The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

In his opinion, Xiuxingmeng had already used the limiter a year ago, and since she hadn't mentioned it for a year, she might have forgotten about it. So, Zaizen Shuji specifically reminded Xiuxingmeng before starting.

What he didn't know was that Xiu Xingmeng still had a perfect limiter. The curse of her bloodline had never been eliminated. The curse was like a shackle, and the burden on her body was getting heavier and heavier. If she had any thought of exceeding her limit, her limbs would be in excruciating pain.

Under such circumstances, how could she possibly forget? So she simply and decisively told Zaizen Shuji that she still remembered.

After nodding, Zaizen Shuji continued speaking to Xiuxingyu.

“Miss Aldan’s situation is somewhat similar to the Northern Family’s curse, after all, she also has the Northern Family’s bloodline.”

His words immediately made Xiu Xingmeng restless. Before Zaizen Shuji could finish speaking, she interrupted him.

"Impossible! Isn't her situation completely different from the Northern Family Curse?!"

That is why, although the Northern Family's curse places a great burden on the body, it also allows the holder to inherit the outstanding talents of their ancestors, and this change is gradual.

It wasn't until after the Spring Emperor's Gift that Xiu Xing Meng finally felt the effects of the curse on her.

According to Meguro Takamine's description, Meguro Ardan's problem is that he has a fragile constitution and easily broken glass feet since childhood, which is completely different from the curse of the Northern Family.

“Miss Hoshino, although you have the blood of the Mejiro family, you are still mainly of the Hokuto family, so the curse was completely passed on to you.”

"And the white bloodline in Miss Aldan's body neutralized the Northern Family's curse, causing its manifestation to change."

After a pause, Zaizen Shuji continued.

"Despite possessing excellent physical qualities, she is unable to exert her full strength due to her fragile constitution. She is like a piece of shimmering glass, dazzling yet fragile."

"Glass feet...what a cruel yet apt term."

After saying that, he sighed and pushed up his glasses to hide his emotions behind the lenses.

Xiu Xingmeng remained silent for a long time. Her hands had been clenched tightly with worry since the beginning, and she hadn't relaxed them for a moment even now that her knuckles had turned white.

After a long while, she whispered something.

"It must be very painful..."

Upon hearing this, Shuji Zaizen nodded in empathy, saying with a mixture of regret and admiration.

"Yes, Miss Aldan's every run is accompanied by a severe tension, until she reaches her limit and then breaks apart into unbearable pain."

"Not only on the field, but even in regular training, she suffers from great pain and risk. Moreover, compared to the physical pain, the anxiety in her heart is more tormenting, because she never knows how long her fragile foot can hold on before it breaks."

"Perhaps every run Miss Aldan makes is accompanied by the realization that this is the last time."

As a top retainer of the Mejiro family, Zaizen Shuji participated in many of the Mejiro family's affairs.

As the attending physician who had worked with Meguro Ardan during his professional career, he knew Meguro Ardan's condition very well, which made him even more moved.

"...Where's the limiter?"

"Didn't we develop the perfect limiter before? Aldan's glass leg was also due to the curse, right? Can't we just create another limiter?!"

Xiu Xingmeng clenched her fist and growled in the corridor. During the silence just now, she had been thinking about how to resolve Meguro Aldan's suffering.

After listening to Zaizen Shuji's words, she suddenly realized that the limiter was the best solution to Meguro Ardan's problem.

To everyone's surprise, after hearing this, Shuji Zaizen shook his head, pushed up his glasses, and said in a low voice.

"The limiter was never intended for mass production from the beginning. Its creation was more like a desperate gamble. Now, no one will pay for this drug that is destined not to make money."

"Moreover, a year has passed since the limiter was produced. Even if we still have the data, it will be difficult to assemble the original experimental equipment and the professional staff we gathered together."

That was a perfect product that the Northern Family had spent generations creating, and it was no longer possible for it to appear in this era when the Northern Family had declined.

Chapter 215 The Sound of the Wind

"What about the Mejiro family? Aldan is their racehorse girl, right?! Are they really going to stand idly by when their own racehorse girl is in this situation?!"

Upon hearing Zaizen Shuji's words, Xiuxing Meng bit her lip and growled in a low voice.

But Shuji Zaizen shook his head and said with a helpless expression.

"For the Northern family, the limiter is the hope of breaking the bloodline curse, so they will naturally invest a lot of money. But it's different for the Mejiro family. They don't expect Miss Aldan to achieve any dazzling results on the field. They just want her to live well."

"Besides, glass spines are not as deadly as a curse. As long as you rest well and stop running, it will be fine."

"Life is definitely more important than dreams."

