Chapter 288: Finishing line

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"He really did that?"

"He... he is showing a complete disregard for tradition!"

All of the officials were furious after recovering from the initial shock.

He was making trouble!

All of them wanted to curse. However, the rules of the competition only necessitated that the competitor had to have their names on all four tablets.

There was no obligation to run in a particular order.

As such...

They could only simmer.

...

Xiang Tianying could not increase the distance between himself and Tang Zhongming.

As a result, Xiang Tianying could not slow down. Even though one hour was enough for him to finish the race, he did not want his stallion to crumple to the ground on the finish line.

Tang Zhongming wanted to take home the top spot very badly.

In fact, no one wanted to be second. Only the first place would be remembered and respected.

As such, he continued to whip his horse and urge it forward. His expression was filled with ferocity as he chased behind.

Plumes of dust flew skyward.

However, Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming did not care. After all, the people eating the dust were those behind them. People like Ping Yang, Zhang Feiyu and the Ninth Prince...

Unless...

They had people in front of them.

Just as they were thinking about that, both Xiang Tianying’s and Tang Zhongming’s expressions changed.

There was someone in front of them.

A yellow Mud Striped Horse came into vision. It was not moving quickly, not even at the top speed of the Mud Striped Horse.

It was almost as if that man was taking his horse out on a walk.

The youth on the back of the Mud Striped Horse wore a blue long sleeve. He was whistling and basking in the sunlight.

"Fang Zhengzhi?!"

Both Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming were shocked to see him.

THey could recognize this man as Fang Zhengzhi. Fang Zhengzhi had been under the spotlight ever since he showed up.

He had been the center of attention.

"Why is he out in front? And he’s coming towards us, did he..." A thought flashed past Xiang Tianying’s mind. Then, he had an answer.

"He took the other direction!"

"Idiot!" Tang Zhongming said in scorn. Only the villagers who had never participated in a competition like this would do that.

Anyone who had participated in a competition like this would never do something like that to make it more difficult for themselves.

"He must be trying to be different."

"He’s nothing but a joke!"

Even though Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming agreed on this fact, this did not mean that they were allies.

The two of them went around Fang Zhengzhi without stopping.

Fang Zhengzhi did not stop either. He didn't even take a second look at them. He passed through the middle easily.

After passing Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming, a red figure came into view.

"Oh, this girl is third?" Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth twitched. When Ping Yang closed, he courteously mocked, "Hi!"

Ping Yang stopped in her tracks. She waved her Blazing Qilin Spear in her hand as she stood on the back of Snow Jade. She stabbed towards Zhang Feiyu.

Zhang Feiyu got the shock of his life.

What the hell?

He was already shocked to see Fang Zhengzhi up ahead. And now, Ping Yang stopped to attack him?

What did he do to antagonize her?

"Your highness, why are you doing this?!" Zhang Feiyu flew off his horse to avoid being hit.

"Oh?" The Ninth Prince reined his stallion in when he saw what was ahead. The Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion whinnied and stopped.

He would not overtake them whilst they were fighting.

It was just not his character to do so.

"Fang Zhengzhi, you came from the fourth tablet? Have you etched your name on it?" Ping Yang attacked Zhang Feiyu as she barraged Fang Zhengzhi with questions.

"Yes." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

"And you’re going to the third tablet now?" Ping Yang continued.

"Yes." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

"Okay then, I’ll be on my way!" Ping Yang dropped back onto her horse and galloped away.

Zhang Feiyu was stunned by what just happened.

Then he looked at Ping Yang speeding off into the distance.

"What the hell? She stopped just to talk to this guy?!" Zhang Feiyu wanted to ask Ping Yang what she was thinking. However, he realized that Ping Yang had always been this willful.

He was rendered speechless.

"Charge!" Zhang Feiyu leapt onto his horse and whipped it. His stallion galloped past Fang Zhengzhi.

"Official Fang, we have killed quite a few of the beasts around the other three tablets. However, it is still not completely safe. Do take care." The Ninth Prince advised

"I’ll be fine." Fang Zhengzhi waved the Ninth Prince off.

The Ninth Prince did not say anymore. He closed his knees and a purple light glowed on the forehead of the Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion as it shot forward.

"Quality stallion!" Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes glimmered.

The Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion was indeed a top grade horse. It’s explosiveness was much more than the Snow Treading Dragon Stallion.

After the Ninth Prince sped off, the other talents began to pass Fang Zhengzhi.

Some of them looked surprised to see Fang Zhengzhi. Others looked at him with expressions of mockery and scorn.

Fang Zhengzhi ignored all of them.

