Chapter 158: Vindication

"So this is the method of wound suturing!"

Qin Huaiyu curiously leaned down near Jueying's feet, staring at Motun's clumsy stitches. With such lively events happening at the Mo Residence, Qin Huaiyu and his two companions were naturally never absent. Whenever they had free time, the three of them practically lived at the Mo Residence.

Cheng Chumomo and Yuchi Baolin also crowded around Jueying with excited expressions, clicking their tongues in wonder.

"Neigh?"

The approach of strangers immediately stirred unease in Jueying, prompting it to raise its head and let out a warning whinny.

Ever since the wound was sutured, combined with Motun sparing no expense on nourishing food, Jueying had quickly recovered a fraction of its former glory. Its condition had noticeably improved, and its past arrogance had returned. Nowadays, apart from Motun and the groom specifically assigned to tend to it, it refused to let anyone come close.

"It hasn't healed that fast yet! However, the wound has been sutured, so at least it won't continue to deteriorate. As for whether it can make a full recovery, it will depend entirely on its own resilience."

Motun looked down at Jueying's wound and, seeing that it was not festering and showed signs of healing, nodded with satisfaction. After all, being a large animal, its vitality was quite strong.

Moreover, Jueying possessed the greatest potential among all these injured horses. Once fully healed, it would be worth a fortune.

"Mo Village has struck it rich this time too!" Cheng Chumomo said with a hint of envy, looking at the bobbing horse heads filling the Mo Residence courtyard.

Not all of these injured horses were ordinary nags; quite a few were valuable mounts. Unfortunately, once injured, they were practically as good as ruined, but now all of them had ended up benefiting Motun for a bargain.

Motun shook his head and said, "Some of these injured horses have been hurt for too long. Even if their leg injuries heal, I'm afraid they won't have much strength left in the future."

"Even if only half of them recover, Mo Village makes a massive profit!" Yuchi Baolin exclaimed, gazing in awe at the courtyard full of horses.

Many of the recovering horses walked leisurely past the front of the main hall, led by grooms, occasionally sneezing or letting out a proud whinny. The lifeless atmosphere that once filled the injured horse stables was entirely gone.

"You really scored a huge bargain this time. Before Jueying was injured, we had seen firsthand how magnificent it was. Who would have thought you managed to buy it for just four strings of coins? That fellow Wang Zhe usually fancies himself part of the prestigious Five Surnames and acts all arrogant. Who could have imagined he would take such a massive loss at your hands?" Qin Huaiyu laughed heartily.

The three of them had never doubted Motun's ability to heal these injured horses; after all, they had witnessed Motun's miraculous methods more times than anyone else.

Motun's brows furrowed as he asked, "What, you know this fellow too?"

"How could we not? Chang'an is big, yet small. The established circles are only so large. That guy always puts on an arrogant front and loves hanging out with those pedantic scholars, mostly just acting as a wealthy fool!" Qin Huaiyu curled his lip in disdain.

Motun instantly understood. Since Wang Zhe was not in Qin Huaiyu's social circle, it was no wonder Qin Huaiyu spoke of him with such annoyance. As for Wang Zhe being a wealthy fool, that was likely just part of the Taiyuan Wang clan's social maneuvering in Chang'an.

"Still, Motun, you need to be careful. Wang Zhe may look like a refined gentleman on the surface, but he is actually very petty and vindictive. Watch out for him pulling dirty tricks behind your back," Cheng Chumomo warned with a solemn expression.

Within their little circles, gossip traveled the fastest, and everyone's true character was usually laid bare.

Motun nodded in understanding. With Xu Jie's cautionary example fresh in his mind, he certainly didn't mistake Wang Zhe for an honorable gentleman.

"If he relies on upright and proper methods, Mo Village has never feared anyone. But if he resorts to dirty tricks behind my back—heh, I'll let him know this is Chang'an, not Taiyuan," Motun said with a cold snort.

By now, Mo Village had developed to the point where it was no longer a destitute household that a mere city gate officer could bully. Furthermore, Mo Village possessed a self-contained system and feared no external challenges.

"Indeed! If he dares to pull any dirty tricks, we'll see if our brothers agree to it!" Qin Huaiyu said with a cold huff. Cheng Chumomo and Yuchi Baolin nodded heavily as well. The four of them shared the bond of having been punished together at the Imperial Academy and having endured beatings side by side, making them naturally united against a common enemy.

*Bang, bang, bang!*

A heavy knocking sounded from the main gates of the Mo Residence. One could tell immediately that whoever was outside bore no good intentions.

"They actually dare to come knocking and cause trouble? Let me see who has the audacity!" Qin Huaiyu and the other two rose to their feet in anger.

"Wait! Hold on!" Motun quickly stopped the three of them.

"What's going on?" the three asked, puzzled.

Motun gave an awkward chuckle and said, "They're neighbors; it's not good to make things ugly!"

Amid the trio's bewilderment, Uncle Fu swung the main doors wide open and began speaking submissively to the visitors outside. After quite a while, he finally managed to send them away.

"Young Master, this is already the third family to come knocking and complain about the horses disturbing the peace!" Uncle Fu walked over to Motun and said with a wry smile.

Only then did the three understand. No wonder Motun had looked so awkward; it turned out to be people from the neighboring noble estates. Over five hundred horses had suddenly flooded into the Mo Residence, and with them constantly neighing, let alone the neighbors, even the residents of the Mo Residence were sporting dark circles under their eyes.

Fortunately, these neighbors had often received minor favors from the Mo Residence in the past, and when visiting the Mo Clinic, they could use back-door connections to receive personal diagnoses from Elder Hua. Combined with Uncle Fu's profuse apologies and smooth talk, that was the only reason they hadn't flown into a rage on the spot.

"Hahaha!"

Upon learning the truth, the three burst into schadenfreude-filled laughter. Who would have thought Motun would have people coming to his doorstep simply because of horses braying?

Looking at the courtyard full of horses, Motun also felt a mounting headache. Bringing in so many horses at once certainly wasn't practical, and with such a large number, just the amount of manure they produced required a dedicated person to cart it away every day, leaving the entire Mo Residence reeking.

"The horses with green silk ribbons tied to them are nearly recovered. Have them transferred to Mo Village!" Motun thought for a moment and said.

Uncle Fu pondered and nodded; there was no other choice. However, once all these horses were moved out, the entire Mo Residence would definitely need a thorough scrubbing, or else no one would ever be willing to step through their gates again.

The gates of the Mo Residence were thrown wide open!

An excited Mo Si took the lead, riding a fully recovered injured horse right out through the gates, closely followed by nearly a hundred other horses surging forward in high spirits and exceptional agility!

"Let's go! Back to Mo Village!" Mo Si called out triumphantly, his riding crop pointing toward the South Gate.

When nearly a hundred recovering injured horses from Mo Village once again paraded straight through Chang'an City, the entire capital was sent into an uproar once more.

"They actually cured the injured horses!" The onlookers stared in utter astonishment, their jaws dropping wide open!

It had been barely ten days since Motun's last parade of five hundred injured horses through Chang'an, just as the reciting of *On Horses* had reached its peak. Once again, Motun used his miraculous methods to shock the entire city of Chang'an.

With this, the debate over whether the Mo Family descendant actually understood horses came to a definitive end. His golden reputation remained entirely unbroken.