Having reached a silent understanding with the emperor, Lin Wanwan's heart was finally at ease. She was no longer a lone explorer groping in the fog, but a player sitting at the chessboard, making moves alongside another top player.
The banquet that followed continued in a lively atmosphere. The scene of nobles toasting and dancing was enough to lull anyone into a false sense of security. However, Lin Wanwan could keenly sense a cold, menacing aura beneath this prosperous facade, like the spitting tongue of a venomous snake.
She knew that the curtain had only just been raised on this drama.
After several rounds of drinks, the drums thundered. Following the tradition of the Autumn Hunting Ceremony, the highlight before the hunt—the archery competition—officially began. This was not merely entertainment; it was a manifestation of the martial spirit of the Great Xiao Dynasty, and an excellent opportunity for generals to display their bravery and win glory.
The shooting range was set up on a wide grassy area in front of the imperial tent, with dozens of huge targets lined up in a row, their red bullseye standing out in the autumn sun.
The princes and nobles enthusiastically entered the arena, but their archery skills were mostly just for show, drawing mostly good-natured laughter. The real contest belonged to the warriors who had been tempered into steel on the battlefield.
"General Zhenyuan! General Zhenyuan!"
Someone started it, and soon, the cheers from the entire field converged on one name. Amidst the deafening shouts, General Wei Xiao of Zhenyuan, surrounded by a group of military officers, strode into the shooting range with a hint of reserved arrogance on his face.
Instead of using the standard bows and arrows provided, he had his personal guards present him with a massive, almost man-sized, black horn bow. The bow itself was made from the sinews and bones of some ferocious beast, exuding a savage and fierce aura.
Wei Xiao walked to his firing position, casually drew a wolf-tooth arrow from his quiver, and skillfully nocked it. His thick, muscular arms bulged, and he effortlessly drew the seemingly massive bow, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, to its full extent!
"Buzz—"
The bowstring twanged, sounding like a dragon's roar.
The wolf-tooth arrow transformed into a black shadow almost invisible to the naked eye, whistling through the air as it traveled a hundred paces, and before everyone's eyes, it struck the bullseye with a "thud!"
Not only that, the immense force caused the entire arrow to pierce through the target and embed itself deeply in the soil behind it, leaving only a trembling fletching that emitted a mournful buzzing sound.
"good!"
After a brief silence, a deafening roar of applause erupted.
Wei Xiao remained unfazed, drew his arrow again, and fired three more arrows in quick succession. The three arrows, almost in sync, formed a triangular pattern and firmly embedded themselves around the bullseye, their fletching frequencies remarkably synchronized.
Every arrow hits its mark; every shot is powerful enough to pierce the target!
This incredible archery skill ignited the atmosphere, and even the civil officials couldn't help but cheer for the unparalleled bravery of this battlefield warrior.
Wei Xiao sheathed his bow, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the throne, and even the scar on his face seemed to soften slightly with pride. His generals were equally proud, their eyes gleaming with a subtle hint of smugness as they looked at the emperor.
Lin Wanwan took it all in, a cold smile playing on her lips. This was a demonstration of power, a display of the unparalleled military might he held over the emperor.
"Your Majesty, it's your turn," the eunuch beside him respectfully reminded him.
Amidst everyone's anticipation, Xiao Che lazily stood up, casually picked up an ordinary longbow, and walked off the field.
His movements appeared somewhat casual, even perfunctory. He casually fired a few arrows, and the results could only be described as mediocre. Some barely hit the target, while others missed entirely, eliciting several suppressed chuckles from Wei Xiao's faction.
Lin Wanwan glanced at the "[Let this end quickly, it's so boring.jpg]" emoji above his head and shook her head inwardly. This Emperor, after pretending to be sickly for so long, he's really gotten into character.
Just as Xiao Che was about to fire the last arrow, a sudden change occurred!
A military officer at the target position beside him was also drawing his bow to its fullest extent. Whether from tension or exhaustion, the officer's hand suddenly trembled violently!
"Whoosh—!"
An arrow that was meant to be aimed at his own target flew out of the target at an odd angle, with a sharp whooshing sound, almost grazing Xiao Che's ear!
The arrow was incredibly fast; one could even clearly feel the force of the wind as it sliced through the air!
Time seemed to slow down at this moment.
Lin Wanwan's pupils contracted instantly. She saw the arrow glide past Xiao Che's cheek less than half an inch away, and with a loud "thud," it embedded itself in the huge pillar behind him, which was carved with a five-clawed golden dragon!
The arrow pierced the wood three inches deep, its fletching still trembling wildly, emitting a deathly hum.
The entire venue was deathly silent.
All the cheers, laughter, and clamor were abruptly silenced in that instant. Everyone was terrified by the scene, their faces drained of color, and the air seemed to freeze into ice.
With a thud, the officer who had "mistakenly" knelt on the ground, his face ashen, trembling like a leaf. He desperately kowtowed to Xiao Che, begging for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! This humble general... this humble general is participating in the autumn hunt for the first time, and I... I slipped for a moment. I had no intention of offending Your Majesty! Please spare my life, Your Majesty!"
Xiao Che stood quietly in place, his expression unchanged, not even a furrowed brow. He turned his head and glanced at the arrow still trembling on the dragon-patterned pillar behind him, his gaze as calm as a bottomless pool of cold water.
He turned back to the kneeling military officer who was begging for mercy, and said indifferently, "It's understandable to be nervous if it's your first time participating. Ignorance is no excuse. Get up."
"Thank you... thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" The general, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, stood up tremblingly and retreated almost on his hands and feet.
An assassination attempt that could have unleashed a bloodbath was thus casually defined by the emperor as an "accident" and hastily concluded with a "magnanimous" pardon.
The surrounding princes and ministers breathed a sigh of relief and then burst into praise for the emperor's magnanimity.
"Your Majesty's benevolence and kindness are truly a blessing to our dynasty!"
"His magnanimity is as vast as the sea, and his demeanor is that of an emperor; he is truly awe-inspiring!"
However, amidst all the praise and eulogy, only Lin Wanwan felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
Her gaze was fixed intently on the top of Xiao Che's head. From the moment that arrow flew, she had been watching that spot!
She saw that the high-tech radar scan image suddenly disappeared the instant the arrow grazed Xiao Che's ear!
Instead, she was met with a terrifying scene that made her blood almost freeze!
It's a giant, animated skull emoji, burning with hellfire! [Skull.gif]
Black flames danced wildly in the skull's eye sockets, as if capable of incinerating everything in the world. They grew larger and larger, almost filling the entire meme area, carrying a destructive and murderous intent.
Beside the burning skull was a line of shocking text written in blood:
"This is a test! You're courting death!"
Lin Wanwan's fingertips instantly turned icy cold, and a chill exploded from the deepest part of her heart, spreading to every part of her body.
Accident? Slip of the hand?
No! This was not an accident! This was a blatant provocation! A meticulously planned death threat!
They were testing the emperor's limits, testing his reaction, and even using this method to declare to him their military power, which was enough to take his life within a hundred paces!
As for Xiao Che... beneath his seemingly calm surface, a raging torrent of fury had already erupted! The madly burning skull above his head was the truest and most violent reflection of his inner self!
War... no, massacre...
Lin Wanwan's hands and feet instantly turned ice cold.
She understood; this wasn't just about to begin, it had already begun!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com