Chapter 62: The Lady Knight

"What are you daydreaming about, kid?" As men, Zhang San immediately guessed what Yang Meng was thinking just by looking at his expression.

Chongfeng laughed, "Third Brother, any man would have wild thoughts after hearing your words! Xiao Yang, let me tell you, what Third Brother means is that these ladies are the kind who have money, leisure, and never have to worry about food or clothing. Marrying them saves you thirty years of struggle. They're bored with ordinary life and seek excitement. While everyone else plays with four wheels, they show their individuality with two. And they're no rookies—their riding skills are even better than mine."

Zhang San exposed him without hesitation, "I think anyone's riding skills are better than yours. You sweat buckets just riding on the highway."

Everyone burst into laughter at Zhang San's words.

Chongfeng hurried to explain to Yang Meng, "That was my first time on the highway, of course I was nervous! I'm definitely not like that now!"

"Yeah, yeah, we believe you!"

"Right, right, stop explaining."

"Next time you ride the highway, I'll prepare a towel for you. Sweating in winter is an easy way to catch a cold!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Yang Meng finally understood why Chongfeng drove so slowly when taking him up the mountain to get familiar with the route—he really was a complete rookie!

Everyone continued to tease Chongfeng, laughter filling the air.

"What are you all laughing about?" The three lady riders rode up and stopped in front of the group.

"We're talking about Chongfeng's riding skills," Zhang San answered.

One girl took off her helmet, her long hair cascading like a waterfall. "Chongfeng's riding skills? Are you kidding me? Does Chongfeng even have riding skills?"

With her helmet off, Yang Meng saw her face clearly. She looked to be in her twenties, much prettier than he had imagined. Though she wore no heavy makeup, the cool motorcycle gear suited her perfectly. The first phrase that popped into Yang Meng's mind was "valiant and heroic," and he found himself recalling names like Mu Guiying, Hua Mulan, and Fan Lihua.

"Chen Jiao, do you have to roast me like that?" Chongfeng's face flushed red.

Chen Jiao looked unconcerned. "What? Chongfeng? How about the two of us race a lap? Whoever loses wears a sign around their neck and stands here for thirty minutes. The sign just says: 'I'm a rookie.'"

Chongfeng mumbled to himself for a while before blurting out, "A real man doesn't compete with women." That only made everyone laugh even harder.

"Oh? Is there a new friend here? Aren't you going to introduce him?" Chen Jiao pointed at Yang Meng.

Zhang San was about to introduce him, but another female rider mercilessly exposed Chen Jiao, "Come on, your acting is terrible! Didn't you already guess there was a newcomer when we were on the road?"

Another female rider chimed in, "Exactly, Third Brother, listen—just now we saw the 'Six-Eyed Demon' from afar. In our group, who besides you can handle that beast? But your 'Great Demon' is still parked here, so obviously there's a new friend!"

Chen Jiao shook her head. "Hey, you two are really too much, tearing down my act like this! Weren't you always saying girls need to be reserved?"

The first girl, who was taller and had a neat short haircut, obviously a tomboy, walked up to Yang Meng and held out her hand. "I'm Qiao Yu—Yu as in 'universe.' What's your name?"

Yang Meng shook her hand and replied, "Yang Meng—Meng as in 'adorable.'"

Qiao Yu laughed, "Looks like we should swap names. Seems both of us were saddled with quirky names by our parents. Let me introduce you—this is Quan Yajing, and that's Chen Jiao."

Yang Meng greeted each of the three.

Zhang San sighed beside them, "Ah, it's always the young and handsome guys who are popular. Us middle-aged men are being phased out! Girls nowadays always say they like older men, but when they see a fresh face, the uncles still have to step aside."

Qiao Yu shook her head. "Third Brother, you're so wrong. Girls do like older men, but looks matter. The handsome ones are called 'uncle,' the ugly ones are just 'master' when they get older."

Zhang San retorted, "Pigsy, do you need something?"

The group erupted in laughter.

Qiao Yu feigned anger. "Third Brother, you're bullying me! No way, I have to redeem myself!" She pointed at Yang Meng, "Yang Meng, you have to race me!"

Yang Meng was stunned. "What does this have to do with me?"

Qiao Yu replied matter-of-factly, "We've raced everyone here except Third Brother, and none are a match for us. Racing them is just unfair. Seeing you ride the 'Six-Eyed,' you must like speed—so race me!"

Yang Meng shook his head, "I'll pass, my new bike hasn't even finished its break-in period."

These three girls clearly loved speed. Of the three bikes, aside from the orange BMW F800GT which was a touring bike, the other two were proper sports bikes. It wasn’t surprising; sports bikes were flashier, and most female riders preferred them. Even the F800GT had street bike styling leaning toward sport.

