The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

Especially now that Narita Shirahito has defeated many strong opponents by a margin of three horse lengths to win Arima Kinen, unlike the previous classic year, this time her opponents include legendary racehorse girls who have won G1 races.

Narita Shirahito's popularity soared after winning the championship in such a strong competition, while correspondingly, negative rumors about Hokuho Seimu became increasingly rampant.

To reiterate, if she could defeat Narita Shirahito head-on, why would she avoid the Classic and Arima Kinen races?

In the eyes of many viewers, this was undoubtedly the best evidence that she lacked confidence in winning against Narita Shirahito.

But Mejiro Takamine, who won the Triple Crown for Mares, was naturally different from them. Even from the match recordings, she could clearly feel the gap between Hokuho Seimu and Narita Shirohito. Moreover, as a candidate for head of the Mejiro family, she knew far more than the others.

There was only one reason why Hokuho Seimei did not attend the Arima Memorial: she was holding a funeral for her grandmother.

In this remote, untouched forest, a promising racehorse girl gave up within reach of glory and chose to bear the incomprehensible gazes of others, all to arrange a funeral for her last remaining family member.

Thinking of this, Megumi Takamine couldn't help but clench his fists, and the complex emotions he felt when he first heard about it filled his heart once again.

She really wanted to confront those ignorant spectators in front of reporters, accusing them of such malice over a mere verbal contest, and questioning whether they had considered the immense pressure their words would put on the racehorse girl.

With the loss of loved ones and the loss of honor, Meibai Gaofeng could hardly imagine how painful it must have been for Xiuxing Meng to bear such a heavy burden.

However, as a descendant of a prestigious family, speaking out at this time would only lead to even worse consequences.

So all she can do now is bring Xiu Xingmeng back to the Meguro family, hoping to comfort the girl who has suffered so much misfortune with the warmth of her family.

Determined to bring Xiu Xingmeng back to the Meguro family, Meguro Takamine walked to the dilapidated Western-style mansion. The door, which was buried by snow, was not closed but was half-open.

Megumi Mineki could even see the cobwebs and dust covering the hall, which heightened her disbelief even further.

For a moment, she even began to doubt whether the driver had taken the wrong direction. Could there really be racehorse girls living in a place like this?

However, she quickly composed herself and decided to go in first, regardless of whether it was right or wrong. With a frown, she pushed open the door.

Chapter 168 Similarity

When Megumi Takamine realized that she couldn't avoid the dust no matter what, she simply gave up. Instead of carefully lifting her skirt and weighing her steps, she let go of the restraint and began to observe her surroundings.

Every piece of furniture and decor here exudes an air of antiquity and prosperity. Having been immersed in the environment and possessing a keen interest in art himself, Meguro Takamine can even intuitively guess the era and style of these decorations.

Although it was covered in dust, she could still imagine what it used to look like.

"So many Victorian-era antiques? They must have all been brought from Europe."

Meguro Takamine squinted and muttered to herself, "It seems this really is the Northern family's mansion. But I still can't understand why Xiuxingmeng would be willing to stay in a place like this instead of going to the Meguro family."

Wherever you go is better than staying here, right?

Worried about Xiu Xingmeng, Megumi Takamine put aside her disgust for the dust and quickly searched the mansion, wanting to find Xiu Xingmeng as soon as possible and bring her back to the Megumi family.

A few minutes later, Mejiro Takamine, who had searched every room in the mansion, stood in front of a large door, looking disheveled. This was the last room.

If he still couldn't find Xiu Xingmeng after pushing open the door at the end of this corridor, then Megumi Takamine would seriously suspect that Xiu Xingmeng had gone out to chop wood or hunt. She couldn't possibly be training in such an environment, could she?!

Taking a deep breath of the stale air, Megumi Mineki pushed open the door with an extremely heavy heart.

As she pushed open the door, the light seeping into the room shone on Meguro Takamori's eyes, causing her to squint instinctively. Before her vision could clear from the daze, a cold and indifferent voice rang in Meguro Takamori's ear.

"who are you?"

A racehorse girl with long black hair sat on the ground, expressionless, turning her head to look in the direction of Meguro Mine.

Those eyes, as black as an abyss, seemed capable of devouring souls, causing Meguro Mineki to pause slightly. The racehorse girl before her gave her a very subtle sense of familiarity.

It's almost like...

Just like facing yourself.

Megumi Mine's figure on the racetrack is known as the "Demon Flower," and her greatest symbol is her mysteriousness that no one can fathom. Although she is a gentle observer in front of her family, in the eyes of the world, Megumi Mine is undoubtedly a mysterious and dangerous racehorse girl.

But now she sees her own reflection in the Dream of Embroidered Stars.

