Chapter 34

"Jinghu, good shot!"

The middle-aged man laughed heartily, picked up the wine bowl in front of him, and said, "It seems you've put in a lot of effort. Now you can hit the target."

The people around burst into laughter, while the man who had shot the arrow blushed.

Next, a few more people took turns shooting at the target, and the courtyard was filled with laughter and cheers.

The Hu girls serving the drinks were constantly calling out, which greatly boosted the spirits of the black-clothed men. However, Yang Shouwen noticed that although these black-clothed men were very excited, they were very disciplined. They did not take advantage of the Hu girls' status to touch them inappropriately. There might have been some physical contact, but they always kept their distance, as if they were cautious about something.

Yang Shouwen felt more and more that these people were not ordinary.

However, after standing in the tree for a long time, he subconsciously moved his feet.

By accident, a branch under his foot snapped with a crack, startling Yang Shouwen. He immediately stopped moving and pressed his body against the tree trunk.

The sound was very small and did not alarm the black-clothed men in the courtyard.

At that moment, someone suddenly said, "It's a fine night. Why don't we ask Young Master Li to show off his archery skills?"

"Please, Young Master, show us your skills."

"That's right, Young Master, why don't you give it a try?"

The black-clothed men immediately started to cheer. The white-faced, black-bearded man sitting in the center stood up and said with a smile, "You guys, are you trying to take advantage of me because I've had too much to drink? Let me tell you, even if I drink ten more bowls, I can still beat you."

"Ha ha ha, Young Master, don't joke. We don't need you to drink ten bowls; just three will do."

"Ha, three bowls it is. Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

The man said, picked up a bowl of wine, and drank it in one gulp.

The black-clothed men around him immediately cheered, and the Hu girl behind the middle-aged man immediately refilled his wine bowl. The middle-aged man, full of spirit, drank three bowls in a row, then took the bow and arrow and walked to the edge of the porch.

"Boys, let me show you what true archery is."

As he spoke, he took out an arrow, drew the bow, and hit the target dead center.

While the people were cheering, the middle-aged man suddenly narrowed his eyes and shot another arrow, this time aiming outside the courtyard.

Missed the target?

The cheers abruptly stopped, and the black-clothed men looked at each other in surprise.

The arrow pierced through the tree trunk outside the courtyard, almost brushing past Yang Shouwen's face.

Yang Shouwen shivered and heard the middle-aged man call out loudly, "The friend outside, you've been watching for a while. Why don't you come in and join us for a drink?"

The black-clothed men under the porch stood up in a flurry.

Yang Shouwen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly hid behind the tree, not daring to move.

He didn't know if the arrow was accidental or intentional, or if the middle-aged man in the courtyard was just bluffing.

"Since the friend is unwilling to show himself, it must be that I haven't been polite enough."

The corner of the middle-aged man's mouth twitched, and he suddenly picked up three arrows, using the rapid-fire technique. Three arrows whistled through the air. Yang Shouwen knew that the other side had definitely discovered his whereabouts. Without hesitation, he stood up, drew his sword, and with a dragon-like cry, the sword flashed, and he deflected the three arrows with a series of claps.

However, this completely exposed Yang Shouwen's position.

The courtyard gate opened, and three black-clothed men rushed out, surrounding the tree.

Yang Shouwen took two quick steps along the tree trunk and leaped out. He wanted to jump onto the roof and escape, but as soon as he landed, before he could steady himself, the middle-aged man had already jumped into the courtyard, using the rapid-fire technique to force Yang Shouwen back into the courtyard.

As soon as Yang Shouwen landed in the courtyard, two black-clothed men rushed out.

"Take him alive!"

After forcing Yang Shouwen down, the middle-aged man retreated to the eaves.

He sat back down on the porch, and a Hu girl brought him a bowl of wine. "Young Master, your archery is truly impressive."

"Heh, this boy is quite clever. If he hadn't been inexperienced and exposed himself, I might not have noticed him."

The middle-aged man took a sip of wine and stroked his beard, watching the fight.