He genuinely didn't want to race them. His bike had a bigger engine and was faster—winning would be nothing to brag about, losing would be embarrassing.

Seeing Yang Meng unwilling, Qiao Yu said, "Just for fun, one lap there and back. We're all riding the mountain anyway, right?"

Yang Meng was about to refuse again when a man's voice cut in, "Miss, if he won't race you, I will."

It was one of the nearby sports bike riders, who had overheard and took the chance to butt in.

Qiao Yu looked at him disdainfully, "You want to race me with that bike?"

Her ride was a BMW HP4, a top-tier sports bike—the lightest and fastest of its class. Though it 'only' had 999cc, so its straight-line speed couldn’t match the larger Suzuki Hayabusa or Kawasaki 'Six-Eyed Demon,' but mountain racing wasn't about straight lines. Cornering skills mattered most. You couldn’t judge by engine size alone.

With skills like Chongfeng's, any 'Ghost Fire Kid' could beat him with their eyes closed.

"What's wrong with my bike? It's modified! Besides, mountain racing is all about cornering skills! Your bike can hit 300, but can you take corners at 300?"

The challenger rode a Kawasaki Ninja 400. Maybe it was the detuned version, but anyone coming here to race would tweak it to hit 180 easily.

Truth be told, for these roads, the lighter Ninja 400 would be easier to handle—of course, it depended on the rider's skill.

Yang Meng wasn't optimistic about Qiao Yu. She was a woman, with less strength and weight than a man, making it harder to press down the bike in corners. But judging by Zhang San and the others' expressions, they seemed completely unconcerned.

"Hey! You're not scared, are you?" The young man on the Ninja 400 began to taunt Qiao Yu. "If you win, you can take off one of my exhaust pipes!"

Qiao Yu glanced at him sideways. "Trying to provoke me? You think that works?" She put on her helmet. "Fine, it works. I’ll be back for your exhaust pipe! Third Brother, keep an eye on his friends—if he runs, take their pipes!"

Zhang San laughed. "Alright. Hey, Xiao Qiao, this guy’s using a 'Termi' titanium pipe. How about I buy it off you for eight hundred afterward?"

Qiao Yu lowered her visor. "You can have it, no need to talk about money."

That really infuriated the young man. "What do you mean? Think you’ve got this in the bag? If I lose, you take my pipe, but what if you lose?"

Qiao Yu replied coolly, "Then you can take mine."

Zhang San added, "Kid, count yourself lucky. Xiao Qiao uses a 'Scorpion' exhaust—costs over six thousand for the set. If you win, you hit the jackpot!"

The Ninja rider sneered, "That pipe is as good as mine! Let's go! Stop wasting time!"

As a man, he couldn't stand being looked down on. He originally challenged Qiao Yu just to strike up a conversation, but now it was about pride!

The two bikes lined up, ready. Chen Jiao took off her neck warmer, walked to the front, spun it in her hand a few times, then swung it down. The two bikes shot off.

Watching the first corner, Yang Meng was certain: Qiao Yu would win!

Though Qiao Yu couldn't fully leverage her HP4's power at the start due to not being able to press down the front end, her cornering skills were leagues above the Ninja 400 rider—he was clearly self-taught, riding on guts alone. His timing, angle, and speed in corners were all wrong, while Qiao Yu was obviously experienced.

Zhang San explained to Yang Meng, "Don't underestimate our lady riders—they’re the real deal."

Chongfeng pouted, "Third Brother, are you sure you should praise your students this much? Xiao Yang, these three all learned their riding skills from Third Brother!"

Just then, Yang Meng's phone rang. He apologized and stepped aside to answer. The longer he listened, the more his brows furrowed.

After hanging up, Yang Meng apologized, "Sorry everyone, I have something urgent and need to leave. Let's exchange numbers—invite me next time you ride the mountain."

Zhang San immediately handed him a business card. "Come visit me sometime. My place is our meeting spot."

Yang Meng took the card, put it in his pocket, and waved goodbye to the group.

Quan Yajing laughed, "Hey, little brother, are you running off because you’re scared we’ll challenge you to a race?"

Yang Meng didn't explain. He just smiled, waved, and gunned his engine, shooting off.

Watching Yang Meng disappear, Quan Yajing was stunned. "'Six-Eyed Demon' launch start, pressing the front so steadily? Third Brother, what does he do? Is he a professional racer?"

Zhang San smiled bitterly. "He says he's a food delivery guy. Whether you believe that is your own business."

"A food delivery guy? Riding such an expensive bike for deliveries? Third Brother, are you kidding us?"