Chapter 46
Everyone stared at He Yan's movements.
The young man walked to the crossbow. Compared to his thin and small body, the crossbow did not match him at all. She picked up the crossbow, took out an arrow from the quiver, and put her finger on it.
Wang Ba looked at her with disdain and said, "Put in more effort. Don't be like yesterday, putting on airs for a long time only to say that you can't pull it open."
He Yan did not seem to hear his words. On the other hand, Hong Shan was a little nervous and secretly worried for He Yan. The recruits in the army admired the strong. He Yan was not a girl, so they would not have any pity for him. They would only think that he was weak. Weak people were not worthy of sympathy. If he was a braggart, people would look down on him even more. He Yan had said yesterday that if he could not do it today, not only would the instructor secretly despise him, but other people in the barracks would also be ashamed to be associated with him and would not be friendly to him in the future.
He gave up yesterday without even pulling it open. Could it be that he could pull it open today?
The young man's gaze was fixed on the target. From this direction, his hands were very steady. His sunken eyes were like a hunting beast, quietly waiting for the moment to jump.
The bow was pulled open.
Bit by bit, it was not easy, but slowly, without any tremors, it was pulled open slowly. It was different from yesterday. It could be seen that the bow was slowly being pulled open.
"It's moving …" Xiao Mai excitedly tugged at Shi Tou's clothes. "Big Brother, A He Ge pulled the bow open!"
He knew that He Yan could do what he said. He did not know how many times he had said it!
The crowd whispered. Wang Ba did not expect this to happen. He was stunned at first, but then he immediately felt angry as if he had been slapped in the face. He gritted his teeth and stood still, wanting to see what kind of exquisite archery He Yan could show. Liang Jiaotou, who originally did not have much hope, was also attracted by He Yan's movements.
This kid was good. Yesterday, he had said that he could draw the bow today, and today, he really did. How did he do it in a day? Could it be that he had been pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger yesterday, saying that he didn't even know how to do it, just so that he could be in the limelight now?
While everyone was talking, the bow was already half drawn. He Yan stopped and did not continue to pull the string.
This was already her limit.
She loosened her grip and the arrow flew steadily towards the target!
Everyone stared at the tail feather of the arrow.
The arrow flew in the direction of the target, but before it reached the target, it fell powerlessly to the ground. There was a sigh of regret from the crowd, as if the arrow should have undoubtedly hit the center of the target.
He Yan withdrew his hand.
Xiao Mai was the first to jump out. He ran to He Yan's side and said with bright eyes, "A He Ge, you really pulled the bow!"
"Amazing!" Hong Shan also came over and patted He Yan on the shoulder. "You're really something!"
Although Shi Tou didn't say anything, he also smiled, showing that he was very happy. Liang Jiaotou also gave He Yan a look of affirmation.
When the surrounding recruits saw this, they gradually started to talk about it.
"He really pulled the string. Looks like he wasn't bragging."
"It's just luck. He just happened to pull the string."
"Luck is also a kind of strength. Plus, he did what he said. That's not bad."
Wang Ba was a little confused.
He came to see He Yan make a fool of himself, but in the end, it seemed like He Yan was the one who was in the limelight. He looked at the target that fell in the middle. He Yan didn't hit the target at all. He didn't even touch the edge of the target. If it was someone else, it would be a very bad result. Why was it that when it came to him, it was just short of applauding and celebrating?
Did he make a mistake?
Wang Ba was unconvinced. "Isn't it just pulling the bow? Ask around in the barracks, how many people pulled the bow? I'm afraid everyone except you. What's so great about that? "
"Me?" He Yan pointed at himself and laughed. "But I'm the exception. I couldn't pull the bow a day ago, but I pulled it a day later. That's called great."
Her eyebrows were curved, and she laughed happily. When Wang Ba saw this smile, he was so angry that his heart turned upside down. He said, "I'm not convinced!"
"What are you not convinced about?" He Yan asked.
Wang Ba was a person who bullied the weak and feared the strong. He admired the strong and despised the weak. People like He Yan who was "weak" were born to dislike him. In addition, he had a grudge with He Yan in the past. If he didn't find trouble for He Yan, he wouldn't be happy.
