The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

She strode into her grandmother's room, ignoring her grandmother's somewhat surprised gaze, and opened the door to face her directly.

“Grandmother, I want to know... everything about Mother.”

Upon hearing her words, her grandmother's face darkened at first, as if she were recalling some unpleasant memories, but in the end she could only sigh, pat the edge of the bed beside her, and say to Xiu Xingmeng.

"Just ask me anything."

Xiu Xingmeng immediately asked after sitting down.

"Did Mother... also die because of a bloodline curse?"

Grandmother had anticipated that Xiu Xingmeng would ask a similar question, but upon hearing it, her expression still darkened. She remained silent for a while before nodding to Xiu Xingmeng.

"The creation of the perfect limiter was never a one-step process. Many people used experimental versions of it before you, including your mother."

"However, because the era is close, the limiter she used was a very late version, so it shouldn't cause any problems unless there are huge fluctuations."

As she spoke, she tapped her legs, which had long since lost all feeling, and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Even if I broke through the limiter back then, the worst that would happen is that I would lose both my legs."

"Logically speaking, your mother shouldn't have met such an end."

Upon hearing her grandmother's words, Xiu Xingmeng was taken aback and quickly asked.

"Why is that?! Did something happen to Mother? Or was there some hidden loophole in the limiter at that time?!"

She originally thought her mother had collapsed because of the bloodline curse, but if that wasn't the case, then the bloodline limiter in her hand would be useless.

Hearing Xiu Xingmeng's urgent question, the grandmother's expression darkened further, her brows furrowing as if she were struggling with something.

Finally, she carefully considered her words before speaking.

"Xingmeng, some things are better left for the old man to take to his grave."

"I won't allow it! As her daughter, don't I even have the right to know about my mother's past?!"

Xiu Xingmeng, who always respected the elderly and cared for the young, no longer showed her usual respect and interrupted her grandmother's words, loudly questioning her.

Hearing her say that, the grandmother's expression changed several times, and at this moment, she was also extremely conflicted.

She had intended to bury everything with her life, but Xiu Xingmeng's words left her with no fault to speak of. As her daughter, Xiu Xingmeng should know all of that.

After a long silence, the grandmother finally spoke in a heavy tone.

"I understand, this really shouldn't have been kept from you."

"But there's one thing... don't take your anger out on the entire Mejiro family. I have no future left, so it's okay for me to vent my emotions, but Hoshimu, you're different."

"You are carrying the last hope of the Northern family on your shoulders... Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment."

In fact, Grandmother knew she had no right to say those words. She was the one who had vented her anger on the Meguro family before, and now she was the one asking Xiuxingmeng not to vent her emotions.

Moreover, the grandmother knew all too well how heavy the phrase "the last hope of the entire northern family" was, and it was far too cruel to entrust such a burden to a child who was not yet an adult.

But there was really no other way; she had no more time.

After telling Xiu Xingmeng everything, let her decide her own future. Grandmother only hopes that the protection she has prepared for Xiu Xingmeng will help her grow up well.

Meanwhile, Xiu Xingmeng's mind was in turmoil. She carefully analyzed what her grandmother had just said, but the more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

What do you mean by not venting all your anger on the entire Mejiro family? Does Mother's death have anything to do with the Mejiro family? But Mother also had Mejiro blood, so how could a prestigious family force its own descendant to their death?

She also subconsciously frowned, trying her best to suppress the confusion and unease in her heart, and said with pursed lips.

"I understand, please tell me."

Seeing her embroidering her dream, her grandmother could only nod helplessly.

"Remember what I said before?"

"Some members of the Northern family chose to delay the use of the suppressor in order to explore the limits of their talent."

That person is your mother.

Chapter 166 A cornered beast will fight on.

Her grandmother's words struck Xiu Xingmeng like a heavy hammer. She never imagined that the racehorse girl her grandmother had mentioned earlier was actually referring to her mother. However, before Xiu Xingmeng could respond, her grandmother continued speaking.

"Do you remember what I told you? The Mejiro family wants to achieve the consecutive reigns of the Emperor's Prize. They call it the Emperor's Shield and want to keep this glory in the Mejiro family forever."

"Mejiro Asama is the first Mejiro Saima Girl to achieve consecutive victories in the Emperor's Prize."

At this point, the grandmother paused, and said in a somewhat forlorn tone.

"And your mother wanted to be the second one."

"But her talent was not enough to support her to reach that level."

Upon hearing this, Xiu Xingmeng trembled. She had already understood the reason for her mother's death.

She lowered her head and asked softly.

"So that's why Mother temporarily suspended the limiter?"

