Chapter 19: Chapter 16 Sherri
Sherri was a very ordinary little white mare without a name.
As for the name Sherri, it was given to her by that strange new owner who had just rescued her from the threat of starving wolves.
Um, he really was an odd person.
"Hiss~~"
"Seems like you like the name too."
Bailuo stroked the little mare's neck, finding that although Sherri was not particularly good-looking, she was exceptionally smart; she seemed to truly understand what he was saying.
"My name is Bailuo."
Bailuo didn't care about Sherri's origins, nor did he want to inquire.
In his view, since he had saved Sherri, who should have died, as long as Sherri did not object, then she was Bailuo's horse.
"Would you like to come with me? I will take care of you."
Bailuo poured out many soybeans, corn kernels, and small tomatoes from his pocket, then let Sherri taste them one by one.
'Delicious!'
After chewing a few soybeans, Sherri, who had been indifferent to food, suddenly lit up.
'What is this? So tasty!!'
The corn was incredibly sweet and crisply textured, and the small tomatoes that followed struck Sherri's taste buds even more, their tangy flavor making her happily neigh repeatedly.
"You are agreeing, right?"
Faced with the temptation of delicious food, Sherri had no resistance and was immediately won over by Bailuo.
"Good girl, you've got taste."
"Follow me, master, and you'll eat and drink the best from now on."
"Hiss~~~"
Bailuo's words made Sherri very curious, yet inexplicably pleased.
Sherri was smart and full of vitality; she possessed a level of wisdom far beyond that of the average horse, not quite human but akin to that of a six or seven-year-old child.
She could not speak, but she could understand human language and grasp most of its meanings.
The owner of the horse farm had not paid attention to Sherri, so he was unaware of her abilities and treated her as an ordinary white horse, raising and selling her as such.
There, today a group of horse traders arrived in town, intending to buy twenty horses.
Sherri was selected, but she broke free from the ropes and ran out.
"The moment I saw you, I knew you weren't an ordinary horse."
Bailuo said, "You don't want to be ridden by others, so you can rest assured, I will never ride you without your consent."
Naturally, Bailuo knew nothing of Sherri's past.
But he could deduce, couldn't he?
Who hasn't watched a few episodes of Conan, right?
The text on the Black Leather Book was clearly hinting exactly that to Bailuo.
Sherri didn't like being ridden, and to earn her approval, one had to do something subversive.
Like, carrying her home on his back!
"Hiss~~"
It was the first time someone had spoken to Sherri this way.
Sherri was spirited, and her impression of Bailuo went from one of gratitude for saving her life to the excitement of finding a kindred spirit.
This human, understood her!
"Is this position comfortable for you?"
Bailuo did not treat Sherri like an ordinary horse; she was a miracle, though he did not know what kind of miracle, but it was definitely not trivial.
"Hiss!"
Bailuo's shoulders were not particularly broad, so he had to maintain his balance as best as he could, so as not to make Sherri uncomfortable on his back.
"If it's comfortable, then let's set out."
Bailuo took big steps forward, not too fast but not slow either.
His stride was steady, allowing him to walk over both uphill and downhill as if it were flat ground.
"Huff~~"
That was the sound of Bailuo's breath as he climbed over the first mountain.
"Huff huff~ huff huff~~"
That was the sound of Bailuo's breath as he climbed over the second mountain.
"Heave~~~ heave~~~"
That was the sound of Bailuo's breath as he climbed over the third mountain.
"......."
That was Bailuo's sound as he climbed over the fourth mountain.
Uh, why can't we hear any breathing?
"I can't do it, I really can't do it anymore."
By the stream, Bailuo lay on the ground, his chest heaving, his mouth filled with a strong taste of blood.
Even with Bailuo's physical fitness, carrying a 500-kilogram horse across four mountains brought him to his limit.
"!!"
To the side, Sherri knelt on the ground.
She watched Bailuo as he rested, as if she were looking at a monster.
It wasn't that Sherri's stamina was inferior to Bailuo's, but rather, being a human, he was completely different from her, a horse.
Just like how Sherri couldn't possibly carry five horses on her back and still climb over mountains.
Not to mention, along the way, Bailuo and she encountered numerous beast attacks.
Every time danger approached, Bailuo would quickly set her down and then protect her while fighting with the beasts.
There were many beasts Sherri had never seen before; just from the aura emanating from them, she could feel the terror, thinking that any one of them could have easily made a snack out of her.
Though Sherri was a mare, she had pride in her subconscious.
All horses have their own temperaments, the more exceptional their ability, the fiercer their nature.
However, Bailuo, he truly conquered Sherri.
Even she, who prided herself on being different and more intelligent than all the other horses, was feeling admiration and submission at this moment.
If her master was Bailuo, being ridden by such a powerful person, Sherri felt no humiliation but took pride in it instead.
"Hiss~~"
Sherri called out to Bailuo.
Owing to his life-saving grace and his immense strength, Sherri truly recognized him as her master and even started to worry about his condition.
"I'm alright."
Bailuo had learned about equine knowledge from his uncle, knowing that she was concerned for him: "My home is about sixteen mountains away from here."
"It's no big deal, just sixteen mountains. Don't worry, at most in four days, I'll definitely carry you back."
Sixteen mountains!!!!!!
Sherri was completely stunned.
What on earth was up with this human, no, this new master?
Was he out of his mind?
"Hiss!"
Sherri felt she should bear the pain and stand up to show him that she was capable of walking.
"Don't!"
"Don't you dare!!!"
Bailuo was terrified, watching the text on the Black Leather Book, preventing Sherri from getting up.
"I'll carry you! Wherever you want to go, I'll carry you there!"
Bailuo didn't know how this task was determined; if Sherri took a single step and that meant immediate failure, Bailuo would surely be distraught.
"......."
Sherri, with no choice, obediently lay back down under Bailuo's soothing.
She may have moved a little, but there was no change in the task on the Black Leather Book. Bailuo could only assume he could continue.