Chapter 63: Cease All Archery
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“Instructor Liang, you haven’t told me yet, how is archery compared in this riding contest?” He Yan looked at Liang Ping by her side, “Is it about who has more prey, or who reaches the end of the horse track first?”
Liang Ping hadn’t spoken yet when Ma Damei spoke up first, smiling, “Young sir, in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, run a lap from here, this is the starting point and also the end point. There’s a grass target at the bend ahead of the horse track. The four of us have different feathered arrows. When we reach the bend, we’ll shoot arrows. The one who shoots the arrow and returns here first wins.”
After hearing this, He Yan nodded and said, “Okay.”
Liang Ping couldn’t help but give her a glance. The most common phrase this young person used was “okay.” Whether facing Wang Ba, Jiang Jiao, or Huang Xiong, and now in front of these instructors, it was still “okay.” He wondered when he might hear the word “not okay.”
“Let’s begin then.” Du Mao tugged on the reins, and someone behind him blew a horn. The four horses shot forward like arrows released from a bowstring, covering a distance of over ten meters in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a trail of dust.
The horse He Yan was riding was much more well-behaved than the one He Sui had gotten in the capital city’s training ground. It should have been specially trained. With just a slight command from her, the horse understood. She also noticed that among the other three, while Liang Ping and Du Mao were skilled in horsemanship, they couldn’t compare to the seemingly unremarkable Ma Damei. Ma Damei’s horsemanship was on par with her own, perhaps even superior, though he hadn’t fully demonstrated it.
As she observed these three, the others were also watching her. When Du Mao glanced over, he nearly popped his eyes out. He Yan wasn’t even using a riding crop?
She had the riding crop slung diagonally across her arm as she directed the horse to run, lightly patting its flank with her hand. This wasn’t a leisurely ride like a city nobleman enjoying the countryside; what was he up to? What surprised him even more was how casual she was about it, yet she still managed to keep pace with the instructors, even mustering a smile in their direction.
Du Mao quickly averted his gaze.
The swift horses raced like meteors, and in the blink of an eye, they reached the bend. He Yan reached for the quiver on her back, drew out several feathered arrows, and was about to shoot them at the grass targets on either side.
The targets were smaller than those at the training grounds, only about the size of a palm. They weren’t very noticeable, and hitting them with a bow and arrow wasn’t easy; it required keen eyesight and precise movements. Just as He Yan was about to release her arrows, Liang Ping and Du Mao exchanged a glance. One in front and one behind, they suddenly exerted force, squeezing their horses toward He Yan and causing her horse to veer off to the side, preventing her from shooting her arrows.
Startled, He Yan was jostled a few times and hastily pulled the reins to steady herself. She looked at Liang Ping and Du Mao, and both of them were casually shooting their arrows as if nothing had happened. Du Mao even called out to her, “He Yan, be careful not to fall off!”
It was as if they weren’t the ones who had just disturbed her.
He Yan raised an eyebrow. Indeed, on the competition field, she never understood the concept of forgiveness. How could she let this disruption slide?
Liang Ping and Du Mao’s arrows had already been released when a sudden green arrow shot out from an angle, striking their arrows in mid-air with a resounding “clang” and changing their trajectory, causing them to fall to the ground.
Both of them turned their gaze toward He Yan. She shrugged and said, “Instructors, it seems like your archery skills are a bit lacking.”
Liang Ping: “…”
This young person was really one to bear a grudge, not sparing them with her words. Her arrogance knew no bounds.
He Yan was about to restring her bow, but before she could draw the arrow, her body was jolted again. The old man, Ma Damei, had caught up from behind and chuckled, “Young sir, take your time. No need to rush.”
He Yan couldn’t draw the bow. Every time she made a move, the three of them would come from behind, from the front, from the sides, casually brushing against her, making the horses startle repeatedly. She couldn’t aim properly.
After a few more attempts, He Yan realized that the three instructors were deliberately working against her. Though she didn’t understand why, it was probably part of the contest. They wanted to prevent her from shooting arrows, and even if she reached the end of the horse track first, it wouldn’t count as a win.
Outnumbered and unable to contend, and considering this was an archery competition, she couldn’t exactly fight these instructors. But to leave it at this was not something He Yan could accept.
He Yan’s gaze shifted slightly as she murmured, “Trying to scheme against me? No way!”
Suddenly, she raised her arm, and the riding crop wrapped around it unfurled in response, landing in the wind and emitting a crisp sound.
“What is she doing…” Du Mao frowned. From start to finish, He Yan hadn’t used a riding crop. She had effortlessly controlled the horse without it, which was indeed rare. But now, seeing He Yan do this, was she losing her grip and resorting to using the riding crop?
As he was thinking this, He Yan suddenly looked up and smiled at him. A sense of unease surged within Du Mao, and in the next moment, the riding crop was flying toward him. Startled, he instinctively moved to avoid it, a mixture of surprise and anger welling up inside him. How dare He Yan attack him!
He shifted his body, inadvertently revealing the quiver at his back.
The riding crop didn’t land on Du Mao; instead, it wound around the quiver, ensnaring one of the feathered arrows inside. He Yan gave a pull and a flick, causing the riding crop to loosen in mid-air. As a result, the entire bundle of feathered arrows floated down into the wind.
Liang Ping, who had been witnessing the entire scene, was dumbfounded. Before he could react, He Yan’s crop was already aimed at him. Startled, he hastily maneuvered his horse to evade, but this time, it was He Yan who acted. There was no escaping her. With a swift pull and twist, all the arrows from his quiver were flung to the ground.
“He Yan!” Du Mao’s face turned an ironclad hue of anger.
“I see that none of the instructors want me to shoot arrows,” He Yan said as if she hadn’t noticed his displeasure, smiling brightly. “But I don’t want to lose either. There’s no choice—let’s forget about shooting arrows. How about we determine the winner by who runs the fastest?”
“Hahaha!” Laughter erupted from behind, courtesy of Ma Damei. He showed no hint of nervousness or irritation, rather, he seemed quite amused. “You’re quite clever, young fellow. I wonder if you can catch this arrow of mine?”
He Yan gave a faint smile. “How could I? I don’t plan on catching your arrow.”
Ma Damei’s horsemanship was exceptional, making it difficult for her to outmaneuver him to grab his arrow. However, it didn’t matter. Once they passed this bend, there would be no targets to shoot at, forcing him to compete solely on speed with her to reach the finish line first.
She and Ma Damei raced side by side. When she shot arrows, Ma Damei would shoot to block. When Ma Damei shot arrows, He Yan would shoot to intercept. They left Liang Ping and Du Mao trailing behind, neither one outpacing the other. In this deadlock, they managed to navigate the final bend.
None of them hit the target, so for now, it came down to who could reach the finish line first.
Ma Damei glanced at He Yan and chuckled. “Young sir, you’re quite impressive.” With a flick of his riding crop, his horse surged forward suddenly, revealing that he hadn’t been using his full effort until now.
He Yan watched his figure and praised, “Indeed, there are always people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens.” She nudged her horse’s flanks and followed suit.
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