Chapter 6: Goodbye Chi Yan

Ye Tianhui now had a basic understanding of the horse racing and betting methods in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong horse racing has a long history, and in recent years, it has seen rapid development, reaching a point where it has nearly become a nationwide obsession. It’s gotten to the point where, in the mornings, when people greet each other in Hong Kong, “Did you listen to ‘Leading the Race’?” is now almost on par with “Have you eaten yet?”

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is approved by the British royal government and is responsible for horse racing events. The method they use is the “Parimutuel betting^[1]Also known as pool betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the “house-take” or “vigorish” are deducted, and … Continue reading.” For all the betting amounts, the Jockey Club first takes 19% as company profit, and then, based on the amount of money bet on each horse, an automatic odds system is generated.

So, the way this works is actually a game of strategy between the players, with the Jockey Club having no direct influence on the outcome. The outcome of any race does not affect the Jockey Club’s earnings, which to some extent guarantees the fairness of the competition.

The game between players depends on their perception and luck. If they blindly bet on the most popular horses that are considered likely to win, the chances of winning are higher, but the payout is minimal.

However, if one has the ability to bet on an underdog horse that no one is paying attention to, and that horse has a lower number of bettors, then if it wins, it’s an “upset,” and the bettor can make a big profit from a small bet.

It could be said that the Hong Kong Jockey Club gives all the citizens of Hong Kong the hope of getting rich overnight, which is why discussions about horse racing happen everywhere on the streets, and why magazines about horse racing are sold in quantities ten times that of other magazines.

For Ye Tianhui, the best way to make money was to take an unconventional route and find a few dark horses that could create an upset.

Of course, such opportunities were not always available. No matter how sharp her eye for horses, if there were no good horses, it would be useless. In the end, she might only be able to scrape together a few Hong Kong dollars to make her life a bit easier.

Ye Tianhui took the bus to Happy Valley Racecourse. The buses in Hong Kong were quite interesting—two-story buses, very tall, weaving through narrow streets.

What surprised her was that the bus was driving on the left side of the road, making it feel both narrow and unusual. Occasionally, when she saw a two-story bus coming from the opposite direction, she had the illusion that they were about to collide.

The bus was crowded, packed with people. Ye Tianhui felt both intrigued and uncomfortable. Afterward, she took a “ding ding” car^[2]Hong Kong Tram, which was cheaper than the bus, but it was even more crowded. After a bit of a hassle, she finally arrived at Happy Valley.

It was said that Happy Valley had more than a hundred years of history. The British first introduced English-style horse racing to Hong Kong and began holding races here. Originally a marshy land, over time, with the development of the horse racing industry, many high-rise buildings were constructed around it, and it became one of the most famous racecourses in Hong Kong.

Upon arriving at Happy Valley, she saw that it was indeed surrounded by tall buildings, and some luxury cars were parked near the mansions. Ye Tianhui didn’t know much about cars, but she could tell the difference when she saw the particularly luxurious ones.

Perhaps because the horse racing season was about to begin, the traffic around here was very congested. It seemed that many people were heading to the racecourse to watch the races, as she saw many people holding racing magazines and discussing them enthusiastically with their companions.

Ye Tianhui followed the flow of people to the racecourse and registered. The racecourse allowed visitors, but they could only watch from behind the fences and couldn’t get close unless they dined at the nearby cha chaan teng ^[3]Hong Kong-style diner, which allowed them to see the horses up close while eating.

If one wanted even closer access, they would need to be a member of the Jockey Club.

However, it was clear that becoming a member wasn’t that easy. Simply paying money wouldn’t get you in; you needed to be recommended by several existing members. Even after gaining entry, membership was divided into several levels, and without the right status, one couldn’t join the higher ranks.

There was a saying in Hong Kong that to be considered wealthy, one needed to own a villa on the hillside, have a yacht docked in Victoria Harbour, and a Rolls-Royce in the garage. But even with all that, one would still be considered an ordinary wealthy person. Only by becoming a Jockey Club member could one truly signal their high social status.

