Chapter 71: That feeling was both exhilarating and thrilling!
Chen Chu was stunned for only a moment before shouting loudly, accompanied by the sound of drums: "Adjust your posture, stand up!"
The group immediately changed their sitting positions, raised their arms, and pushed the oars forward.
The drums beat urgently, the oars splash rapidly!
Accompanied by the sound of drums, Pei Yuan pointed to the side and front with the drumsticks.
Shen Chu nodded and shouted, "Raise the paddle on the left, let it fall on the right."
As soon as the words fell, their dragon boat, led by Shen Chu, smoothly squeezed into the gaps between the other dragon boats, carving a straight line through the crowd and heading straight for the Third Prince's dragon boat.
The third prince, who was confident of victory, was smugly preparing to mock them.
Unexpectedly, in just a moment, Shen Chu had already brought the dragon boat close to them, its hull almost level with theirs.
How is that possible?
How did Chen Chu manage to do it so quickly?
The third prince immediately composed himself and quickened the pace of his drumming.
But he was distracted by Shen Chu's speed, and his drumming rhythm became disordered.
When the drummer's rhythm faltered, the helmsman and rowers also lost their rhythm, and their speed dropped.
Shen Chu's dragon boat instantly overtook them.
We've surpassed them!
Li Chengxuan shouted excitedly, almost dropping the oar in his hand.
The others couldn't contain their excitement either, whistling and shouting excitedly.
After so many years of dragon boat racing, this is the first time they have surpassed the Third Prince's dragon boat.
This shout immediately disrupted the rowing rhythm.
The Third Prince's dragon boat seized the opportunity to catch up again.
The Third Prince even gave them a mocking smile.
Shen Chu frowned and said in a deep voice, "Don't look, concentrate on drawing."
Li Chengxuan and the others tried to calm themselves down, but they couldn't find the rhythm of the drumbeats for a moment.
Pei Yuan coldly shouted, "If you don't row properly, I'll throw you all overboard to feed the fish!"
Li Chengxuan and the others shuddered and instantly gripped the oars tightly.
Shen Chu looked up and met Pei Yuan's deep, cold peach blossom eyes.
Her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. She quickly composed herself and directed everyone to adjust their direction.
As expected, the Sixth Prince's intimidation power was boundless. Everyone's minds returned to their original positions, and following Shen Chu's instructions, their dragon boat once again caught up with the Third Prince's dragon boat.
No one expected that the young master's fleet, which had been ranked last year after year, would actually be on par with the third prince's fleet.
The Canglang Pavilion, the winding bridge, and the spectators on the shore were all thrilled.
Even the Longqing Emperor couldn't contain himself and stood up, staring intently ahead.
"Good, very good! This year's dragon boat race is especially exciting. Pass down the order: the team that wins will be rewarded with an additional ten thousand taels of silver."
Cai Chong immediately sent someone to relay the message.
Upon receiving news of the emperor's reward, the people on the dragon boat rowed even more vigorously.
With the finish line in sight, the Third Prince shouted, "Give it your all and get through!"
Just then, a strong wind suddenly rose on the lake, causing many dragon boats to veer off course.
Some dragon boats even collided with each other.
The Third Prince's dragon boat was also blown off course, heading straight for Shen Chu and the others' dragon boat.
People on the shore gasped in surprise.
Li Chengxuan was also terrified and panicked, "Achu, what should we do?"
Chen Chu's heart also tightened.
She watched the angle at which the Third Prince's dragon boat was about to collide with her, and said with a sigh, "Everyone, keep the left oar still, paddle the right oar."
As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Yuan immediately adjusted the rhythm of his drumming.
The drumbeats intensified like a torrential downpour, their sound deafening.
Reminded by the drumbeats, everyone quickly adjusted their movements according to Chen Chu's commands.
Just as the Third Prince's dragon boat was about to collide with theirs, their dragon boat quickly veered off course, avoiding a collision.
"Great, fantastic!"
"That's amazing."
The surrounding audience erupted in thunderous applause and shouts.
