"Xingyun Liuge has led from start to finish in utterly dominant fashion! Far ahead—literally far ahead! No one was able to threaten her victory in the slightest. She is the absolute ruler of this green field!"
Losing so thoroughly to a foreign horse girl on their home turf was, admittedly, a little embarrassing. But the strength Xingyun Liuge had displayed left the entire audience convinced from the bottom of their hearts, and they followed the commentator's lead in breaking into thunderous cheers.
Aside from a handful of truly transcendent monsters who possessed era-defining superiority, racing as a sport advanced bit by bit alongside science and the progress of the times. Every generation of horse girls pushed past the records set by those who came before. The old wave being struck down by the new was simply inevitable.
In this era, any horse girl who could run 2000 meters on good turf in under two minutes was considered elite.
Everyone understood the simple truth that the less time a horse girl needed, the stronger she was. But the reality was that every half-second shaved off a record often demanded years of time and effort from both horse girl and trainer.
Before today, the best time in the Hong Kong Gold Cup had been 1:55.56, set by a British horse girl. Now Xingyun Liuge had not only broken that record, but established a monument so intimidating it would make future challengers tremble.
Even the commentator believed so. "Even among the world's top-class horse girls, it would be difficult to produce a result this terrifying. There is no doubt about it—we are witnessing the birth of an era!"
How many years would pass before they saw another horse girl capable of challenging such an absurd record? Ten? Twenty? Or would it become like Eclipse's legend—forever beyond the reach of later generations?
For that reason, even though many people had lost so badly they felt dizzy from their betting slips, they were still moved to tears by the absolute strength Xingyun Liuge had displayed.
After all, money was merely an external thing. What could be more exhilarating than witnessing the battle of true greats? At worst, they could just start betting on Xingyun Liuge from now on.
Of course, if her future odds ended up being one-to-one, Xingyun Liuge would take absolutely no responsibility for that. Gamblers never prosper.
The moment Xingyun Liuge crossed the finish line, every Tracen academy across the Tokai region fell silent. It was not quite to the point where one could hear a pin drop, but it was close. Then, in the very next instant, thunderous applause tore through the sky.
Her first expedition. Her first time setting foot on foreign turf. And yet she had ruthlessly ground the British horse girls beneath her heels, shattered the historical record, and drawn a line that would be almost impossible to cross. What kind of outrageous achievement was that?
From this moment onward, the entire Tokai region took pride in Xingyun Liuge.
Because she had personally smashed the old reality in which Japanese horse girls could not win international races and were instead trampled by British and American racers.
Hearing the cheering outside the window, Rudolf Symbol's hand twitched ever so slightly.
At first, she had not known what Xingyun Liuge was planning. But because she had wanted to help pave the girl's road to Kentucky, she had called the board and tried to secure Liuge a recommended berth for the Wakaba Stakes.
After all, the Wakaba Stakes was not only a special path into the Satsuki Sho, but also a ticket to Dubai.
Since Xingyun Liuge could not participate in the Satsuki Sho, Rudolf had thought it would be enough to expedite things a little and grant her an outer post position. Besides, a certain horse girl had withdrawn for health reasons, so using the recommendation slot could still be justified within the board's regulations. Perhaps Xingyun Liuge's overwhelming strength might even pressure those old fossils on the board into reconsidering the rules.
Who would have thought Xingyun Liuge would head straight to Hong Kong instead, leaving Rudolf with no chance to deliver the good news?
And now, Xingyun Liuge had personally seized a ticket to the UAE Derby. Rudolf's recommendation no longer meant anything.
No—worse than that, it was about to create problems.
If Xingyun Liuge were to run in the Wakaba Stakes now, the newspaper headlines would become things like:
Shocking! This international GI winner is barred from Japan's Classic Triple Crown? Men fall silent, women burst into tears!
Or perhaps:
Have you heard the story of Xingyun Liuge? 1988 changed everything…
Originally, Rudolf had only wanted to help Xingyun Liuge realize her dream of racing abroad and meeting the great rivals of the world. But now what was this?
Had she accidentally helped Liuge slap the JRA square across the face?