In simple terms, it was like the hierarchy of officials in Ye Tianhui’s previous dynasty—high-ranking officials and low-ranking ones, where class distinctions were clear. If you weren’t in the right position, you’d feel out of place at the banquet of a top official, too embarrassed to talk to anyone.

Only once you reached that level of society could you become a member of that circle. In some ways, it was the upper class’s exclusive circle.

After analyzing the situation, Ye Tianhui made up her mind without hesitation and decided to dine at the cha chaan teng.

She was now determined to participate in horse racing and had some confidence about her ability to earn money, so she didn’t hold back on food. She ordered pepper pig stomach chicken, salted egg yolk red rice sausage, handmade shrimp dumplings, and a bowl of congee.

She planned to eat slowly, observe while eating, and then look for a chance to sneak into the members’ entrance. Once inside, she could observe the horses up close, maximizing her chances of winning.

Though she might be kicked out, it didn’t matter—just seeing the horses was enough for her to gain something.

It had to be said that although the food at the racecourse’s cha chaan teng was expensive, it was a far cry from the roadside car noodle stalls. Eating those roadside noodles or government-issued porridge, she thought Hong Kong food was bland, but eating at this cha chaan teng made her realize how delicious and enjoyable the food could be.

The crispy sausage noodles were soft and chewy, dipping them in a little sauce was wonderfully fragrant, and the pig stomach soup had a creamy white color, fragrant and mouth-watering, truly delicious.

She sighed with satisfaction, thinking that compared to the imperial banquet dishes of her past life, these were only slightly lacking.

As she observed the surroundings while eating, she finished her meal and had almost seen everything she needed to.

After leaving the cha chaan teng, she left the racecourse.

She had already observed the area, noting that next to the racecourse stands were elevated platforms, and on the other side was a cemetery. The graves, densely packed, climbed up the hillside, with the tombstones even covering the slope. On the opposite side of the cemetery wall were clusters of buildings and shops.

She planned to walk around the cemetery, making her way to the more secluded side of the racecourse. Then, she would scale the wall and sneak into the stables.

Once inside, she would find a stable worker’s uniform, allowing her to walk around confidently and observe all the horses, gaining a clear understanding of everything.

Ye Tianhui entered the cemetery without hesitation. This cemetery was different from typical ones—it was lush with tall trees and covered in green grass, giving it a more peaceful, garden-like atmosphere, rather than an eerie feeling.

She passed by a dried-up fountain, a small yellow church, and a row of cross-shaped tombstones before reaching a main avenue. Finally, she arrived at the outer wall of the stables.

As summer was approaching, the trees were providing ample shade, which happened to offer Ye Tianhui the perfect cover. Seeing no one around, she immediately climbed the wall, leaped over, and snuck inside.

After entering, she carefully squatted down in a patch of low bushes, observing the various aspects of the stables. It was clear that the stable had been designed in an orderly manner. From the outside, there was at least a loading dock, a free-range grass field, a horse-training ring, and a racecourse.

In the distance, there were two or three-story high stands, the parts visible to the public.

About a few hundred meters to her left, there was a long row of A-frame barns.

Based on Ye Tianhui’s experience, these must be the horse stables. If she sneaked into the stables, wouldn’t she be able to see the racehorses up close?

She carefully observed the staff’s movements, and when no one was paying attention, she quickly slipped into a building. After a brief period of hiding and observing, she moved to the next one. In this process, she successfully found a uniform that appeared to be for racecourse employees.

After putting on the uniform, she no longer hid but walked openly into the stables.

Upon entering, the scent of hay greeted her, but instead of feeling stuffy, she felt a refreshing coolness.

For a moment, she was puzzled, then it dawned on her—there was air conditioning.

She couldn’t help but feel a little sentimental. How many people in mainland China, including those living in the poorer districts of Hong Kong, could enjoy air conditioning? Yet, the horses in the stables were already benefiting from it.

