noffsinger Chapter 336 First Learning of Horsemanship, Three Riders Head to the City
Chapter 336 First Learning of Horsemanship, Three Riders Head to the City
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Li Meng's face, and her voice lowered slightly.
"But...but I can't ride a horse."
"What?" Shi Zi and Xiao Man exclaimed in unison, both looking surprised.
After Shi Zi realized what was happening, he immediately burst into laughter, clutching his stomach and unable to straighten up.
"Haha... Little Rascal can't even ride a horse, haha..."
Li Meng's eyes widened immediately, and she snorted coldly: "You little lisp, what are you laughing at!"
Shi Zi laughed until tears almost streamed down his face, pointing at her and saying, "Little rascal... Little rascal can't ride a horse, hahaha..."
Xiaoman quickly smoothed things over, asking Limeng with a puzzled look, "Haven't you ever ridden a horse before? When we came from Ancient Tree Village, I saw you sitting on horseback and you seemed quite comfortable."
Li Meng's cheeks flushed slightly as she muttered, "The Miao region is full of mountains, teeming with poisonous insects and snakes. Where would we get horses?"
Shi Zi then stopped laughing, led a horse to her side, and said, "Get on, we'll teach you how to ride!"
Li Meng jumped onto the horse and sat down, while Shi Zi and Xiao Man each mounted one of the other two horses.
The two men carefully instructed: "You must keep your feet firmly planted in the stirrups, and keep your back straight so you can exert force. Just gently pull on the reins with both hands."
Don't pull too hard, or the horse will get angry.
Li Meng did as instructed, her fingers gripping the reins tightly, her palms slightly sweaty.
But as soon as the horse took two steps forward, her body suddenly began to sway from side to side, which frightened her so much that she quickly gripped the reins tightly.
He couldn't help but shout, "Hey, why isn't it listening to me... Did I do something wrong?"
Before she could finish speaking, the horse seemed to be looking down on her.
Suddenly it snorted and darted forward.
Li Meng gasped in surprise, her body leaning backward, about to fall off the horse.
"careful!"
Xiaoman shouted and lightly pushed off her saddle to jump behind Li Meng, then reached out and firmly supported her.
Xiaoman held the reins tightly, her voice reassuring: "Don't be afraid, we're here!"
"Come on, let me run a few laps with you first, and then you can learn on your own once you're familiar with it."
Li Meng saw Xiaoman sitting behind her, her arms wrapped around her waist, her cheeks flushed as if they had been burned by embers.
Her voice lowered slightly, soft and slightly embarrassed: "Okay... little brother."
Xiaoman loosened her grip a little and patiently explained it to her.
"Come on, watch carefully, I'll teach you how to operate it first. Gently pull the reins with your left hand, and the horse will turn left; gently pull with your right hand, and it will turn right."
If you gently tap the horse's belly with both feet at the same time, it will move forward.
At first, go slowly and don't rush to make it speed up; let it get used to you first.
As he spoke, he held Li Meng's hand and slowly demonstrated, which relaxed her originally tense hand a little.
The horse moved slowly forward in accordance with Xiaoman's movements.
After circling around in place three times, Xiaoman turned to Limeng in front of her and asked, "Did you understand it? Do you want to try again?"
Li Meng nodded gently, her voice tinged with uncertainty: "I think... I understand."
"Then try it yourself." Xiaoman let go of her hand, but still sat behind her. "Take your time, don't panic, I'll sit right behind you."
Following Xiaoman's instructions, Li Meng tentatively pulled the reins and gently tapped the horse's belly.
The horse did indeed start moving. Although it was still a bit bumpy, like sitting on a swaying little boat, it was much more stable than before.
She gradually figured out some tricks, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up, revealing a joyful expression, and her eyes also lit up.
Shi Zi, amused by the scene, called out jokingly, "Little rascal, how was it? Riding a horse isn't so hard after all!"
Li Meng nodded vigorously, a hint of pride in her voice: "Yes, it's not difficult!"
Suddenly, Shi Zi roared at the horse, which seemed startled and immediately neighed and bolted away.
The sudden speed made Li Meng feel a strong push against her back, and she fell backward uncontrollably.
Fortunately, Xiaoman was behind her. He reacted quickly, holding her waist tightly with one hand and pulling the reins with the other.
With a strong pull, the horse beneath him gradually came to a stop.
Li Meng, still shaken, took a breath and, as soon as she calmed down, turned to Shi Zi and shouted angrily, "You little lisp, you bastard! You scared me to death!"
Xiaoman patted her shoulder and comforted her, "Okay, okay! It's alright, I'm here for you!"
As he spoke, he turned to look at Shi Zi, teasing him with a hint of helplessness, "I think you two are like a pair of little enemies. If we don't bicker a few times a day, I'm afraid I won't be used to it!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Zi and Li Meng almost simultaneously retorted, "Who said we're enemies?"
Xiaoman pointed at the two of them and laughed even harder.
"Look at this, look at this! Even their tone is exactly the same, and you still say it's not true?"
They each snorted coldly, turned their heads away, and neither paid any attention to the other.
Li Meng was still sulking and said to Xiao Man, "Hmph, go ride your own horse! I can manage on my own!"
Xiaoman laughed and knew that she was being difficult, so she followed her lead and flew back to her horse.
"Alright, alright, then you must ride slowly and make sure you don't startle it again."
Li Meng pouted: "I know, you're so nagging!"
The three of them continued on their way.
During the day, Shizi and Xiaoman spend most of their time accompanying Limeng as she practices riding, patiently correcting her posture.
Occasionally, when she rides too fast, I'll reach out and help her.
Shi Zi would occasionally chime in, lead the way, or bicker with Li Meng from time to time.
If we pass through a village at night, we will ask a family to let us stay overnight.
If they hadn't encountered a village, the three of them would have spent the night in the wilderness.
Li Meng was a quick learner; it only took her a few days to be able to ride a horse on her own.
Although not exactly skilled, I can run steadily as long as I don't go too fast.
Occasionally, she could even ride alongside Shizi's horse, which would prompt Shizi to argue with her.
The journey from Fengyuan County to Huanling City is much longer than imagined.
The three of them traveled day and night, enduring wind and rain, and it took them more than two months to finally see the outline of the City of Illusions.
Shi Zi reined in his horse, pointed to the magnificent city ahead, and said to Li Meng, "Little Tao Bao, look, that's Huanling City."
Li Meng gazed at the towering city wall, its blue bricks and gray tiles gleaming with an ancient luster under the sunlight.
At the city gate, people came and went, and carriages flowed in and out. Their eyes suddenly lit up, as if filled with stars: "Wow...we're finally here! I wonder if Brother Lan will be here..."
Xiaoman nodded and said, "Let's go in first, and I'll have someone ask around for you. We'll get some news eventually."
Li Meng turned to look at Xiao Man, her face full of gratitude: "Big brother, you're so kind!"