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The butler, seeing the young prince favoring Qu Xinwei over his advice, felt a twinge of displeasure and approached them.

“Your Highness, the sellers said they captured the horse on Mount Wangwu, which is a half-hour journey from here. Why not ride there?” he suggested secretly, thinking Qu Xinwei, who had arrived in a carriage, probably couldn’t ride a horse and would embarrass himself.

The prince’s eyes brightened at the mention of riding but hesitated, recalling his lack of riding skills. He turned to Qu Xinwei, “Can we ride together?”

Qu Xinwei, of course, would not agree. It would have been acceptable if the prince were only five, but at fifteen, it was inappropriate. “Your Highness, perhaps we should walk instead?”

After a moment’s thought, the prince agreed, “I’ve never hiked a mountain in my life. Since it’s still early, let’s give it a try.”

Qu Xinwei paid a compliment, saying, “Nowadays, it’s hard to find many young masters like the young prince who are willing to endure hardship.”

The prince, pleased by the praise, said cheerfully, “Let’s go.”

“Hold on, Your Highness,” Qu Xinwei gestured towards the butler, deliberately giving orders, “Prepare some water for us to bring along.”

The butler knew he was being deliberately ordered around. He thought, “Why should I do all the work while they get all the benefits?”

He reluctantly went to prepare the water.

As soon as the black horse left the stable, it headed into the woods, in the direction of Mount Wangwu. Surprisingly, it still knew the way.

The young prince followed eagerly. “Guard Qu, why did the horse run towards you?”

Her aura made animals feel comfortable and naturally drawn to her. Qu Xinwei replied casually, “I probably look the friendliest and most likely to help it.”

The other guards didn’t know what to say.

Did they look fierce and vicious?

The young prince glanced at the four guards, thinking that although Qu Guard looked the most imposing and unapproachable, such an appearance might be what animals liked, “I understand now.”

Following the black horse, they entered the forest, traversing hills and mountains…

At first, the young prince’s spirits were high, but having never endured hardship, he was exhausted after a short while.

Qu Xinwei suggested, “Your Highness, sit down, drink some water, and rest for a bit.”

The prince, unburdened by status, chose a rock to sit on, opened the water bag, and drank a few gulps.

Qu Xinwei surveyed the surroundings, “Your Highness, wait here for a moment. There’s a date tree over there, I’ll go pick some dates.”

The prince objected, “Don’t go, just sit and rest, let them do it.”

The three guards were speechless.

Qu Xinwei glanced at their resentful looks and refused, “I’ll go, just wait a bit, I’ll be right back.”

She leaped towards the date tree.

Upon reaching the tree, a light shake sent the reddish-brown dates raining down, caught by a net formed by her spiritual energy.

As he prepared to descend, the sound of rolling wheels were heard.

She looked ahead…

On the official road, a caravan was passing by, with familiar-looking boxes on the carriages.

Qu Xinwei thought for a moment. Probably “Yun” force was transporting opium to the capital again, but it was unclear which line this was.

Unable to pursue now, he informed Tang Jinghong of the news, asking him to track the caravan to see if the opium was also being sent to the Minister of War’s residence.

Tang Jinghong immediately acted upon receiving the message.

Qu Xinwei descended from the date tree, collected the dates, and returned.

The prince exclaimed in surprise, “Wow, you picked so many dates in such a short time?”

“Yes, these dates are very sweet. Let’s all eat.” Qu Xinwei distributed some dates to the four, kept a few for herself, and fed the rest to the black horse.

Three guards were eating dates and exchanged glances, realizing they had been too narrow-minded. The three of them dissolved their resentment towards Qu Xinwei with a few dates.

After eating the dates, they continued their journey.

Crossing a stream and climbing a hill, they finally arrived at Mount Wangwu.

The mountain had a feel of a primitive forest and was peculiar, with half being a forest and half a grassland suitable for horses. The vast grassland felt almost like a prairie, surrounded by hills and forests, with no end in sight.

Aside from hunters, ordinary people dared not venture here.

Standing at the edge of the grassland, they watched the black horse run towards the herd, its speed like a swift wind.

Horses have a strong sense of hierarchy, and as the lead horse returned, the others made way.

There in the center of the herd, a black mare was giving birth.

The black horse approached the birthing mare, opened its mouth full of dates, and spat them out, creating a small pile on the ground.

The prince, wide-eyed, speculated, “Qu Guard, did it refuse to be tamed because it wanted to escape back here for its family?”

Qu Xinwei succinctly replied, “As you see, Your Highness.”

The prince was touched. “This horse is incredibly sentient.”

The mare, seeing the lead horse return, gained strength from exhaustion and gave birth with a low neigh.

The herd erupted in excitement, as if cheering.

Qu Xinwei, witnessing this, smiled, “Your Highness, let’s go back.”

The prince nodded happily, “Let’s go.”

On the way back, the prince glanced back several times, as if having understood something.

When the black horse saw Qu Xinwei and the others leave, it turned to look at them with a hint of struggle in its eyes.

After a moment, it looked back at its family, then towards the departing group, and ultimately decided to run towards them.

When everyone heard the sound of hooves, they stopped in their tracks.

The black horse approached Qu Xinwei, nudged her hand with its head, indicating its willingness to go with her.

Qu Xinwei gently stroked the horse’s head, her eyes warm, “Go back and take care of your family. I don’t need you for now.”

The black horse snorted, then stood watching them leave.

On the way back, the young prince did not seem to be afraid of getting tired. “Guard Qu, let’s go pick some dates?”

Qu Xinwei asked, “Your Highness, do you still want to eat?”

The young prince shook his head. “I want to pick some for my mother personally.”

Qu Xinwei agreed. “Okay..”