Chapter 95

The gambling area of Fengle Tower is divided into small and large bets. Small bets are for individual play, where one gambles against the house, playing dice, cricket fighting, and backgammon, among other games.

Large bets involve group gambling, similar to cockfighting and horse racing, as well as wrestling and other combat sports. The specific events change each month. This month's large bet is on pot archery, which starts at the hour of Xu and consists of three rounds.

"I asked, and the third round still has no one registered. How much do you plan to bet?" Hu Yan asked Chen Qing.

"If I win, how much can I earn?"

"There are two types of bets. One is against the pot archer of Fengle Tower, where the odds are usually 1:3. If you bet 100 guan and win, you earn 300 guan. The other is side betting, which is unrelated to the main bet, and of course, Liu Qiong and I can help you place the bet."

Chen Qing brought 50 taels of silver, which was all he had left, and this 50 taels was specifically borrowed from Hu Yan. He handed the silver to Hu Yan, "I'll bet 20 taels against the pot archer, and 30 taels on the side."

Hu Yan took the silver and squeezed through the crowd, returning shortly with two pieces of paper. He handed the yellow hemp paper to Chen Qing, "This is your bet slip for the main game, and you are in the third round. This is the side bet slip for the three of us."

"You also placed a bet?"

"Of course, Hu Yan and I each bet 10 taels on you, betting that you will win."

The large bet takes place on a wooden platform over ten zhang long, surrounded by lanterns that light up the area like daylight.

Pot archery, also known as literary archery, is a game favored by Song Dynasty officials and palace ladies due to its simplicity, low cost, and minimal space requirements. It quickly became popular throughout the Song Dynasty, and family gatherings during holidays often included it, with the entire family participating in a friendly competition.

The copper pot used today is about two feet tall, with a large belly, narrow neck, and wide mouth, gleaming under the lanterns.

Chen Qing carefully examined the pot and found that the wide mouth was deceptive. It looked large but was actually only the size of an orange, and the arrow had to be shot straight in; even a slight deviation would cause it to bounce out.

The pot archer of Fengle Tower is a middle-aged man with an unremarkable appearance. His real name is long forgotten, and everyone calls him Wei Feng. He lives exclusively at Fengle Tower, maintaining a low profile and never participating in any social activities. Over the past twenty years, countless pot archery experts have been defeated by him, and he has never lost. He was already known as the top pot archer in Tokyo during the Xuanhe period.

He does not participate in small bets and is only responsible for the large bets.

The rules of the game are simple: from a distance of three zhang, five copper arrows are thrown. The odds are 1:3, with a direct hit scoring ten points, a hit on the edge and bouncing into the pot scoring five points, and a miss scoring zero points. The highest score wins.

The first gambler has already stepped onto the platform, a warrior representing his master, who is a famous grain merchant in Lin'an named Liu Yu.

The platform is surrounded by layers of people, each face filled with excitement and enthusiasm. Almost everyone has placed a bet, waving their hands and shouting excitedly.

At this moment, the pot archer of Fengle Tower, Wei Feng, walked onto the wooden platform. He is about 45 or 46 years old, with a small nose and small eyes, looking unremarkable and even somewhat sleazy.

But one should not judge a book by its cover! This sleazy middle-aged man has created a legend in pot archery, undefeated since the third year of Xuanhe. For this reason, Fengle Tower offered the highest odds of 1:5 to challengers over a decade ago, attracting countless experts to challenge him, but no one has ever defeated him.

The first challenger today is a warrior from Jingzhou surnamed Wang, also an expert in pot archery. He has just arrived in Lin'an and wants to make a name for himself, so he decided to challenge the pot archer of Fengle Tower, Wei Feng.

A bell rang, signaling the start of the game, and the surrounding guests fell silent.

At this moment, Chen Qing suddenly saw a group of young men walk down from the upper floor, with Wang Bo leading them. Chen Qing's eyes narrowed; it was truly a narrow encounter, as he met them again.

