Chapter 31: Journey to Mount Tai (5) Where do you want to go? ...
In the third round, players continued to take their positions one by one, waiting for the flying objects to be released.
Teng Ye, a master of archery before Xie Yun, was renowned in the army for his skill in "shooting an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces," and his ability to locate targets by sound was also exceptional. Over the years of marching and fighting, these abilities became not mere skills for Teng Ye, but rather life-saving tools. To survive, one must not be timid, one must not waver with one's sword, and one must not hesitate with one's arrow.
He confidently blindfolded himself with a black cloth, then held his bow steady, his arrow poised for release. When the referee released the first pigeon, Teng Ye's arrow struck it with swift, precise precision. Following the muffled thud and shrill cry of the pigeon, the long-silent audience erupted in cheers.
The next few were all shot safely.
The challenge increased when several pigeons flew out simultaneously. Teng Ye, like Xie Yun, fired three arrows simultaneously, but not a single one of his arrows missed. After firing three arrows, he quickly pulled three more from his quiver and fired them in quick succession. Surprisingly, only a few pigeons were missed. This maneuver earned a standing ovation!
After it was over, Teng Ye removed the blindfold with satisfaction. When he looked at the pigeons all over the ground, he showed an almost wild smile and ran towards his brothers with a smile.
Yan Yiling on the side was stunned, blinking her eyes: Huh?
She turned her head to look at Xie Yun, who smiled helplessly.
This opponent is really too strong.
But Xie Yun was a fearless person. She was most afraid of facing challenges head-on. Instead of feeling embarrassed, Xie Yun found this scene challenging, instantly arousing her competitive spirit.
Even if he couldn't hit the target with near-perfect accuracy like Teng Ye, he should at least live up to his boasts and the skills he had learned. Perhaps he could gain something unexpected, and after all, a fight wouldn't hurt him.
With the help of a little bit of alcohol, a touch of wild wind, and a little bit of Yan Yiling's support, Xie Yun stood in that unknown arena.
She took the blindfold handed to her and put it on neatly, then took the bow and arrow, trying to distinguish the sound of pigeons flapping their wings in the wind, and constructed a world in her mind, dividing the space into pigeon-sized squares.
Xie Yun was facing north. A pigeon took off from the northeast corner and flew towards her in the arc of the bird's flight. She quickly raised her bow and arrow, and the arrow was on the string. After she was able to simulate the pigeon's position in her mind based on the sound, she released her fingertips and the arrow flew out quickly, shooting down a meat pigeon!
"Wow!"
"Well done, ma'am!"
She heard someone shouting like this.
The sound of the strings is still ringing in my ears.
Her palms were slightly sweaty, and the moment the pigeon landed on the ground, Xie Yun breathed a sigh of relief.
But before she could catch her breath, the next pigeon took off again. She methodically drew her bow and arrow again and shot the next arrow swiftly, but this time the arrow grazed the pigeon's body.
No sound of the pigeon falling to the ground was heard.
There were scattered boos from the crowd, but Xie Yun remained unfazed. Instead, she settled back into her game, waiting for the next pigeon. She shot three of the five solo pigeons.
After that, she did not use multiple arrows to shoot at the flock of flying pigeons. Instead, she took a steady approach, confirming the position of a pigeon before shooting. In this way, she managed to hit three of them.
In the end, Xie Yun's performance was inferior to Teng Ye's, but at this moment, the result was not the most important thing. Because even if she lost, no one in the room dared to shout and mock her.
Yan Yiling ran over and hugged her, smiling. "Madam, you're truly amazing! I just heard from the audience that Teng Ye had never lost before, yet you actually dared to challenge him in public today, and didn't lose badly! You're so amazing! I envy you so much!"
Han Zhen, standing by, said with pride, "Of course, my wife is the most powerful heroine!"
Afterward, Teng Ye came over to express his admiration for Xie Yun. After all, among all the women he had met, no one was as skilled in archery as Xie Yun. He invited Xie Yun to stay with him for a drink and a meal, saying they would host a banquet later, featuring barbecued meat, of which these pigeons would be part.
Xie Yun didn't refuse. She was actually a very sociable person: "Okay."
-
After Yan Huinan and Yu Xian finished their meeting with the emperor, they passed by the parade ground and saw this scene: a huge bonfire burning in the middle of the ground, flames shooting up into the sky. Tables were set up around the fire, and around it, a group of people were laughing and chatting happily, enjoying barbecue and drinking. Among the crowd, he immediately recognized Xie Yun, holding a jar of wine and calling for drinks!
Han Zhen couldn't stop him at all.
Yu Xian saw Yan Huinan stop and look strange on his face, so he followed his gaze and looked carefully before he saw Xie Yun, who was smiling as happily as a flower.
He immediately seized the opportunity and mocked Yan Huinan: "It seems that he just doesn't want to talk to you."
Yan Huinan glanced at him and walked to the center of the training ground in two steps.
When the soldiers saw the general coming, they were so frightened that they stood stiffer than corpses and said obediently, "Greetings, General!"