The two are similar not only in their black hair and black eyes, but also in their aloofness from the world and their bone-chilling sense of danger.

Megumi Takamori's aloofness and indifference only apply to strangers. She is still very gentle when facing her family. However, the girl in front of her, Hideyuki, gives Megumi Takamori a cold aura that seems to reject the world, as if she has no attachment to this world and may leave at any time.

Moreover, as soon as Meguro Takamori entered the hall, he immediately felt a sharp aura rushing towards him, and from time to time, he heard a buzzing sound like a sword being drawn from its sheath. The girl in front of him was like a demon sword in human form, and her mere presence exuded unparalleled danger.

Megumi looked at Xiu Xingmeng as if she were looking at a smaller version of herself who was even colder and more dangerous, and she subconsciously responded.

“I am Mejiro Takamine, your…older sister.”

She had been wondering how much of the Megumi bloodline was in Hokuto Hoshino, but the moment they met, Megumi Takamine cleared up all her confusion. She was certain that the other person was definitely her sister.

"Mejiro..."

Xiu Xingmeng glanced at the horse ears on the other person's head and said.

"I didn't expect you to send your own family's racehorse girl. But you're wrong, I'm not your sister."

"My surname is Northern."

After saying that, Xiu Xingmeng turned her head back, seemingly no longer wanting to talk to Megumi no Mineki.

But now that she had come this far, how could she give up? She could never leave her younger sister alone in this dark and dilapidated Western-style building, nor could she stand by and watch Xiu Xingmeng bear so much pressure alone.

She walked quickly toward Xiu Xingmeng, but before she could say anything, Xiu Xingmeng's gaze was drawn to the picture frame.

"Eh?"

Looking at the familiar figure in the picture frame, Meguro Takamine's memories were awakened at this moment. Isn't the horse girl in front of him the older sister who used to take him and Aldan to play in the backyard when he was a child?

Shouldn't she be Mejiro's racehorse girl? Why is she here?

For a moment, Meguro Takamine forgot to advise Xiu Xingmeng and stared blankly at the person in the picture frame. Xiu Xingmeng noticed that she had come over but had not spoken or forced her to go to the Meguro family, and she also felt a little suspicious.

She looked up and asked Meguro Takamine, who was staring at the picture frame.

"You know her?"

“I used to see her at home often when I was a child, but I haven’t seen her at all since one day. I never thought I would see her here again today.”

"She's yours..."

Meguro Takamine's words left Hideyuki in silence for a while. She had already learned from her grandmother that her mother used to visit the Meguro family often, but she never expected to meet someone who had experienced those events firsthand today.

Perhaps because Megumi didn't immediately drag her to the Megumi family home, or perhaps because of her strange connection with her mother, Xiuxingmeng's attitude softened a bit, and she spoke directly.

"my mother."

"Is it……"

Upon hearing Xiu Xingmeng's reply, Meguro Gaofeng uttered a single sentence in a low voice before falling silent.

Based on this answer, she could already guess the fate of the horse girl in the picture frame. If she were still alive, she would never have left her daughter alone here.

The two remained silent for a long time under the gaze of the many portraits, their minds filled with countless thoughts as they listened to each other's words.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiu Xingmeng slowly spoke.

"This is the only trace of my mother that I have left, so I will not leave here."

Of course, Megumi Takamine would not give up so easily. She had a million reasons to take Xiu Xingmeng away, but when she saw the other party's stubborn eyes, the words she was about to say suddenly changed.

“Traces? Then you should go to the Mejiro family to take a look. Your mother left many things in the Mejiro family back then. Even if you don’t stay in the Mejiro family, you should at least bring back what she left behind in this world.”

"After all, she carries the blood of both families. Don't you want to know more about her?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Megumi Kagamine noticed that Xiu Xingmeng's expression seemed to waver slightly.

"Just going for a short while."

Ultimately, she couldn't resist her mother's past dreams of embroidered stars and said softly.

"Just going for a short while."

Meguro Mineki answered her with certainty.

Chapter 169 Eyes Can Speak

On the way to the Meguro family home, Meguro Takamine would occasionally glance at Xiuxing Meng sitting beside him. To be honest, she didn't really know how to get along with Xiuxing Meng.

As the eldest daughter of the Meguro family, she has always been adept at dealing with her younger sisters. Whether it is Meguro Aldan or Meguro Ryan, she can always find the best approach to guide them.

But now, facing Xiu Xingmeng, she was momentarily at a loss for words.

After the death of his last loved one, he was overwhelmed by public opinion and could only stay alone in the dilapidated mansion in the freezing cold, looking at the portrait of his deceased mother.

Such a story was too sad, making Megumi no Mineki subconsciously feel that Xiu Xingmeng had frozen her heart. Otherwise, how could a young girl like her bear it?

