Chapter 52: A New Game
Was she proposing a crossbow contest?
Instructor Liang studied her with a probing gaze. Cheng Li Su whispered, "Instructor Liang, what else is there to compare in crossbow skills?"
Instructor Liang shook his head. "I... I don't know." There were actually many aspects to compare in crossbow skills, but they were all variations of the same theme. He Yan had already shot down flying birds earlier—anything else would likely be easy for her. Yet her tone suggested she was determined to surpass Wang Ba. But what could Wang Ba not do that she alone could accomplish?
Wang Ba was momentarily stunned, then scoffed dismissively. "Go ahead and propose it!"
At worst, it would just be another draw, he thought.
He Yan smiled faintly and walked over to Cheng Li Su. Suddenly, she reached out and untied the ribbon holding up his long hair.
Cheng Li Su froze. By the time he realized what had happened, his hair had already cascaded down. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Apologies, brother," He Yan said with a grin. "Since you want to become sworn siblings with me, I assume you won’t begrudge me borrowing your ribbon."
"Well, I don’t mind..." Cheng Li Su muttered, clumsily gathering his hair with his hands. "But this is so sudden. And why not use your own ribbon?" She had one of her own, after all.
"I noticed your ribbon is much finer than mine. Maybe it’ll bring me some luck—let me borrow a bit of your good fortune," He Yan replied smoothly, spinning a blatant lie.
Who didn’t like hearing flattery? Cheng Li Su immediately beamed. "Fine, fine! Go ahead and use it!"
No one understood why she had taken Cheng Li Su’s ribbon until they saw her slowly wrap it around her hands and then cover her eyes with it.
"Is he...?" The crowd gradually realized what she intended to do.
The yellow ribbon completely obscured her vision. She tied it securely behind her head and said, "Done."
Truthfully, He Yan hadn’t used her own or anyone else’s ribbon because, in the sweltering heat, after running and practicing archery, their ribbons were already soaked with sweat. The soldiers weren’t particular—their ribbons were often stained. But Xiao Jue’s nephew was different. His clothes were pristine and lightly scented, his ribbon spotless, just like his cleanliness-obsessed uncle. It was undoubtedly much cleaner to use his.
It might even be cleaner than He Yan’s own clothes. Now that it was tied, she noticed it even carried a faint hint of pine fragrance.
What a fastidious young master, He Yan mused inwardly. Truly cut from the same cloth as his uncle.
"He Yan, what are you trying to do?" Wang Ba asked, frowning. He had a guess but didn’t dare believe it.
"Let’s compete in blindfolded archery," she declared.
The Martial Arts Field gradually fell silent. A summer breeze swept through, lifting the loose ends of the ribbon tied behind her head, giving the red-clad youth an almost ethereal air. A faint smile played on her lips as she held her longbow and faced Wang Ba. "This round, I will defeat you."
Those four words were spoken lightly yet decisively, as if the outcome were already foretold.
Wang Ba’s face cycled through shades of green and white. Before he could respond, someone else spoke first, skepticism thick in their voice. "Blindfolded archery? Shooting at what? The straw targets?"He Yan shook her head and tilted her face slightly upward. Though her eyes were blindfolded and she shouldn’t have been able to see the sky, the way she lifted her head made it seem as though she could trace the path of sparrows flying overhead. She said, “Same as before—hunting sparrows.”
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
Was she really this arrogant? Or was it truly arrogance at all?
He Yan then turned toward Wang Ba’s direction and asked with a smile, “Can you?”
Can you? Two simple words, much like when Instructor Liang had asked her the same question, to which she had confidently replied, “I can.” Now, the words “I can” lingered on the tip of Wang Ba’s tongue, but he found himself utterly unable to say them.
Whether as a bandit or a hunter, he had always acted with purpose. Shooting arrows blindfolded? He wasn’t blind—there was no point in such a thing unless you were some pampered noble seeking novelty. If he had full confidence in his crossbow skills, then the method He Yan proposed was the one thing he was least confident in.
He simply couldn’t do it.
Wang Ba looked at He Yan, who didn’t press him for an answer. But the surrounding recruits were watching him with mixed gazes, leaving him no way to back down. Was he really going to lose face in front of everyone today, humiliated by some brat? Would word spread that the mighty bandit leader didn’t even dare to accept a challenge from a kid?
“Fine!” he gritted out. Yet a sliver of hope flickered in his heart—maybe He Yan was bluffing too. This kid was always cunning and unpredictable. Perhaps he couldn’t do it either and was just putting on a show of confidence to trick Wang Ba into giving up first.
Hah! He wouldn’t fall for it!
“This round—you go first!” Wang Ba snapped at him.
The young man smiled again. Light and graceful, she nodded and uttered two words: “I can.”
……
Beside the flag platform of the Martial Arts Field stood a pavilion, adjacent to the Liangzhou Garrison. Its elevated position offered a clear view of the entire field.
Two figures stood by the pavilion’s railing, watching the young man surrounded by recruits in the distance.
One wore a crimson martial outfit with a black cloth belt around his waist—Shen Han. Beside him stood a youth as cold and detached as ice and snow—Xiao Jue.
“I never expected this batch of recruits to produce two such promising talents,” Shen Han remarked with admiration. “Wang Ba, for one—though he’s a bandit by origin, unruly and difficult to tame, his crossbow skills are truly exceptional, and his strength is formidable. But the real surprise is that boy, He Yan. He’s only fifteen or sixteen, yet he already stands out so much. His temperament is gentle and likable—in a few years, he’ll undoubtedly become the best among this group.”
He recalled his earlier conversation with Liang Ping, who had spoken highly of He Yan. At the time, Shen Han hadn’t paid much attention, dismissing He Yan’s seemingly ordinary potential. Now, he realized he had nearly overlooked a rare talent.
Noticing Xiao Jue’s silence, Shen Han ventured cautiously, “What does the Commander think?”
“Gentle temperament?” The youth repeated slowly. After a pause, he scoffed. “You’ve misjudged. The unruly one isn’t Wang Ba—it’s He Yan.”
He Yan? Shen Han was doubtful. He had seen the boy a few times—always smiling, never losing his temper despite Wang Ba’s repeated provocations. Frankly, for someone his age, when most youths were hot-blooded and quick to fight, He Yan’s restraint and gentleness were already remarkable.The commander actually said He Yan was unruly and hard to tame? For the first time, Shen Han began to doubt his superior's judgment.
"Then..." Shen Han changed the topic, "does the commander think He Yan can win this round?"
The young man curled his lips slightly, his voice indifferent.
"She can."
(End of chapter)
OpenNovel