—If only she had known how to reincarnate, she would have chosen to be a horse in this life. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

She walked down the corridor and saw that both sides were divided into individual horse stalls, each about two to three meters long. Each horse had its own stall with a window, and each stall had separate feeding and watering systems, which appeared to be very well-thought-out.

She carefully observed each horse. The stalls had nameplates, allowing her to read the horses’ specific information, including their numbers, names, and shifts.

However, after looking for a while, she didn’t find any horses with particularly promising potential.

Ye Tianhui felt a little disappointed but decided to continue walking since the stables were empty at the moment. As she walked, when her eyes reached a corner of a stall, her steps suddenly halted.

She saw a black horse standing in the corner of the stall.

Holding her breath, she stared at the horse intently.

The horse appeared somewhat underdeveloped, thin and small, but its neck was straight and seemed powerful, with a broad chest, a tight belly, and well-defined shoulder muscles.

It also had a very short tail, much shorter than usual.

She couldn’t believe her eyes and stared at the horse for a long time.

In her past life, as a great general who fought across the country, she had ridden many horses. However, the one that followed her to Minzhou was the imperial horse named “Chi Yan,” a fine steed personally raised by the Emperor’s royal stables.

Chi Yan followed her for three years and was her most beloved mount.

Unfortunately, when she was trapped in Minzhou with supplies running out, there was a near-riot due to a struggle for food. To calm the unrest, she had to slaughter Chi Yan and distribute the meat to the people, which barely managed to ease the situation.

She still vividly remembered the look in Chi Yan’s eyes before it died.

A horse, eyes full of tears, looking at her, knowing she was about to raise the blade against it, yet not a trace of resentment in its gaze.

The past was like smoke; she thought she had forgotten, and she wished she had. But now, seeing this horse, she realized she had not forgotten.

She gazed fixedly at the horse before her.

In terms of appearance and breed, it was different from Chi Yan. This was clearly a different breed, but when Ye Tianhui first saw it, she felt a sense of familiarity, a soul-deep familiarity.

If a horse had its own soul, this must be the reincarnation of Chi Yan.

At that moment, the horse turned its head to look at her.

Clearly, it did not recognize Ye Tianhui. Its gaze was somewhat proud, a little lazy, and it appeared indifferent.

Then, it lowered its head and slowly began grazing.

As Ye Tianhui watched it eat, she felt an increasing sense of familiarity. This must be Chi Yan. In this world, where the history of Dazhao Kingdom did not exist, the soul of Chi Yan had come to this place.

She silently watched the reincarnated Chi Yan.

In this life, it was indeed weak, like an undernourished, undeveloped child. Compared to the muscular horses beside it, it seemed dull and unimpressive. No one would consider it a fine horse.

But Ye Tianhui could clearly see that, just like the Chi Yan of her past life, it possessed an explosive power that ordinary horses couldn’t match. It was a horse like no other.

Only this time, it just happened to not be as physically impressive.

Ye Tianhui stood there for half an hour, until she heard movement outside, indicating that someone was approaching. She knew it was time to leave.

Before leaving, she raised her hand and gently touched Chi Yan’s mane, whispering in its ear, “Why are you still eating grass? Are you hungry?”

She paused for a moment as she thought.

By the time she was trapped in Minzhou, the city had run out of food, and Chi Yan, too, must have gone hungry. It had endured so much hunger in its past life, and in the end, it sacrificed its body to save others.

So hunger was etched into its soul, and because of its underdevelopment, it had been eating grass all along, right?

She tilted her head and looked at the sign beside her. Only then did she notice that its name was now Teng Yunwu, three and a half years old, and it was just a class five racehorse.

A class five racehorse, one that was completely unremarkable.

After catching up on some reading, she now had some understanding of the horse racing scene in Hong Kong. The races were divided into internal and public competitions. Internal competitions included the New Horse Race, Condition Race, and Class Races. In the Class Race, each horse was scored, and the horses were then categorized into five classes based on their scores. A horse could only participate in races of its assigned class, and after each race, the horses were re-evaluated by a handicapper based on their performance.

