Phantom Ranch

"From now on, when I'm at the ranch, don't call me CEO anymore. Treat me like any other mare, call me Fei Fei." "Understood, CEO. I'll remember." Having made up her mind, Ling Fei and Ni Chang signed the agreement. Ni Chang would join the Phantom Ranch, taking charge of its entire operation and management. Ling Fei would delegate all training within the ranch to Ni Chang. "Actually, professional mares should train all day. Otherwise, the training results will be compromised. However, considering you still have company affairs to attend to, I'll make an exception and allow you to train only in the afternoons and evenings. But the intensity of the training will need to be increased," Ni Chang told Ling Fei. "No problem. Everything will be according to Miss Ni's arrangements." "First, we need to create a specialized mare outfit for you. What kind of outfit do you have in mind, Miss Ling?" "What are the different types? I'm not really sure." "Let me show you some pictures. While mare outfits come in various styles, they invariably include hoof boots, a bridle and bit, and restraints," Ni Chang said, pulling up images on her tablet, showcasing different mare outfits. "Mare outfits are generally divided into three types. The first, and most common, is the latex mare suit. It's a full-body latex catsuit with an opening only at the [censored]. The hoof boots are molded as part of the suit, which also features a cinched waist, a latex collar, and the arms are restrained by the suit into a 'W' shape, firmly secured behind the back. The advantage is that it conceals the face and protects the body from injury, making it suitable for cross-country racing. Of course, the downside is that it's very hot and not conducive to sweating." Ni Chang pointed to the first outfit. "The second type consists only of a cinched waist, a chest piece, hoof boots, and restraint gloves. The body is essentially bare. The advantage is that it's good for sweating, offers no sense of restraint, and can lead to better performance. The disadvantage is that falling can easily lead to injury, and it's quite embarrassing, after all, to be completely naked in front of so many people. Flat racing typically uses this type of outfit." "The third type involves straps that bind the body into a 'sheep's posture,' complete with nipple rings, bells, and a blindfold. This is generally for sulky racing, where they need to complete the task of pulling the cart according to the driver's instructions. The bells on the [censored] let them know their position." "Make one of each type. I don't really know which one would suit me best," Ling Fei said after some thought. "That's actually what I was thinking too. I want Miss Ling to become an all-around mare," Ni Chang said with a smile. "I'll work hard," Ling Fei's competitive spirit flared up again. When she decides to do something, she'll always do it to the best of her ability. In three days, Ni Chang created three different mare outfits based on Ling Fei's measurements. It was a weekend, and at 12 PM, Ling Fei, led by Li Lin, boarded a special car heading to Phantom Ranch. "CEO, are you really sure about this?" Li Lin still couldn't quite believe that Ling Fei was going to her own ranch to become a mare. It was too wild. "Have I ever failed to follow through on something I've decided? If I don't do it, I don't do it at all. If I do it, I do it best. And when we get to the ranch, don't call me CEO anymore," Ling Fei said sternly. "I understand," Li Lin sighed. Indeed, no one could sway the CEO once she had made up her mind. After a journey of over an hour, the vehicle arrived at a ranch located in the suburbs. The ranch was enormous. "This is Phantom Ranch? I've never been here before," Ling Fei said, looking at the vast expanse of the ranch, which only strengthened her resolve to make Phantom Ranch an international success.

