I'm Ornn, and I'm about to be beaten to my knees by the Man-eating Horse Girl!

But none of the horse girls showed any signs of collapse or giving up. After hearing those words, all they could think about was how to improve themselves and win the next race.

A loss is a loss; the women won't make excuses. They'll win it back next time.

Tengzheng March walked up to the side of Kasamatsu's support group, and Kitahara asked nervously, "March! That horse girl just now... you didn't provoke anyone, did you?!"

"Heh, Kitahara, from what you're saying, do I sound like a troublemaking horse girl?"

Kitahara glanced at Teng Zheng's somewhat fierce red eyes and instinctively wanted to nod.

But Shibasaki, standing next to him, elbowed him in the chin, pulling the reckless Kitahara back from the edge of the cliff.

He then changed the subject, saying, "Great! March, a good victory! I bet Ornn is watching the live stream right now!"

"So, should we call him now and talk to him? Or wait until after the winner's stage? I think Ornn is probably looking forward to you calling him in person, right?"

Teng Zheng hesitated briefly. She thought for a moment, about to speak, when a burst of crisp applause suddenly came from behind the crowd.

Two deer-mane horse girls descended the steps. The one with the white crescent moon on her head smiled and said, "A good victory, [Blue Flash]. Even in the center, it's difficult to create such a large gap."

"I'm guessing that you and that [furry monster] belong to the same trainer's team, right?"

Teng Zheng's eyes narrowed. Judging from their composed attitude and inexplicable aura, these two horse girls must be experts from the Central Government!

So she nodded and replied, "Yes, Oguri and I are both on the same trainer's team."

She then reached out and hooked her arm around the trembling New Glorious, pulling her close and saying, "So, New Glorious is also a member of our team. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Rudolf hadn't expected that there would be another person in the group.

She took a few steps forward, carefully examined the newly radiant body, and nodded, saying, "Although her physical abilities are somewhat lacking, she may still have the talent to support Ma Niang, so it's not impossible."

"Air tank, how about it? Do you agree?"

The horse girl with red eyeshadow stared intently at the newly radiant light, then nodded and said, "Alright, President, let's do it your way."

"it is good."

The deer-mane horse girl with a white crescent moon on her chest placed her hand on her chest and said, "I am the symbol of Rudolf, the current student council president of Central Treson."

"The Tengzheng March, a brand new glory. In view of your outstanding performance in local competitions, I will now submit an application to transfer you both to the central government. Are you willing?"

The newly radiant woman was completely flustered. She waved her hands frantically and stammered, "That! This! I...I think...uh..."

She never expected that the pinnacle of the horse racing world, the emperor with seven crowns, would appear here!

Haha, am I dreaming? Not only the emperor, but even the empress is here!?

Before her mind went completely mad, she was about to agree when the Tengzheng March behind her suddenly covered her mouth and said to the smiling Emperor, "Senior Rudolf, I think we should talk to our trainer about this."

The reason the Tengzheng March interrupted the newfound glory was simple: just as Rudolf approached, a familiar fragrance wafted into her nostrils.

Just a second later, she used her horse-girl's excellent sense of smell to determine the source of the familiar scent. It was the scent that Orn had picked up on him during the hot spring trip!

"So that's it! So that's why Orn didn't want us to train the next day. No wonder he was looking through the binoculars—he was waiting for them to leave!"

Teng Zheng did not want Orn to come into contact with the emperor in front of him. After all, even Orn himself seemed to be avoiding him like the plague. As his confidant, for his safety and to avoid disrupting his plans, he should keep his distance from the emperor.

Yes, that's it, absolutely not because of my own strange selfishness!

Rudolf paused for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded and said, "That makes sense. It was my fault. I got a little too excited when I saw such a talented junior."

She turned to look at Shibasaki, then her gaze swept over Noren, who was standing close behind him, before settling on Kitahara, who was wearing a comical top hat.

"So, you're her trainer?"

Kitahara scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and was about to shake his head in refusal when the tail end of the "Tengzheng March" suddenly struck him hard on the back, causing him to stagger forward a few steps.

From Rudolf's and the air tank's perspective, it's as if he voluntarily stepped forward.

Kitahara quickly shook his head, but then he noticed Teng Zheng March giving him a wink. After a brief silence, he nodded.

"Um...yes, I am their trainer! Well, Your Majesty, this is a matter of great importance, perhaps we could reconsider?"

Rudolf smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course, I'll give you a week to consider it."

"Speaking of which, where is that 'monster with the goat feathers'? Why didn't she come to your team's scene today?"

