Zhao Yun glanced at the elephant and lion. Indeed, they were fierce beasts, but their internal energy was only at the level of refining Qi into Gang, so they didn't surprise him much. After all, he had already killed several crocodiles with similar internal energy along the Yangtze River. However, when he looked at the Curly Red Hare in front of him, his attitude became much more cautious.
The Curly Red Hare snorted at Zhao Yun, its hooves twitching slightly. Compared to humans, animals have much sharper instincts. The moment the Red Hare saw Zhao Yun, it immediately recognized the immense danger he posed. The horse, which had been lazily munching on its feed, instantly became alert and stopped eating.
"What a fine horse," Zhao Yun remarked with admiration. However, beyond the horse itself, he was more interested in the small jade-like bead hanging from the Red Hare's neck.
Reaching out to pat the horse's neck, Zhao Yun could sense that this horse's internal energy had reached the level of a detached internal energy practitioner. This made it the fourth horse of such a caliber that he knew of. In terms of sheer internal energy, this horse was even more powerful than his own Night Illumination Jade Lion, second only to Lu Bu's Red Hare. As for the horse his senior brother had received from their master, it was probably on par with his Jade Lion, though it likely lacked the same potential for growth.
The Curly Red Hare didn't resist Zhao Yun's touch; rather, it was wary of him. Unlike the Night Illumination Jade Lion or Lu Bu's Red Hare, which possessed greater intelligence, the Curly Red Hare had only recently awakened its awareness, making it less intelligent. This lack of intelligence was likely the reason Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping had managed to bring it back.
"General Zhao, your presence is truly commanding. This horse has been stubbornly refusing to let us touch it throughout the journey. One of our servants tried to mount it and was nearly killed," Su Shuang said, seizing the moment to flatter Zhao Yun, hoping that he might successfully tame the horse.
"It is indeed a fine horse," Zhao Yun nodded, though he regretted that he already had a more suitable steed in the Night Illumination Jade Lion. This horse's only advantage was its superior strength.
"Then please, accept it as a gift, General. Such a fine horse would be wasted on us. A steed like this belongs on the battlefield," Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping offered the horse to Zhao Yun without hesitation.
"It is a fine horse, and perhaps only three others in the world could surpass it. But I cannot accept it. My Jade Lion has been with me for a long time, and we work well together. This horse would be better suited for another general," Zhao Yun declined, though his eyes remained fixed on the jade-like bead around the horse's neck, sensing a different kind of power within it—the residual power of a divine stone core.
"General, you jest. We can't bring this horse back with us easily. If it decides to leave, we couldn't stop it. If someone else takes it, we'd regret it deeply. Why not let you keep it for now? If you find another suitable general, you can pass it on," Su Shuang replied with a wry smile. For them, the horse was more of a burden than a blessing.
Zhao Yun thought it over and realized that Su Shuang's words made sense. He agreed to take care of the horse on their behalf.
Seeing Zhao Yun's agreement, Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping exchanged relieved glances. The elephant and lion were manageable—they had been tamed by King Mulu and could be commanded by the southern barbarians. But the horse was a problem. Although it had been traded for, it was uncontrollable, doing as it pleased. If it decided to leave, Su Shuang couldn't accept losing such a valuable horse.
Thus, they had decided to offer the Curly Red Hare as a gift to Liu Bei's trusted generals. After all, giving it to Liu Bei himself would likely result in rejection. They chose to seek out a warrior like Zhao Yun, who was renowned for his handsome appearance, affable nature, exceptional martial skills, and good character. They were confident that Zhao Yun, even if he didn't keep the horse, would mention their names when gifting it to someone else, ensuring they wouldn't lose out.
"Thank you both," Zhao Yun said, cupping his hands in thanks. He patted the Curly Red Hare's mane, brushing it gently. The horse, sensing Zhao Yun's strength, wisely nudged closer, recognizing that this was someone it shouldn't antagonize.
"Report! General, a letter from Taishan," a messenger arrived, handing Zhao Yun a letter.
Zhao Yun patted the horse's neck again, and the Curly Red Hare sensibly moved aside to continue munching on Su Shuang's feed.
"It seems we'll be returning to Taishan together," Zhao Yun said with a smile as he folded the letter. The letter from Chen Xi had clearly outlined the current situation.
Zhao Yun thought to himself.
Zhao Yun reflected on his past foolishness. When he was young, due to health issues, he had trained in flexible internal energy. Later, before leaving the mountains, his master had transferred his rigid internal energy to him. In a moment of recklessness, Zhao Yun used that energy to shatter his own flexible internal energy, causing it to collapse and condense into a core.
That event had been a life-or-death struggle for Zhao Yun. If his master, Tong Yuan, hadn't given him a fragment of a divine stone core and used its power to forge his internal energy into a core, Zhao Yun would have perished.
This incident was why Zhao Yun's internal energy possessed both rigid and flexible characteristics, and why his internal energy could shift between the two. However, the cost was that whenever his internal energy reached the peak of detachment, it would collapse back into the core, forcing him to start over.
Fortunately, each time his energy fell to the initial stage of detachment and then rose back to its peak, his strength would increase.
According to Tong Yuan, if Zhao Yun ever fully harnessed the power of that core, his strength would undergo a massive leap.
Of course, Tong Yuan also believed that if Zhao Yun ever fully activated that core, it would trigger an explosion, giving him the power of roughly ten peak detached internal energy masters, but at the cost of his life.