The smiles on everyone's faces faltered for a moment. Qin Shouzhong had lost and had to squat down and bark like a dog, which was somewhat insulting.
However, Lu Xiaoyang also said that if he lost, Qin Shouzhong could do whatever he wanted.
That seems fair, too. If Qin Shouzhong wins, Lu Xiaoyang can be made to squat down and bark like a dog.
After all, it was Qin Shouzhong who deliberately made things difficult for Lu Xiaoyang. Everyone knew that Lu Xiaoyang was going against Qin Shouzhong, and they were all waiting to see what would happen.
Qin Shouzhong felt that Lu Xiaoyang was humiliating him. He gritted his teeth and glared at him. He thought back to when he was in the academy, he was one of the best at pitch-pot. Lu Xiaoyang had never read books and naturally did not understand these refined pleasures. It was really uncertain who would win or lose.
He clenched his fist and readily agreed.
"Young Master Lu is so generous, come on in!"
He pretended to be very generous and made a gesture of invitation.
"Young Master Qin, please go first."
Lu Xiaoyang was also very modest, so Qin Shouzhong smiled and said, "Okay!"
After turning around, his playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a shadowy look in his eyes. In this round, he could only succeed; he could not afford to fail.
He aimed carefully, more tense than ever before.
The person who crouches down and barks like a dog is definitely not him.
The first shot went in, but it missed.
He licked his lips, a thin layer of sweat appearing on his forehead, and gripped the arrow in his hand even tighter.
The expressions on people's faces varied; some were gloating, while others were worried for him.
The Qin family, however, felt that he was too reckless and should not have agreed at all. This match, whether he won or lost, would create enmity with the Lu family, which was completely contrary to their original purpose.
The second attempt failed, and the Qin family members' faces grew increasingly grim.
Some people felt awkward and kindly advised, "Don't rush, the bottle opening is a bit small, it's normal that you can't put it in, take your time."
Qin Shouzhong felt comforted. He thought that if he couldn't make the shot, then Lu Xiaoyang must be in the same boat. This was only his second attempt, and he would have more opportunities later.
He calmed himself down and finished throwing the rest in one go. He got six in, and he was quite satisfied. After all, the bottle opening was small, and it was good enough that he managed to get any in at all. He remained confident.
"Brother Lu, please."
He raised his eyebrows smugly, thinking that he was already pretty good at making six shots, while Lu Xiaoyang was lucky to make even one.
The others shared similar thoughts, and some even felt that the Lu family had lost face big time this time.
If Lu Xiaoyang disgraces the Lu family, I wonder if the Lu family will still be willing to cultivate him in this way.
Lu Xiaoyang remained calm and personally picked up all the arrows, then stood outside the designated line, took aim, and threw all ten arrows in one go.
All correct.
He didn't stop for a moment, and didn't take the arrows out beforehand. The bottle opening was already small, and the arrows took up even more space, greatly increasing the difficulty. But Lu Xiaoyang didn't even blink and easily threw all the arrows in.
"You flatter me."
With the outcome decided, amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Lu Xiaoyang smiled, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and spoke to bring the stunned crowd back to their senses.
Qin Shouzhong was stunned, completely unable to recall what had just happened.
Lu Xiaoyang was illiterate, wasn't he?
How can someone be so accurate at pitching in a pot?
It's all about luck!
"Brother Lu, you are truly amazing. I never expected you to be so lucky, winning all ten of your picks. I am completely outmatched."
That's what he said, but his tone was full of gritted teeth.
Whether it was luck or real skill, he lost completely.
Lu Xiaoyang twitched the corners of his mouth. Although he had never attended the academy, he had not missed any of the things that were taught there.
Moreover, with martial arts and archery personally taught by Lu Baichuan and Lou Chong, experts from the Fire Cloud Division, how could they possibly lose such a simple game of pitch-pot?
At this moment, Lu Baichuan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up: "Once or twice is a coincidence, but to sink all ten shots, can that be considered luck? What is Young Master Qin trying to avoid by saying this?"
As the highest-ranking official here, Lu Baichuan rarely speaks, mainly because he wants to give the younger generation a chance to show their abilities, but that doesn't mean he won't say anything.
These people have clearly gone too far; it's not in the Lu family's nature to keep tolerating this.
Qin Shouzhong was startled. Lu Baichuan hadn't said a word all along, and he thought Lu Baichuan didn't care about Lu Xiaoyang, and even wanted to use Lu Xiaoyang as an example to give the direct descendants of the Lu family a warning.
But now that he's publicly defending Lu Xiaoyang, it really startled him.
If he offended other members of the Lu family, it would be better, but if he directly offended Lu Baichuan, his life would be over.
Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He immediately put on a smiling face and said somewhat obsequiously, "General, you are joking. I was just joking. Although I have no official rank yet, I am an upright and trustworthy person. Since I promised Young Master Lu before, I will naturally keep my promise now."
As he spoke, he bowed deeply to Lu Baichuan, his posture extremely humble, no longer caring about saving face.
The others didn't dare to say anything, and watched helplessly as Qin Shouzhong squatted in front of Lu Xiaoyang, barking like a dog with a humiliated expression.
"Haha, Young Master Qin is indeed straightforward! Come on, everyone, let's continue!"
Lu Xiaoyang smiled with satisfaction, as if the farce just now was nothing more than ordinary amusement, and there was no trace of scheming on his face.
Everyone then realized that the Lu family, from top to bottom, were not to be trifled with; they had simply underestimated them from the start.
After that, everyone's ulterior motives faded a bit, and they only thought about taking the opportunity to befriend the Lu family. The Qin family members hurriedly made an excuse to leave. Even if the Lu family acted as if nothing had happened, they couldn't think that way either; they had their pride.
A game of pitch-pot left the sons of officials complaining bitterly. The bottle opening was so small and narrow, yet they struggled with all their might to throw in just a few arrows. But the Lu family members threw them in with ease.
The Lu family members all passed.
Including the youngest dog.
What was most astonishing was that the dog's skills seemed to be better than the brothers'. Although everyone was chatting and laughing, they all felt a chill down their spines.
Even a four or five-year-old child is so much better than them, so what ability do they have to challenge the Lu family?
Not to mention trying to curry favor with them or build a good relationship with them.
The Lu family made their stance clear and unambiguous, telling everyone that they were not to be bullied, but they were not to be trifled with either.
After that, several others made excuses to leave, as they dared not stay any longer, lest they lose their official positions.
Liu Yuexiang and Zhang Lanxiang both took the opportunity to tell the county magistrate's wife, Madam Lü, their thoughts. However, Madam Lü felt it was inappropriate and did not immediately agree. She only wanted to go back and discuss it with her husband. Therefore, they did not mention the matter until the banquet ended.
As for the Lu family, after seeing everyone off, they breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at each other and smiled silently.
Overall, today's events were quite turbulent, but they resolved them all with ease. This not only established their authority but also demonstrated the Lu family's stance to those people, ensuring that no one would dare to mess with the Lu family again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com