Mercenary Princess - Chapter 62
"My God! The Seventh Ring Road!"
"good!"
"That's really amazing!"
...
As he stepped down from the arena carrying his bow, the man beamed with delight and gave a grand fist salute to the spectators outside the arena. His fleshy face couldn't hide his pride.
Looking at the burly man with a leopard's head and ape's arms, Rongyue chuckled softly. This guy is probably a hunter!
"Seven rings? Ha..." A slightly sarcastic voice came from above into Rongyue's ears.
Without even looking up, Rongyue knew who was making her uncomfortable. Tightening her quiver, Rongyue picked up her wooden longbow and followed the group to the arena in the center.
Rongyue was facing the third target. She calmly drew an arrow from her quiver, nocked it, drew the bow, and slowly raised the bow until it was level with her eyes.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to be so skilled! But I have a doubt, with your arm strength, this arrow... might it stop flying halfway? Alas, if this causes you to lose face, I would be truly guilty! So, I advise you to quickly put down your quiver, tuck your tail between your legs, and leave! Otherwise, not only will you be embarrassed, but I will also feel guilty..."
Looking at that gloating face, Rongyue sighed, feigning regret: "I know what you're thinking, young master! You want me to leave simply because you're afraid I'll steal your thunder... Alas, I also want to leave as soon as possible, just as you say! But alas, I love my wife dearly, and for her sake, I have no choice but to fight you! I hope you'll forgive me for not being able to grant your wish! However, please rest assured, young master, I will try my best to let you win and won't let you lose too badly..."
His handsome face twitched erratically. He pulled the bowstring taut, his eyes narrowing dangerously: "Believe it or not, even with my eyes closed, my ejaculation is a hundred times more potent than yours!"
With a noncommittal chuckle, Rongyue put down the bow and ripped off the red cloth strip from her forehead: "Then why don't we have a contest and see who's stronger!"
Blindfolded, Rongyue drew her bowstring taut once more, poised to fire.
Rongyue's sudden action not only shocked and stunned him, but also made everyone present stare in astonishment!
After a moment of stunned silence, he exclaimed, "Good lad! You've got guts!"
He had someone bring him a black cloth strip, and he blindfolded himself, then nocked an arrow and drew his bow.
"Whoosh!" Two arrows flew one after the other towards the circle with a whistling sound!
At this moment, both inside and outside the arena, there was absolute silence! People held their breath, their eyes fixed on the two arrows flying across the field, watching in astonishment as they passed through the first ring, the second ring... their eyes bulging as they passed through the fifth ring, the sixth ring... their eyes wide as they shot straight into the eighth ring, the ninth ring...
"Bang! Bang!" Both arrows hit the bullseye perfectly!
Gasps filled the air, and before people could even utter a roar of their shock, the two masked men swiftly drew a second arrow from their respective quivers, and the next moment, the two arrows shot out one after the other!
Almost in the blink of an eye, before people could even see what was happening, a third arrow came flying towards target number three!
Upon hearing the sound, the fourth archer paused for a moment, then quickly drew his third arrow and released it from the bowstring, not to be outdone!
The black and red cloths were pulled from their eyes almost simultaneously. Without prior arrangement, both pairs of eyes looked at each other. The difference was that the third archer's almond-shaped eyes sparkled with a victorious smile, while the fourth archer's eyes held a complex and indiscerning expression of shock, bewilderment, and amazement.
Almost everyone present was captivated by the arrows that were flying like lightning, and thus failed to notice the interaction between the two players on the field.
With four distinct, crisp sounds of arrows striking each other, the positions of the four arrows were now clear. A closer look revealed that all three arrows on target number four had hit the bullseye! The bullseye, barely the size of a thumb, was densely packed with three arrows—this would be extremely difficult even for someone dozens of meters away! And what's more, this person was blindfolded! The extraordinary skill of this person was truly breathtaking!
But when they saw the three arrows on target number three, words couldn't describe their shock! They could hardly believe their eyes. The three arrows were perfectly aligned, end to end, forming a single, seamless arrow! The aftershocks lingered; the last arrow, resting on the second, trembled slightly, as if recounting its harrowing experience. It was clear then which arrow, number three or number four, was superior!
The silence in the arena didn't last long. Moments later, recovering from the shock, the crowd roared with thunderous cheers, their voices piercing the clouds and echoing throughout the entire city of Yang!
Hidden among the crowd watching the match, Tuoba Jie was still reeling from the shock of Rong Yue's performance. Staring blankly at the three arrows that had merged into one, a question filled his mind—could he have done it blindfolded…?
