Chapter 105: Painting the Horse

“Has the prince’s order been fulfilled? Have all the horses of the prince’s mansion been found?” Shen Shi asked with a smile.

Zhao Zongyong glanced at his subordinates, and upon seeing them nod, he smiled and replied, “They have been found.”

“Since that’s the case, Your Highness, please proceed.” Shen Shi gestured courteously, seeing them off.

“You… hmph!”

Having been turned away after making an offer, Zhao Zongyong was furious. But no matter how angry he was, it was useless—Shen Shi was now dressed as a civil official, and Zhao had no authority to act against a scholar-official.

“Lord Shen, what exactly are your intentions?” Bao Zheng asked as Zhao Zongyong and his men departed.

Shen Shi smiled faintly. “I heard that Lord Bao is quite skilled in painting. I wonder if you could paint horses?”

“What are you up to? I have no time for painting in this county,” Bao Zheng replied.

“Don’t worry, Lord Bao. By tonight, you’ll have the mood for it,” Shen Shi said.

Night came swiftly. In the deep stillness of the late hour, neither Bao Zheng nor Shen Shi and his companions slept; each waited at the Shen residence.

“Ah! It’s already the middle of the night. Young master, shall I, the Dragon King, come to your aid and help retrieve the horses?” Eight Lady whispered beside Shen Shi. “My demands aren’t high—just one breath of your qi will suffice.”

With the fortune she had gained, her cultivation advanced more swiftly than before, and Eight Lady always hoped for more qi.

Shen Shi glanced at her. “No need.”

The qi Eight Lady desired was still in Shen Shi’s possession. Using the official seal as a vessel, his subordinates generated qi daily, which was absorbed into the seal. Since there were rules for rewards and punishments, there was no need for Eight Lady’s help, nor any reason to share the qi with her.

“How stingy!” Eight Lady, unsatisfied, grumbled. “If you don’t want my help, then those horses belong to others.”

Just as she spoke, the sound of hooves echoed outside.

Bao Zheng and the others looked puzzled, but Shen Shi rose with a smile. “The horses have returned,” he said, leading the way outside.

The others exchanged glances and quickly followed.

Opening the grand gates of the Shen residence, they saw over a hundred fine horses gathered outside. Wisps of qi emanated from the horses, flowing into the official seals of the assembled men. Shen Liang received the greatest share, as he was responsible for managing the horses and directing their movements, securing half of the qi. Shen Shi came next—since he devised the plan, nearly all the qi generated by the newly gathered horses was his. After them came Bao Zheng and the others.

“This is…?”

“These are our horses. Lord Bao, all bear official seals,” someone explained.

“But there must be nearly a hundred here. What about the others?”

“The rest can be considered interest,” Shen Shi said, patting the lead horse with a joking tone.

“We live well here; these are the horses’ friends they’ve brought along.”

“Sir,” Wang Chao immediately gave a report: “The others belong to the Prince of Runan’s mansion.”

Zhao Zongyong had traveled by tower boat, but not everyone was aboard. For example, the horses they procured in Guobei County were ridden by soldiers along the shore, witnessed by many.

Hearing Wang Chao’s report, Bao Zheng stroked his beard and said, “The stud farm’s horses attracting wild horses is a fortune for the ranch and a blessing for the court.”

“Lord Shen, you wanted me to paint horses, didn’t you? Get your brushes ready.”

Ah! Bao Blackie was really relentless. It was obvious he understood Shen Shi’s plan.

Naturally, at the Shen residence, ink and brushes were at hand. Whether Bao Blackie understood or not, everyone was delighted. Those who understood knew this was a playful retaliation against Zhao Zongyong, avenging the humiliation from earlier. Those who didn’t understand rejoiced simply because the horses had been retrieved—and even increased by dozens. Only one wasn’t happy.

“You’re so foolish! You didn’t want any benefit, yet you came back on your own and brought so many of your kind in one breath,” Eight Lady complained, angry that the horses had spoiled her plans.

“Eight Lady, don’t cause trouble; be careful it doesn’t punish you,” Shen Shi warned as he saw her threatening the horses.

“Kick me? No way! We’re very good friends,” she boasted.

“Hissss—”

Eight Lady’s self-praise was immediately refuted by the horses.

Unable to understand their neighing, Shen Shi asked the Fourteenth Lady what the horses were saying. She told him, “They’re saying Eight Lady keeps stealing their grass and water…”

Explaining it made Fourteenth Lady embarrassed. They were fox spirits, not rabbits, yet they were competing with horses for grass.

After explaining, Fourteenth Lady added another jab: “Eight Sister, have you been living at Lanruo Temple too long? Have you embraced Buddhism and started eating vegetarian?”

“You! You’re the one who believes in Buddha and is a vegetarian!” Eight Lady gritted her silver teeth in anger, unable to retort.

“Hiss—”

The horses laughed at her defeat: serves you right for stealing our feed!

“Mr. Gongsun, why are the horses neighing like that?”

Seeing so many horses laughing together, everyone except Shen Shi was confused.

That final jab was too much for Eight Lady; she awkwardly fled.

“Perhaps they’re happy because the herd has returned home,” a maid’s departure drew no attention, but Mr. Gongsun Ce’s explanation was refreshing.

“Yes! Yes! Mr. Gongsun is right. The horses have returned home!”

***

The next morning, Zhao Zongyong was far from cheerful.

“What? You say all the horses are gone?”

Last night, relying on a small scheme, he had secured dozens of fine warhorses without spending a penny, and he had been quite pleased. But early in the morning, a servant reported that all the horses had vanished.

“Your Highness, they’re not missing. They’ve all turned into paintings,” a guard replied.

Zhao Zongyong’s staged ambush did not involve everyone; for instance, this speaking guard genuinely believed the horses had turned back into paintings.

Hearing this, Zhao Zongyong was so angry he wanted to strike him. Wang Daoling intervened. “Prince, perhaps a fellow Daoist is joking. I can tell at a glance.”

Wang Daoling did not hide his smile because he was genuinely amused. He even hoped it was some kind of Daoist magic—it would make him more important, after all.

“Hmm. The paintings?” Zhao Zongyong asked the guard upon instruction.

“They are outside, Your Highness. We didn’t dare touch them.”

“Lead the way.”

The group disembarked and went straight to where the horses had been kept overnight. Wang Daoling sniffed the air. There was no demonic aura nor magical power.

Approaching for inspection, the horse tethers were all broken, but not cut with sharp blades—it seemed the horses had bitten through them.

Wang Daoling examined the paintings on the ground. There was no trace of magic there either.

“Daoist, what do you think? Can they be restored?” a guard asked.

Losing horses was a grave offense; everyone hoped the paintings were indeed horses, and that Wang Daoling could simply blow on them to bring them back.

Wang Daoling also wished for that. If it were true, his position in the prince’s mansion would be secured. Unfortunately, these were mere sheets of plain paper and ink, not enchanted in any way. How could he restore them? Even if they transformed, it would be nothing but an illusion, utterly useless.