"How can someone like you be a recruit and train with us?" Wang Ba turned to Liang Jiaotou. "Liang Jiaotou, I'm not convinced!"
Liang Jiaotou looked at them calmly and didn't have any intention of interrupting. He was an instructor, not their superior. After this batch of recruits finished training here, they might be stationed in the Liangzhou Guards, or they might follow Xiao Jue to other places. In the end, they wouldn't be his people. His responsibility was to teach them basic skills and pick out some good seedlings. In the end, it was the generals' job to organize the troops.
Was he going to lose Wang Ba, who was very talented in the bow and arrow, for He Yan, who didn't look particularly outstanding?
"You don't have to make things difficult for Liang Jiaotou." He Yan glanced at Liang Ping and knew what he was thinking. The instructor here was very cunning. He would definitely weigh the pros and cons at this time. She looked at Wang Ba. "Tell me what you want."
Wang Ba laughed sinisterly. "You'll be the head soldier."
"No." He Yan rejected without thinking. "Why should I?"
"Why should I?" Wang Ba said. "Because you couldn't draw the bow yesterday and shot so badly today. Your friend actually cheered for you. Don't tell me that when you go to the battlefield in the future, Da Wei's soldiers will be like you, using the bow and arrow so badly that they can't even kill a single enemy. Do they still need people to cheer for them? What kind of army is this! "
Wow, He Yan couldn't help but applaud Wang Ba in her heart. She even said that the mountain bandits were not literate. Now, it seemed that she was smart. Her words were so dignified. When she first entered the military camp, she was not so good at talking. She was indeed the head of the mountain. If she did not know how to bluff, how could she be the boss?
Fortunately, she had been in the army camp for so many years and had seen such a scene before.
"Not bad, you're right." The youth brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen on her forehead. She paused for a moment before saying, "However, you also saw that I couldn't draw the bow yesterday, but I can draw it today. You hit the target yesterday, and you still hit it today. "
Everyone looked at her. They didn't understand what she meant.
"I'm getting stronger day by day, but you're just getting stronger day by day. In that case, I'll be able to hit that grass target ten days later. What about you? You'll still only be able to hit this grass target. "
"Ten days later, I will definitely beat you," she said word by word.
Chapter 47
"Ten days from now, I will definitely defeat you."
The young man's voice was powerful and resonant. The sunlight shone on his eyes, making them look like sparkling gems.
For a moment, Wang Ba actually doubted himself.
The next moment, he was shocked by his momentary doubt. He secretly cursed himself for being scared by a brat who was still wet behind the ears. He had lived for more than half his life. How could he lose to a weak brat? Ignorant brat. His mouth was too big. He thought too highly of himself.
He coldly snorted and said, "He Yan, do you know what you are saying right now?"
"Do you want me to repeat it?" The young man smiled and said, "Since your ears are bad, I will repeat it again. Ten days from now, I will definitely defeat you."
"You!" Wang Ba clenched his fists.
"A He must be crazy …" Hong Shan muttered. Wang Ba's archery skills were obvious to everyone. He Yan might have improved a little compared to yesterday, but … to be able to hit the target in one shot was not something that could be achieved in ten days!
It was understandable for a young man to say harsh words in a fit of anger. However, if he went too far, what would he do if he was embarrassed in the future?
"If you can't defeat me ten days from now, what will you do?" Wang Ba gritted his teeth and said. He decided not to argue with this young man. He Yan was too thick-skinned. If you mocked him, he would ignore it.
"If I can't defeat you, I will be the team leader," He Yan answered readily. "But if you can't defeat me …"
"I will be the team leader!" Wang Ba said loudly.
"I didn't say that." He Yan shook his head. "Even if I want you to be the team leader, Liang Jiaotou will not agree." She looked at Liang Ping meaningfully.
Liang Ping, who was calculating in his heart, was speechless.
How strange. How did this brat know what he was thinking? With Wang Ba's talent, the head instructor will kill him if he becomes the team leader! "
"Then tell me!" Wang Ba said impatiently.