"Alright, time for training," Ni Chang said, clicking the buckle of the pedometer onto the harness of Ling Fei. "The speed won't be too fast, so with every step, lift your thigh to waist height, maintaining the posture of a mare walking. This is your daily walking gait. I'll be supervising, and any deviation from the standard mare's walk will be punished," Ni Chang announced as she switched on the machine. The machine began to operate slowly. At first, Ling Fei consistently fell behind, forced by the machine to keep up. Gradually, Ling Fei found the rhythm and pace, managing to keep up with the machine. Ni Chang nodded silently, a look of satisfaction on her face. Ling Fei couldn't see her feet. Wearing hoof boots, her heels couldn't touch the ground, with all the pressure on her toes. Fatigue doubled, saliva dripped from the corners of her mouth, and her [REDACTED] jiggled up and down with each step, a rather fetching sight. After an unknown duration, Ling Fei's legs clearly weren't lifting as high. Ni Chang took out the remote control and activated an electric shock from the latex suit. "Mmmph," Ling Fei moaned. "Adjust your posture quickly," Ni Chang commanded, cracking her whip sharply against Ling Fei's buttocks. Ling Fei bit down on the gag in her mouth and quickly corrected her gait. Ling Fei's body was restrained, her vision limited to a narrow area ahead. She could only keep stepping forward, circling with the machine. Even though she was exhausted, Ling Fei maintained her high-stepping gait, walking with spirit, round and round. Compared to the beginning, Ling Fei had improved immensely. She was now accustomed to walking in the hoof boots. Ling Fei's mind was clear, her focus solely on the path ahead. Even as tears, snot, and sweat streamed down her face, she continued to step forward with unwavering concentration, imagining herself as a real mare. Seeing Ling Fei enter such a state without even realizing it, Ni Chang felt a surge of pride. She was right about her; she was truly suited to be a mare. After an indeterminate amount of time, the machine finally stopped. A puddle had formed on the ground, a mixture of saliva and sweat. Ling Fei's body slumped to one side, held upright only by the chains that secured her. She leaned there, breathing heavily, "Hoo... hoo... hoo..." Great gusts of hot air escaped from between the bit and her teeth, and saliva dripped onto the ground, forming glistening threads. "Good. You lasted an hour. Now, take a break," Ni Chang said, unlocking the chains that bound Ling Fei. Ling Fei dismounted from the machine, gasping for air. "Rest for half an hour." Ni Chang removed the gag from Ling Fei's head. Ling Fei swallowed. "How do you feel?" "Very tired, but fulfilled. For a moment, I felt like a horse, wanting nothing more than to run freely," Ling Fei replied. "That state of mind is perfect for a racehorse. Not needing to worry about anything, just running towards the finish line," Ni Chang stated. After the half-hour rest, Ni Chang fitted the gag back onto Ling Fei. "Next is the light carriage training. As a mare that is part of the carriage, you must perfectly obey every command of the trainer." Ni Chang led Ling Fei to a light carriage. It was a single-person vehicle with two handles on either side. Ni Chang secured the handles to the rings on Ling Fei's waist with clasps. Ni Chang climbed into the light carriage, and Ling Fei felt a weight on her waist. "Crack!" Ling Fei felt a sharp sting on her right buttock – the signal to move forward. Receiving the signal, Ling Fei immediately began to step forward with the mare's gait she had just trained. Initially, the carriage was heavy, and Ling Fei exerted considerable effort to pull it. After a few steps, it became easier, and the carriage began to move forward, pulled by Ling Fei. After walking for a while, Ling Fei felt the reins by her mouth pull to the right. This meant she was to turn right. Perhaps due to her inexperience pulling the carriage, Ling Fei's turn was noticeably slow, taking a long time to complete. Ni Chang pressed the punishment button, activating the electric shock system within the latex suit. "Wuuuuuuuuuuu..." Ling Fei moaned, saliva pooling on the ground. "Your turn is too slow. You need to understand that you are pulling the carriage, with the carriage's wheels as the center of the circle and yourself as the radius. This is how you turn quickly," Ni Chang admonished sternly. As she spoke, Ni Chang pulled the left rein again. Following Ni Chang's instructions, Ling Fei quickly pivoted, changing the carriage's direction. "Good."