But Mubai Gaofeng couldn't let her remain isolated like this, so she pursed her lips and spoke to Xiuxingmeng, who was admiring the scenery.

"It must be very difficult for a person to live in a mansion."

"Especially in winter, it's difficult to even transport water and electricity to the deep mountains."

After much deliberation, she finally decided to start by getting closer to Xiu Xingmeng through their daily life. After all, the Beifang family was a prestigious family, and their environment shouldn't be too bad. Xiu Xingmeng might also have complaints about her current predicament and want to talk to someone about them.

Listening to the other person's complaints has always been one of the best ways to build closer relationships.

After hearing this, Xiu Xingmeng glanced at Mubai Gaofeng.

Out of consideration for her connection with her mother, Xiu Xingmeng did not ignore her as she had ignored the other racehorse girls.

"Fortunately, I'll go chop wood and start a fire."

"And with so much snow in winter, there's no shortage of water."

She had studied in Kasamatsu Tressen before, and in that rural environment, Xiu Xingmeng was already familiar with such things.

When the gas in the canteen ran out, she had to go out with the other racehorse girls to collect and chop firewood. Sometimes when the water in the dormitory couldn't be heated, they had to go to the old-fashioned boiler one by one to boil water themselves.

However, what Xiu Xingmeng had grown accustomed to was like a thunderclap to Mubai Gaofeng. She thought that the Beifang family was a prestigious family with a long history, and that the water and electricity would just be a little slow and occasionally cut off. She never expected that Xiu Xingmeng would actually go and chop wood and boil water herself.

For Meguro Takamori, these were all things far away. Although she had worked very hard as a candidate for the head of the Meguro family since childhood, she did not need to worry about these trivial matters in life.

The thought that Xiu Xingmeng would not only have to stay alone in the mansion, but also have to endure the pressure in her heart while chopping wood and boiling water in the mountains every day to make a living, made Mubai Gaofeng's heart churn.

She's a descendant of the Meguro family, how could she live such a hard life?!

Megumi Takamine's pity for Xiu Xingmeng grew stronger. Before Xiu Xingmeng could even trust her, she herself sank down first.

After considering it for a moment, she slowly began to speak.

"What about food? The animals hibernate in winter, right? If we can't hunt anything, won't we go hungry?"

Upon hearing this, Xiu Xingmeng gave Mu Bai Gaofeng a strange look, as if wondering why she would ask such a question, but she still answered honestly.

"Why hunt? I can just go down the mountain to buy materials and cook it myself, and I don't have to worry about preservation in winter."

Hearing Xiu Xingmeng's answer, Mubai Gaofeng was also taken aback, because the environment she had seen and what Xiu Xingmeng had said before made her subconsciously feel that the other person's life was simply survival in the wilderness.

They completely forgot that there was a small town not far down the mountain where they could resupply.

She coughed lightly, somewhat awkwardly, and then spoke.

"Then why not just buy everything down at the foot of the mountain? Isn't it hard work to chop firewood and boil water every day?"

Upon hearing this, Xiu Xingmeng's gaze grew increasingly strange. She began to wonder if this seemingly mature racehorse girl was actually an idiot.

"It's one thing for me to carry bottled water up the mountain, but I can't exactly carry logs up the mountain. It's much more convenient to just cut them down on the mountain and then boil the water when I get back."

Upon hearing this, Meguro Takamine's lips twitched, and he inwardly sighed at how stupid he could have asked such a question.

She was momentarily overwhelmed by Xiu Xingmeng's tragic experience, and completely lost her usual composed demeanor.

Just as she was wondering how to start the conversation, the driver sitting in the front suddenly spoke up.

"Young Miss, we're almost there. Shall we inform the head of the family first?"

Seeing the driver come to her rescue, Mu Bai Gaofeng breathed a sigh of relief. She gave the driver a look in the rearview mirror that said, "I'll give you a raise tomorrow," before speaking.

"That's right. Go and repeat the process with the others."

"clear."

After taking over the conversation, the driver activated his Bluetooth headset and began speaking quietly to his colleagues on the other end.

Having regained his usual composure, Megumi turned around and smiled lightly at Xiuxingmeng.

"There's no need to be nervous. We are family, connected by blood. The head of the family is just your elder."

The head of the Mejiro family, whose name became increasingly prestigious after winning three consecutive imperial reigns, was also known as the "Emperor's Spring and Autumn Period." Mejiro Takamori thought that Hideyuki might be nervous because of some outside comments, so he comforted her in advance.

However, Xiu Xingmeng was not as uneasy as Meguro Gaofeng had imagined. She just tilted her head and said to Meguro Gaofeng with some doubt.

"I thought you were the head of the family."

"Ala……"

Her words made Mejiro Mineko very happy.