Chapter 12: Slap! Slap! Slap!
“Please set the question, Duke Shang.”
Crown Prince Jiao spoke with some impatience. During this time, he had also sent people back to his residence to summon quite a few retainers and strategists over.
They came aggressively, clearly determined to win.
That made sense. He had actually lost a round in front of everyone. The more fiercely Crown Prince Jiao had once boasted about these retainers of his, the more disgraceful it now was for him.
So in the next round, he absolutely had to win.
Everyone around them looked toward Shang Wangshu. From the beginning, there had been no restriction on the content of the contest between retainers. In other words, whatever question Shang Wangshu set would be reasonable.
Prince Zheng’s retainer was skilled in medicine, which showed that this person must have spent most of his life studying medicine. How could he possibly have time to research other fields? Crown Prince Jiao’s retainers, however, were all outstanding figures in their own specialties.
So although Chen Bai had won one round, not many people were actually optimistic about him.
Shang Wangshu stroked his beard. He had not prepared a question, but coming up with one was not difficult for him.
“How about archery for this round?”
A very standard contest. Scholars already had archery lessons, and such matches were often seen.
Since this was right outside Qi Zheng’s residence, the tools and equipment naturally had to be provided by Qi Zheng.
Qi Zheng ordered someone to bring out the archery equipment, then walked up to Chen Bai. “What about this round? Do you have any chance of winning?”
Chen Bai frowned slightly. In fact, this kind of formal contest was actually harder for him.
Although this body had received archery training since childhood, the mind inside had changed. The things he had learned before had become no more than especially familiar memories, so there was inevitably some effect.
He said, “I’m afraid someone else will have to draw the bow for me.”
Qi Zheng froze. So this demon was not good at archery?
“But the people in my residence are rather average at archery.”
And the other side would have to agree to it.
Then he glanced at the retainer standing out on Crown Prince Jiao’s side, whose arms were as thick as iron pillars.
“This man is called Jiang Kui. He is a famously divine archer.”
Chen Bai smiled. “They don’t need to be especially good at archery. As long as they understand it somewhat, I have a way to beat him.”
Qi Zheng: “…”
Could someone who only understood archery somewhat beat a divine archer?
If anyone else had said this, he would definitely have thought that person was insane.
Chen Bai said, “Have our person come with me. I’ll give him a divine bow and let him practice a little.”
Qi Zheng: “…”
Why did this feel like last-minute cramming? It sounded especially unreliable.
While the field was being prepared, Qi Zheng and Chen Bai entered the residence. Inside the residence was a small training ground, perfect for practice.
Qi Zheng went to call someone. Chen Bai looked around, secretly took out his phone, and bought a modern bow.
When it arrived, it was folded into a compact mass.
After opening and assembling it, it stood about half a person tall.
The pulleys, stabilizer, and sight on it were very eye-catching.
Do not underestimate these little parts. They were the crystallization of technology and knowledge. Compared with ancient archery that relied entirely on the naked eye and pure technique, they were worlds apart.
The quality of archery generally depended on two things.
First was strength. Only by drawing a strong bow could one shoot far. The bowstring of this bow was made of steel wire, and the bow body was made of a special, highly resilient metal. Without tremendous strength, no one could draw it. But that did not matter. The assist mechanism on it made up for the lack of strength.
Second was accuracy. The stabilizer and sight on the bow were there to make up for shortcomings in technique.
The reason human beings became the foremost of all creatures was because humans knew how to use and create tools.
Chen Bai was so confident precisely because this bow contained the crystallization of modern scientific knowledge.
He tried pulling the bow. Beside his ear came the tiny, exquisite sound of gears turning. It was especially pleasant. He drew it open with ease. The assist mechanism had taken effect. Without it, Chen Bai could have pulled until his arm snapped and still would not have been able to draw this bow.
Then he tried raising his hand to aim. The bow was perfectly steady, without the slightest tremor. The sight also accurately corrected the position of the arrow, assisting in adjusting the arrowhead’s direction.
The sight could automatically identify the target and make tiny corrections by itself. The technology contained within it was beyond imagination.
When Qi Zheng returned, he saw Chen Bai holding a strange bow and aiming here and there.
Chen Bai looked at Qi Zheng. “Why are you alone?”
Qi Zheng said, “After thinking it over, I realized I’m the best archer in my residence.”
Chen Bai: “…”
It was always the retainers who drew the bow for their lord. He had never heard of a lord drawing the bow for his retainer.