He Yan's mind suddenly flashed back to the time when he was young in the Xian Chang Dojo, where the youngsters loved to play games together. Xiao Jue, as the number one in the Xianchang Dojo, had been pestered and challenged by many people when he was young. What did he say at that time? She remembered that the youth was sitting behind the rockery in the academy, taking a nap. When he was woken up by someone, he sat up in annoyance and lazily said to his classmate who came to challenge him: "Alright, if I lose, you can do whatever you want with me. If you lose, "he smirked." You'll have to call me Father. "
As He Yan thought about it, he felt that the current situation was somewhat similar to what had happened back then.
However, she could not let Wang Ba call her father.
"How about this? I heard that you're the head of the mountain and their boss. If I beat you, it means that my ability is above yours. You'll have to call me boss in the future. What do you think? "
This request was really unheard of.
Everyone looked at He Yan, who was not even as tall as Wang Ba's chest and whose arms were as thin as firewood. Then, they looked at Wang Ba, who was tall and strong and whose fists were bigger than He Yan's face. They fell silent.
"Your ambition is really not small." Wang Ba stared at He Yan and said with a fake smile.
"To be honest, before I joined the army, I also thought about becoming a bandit." He Yan's face was filled with emotion.
That year, when she left the He Family, she carried her luggage at night and hesitated several times at the city gate. She was hesitant between two paths. One path was to directly go down south and become a bandit, and the other path was to go west and join the Fuyue Army. The good thing about being a bandit was that she was free and there was no one to control her. The bad thing was that if the harvest was not good and no one passed by, she would not know her next meal and would starve. Also, the government would come out to suppress the bandits. She would often hide here and there, which was not very dignified.
Although joining the army was a bit more difficult, it was still food provided by the government, so it would be dignified.
However, neither of these two paths accepted women, so she had to disguise herself. Fortunately, she was good at pretending to be a young master since she was young, so she was able to rise step by step.
Now that she thought about it, she really sighed.
Seeing that He Yan still looked like he was reminiscing about the past, Wang Ba was even more angry. This kid now looked like he was only 15 or 16 years old. Why was he acting like he was an old man? Reminiscing about the past? Did he have a past to reminisce about?
"Okay." He tried hard to control his anger and not let himself chop off the kid's head. He squeezed out a few words from between his teeth. "If you want to be the boss, then let's see if you have the ability."
"Okay!" He Yan cupped his hands toward the surrounding recruits. "I'll have to trouble everyone to be the witnesses of the bet. Since it's like this, we'll see the results here in 10 days! I wish myself good luck! " She snapped her fingers and looked at ease. It was unknown whether she was confident or had a unique skill in her hands. She looked as if she was sure that she would win.
Wang Ba left angrily.
Xiao Mai and Hong Shan rushed up and surrounded He Yan. The people who were watching the show gradually dispersed. Occasionally, there were a few people who looked at He Yan with complicated expressions of admiration and sympathy.
They probably all thought that He Yan would definitely be the head soldier.
Liang Ping glanced at He Yan, shook his head, and left with his hands behind his back. As he walked, he sighed. Young people were so impulsive and didn't consider the consequences of their actions. However … why did he feel a little excited as he thought about it?
In less than half a day, the entire Liang Province Guard knew about the bet between He Yan and Wang Ba.
Some people in the barracks secretly started gambling. They didn't have much money and were desperately poor, so they used the biscuits in the kitchen as wagers. Those who bet that Wang Ba would lose had a payout of one to ten. Those who bet that He Yan would lose had a payout of two to one.
In the past few days, the number of people eating biscuits had decreased significantly. They were training all day long. It was not easy to find entertainment.
In the room, Cheng Lisu walked in. He had changed into a brand new yellow robe. A red koi fish was embroidered on the corner of the robe. It was very lifelike, pitiful and cute. As soon as he walked in, he shouted at the youth sitting at the table, "Uncle, do you know that the entire barracks is talking about the crossbow bet in ten days?"
Xiao Jue's gaze didn't leave the page of his book. He said, "I know."
The entire barracks knew about it. A weak kid who wanted to be the boss of a mountain bandit, and an expert archer who wanted to be the head soldier. They were really a pair of oddballs.
"Now there's even a gambling house. I'm going to bet. Are you going?" Cheng Lisu squeezed in front of Xiao Jue and asked him excitedly.
"Cheng Lisu." Xiao Jue put down the book in his hand and looked at him calmly. "You're gambling in the barracks?"