Yan Huinan simply nodded. Everyone saw him, except Xie Yun, who acted as if she hadn't noticed him and continued to drink from the jar. She tilted her head back and was about to drink when Yan Huinan snatched the jar from her hand and helped Xie Yun, who was about to fall backwards.
"You actually started drinking behind my back?"
Si Wen, who followed closely behind, saw this and thought something was wrong. "Who allowed you to do this with your wife? Where's Zhang Ke? Doesn't he know that your wife just had a serious illness?!"
Zhang Ke ran out immediately after hearing this. He hadn't seen Xie Yun in the past few days. In his impression, Xie Yun was just like today, full of energy and decisive. He had never thought that Xie Yun, a doctor, would allow himself to drink today.
He was so frightened that he immediately knelt down, and the others knelt down with him. "Deputy General Si, it was my fault for not paying attention! Please punish me, General!"
Yan Huinan asked, "What else did Madam do today?"
The surroundings were already hot, and the heat next to the fire was even more unbearable. Zhang Ke felt as if he had been bathed in sweat, and he was very nervous: "Madam...Madam also participated in the archery competition today?"
Yan Huinan raised his eyebrows and looked at Xie Yun, whose face was flushed. The latter was already drunk and unconscious. He gently pushed her and she leaned heavily into his arms.
Si Wen was completely overwhelmed. "Who can compare with her?"
Teng Ye was not a coward, and he stood up openly and honestly.
Yan Huinan remembered this man; he was a soldier under Zhang Ke, a brave and skilled warrior. He was arrogant and unruly, but a man of great wit and resourcefulness in battle, having successfully led his troops through numerous sieges. He was sure to be a formidable general in the future.
But dare to provoke him.
"Your courage is commendable." Yan Huinan spoke slowly, his expression unfathomable. "How are your grades?"
No one expected that the general did not get angry, but instead asked about the results.
Zhang Ke quickly ordered someone to present today's recorded results. Yan Huinan looked at it and remained calm.
Zhang Ke: "Madam's archery skills are excellent. Even after a serious illness, you can still shoot such good results. I really admire you. I just don't know who your teacher is. This person must be a very skilled person."
Who knew that the next second, Yan Huinan said calmly, "I."
Yu Xian was almost laughing at the side. Yan Huinan used to hate it most when someone flattered him, especially when it was so obvious.
Zhang Ke also knew this. He was an honest man who never flattered others. He just praised Xie Yun from the bottom of his heart. But how could he know that Xie Yun learned archery from Yan Huinan?
Zhang Ke was kneeling on the spot at this moment, and half of his soul and spirit had already left.
Yan Huinan said: "All participants today will receive twenty military sticks. From tomorrow onwards, you are not allowed to have fun, drink, or gamble in the army. Those who violate this will be punished according to military law."
After saying that, he carried Xie Yun on his back and took her away.
The road back from the training grounds was quiet. Xie Yun had been carried on Yan Huinan's back many times in her childhood, and she had almost become accustomed to this position. Lying on his back and swaying slowly and leisurely, she felt more comfortable and calm. She had exhausted too much physical energy today and was already feeling a little sleepy.
Han Zhen and Si Wen followed behind from a distance.
"General, you won't be angry, will you? My wife has only just recovered a little..." Han Zhen looked at the two people in front of her with concern. Her wife had suffered so much. At first, Han Zhen thought that the general would change because of his wife, and become more compassionate and considerate to women, but who knew that because of her, he would suffer so much more.
People's hearts are biased, and Han Zhen's heart is now completely biased towards Xie Yun.
Although he had seen the general taking good care of Xie Yun the last time, and that caring and gentle look was just like that of an ordinary couple, Han Zhen had noticed that the general's face looked particularly grim just now on the training ground.
Si Wen shook his head, "No."
Han Zhen asked: "Really?"
"Hmm. The general..." Si Wen hesitated, which only made Han Zhen want to ask again. However, since his wife was not around at the moment, Han Zhen was still a little afraid of Si Wen, so he didn't say anything and followed quietly behind.
What exactly did the general want? Han couldn't see through him.
Perhaps the general himself was unaware of what Si Wen had left unsaid. The general no longer had anyone who loved him, he just... wanted a little love.
After Yan Huinan put Xie Yun on the bed, he ordered someone to invite the imperial physician to treat Xie Yun.
"Xie Yun, if you try to commit suicide again, I will really kill you." Yan Huinan threatened, "I mean what I say."
Xie Yun seemed to feel that the person who carried her back was Yan Huinan. Her hand suddenly grabbed Yan Huinan's sleeve, her fair little face was all wrinkled, and she was mumbling something in a low voice.
Yan Huinan moved closer to hear clearly: "Yan Huinan... Actually, I don't hate you that much... No matter what you did to me, I always remember in my heart how good you were to me in the past. But..."
When talking about this, Xie Yun seemed full of grievance, and even a string of crystal tears slid down from the corners of her eyes.
"But...why won't you let me go free?"
Yan Huinan's heart trembled, and his throat choked. After a long while, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Where do you want to go? Huh?"
After saying that, he hooked his fingers to wipe away Xie Yun's tears, waiting for her answer with difficulty and pain.
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