Chapter 52: A New Challenge
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She’s going to propose an archery competition?
Instructor Liang, looked at her inquisitively. Cheng Lisu whispered softly, “Instructor Liang, what else is there to compare in archery?”
Instructor Liang shook his head, “This… I don’t know.” While there were indeed several aspects of archery that could be compared, they were mostly similar. Earlier, He Yan had already shot at birds, and the rest shouldn’t be too difficult. But her words implied that she wanted to surpass Wang Ba without a doubt. However, what else was there that Wang Ba couldn’t do, and she alone could?
Wang Ba was initially taken aback, then sneered, “Go ahead and propose!”
It was just another possibility of a tie, he thought.
He Yan smiled faintly. She walked over to Cheng Lisu and suddenly reached out, pulling off the hairband that tied up his long hair.
Cheng Lisu was momentarily stunned, and by the time he realized it, his hair was already let loose. He asked, “What are you doing?”
“Apologies, my dear friend,” He Yan smiled, “Since you want to become sworn brothers with me, you wouldn’t mind lending me your hairband for a moment, would you?”
“But… can you…” Cheng Lisu mumbled in a low voice while hastily gathering his hair, “This is so sudden. Besides, why don’t you use your own hairband?” After all, He Yan had her own hairband.
“I’ve noticed that your hairband is much more delicate than mine,” He Yan calmly fibbed, “It’s probably because you’re blessed with good luck. I’ll borrow some of that good fortune from you.” She made up a plausible excuse without changing her expression.
Who wouldn’t love hearing such nice words? Cheng Lisu immediately smiled and said, “No problem, go ahead and use it!”
No one understood what she was planning to do with Cheng Lisu’s hairband. They watched as He Yan slowly wrapped the hairband between her hands, covering her eyes.
“What is he doing…?” People began to catch on to her intention.
The yellow hairband effectively covered her eyes, and she reached behind her head to tie a light knot. Finally, she said, “There we go.”
In fact, He Yan didn’t use her own hairband or anyone else’s because it was a hot day, and they had been running and practicing archery, causing them to sweat. The soldiers in the camp were not particular about such things, and their hairbands were often stained. However, this young man, Xiao Jue’s nephew, was different. He looked fresh in his new clothes, and his hairband was neat and clean, just like him. It was probably even cleaner than He Yan’s clothes. Tying it now, she noticed a faint scent of pine resin, too.
A truly meticulous young master, He Yan sighed in her heart. Truly fitting of being Xiao Jue’s nephew.
“He Yan, what are you planning?” Wang Ba frowned and asked, having a hunch, but not daring to confirm.
“Let’s have a blindfolded archery competition,” she suggested.
The training ground gradually fell silent. A breeze blew by on this summer day, causing the long end of the hairband behind her head to flutter, adding a touch of elegance to the young man in his crimson robe. A smile graced her lips as she held the longbow, facing Wang Ba, “In this round, I will definitely surpass you.”
With these words, spoken casually yet resolutely, it was as if she had already foreseen the outcome.
Wang Ba’s face turned pale and his expression changed several times. Before he could say anything, someone beat him to it, sounding skeptical, “Blindfolded archery, what are you shooting? Straw targets?”
He Yan shook her head and raised her head slightly. Though her eyes were covered, the way she lifted her head seemed to suggest that she could trace the trajectory of sparrows flying through the sky. She said, “Just like before, we’ll hunt birds.”
The crowd was in an uproar.
She was actually so confident. But was it really confidence?
He Yan turned again to face Wang Ba and asked with a smile, “Is that acceptable?”
Acceptable? Those two words were like the moment when Instructor Liang asked her, and she readily replied, “Okay.” Now, the word “okay” had reached the tip of the tongue, but Wang Ba struggled to say it.
Being a mountain bandit or going hunting on the mountains, those actions were always purposeful. Blindfolded archery, he wasn’t blind, so doing something like this was meaningless. He wasn’t a wealthy aristocrat who played novel games. If he was highly confident in his archery skills, then the method He Yan proposed was the one he was least confident in.
He simply couldn’t do it.
Wang Ba looked at He Yan, who didn’t rush him for an answer. However, the surrounding new recruits stared at him with various expressions, making Wang Ba feel trapped. Was he really going to be publicly embarrassed here today, in front of everyone, by a young, inexperienced kid? If this got out, people would mock him for not even daring to respond to a child.
“Fine!” He gritted his teeth and said. However, a glimmer of hope surfaced in his heart. Maybe He Yan was just tricking him. This kid was sly and cunning, and maybe he couldn’t do it himself. He deliberately pretended to be very sure, hoping to deceive Wang Ba into giving up before him.
No way, he wouldn’t fall for that!
“In this round, you go first!” Wang Ba said.
The youth smiled again, her posture graceful as she nodded and uttered two words, “Sounds good.”
…
Beside the flag stand on the training ground, there was a pavilion adjacent to the Liangzhou military camp. Positioned at a higher elevation, it offered a panoramic view of the training ground.
Two figures stood at the railing of the pavilion, looking from a distance at the young man surrounded by new recruits in the center.
One person wore crimson armor with a black belt tied around his waist – he was Shen Han. The young man beside him was as cold as ice and snow, his expression indifferent. This was Xiao Jue.
“I didn’t expect this batch of soldiers to produce two such promising talents,” Shen Han sighed. “Wang Ba is impressive, of course. Despite his background as a mountain bandit and his unruly nature, his archery skills are indeed exceptional, and his strength is boundless. But what’s even more surprising is that young man named He Yan. He’s only fifteen or sixteen years old, yet he’s already outstanding. He has a gentle and likable disposition. With a few more years of growth, he’ll undoubtedly become one of the best among this batch of recruits.”
Shen Han recalled his earlier conversation with Liang Ping. At that time, Liang Ping had high expectations for He Yan, but Shen Han didn’t pay much attention. He thought He Yan’s talent was too ordinary and not worth noticing. However, he had almost missed out on a good talent.
Seeing that Xiao Jue didn’t respond, Shen Han cautiously probed, “What does the Commander think?”
“Gentle disposition?” Xiao Jue repeated slowly. After a moment, he sneered, “You’re probably mistaken. It’s not Wang Ba who’s unruly – it’s He Yan.”
He Yan? Shen Han was skeptical. He had seen that young man a few times, and he always had a smile on his face. Wang Ba had challenged him multiple times, yet he had never seen He Yan lose his temper. Frankly, kids of this age were usually full of vigor and would readily fight at the slightest provocation. For He Yan to exhibit such self-control was already quite remarkable and gentle.
And the Commander was saying that He Yan was unruly and difficult to manage? For the first time, Shen Han began to doubt the judgment of his superior.
“In that case…” Shen Han changed the subject, “Commander, do you think He Yan can win this round?”
Xiao Jue’s lips curled slightly, his voice faint.
“Yes.”
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