His tone was calm, but Cheng Lisu shuddered. He quickly raised his hands. "No, no, it's not me. It's someone else's. It's not like I'm gambling. At most, I'll bet a few biscuits to pass the time and have some fun. Uncle, I'm still a child. It's normal to hit a peach and shoot a willow! "
Xiao Jue snorted. "You're losing your ambition."
"I don't have ambition. How can I lose my ambition?" Cheng Lisu replied confidently.
Xiao Jue did not know how to respond.
"Uncle, if you're not going, I'll go bet myself. I don't want to eat biscuits. I'll bet with my jerky. It won't be silver." He said happily and was about to leave.
"Who are you betting on?" He had just reached the door when he heard Xiao Jue's voice.
Xiao Jue had never been interested in these things. Cheng Lisu was surprised for a moment, but still answered obediently. "Of course it's Wang Ba! That brother He Yan, isn't he just like me? "
Xiao Jue frowned. "I advise you to change your bet."
"Eh?"
"Don't look down on an idiot who works hard." The young man lowered his eyes, as if he was recalling another figure. His limpid eyes rippled as he continued, "The last idiot I've seen is now a third grade Martial General."
Chapter 48
Since the first day He Yan made the bet with Wang Ba, the people in the barracks also started to bet in private.
Some people who were not present to see He Yan draw the bow even came to see how He Yan looked like before going to bed at night. He Yan remembered that the last time he attracted so much attention was when he won a battle as General Feihong and was rewarded by the imperial court.
Although the situation was different now, he was still famous.
"Those people are too much!" Xiao Mai came back from outside and said unhappily, "I heard that the number of people who bet that A He Ge will win can be counted on one hand. They are so sure that A He Ge will not win!"
"This is the normal choice of a normal person." Hong Shan facepalmed.
Thanks to He Yan's good fortune, these days, the recruits could do nothing but train and endure hardships. Once this matter came out, there was a lot of fun. Everywhere was brimming with cheers and laughter, as if they had come to the city square of the capital.
"Big Brother and I also went to join in the fun to boost A He Ge's morale. We bet that A He Ge will win." Xiao Mai looked at He Yan and said fawningly, "A He Ge, aren't we very loyal?"
Before He Yan could say anything, Hong Shan asked first, "How many biscuits did you bet?"
"Big Brother and I each bet one biscuit."
"One biscuit." Hong Shan deliberately dragged his voice. "Then how many biscuits did you bet on Wang Ba?"
"Ten." Xiao Mai answered without thinking. When he came back to his senses and met He Yan's gaze, he blushed and stammered, "No, no, we wanted to win more biscuits and share them with everyone. If A He Ge loses, we can't lose both the biscuits and the money … It's good to fill our stomachs." His voice became softer and softer. In the end, he did not dare to speak and looked at He Yan pitifully.
He Yan was very surprised. "Where did you get ten biscuits?"
Even if they saved one biscuit every day, they could not save so much.
"On credit …"
He Yan was very surprised that he could even buy on credit. He thought that this was actually a big gamble, and not just a small one.
She said earnestly to Xiao Mai, "Xiao Mai, you'd better quickly withdraw from Wang Ba's bet. Ten biscuits. Are you planning to starve for ten days? Can you survive that?"
Hong Shan had a headache. "A He, be reasonable. Now is not the time to be angry."
He Yan: "… What can I say to make you believe that I'm not acting out of spite?"
He refused to believe it. The other three almost had this sentence written on their faces.
He Yan had no choice but to stand up and say, "Then I'll go out and practice first." He left the room.
"Sigh." Mai Mai sighed with melancholy.
"Sigh." Hong Shan sighed gloomily.
Stone silently looked at the two of them. He didn't say anything and sighed as well.
The atmosphere in the room was gloomy.
The bet with Wang Ba was only the beginning of He Yan's fame.
These days, He Yan's name could be heard everywhere.
"Did you hear? That new recruit under Liang Jiaotou called He Yan is crazy! "
"I know. The one who bet with Wang Ba ten days later. Wasn't he crazy when he made the bet?"
"He's even crazier now. Instead of practicing his crossbow during the day, he's actually throwing stone dumbbells! He's not even shooting anymore? "
"Then he might indeed be crazy."