Watching Rudolf's expression turn thoroughly complicated, Maruzensky—who knew exactly what she had been trying to do these past two days—let out a soft laugh and comforted her.
"Well, forget it. Isn't it fine this way too?"
At the same time, at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong—
Xingyun Liuge extended a hand toward September Sea, who was bent over with both hands braced on her knees, gasping desperately for breath.
"Miss September, you were amazing. As expected of Hong Kong Tracen's brightest star. Before the race, the entire crowd was shouting your name. I'm so envious~"
To be fair, it was true—two minutes ago, the whole stadium had indeed been cheering wildly for September Sea's entrance.
But now, the name they were chanting was Xingyun Liuge's.
The words were humiliating in a very particular way. September Sea had only just started to raise her hand, and it froze awkwardly in midair—neither able to advance nor retreat. In the end, Xingyun Liuge took the initiative, grabbed her hand, and pulled her upright.
Still, Liuge did not strike her again.
She merely said, "Your sun has already set. Clinging to the glory of the past won't do you any good. Only by keeping your feet on the ground can you become a truly outstanding horse girl."
The homesick wanderer's return had already been decided four years ago, in 1984. And yet this so-called empire on which the sun never set still had not corrected its attitude. Only by correcting their stance and seeking common development could everyone become true friends.
After saying that, Xingyun Liuge stepped past her and went to meet the third-place finisher.
This horse girl had trailed September Sea by only a neck, which was already impressive enough. But what mattered even more was her identity.
"Excuse me, are you Miss Cuihua from Iron Ridge City in the province of Broad Silence? Hello, hello—I'm Xingyun Liuge."
The way she put that nearly made the other girl short-circuit on the spot.
Wait a second, little sister—what exactly was going on here?
Did their hometown's English place name really sound that grand?
After making a full round, Xingyun Liuge spotted a familiar figure as well—Emerald River.
The pale green-haired girl was standing in the stands near the main platform beside her father, Sir Cheung.
Strictly speaking, Sir Cheung was also a legend in his own right. He was a renowned Chinese barrister, and one of the key figures who had pushed Hong Kong racing onto the international stage. He had also proposed an important rule still used in the current Hong Kong racing system: that registration must be submitted in both Chinese and English.
At this time, Hong Kong was still very much ruled by the British. British horse girls were relatively easier to deal with, but only relatively so. Sir Cheung's efforts had involved enormous risk. Some of his close friends had even urged him not to waste his strength on something so thankless. After all, he could have gone to Britain with the British if he wanted to. He could easily have spent his old age there in comfort—so why go out of his way to offend them?
And yet he had done it anyway, together with others who shared his convictions, and they had seen it through to completion.
Noticing Xingyun Liuge's gaze, Sir Cheung smiled and waved, offering his congratulations on her victory.
Emerald River still looked like the same exquisite doll she always did, but some unfamiliar emotion was swirling in her golden eyes, and a faint flush had appeared on her delicate cheeks.
Naturally. What horse girl did not dream of seizing victory under the gaze of the masses and standing upon the winner's stage? That urge was hardwired into a horse girl's very DNA.
After making a circuit of the course, Xingyun Liuge was led by the staff through the ceremonial touching of the rail.
This was a special rite commemorating the champion horse girl Dancing Brave, who had once crashed into the barrier during a race yet still stormed back to claim victory. In honor of that girl's unyielding spirit, the Hong Kong Racing Association had established this ritual.
Once the ceremony ended, Xingyun Liuge finally took the winner's stage as she had wished.
And then she pulled off something enormous.
At a moment when everyone expected her to sing in Japanese, she chose instead to perform a cover of My Chinese Heart. And she deliberately stretched it out—singing first in Cantonese, then in Mandarin.
After all, this was Hong Kong. The locals placed English first, and Cantonese second. Yet she still chose to sing the Mandarin version as well.
Her thinking was simple:
"I believe songs have the power to move people's hearts. If even one person is stirred by this song, I'll be very happy."
On the screen, the silver-haired girl smiled like a flower in bloom.
Join here to read ahead.
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