Chapter 187: You Sure Are Arrogant
"You're asking to die!"
One of them had a short fuse. Hearing that, he was ready to throw a punch.
Xiao Ye dodged nimbly. "What's this? Are you all such sore losers? Or are you scared to compete?"
"Then again, everyone in the Xiao Family is useless. It's only natural you're too scared to compete. After all, besides your last name, you've got nothing to be proud of!"
"We'll compete! You think we're afraid of you?!"
The members of the Xiao Family parted, and a young man strode forward.
His eyes burned with aggression. He was clearly the leader of the pack.
This was Xiao Ling and Liu Loulan's son. No wonder they all listened to him.
'Still, I can see from his features that we're not related by blood.'
'In other words, he isn't Xiao Ling's son at all. Liu Loulan cheated and gave birth to some other man's bastard child!'
Xiao Ming looked at Xiao Ye. "So, what's the challenge?"
He was supremely confident; he had mastered every activity this club had to offer.
Xiao Ye pointed to the horses nearby. "Horse racing."
The Xiao Family members immediately burst out laughing.
"You dare challenge Brother Ming to a horse race? That's hilarious!"
"Brother Ming is the best rider in the entire Xiao Family! He's even ranked in the top ten nationally!"
"A nobody like you wants to race Brother Ming? You won't even know how you died!"
"Fine!" Xiao Ming agreed instantly, his face a mask of absolute certainty.
He let out a sharp whistle, and a white Ferghana horse trotted over.
It was powerfully built, its coat gleaming like satin in the sunlight.
A horse like this was worth millions and was incredibly rare.
"Where's your horse?"
Xiao Ye smiled faintly. "I don't have a horse."
The crowd once again let out mocking laughter.
"No horse? What are you going to compete in? A comedy contest?"
"Why don't you just get on your knees now? You can be our horse, and it'll save you the embarrassment later!"
"Brother Ming, this nobody isn't even worthy of competing against you!"
But Xiao Ye was unperturbed. He glanced toward another horse, a black one.
The horse stood alone in its stable, clearly an overlooked outcast.
Xiao Ye raised his hand, pointing at that horse. "I'll use that one."
The crowd erupted in laughter. "HAHAHA, he's lost his mind!"
"Hilarious! That's the worst horse in the whole stable!"
"Well, not the worst, but definitely the wildest. To this day, no one has managed to break it!"
"An untrained and disobedient horse? Even if it were a fine steed, it couldn't possibly win!"
Xiao Ming clearly thought the same. "Kid, if you admit defeat now, I can still let you off easy."
"But if you really want to compete, then there's no turning back."
Xiao Ye's expression was impassive. "I never lose."
With that, he walked straight toward the stable.
Soon, he led the black horse over.
The crowd watched Xiao Ye with amusement, obviously wanting to see how he would make a fool of himself.
"This horse acts very docile before you get on it, but once you're on, it's a completely different story!"
"Hurry up and start the competition. Don't tell us you still need time to tame the horse."
"If you can't ever tame it, are you going to make us wait forever?"
"You won't have to wait," Xiao Ye said. "Five minutes is all I need."
"Oh, right. This isn't enough. We need some judges. What if you refuse to accept it when you lose?"
"You've got some nerve, kid! There's no way Brother Ming will lose!"
"Fine, get the judges! It's a good thing there are some here. They can witness Brother Ming's skill for themselves."
"What an insolent brat who doesn't know his place. Daring to act so cocky in front of us. Don't come crying to us when you get your legs broken!"
Clearly not believing for a second that Xiao Ye could win, Xiao Ming actually sent someone to find judges.
This club catered exclusively to them. Besides the Xiao Family, members of the Ouyang Family and the Fifth Clan were also present.
When they heard that some unknown named Xiao Ye was actually challenging Xiao Ming to a horse race—and with a bet on the line—they all settled in for a good show.
In their view, however, Xiao Ming was far more likely to win.
The members of the two families immediately agreed to officiate.
"Hey, kid! You've got five minutes. After that, the race begins!"
Xiao Ye nodded, leading the horse to the starting line.
The winner would be whoever crossed the finish line first.
It wasn't just a test of the rider's skill, but also of the horse's quality.
In everyone's eyes, the white horse was superior to the black one in every conceivable way.
But that wasn't how Xiao Ye saw it. 'Sometimes, a wild horse is better.'
Xiao Ye stepped forward and gently patted the black horse's neck. "Give me a good run this time, and you'll be my horse from now on."
The horse let out a snort.
The others immediately burst into laughter.
"Did you hear that? He's actually talking to the horse! As if his horse can understand him!"
They talked to their horses too, but only to trained ones.
Like dogs, they could only understand the simplest commands, not complex sentences like that.
Xiao Ye paid them no mind, simply stroking the horse's coat, one soothing motion after another.
Just like that, five minutes passed.
A member of the Fifth Clan, acting as a fair arbiter, glanced at his watch. "Time's up. Get ready to start."
"Mount your horses."
Xiao Ming was the first to swing himself onto his horse. He watched Xiao Ye with a leisurely, smug expression, waiting to see him fail.
With a single, powerful leap, Xiao Ye vaulted onto the black horse's back.
The black horse beneath him shifted uncomfortably, but only for a second before it steadied itself.
Everyone was a little surprised.
"What's going on? Why is this black horse so well-behaved today?"
"Is this kid a horse trainer?"
"Maybe, but a horse trainer is no match for a real rider!"
The member of the Fifth Clan glanced at the time. "Everyone's ready, right?"
Xiao Ming and Xiao Ye nodded at the same time.
"Very good. Three, two, one!"
BANG!
The starting pistol fired!
The two horses, one black and one white, shot forward as one!
Both Xiao Ye and Xiao Ming leaned forward, their hips rising slightly from the saddle to match their horses' rhythm.
The two horses were neck and neck.
The white horse was fast, but that was all it was.
The black horse, on the other hand, ran with pure wildness. Oblivious to its rider, it simply ran as fast as it possibly could!
Xiao Ye wasn't worried about falling. He moved in perfect sync with the horse, letting it run free!
In the blink of an eye, they rounded a turn.
The black horse was actually in the lead!
"How is that possible! This black horse is actually running so fast!"
"Is Brother Ming actually going to lose?"
"Impossible! Brother Ming can't lose, and there's no way that kid can win!"
Seeing Xiao Ye pull slightly ahead, Xiao Ming's eyes narrowed, a vicious glint flashing within their dark depths.
He dug his heels into his horse's sides, urging it to accelerate.
The white horse surged forward, and the two were neck and neck once more.
But at that moment, Xiao Ming's whip lashed out toward Xiao Ye.
The member of the Fifth Clan's expression faltered. He hadn't expected Xiao Ming to pull such a move.
But he said nothing. It was too late to intervene now.