Chapter 67

Standing with proper posture, waist straight, and eyes focused, Lu Zheng drew his bow and released the arrow, the string taut like a full moon. Lu Zheng’s right hand loosened, and the arrow flew out with great force, but it still missed the target.

In the restored illusionary array of Li Yi, Lu Zheng was practicing archery again. He had practiced all morning, but every arrow missed the target. Seeing the ground around the target covered with arrows, he couldn’t help but feel discouraged.

At that moment, footsteps sounded behind him. Lu Zheng put down his bow and turned around, only to see Yue Zhongping approaching in a tight-fitting outfit, exuding a heroic aura.

Although Yue Zhongping liked to change clothes, this was the first time Lu Zheng had seen him in such an outfit. He praised, “Mr. Yue, you look really good in this outfit, very spirited!”

Yue Zhongping grunted, “What, you don’t find me annoying today?”

Mr. Yue still remembered what had happened yesterday. Lu Zheng knew he wasn’t really bothered, so he chuckled and said, “Mr. Yue, are you here to practice archery today?”

Yue Zhongping came closer and looked at the arrows scattered around the target, tsking a couple of times. He said to Lu Zheng, “I was reading in the Tianyuan Difang Pavilion, but I was disturbed by a loud noise, so I came to check it out.”

Lu Zheng said, “Was it the sound of my arrows that disturbed you? I’m sorry about that.”

Yue Zhongping shook his head, “No, no, it wasn’t the sound of your arrows. I heard the target shouting. Listen, it’s still shouting. Can’t you hear it?” As he spoke, he put his hand to his ear, pretending to hear something.

Lu Zheng didn’t understand what Mr. Yue was up to and said, “I can’t hear anything. What is the target shouting, Mr. Yue?”

Yue Zhongping said, “So loud, and you can’t hear it? Let me tell you, it’s shouting ‘Itchy, itchy, itchy.’ It’s been shouting all morning, and no arrow has hit it to scratch its itch, so it’s been so noisy that I can’t even read.”

Hearing Mr. Yue’s teasing, Lu Zheng was at a loss whether to laugh or cry and said, “Mr. Yue, please don’t make fun of me. I don’t know why I always miss the target. The arrows seem like they should hit, but they always fly past the target.”

“Is that so? I’ll give it a try.” Yue Zhongping smiled and walked over, taking the bamboo bow from Lu Zheng. “Give me an arrow.”

Lu Zheng knew Mr. Yue wasn’t just here to pass the time and must have some advice for him. He quickly took an arrow from the quiver on the table and handed it over.

As Yue Zhongping drew the bow and nocked the arrow, he turned to Lu Zheng and said, “Lu Zheng, do you remember what I told you when I was teaching you to play the zither?” He then released the arrow, which hit the nose of the beast pattern on the target.

Lu Zheng was surprised. When Mr. Yue released the arrow, he was talking to him and hadn’t even looked at the target. Moreover, his stance was very casual, not at all like the posture his teacher had taught. Lu Zheng looked at the target and then at Mr. Yue, unable to understand how he had hit the bullseye.

Seeing Lu Zheng in a daze, Yue Zhongping called out, “Hey, you silly boy, I’m asking you a question! Have you forgotten everything?”

Lu Zheng snapped back to reality and said, “I remember, I remember. You said that all things in heaven and earth are my friends, and the zither is a friend, so playing the zither is like making friends with it. But I don’t understand how to make friends with the zither.” He didn’t know why Mr. Yue was asking this, but he answered honestly.

Seeing that Lu Zheng had answered well, Yue Zhongping nodded in satisfaction. He took the bamboo bow and plucked the strings a few times, making a pattering sound. He then said, “It’s fine if you don’t understand. Give me another arrow.” Lu Zheng handed him another arrow as requested. Yue Zhongping shot it, and it hit the bullseye again.

“Another one!” He continued to ask for arrows. Lu Zheng handed him ten arrows in a row, and Yue Zhongping shot each one without hesitation, not adjusting his stance, and every shot hit the bullseye. Some even hit previous arrows, splitting them in half and falling to the ground.

Yue Zhongping said, “Did you see that?”

Lu Zheng was amazed and nodded, “I saw it, Mr. Yue. How did you do that? Why can’t I hit the target? Teach me!”

Yue Zhongping threw the bow back to Lu Zheng and chuckled, “Silly boy, you’re good at playing the zither, so why are you so bad at archery?”

Lu Zheng frowned, “I follow every step my teacher taught me, proper posture, waist straight, eyes focused, but I still can’t hit the target!” As he spoke, he drew the bow and shot another arrow, knowing that Mr. Yue was here to guide him and wanting to show him.

Yue Zhongping watched Lu Zheng step into the bow stance, use his waist and back, and hold the bow steadily. The arrow flew with great force, and he nodded inwardly. However, the arrow still missed the target as expected.

