At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

On the drill ground, the autumn sky was clear and the air was crisp, with banners fluttering in the wind.

A pure white steed stood in the center of the training ground, its mane fluttering in the wind.

It held its head high, its amber eyes filled with arrogance, and it snorted loudly from its nostrils, occasionally making a snorting sound, as if expressing disdain for the people pointing and whispering around it.

The Akhal-Teke horse is a legendary steed that appears only once in a century.

At this moment, it was being led by a white-haired, hunched-over old man, standing there quietly.

The area around the drill ground was packed with people.

The vanguard battalion, the supply battalion, the cooks' battalion, and even the sentries who had just finished their shifts all secretly came to watch the excitement.

Thousands of eyes were fixed on the white horse, chattering amongst themselves:

"That's an Akhal-Teke horse? It's truly magnificent!"

"I heard it was tamed by Old Master Su, who rode it alone yesterday to chase down the Northern Di cavalry and beheaded Chi Lie!"

"Really? Grandpa Su? That centenarian from the kitchen?"

"Why would I lie to you? I saw it with my own eyes! That old man rode back from outside the camp gate on a white horse, with two bloody human heads hanging from its back. It was terrifying!"

"My goodness... just who is this old man?"

The crowd was discussing the matter enthusiastically when suddenly a commotion broke out.

"Make way! General Xu is here!"

Xu Zhaowen and Xu Zhaowu rode their warhorses, striding arrogantly through the crowd.

The two men were dressed in brand-new general's uniforms, their bronze armor gleaming.

With a jade-inlaid sword hanging at his waist and silver ornaments on his saddle, he exuded an aura of "I'm not here to fight, I'm here to put on a show."

Xu Zhaowen stood in front, fair-skinned and handsome, with his chin slightly raised, wearing a smug expression.

Xu Zhaowu was behind, a bit more burly, but also with an arrogant expression.

"Father! Is that the white horse? Is that the Akhal-Teke horse?"

Xu Zhaowu rode up to Xu Shigui and pointed his whip at the white horse in the center of the training ground.

Xu Shigui nodded, sitting on the high platform:

"Indeed, this horse is a rare Akhal-Teke steed, a breed that appears only once in a century. I, the General, wish to present it to His Majesty." As he spoke, he glanced at Su Mu standing beside the white horse, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes. "However, General Qin said that this horse is fierce and loyal to its master. Whoever tames it will own it."

Xu Zhaowen sneered, a sneer playing on his lips: "How fierce can a horse be if even an old geezer can tame it?"

Xu Zhaowu went even further, dismounting and striding up to Su Mu, looking him down at him.

"Old man, are you the cook?"

Su Mu raised his head, glanced at it calmly, and said nothing.

Xu Zhaowu scoffed, "Someone like you can tame a Ferghana horse? You must be guessing!"

He reached out and grabbed the reins from Su Mu's hand.

"Give it to me! This horse is not for your liking!"

Su Mu did not let go.

His withered fingers gripped the reins, remaining perfectly still.

Xu Zhaowu tugged twice but couldn't budge it, and his face fell.

He glared at Su Mu, his voice rising several decibels: "Old man, are you deaf? This general is telling you to let go!"

Su Mu then spoke slowly and deliberately: "General, this horse is spirited, please be careful."

"Lie?" Xu Zhaowu laughed as if he had heard a joke, throwing his head back. "I've been riding horses since I was a kid, I've ridden more horses than you've ever seen people! A beast, you think you can turn the world upside down?"

He suddenly pulled hard and snatched the reins from Su Mu's hand.

Su Mu released his grip.

He took two steps back, hunched over, with his hands behind his back, quietly watching Xu Zhaowu, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He thought to himself, "This is going to be interesting."

Xu Zhaowu, leading his Ferghana horse, turned and walked towards the center of the training ground, his steps brisk and his spirits high.

Xu Zhaowen also dismounted, straightened his armor, and followed.

"Second brother, let's work together to tame this Ferghana horse and take it to the capital to present to His Majesty!"

Xu Zhaowen's voice was full of smugness.

"Given His Majesty's temperament, he might just bestow this horse upon us if he's in a good mood!"

"Brother is right!" Xu Zhaowu patted his chest. "Then we'll have the Ferghana horse, the reward, and fame and fortune!"

The two brothers sang in unison.

Qin Hao stood on the edge of the platform, arms crossed, watching the backs of the two brothers with a cold smile on his lips.

He turned and glanced at Zhou Huchen.

Zhou Huchen understood and lowered his voice, saying, "General, how many rounds do you think these two can last?"

Qin Hao didn't answer, but simply held up one finger.

"One round?" Zhou Huchen's eyes widened. "That useless?"

Qin Hao smiled but didn't say anything.

Xu Shigui stood up, waved his hand, and said loudly:

"Zhaowen, Zhaowu, perform well! Let everyone see that the men of the Xu family are not to be trifled with!"