Xiu Xingmeng's fingertips almost pierced her skin as she frantically considered all the possibilities in her mind and asked the question once again.

"Didn't they consider Aldan when they made the limiter?!"

"Since the vast majority of the funds are provided by the Northern family, we must respect the opinion of that family head and make your limiter, Miss Xingmeng, our primary target."

"By the time it was finally completed, Miss Aldan had already retired from the competition, and people thought she no longer needed the limiter."

Upon hearing this, Xiu Xingmeng finally let go of her hands in despair.

What could she say? Her grandmother had spent her entire life trying to break the curse on the Northern family, so naturally, her limiter was the primary target for research and development.

Meanwhile, Megumi Asama was still immersed in past regrets and only wanted to leave all her assets to Xiuxingmeng. How could she have the energy to pay attention to what Megumi Ardan, who had long since retired from the competition, was thinking?

Ultimately, because of the passing of Hideyuki's mother, the Mejiro family still values ​​the Emperor's Prize very much, but what they value even more is the life of their own Uma Musume.

Since the glass foot is fine as long as it's properly treated, what reason is there to let Mejiro Aldan step onto the field again? What if the limiter malfunctions again?

The sensible Megumi Ardan naturally couldn't refuse the kindness of her family elders. Yes, it was a kind gesture, after all, everyone was concerned for her safety.

After locking her in that courtyard, there would be no accident involving Megumi Ardan. This shackle called love firmly bound her body along with her dreams on the field, leaving her no room to struggle.

"...Aldan is in the ward up ahead, right?"

Looking at the suddenly calmed-down Xiuxing Meng, Zaizen Shuji silently pushed up his glasses and nodded.

Xiu Xingmeng didn't say anything more, but walked quickly past the doctor toward Megumi Ardan's ward.

In the silent corridor, only her hurried footsteps could be heard. When Xiu Xingmeng entered the ward, Megumi Ardan, who had already heard her footsteps, also looked at her with surprise.

"Star Dream?! How did you know I was here?!"

She hurriedly tidied her messy hair, then hid her right leg, which was in a cast, under the blanket before smiling somewhat embarrassedly.

"I did some extra training at home after training a couple of days ago, which is why I accidentally got a minor injury."

"But it's okay, this kind of injury will heal quickly."

"Let's train together again after I recover from my injury, for my Dream Cup and for the Emperor's Autumn Festival in the Star Dream!"

As she spoke, she raised her arm, making a gesture of bulging muscles to show Xiu Xingmeng that she was in good health.

Xiu Xingmeng silently walked to Megumi Ardan's bedside, looked into her purple eyes, and asked earnestly.

"Ardan, why do you like running?"

Unaware that Xiu Xingmeng already knew the whole truth about Glass Leg, Megumi Ardan was completely oblivious to anything amiss. She tilted her head and pondered for a moment before answering.

"Perhaps it's because... I feel a sense of freedom when the wind blows on me?"

"free?"

Megumi Ardan smiled and nodded, gazing at the pristine white ceiling as she reminisced.

“Xingmeng’s mother once said this to me when I was a child.”

"She probably longed for the feeling of running freely. When I asked her what freedom was, she carried me on her back and started running."

Megumi Ardan recalled the sound of the wind ruffling her hair when she was young, and unconsciously her expression became much more relaxed. She stretched out her right hand as if to catch that wisp of breeze from the past.

"The wind will blow your hair all over the place, and when the strands of hair brush against your cheeks, there is a slight... how should I put it, a very strange itchy feeling."

"Unlike the itching from annoying mosquito bites, the itch brought by the wind feels like a blissful sensation that stirs the heart."

For Megumi Ardan, who was diagnosed with fragile feet from a young age and was closely watched by the Megumi family for fear of any accident, her childhood run was the first time she experienced the taste of freedom.

"Everyone in the Mejiro family is very nice. They often come to play with me and tell me interesting things. When they learned about my desire to return to the arena, they would also tell me about what happened to them on the field."

When Megumi Ardan spoke, her eyes were soft, and she could truly feel the love her family had for her. However, her gaze remained fixed on her legs, which were buried in the blankets.

"But... rather than sitting there waiting for everyone to bring back their stories, I prefer to create my own stories and experience the sound of the wind through my hair myself."

"The arena... made me feel like I had truly become myself, not Aldan of the Mejiro family, but simply Aldan."

At this point, Aldan smiled a little shyly, rubbing her hair as she spoke to Xiuxingmeng.

"I said a lot of strange and hard-to-understand things. You must be confused by what I said, Xingmeng."

"Just consider it my whim..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xiu Xingmeng grabbed her hand.

“I think Ardan is just fine like this. I really like Ardan like this.”