Lu Zheng’s face turned red, and he walked up to Yue Zhongping, “Mr. Yue, that’s how I do it, but I always miss the target!”

Yue Zhongping thought to himself that the target had been tampered with by Zhonggui, appearing stationary but actually moving. No wonder this silly boy couldn’t hit it. He cleared his throat and said, “Silly boy, the bowstring is a string, and the zither string is also a string. Why are they different in your hands?”

Lu Zheng was puzzled, “Mr. Yue, are you talking about playing the zither or archery? I don’t understand what you mean.”

Yue Zhongping tapped Lu Zheng’s head, “Silly boy! Do you think playing the zither and archery are two different things? You said you don’t know how to make friends with the zither. Tell me, how many strings does the palace note have, and what does it sound like?”

Lu Zheng answered immediately, “The palace note has eighty-one strings, and its sound is long and deep.”

Mr. Yue asked, “What about the finger techniques?”

Lu Zheng, “The main techniques are plucking and picking, with some striking and tapping.”

Mr. Yue continued, “How many variations does it have?”

Lu Zheng, “The palace note itself doesn’t change, but it can respond to changes. If we consider its common variations, there are five: the changed palace, the lesser palace, the changed shang, the changed jiao, and the changed yu.”

Seeing that Lu Zheng answered fluently, Mr. Yue nodded in satisfaction, “You’re very familiar with the zither strings. It seems you’ve put in a lot of effort. Now, tell me, how many variations does the bowstring have? How many variations does the arrow have? How far is the target from you? Ha, don’t know? It seems you treat the zither as a friend but not the bow!”

Lu Zheng was initially pleased to hear Mr. Yue praise his familiarity with the zither strings, but he was startled by the latter part. He had never thought about these things while practicing archery. He said, “Mr. Yue, my teacher never said to pay attention to these things.”

Yue Zhongping grunted, “So if your teacher tells you to eat, you won’t eat vegetables? You’re not this obedient when eating. If your teacher doesn’t say it, you won’t think about it yourself? You’ve been shooting arrows for so long, all missing, and you haven’t thought about why? You’re just following your teacher’s instructions without thinking!”

Although Mr. Yue’s tone was very strict, Lu Zheng didn’t feel ashamed this time. He knew Mr. Yue was guiding him and quickly understood. He smiled and said, “Mr. Yue, I understand. Thank you for your guidance!”

He ran to the target, examined it from all sides, and then ran back to shoot another arrow. This one also missed, but Lu Zheng had an epiphany and excitedly shouted, “Mr. Yue, I understand! The target is moving, that’s why I always miss!”

He then adjusted his stance and shot another arrow. With a “thud,” it hit the nose of the beast pattern on the target. He jumped up and down in joy, shouting to Yue Zhongping, “Mr. Yue, I hit it! Did you see? I hit it!”

Yue Zhongping smiled, “Silly boy, it took you so long to realize the target is moving. You’re really slow! Now, do you still think playing the zither and archery are two different things?”

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and answered seriously, “I understand. Whether it’s playing the zither or archery, both require focus. Focus means not being distracted by other things and also using your senses to truly understand what you’re doing. Just like playing the zither, you need to calm your mind to carefully distinguish the different sounds of each string under different finger techniques and different forces. Only by remembering these can you know which finger technique and how much force to use when you want a certain sound. Archery is the same. Besides focusing and maintaining proper posture, you also need to understand where your target is, or you won’t even know where your arrow is going. Mr. Yue, am I right?”

“Start with self-correction and end with self-correction. This is the true way of correction! The way of archery starts with self-correction and ends with the arrow being correct. Self-correction involves coordinating your body and focusing your mind; the arrow being correct involves holding the bow steadily and clearly aiming. If either is missing, it is a failure. Do you understand?” Li Yi’s voice sounded as he walked out of the Tianyuan Difang Pavilion.

Lu Zheng put down his bow and bowed to Li Yi, then said, “Student has been missing the target for a long time, filled with doubts. I only focused on checking my posture, thinking that adjusting myself was enough. Although I achieved self-correction, I didn’t know where my arrows were going, which is a failure. Acting without knowledge is doubt, and it violates the rules. Please punish me, teacher!”

Li Yi extended his hand, and the戒方 (restraining square) appeared in his hand. He pressed it on Lu Zheng’s head and shouted, “Lu Zhiyi!”

Lu Zheng respectfully replied, “Student is here!”

Li Yi said, “Today you have learned the way of archery. The way of archery starts with self-correction and ends with the arrow being correct. Do you understand?”

Lu Zheng didn’t say anything, just nodded.

Li Yi nodded in satisfaction, his voice softening, “Zhiyi, the human heart is like a bow, and the seven emotions are like arrows. Joy, anger, sorrow, thought, fear, and surprise are all arrows on the string. This is the true way of archery you need to learn. From now on, I hope you know where your emotions are directed and don’t let your joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness miss the mark!”

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