Chapter 51: Another Tie
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He said okay.
Liang Ping, who had been silent all this while, now looked at He Yan with a completely different expression. Having experienced the previous times, he knew that this young man wouldn’t just be making empty boasts. Since he agreed, he should at least have some skill to back it up.
Could he hit moving targets?
“If you want to shoot wild animals, you’ll have to go into the forest,” Wang Ba said. The forest was on White Moon Mountain. He looked at Liang Ping, who brought his thoughts back and shook his head. “That won’t work.”
Both Wang Ba and He Yan were new recruits, unfamiliar with the routes on White Moon Mountain. The new recruits still needed some time before they could enter the mountains. He continued, “Let’s use flying birds as targets.”
Flying birds… The new recruits were surprised again. If shooting at animals was harder than shooting at straw targets, then shooting at flying birds would undoubtedly be even more challenging. People were on the ground, while birds were in the sky, creating a natural and significant distance between them. Shooting arrows from the ground into the sky required even more exceptional eyesight and arm strength.
Wang Ba burst into laughter. “Agreed!”
He Yan also smiled and said, “No problem.”
Their casual agreement reignited the excitement among the new recruits who had just started to calm down. It seemed like Wang Ba often went into the mountains to shoot birds and wolves, but what about He Yan?
Xiao Mai discreetly tugged on Shitou’s sleeve. “Big brother, do you think Brother Ah He can win?”
“I don’t know,” Shitou replied.
Xiao Mai looked at his older brother in surprise. He hadn’t flatly denied it. Did that mean He Yan really had a chance of hitting the target?
“Go get your bows,” Liang Ping instructed. He then called over another new recruit who was standing nearby, giving him some instructions. The new recruit listened to Liang Ping and then headed to the training ground’s structure to find a copper gong. Holding the gong, he ran to a nearby area in the woods.
A moment later, with a loud “dong,” he struck the copper gong forcefully. It was followed by a flurry of flapping wings as numerous wild birds took to the sky.
The dense forests of White Moon Mountain were home to many wild birds. He Yan had seen white-bellied blue swallows and blue-throated pearl birds on the mountain before. The wild birds quickly took to the sky. In an instant, Wang Ba had already nocked an arrow and was ready to shoot. He acted with expertise, displaying an air of confidence when shooting at the forest’s flying creatures.
The arrow soared into the sky, and a bird that was mid-flight suddenly dropped as if it had been struck. In the training ground, people exclaimed in astonishment, “Hit! He hit it!” A new recruit picked up the arrow from the ground, and the arrow had a red feather attached to it.
This was Wang Ba’s prey.
Wang Ba looked at He Yan triumphantly.
He Yan smiled and, seemingly unfazed, drew her bow toward the sky. Her movements were even quicker than Wang Ba’s, so swift that one might doubt whether she had aimed at her target at all. However, the arrow had already been released. The intense sunlight obscured people’s vision, making it impossible to discern the arrow’s direction in an instant.
Shitou stared unblinkingly at the sky. After a while, he said, “Hit.”
“Really?” Hong Shan looked skeptical. “Why can’t I see clearly?”
From a corner of the training ground, another voice rang out. “I found He Yan’s arrow! Over here!” Holding the arrow, he ran to Liang Ping. “Here it is!”
Attached to the arrow was a tuft of willow feathers.
Liang Ping and Wang Ba simultaneously looked at He Yan.
The former was a sudden realization of the person before them being a treasure, a delightful surprise. The latter was a face full of disbelief.
How did he manage that?
Wang Ba tightened his grip on the bow in his hand and said, “Again!” He shouted at the new recruit who was striking the gong, “Keep going!”
The new recruit struck the gong multiple times, and immediately, a large group of birds flew out from the trees. Wang Ba placed several arrows on his bow simultaneously and released them all at once!
The arrows shot into the sky, and it was hard to tell if they hit their mark. However, moments later, someone in the training ground excitedly shouted, “Hit! Hit! The arrow is here with me!”
The fact that multiple arrows were shot and all hit their targets meant that this person was already extraordinary, perhaps even one in a thousand. And He Yan?
Everyone turned their gaze to He Yan again. With a slight smile, she also followed Wang Ba’s example, placing several arrows on her bow at once.
The bowstring was pulled taut, and a relaxed smile appeared on the young man’s face. He seemed like a teenager playing a leisurely game of archery by the riverside.
She drew the bowstring.
The arrows soared into the flock of birds, causing them to scatter in a panic. Someone in the training ground yelled, “Hit! Hit! I found the arrow!”
When they brought the arrow to the instructor, it was clear that He Yan’s shot had not missed.
“You!” Wang Ba clenched his teeth, turned around, and strapped the quiver of arrows to his back. He continued shooting arrows non-stop, determined to shoot all the arrows from the quiver.
Each quiver held twenty arrows, and the arrows had different-colored feathers for easier distinction during practice. Wang Ba chose red feathers, while He Yan selected blue ones. She imitated Wang Ba and shot arrows non-stop.
For a while, neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the continuous ringing of the gong from the forest and the startled birds taking flight.
“It’s so impressive! So much fun!” Cheng Lisu’s eyes lit up as he held onto Liang Ping’s arm and exclaimed, “This is much more interesting than the hunting grounds in the capital! Instructor Liang, how did you end up with such interesting soldiers under your command? How did you find such talented individuals?”
Liang Ping gave an awkward smile, feeling just as confused. He didn’t know either! Finding someone like Wang Ba was already a pleasant surprise, and now there was He Yan. He almost wondered if he was dreaming.
Twenty arrows were quickly used up.
The new recruits on the training ground were enthusiastic, collecting the fallen arrows and bringing them to Instructor Liang. Twenty red arrows, each hitting the mark; twenty blue arrows, none missing.
Among the new recruits of the Liangzhou Garrison, there unexpectedly emerged these two exceptional archers who never miss their mark. Liang Ping thought to himself that he would probably be promoted, and even if not, his monthly salary should see an increase.
“I didn’t expect Brother Ah He to be so amazing…” Xiao Mai was already in awe, murmuring to himself.
“I didn’t expect it either,” Hong Shan hadn’t quite recovered, “I should have bet on Ah He…”
Right, the bet wasn’t over yet. Hong Shan’s words seemed to remind everyone, and suddenly a new recruit shouted, “So… is this a draw? He Yan and Wang Ba had the same result, right? How do we count this round?”
That’s right, how should they count this?
Wang Ba lowered his head. Nobody knew what he was thinking. After a moment, he lifted his head, his expression changing between gloom and brightness. “You haven’t won.”
“True,” He Yan didn’t deny it. She even sincerely praised her opponent, “It’s because your archery is so good. I was too overconfident.”
“Then let’s call it a draw. Today, you still haven’t beaten me,” Wang Ba said. At this point, he was getting a bit flustered. In fact, the fact that He Yan could keep up with him in shooting flying birds meant that her archery skills were on par with his overall.
He couldn’t figure out another way to beat He Yan.
“Ten days ago, I said that ten days later, I would beat you. Now that victory is still undetermined, how can we call it a draw?” He Yan fanned herself with her hand, “Since you can’t come up with a way to challenge me, how about I suggest one?”
－－－－－－Author’s Note－－－－－－
Thought to be a bronze, actually a king – He Yan.
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