Gao Er was sweating miserably. Compared with other painful and heavy parts of his body, his repaired front hoof was as light as a feather, as if it could be pulled into the sky at any time.
It could no longer remember what the days of freedom were like. It only remembered that when it was first born, it was still an ignorant and muddle-headed magic horse that only wanted to gallop to the end of the world, with its mane flying and its breath of sparks boiling... However, nothing lasted forever, just as good things are always rare and fragile, it was soon strangled by the prince of the demon realm, and every cursed nail that was forced into its body made it feel painful and desperate.
I'm going to be free, it thought, I'm almost free!
Yu Mengzhou patted its belly and motioned for it to stand up straight: "Good boy, hold on a little longer."
He bent over the other front hoof and followed the same method as for the first one, clamping off the copper tube, pulling out the sharp thorn that was sucking the flesh and blood, and then loosening the curse nail... All the steps were carried out in an orderly manner. His movements were smooth and skillful, without any pretentious preparation or unnecessary embellishment. Things just happened like a breeze, like a river flowing into the distance.
The magic horses watching were fascinated. Perhaps they would never get tired of watching this process.
The human didn't have time to wipe his sweat, he looked serious, sometimes smiling in relaxation, sometimes frowning in worry. In the simple cave, the hoof trimmer wielded the shiny tools with a clanking sound, his face radiant because of his wholehearted dedication.
In contrast, the master craftsmen wandering in the luxurious palaces claim to have mastered the truth of pain, and each of them pretends to be an artist who controls torture. They are dressed in complicated golden clothes, surrounded by a large number of flattering dogs and horses, but they are not even as good as a drop of sweat from human temples - at least sweat is purer and more moving, and it falls from the corners of human eyes.
All the copper pipes restraining the horses were broken, and the cursed nails fell heavily to the ground. Four tattered, yet completely free and loose horse hooves appeared before Yu Mengzhou's eyes.
He let out a long breath. Even though there was not much medicine left, he still couldn't save on it. Yu Mengzhou still squeezed out enough ointment, put it into the hole with a knife and spread it evenly, then wrapped it tightly with a bandage.
"Alright!" He said casually, "Don't let the wound get wet, and don't do strenuous exercise to prevent it from splitting again. I'll open it again in two days..."
Gao'er was panting heavily in excitement. Ecstasy completely occupied his mind, making him abandon his unnecessary pride and reserve. The magic horse buried its head in Yu Mengzhou's arms and closed its eyes tremblingly.
“… Ouch!” The force was so strong that before Yu Mengzhou could finish his words, he fell to the ground with his buttocks. The horses were all frightened and nervous, worried that the humans would be angry because of this.
Yu Mengzhou hugged the big horse head and smiled.
"Ouch," he laughed, avoiding the mess of thorn barbs on the horse's bit and reins, and skillfully stroking the nose of the magic horse. He put his arm around the back and tried to scratch the horse's ears and the mane on the forehead.
"Okay, okay, it's okay, everything will be fine from now on..."
As he spoke, he pinched the copper ring locked in the cartilage of the nostril and asked softly, "When I have time, I'll help you remove this, too, okay?"