I already guessed what Xiuxiu was going to do. I shouted and waved my hands, but no one on the mountain noticed me. By then, Dai Zong had already run ahead of me, but it was too late. Although the mountain wasn't high, it was still more than 20 meters high. Considering the distance to the ground, by the time he reached Xiuxiu, she would have been riddled with bullets.
With my hands hanging limply, I cried out in a tearful voice, "It's over—"
Wang Yin followed closely behind me, looking at me warily and demanding, "What tricks are you up to?"
Suddenly, I spotted the bag in his arms—it contained the spare bow that Pang Wanchun had prepared for Hua Rong. I quickly pulled out a biscuit tin as I held out my hand, saying, "Give me the bow!"
Wang Yin gripped the bow tightly in his hand and shouted, "Nonsense! Of course I won't give it to you!"
There's no time! Even if the heroes swarmed in to capture Wang Yin and seize the bow, it would be too late. Xiu Xiu had already climbed halfway up the mountain when an arrow whizzed past her face, leaving a bloody gash on her beautiful cheek...
Without thinking twice, I shoved the half-eaten biscuit that Hua Rong had eaten into Wang Yin's hand and shouted, "Do you dare to eat it?"
At that moment, Wang Yin never expected me to ask such a bizarre question. He tossed the biscuit into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, swallowed it, and sneered, "You think I'm afraid of you?" But before he finished speaking, he suddenly twirled the bow in his hand and raised it high above his head, assuming a posture as if he was about to draw the bow and release an arrow. Wang Yin was also stunned for a moment, as if his body had just been out of his control. He stared at me with wide eyes and asked, "What the hell did you feed me?"
I didn't have time to answer him, and shoved a handful of arrows into his hand: "You don't want anyone to die, do you?" I gave him a hard slap on the back, "Let's see what you do!"
By this time, Xiuxiu had already climbed to the top of the mountain. Just as I expected, she suddenly jumped in front of Hua Rong, using her body to block him...
I neither screamed nor covered my eyes, but slowly turned around, and then I heard the twang of a bowstring behind me—
The heroes who had followed me and Wang Yin a step behind suddenly looked surprised. When I could tell from their faces that Xiuxiu was alright, I resolutely turned back.
…As soon as Wang Yin received the arrows I handed him, he skillfully folded them into a fan shape and nocked the bottom one onto the string. Before his eyes flashed the scene from a few seconds earlier—Xiuxiu had thrown herself onto Hua Rong, and Pang Wanchun, unable to stop in time, had fired a series of short, rapid-fire arrows at the other side. Wang Yin used his little finger and ring finger to draw the string, and with a clang, two arrows shot out. As if precisely calculated by a rocket expert, the arrows intercepted Pang Wanchun's arrows mid-air with a sharp sound, and then several broken pieces fell to the ground.
We were practically standing at the foot of the mountain, and neither Pang Wanchun nor Hua Rong could see what was happening below. Pang Wanchun was stunned to see his arrow break in mid-air, while Xiuxiu's appearance completely bewildered Hua Rong. Xiuxiu threw herself in front of him, and he heard the sound of a bowstring twanging from the other side. His face changed drastically, and without even checking if Xiuxiu was injured, he drew his last five arrows without hesitation, raised the bow, and because Xiuxiu was in front of him, he wrapped his arms around his back, turned sideways, and fired five arrows in quick succession towards the other side. These five arrows formed a five-pointed star formation, aiming for Pang Wanchun's forehead and limbs respectively. Hua Rong, his eyes bloodshot, no longer cared about anything else; he was now only focused on killing his opponent to stop him from drawing the bow again!
Still bewildered, Pang Wanchun instinctively fired his last few arrows haphazardly...
This was quite a sight! Arrows flew wildly through the air. Wang Yin shouted sharply, drawing back his bowstring repeatedly. The arrows in his hand were launched like missiles, fast and accurate, each one striking the barbs of the volley of arrows with a clattering sound and sparks flying everywhere. From a distance, it looked like fireworks blooming across the sky…
Chapter Ninety: Will a Whip Work?
I remember when I was a kid, the TV was showing the Gulf War. Both sides were firing like crazy. Anti-aircraft guns, howitzers, and many other things I couldn't name fired shells that slowly rose into the sky, leaving shiny arcs. They looked completely harmless.
After that fight, we all learned two new names: Sprinter and Patriot, and we also learned that Sprinter couldn't beat Patriot.
Now it's the same. As if they had rehearsed countless times, the three arrows burst into brilliant sparks at a certain convergence point in the air, turning the mountain and its surroundings a fiery red, even more impressive than the Patriot intercepting the Scud missiles.
Pang Wanchun and Hua Rong both instinctively reached into their quivers, but found nothing. At that moment, the countdown on the monitor reached zero, and the red dots on their bodies went out simultaneously…
The heroes shouted loudly from the foot of the mountain. Pang Wanchun looked around in confusion and asked, "What's going on?"