An expert can tell the skill level of another with just one move.

The two black-clothed men moved forward together, each holding a weapon, trapping Yang Shouwen.

At the gate, three black-clothed men stood, and another seven or eight were standing on the porch, all eyeing Yang Shouwen like tigers.

Damn, these people are not right!

Yang Shouwen wielded his sword, holding off the two black-clothed men.

These two were not ordinary; they were probably even better than Yang Chenglie.

These people are definitely not the assassins who attacked the county office; they must have some other background... Thinking of this, Yang Shouwen couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. But he quickly steadied his mind, and his sword flashed, drawing strange arcs. For a moment, the two black-clothed men, despite their combined attack, were forced to retreat, showing signs of defeat.

"Hmm?"

The middle-aged man looked surprised and suddenly sat up straight.

"Turns out it's the bull-fighting boy... His skills don't seem like those of a fool."

He muttered, then called out, "Wang Rong, Ma Cheng, you two are really useless. You need to practice more when we get back. Zhang Jin, Zhang Biao, you two, come on."

Two black-clothed men rushed out from the eaves, one holding a spear, the other a sword.

With their addition, Yang Shouwen immediately felt the pressure increase.

"Hey, you're bullying me with numbers. That's not heroic."

"Heh heh, since you dared to spy on us at night, you must have had evil intentions. Why should we be polite to you?"

The middle-aged man laughed heartily.

Before his laughter could fade, Yang Shouwen suddenly crouched, his body twisting strangely. A black shadow flew out and struck Zhang Jin in the face, splattering blood. Zhang Jin dropped his spear and clutched his nose, crying out in pain.

"You dare to use hidden weapons?"

The middle-aged man was furious, pushed the Hu girl aside, and stood up.

"Four more men, go."

Three men from the gate and one from the porch rushed forward, about to surround Yang Shouwen.

At that moment, Yang Shouwen fired three hidden weapons in quick succession, forcing the three men to dodge. Taking advantage of their distraction, Yang Shouwen's sword suddenly broke free from the three men around him, and he dashed toward the gate.

At the same time, the middle-aged man picked up his bow and aimed at Yang Shouwen.

However, he did not shoot the arrow. When Yang Shouwen rushed out of the courtyard and the others were about to chase him, the middle-aged man suddenly put down his bow.

"Don't chase him."

His command made the black-clothed men stop in their tracks.

One of them asked in surprise, "Young Master, why not let us chase him?"

The middle-aged man smiled and said softly, "Why chase him? He's just a fool. Now that I know his background, do I need to worry about him running away? Besides, if he runs, can his father run too? There's no need to chase him."

Clearly, the middle-aged man had recognized Yang Shouwen.

"But..."

The middle-aged man waved his hand and said softly, "Don't worry! He came here today probably because of the fire at the county office yesterday, not to target us. If he's smart, he won't make a fuss; even if he's not smart, his father won't let him. We can't show ourselves yet. Let's wait and see. I'll deal with this little guy sooner or later."

After saying this, his face turned serious.

He walked to the gate, bent down, and picked up a small pebble from the ground.

"You three, you were scared by a pebble?"

The three black-clothed men guarding the gate immediately lowered their heads, looking embarrassed.

"Zhang Jin, you call yourself a tiger of the Qian Niu, and the three of you, four men together, couldn't handle a fool?"

"Young Master, it's not that we're incompetent, but that boy..."

"Enough, no excuses. You've been too comfortable. When we get back to Luoyang, all of you will go to Mang Mountain. I'll train you until you shed a layer of skin. Then you'll remember."

The four black-clothed men looked distressed.

"Young Master..."

"Humph!"

The middle-aged man coldly snorted and walked out of the gate.

The wet path was empty, and Yang Shouwen was nowhere to be seen.

The anger on the middle-aged man's face gradually faded, and the corner of his mouth twitched as if he was talking to himself, "I didn't expect Changping County to be a place of hidden dragons and tigers. But this is good. The upcoming events will be even more interesting. I'll have to watch closely."

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