"Was my mother... such a competitive racehorse girl?"

Grandmother closed her eyes in pain, her breathing becoming heavy as she recalled the past, and spoke with difficulty.

“Competitiveness, huh... If that were really the reason, why couldn’t I persuade her to come back?”

“She is my daughter. But she is also… Megumi Asama’s niece. She stepped onto the field without hesitation because she admired the Emperor’s Award for the consecutive reigns of the Spring and Autumn Period and wanted to carry on the glory of the Northern Family!”

At this point, the grandmother's voice became somewhat choked up. Lost in memories, she looked at Xiu Xingmeng as if she were looking at her daughter from the past, and murmured as she gazed at the identical red ribbon.

"It's all my fault... If only... If only Mom hadn't taken you to that game."

"More than the glory of my family in the North... I want to see you grow up safely..."

The grandmother, whose health was already poor, had her eyes blurred due to the intense emotional turmoil. The person standing in front of her at this moment was no longer Xiu Xingmeng, but her daughter who had died young.

In her view, besides Megumi Asama, she was also one of the culprits for her daughter's early death. If she hadn't constantly instilled the concept of the Northern Family's glory in her daughter, she might not have risked her life for the Emperor's reward of the Spring and Autumn Period.

If he hadn't been so engrossed in developing the limiter that he neglected to spend time with his daughter, she wouldn't have needed to seek out another elder or go to Megumi Asama to find kinship.

In the grandmother's eyes, there were only two people responsible for her daughter's early death.

One is Megumi Asama, who knew that her daughter's talent was insufficient and her limiter was imperfect, but still did not stop her daughter from pursuing her dream. She even encouraged her daughter to move forward for her dream at that time.

And the other one is naturally herself. If she could have devoted more love from the Northern family to her daughter, if she could have cared more for her daughter back then, if she hadn't had so much faith in the limiter, then everything would have been different.

The Northern Family will not consist of only himself and his grandson, Northern Star Dream, nor will he exhaust his resources and disperse his clan in pursuit of the perfect limiter.

The last hope of the Northern family—in the grandmother's view, this last two words were largely due to her own mistakes.

So after her daughter's death, she became even more obsessed with the past glory of the Northern family. Since everything was due to her own mistakes, she had to make amends before she died.

That dreamlike era, with its kind elders, peers who fought alongside her, and the time when her daughter was still alive—that was the past that her grandmother wanted to return to, even at the cost of everything.

Every second that my grandmother spent wiping the portrait in the Golden Hall was a reminder of that era.

Saint Simon, Nielco, the Northern Dancers—the honors won by their ancestors illuminated the entire hall, but their figures rarely appeared in the grandmother's eyes. She simply wiped the portraits of her familiar family members again and again.

Her mother's, her best friend's, her daughter's—their portraits seemed to be gazing upon her, as if by doing so she could return to her bustling northern home.

In a daze, Grandmother seemed to see her old friends gathered behind Xiuxingmeng, smiling and waving at her, as if inviting her back to that era that she could only long for.

Her eyes briefly cleared from their daze, and her grandmother held Xiu Xingmeng's hand tightly as she spoke.

“Xingmeng, you are the same. More than seeing the glory of the Northern family, I hope to see you live a healthy life.”

"So... even if we can't win the match, it doesn't matter. Let's use the limiter as soon as possible to completely remove the curse that's been hanging over the Northern family!"

In the final stages of her life, the grandmother understood her own heart; her lingering attachment to past glories was simply a desire to return to the northern home where all her family members lived.

The arduous and heavy task of restoring the glory of our predecessors should not be placed on Xiu Xingmeng's shoulders alone.

Since they have already failed, let's not burden future generations with this shackle.

The decline of the Northern family was inevitable, and this last gamble was nothing more than a painful struggle. She really didn't want Xiu Xingmeng to suffer such pain any longer.

Grandmother gripped Xiu Xingmeng's hand tightly and said anxiously.

"Don't take your anger out on the Mejiro family. They are your family too. They will take care of you after I'm gone."

“Xingmeng, you are still just a child. So... those corrupt histories of the past should not weigh on you.”

"Find your own future, Star Dream."

"It doesn't belong to the North, it belongs to your future."

This was actually a thought that Grandmother had kept buried deep in her heart all along, which is why she kept delaying Xiu Xingmeng's competition time until she confirmed that the Perfect Limiter was about to be completed before she chose to let her participate in the Kobe Shimbun Cup.

In the final moments of her life, all she wanted was to take with her the past glory and desolation of the Northern family, along with her hatred for Mubai Qianjian, to the underworld.