Then, amidst screams, Shen Chu led his fleet a full ship's distance ahead of the Third Prince's fleet and successfully reached the destination.
The third prince stared at the stern of their boat and slammed down the drumstick in his hand.
How could Shen Chu possibly win against his fleet?
Meanwhile, on Shen Chu's side, everyone was completely dumbfounded.
"We defeated the Third Prince?"
"We're number one?"
Everyone dropped their oars and excitedly embraced each other.
"We won!"
"Hahaha, let's see who dares to say we're no good now."
Li Chengxuan was so excited that his nose turned red, and like a fool, he hugged Shen Chu tightly.
"Ah Chu, we're number one! Ahhh! It feels so good to win!"
Shen Chu, who had been holding her breath, finally relaxed and couldn't help but smile.
She took a step back and punched Li Chengxuan on the shoulder. "You guys are all great!"
A cold snort sounded from behind.
She froze, and then saw the stunned Li Chengxuan suddenly raise his other hand and hug Pei Yuan tightly.
The three of them hugged each other!
Shen Chu inevitably ended up close to Pei Yuan.
The two were very close, and she could even feel the taut muscles beneath Pei Yuan's clothes.
Li Chengxuan was still laughing heartily: "Sixth Prince, thank goodness for you and Achu. My goodness, you and Achu are so in sync, like drummers and helmsmen who have been working together for many years!"
Shen Chu paused slightly, then subconsciously turned to look at Pei Yuan.
Pei Yuan happened to be watching her as well.
Their eyes met, and a faint smile appeared in Pei Yuan's peach blossom eyes.
Her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
She knew that she would have little chance against the Third Prince's dragon boat in a direct confrontation, so she carefully observed the celestial phenomena beforehand.
If the clouds in the sky are alternating between black and white, a strong wind will surely rise within half an hour.
Therefore, she instructed everyone not to go too fast when starting to row the dragon boat, but to move forward at a steady pace to conserve energy.
Halfway through the race, when they noticed the wind, they accelerated at full speed, which would put psychological pressure on the Third Prince and disrupt their rhythm.
When the wind picked up and the dragon boat faced greater resistance, requiring more effort to row, the Third Prince's crew was panicked, disorganized, and exhausted, making them no match for the others.
This tactic requires the right timing, location, and people; none of these can be lacking.
With favorable timing and location, Pei Yuan also achieved harmony with the people.
He always seemed to anticipate her thoughts, and all the drumbeats were in sync with her plan.
In dragon boat races, the drummer is the soul of the dragon boat, controlling its direction and speed.
Shen Chu had to admit that without Pei Yuan's cooperation, it would be very difficult for her to win this dragon boat race today.
It was because of Pei Yuan that she was able to experience a thoroughly enjoyable competition.
The feeling of having someone who understands you and is heading towards the same goal is truly...
It's both exciting and exhilarating!
But this feeling of complete comfort instantly sobered her up when she was pressed close to Pei Yuan's body.
She reached out and pushed away Li Chengxuan, who was holding her shoulder, and reminded him, "Brother Chengxuan, you are hugging the Sixth Prince."
Li Chengxuan, who had been grinning foolishly, froze, his soul instantly returning to its place.
Good heavens! In his excitement, he actually hugged the sixth prince, whom he feared the most.
The Sixth Prince hates being touched by others the most. Will he be arrested and imprisoned by the Flying Eagle Guard because of this hug?
Li Chengxuan trembled and hurriedly said, "Sixth Prince, I..."
Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, Pei Yuan suddenly raised his arm and embraced him and Shen Chu.
Li Chengxuan was so frightened that he almost fell to the ground.
Is the Sixth Prince so happy he's gone mad?
Shen Chu thought that after reminding Li Chengxuan, the three of them would immediately separate.
But to her surprise, she was suddenly pulled into a strong, broad chest.
Caught off guard, she was stunned, but then she heard Pei Yuan's heart pounding too fast.
Thump, thump, thump!
Huh? Could it be that he enjoyed it too?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com