But Chen Bai was not a rigid person. If Qi Zheng wanted to do it himself, then let him.
He directly handed over the bow in his hands. “Use this bow. You will definitely win.”
Qi Zheng: “…”
This demon’s confidence was truly impossible to understand.
He took the bow and tried drawing it. It was surprisingly smooth in his hands.
Of course it was. It had been designed according to the most comfortable experience for the human body.
Qi Zheng said, “The force of the bowstring seems a little too light.”
Chen Bai smiled and said nothing.
When Qi Zheng released the bowstring, a sudden “whoosh” sounded beside his ear. It was the sound of an arrow tearing through the air, very pleasant to hear.
Qi Zheng froze. That sound… he had only heard it when his instructor taught him. Even for his instructor, a famous divine archer, making an arrow produce the sound of slicing through air was not easy.
He looked up and saw that the arrow he had shot had struck the center of the target and pierced straight through it. This was because the force was strong enough.
His eyes could not help landing on the bow in his hands. He clearly had not used much strength.
Chen Bai said from the side, “Hurry and familiarize yourself with it.”
After that, the training ground was filled with the sound of “whoosh,” “whoosh,” “whoosh,” nonstop.
Qi Zheng listened to the sound of the assist mechanism’s gears when he drew the bow, and the sound of arrows slicing through the air. He liked it so much he could hardly bear to stop.
If someone had not come in to remind them that everyone outside was waiting for the contest, he could have played with it all day.
When Qi Zheng and Chen Bai went back out, Crown Prince Jiao’s retainer, the divine archer Jiang Kui, was already waiting. The field outside had also been fully arranged.
Chen Bai stepped forward and said, “How about Prince Zheng draws the bow on my behalf for today’s contest?”
Everyone: “…”
A retainer asking his lord to draw the bow?
Was something not reversed here?
Shang Wangshu looked toward Crown Prince Jiao.
Crown Prince Jiao paused. If this retainer himself drew the bow, he would truly be a little worried, because he did not know the other party’s strength. But he knew very well what Qi Zheng’s archery was like. Though it was not bad, it absolutely had not reached the level of a divine archer.
He answered, “That is acceptable.”
Was this not clearly letting him win? How strange! Of course, if they had found some other divine archer, he definitely would not have agreed.
Shang Wangshu said, “Since both sides have no objections, let the contest begin.”
“A target will be placed on the field. The two competitors will shoot at the same target. Each person has ten arrows. In the end, whoever has more arrows left on the target, and whoever shoots more accurately, wins.”
Though the rules sounded simple, for true archery masters, this was the hardest kind of contest. After all, there was only one bullseye on the target, and only so much space.
Chen Bai glanced at the target. The distance was roughly one hundred and fifty meters.
That distance alone was already beyond the reach of most people.
Jiang Kui shot first, using the bow he had prepared himself. The bow Qi Zheng had previously ordered people to prepare was not used. That was good too, to prevent anyone from making excuses afterward.
When Jiang Kui drew the bow, the muscles on his arms stood out in defined lines, dark and full of strength. The onlookers cried out in admiration.
This was what a divine archer looked like. Just looking at those arms, one could tell how great his strength was and how powerful the arrow he shot would be.
Whoosh.
The arrow tore through the air and went straight into the bullseye.
“Good!”
“To hit the target dead-on from such a distance, without the slightest deviation!”
Crown Prince Jiao glanced over, a trace of pride appearing on his face. Then he looked at Qi Zheng.
“Imperial Brother’s archery is quite remarkable. Jiang Kui, you must not be careless.”
Chen Bai laughed softly in his heart. Who was he saying that for? Go ahead and be proud. Just don’t cry later.
At that moment, it was Qi Zheng’s turn to draw the bow.
When he pulled the bow, he looked rather relaxed, and he did not have those exaggerated arms like the divine archer.
“The difference is too great.”
“Exactly. After all, the other man specializes in this and is naturally gifted.”
Before the words had even fallen, Qi Zheng released the string and the arrow flew out.
Whoosh.
The arrow that had originally been on the target fell off. Only the later arrow remained.
Even Shang Wangshu could not help taking two steps forward. Just now, Prince Zheng had clearly looked very relaxed.
Why was this?
Everyone’s eyes could not help turning toward the bow in Qi Zheng’s hands. They were not stupid. Since the person was not the problem, then the problem had to lie with the bow.
Qi Zheng was lovingly stroking the bow.
