Chapter 5: Subduing the Golden Horse (Part 2)

In the golden light, there seemed to be tiny glowing particles swirling, but due to it being morning, Lin Baoju could not see clearly.

Chu Qingmu's other hand was also busy, wrapping the small golden horse layer by layer with white cloth strips. The cloth strips should be exactly the same as the last time, adorned with crimson talisman patterns.

At this moment, that golden horse was only the size of a fist

"This is truly retribution," Chu Qingmu said with a cold smile. "The Li family does not engage in good deeds, and thus should lose the nourishment of the spiritual veins. Ha, Master Tai Xuan's heartfelt efforts back in the day were in vain; who would have thought that the descendants of the Li family would not only be ungrateful but would also repay kindness with enmity. Baoyu, why is your health even worse than before? Have you not worn the pouch I gave you for even a single day?"

In summary, it is like a horse afflicted with dwarfism, which not only lacks the majestic aura that Lin Baoju envisioned for a spirit beast, but is also quite unattractive

"Is it really that serious?" Lin Baoju, noticing the grave expression on Grandpa Chu's face, felt a sense of relief in his heart and said, "By the way, Grandpa Chu, what exactly is in that pouch you gave me? It doesn't seem to be any medicinal herbs. When I opened it, I heard a horse neigh, and I also saw a flash of golden light."

Wu Cuilan threw the water ladle into the tank and exclaimed angrily, "These damned things have smashed our family's water tank, what are we going to do now!" At that moment, she saw her son leaving so early and asked, "Baoju, where are you going?"

Lin Baoju took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions as much as possible

The golden horse radiated a golden light, struggled with the book for a few moments, and finally became still.

The small horse radiated a soft golden light as it galloped on White Horse Mountain, but whenever it approached the golden stream at the mountain's peak, a massive Tai Chi symbol would appear, blocking its path and bouncing it back.

Everything before him had exceeded Lin Baoju's imagination. He looked at the golden horse in astonishment and asked, "Grandpa Chu, is this... really the golden horse that my ancestors trapped here? I have heard that this kind of gold is living gold, said to be a treasure of the King of Hell, capable of transformation. I always thought it was just a legend... However, wasn't it said to be a white horse? Why does this horse look so ugly?"

What is that thing, could it be the legendary Golden Horse? Following the direction pointed by Chu Qingmu, Lin Baoju saw a horse that resembled a dog. The reason it was said to look like a dog was that this creature was only about the size of an ordinary dog, with a coat of curly brown and black fur and a short tail. If one did not look at its horse head, one might truly mistake it for a dog

Chu Qingmu placed the golden horse into the brocade bag and handed it to Lin Baoju, saying: "This golden horse was captured by Tai Xuan Gong and originally belonged to your Lin family. How you choose to handle it now is entirely up to you. At the very least, keeping it by your side can improve your constitution and may even extend your lifespan by two years. Rest assured, although this gold is commonly referred to as 'living gold' among the people, having it with you will not bring you any harm."

Could it be that Grandpa Chu is a master of Tai Chi? Lin Baoju could not help but feel puzzled; could it be that Grandpa Chu is a descendant of a martial arts family

This golden river of light flows endlessly, its length and distance unknown, presenting an extraordinarily magnificent scene

When Chu Qingmu was fully focused, he could sense the existence of spiritual veins, but he could not 'see' the spiritual veins with his eyes like Lin Baoju could. Unless Lin Baoju was a naturally born spirit protector

Lin Baoju had long known that the water in the tank had not risen, leaving only a small amount clinging to the bottom. However, recalling the strange pouch that Grandpa Chu had given him, along with the bizarre events he had witnessed yesterday, he was eager to meet Grandpa Chu and seek clarification.

The Taiji diagram... Grandpa Chu is truly a master of Taiji? Lin Baoju was utterly astonished.

"Treasure Steed, watch how Grandpa Chu activates the Two Instruments Confinement Spirit Array left by your ancestor, the Great Xuan Gong." As Chu Qingmu spoke, he placed the golden light Taiji on the ground

"You can see it, very good," Chu Qingmu said, pointing in a direction. "That is what is contained in your pouch."

When Lin Baoju arrived at Mawei Cliff, Chu Qingmu had just come up from the cliff after gathering herbs

It seems that there are many glowing particles within that moonlight ... ... Lin Baoju detailed to Chu Qingmu what he had seen that night

Wait a moment ... ...