He Yan was throwing stone dumbbells in the open space. When everyone practiced their crossbow during the day, many people surrounded and watched her. She simply stopped practicing. She borrowed a big stone dumbbells from the instructor and threw them for fun.
She had to increase her strength.
In order to maximize the power of the crossbow, she needed to have enough strength to fully draw the bow. What she lacked the most now was strength. Stone weights were the best tool for training strength. Previously, when she was in the military camp, she had a strong man who was originally a street performer. He had learned stone weights from a young age and was able to play with them until he was very good at it. The stone dumbbells could fly up and down her body. She could do anything she wanted, such as catching lotus leaves, fanning the beam, chopping somersaults, covering the top of her head with snowflakes, taking off her robe, and so on.
This strong man was also good at archery. Not only was his aim good, but other people couldn't fully draw the bow like him. He could fully utilize the power of the crossbow. He Yan used to throw with him to train her arm strength. The two of them threw and dodged each other. She trained her arm strength, wrist strength, hand strength, and waist strength.
Now that there was no one to throw with her, she just wanted to train her arm strength and fully draw the bow.
Practicing stone dumbbells increased her strength much faster than drawing the bow. He Yan threw stone dumbbells during the day. At night, she sneaked to the practice field after everyone was asleep. Fortunately, there were one or two bows left in the practice field every day for her to practice in secret. What was even more fortunate was that ever since she saw Xiao Jue last time, she didn't see Xiao Jue again at night.
Although she wasn't afraid of meeting Xiao Jue, she always felt embarrassed when a Xiao Jue saw her secretly practicing at night. It made her feel like she was back in her youth. She saw her clumsy self working hard every night to make it to the "third from the bottom". She couldn't bear to look back.
This was probably the humiliation of being looked down upon by God's favored children.
Originally, she had already gotten rid of this feeling of humiliation. Who would have thought that the Heavens would come again, and by a freak combination of factors, she would feel this kind of humiliation again?
What did she do to deserve God's favor?
She practiced every day, and the people she couldn't understand the most were the people around her.
"A He," Hong Shan said hesitantly. "No matter how good you are at drawing the bow, if your aim isn't good, there's no way you can beat Wang Ba."
"Yeah, I've been watching Wang Ba for you every day. He can always hit the center of the target. He almost never misses," Xiao Mai said.
"Wang Ba is a good archer," He Yan said. "He should be good at using the bow to hurt people. It seems like he's even more skilled than Shi Tou."
Shi Tou nodded. He agreed.
"Then A He Ge, why don't you practice archery every day?" Xiao Mai was even more puzzled. "You should at least practice archery a few times. What if the arrow flies into the forest?"
"No need," He Yan said.
Xiao Mai stared at him with wide eyes. "Could it be …"
Could it be that He Yan had some secret magic weapon?
He Yan smiled. She didn't have any secret magic weapon. She was just practicing archery during other people's sleep. She would draw the bow and shoot every day under the moonlight. The bow was getting more and more full, and it was very effective. As for her accuracy, it didn't deteriorate. It was really a blessing in disguise.
"I'm not very talented." She thought seriously for a while and said seriously, "But I'm very lucky. You have to believe that even if I don't practice archery, as long as I can draw the bow fully, the arrow will fly to the target as if it has eyes. "
Everyone looked at He Yan, who was smiling, and the same thought flashed through their minds.
He Yan was really crazy.
Chapter 49
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
The entire Liangzhou Guards were looking forward to this lively bet. Most of them bet that Wang Ba would win, while a small number of them stood on He Yan's side. Occasionally, when they passed by, they would hear people who supported He Yan arguing with the other side. "What's wrong with He Yan? He knows he can't do it, but he still does it. He's a real man! "
He Yan, who accidentally overheard them, "…"
However, no matter what they said, the bets were the best way to tell the people's hearts. There were only three biscuits that were bet on He Yan's victory. Xiao Mai, Shi Tou, and Hong Shan each had one biscuit.
Other than that, what made He Yan surprised was that there was an unknown person who actually bet ten pieces of beef jerky on He Yan.
"Who's so generous?" Xiao Mai thought hard. "He must be very rich to bet so much on A He Ge."
"Not only is he rich, but he also has a good eye." He Yan thought that there was finally a smart person in the military camp.