Teng Zheng stepped forward and said, "She's not feeling well today, so she's still resting in Kasamatsu Tressen."

"I see,"

Rudolf, stroking his chin, said, "Then we won't disturb you any longer during today's winners' stage. Let's go."

Having said that, the two prepared to turn and leave.

Tengzheng March and Kitahara both breathed a sigh of relief. Shibasaki, wearing a top hat, raised an eyebrow at the blue-haired horse girl in confusion, while the other simply gestured that she would talk about it later.

It seems everything has been covered up. Rudolf has obtained a new SSR, Tengzheng March has received new information, and everyone is happy.

But... a somewhat gruff voice shattered this harmonious atmosphere.

"Hey! Kitahara! When did you guys get here?! You didn't even wait for me!"

"Speaking of which, why didn't Ornn let Oguri Hats participate in the Niigata Grand Prix? That's a G3 level tournament! And it's on grass, which is much more popular! Why not just leave the Chukyo Cup to Blue Flash? That wouldn't be a problem..."

"Huh? Why are you all looking at me? Hey?! Rudolf! What are you doing here!"

Gazing at the figure holding the cane, Teng Zheng closed his eyes, while Bei Yuan covered his face with his hands.

Rudolf, who was about to leave, twitched her ears and turned back to look intently at the three people behind her.

She had never seen the middle-aged man's face before, and while the face of the woman in the "March of the Teng Zheng" song looked familiar, she couldn't be sure if she had seen her in a newspaper or elsewhere.

Finally, her gaze settled on the face of the newly radiant man, whose eyes were wide open and who hadn't yet realized what was happening. His appearance gradually overlapped with that of the crosstalk master she had met at Longquan Mountain a few weeks ago!

"...That's interesting."

Rudolf took out his phone and dialed a number saved as "Master of Cold Jokes."

And immediately, a phone call went through the air from Kitahara's body!

Putting his phone away, the emperor finally dropped his amiable smile and asked sternly, "It seems that, March, your trainer is someone else?"

"Where are Oguri Hat and her trainer now?"

Chapter 72 The Modern-Day Sima Yi Takes Xin Nongchuan as His Ally

"Ahaha, Ms. Rudolph, I think there might be some misunderstanding here?"

Seeing that things were going wrong, Shibasaki quickly stepped forward to help his brother.

He said, "Ms. Rudolf, this isn't the right place to talk. Perhaps we should find another spot..."

"Oh? But I do think this place is quite suitable for conversation,"

Rudolf shook her head slightly, gestured with her chin toward Kitahara and Tengzheng's march, and said, "Moreover, it's also a good opportunity to question you about why you deceived me."

“Speak, [Blue Flash]. If you answer truthfully, I can forgive you for lying.”

"And if you can't give me a satisfactory answer, then there will be punishment, you know?"

Kitahara was already drenched in sweat. He quickly pulled out his phone and said, "Your Majesty, please don't get agitated. I have her trainer's number. I'll have him speak to you directly, how about that?!"

Rudolf nodded, and Kitahara quickly dialed Orn's phone number.

Answer it! Answer it now!

"Sorry, the number you dialed is currently switched off. Please try again later."

Kitahara looked up, tears welling in his eyes, and said, "Uh... his phone is off."

Teng Zheng sighed, handed his phone to Bei Yuan, and said, "Try calling Xiao Li's phone; she should be able to get through."

In Kyoto, Oguri Hat, who was watching the Chukyo match broadcast in a coffee shop, suddenly picked up her phone and turned to ask, "Toreina, is that March calling?"

"March? Shouldn't she be preparing for the winner's stage right now? Why would she call us?"

Aoun answered the phone with some confusion, then pressed the speakerphone button.

On the other end of the phone, the instant the call connected, Kitahara's face displayed an exaggerated expression of relief, as if he had just escaped a disaster.

He quickly said, "Hey! Is that Little Chestnut Hat?! Is Orn next to you?!"

Little Chestnut Hat looked at Orn with some confusion, and only after seeing the trainer nod did she answer, "Yes, he's next to me."

"That's great! Oguri, give him the phone. A very important person wants to talk to him."

Orn pushed the phone toward himself and then said, "Hello, Kitahara? Who's calling me?"

"it's me."

The response to Orn wasn't Kitahara's somewhat languid, middle-aged voice; on the contrary, it was a magnetic voice.

Rudolph took the phone from Kitahara and said, "I think it was Oguri Hat, Tengzheng March, and Shining Brilliance's trainer who answered the phone this time, right?"