He continued to urge the Mud Striped Horse forward. Every now and then, he would stop to feed it some grass...

...

Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming were significantly more anxious. They kept watching their surroundings.

Normally...

The tablet would appear right in the middle of the road. The competitors would usually see the tablet before hunting the beasts nearby.

However, they had yet to see the fourth tablet. The distance was significantly more than what they had travelled before.

However, Xiang Tianying could not stop.

Tang Zhongming was too close for comfort.

As such...

All he could do was continue galloping forward.

After another five minutes, his eyes lit up. He saw a black figure up ahead. It looked like a tablet.

"I am finally here at the fourth tablet!" Xiang Tianying heaved a sigh of relief. This competition was his to win.

...

At the finishing line...

Wen Dabao continued to kowtow. However, Fang Zhengzhi’s name did not reappear on any of the other boards.

"Kaboom!"

Before long, the sound of horse hooves rang out.

Wen Dabao looked up in confusion.

Very quickly, he saw two battle horses charging towards the finishing line.

Wen Dabao and the other four in the wager looked up. All of the other spectators and officials waited for the results anxiously.

Everyone stared at the two figures.

"Oh? It’s... them?!" All of spectators recognized the two approaching figures. They were Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming.

"Why are they here?"

"This is the finish line!"

All of the talents were confused. Tang Zhongming and Xiang Tianying’s names had not appeared on the fourth tablet.

Why were they at the finish line?

Just as they were thinking about it, a fiery red figure appeared behind them. It was Ping Yang in the Red Flame Flower Armor.

Then, Zhang Feiyu and the Ninth Prince followed...

All of the competitors charged wildly towards the finish line.

"What’s going on?" All of the officials looked at each other in confusion. Why did they all skip the fourth tablet and rush for the finish line?

The competitors charged forward.

Within moments, they were by the side of the tablet.

Then...

The two of them were stunned.

"Oh? Why are we here?" Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming looked at each other in confusion.

"Yes, why are you two here?" One of the spectators questioned.

"Don’t you know that you have to pass the fourth tablet first?" Another spectator added.

"This..." Xiang Tianying scanned the crowd and spotted Emperor Lin Mubai as well as the officials.

"What’s going on? Why are we at the finishing line?!" Tang Zhongming exclaimed in disbelief.

"Shouldn’t I be asking you all that question?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping’s expression darkened.

It would not be nice for the Emperor to question these competitors. As such, he had to do the job.

Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming glanced at each other in confusion.

"Prime Minister, we did not see the fourth recording tablet on our way here. May we know if there were only three?" Xiang Tianying queried.

"Rubbish! The rules clearly state four recording tablets, how can one of them go missing?" Yu Yiping was furious.

"Yes, someone had already reached the fourth recording tablet!"

"How can there not be a fourth recording tablet?"

"Did you all take a wrong turn?"

All of the officials chided when they heard this.

"Take a wrong turn? That’s impossible. We had followed the track all the time without deviating at all. How could we have made a wrong turn?" Tang Zhongming was confused.

"Someone passed the fourth recording tablet?" Xiang Tianying was in disbelief. He had not left the path at all.

However, even though he did not want to believe it...

He glanced at the results tablet to his side.

"Fang Zhengzhi?!" Xiang Tianying exclaimed. Fang Zhengzhi’s name was right at the top.

That meant that Fang Zhengzhi had inscribed his name on the fourth recording tablet.

"It really is him!" Tang Zhongming remembered that they had seen Fang Zhengzhi riding from the tablet. However, since they did not see it along the way, he did not believe that Fang Zhengzhi did either.

Just as Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming were recovering from their shock, Ping Yang, Zhang Feiyu and the Ninth Prince arrived next to them.

"Oh? We are at the finish line already?" Ping Yang asked.

Zhang Feiyu and the Ninth Prince glanced at each other in shock.

What the hell is going on?

Yu Yiping’s expression turned ugly. He looked at a huge crowd galloping towards the finish line.

And...

Only Fang Zhengzhi’s name was on the fourth tablet.

"Wait, why am I at the finish line?"

"We’ve only passed three recording tablets!"

"Didn’t the rules specify four? What’s going on?"

As more people arrived at the finish line, the discussions became more intense. All of the competitors were equally confused.

They did not understand how they could arrive at the finish line without seeing the fourth recording tablet.

It was too strange.

Just at that moment, the results tablet lit up again. A name began to glow on the bottom of the third tablet.

Fang Zhengzhi!

"Fang Zhengzhi is at the third recording tablet!"

"If he came from the fourth recording tablet, how could it possibly vanish?"

"Could it be..."

All of the competitors and spectators looked to the officials.

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