Hong Shan glanced at He Yan. "Unfortunately, his brain is damaged."
"Brother Shan, you can't say that. This person must admire A He Ge a lot, so he secretly supported A He Ge. If I had so much meat jerky, I would also bet on A He Ge. "
"Okay, small bets are fun, but big bets are bad for your health. Don't be so serious." He Yan took a sip of water from his water bottle and stood up. "We're going to the martial arts arena later. Let's get up and stretch our muscles."
Shi Tou asked her, "Can you really do it?" His eyes were full of doubt.
"I told you, I'm always lucky." He Yan smiled.
When they arrived at the martial arts arena, they found that Liang Jiaotou was already surrounded by many people. When they saw He Yan, someone shouted, "He Yan is here!" Instantly, a large group of people rushed over.
"Where is he? Where is he? "
"He didn't run away. He's really here!"
"Quick, have you prepared the biscuits?"
He Yan: "…"
This kind of treatment like being the moon surrounded by a myriad of stars really made people feel a little unaccustomed. Liang Jiaotou looked on coldly. Gambling was strictly forbidden in the military camp, but because they were using biscuits and under such circumstances, the head instructor had no intention of stopping them. Liang Jiaotou didn't say anything. Moreover, he was also hot-blooded and wanted to see what the outcome would be.
After all, humans were more or less addicted to gambling.
He Yan walked over and saw a young man dressed in yellow licorice standing beside Liang Ping. This young man had red lips and white teeth. He was in high spirits and looked very familiar. He Yan felt that he had seen him somewhere before, so he looked at him.
The young man saw her looking over and revealed a big smile. He walked over and said enthusiastically, "So you are He Yan!"
Was he here to see her too? However, looking at the young man's clothes, he didn't look like a new recruit in the military camp, nor did he look like an instructor. He looked no different from the son of a noble family in the capital.
"I've heard about you a long time ago. I admire you! I want to become sworn brothers with you. From now on, we will be brothers. How about that? "he said.
He Yan was confused. This person wanted to become sworn brothers with her. She didn't even know his name or surname.
At this time, Liang Jiaotou walked up and smiled at the young man in yellow. "Young Master Cheng, the Commander in Chief wants you to stay away from the crossbow."
Xiao Jue? He Yan suddenly remembered where she had seen this young man before. She and He Yunsheng were in the military camp and secretly taught Young Master Zhao a lesson. This caused Young Master Zhao to vent his anger on his beloved horse and wanted to kill it on the street. However, he was stopped by Xiao Jue. At that time, the person who was with Xiao Jue was this delicate young master.
Eh, he actually followed Xiao Jue to the Liangzhou Garrison?
"Uncle is too suspicious. It doesn't matter. The crossbow won't hit me." The young man muttered a few words and obediently retreated a little.
Uncle? He Yan was even more surprised. This young man was Xiao Jue's nephew? However, Xiao Jue's family only had two young masters and no other daughters. What kind of complicated relationship was this?
Before He Yan could think clearly, he heard a familiar voice. "You're here!"
It was Wang Ba.
He was also fully prepared today. He had already taken off his red robe and was only wearing a red robe. He was bare-chested and there was a long red belt tied around his forehead. He looked as if he was going to fight in the arena.
His voice was also very loud. He heard that the brothers in the tent had given him all the food last night so that he could use all his energy today.
He walked to the crossbow and stood next to He Yan. He looked at He Yan provocatively. "Ten days have passed. Now is the time for you to fulfill your promise."
"I remember. You didn't have to say it so loudly." He Yan picked at his ear. "You first."
Wang Ba snorted and moved closer to He Yan. He said in a low voice, "Is it too late for you to beg for mercy now?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to say to you." He Yan replied neither quickly nor slowly.
"I think you're looking for death!" Wang Ba sneered. He strode forward and said, "He Yan doesn't dare to go first. Then I'll go first!"
Sounds of discussion rose around them. He Yan shrugged and stood to the side. Hong Shan asked him in a low voice, "A He, are you nervous?"
"I'm not nervous." He Yan was somewhat helpless. He patted Hong Shan's nervous face. "So you don't have to be nervous even more."
