Chapter 97

Hu Yan Tong pulled Chen Qing to one side, his face full of worry, and said, "I know you practice archery every night, aiming at the incense sticks..."

"When did you start watching me practice?" Chen Qing interrupted him, giving him a dissatisfied glare.

Hu Yan Tong scratched his head, "I secretly watched a few times, Xiao Liu also went, but that's not the point. They practiced from a young age, even blindfolded, how can you compare?"

"How do you know I haven't practiced blindfolded?"

Hu Yan Tong was speechless for a moment, unable to understand the significance of blindfolded archery at his level.

Liu Qiong, standing nearby, suddenly said, "My uncle practiced archery blindfolded, and sometimes I did too."

Chen Qing patted Hu Yan Tong's shoulder, "Watch out for Wang Bo and his gang, don't let them deliberately interfere!"

"Don't worry! If they cause trouble, I'll beat them to death!"

Actually, blindfolded archery isn't that difficult. In the future, many people play darts blindfolded.

For archery, it's a realm. Shooting at the tip of an incense stick from 120 steps away, sometimes you can't even see the tip, relying entirely on a feeling.

As Xu Ning would say, this is aiming with the heart, the target is in your mind, whether you see it or not doesn't matter.

It sounds mysterious, but it's just a matter of practice. When you become proficient enough at anything, you basically don't need to look a second time, like the old oil seller who, after a lifetime of selling oil, could pour it into an oil gourd without spilling a drop even with his eyes closed.

Of course, you don't start by blindfolding yourself, not knowing where the incense stick is. Even a god couldn't hit it.

This time, Wanyan Huonü shot first. As a proud Jurchen commander, he despised the Han people from the bottom of his heart. He never deigned to compete with them, except for Chen Qing, the one who killed his father, a deep-seated hatred in his heart.

In Linyou County, Wanyan Huonü watched helplessly as Chen Qing escaped. Now, with bow in hand, Chen Qing was less than three zhang away, and he could easily shoot him dead.

Wanyan Huonü lowered his head, tormented by inner pain. Perhaps this was the only chance to kill Chen Qing. Should he seize it?

"Huonü, is there a problem?" Wanyan Chang noticed his unusual mood.

Wanyan Huonü slowly raised his head, abnormally calm, "I have no problem!"

Wanyan Chang nodded, "Then let's start!"

At the last moment, Wanyan Huonü convinced himself. Even if he killed Chen Qing, he must do it on the battlefield. Killing him with despicable means would make his father die in peace. He had to defend not only his own honor but also his father's.

Wanyan Huonü glanced at Chen Qing and said coldly, "You are the first Han person to compete with me, and I believe the last."

"An honor, please proceed!"

Chen Qing's smile was calm. He hadn't forgotten that in Linyou County, Wanyan Huonü shot him in the leg, and he lay in bed for eight days. That arrow made him resolve to practice archery and horseback riding.

Wanyan Huonü took a deep look at the incense stick tip 30 steps away, then lightly gestured. A Jurchen soldier stepped forward and blindfolded him with a black cloth.

The hundreds of spectators who had been gambling all moved away, afraid of being harmed by the Jurchens but not wanting to miss this exciting moment. It was unheard of for a Song general to compete with a Jurchen commander. This news would surely spread throughout Lin'an tomorrow, and they were the witnesses.

Wanyan Chang looked around at the spectators and smiled, "You can also place bets! It's just for fun."

There was complete silence, no one responded, no one dared to bet.

Wang Bo, with an uncertain expression, suddenly shouted, "I bet 3,000 guan on General Wanyan winning!"

Everyone's eyes turned to him, filled with disdain. What kind of person was this! Betting on the Jurchen to win. Even Wang Bo's friends were embarrassed and quietly left.

Hu Yan Tong immediately countered, "We also bet 3,000 guan on Song general Chen Qing winning!"

"Alright! Alright! Anyone else want to bet?"

Wanyan Chang asked around, but no one responded. He was a bit unhappy and had the accompanying officials collect the bets as collateral.

Wang Bo quietly approached and bowed to Wanyan Chang, "My uncle is Chancellor Qin!"

