Chapter 39

His arrow is about to break.

The duel between the top archers from the kingdoms of Da Yan and Bei Rong has begun.

This game is primarily a speed race, with the first to fire three arrows winning. Xie Yutang's gong and drum sounded, and Ashan and Su Lu simultaneously spurred their horses and charged off the track.

Before the first arrow had even passed, Ashan's horse had already taken a commanding lead. The Northern Rong delegation in the stands seemed to have been injected with adrenaline, their excitement growing even stronger. Some even stood up to cheer. The people of Dayan were not to be outdone, and for a moment, cheers from the stands rose and fell, creating a deafening roar.

Lin Tan, sitting in the back row, looked worried and covered his face with his folding fan to confirm again: "Is it really foolproof? That A-Shan is said to know a lot about horses. If we are discovered, do you know what the consequences will be?"

The surroundings were too noisy, so Xiao Fuzi had to lean in as close as possible to Lin Tan's ear and assure him, "Your Highness, rest assured, the medicine is non-toxic and tasteless, and it dissolves in water. It will only cause the horse pain and stimulation, and there will be no other abnormalities. Even if someone suspects it afterward and cuts the horse open, they won't find anything wrong."

Xiao Fuzi paused for a moment, then said, "Besides, who could clean up the mess better than Commander Guo? Your Highness can rest assured."

Mentioning Commander Guo, Lin Tan's brows relaxed, but then he felt a bit annoyed again.

Guo Yan'er has been pestering him too much lately. If it weren't for the fact that her father is Guo Shouzhen, the commander of the Imperial Guards, he wouldn't bother dealing with her.

This medicine was also found by Guo Shouzhen, originally intended for that little bastard, to frighten his horse and hopefully cause it to lose control and embarrass itself. Ah Shan probably also expected that someone would tamper with the horses, but no matter how much he planned, he never expected that the people of Da Yan were not plotting against him, but against their own people.

So be it.

Lin Tan closed his folding fan and tapped it in his palm. He had kindly reminded the other party, but the other party was ungrateful and retorted with sarcasm. Giving him a lesson was good, but it was just that the little bastard got off easy.

To everyone's surprise, when the competition began, Ah Shan, riding the horse that had been given the drug, seemed to be taking the lead. In the blink of an eye, he had reached the first arrow, deftly untied the red ribbon, pulled the horse and drew the bow. Just as the horse galloped toward the second arrow, he shot it right into the bullseye.

The cheers from the Northern Rong delegation were so loud they nearly lifted the roof off.

Lin Tan looked puzzled, and Xiao Fuzi quickly explained, "Your Highness, you may not know this, but the medicine was indeed put on the horse that A Shan was riding. The medicine made the horse feel pain, so it ran faster."

Lin Tan understood.

A horse in pain and fright will indeed run faster and be harder to control. He originally intended to use this to embarrass Su Lu and make him lose the race. However, the Northern Rong people have always been better at understanding and controlling horses than the people of Dayan. A Shan is the best at it and may be able to control the frightened horse and win the championship.

Although that little bastard was lucky and didn't embarrass him, losing the game because of it was still to his liking.

As Lin Tan was pondering, she suddenly heard a cry of surprise. She quickly focused her attention and looked into the arena, only to see that Su Lu had caught up with A Shan at some point, and the two of them shot their second arrows almost simultaneously.

How is that possible?!

Others might not see anything amiss, but Ah Shan understood perfectly.

Although the horse beneath him was fast, it was also exceptionally irritable and difficult to control, while Su Lu's riding skills were in no way inferior to his.

The three wooden stakes were positioned in a very tricky way, requiring the rider to change the horse's direction in a very short distance. This demanded a high degree of control over the horse from the rider. Su Lu performed perfectly in every detail, while Su Lu's control over the horse was rather rough in comparison.

Therefore, even if there is a slight difference in speed on a straight road, it is enough to make up for it on a curve.

They fired their second arrows almost simultaneously. Ah Shan cracked his whip, breaking out in a cold sweat as they galloped. Though he said "almost," he was actually slightly behind.

There are at least two more bends ahead. If this continues, the third arrow... will reach Su Lu first.

Then I have completely lost the game!

A match he had long awaited, a match where he could finally stand tall in the enemy's palace, a match that would weigh heavily on the glory of countless warriors of the Northern Rong.

No.

Can't.

Absolutely not.

Ah Shan's eyes were bloodshot, and the reins were almost cutting into his palms, leaving bloody marks.

The glory of General Liefeng must not be trampled by an unknown nobody who has never been on the battlefield and makes a living at the feet of women.

This is the dignity he is willing to defend with his life, even at the cost of everything.

In the stands, Qiu Dunyue, who had been calmly watching the game, suddenly frowned. He Lou Wulan, who was next to him, noticed and asked, "Grand Preceptor, what's wrong?"