"I'm afraid that he'll perform too well …"
In fact, Wang Ba performed very well every day. There was no such thing as "too well." He stepped forward, put the crossbow, and held the arrow with his fingers. Because of the bet with He Yan, Wang Ba practiced more diligently every day. He Yan could feel that his strength had improved compared to ten days ago, and his archery was also more stable than before.
The arrow was aimed at the grass target. At this time, the sun was covered by clouds, and a temporary coolness shone down. Wang Ba took a deep breath and suddenly released his fingers.
Everyone looked over. The arrow steadily hit the bull's eye, and the target fell down.
It was very stable. It was the same result as Wang Ba's daily archery practice these days. It was not easy to maintain such archery skills.
Liang Ping's eyes flashed with a trace of satisfaction. No matter what the result was today, Wang Ba was an excellent seedling. Such a person would be valued even if he was under the command of other instructors.
Wang Ba clapped his hands, put the crossbow back, and walked to He Yan's side. He showed a proud smile and asked, "How is it? It's your turn now."
He Yan smiled but did not say anything. He turned and walked forward.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Cheng Li Su excitedly craned his neck and whispered to himself, "Brother He Yan, I threw ten pieces of jerky into your body. Although it's not much, it's a token of my sincerity. Don't disappoint me!"
He Yan did not know that he was still burdened by Cheng Lisu's ten pieces of jerky. From the moment she walked to the crossbow, the surrounding discussion stopped. Everyone's eyes fell on her.
Was this brat spouting such arrogant words? Or did he have a unique skill?
But there were too few things in the world that could be called miracles. Except for a small number of people who hoped for a miracle, most people were just here to watch a joke.
He Yan picked up the bow.
Chapter 50
The bow and arrow were still the same bow and arrow from ten days ago, and the person shooting the arrow was still the same person from ten days ago. However, the atmosphere was different.
The smile on the young man's face disappeared. He placed his finger on the arrow and looked straight at the center of the grass target. The clouds just now dispersed, and the scorching sun shone on his face. It was unusually hot in summer, and a drop of sweat slowly rolled down his forehead.
The drop of sweat was crystal clear and was about to roll into his eyes. It made people's hearts tighten for no reason, and they wanted to reach out and wipe the drop of sweat away. However, the young man did not move at all, as if he was a piece of Shi Tou. He did not feel anything and did not notice the drop of sweat. His gaze did not waver at all.
The bow was slowly pulled open, a part of it, half of it, until it was fully pulled. Everyone's hearts followed suit. Just as they were about to suspect that the bow was going to break in the next moment, the young man stopped what he was doing. He was caught off guard and let go of the arrow in his hand.
The arrow was like a meteor that cut through the night sky. Only a gust of wind could be felt, and it aggressively rushed towards the target. With a "bang" sound, the target fell down! And this time, the target was brought further away, making it impossible for people to see the arrow on it clearly.
She shot the target down just like Wang Ba.
Someone exclaimed.
Eleven days ago, He Yan stood here and could not even pull the bow open. Ten days ago, He Yan could only pull the bow open a small part. Now, she was here, and the bow was fully drawn, and the target fell to the ground. Her strength had improved greatly in these ten days.
But He Yan was not a child prodigy. How could things like strength grow with the wind?
"A He Ge is amazing!" Xiao Mai shouted, laughing and jumping. "A He Ge won!"
"What won?" A recruit who bet on Wang Ba's victory felt sorry for his biscuit and said unconvinced, "He only hit the target, but it doesn't mean that he hit the center of the target. If he didn't hit the target, he still won!"
When he said this, everyone remembered that they weren't watching He Yan's performance of drawing the bow as far as he could draw the bow. It was probably because she was too thin and weak in the past that she couldn't even pull him apart. Now that she was surprised by the growth of He Yan's arm strength, she even forgot to check her aim.
"I'll go take a look!" Someone volunteered to run to the target.
Wang Ba looked at He Yan. The young man was standing under the scorching sun, his lips full of smiles … It was this same smile again. He had been like this ever since he met him. He didn't seem to be worried at all. He was always so confident and disgusting.
But … Wang Ba looked at his own hand. Why was he also wavering?