Xu Zhaowu turned around, waved to the high platform, and looked confident.

"Father, just you wait and see!"

He turned around, looking at the white Akhal-Teke horse in front of him, his eyes shining.

"Big brother, I'll go first!"

Xu Zhaowen nodded, took two steps back, and stood aside with his arms crossed to watch.

Xu Zhaowu wrapped the reins around his hand twice, took a deep breath, and placed his left foot on the horse's back.

He hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the horse's mane with both hands and leaped upwards.

Their movements were quite nimble.

But before he could even touch the horse's back, the Akhal-Teke horse went berserk.

It flashed to the side like a white lightning bolt, its speed dazzling.

Xu Zhaowu's body missed its target, his hands slipped off the horse's mane, and he lost his balance, falling to the ground with a thud, face down, his mouth full of mud.

"puff……"

Someone burst out laughing first, seemingly out of nowhere, near the drill ground.

Then laughter spread like a plague, turning from whispers into uproarious laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"this one?"

"Can't even get on horseback?"

"Weren't you just bragging quite a bit? 'You rode more horses than people since you were a kid'? You probably rode donkeys, didn't you?"

Xu Zhaowu got up from the ground, his face covered in mud, his ears filled with laughter.

His face was flushed, and his eyes were filled with boundless anger.

"What are you laughing at?" he yelled at the crowd. "I wasn't ready! Let's do it again!"

He dusted himself off and charged at the Akhal-Teke horse again.

This time, he was smarter. Instead of jumping, he reached out and touched the horse's neck to try and soothe it.

The Akhal-Teke horse lowered its head and let him touch it.

Xu Zhaowu was overjoyed and was about to mount his horse...

The Akhal-Teke horse suddenly shook its head, its neck snapping back, and Xu Zhaowu's hand was flung away. Before he could react, the horse's rump had already turned around.

Two hind hooves, each as big as a bowl, came stomping towards him with a whistling sound.

Xu Zhaowu was so frightened that he scrambled to the side to hide.

The horse's hoof grazed his shoulder, and the wind it generated stung his face.

He rolled twice on the ground, got up covered in dust, and his face was deathly pale.

"That beast...that beast..."

The laughter from the sidelines of the drill ground grew even louder.

"Hahahaha! This is General Xu's son? The disciple of the founding general?"

"If you can't even touch a horse, how can you train it?"

"Come down now, don't embarrass yourself!"

Xu Zhaowen's face also fell.

He stepped forward, shoved Xu Zhaowu aside, and said through gritted teeth, "Get out of the way! I'll do it!"

He was more composed than Xu Zhaowu. Instead of rushing to mount his horse, he circled the Akhal-Teke horse twice, trying to find the right angle to attack.

The Akhal-Teke horse stood still, its amber eyes glancing at him sideways as if he were watching a clown jumping around.

Xu Zhaowen seized the opportunity, suddenly reaching out to grab the horse's mane, while simultaneously pushing off the ground with his left foot, trying to flip himself onto the horse!

The Akhal-Teke horse lifted its front hoof and gently nudged it.

In that instant, Xu Zhaowen's body felt as if it had been pushed by an invisible hand, causing him to fall backward and land flat on his back.

"Ouch……"

He lay on the grass, the back of his head hitting the ground, wincing in pain.

The area around the drill ground was filled with laughter.

"Hahaha! Is this the horsemanship taught by the founding general?"

"One fell flat on his face, the other sprawled on his back—truly, a great teacher produces great students!"

"Stop laughing! Stop laughing! Give the generals and Commander Xu some face!"

"What's the point of saving face? He dragged his son into this mess, so who's to blame?"

Xu Shigui sat on the high platform, his smile long since frozen.

His hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and the water inside sloshed around, spilling onto his hand.

His face was ashen, and his eyes were filled with rage.

But he couldn't have an attack.

If he were to lose his temper in front of thousands of soldiers, it would be tantamount to admitting that his son was incompetent.

He could only grit his teeth and slam the teacup down on the table with a muffled "bang".

"Shofun! Zhaowu! Come again!"

Xu Zhaowen and Xu Zhaowu got up from the ground, their faces covered in bruises and mud, looking extremely disheveled.

Xu Zhaowu gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment.

"Brother, I refuse to believe it! If even an old geezer can tame a beast, why can't we?"

He glanced at Su Mu, who was standing in the distance.

The old man with white hair and a hunched back was standing there with his hands behind his back and a faint smile on his face.

Xu Zhaowu was even angrier.

"Again!" he waved his hand. "If I don't tame this beast today, I'm not Xu!"

Su Mu stood at a distance, watching the two brothers charge at the Akhal-Teke horse again and again, only to be thrown off, kicked away, and dodged away time and time again.

He shook his head and muttered, "Young man, your ambitions are too high!"

"If you want to show off, you need real ability."

At this moment, Xu Zhaowu was completely enraged and actually brandished the whip at his waist, lashing it fiercely at the Akhal-Teke horse!