.
That white deer—he was determined to find it.
Not to mention the need for a heavy bow—just the white deer itself was already an incredible tonic. Its effects on cultivation speed were at least as great as tiger heart, if not stronger.
Even if the bait alone cost 50 taels, it was worth trying.
After finishing his leave request, Chen Sanshi had barely stepped out of the tent when his subordinate Wang Li hurried over.
"Sir," Wang Li said, bowing slightly, "someone from the Tianyuan Martial Hall wishes to see you."
"From the Liang family?"
Chen Sanshi hesitated for a moment. "Let him in."
Since they wanted a meeting, he would meet them here in the garrison—his own ground.
Before long, Wang Li brought the visitor inside. It wasn't Liang Zhan himself, but one of the Tianyuan Martial Hall disciples.
"Flag Officer Chen," the disciple greeted, cupping his fists respectfully. Then he produced a finely carved sandalwood box from his chest and presented it with both hands. "My young master heard that you've been hunting the white deer. He specifically picked a hundred-year spirit mushroom from the Medicine Valley for you."
He paused briefly before continuing, "My young master also asked me to deliver a message—there was some misunderstanding before between you and him. He hopes you'll accept this as an apology and turn hostility into friendship. In the future, if there's ever anything you need, my young master will lend his full support."
Chen Sanshi studied him quietly, turning the man's words over in his mind.
So… Liang was afraid of him now?
That didn't make sense.
When it came to that street thug Qin Xiong, being scared after seeing him wield a bow was understandable.
But Liang Zhan? He was a tempering bone martial artist, and during the fight with the Witch God Sect disciples, he'd been plenty fierce himself.
Why would a man like that humble himself before a mere Flag Officer who was only at the tempering blood stage?
Still… what a man who could bend and stretch.
This one couldn't be left alive.
Chen Sanshi instantly became wary.
He had initially intended to reject the gift outright—but when he noticed Hundred-Household Wang's eager, gleaming eyes fixed on the box, he changed his mind.
"I'll accept it," Chen Sanshi said evenly. "Tell your young master I appreciate his thoughtfulness."
There was something to learn from Wang Zhi's attitude.
Against people like Liang Zhan, morality was useless.
Sometimes, you had to take the sugar-coated bullet—eat the sugar, and fire back the bullet later.
And honestly, this worked out fine. Spending 50 taels of silver just to buy bait was wasteful. It would be much better to spend that silver on medicinal tonics for cultivation instead.
"That's good, then," the martial hall disciple said with visible relief. "Before I came, my young master warned me that if you refused the gift, I wasn't to return at all."
"And what about me?"
Hundred-Household Wang finally couldn't hold it in any longer. "Your young master and I are old friends—kindred spirits, even. Didn't he send me anything?"
"Ah, this…"
The disciple awkwardly coughed twice. "I… I have to hurry back and report. Please excuse me!"
And before Wang could say another word, the man turned and left without looking back.
"Bah!"
Wang Zhi spat on the ground, cursing under his breath. "The Liang family really are shameless opportunists. They see you're certain to be selected for the Eight Northern Garrisons and join the Grand Commander's command, so now they're trying to curry favor!"
He paused, then grew serious. "But listen here—you'd better keep pushing forward. The more respect they show you now, the harsher the backlash will be if you fail the Elite Selection later."
Chen Sanshi understood perfectly well.
That just meant he had to make the most of every second.
He grabbed his weapons, mounted the white horse, and galloped out of the garrison—heading straight for Tiger Head Mountain.
Now that he had the spirit mushroom, his chances of finding the white deer had greatly increased.