Chapter 38

Liu Yuxuan, who had been itching for a few days, finally decided to take action with the Flame.

Garcia was equally looking forward to seeing the boss ride Flame. Over the past few days, Flame had completely transformed. It was truly a fine horse. Its glossy coat matched its name, and when it ran, it looked like a ball of fire. Even when it stood and neighed, the other horses would become restless, and even the bulls in the herd would move away. This horse had the potential to be a horse king.

However, Flame had never run properly. At first, it was because of its poor physical condition. After recovering, it spent its days wandering around, eating a bit of grass here and drinking a bit of water there. Once it had played enough outside, it would pester the boss for carrots.

"Boss, the first step in riding a horse is to communicate and build a bond with it. Of course, you and Flame have a good relationship, so we can skip this step. The second step is to get the horse used to you, especially for a horse like Flame that hasn't been tamed. The third and most important step is to start with a slow run and then gradually increase the speed. Since this is your first time and Flame's first time, this step is crucial. If you can't coordinate well, it can be very dangerous. I'll remind you of other details later," Garcia explained the key points of horse riding to Liu Yuxuan.

Following Garcia's instructions, Liu Yuxuan saddled Flame and tied the reins. So far, Flame was behaving well, though it was a bit restless, it still stood in place, occasionally stomping its hooves.

After inserting his foot into the stirrup, Liu Yuxuan quickly grabbed the saddle's handle and swung himself onto the horse. This moment was also crucial; he needed to be about one-third of the way up and mount quickly. If he was slow, the horse might move and drag him, causing injury.

As soon as he sat on the saddle, Flame started moving. Although Liu Yuxuan was familiar with Flame and could always get it to eat delicious carrots, Flame had wild horse blood and had never been ridden before. It was not used to such a heavy load and tried to buck Liu Yuxuan off. Liu Yuxuan tightly held onto the saddle's handle.

After circling in place a few times with no effect, Flame suddenly accelerated and dashed out of the stable, heading for the pasture.

By the time Garcia and the others were stunned, Flame was already out of sight. Garcia quickly mounted his own horse to chase after Flame. They were terrified because this was Liu Yuxuan's first time riding, and it was extremely dangerous. Garcia regretted not insisting that the boss practice on his own horse first.

Liu Yuxuan was also panicked, initially only able to step hard on the stirrups and tightly grip the handle.

This was different from what Garcia had said. Wasn't it supposed to start with a slow run and then speed up? It was like riding a bicycle and suddenly finding himself on a high-speed train, and it was outside. Liu Yuxuan thought angrily.

Actually, what Garcia said was correct, but he forgot one thing: Flame was a wild horse that had never been properly raised or tamed.

Regardless of what Liu Yuxuan was thinking, Flame ran faster and kept jumping.

Fortunately, Liu Yuxuan had practiced Tai Chi, and his physical condition had significantly improved. After the initial adjustment, Liu Yuxuan no longer panicked. He began to coordinate with Flame. Tai Chi emphasizes control of force, so each time Flame jumped, he would gently push upward to reduce the burden on Flame. He also used one hand to gently stroke Flame's neck to calm it. He didn't know how long it had been, but he remembered that Flame leaped over the fence of their ranch and ran for a long time. Liu Yuxuan felt that Flame was no longer as restless, and its speed gradually slowed down.

Finally, Flame came to a sudden stop, reared up, neighed, and stood still. At this moment, Liu Yuxuan climbed down from the horse, his clothes drenched in sweat.

Flame also stretched its big head over and rubbed against Liu Yuxuan's chest.

Liu Yuxuan panted heavily, stroked Flame's face, and said, "Flame, no wonder they call you a bad boy. I almost fell off."

Only then did Liu Yuxuan have time to look around. He was lost. He had run to the edge of the grassland, and there was a mountain ahead. Liu Yuxuan didn't remember there being a mountain near their ranch. He had been so focused on coordinating with Flame that he hadn't paid attention to the path. He didn't have his phone with him, which was a problem.

He didn't dare to run around, fearing he would get even more lost. In the United States, once you leave the residential area, it's often miles before you see another person.

After resting for about half an hour, he heard a rumbling sound from the sky.

Liu Yuxuan looked up and saw an orange helicopter flying towards him. He quickly stood up, took off his denim jacket, and waved it over his head.

The helicopter had also spotted him and the horse and landed nearby.

The helicopter door opened, and Garcia came out first, followed by the town sheriff, Martin.

"Boss, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Garcia shouted from a distance.

Because the helicopter's engine hadn't completely stopped, the noise was still loud. Liu Yuxuan also shouted, "I'm not hurt, everything is fine, just lost."

Garcia carefully examined his boss and found no injuries, which relieved him.

"Hey, Martin, I'm really sorry for the trouble. I didn't expect this guy to run so fast. If you hadn't found me, I would have had to spend the night in the wild," Liu Yuxuan said, still glaring at Flame.

Flame, seeing Liu Yuxuan looking at it, thought something was wrong and trotted over, rubbing its head against Liu Yuxuan's body.

"Is this the same bad-tempered Flame?" Garcia asked.

"Is this the horse you bought from Pete for a loss?" the sheriff asked.

The town had heard that Pete bought a horse from a horse trader for $3000 and then sold it to Liu Yuxuan for $1200, which was a loss. Moreover, when Liu Yuxuan bought it, Flame's condition was so poor that it wasn't worth $1200; selling it for over $300 would have been good, so it was still a loss.

Flame usually stayed in the ranch, and apart from the three people at the ranch, no one knew that Flame had undergone a complete transformation.

"How do you plan to go back? Ride Flame back or wait for a transport truck to pick you up?" Martin asked, looking at Flame a few more times.

"Let's call a truck. I think my thighs are already rubbed raw and are still hurting," Liu Yuxuan said pitifully.

He hadn't noticed while riding, but now that he had stopped, he realized his inner thighs were very painful, and he couldn't even stand with his legs together.