The next morning at dawn, when Zhao Lie and his entourage arrived at the official post road at the western exit of Heiling Town, the bearded man and eleven others were already waiting by the roadside. Parked alongside them were twenty-six majestic, fully-tacked warhorses.
Seeing Zhao Lie approach, the bearded man hurriedly greeted him: "Good morning, My Lord! These are the horses Your Lordship requested. Please inspect them. These horses have first-rate stamina yet are gentle in temperament. You and your companions can ride them with absolute peace of mind—guaranteed safe and sound!"
Having raised and trained horses for many years, the ones carefully selected by the bearded man were naturally beyond reproach.
Chapter 24