At this moment, the two beams of golden light emitted from both hands perfectly merged together, forming a glowing Taiji pattern the size of a plate

Chu Qingmu listened attentively and nodded slowly. When he heard Lin Baoju reach out to touch the line illuminated by the moonlight, his expression changed, and he said: "That was close; fortunately, you have the talisman I gave you with you, otherwise, your life would be in danger"

At the same time, a vibrant breath of life surged forth, reminding Lin Baoju of that night’s "moonlight," as if the spring breeze of March once again brushed against his face

"What is a guardian spirit?" Lin Baoju said, feeling utterly confused, "Grandpa Chu, could you explain it more clearly?"

Then, beneath the hooves of the golden horse, a Taiji diagram also appeared. At that moment, the golden horse wished to gallop wildly, but it could not break free from the Taiji diagram. Ultimately, it completely vanished into the mountains and miraculously reappeared in the palm of Chu Qingmu's hand

So, you caught it last time... Can this golden horse really change size? At this moment, Lin Baoju had no time to analyze it with scientific knowledge; he was simply asking whatever came to his mind.

"Aren't you curious about what is inside the pouch? Let me show you clearly," Chu Qingmu said, suddenly stretching his body and making a strange gesture, which, to Lin Baoju, resembled a form of Tai Chi.

Chu Qingmu did not respond, but looked at Lin Baoju kindly and sighed: "I did not expect that you are also destined to be a spirit protector. Moreover, you are a natural spirit protector, yet you have been harmed by the spiritual vein. The intricacies of this fate are truly difficult to articulate"

Lin Baoju gazed at the wondrous "stream" with a look of astonishment

"This is the golden horse," Chu Qingmu nodded and said, his words filled with respect. "Your ancestor was a genius among the 'Spirit Guardians,' possessing the extraordinary ability to manipulate circumstances. Thus, he was able to forcibly channel the spiritual vein into White Horse Mountain and subdue this golden horse, making it the master of the spiritual vein here to protect it. As a result, White Horse Mountain gained a water source. If it were not for your ancestor setting up the 'Two Instruments Spirit Binding Formation' on White Horse Mountain, this golden horse would have likely escaped long ago."

Then the dwarf horse continued to gallop, only to be bounced back by the Taiji pattern again

The Taiji pattern suddenly vanished without a trace

The next morning

Lin Baoju noticed that Chu Qingmu seemed a bit unhappy and said: "I apologize, Grandpa Chu, the pouch was torn open by someone else..."

Chu Qingmu suddenly interrupted Lin Baoju's words, his expression filled with astonishment as he said: "You said you saw that... that thing resembling moonlight? Please tell me, what exactly was it like?"

Chu Qingmu did not respond, slowly extending his right hand to form a Tai Chi symbol in his palm

What about Baima Village? Will there no longer be a water source? Lin Baoju asked

"The spiritual vein here at White Horse Mountain is somewhat peculiar, which is why some rare and unusual herbs have grown. Unfortunately, they will no longer be obtainable in the future," Chu Qingmu said lightly. Suddenly noticing the brocade pouch in Lin Baoju's hand, he frowned slightly and said, "You opened the brocade pouch? No wonder the spiritual vein here has begun to dissipate"

Chu Qingmu said calmly: "From now on, there will never be a water source again"

After the package of the Golden Horse was completed, the stream of gathered golden light, the Tai Chi pattern, and all strange things suddenly vanished

On Mount Baima. Mother, let's not fetch water today. Lin Baoju responded but did not turn back

Lin Baoju recounted to Chu Qingmu what had happened yesterday

This matter is somewhat strange. Lin Baoju honestly expressed the doubts in his heart, "Grandpa Chu, how is it that our family's water tank can fill itself? I find it a bit odd, so I went to check it at night, and then I saw something that looked like moonlight shining inside the water tank, and the water inside filled itself... I find it a bit odd, so I went to check it at night, and then I saw something that looked like moonlight shining inside the water tank, and the water inside filled itself...

Chu Qingmu's hands moved slowly, ultimately coming together in an embrace, evoking a true sense of Tai Chi's unity

Everyone heard it. Lin Baoju added another sentence to prove that what he said was true

At this moment, it appears as if a small horse crafted from pure gold, retaining its posture of furious galloping, truly vivid and lifelike, can be regarded as a first-class work of art

Lin Baoju was about to speak when he suddenly noticed a glimmer beneath his feet. A stream formed by a faint golden light was flowing right under him, extending along the contours of White Horse Mountain and eventually disappearing from view in the distance

Although Lin Baoju has studied scientific knowledge, he still believes that "the world is vast and full of wonders." At the very least, he has always believed that there are some unknown magical martial arts that continue to be passed down in the world.

Although doubts weighed heavily on his mind, Lin Baoju still fixed his gaze on every move of Grandpa Chu. Suddenly, he saw a soft golden light emanating from each of Grandpa Chu's hands—similar to the strange "moonlight" Lin Baoju had seen at home that night.

Bang!