Tuoba Xiu also looked over.

Qiu Dunyue stared intently at Ashan, remained silent for a long time, and then sighed softly, "I'm worried that his arrow will break through."

Ah Shan had made up his mind. He pulled out a dagger from his waist and plunged it into the horse's rump.

A gasp rippled through the stands as the horse reared up and neighed, its rear end marked only by a knife hilt.

The moment he drew his dagger, Lin Tan in the stands hissed.

Little Fuzi hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"

"Right here before, some idiot poked a horse's ass, you wouldn't believe it..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Fuzi remembered that Tan Cengguang, in his attempt to outpace Xie Yutang, had pushed his horse to accelerate, only to be violently thrown from its saddle and nearly lose his life. Now, the story was repeating itself; could it be that General Ashan had also...?

Xiao Fuzi wiped his sweat and reassured her guiltily, "How can that stupid young master of the Tan family compare to General Ashan? Ashan's horsemanship is top-notch among the Northern Rong people. He must be confident in doing this."

In the racetrack, the horse, already in pain, was further enraged by Ah Shan's relentless blow. It went berserk, desperately rearing up, trying to throw off the person on its back.

Ah Shan was prepared. He pulled on the reins and squeezed his hips, his strong legs gripping the horse's belly tightly to control its movements. Seeing that it couldn't break free, the horse had no choice but to gallop wildly, neighing incessantly in an attempt to lessen its pain.

Ah Shan's eyes lit up. Seizing the opportunity, he lowered his center of gravity, tightened the reins, and charged forward with his horse. The third arrow was within reach. Ah Shan grabbed a corner of the red silk, and amidst the gasps of the crowd, drew the last arrow, nocked it, and pulled back the bow—

All sounds ceased at that moment.

Only a short, low bass note remained in the world.

The last arrow hit the target.

On the straw target, three arrows are aligned perfectly, hitting the bullseye.

We won.

This was A-Shan's last thought.

Suddenly everything went black and the world spun around me. When I opened my eyes again, I felt warm liquid flowing down my forehead, and at the same time, I felt a sharp pain in my left ankle.

After several changes, the crowd forgot to gasp in surprise and stared blankly at the scene.

As Ah Shan fired his last arrow, his mind relaxed, and because he couldn't control his horse with both hands while shooting, he was thrown off his horse almost the instant he hit the bullseye.

After repeated injuries and pain, even the most docile horse would go mad. This horse's eyes were bloodshot, filled with rage and hatred. In the blink of an eye, it had surrounded Ah Shan and raised its front hooves to crush his head.

Even if he were to fall from the horse and injure his leg, and have blood smeared on half his face, he wouldn't be able to escape this fate, even if he were completely unharmed and used all his strength.

Too close.

The expected excruciating pain did not come for a long time.

Ah Shan opened his eyes, and what he saw was a blood-soaked, muddy horse hoof, almost touching his nose. He couldn't tell if the bloody smell came from his face or the horse's hoof. But the horse seemed to have been thrown backward by some great force. Its iron hoof lingered in the air for a moment, unwilling to go any further, and then it crashed heavily to the ground.

Dust storms are rising.

A-Shan stared blankly at the horse, now a corpse, with an arrow stuck in its chest.

An arrow piercing the heart.

The arrow, with a red ribbon tied to its fletching, floated in the air with the blood-stained sand, like a sword left behind in the snow by a swordsman.

To be able to aim at the horse's heart and pierce it with a single arrow at that moment—that must have been an incredibly terrifying level of accuracy and power.

A-Shan blinked, his eyelashes were covered, making it difficult for him to blink this time. He looked up and saw Su Lu sitting on his horse facing him, with a bow still in his hand.

Backlit, he couldn't see the other person's face clearly.

But that doesn't stop him from realizing that it was Su Lu who saved him.

At the critical moment, the boy used his last arrow to save his head from under the horse's hooves.

When some members of the Northern Rong delegation came to their senses, they tried to rush forward, but Ashan waved his hand and stood up by himself. He had twisted his left ankle and scraped his head, but he was not seriously injured.

The ministers in the stands breathed a sigh of relief, then belatedly realized they were drenched in a cold sweat. Although A-Shan's actions were entirely his own, it would undoubtedly be a troublesome matter if he were to die under the hooves of a horse in front of everyone. At best, it would damage the harmony between the two countries, and at worst, it would affect the peace talks between them.

Su Lu's arrow not only saved A Shan's life, but also prevented Yan from falling into an embarrassing situation. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he saved a collapsing building.

The emperor summoned the imperial physician, but A-Shan refused to leave. He gave Su Lu a deep look, wiped the blood from his forehead, bowed to Xie Yutang, and said, word by word, "The match was interrupted because of me. I beg Your Highness to allow this match to be replayed."