Only horses that performed well in the Class Races and reached Class One or Two had a chance to move on to the public competitions.

This meant that the horses spectators saw on the stands or in the media were the ones who had excelled in the internal races. However, many horses could only be classified into Class Three, Four, or Five, struggling through the Class Races to get a chance to appear in the public competitions.

Horses under three years old participated in the New Horse Race, and if they performed well, their future would be promising. If they didn’t, they would have to compete in the Class Races after turning three.

This horse was already three and a half years old, meaning it didn’t stand out during the New Horse Race, and after half a year in the Class Races, it still hadn’t impressed, leaving it stuck in Class Five.

Based on the scores, a score above 95 placed the horse in Class One, 80-95 in Class Two, 60-80 in Class Three, 40-60 in Class Four, and anything below 40 was Class Five.

This score wasn’t just below average; it was absolutely terrible.

A horse in such a situation couldn’t participate in public races and thus couldn’t earn its owner any money, rendering it a horse of little value.

If that were the case, its owner would naturally not care about it and might even sell it off for a low price.

Its situation didn’t seem promising at all.

At that moment, footsteps from outside grew louder, and Ye Tianhui knew she had to leave.

She took one last look at Teng Yunwu. It was still bowing its head, eating grass slowly and carefully, as if this was the most important thing in the world to it.

She spoke softly, “I’ll try to come back. I’ll return to see you. Keep eating well and take care of your body.”

She stepped away, but after a few steps, she stopped and spoke again, “Since you have a new life, don’t think about galloping across the battlefield or achieving great deeds. Let’s just eat well, drink well, and live lazily. If I become rich, I’ll take you with me, let you live well and be a lazy horse for the rest of your life.”

The horse paused its grazing, lifting its head and looking at her curiously.

…It seemed to be moved.

Indeed, this was her Chi Yan!

Just then, the stable door was pushed open. Ye Tianhui quickly moved forward, nimbly slipping into a corner.

Although she was wearing the uniform, she still couldn’t risk being seen. If anyone spoke to her, her accent would surely give her away.

After all, this was a horse stable related to security and commercial secrets. It was impossible for outsiders like her to be allowed in, and if caught, she might be handed over to the police and possibly end up in prison!

Moments later, a group of people arrived, seeming to be staff discussing the upcoming horse race. Several horses were set to compete, and they needed to prepare them in advance.

Once they took the horses for the race, the area quieted down. Ye Tianhui saw everything was safe and emerged from her hiding spot.

It seemed that people came by every so often, so it wasn’t completely safe. She couldn’t afford to waste time, and quickly moved forward, noting down the names and numbers of any horses that caught her eye.

Unfortunately, there weren’t any horses she was particularly interested in, just a few that were decent enough.

After observing them up close, she recorded the numbers and names of more than ten horses before silently slipping out of the stable.

Once outside, she observed the surroundings and considered how to leave.

At that moment, Ye Tianhui noticed a small, separate stable behind a rockery to the south. It wasn’t large, but it was clearly newly built, taller than the other stables, and its slanted roof looked meticulously designed, almost as if it used gray-tinted glass.

She wondered why this one was separate. Was it housing a special horse?

She was supposed to leave, but her curiosity got the better of her. She quietly walked over to the stable, tiptoeing and peering through the window.

It was a stable made entirely of pine wood, with a milky-white glass skylight running along the ridge. Sunlight filtered through the glass and cast a warm glow on the wooden walls, and on a man standing in the stable.

The man was tall and slender, dressed in a light gray shirt and jeans. He was focused on feeding the horses, his head lowered.

Because he was looking down, Ye Tianhui couldn’t make out his face, but for some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

At first, it was just a faint feeling, but soon it spread, filling every part of her being.

At that moment, the man suddenly looked up.

In the interplay of light and shadow, his face became clear in front of Ye Tianhui.

Handsome, noble, and familiar beyond words.

Their eyes met, and in that instant, Ye Tianhui lost her grip and dropped to the ground.