According to the rules, the guest chooses who goes first, as a sign of respect.

The challenging warrior chose to go first. He picked up a copper arrow from the tray, felt it slightly, and threw it. The arrow hit the pot with a "thud," causing a round of applause and cheers from the crowd.

Chen Qing nodded inwardly, recognizing from the man's movements that he was likely an expert in archery, with some habits that couldn't be changed.

The second arrow hit the pot with another "thud," and the third arrow followed suit, causing even more cheers. His master, the grain merchant Liu Yu, was beaming, as he had bet 500 guan both inside and outside the venue. If he won, he would earn at least 4,000 guan.

Hu Yan returned with a regretful look, "Betting has already stopped. I wanted to bet on him winning."

Chen Qing smiled faintly, "You're lucky you didn't bet on him."

Hu Yan was greatly surprised, "Will this warrior make a mistake?"

"How did you know?" Hu Yan asked in shock.

Chen Qing smiled without answering. At this moment, the Jingzhou warrior picked up the fourth copper arrow, and his hand was slightly trembling.

The fourth arrow was thrown, and with a "clink," it missed the pot, bouncing off and landing on the ground. The crowd immediately burst into boos, and Liu Yu's face turned sour.

Perhaps due to nervousness, the Jingzhou warrior's fifth arrow also missed, and the hall was filled with boos. The warrior left the stage with a look of shame.

Now it was the turn of Fengle Tower's pot archer, Wei Feng.

He was very composed, and his three arrows flowed smoothly into the pot, earning enthusiastic applause from the crowd. Most people had bet on Wei Feng, and even if they earned less, they would at least cover their expenses for the night.

As the saying goes, amateurs watch the excitement, while experts watch the technique. Despite using three different postures, Wei Feng's core technique remained the same, relying on the strength of his right index finger and wrist, with precise control.

"Who is this man?" Chen Qing asked.

Hu Yan lowered his voice, "Someone investigated his background over a decade ago. There are rumors that he comes from Zhou Family Fort in Qin Prefecture, but it's just a guess."

"What is Zhou Family Fort known for?"

"Zhou Family Fort is famous for archery. The famous military archery instructor Zhou Tong once came from there."

Chen Qing nodded inwardly, understanding the connection.

At this moment, Wei Feng's fourth arrow also hit the pot, bouncing slightly but not falling out. With a total score of 35 points, he had already surpassed his opponent, so the fifth arrow was unnecessary.

The hall was filled with applause, cheers, and shouts. Liu Yu was so angry that his face turned red, and he stomped away.

Next came the settlement and preparation for the second round.

However, the second round had an unexpected turn of events. The challenger withdrew, meaning that only the challenger's own bet was lost, while others neither won nor lost.

At the stairs, Wang Bo was furious at his friend Qi Yun, "Why didn't you stop your uncle from withdrawing? If he was afraid to go up, we could have helped him. Now we've lost 300 guan."

Qi Yun replied helplessly, "He didn't consult me about his withdrawal; I didn't know either!"

"Go ask again if the withdrawal can be canceled."

Qi Yun ran off and returned breathlessly a short while later, "The second round is already refunding bets, and it can't be canceled. But I found something interesting."

"What is it?"

"Who do you think is up for the third round?"

Wang Bo frowned, "How can I guess?"

"It's Chen Qing. I saw his name and recognized him."

Wang Bo's eyes lit up. Chen Qing was actually here. He thought for a moment and smiled at his group of friends, "Brothers, do you want to place a bet?"

"Brother, Chen Qing's archery skills are excellent; he probably won't lose this time."

"That's not necessarily true. If he gets distracted at a critical moment..."

The group understood and praised him, "Brother, you are truly wise!"

Wang Bo didn't care about the small amount of money at stake; he just didn't want to see Chen Qing win. It would be best if Chen Qing lost everything.

Although he encouraged his friends to bet on Wei Feng, he himself didn't place a single bet.