“This bow was provided by Mountain Lord. Whoever holds this bow will instantly become a divine archer. So whether I draw the bow, or someone else does, or Mountain Lord himself draws it, there is not much difference.”
After all, this was Chen Bai’s contest. His importance in the match had to be emphasized.
Everyone around them: “…”
That sounded far too mysterious. But Prince Zheng had indeed relied on one bow to rival a divine archer.
Damn, this was a divine bow. After today, this bow was probably going to be sung about and passed down.
Everyone’s gaze fell on the bow in Qi Zheng’s hands. Who still cared about Jiang Kui?
Probably only Chen Bai glanced at Crown Prince Jiao’s expression, which looked as if he had swallowed a dead fly.
He liked that expression.
Crown Prince Jiao steadied himself. “Imperial Brother, don’t speak too soon. No matter how miraculous this bow is, at most it only gives you more strength. There are still nine arrows left. Even among divine archers, the difference in technique cannot be made up for by a single bow.”
Chen Bai thought, Do you think the stabilizer, sight, and calibrator on this bow are just decorations?
As soon as Crown Prince Jiao finished speaking, Qi Zheng and Jiang Kui began again.
One arrow after another. This was rapid shooting, which tested technique even more. Jiang Kui was probably also thinking of crushing Qi Zheng in terms of skill.
But every time Jiang Kui shot an arrow, the next arrow would knock it off the target.
The scene became awkward for a while. What had Crown Prince Jiao just said? His words were still ringing in everyone’s ears, and now it was like being slapped in the face in public.
Chen Bai glanced at Qi Zheng. He truly did not leave the slightest bit of face for others.
But he liked it. He slapped Crown Prince Jiao on the left cheek, and Qi Zheng slapped him back on the right. It was wonderfully satisfying.
Shang Wangshu glanced at the ground, where all the arrows belonged to Jiang Kui, and was also deeply amazed.
“He actually won just by providing a bow. Truly…”
Everyone around them: “…”
He had not even needed to personally enter the field. He won even more decisively and neatly than in the first round.
Crown Prince Jiao: “…”
No matter how good he was at pretending, he could no longer quite keep up the act. His expression was so ugly that anyone could notice it.
Shang Wangshu sighed. Who could blame anyone else? If Crown Prince Jiao had not bragged so much about those retainers of his before, he would not be unable to step down now.
Crown Prince Jiao took a deep breath. “The third round.”
If he did not win, then he himself would become the joke today.
Shang Wangshu frowned slightly. Today’s Crown Prince Jiao kept giving him a bad feeling. He was too eager for quick success and had lost his composure.
In fact, if he simply praised the other side a few times, he might even gain a good reputation for being broad-minded and tolerant.
But since Shang Wangshu had agreed to be the impartial witness and question setter, he had to be fair and could not be biased. Playing peacemaker was not something he could do in his current role.
Even if Crown Prince Jiao’s face was beaten until it was swollen beyond recognition, as long as one side did not call a stop, Shang Wangshu had to continue setting questions.
The surrounding crowd no longer dared make a sound. After all, not just anyone was allowed to watch Crown Prince Jiao make a fool of himself.
But their eyes were exchanging looks with great enthusiasm. Who had they originally come to laugh at today?
At that moment, Shang Wangshu’s voice spread out.
“Listen to this old man’s third question.”
“Recently, there has been a case in court that has stirred much debate. Chen Zixiu, eldest son of the Court Commandant’s household, disturbed the palace, disgraced the imperial family, and was ultimately sentenced to enter Shangjing Academy to reform himself. Was this judgment fair or unfair?”
Hiss.
There was a wave of sharp inhales all around.
Fair or unfair?
This was a judgment issued by the court. To question it was, in effect, to question the court’s decision. Duke Shang had actually asked whether it was fair or not in front of everyone?
Who would dare say the court’s judgment was unfair?
Shang Wangshu was one of Great Qian’s Three Dukes. For someone like him, so-called power and wealth no longer held much meaning. What he pursued was something else, such as the laws of Great Qian that he had personally reformed.
Chen Bai’s body also shook. He had eaten melon only to find it was about himself.
Then, he immediately stood perfectly straight, his eyes darting around.
His chance had come. Duke Shang was truly a good man. He had actually given him a chance to defend himself in front of everyone.
Before, no matter how he argued, no one had been willing to listen. That was because he had been speaking for himself, and the more he spoke, the angrier others became.
But now it was different. He was using Mountain Lord’s identity to argue on his own behalf.
This was truly a case of fortune turning in cycles—today, it had finally turned to his house.