Holding his bow, Wang Yin, still savoring the moment, shot a large "W" into the opposite mountain wall with an arrow. Only then did he look at the bow in his hand and exclaim with delight, "I never knew I had this skill!"
I said, "Stop being so vain. Did you experience the thrill of our Hua Rong's rapid-fire arrows?"
Wang Yin asked, "What do you mean?"
I chuckled and said, "Think about it yourself—I hope you'll keep this a secret."
Wang Yin thought for a moment and immediately said, "Was there something strange about the biscuit you gave me just now?"
Instead of answering him directly, I broke a cookie that hadn't been used into two pieces and handed him one: "Want some?"
Wang Yin seemed to have figured out the key point, and shook his head vigorously: "I won't eat!"
Pang Wanchun descended the mountain carrying a bow, only to find himself lost in a fog. Seeing Wang Yin holding a bow, he asked, "Did you shoot those last few arrows?" He glanced back at his monitor, seeing a large "370" score, 35 points less than Hua Rong. Pang Wanchun looked up at Hua Rong on the opposite mountain and said defiantly, "We'll have to find time for another match!"
Wang Yin punched him in the chest and said, "What's the point of competing? You've lost!"
Pang Wanchun said with dissatisfaction, "What's wrong with you? Why are you messing with us—I didn't realize your arrows were so good."
Wang Yin said, "Didn't you see the people going up on the other side?"
"Huh?" Pang Wanchun took out a bottle of "Runjie" (a type of eye drops) and put a few drops in his eyes. He shaded his eyes with his hand and looked across the street. Only then did he see Xiuxiu next to Hua Rong. He suddenly realized, "No wonder I could only see the lights on the ceiling..."
We were all shocked; we only just realized that Pang Wanchun was nearsighted.
Hua Rong and Xiu Xiu embraced quietly, and no one knew what they were saying...
At this moment, the heroes also gathered around, their faces embarrassed, because Wang Yin had just saved Xiuxiu's life. They had a grudge in their past lives, but a debt of gratitude in this one, and neither knew how to get along with the other.
I know in my heart that I have to thank Wang Yin for what happened today. Although his archery skills were Hua Rong's, it at least shows that he's not a bad person. The first two arrows saved Xiuxiu, but what's even more impressive is that he managed to intercept Pang Wanchun's arrow perfectly during the subsequent exchange of fire.
In fact, the Eight Heavenly Kings and the later Wu Song are the same; regardless of their past lives, they have lived peacefully for 30 years in this life. Moreover, they are not Rambo, 007, or Texas Chainsaw Massacre victims; after all, they are just ordinary workers who can no longer bear to see human lives taken.
Hua Rong came down the mountain, both he and Xiu Xiu with red eyes. Hua Rong wiped his eyes, clasped his hands and said, "Which brother was the one who stepped in just now? Please accept my bow."
Although the heroes felt awkward, they couldn't lie, so they all pointed at Wang Yin. Hua Rong was taken aback, but because he had already made his promise, he could only clasp his hands and bow to Wang Yin, saying, "I thought there was another expert, but it turns out that Minister Wang is hiding his true abilities. I, Hua, am very grateful."
Pang Wanchun said, "Yes, I didn't realize Old Wang was such a good archer either. In fact, he's a hundred times better than me." Actually, we could all see that he and Hua Rong each had their own unique skills, and ultimately they were evenly matched. He said this just to elevate his own brother, implying that Wang Yin was a hundred times better than him, and that even if Hua Rong claimed he could beat him, he was no match for his brother.
But Wang Yin was a sensible man. Hearing Pang Wanchun say that, he glared at him, then blushed and returned the greeting to Hua Rong, sincerely saying, "Little Li Guang's reputation is well-deserved. I've truly witnessed his skill today." Indeed, judging from his smug expression just now, he must have been having a great time, deeply experiencing the thrill of being an archer. Now, he truly admired Hua Rong's archery skills from the bottom of his heart.
Seeing that the usually arrogant Wang Yin was unusually polite to Hua Rong today, and even blushed, everyone maliciously speculated: Does this guy have feelings for Hua Rong? Thinking this, they all looked at Xiu Xiu, thinking: You're unlucky to have such a rival in love…
Xiuxiu nestled in Hua Rong's arms, her bright eyes scanning us one by one as if she were just meeting us. Hua Rong said, "Brothers, I've told Xiuxiu everything."
I was taken aback, but the heroes all said, "That's only right."
I finally had a chance to ask that question: "Xiuxiu, do you prefer the artsy young man Ran Dongye, or the outlaw Hua Rong?"
Xiuxiu smiled happily and said, "Didn't I say that I like it no matter what?"
I asked, "Which one do you prefer?"