He was an orphan without parents. When he was young, he was taken away by a wolf. When someone rescued him from the wolf's den, he was still lying on the mother wolf's body and drinking its milk. He had been a bandit for many years, and countless birds and beasts had died under his bow. He was able to hit the target because he had been touching a bow since he was seven years old. It had been more than twenty years since then.
This little kid was only fifteen or sixteen years old. Even if he had been playing with a bow since he was born, it had only been ten years. How could he be compared to him? Moreover, ten days ago, He Yan didn't seem to be pretending that he couldn't pull the bow. Therefore, it was impossible for him to be an expert with a bow since he was young.
Thinking of this, Wang Ba calmed himself down and calmed his slightly restless heart. He Yan definitely couldn't win against him. There was no doubt about it.
At this time, the person who took the initiative to look for the target had already run to the target. He lowered his head to look at the target and didn't answer for a long time. Then, he suddenly squatted down, picked up the target and ran back.
The target was made of straw, so it was easy to pick it up. He quickly ran to the front and threw the target with the arrow on the ground. He shouted, "Everyone, take a look for yourselves!"
Wang Ba's heart suddenly thumped.
Everyone looked at the straw man and saw that the center of the straw man was pierced through by an arrow. It steadily and accurately hit the bullseye.
It was exactly the same as Wang Ba.
Wang Ba's forehead was dripping with sweat. The shocked discussions of the surrounding people seemed to gradually fade away. He saw Liang Ping staring at He Yan in surprise. The young master in brocade clothes beside Liang Ping was also full of joy. He Yan stood beside his friend. He didn't look very surprised. He just smiled faintly, as if he had already expected this.
"You …"
He Yan smiled and said, "You let me win."
"You didn't win against me." Wang Ba stared at him. "You and I have the same result. How can you say you won against me? At most … at most it will be a draw."
Both of them had shot down the grass targets, and both of them had hit the grass targets right in the middle. It was indeed very difficult to determine a winner. But for Wang Ba, such a result was expected. But He Yan was different. At first, he looked like a good-for-nothing. Now that he could do this, it was impressive.
After He Yan heard Wang Ba's words, he didn't become flustered and exasperated. He didn't even argue with Wang Ba. Instead, he nodded and said, "I think so too."
Wang Ba heaved a sigh of relief. Admitting a draw was also very good. At least … at least he didn't lose. Those recruits also wiped the sweat from their foreheads. Who would have thought that He Yan would hit the target in the end? If it wasn't a draw, they would have lost their biscuits in vain. A draw was good. A draw was just right. No one lost or won. They could just treat it as watching a new exciting show.
The next moment, everyone's rejoicing was broken by He Yan's words.
She said, "But I made a bet with you that day. Today, I will definitely win against you. Now that the winner hasn't been determined, naturally, we will compete until I win. "
"He Yan!" Wang Ba gritted his teeth. What did this mean? Was he so sure that he would win? Just now, he was just lucky. What was this brat saying? What did he want to do?
Liang Ping also stared at He Yan in surprise.
"In the crossbow competition, you can casually propose a competition. I will accompany you to the end until I win. How about it?" She asked with a smile.
"You think too highly of yourself." Wang Ba coldly stared at her.
"I don't think highly of myself. I just believe in my luck." She carelessly blew the strands of hair on her forehead. "You have to know that luck favors those who are prepared." And she was always prepared.
"This is what you said. In the crossbow competition, we can casually compete?" Wang Ba slowly asked.
"Absolutely."
"Okay." The knife-scarred man nodded. Suddenly, he lifted the huge crossbow from the stage and carried it on his back. He took two steps forward and said with his back facing her, "What's the point of shooting a dead grass target? On the battlefield, the enemy won't stand still for you to shoot. If you really want to shoot an arrow, shoot living things. Birds and beasts are just perfect for practicing the sound. "
He actually wanted to use living things as prey.
Everyone was stunned. Shooting living things was much more difficult than shooting a target. In ancient times, there was a saying that one could shoot a willow leaf from a hundred paces away. However, that saying was not as agile as a living thing.
"A He, you can't fall into his trap. Don't agree to it!" Hong Shan anxiously signaled He Yan with his eyes.
He Yan looked at Wang Ba. A trace of appreciation flashed through his eyes. She nodded and said in a straightforward voice.
"Okay."