Although there was some distortion, Orn immediately recognized who it was, and the painful memories of being tortured for hours at Longquan Temple flooded back.

It seems I couldn't dodge it after all. Now that they've come to my door, I can't keep playing dumb.

He sighed and said, "Yes, I am their trainer. What brings you here?"

Rudolf smiled; that familiar voice naturally reminded her of the pleasant times at Longquan Temple.

She asked in a calm tone, "It seems you remember who I am. At Longquan Temple, you declined my invitation and gave me your contact information."

"But now it seems like this contact information is more like a complete rejection. It seems you don't want to have anything to do with me. Can I ask why?"

After a moment's thought, Orn answered quite frankly, "Because at that time I hadn't officially obtained my trainer's license, I couldn't just accept an invitation from a horse girl who might be in the top tier of the Central team."

"Not to mention that the three members of my own team haven't officially signed with me yet, if something were to happen to me on my way to Teresen, that would be terrible. That's why I declined your invitation back then."

Since the other side has come knocking on our door, we might as well just lay our cards on the table. Besides, Ornn has a vague idea of ​​the other side's true identity.

Seated in a private room, she possessed exceptional knowledge of training; she was a horse girl from the central government.

Add to that her signature white crescent moon on her head, and the short-haired horse girl with red eyeshadow behind her... only those two legendary figures could match those features, right?

Rudolph raised an eyebrow and asked again, "If that's the case, then why did you leave me with the wrong contact information?"

Orn said somewhat helplessly, "You can't blame me for this. If you suddenly run into a rather mysterious person in a temple and they ask for your contact information, any normal person would refuse, right?"

Rudolf paused for a moment. The reason was actually quite far-fetched, but logically it was plausible.

When he was at Ryusenji Temple, did he not yet have his trainer's certificate? Does that mean he is a newly recruited trainer who took the exam this year?

However, if he's a newly recruited trainer, Rudolph, as the student council president of Central, should remember him. After all, a newcomer who can tell corny jokes while asking tricky training questions can't possibly remain unknown in Central forever.

So, he's actually a newly recruited regional trainer? That narrows down the possibilities considerably!

Wait a minute, there are rumors circulating among the newly promoted local trainers this year, the Central Treson trainers, about his frequent appearances in local competitions and his overwhelming victories, and the information Morita Itsuki revealed at the end of that phone call...

Rudolf suddenly had a very bold conjecture: perhaps the so-called "newcomer" that Morita Itsuki was looking for was this new trainer who could tell corny jokes for hours on end!

I see. That explains why he led his horse girls on raids everywhere – it was to increase his leverage in the fight against Morita Itsuki!

The emperor's thoughts moved extremely quickly; in just a few dozen seconds, she confirmed her guess.

Rudolf chuckled softly, "Heh heh, it seems the reason you rejected me isn't as simple as you claim, is it?"

"A newly recruited trainer restricted by the board?"

On the other end of the phone, Little Chestnut Hat's ears, which had been drooping slightly, immediately perked up. She stared at Orn with a shocked expression, seemingly wondering how this strange woman knew this secret.

To be honest, you rarely see little chestnut hats these days, and... they're much cuter too.

Orn rubbed Lu Mao's ears to soothe him, then picked up his phone and said, "It seems you've already guessed the reason. That's why I refused. Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?"

"If not, I'll hang up. After all, this is March's phone, and I even helped her top up her phone bill."

That's why he didn't want to deal with Rudolf—because the other man was too intelligent.

In those few short hours of conversation, Orn had already discerned the troublesome nature of this horse girl.

Although she may not be very old, compared to the brilliant strategists in her team, she is indeed not easily fooled.

Furthermore, he didn't want to owe this student council president, who held considerable power and influence in the central government, a favor, in Aoun's view, was the hardest thing to repay.

It's fine if others owe you a favor, but if you owe someone a favor, you might even have to pay for your underwear.

Not to mention that the situation they were facing was already complicated, and even the legendary principal of Central Tresen might not be able to help, let alone the students of Central Tresen?

Hearing the somewhat helpless tone in the man's voice on the other end of the phone, Rudolf chuckled, "Don't worry, we're not actually enemies."

"On the contrary, I might be able to help you with your chances of becoming a Central Trainer."

"After all... I also have a conflict with the person who restricted your access to the central government."

Orn frowned and asked doubtfully, "Let me confirm first, the person I'm talking to right now is Rudolf, the student council president of Central Treson, right?"