The judges were perplexed by this situation. The standard for the second round was hitting the seventh ring immediately, the fourth round was hitting the tenth ring, and the fifth round was hitting the bullseye! The decisive round was the fifth round. If multiple people made it through the fifth round, the cumulative number of arrows hitting the bullseye (excluding the one that hit the bullseye) would determine their victory! They had never considered the possibility of multiple arrows hitting the bullseye simultaneously, because since the start of the competition, even two arrows hitting the bullseye at the same time had never occurred, let alone three! Now, two people had both hit the bullseye with three arrows. How should this be judged?
Volume Two: The Resolute Heroines' Chronicle, Chapter Five: The Archery Competition (Part Two)
Pleading gazes turned to the county magistrate, who sat upright on the high platform. Magistrate Luo Gui stroked his mustache, seemingly deep in thought, but a closer look revealed that his small, triangular eyes, filled with humility and inquiry, frequently glanced towards a certain spot on the platform…
Before long, a burly man with a sword at his side walked up to the platform and whispered something in Luo Gui's ear. Luo Gui listened, nodding and bowing repeatedly in agreement. Only after the burly man stepped down and left did he stop being so servile, coughed, straighten his thin body, and put on a dignified expression.
"Silence! The magistrate has something to say!" At the magistrate's signal, the bailiff next to him struck the large bronze gong he was carrying in his right hand several times with a mallet in his left hand and shouted in a loud voice.
All eyes on the field instantly focused on the high-ranking county magistrate. Unaware of the reason, Rongyue also cast a questioning glance at Luo Gui, secretly wondering—was he about to announce that she and he could advance directly?
Clearing his throat, the magistrate placed his hands on the table and said solemnly, "Our Yangcheng is indeed a land of outstanding talents! This year's archery competition has produced two unparalleled geniuses, a true blessing for Yangcheng and the Southern Kingdom! However, since ancient times, there has only been one winner in the archery competition each year, meaning that only one of them can claim the title of Archery Saint this year! Therefore, in order to allow them to compete for the title, I, the magistrate, have decided to add another event! Guards, bring the horses!"
As soon as the magistrate finished speaking, two sturdy, tall horses were led to Rongyue and the young master by two yamen runners. Gripping the rough reins, Rongyue finally understood. So, they had already passed the final round, and now, to determine a champion and runner-up, they were going to receive "special treatment"! In that case, wouldn't the entire archery competition become a duel between the two of them? Wouldn't that leave the other competitors with no chance?
Rongyue raised an eyebrow as she glanced at the dozens of archers below the arena who hadn't yet had a chance to compete: "It seems they haven't even stepped onto the field! Isn't that a bit unfair to them?"
As if he'd heard a hilarious joke, the person next to Rongyue, whom she disliked, burst into laughter several times. After laughing, he pointed downwards at the archers below the stage who were looking up at them: "Anyone who feels wronged, feel free to come up and compete with us! Who's wronged? You? You? Or you?"
The archers who were pointed at all chuckled and waved their hands and shook their heads to show that they had no complaints. They were joking, of course; such superb archery skills were simply beyond their reach! People should know their own limitations; they were well aware of their own abilities! Even if they practiced for a lifetime, or even ten lifetimes, they might not be able to match even a tenth of those two! Complaints? They had no complaints at all! They were simply filled with utter admiration!
The archers' reactions made him laugh even more smugly: "See? No one does anything that's beyond their capabilities!"
Are they really that strong? Looking at the archers below the stage, eagerly throwing arrows and opening their bags, Rongyue couldn't help but ask herself this question...
However, dissatisfied with its master's long-term neglect, the black horse beside Rongyue suddenly let out a loud snort, startling Rongyue back to her dazed state.
Composing herself, Rongyue reached out and touched its glossy black fur. But when her gaze fell upon the archery target a hundred meters away, a sudden chill ran through her: a horse? A horse had been brought to the archery range… Hopefully, it wasn't what she was thinking…
But things didn't go as planned. Unfortunately, things took an unexpected turn for Rongyue—although the rules of this round were almost identical to the first, the difference was that the archery field had changed from the static yellow earth to the moving horseback!
Shooting while moving isn't a problem for her, but if the thing carrying her is a horse, then things could get very complicated...
She can't ride a horse...
Astride his tall, pure white horse, he looked down at Rongyue, who was frowning and looking worried, and said jokingly, "What's wrong? Are you scared before the competition even starts?"
He smiled noncommittally: "To be honest, I am a little scared."
"Kid, are you kidding me? With your archery skills, how could you possibly be afraid! I never thought I'd misjudge you. Kid, you're really hiding your true strength! Stop dawdling and get on your horse! I can't wait to have a showdown with you!" He gripped his longbow tightly and urged impatiently.