Xiu Xingmeng, holding her grandmother's hand, remained silent, silently clenching the red ribbon in her other hand.

"I will not resent my mother's Bai family."

But I will never leave this place.

Xiu Xingmeng looked at her grandmother's eyes, which were almost closed, and spoke slowly. At the same time, she gripped the hands that were about to slip away, trying to transfer her warmth to the old woman by the bedside.

"But your dream, Mother's dream, I will definitely fulfill it too."

"The glory of the Northern family, the Emperor's reward for consecutive hegemonies in the Spring and Autumn Period, I will win, I absolutely will win!"

She bent down and hissed softly like a trapped beast.

Chapter 167 A Young Horsewoman Arrives in the Mountains

After stepping out of the black sedan, Meguro Takamine rubbed her forehead uncomfortably. The road deep in the mountains hadn't been maintained for who knows how many years, and the bumpy ride made even this racehorse, who had won the Triple Crown for mares, feel a little dizzy.

She took a deep breath, turned around, and spoke to the driver in front of her.

"Remember to remind me to compensate the people who came before when I get back."

The Mejiro family driver, who had just opened the car door for her, nodded calmly and then asked.

"Young Miss, would you like me to accompany you? I have been here several times before with my colleagues, and I might be of some help to you."

"No need, the previous failures have already proven that it won't work."

"Let me speak with her alone."

"After all... I am her older sister in terms of blood."

After waving his hand to signal the driver to stay where he was, Meguro Takamine looked up and gazed ahead.

In the depths of winter, there was no sign of life in the mountains. When the snow covered the world, even the air became incredibly cold. Looking at the dilapidated Western-style mansion submerged in the white snow, Mejiro Takamine couldn't help but gasp.

Did she live in such an environment?

Having grown up in the privileged environment of the Mejiro family, Mejiro Takamine couldn't understand how anyone could live here, and what the difference was between living in such a place and surviving in the wilderness.

"We still have to bring that child out... even if it means using violence."

Megumi Mineki looked at the old, drafty Western-style building in front of him and muttered to himself.

More than a month ago, Grandmother Megumi Asami began sending people here to try to bring back the Megumi family's bloodline that had been left behind. However, no matter how many times they went, the racehorse girl who stayed deep in the mountains remained stubbornly unwilling to leave.

As the most responsible of the younger generation and a candidate to succeed the head of the family, Megumi Takamori was entrusted with an important task by her grandmother: to personally bring the racehorse girl named Hokuho Seimu back to the Megumi family.

However, if she goes back, she might have to change her name to Megumi Hoshino.

Mejiro Mt. struggled through the thick, accumulated snow as he pondered to himself.

Before being given the mission, even as a candidate for head of the Mejiro family, she had no idea that Hokuho Hoshimu had Mejiro blood in her veins.

Grandmother Megumi Asami seemed to want to keep this a secret, but because she couldn't find anyone else to take Hokuho Hoshino back to the Megumi family, she had no choice but to entrust the important task to Megumi Takamori.

After receiving the commission from the current head of the family, Megumi Takamori did not slack off and immediately began to investigate Hokuho Hoshimu using the resources at his disposal.

"The horse girl who won against the blinding monster in the Chrysanthemum Sho with a huge advantage of five horses has been selected for the Arima Kinen race due to her strength."

"But just when everyone was full of anticipation and wanted to witness her second showdown with Narita Shirahito, she suddenly disappeared without a trace, just like she did after participating in her debut battle back then."

As Meguro Mineko reviewed the information in his mind, he couldn't help but purse his lips.

Hokuho Seimu's victory at the Chrysanthemum Prize was controversial. Many staunch supporters of Narita Shirahito refused to back down, even when faced with the overwhelming advantage of Goma-shin, insisting on using the argument of the former commentator at the Chrysanthemum Prize as their point of view, believing that Hokuho Seimu had only taken advantage of Narita Shirahito's momentary carelessness.

Some people even regard the commentator's demotion as some kind of dark side of the horse racing world, and say on various social media platforms that it is a prestigious family manipulating the horse racing world and forcibly introducing a female horse from a prestigious family to target Narita Shirahito.

The reason given is that prestigious families don't want to see female racehorses from outside their families win the Triple Crown.

When she first heard this absurd argument, Meguro Mine almost laughed in anger. How could she not know that the power of the prestigious families was so great? As for locking the Triple Crown winner to the prestigious families, it was even more ridiculous. So far, there have only been four Triple Crown racehorse girls. Where did the prestigious families get such great power to lock up the Triple Crown winner?

However, the wave of public opinion had already risen, and it was no longer something that Meguro Mineko could stop.