Legend of the Female General

Chapter 63: No More Archery

"Instructor Liang, you still haven't told me how the mounted archery will be judged," He Yan turned to Liang Ping beside her. "Is it based on who bags the most prey or who reaches the end of the field first?"

Before Liang Ping could answer, Ma Damei spoke up with a laugh, "Young man, we'll set a stick of incense as the timer. Ride a full circle—this is both the starting point and the finish. There are straw targets at the bend of the track ahead. Each of us four has differently fletched arrows. Shoot at the bend, and whoever finishes their arrows and returns here first wins."

He Yan nodded after listening. "Fine."

Liang Ping couldn't help but glance at her. The phrase this youth said most often was "fine." Whether it was to Wang Ba, Jiang Jiao, or Huang Xiong, and now even to the instructors, it was still "fine." He wondered when the boy would ever say "not fine."

"Then let's begin," Du Mao tugged his reins. A horn sounded behind them, and in the blink of an eye, the four horses shot out like arrows from a bow, covering dozens of meters in an instant, leaving only billowing dust in their wake.

The horse He Yan rode was far more obedient than the one He Sui had brought her at the military grounds in the capital—it must have been specially trained. With just slight guidance, the horse understood her commands. She also noticed that among the other three, while Liang Ping and Du Mao were decent riders, they couldn't compare to the unassuming Ma Damei. Ma Damei's horsemanship was on par with hers, perhaps even slightly superior, though he didn't show it.

As she observed the three, the others were also watching her. Du Mao nearly popped his eyes out when he saw—He Yan wasn't even using a riding crop?

She had looped the crop loosely around her arm, directing the horse to gallop with nothing more than light pats on its body. This wasn't some leisurely outing for a young noble from the capital—what was the meaning of this? Most astonishingly, despite her casual approach, she hadn't fallen behind the instructors, keeping pace with them effortlessly, even finding the leisure to flash him a smile.

Du Mao immediately turned his head away.

The steeds raced like shooting stars, reaching the bend in no time. He Yan reached back to her quiver, drew several fletched arrows, and prepared to nock and shoot at the straw targets on either side.

These targets weren't as large as the ones on the Martial Arts Field—they were only the size of a palm, barely visible. Even with a crossbow, hitting them wouldn't be easy, relying entirely on the shooter's eyesight and reflexes. Just as He Yan was about to loose her arrows, Liang Ping and Du Mao exchanged a glance before suddenly surging forward, their horses squeezing in on either side of hers, forcing her mount to veer sideways. As a result, her shot went wide.

The startled horse jolted her several times before she managed to steady herself with the reins. She shot a look at Liang Ping and Du Mao, who were now calmly nocking their arrows as if nothing had happened. Du Mao even called out, "He Yan, you should be careful—don't fall off!"

As though they hadn't just bumped into her.

He Yan raised an eyebrow. Honestly, on the competition field, she had never understood the meaning of "forgiveness." Did they really think she'd let them disrupt her shot just like that?

Liang Ping and Du Mao's arrows had just been loosed when a green-tipped arrow suddenly shot out from the side, "thunk!"—splitting both their arrows mid-flight and sending them veering off course to the ground.

The two men turned to stare at He Yan, who shrugged and said, "Instructors, you seem a bit... unskilled, don't you think?"

Liang Ping: "..."

This youth was truly vindictive—not only retaliating but also mocking them. The audacity was unbelievable.He Yan was about to draw her bow again when her body was jolted heavily once more. The old man, Ma Damei, had already caught up from behind and said with a smile, "Young man, no rush. Take your time."

He Yan couldn't draw her bow. Every time she moved, the three instructors would come from behind, in front, or from the sides, casually "bumping" into her. The horse kept getting startled, making it impossible for her to aim at the target.

After several attempts, He Yan realized the three instructors were deliberately opposing her. Though she didn’t understand why, it was likely part of the test—preventing her from shooting, so even if she reached the finish line first, it wouldn’t count as a victory.

Outnumbered and in an archery contest, she couldn’t very well fight the instructors. But giving up wasn’t something He Yan would ever do.

Her eyes flickered slightly as she muttered, "Trying to scheme against me? Not a chance!"

Suddenly, she raised her arm, and the horsewhip coiled around it unfurled with a crisp crack in the wind.

"What’s he…?" Du Mao frowned. From start to finish, He Yan hadn’t used the whip—controlling the horse effortlessly without it was indeed rare. But now, was she resorting to the whip because she couldn’t hold on any longer?

As he pondered, He Yan suddenly looked up and grinned at him. Du Mao’s heart sank with foreboding. The next moment, the whip lashed toward him. Startled, he instinctively dodged, both shocked and furious—how dare He Yan attack him!

His sidestep exposed the quiver on his back.

The whip didn’t strike Du Mao but instead twisted like a flower, snatching the bundle of fletched arrows from the quiver. With a flick, the whip loosened midair, scattering the arrows into the wind.

Liang Ping, who had witnessed the whole scene, was dumbfounded. Before he could react, He Yan’s whip was already aimed at him. He yelped and hastily steered his horse aside, but this time, He Yan was the one striking. There was no escape for him—with a pull and a hook, all the arrows in his quiver were flung to the ground.

"He Yan!" Du Mao’s face turned livid with rage.

"It seems the esteemed instructors don’t want me to shoot," He Yan said cheerfully, as if oblivious to his fury. "But I don’t want to lose either. So, let’s make it fair—no one shoots. Whoever reaches the finish line first wins, alright?"

"Hahahaha!" Ma Damei’s laughter rang out from behind. Far from being tense or angry, he seemed thoroughly amused. "You’re a clever one, kid. But do you think you can take my arrows too?"

He Yan smiled faintly. "Of course not. I have no intention of taking yours."

Ma Damei’s horsemanship was unparalleled—she couldn’t easily reach him to snatch his arrows. But it didn’t matter. Once they passed this bend, with no targets left to shoot, he’d have no choice but to race her to the finish.

Side by side with Ma Damei, whenever she shot an arrow, he intercepted it, and whenever he shot, she blocked his. They had already left Liang Ping and Du Mao far behind, locked in a stalemate as they rounded the final bend.

No one had hit the target. Well then—now it was just a race to the finish line.Ma Damei glanced at He Yan and smiled, saying, "Young man, you're truly impressive." With a flick of his whip, his horse suddenly surged forward—it seemed he hadn't been using his full skills earlier.

He Yan watched his retreating figure and remarked in admiration, "There's always someone better beyond the best, and a higher sky beyond the heavens." Digging his heels into his horse's sides, he too gave chase.

(End of Chapter)