"Oh—"

So he was Qin Hui's nephew. Wanyan Chang's eyes narrowed, "How is your uncle doing?"

"He is well, and my aunt and uncle are very grateful for the care you showed them in the past."

When Qin Hui was in the Jin state, he and his wife were exiled to be slaves of Wanyan Chang. Wanyan Chang, seeing Qin Hui's literary talent, made him his personal secretary and treated him well. Later, it was Wanyan Chang who arranged for Qin Hui to return to Lin'an.

Wanyan Chang was also worried about how to contact Qin Hui, and unexpectedly, he met his nephew.

At this moment, Wanyan Huonü was blindfolded and coldly asked Chen Qing, "Do you want to check?"

Chen Qing shook his head, "No need!"

Wanyan Huonü drew an arrow, stood still for a moment, then pulled the bow and shot.

The lantern 30 steps away went out, and in the darkness, a red incense tip was faintly smoking. The arrow flew, and the incense tip instantly went out. Chen Qing saw clearly that the arrow had hit the incense tip.

Liu Qiong brought him the bow and arrow. Chen Qing no longer lived at the martial arts school; he had moved all his belongings to a nearby inn.

Liu Qiong blindfolded Chen Qing with a black cloth. Chen Qing calmly asked, "Do you want to check?"

Wanyan Huonü stood two zhang away, his eyes fixed on the bow in Chen Qing's hand. It was his father's bow!

Wanyan Huonü seemed to see his father being beheaded again. He was in great pain, barely suppressing the urge to shoot Chen Qing. He forced out three words, "No need!"

At their level, they didn't need to resort to such low-level tricks.

Chen Qing raised the bow, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. The incense tip appeared clearly in his mind, the flickering flame, the rising smoke, every detail was vivid.

Chen Qing suddenly drew the bow, the bow like a full moon, and the string released, the arrow shot out with a "whoosh." The incense tip vanished instantly, but the incense stick remained standing on the small table.

The spectators burst into thunderous applause, unable to contain their admiration for the Song general's skill.

Wanyan Chang lightly clapped, feigning a smile, "Indeed, excellent archery!"

"Supervisor Wanyan, what next?"

"Next, we continue shooting at the incense tip until a winner is decided!"

At this moment, two Jurchen soldiers returned and placed a golden Buddha statue on the table. The statue was a foot tall, exquisitely crafted, and lifelike, gleaming in the light. A pigeon-egg-sized ruby was embedded in the chest, sparkling brilliantly.

This golden Buddha statue was cast by Emperor Shenzong of Song in the fifth year of the Yuanfeng era, weighing 30 catties. It had been kept in the palace until it was looted by the Jin soldiers and fell into Wanyan Chang's hands, becoming his personal property.

Wanyan Chang followed the shaman religion but purely liked the gold of the Buddha statue. Gold was a rare commodity during wartime. During the Jingkang era, most of the gold was looted by the Jin people, making it scarce in the market. The price once soared to 40 guan per tael, and now it was 20 guan per tael, though silver was more common and gold was rarely seen.

The golden Buddha statue, just in terms of gold value, was worth 6,400 guan, and with its craftsmanship and status, it could easily be worth over 10,000 guan.

All the guests were captivated by the golden statue, but the two competitors paid no attention to it. They took turns shooting, each arrow hitting the mark.

But nothing is perfect. At first, both were highly skilled, hitting every shot, but as the competition went on, their chances of making mistakes increased.

After seven arrows, Chen Qing felt he was at the end of his strength. He was drenched in sweat, his physical and mental energy rapidly depleting.

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused on regaining his energy, ignoring everything around him and the status of his opponent.

Now they were in the eighth round. Wanyan Huonü was also exhausted, his arms trembling, large sweat drops rolling down his forehead.

The target in his mind was becoming blurry, the incense tip's glow growing larger.

Wanyan Huonü drew the bow to full, and the arrow shot out. Suddenly, he thought, "Oh no!"

The arrow grazed the top of the incense tip, and after it passed, the incense tip was still burning. Wanyan Huonü had finally made a mistake.

Beside him, Wanyan Chang's face turned ugly. He suddenly had an idea and gave Wang Bo a meaningful look.

Wang Bo understood and disappeared in a flash.