Someone from the Northern Rong delegation immediately objected: "How can you compete when you're already like this?"

An official from Da Yan also chimed in: "Yes, go get your injury treated first. If you compete while injured, even if we win, it will be an unfair victory."

"Yes, General Ashan, it's just a friendly sparring match, nothing is more important than your health."

Xie Yutang seemed to have anticipated this, and his response was the same as everyone else's: "No need for a rematch."

Just as A-Shan was about to speak again, Xie Yu-Tang said, "The outcome of the competition is already decided."

Everyone was taken aback.

A-Shan also looked up in surprise.

Xie Yutang said, "General Ashan wins the third round."

The clear female voice echoed throughout every corner of Happy Valley, and everyone heard it clearly.

Bei Rong finally won the game.

The long-awaited victory.

At a time when they should have been triumphant, not a single person could laugh.

"How can this be considered a victory?" Ah Shan, his hands still stained with blood, pointed to the straw target with only two arrows in front of him. "Prince Su hasn't even fired his third arrow yet, how can you declare me the winner?"

Discussions arose all around, and amidst the growing clamor, a robust, aged voice stood out.

“This old minister can testify.”

At the very front of the stands, an elderly man with white hair, dressed in the official robes of a civil official from the Great Yan Dynasty, tremblingly patted the railing. Some people recognized him as Ge Qing, who had previously angrily denounced Xie Yutang for sending his "male concubine" onto the stage. Seeing that he was about to speak again, fearing that he might say something shocking that would provoke trouble, they couldn't help but quietly squeeze to his side, preparing to pull him away.

Ge Qing, full of vigor, said, "I am old, but my eyes are not blind. I can see clearly that Prince Su got the third arrow first. If not... Prince Su should have been the one who hit the bullseye with all three arrows first."

When the Northern Rong delegation heard that "Prince Su got the third arrow first," some members were still unconvinced and opened their mouths to argue, but they were immediately silenced by the subtle pause after "no," and finally chose to shut up with conflicted expressions.

Xie Yutang smiled slightly: "Lord Ge, may I ask what the rules of the competition are?"

Ge Qing had a good memory and immediately blurted out, "You said before the competition that the first person to shoot three arrows and hit the bullseye with all three arrows would win."

Xie Yutang: "May I ask if Prince Su has fired all three arrows?"

Two arrows hit the target, and there was one more—still stuck in the horse's body.

Ge Qing nodded silently.

Xie Yutang: "But does Prince Su only have two arrows on his target now?"

Ge Qing nodded again.

Xie Yutang: "General Ashan, how many arrows are on your target?"

Ge Qing: "But—"

"But that's how the competition is, and once the rules are set, they must be followed."

Xie Yutang announced loudly, "General Ashan shot three arrows, all three hitting the target, while Prince Su shot three arrows, one of which missed the target. According to the rules, General Ashan shall be the winner of the third round."

What a "missed target" moment.

If this arrow misses the target, Ah Shan will be dead.

"This is not fair."

Everyone looked towards the center of the arena, and it was Ah Shan who spoke.

“Prince Su missed his third arrow while trying to save me. It would be unfair to declare him the loser because of that.”

Upon hearing this, everyone from Dayan echoed in agreement: "Yes, it's unfair."

"Rematch."

"I do not accept the result of the match."

Even some members of the Northern Rong delegation nodded in agreement.

Xie Yutang waited for everyone to quiet down before saying, "I know what you all are thinking. Although Prince Su had his reasons, it was his own decision where to shoot the third arrow."

"If someone makes this choice knowing the rules of the competition, it is considered voluntary and without any violation of the rules, and the competition result will take effect automatically."

“Prince Su’s choice to shoot the horse to save the man is commendable, but this should not affect the rules of the competition or invalidate the result.”

"Saving lives is one thing, competing is another. To confuse the two and use the former to obscure the latter's outcome is truly unfair."

Su Lu quietly looked up at the woman on the high platform, listening to her say that she was "willing and self-motivated," that "this righteousness is commendable," and that "emotions should not cloud judgment."

She was so dazzling that he was mesmerized.

She stood high above, looking down upon all living beings, and he, like all living beings under her protection, looked up to her and followed her, even though her gaze never fell upon him for a moment.

Su Lu lowered his eyes and gently curled the corners of his lips.

My heart is filled with bitterness.

This is his master.

It is his prince.

It was also his beloved.

He willingly lay down himself, to be a bridge, a road, a ladder, to lift her up to the clouds, to sit in the hall of fame, and to rule the world.

She was meant to be this way.

It is a great fortune for the Great Yan Kingdom to have her as its empress.

Silence reigned all around, except for the boy kneeling in submission to his king.

"Your subordinate has no objection to the result."

"Your Highness's words are completely agreeable to me."