Of course, the restraints weren't over yet. The staff then began to adjust the straps attached to the leather suit. The two longest straps were pulled out from the top of the suit's back, looped under Ling Fei's armpits, crossed in front of her chest, then wrapped around her back to connect to corresponding buckles on the suit's surface. They were pulled taut until the buckle tongues could pass through the holes closest to her arms, securing the suit firmly to her shoulders so it wouldn't slip off her arms. Next, they fastened and tightened the straps below the suit corresponding to her wrists and elbows, completely incapacitating Ling Fei's hands, leaving them only able to be held behind her back. Following this, they placed a very thick black leather collar around Ling Fei's neck. The collar protruded on both sides and dipped in the middle. Once buckled, the collar's curve fit snugly against Ling Fei's jawline and the sides of her face, preventing her from turning her neck. Finally, the staff brought out five locks, fastening them one by one to the connection points on the suit and the collar. This meant Ling Fei would remain in this position indefinitely unless someone unlocked her. Next were the boots. The staff brought out a pair of knee-high black hoof boots. Made from the same leather as the wrist restraints, their black surface seemed waxed, gleaming with a high sheen. However, below the ankle, the boots transformed into a hoof-like structure – there was no heel, and beneath the forefoot was a ring of iron horseshoe. The staff, one on each side, grasped Ling Fei's feet and slipped the boots on. The boots were secured with a perforated lacing system, similar to the wrist restraints. The difference was that the "laces" were actually very fine steel wires. After laying down the boot tongues and closing the openings, the men didn't pull the laces by hand. Instead, they looped the laces around a T-shaped wooden handle and continuously rotated the handle to gradually tighten the laces. Due to the collar's restriction, Ling Fei couldn't see what was happening at her feet. She only felt her legs being encased in something, her feet and ankles fixed at a specific angle, while something slowly tightened around her calves, fitting snugly against her skin. Soon, the staff finished putting on the boots. Like the wrist restraints, the boot openings were laced so tightly that they were barely visible. They then twisted the ends of the cords together, cut off the excess with steel shears, and pulled the upper part of the boot tongue out to cover the twisted laces. A strap attached around the upper part of the boot was looped around the back of her knee, passed through a buckle, and also secured with a small lock. Without the key and the specialized unlacing tool, Ling Fei would never be able to remove her legs from these boots. Two people helped Ling Fei to stand. Unable to see what she was wearing, Ling Fei, standing on her tiptoes in the hoof boots, felt as if she had grown a head taller. Each step she took produced a crisp "clack" sound. However, her attention was quickly consumed by the effort of maintaining her balance. Fortunately, she had undergone some prior training and, after a short adjustment period, Ling Fei managed to stand steadily. "Very good. I thought I'd have to teach you how to walk!" Nina exclaimed in surprise. Then, Nina, one of the staff members, placed a simple horse bit gag on Ling Fei. "Alright, it's getting late. I'll take you to your resting place," Nina said, attaching a rope to Ling Fei's collar and leading her towards the exit of the building. Ling Fei followed obediently, with Ni Shang trailing behind. Soon, they arrived at a wooden shed not far from the house. Inside the shed were a series of compartments. The middle-aged woman opened one of the compartments. It was long and narrow, with wooden boards lining three sides. The opening on the compartment door was the only visible window. The compartment was about wide enough for two people to stand side-by-side. The latter half of the compartment floor was covered with thick, dry hay, reaching almost to the knees. "Since there's no equipment for sleeping while standing, you won't be required to stand. You can lie down. You can rest today, and Ni Shang will begin your formal training tomorrow." With that, the two women left. Exhausted from the series of events, Ling Fei simply leaned back and sank into the pile of hay. To her surprise, the hay wasn't as uncomfortable as she had imagined. Instead, it was soft and conformed to her body's curves. Even with her arms pressed beneath her, she felt no pain, and it also blocked the night's chill. Soon, Ling Fei fell asleep.