As much as Megumi Ardan longed for the sound of the wind while running, so too did she feel desolate when she was forced to leave the racetrack. After hearing her words, Xiuxing Meng completely understood why the other party was so persistent in running.

There are always some things in this world that one must pursue even at the cost of one's life. Xiu Xingmeng wholeheartedly agreed with Megumi Ardan's idea, and at this moment, she had quietly made a decision in her heart.

She wanted to allow Aldan to step onto the field without risking his life; she wanted him to be able to hear the wind on the field once again.

Chapter 216 The Final Opponents

"Eh?!"

Xiu Xingmeng's words startled Megumi Ardan, and a shy blush immediately spread from her ears to her cheeks. She waved her arms in a flustered manner and said helplessly.

"Xingmeng likes me?! I'm actually very happy, but we are—"

Before she could finish speaking, Xiu Xingmeng pulled out a bottle from somewhere and shoved it into Megumi Ardan's mouth. The strange-tasting liquid flowed down her throat and into her body. By the time Megumi Ardan realized what was happening, she had already drunk the whole bottle of the unknown liquid.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The overly intense infusion caused Megumi Ardan to involuntarily bend over and cough twice, and a few tears welled up in the corners of his eyes due to the stimulation.

After a few seconds, she raised her head somewhat bewilderedly and looked at Xiu Xingmeng with her hazy purple eyes, asking in confusion.

"Xingmeng, what did you give me to drink?!"

Xiu Xingmeng pulled a piece of paper from the bedside table, wiped the water stains left around Megumi Ardan's mouth, and then said.

"Something that can cure you."

Her words made Megumi Ardan even more puzzled, but before she could ask, Xiuxingmeng continued.

"This is a blessing from the three goddesses. Didn't you say that racehorse girls who are looked at by the three goddesses will have good luck?"

Meguro Aldan was taken aback for a moment before realizing that Hidehoshi was referring to the legend she had told when introducing the Three Goddess Statues to the other party during their first visit to Treson Academy.

She didn't expect that Xiu Xingmeng would still remember this, and she was even more surprised that she actually took this legend seriously. However, she didn't want to disappoint Xiu Xingmeng's good intentions, even if those intentions had a slightly childish flavor.

Megumi Ardan smiled and said to Xiu Xingmeng.

"Thank you so much, I'll definitely get better."

"Let's stand on the field together again then!"

Speaking of the arena, Megumi Ardan seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly said...

"Star Dream, there's less than a month until the Emperor's autumn viewing. You've been training me a lot lately, are you keeping up with my training?"

Xiu Xingmeng paused for a moment upon hearing this and did not answer. She looked at her palm. The limits of this body had been weakened considerably by the erosion of the Northern Family's curse. It was indeed not an easy task to win the Emperor's Autumn Appreciation with such a body.

Just as Xiu Xingmeng was pondering how to respond, Megumi Ardan answered the phone, counting on her fingers as she spoke.

"Let's leave Narita Shirahito aside for now. She's your strongest opponent in this Emperor's Autumn Appreciation event, but that doesn't mean the other opponents can be ignored."

"First is Sakura Chitose, a racehorse girl from the prestigious Sakura family, whose racehorses have achieved remarkable results in short and medium-distance races."

"Moreover, as a senior who has honed her skills on the field for several years, she has also participated in the Emperor's Autumn Viewing Ceremony before, and is more familiar with the venue of this competition than you are."

Xiu Xingmeng was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected that while Meguro Aldan was enduring the pain of rehabilitating his glass foot, he could still spare some attention to keep an eye on the Emperor's opponent during the autumn viewing.

Trusting the other person, she listened attentively, nodding occasionally.

According to Mejiro Ardan, Sakura Chitose is a racehorse girl with outstanding performance in middle-distance races. Although she has never won a G1 race before, she should not be underestimated.

Having just secured second place at the Yasuda Kinen tournament a few months ago, she will certainly not give up this opportunity to enjoy the autumn scenery at the Emperor's Palace. She will do her utmost to win the G1 honor in her professional career.

To Xiu Xingmeng, this was exactly like the rice bath in the Emperor's Spring Appreciation—the same distance she was good at, the same familiar playing field, and apart from being one step behind in the honor game, they were almost identical.

"Don't underestimate her just because she hasn't won G1."

Seemingly having guessed what Xiu Xingmeng was thinking, Megumi Ardan gave her a timely reminder.

However, Xiu Xingmeng shook her head, indicating that she really did not underestimate the other party.

There are too many unknowns on the field, and winning a glory like G1 is not something that can be achieved simply by meeting the skill requirements.

When Xiu Xingmeng first encountered the system, the system had given an introduction to the attribute interface, roughly stating that an A+ level attribute was enough to win a top-three finish in a G1-level competition.