The Birth Of A Villainess

When nighttime came, Lin Xiaofei went to the stable. Unlike those of the Lin residence or Yu Fangzhu's stable, the Qu residence's stable was by far the largest and cleanest stable she'd ever seen.

Several boxes containing horses of all breeds. From rare steed to mare that were worth a few thousands of silvers could be found in this stable and she couldn't help but think that Qu Xing Xu was too prepared for any mishaps that may happen for him to acquire horses this many inside his residence.

Upon hearing footfalls from the front of the stable, the stableboy who was grooming the horses stopped what he was doing and found Lin Xiaofei standing in front of the stable.

A look of surprise flashed on his face as he said, "Good evening, Madam."

Hearing the word 'Madam' from people, Lin Xiaofei couldn't stop the goosebumps and the slight twitch in her heart. Growing accustomed to people calling her by her title once she marries Qu Xing Xu will be harder than she thought.

She gave him a small nod to acknowledge him and took a few seconds to take in the appearance of the stableboy.

Almost at her age with dark long unkempt hair. The clothing that he wore looked worse as dirt and spots of horse manure stuck in the front of it but with a closer look, Lin Xiaofei was sure that the clothes that the stableboy was wearing were much better than those of the servants in the Lin residence.

"Get a horse ready for me. I'd like to ride tonight." She told him to which the stableboy immediately turn around to get what she wanted.

It didn't take long for the stableboy to get a white horse for her to ride. The horse was big but Lin Xiaofei shouldn't have any trouble riding it as she loved riding horses in her past life.

The saddle was already on top of the back of the horse, and it couldn't stop keeping itself from trotting as if it couldn't even get more excited to run across the field.

"What breed is she?" She muttered in fascination while patting the white horse.

The stableboy was slightly surprised to hear her call it a 'she' rather than a 'he'. Lin Xiaofei wasn't wrong to call it a female horse since the stableboy got her a mare but usually, only those who have a lengthy experience in riding horses does one able to guess a horse's gender with one look.

"I-it's an Arabian horse, Madam." The stableboy answered after catching his senses back again.

"And what's she called?"

"She has no name." He replied and paused for a moment before he continued to say, "Only master's horse get to have a name. Other horses in this stable have no name."

Lin Xiaofei frowned and nodded. "A pity, then."

The stableboy couldn't help but agree with her. With all the exquisite and rare breed of horses in the stable, only one got to get a name. And it was Qu Xing Xu's black stallion. The very horse that he woul never separate from during a war or journey.

Seeing the forlorn look on the stableboy's face, Lin Xiaofei secretly smiled. Qu Xing Xu might not have the time or even desire to name the horses here but for as long as she's here, naming them wouldn't be such a problem to her and might even give her a lot of fun.

But first, she needed to name her white horse for now. She thought and looked at the horse with a smile.

She caressed the horse and said, "Come, Tao tie." (I named it after a glutton Chinese fantastical beast. You'll know the reason why later on.)

Ignoring the hand of the stableboy that was outstretched to help her get on the horse, Lin Xiaofei swung her leg over the horse and sat on the saddle without any help. She looked like she had done this countless times already and she did in her past life.

It was during her childhood years where she and Chu Chu sometimes steal some horses from passing bandits and sell it to some lords willing to pay them for a horse.

But because she got married early to Yu Fangzhu, she wasn't able to ride any longer. But only in public and in front of anyone who could recognize her. Her love for riding out on top of a horse never ceases to exist and she continued to do it secretly, so secretly that she had to disguise as a man or get out of Yu Fangzhu's residence to even ride it.

Feeling the cool breeze of wind caressing her skin and making a mess of her hair, Lin Xiaofei never felt so happy and free. The sound of hooves and the whistling of air was so soothing that everything that happened these past few days started to fade away like it was some distant memories some years ago.

But it was short-lived as she had to stop her horse before a pond.

Lin Xiaofei got off her horse and when her feet touched the ground, her legs couldn't stop wobbling and without warning, she dropped on her bottom on the ground with a thud.

Startled, Lin Xiaofei looked down and saw her hand was trembling. It wasn't because of the cold of the night but because she was too hasty to get rid of her confusion and anger that she forgot that the previous owner of her body must not be used at horse riding thus, why her body was put into such a shock and numbing sensation.

This kind of nostalgic feeling was all too familiar to her that it brought tears to her eyes. The feeling of physical pain and numbness. She gladly but remorsefully embraced it all.

However, just before her tears could be shed from her eyes and fall on her cheek, Lin Xiaofei heard several footfalls behind her.

"Come on! We need to get to her faster! She's alone. A perfect opportunity for us to take her and finish the job!"A rough snarl sounded along with the clanging of metal and the neighing of horses.

"That's exactly why, idiot! She's alone, we can take our time and maybe have some fun while we're at it. No one's going to be here to save her anyway."

With her heart sinking down her stomach, Lin Xiaofei didn't hesitate to urge the horse to run away so it would go away without her and force her still weak legs to reach the forest trees beside the pond so she can hide.

She hoped that whoever was following her, they would go after the horse and pass by her.

Such a waste, just when she had grown fond of Tao Tie, some people just don't know when not to disturb her. Lin Xiaofei thought and pulled out her hair ornament with its sharp tip and a small dagger hidden under her skirt.

It seems that she might have to put blood on her hands once again.