Ni Chang first placed a horizontal bar across the side walls. As Ling Fei walked in and stood directly in front of it, Ni Chang picked up the chains and connected them one by one to the buckles on either side of her waist cincher. The chains had very little slack, and once connected, Ling Fei's waist was essentially secured. Then, she lowered the rear horizontal bar behind Ling Fei. This enclosed Ling Fei between the front and rear bars and the side walls, and with the chains on her waist cincher, she could only stand perfectly straight. However, no matter how much the cart jolted, she wouldn't fall. Finally, Ni Chang closed the cart's door, plunging Ling Fei into darkness, with only a sliver of light filtering up from the ventilation grate near her feet. The cart wheels turned, and soon they arrived at the competition venue. The competition grounds were similar to the training enclosure, only the track was about three times longer. Instead of high wooden fences, the perimeter was bordered by waist-high stone walls. The weather on race day was pleasant, with sunlight occasionally breaking through the clouds, casting a golden hue over the entire arena. This was Ling Fei's first time as a mare encountering so many other mares besides herself – dozens of them, all female. They varied in height and wore restraints of different colors but similar styles: some hand restraints were four-pointed, holding their hands together behind their backs with upper arms and forearms at right angles, forearms overlapping; some wore full-body leather suits with attached waist cinchers, with varying degrees of exposure; and some mares wore ankle-high or knee-high hoof boots, though all had horseshoes nailed to their soles. With so many mares, there were naturally an equal number of riders. The riders, however, were a mix of men and women, all dressed in colorful rider's attire similar to Ni Chang's. They stood on the chariots, looking quite heroic. Beside the starting line, a row of tables was occupied by stern-faced judges and staff. This made Ling Fei sigh slightly; she used to be one of the observers sitting there, and now she was competing as a mare. "Concentrate, it's about to begin. This is a light harness race, just a preliminary event, don't be nervous." As Ling Fei was lost in thought, Ni Chang, from the chariot behind her, whispered a reminder. At this moment, all riders and mares were in a state of readiness, awaiting the start. "On your marks! Get set—clang!" With the striking of the gong by the judge beside the track, all riders cracked their whips. After a chorus of whipping sounds and shouts, the mares lifted their forelegs high, kicked off the ground with force, and kicked up a cloud of dust. This preliminary race required two laps around the oval track. The focus was on assessing whether the mares met the necessary conditions to be racehorses, namely their posture, cooperation, and stamina. Even if they finished first, it would be useless if the first two criteria were not met. Therefore, besides urging the mares forward with their whips, the riders also continuously instructed them to maintain the correct posture. "Speed up!" "Lift your legs higher!" "Straighten your backs!" "Too slow! Follow my rein signals!"... All mares in the preliminary race were essentially beginners, their performance depending on their innate abilities and the riders' proficiency in working with them. Although their speeds were not very fast, the gaps between them gradually widened. By the end of the first lap, three small groups had formed – leading, middle, and trailing – with increasing distances between them. Leading the pack were Ling Fei and a mare named Number 3. With their advantages in skill and stamina, they required almost no verbal correction from their riders, maintaining correct posture on their own and charging forward solely under the guidance of reins and whips. Their response during turns was also remarkably smooth. The two mares continuously overtook each other during the second lap, and they were neck and neck right up to the finish line. In the end, Ling Fei, with a slight edge in stamina, won by a single finger's length. Both mares, panting and drenched in sweat, were exhausted after the race. Their riders immediately dismounted and went to tend to their respective mares. "You worked hard, you did beautifully," Ni Chang praised, gently wiping Ling Fei's sweat-and-dust-covered face and body with a towel. "You two performed impressively!" the rider of Number 3 called out to Ni Chang. "It's a shame we lost, but we'll have another chance. We'll definitely beat you next time!" He said this with a determined look, patting Number 3's head. Number 3 then tilted her head and leaned against his shoulder. Ni Chang smiled and responded. "The results of this race are: First place, Number 38! Second place, Number 3! Third place..." As the judge announced the rankings, the riders and mares on the field couldn't hide their disappointment. After all, only the top three in each preliminary race would qualify as official racehorses. Eliminated mares would have to undergo further training before competing again. Finally, the top three earned their qualification as racehorses, and Ling Fei was given her name as a racehorse: Princess Fei'er. "Finally, a real racehorse," Ling Fei exclaimed happily, swaying her body. "Princess Fei'er, you can't be complacent. You must continue to work hard, or you'll be surpassed soon," Ni Chang advised. A month had passed since the preliminary selection race for mares.