Chapter 11

In this era, Liang Xiao had already been despised by many people after just a few days.

When Tuniuer asked him how he would take revenge on Hu Lai, he hesitated for a moment and was despised by Tuniuer.

When he used a small trick to make Hu Lai's horse panic, he was despised by his mother.

Now, he didn't want to mix with the rebels and was despised again by this prisoner.

Liang Xiao was very depressed. Who did I offend? Why do they all look down on me? It's fine if others despise me, but Tuniuer is a brute, and my mother is just a housewife. This Huan Jun has a bit of a hero's spirit, but his identity... Pah, you're in such a mess, and you still have the nerve to laugh at me?

Liang Xiao decided not to take this arrogant guy seriously. I don't aspire to be a legendary archer who can shoot from a hundred paces. If I can reach the level of a strong archer, earn a small merit, and get a few acres of good land or a minor official position, and join the ranks of the ruling class, that would be enough.

It's not that Liang Xiao wants to distance himself from the masses; it's just that being part of the masses is tough. Just look at how popular the civil service exams are in the 21st century. In China's two-thousand-year feudal society, the official class has always been the dominant one, enjoying all the benefits, while ordinary people are at the bottom of society—barely making ends meet in good years and selling their children or eating tree bark and grass roots in bad years. As Lu Xun said, even being a slave is not an option.

Liang Xiao doesn't have the ability to change this era, so he can only adapt to it. Unfortunately, he didn't have the luck to be born into an official family, so he can't be a ready-made young master. Fortunately, he was born in a great era of expansion, where there is a chance to enter the bureaucracy through military merit. If he doesn't seize this opportunity to change his fate, he would be unworthy of being a穿越者 (time traveler).

This is why Liang Xiao is determined to learn archery. In the age of cold weapons, archery is the highest martial skill. For a long time, being an excellent horse archer has been synonymous with being a master. If you can kill from a hundred paces, who would want to swing a sword and fight you hand-to-hand?

However, if he learns archery and gets entangled with some criminals, that wouldn't be worth it. Liang Xiao hopes to get the prisoner's guidance but doesn't want to get too close to him, so he has to play a bit of a trick. They will exchange equally: he will provide the prisoner with food, and the prisoner will teach him some basic techniques. No one owes anyone anything.

Of course, no one should look down on anyone.

Therefore, when the prisoner despised him, Liang Xiao was very unhappy, feeling hurt and humiliated.

While grumbling to himself, Liang Xiao continued to practice.

After practicing drawing the bow for half a day, Liang Xiao was drenched in sweat and his whole body ached. At this moment, he began to understand the prisoner's meaning. It's easy to learn a technique, but hard to correct a bad habit. Correcting the habit of raising his shoulders would take more than a day or two.

However, Liang Xiao knew very well that if he didn't want to be a farmer who faces the earth and backs the sky, he had no other way out. Entering the bureaucracy through military merit sounds exciting, but it's also dangerous. To minimize bloodshed, he couldn't be afraid of sweating now.

Under the June sun, Liang Xiao was drenched in sweat, practicing drawing the bow over and over again.

The prisoner sat under the veranda, leaning against the mud wall, half-asleep, eyes half-open, unsure if he was actually sleeping.

In the west wing, Liang Miao was weaving silk with all her heart, the loom never stopping.

...

For three consecutive days, Liang Xiao, except for eating and sleeping, was constantly pondering the key points of drawing the bow, almost obsessed, which made Liang Miao a bit worried. However, Liang Miao said nothing, just quietly cooked two more eggs and extended her weaving time by half an hour.

On the fifth day, suddenly, as if enlightened, Liang Xiao suddenly understood the essence of drawing the bow, especially the importance of relaxing the shoulders. He extended his left arm, hooked an imaginary bowstring with his right hand, and looked at the target in the corner of the wall, a smile of enlightenment on his face.

"Got it?" The prisoner, dozing in the east veranda, yawned and opened his sleepy eyes.

"Seems like... I got it." Liang Xiao lowered his arms, walked to the prisoner, and respectfully said, "Drawing the bow requires full-body strength, and relaxing the shoulders ensures the power flows smoothly."

"Hmm, although your talent is lacking and your insight isn't high, you are diligent," the prisoner turned around, spread his arms, and assumed the posture of drawing a bow again. In an instant, the lazy prisoner disappeared, and Liang Xiao saw a mighty warrior, full of strength.

Liang Xiao didn't dare to be careless, staring intently, not missing a single detail.

After several days of practice, he had a deep understanding of the movement and gained some insights. Now, when he watched, he understood even more than the first time. He saw the movement of the prisoner's entire back muscles, sensing a hidden rhythm, like a stream of water originating from the waist, spreading across the back, and surging into the arms, turning into a powerful current.

"Keep practicing." The prisoner, in the blink of an eye, returned to his sleepy state, rubbing his mouth. "I'm going to sleep a bit more, I'm really tired."

Liang Xiao watched the prisoner return to his room and continued practicing under the veranda. He carefully recalled the prisoner's posture, carefully feeling the muscle movements triggered by each action, hoping to one day be as strong as the prisoner.

Liang Xiao became more and more engrossed in his practice. Although he didn't have a bow in his hand, he increasingly felt the subtlety of this empty practice. Unconsciously, he began to have a sense of having a bow in his mind even though he didn't have one in his hand.

Just as he was enjoying himself, Tuniuer rushed in.

"Ao Xiao, Ao Xiao, something happened."

"What happened?" Liang Xiao kept his left arm extended, his right hand hooked on an imaginary bowstring, and stared straight ahead.

"Huh, what are you doing?" Tuniuer, seeing Liang Xiao's strange posture, scratched his head. "Did you do something wrong, and Aunt Liang is punishing you?"

Liang Xiao slowly lowered his arms and smiled. "What could I have done wrong? Tell me, what happened?"

"Oh, Hu Lai got injured and says you're the culprit. He wants to challenge you to a duel."

Liang Xiao's heart sank. He thought, "It's finally come to this." He thought for a moment and saw Tuniuer's thick brows furrow again, knowing that if he didn't speak up, he would be despised by Tuniuer again. Reluctantly, he asked, "How does he want to fight?"

"Two days from now, at Jin Kui Mountain, one-on-one, no holds barred. The loser will be buried at Jin Kui Mountain."

"One-on-one?" Liang Xiao was very surprised, suspecting he had heard wrong. Is this a joke? Is Hu Lai's brain damaged? He has so many lackeys, yet he wants to fight me one-on-one? This isn't just a rich kid; this is the epitome of nobility.

Tuniuer was even more surprised. "Since it's a duel, of course it's one-on-one. If he uses numbers to bully the few, how could Hu Lai show his face in the future? But, Ao Xiao, don't be careless. Although Hu Lai is a scoundrel, his martial arts are good, especially in wrestling. If he gets close to you, you have no chance of winning."

Liang Xiao laughed, shrugging indifferently. One-on-one, who's afraid of who? Hu Lai is strong, but he's still a teenager. It's just a kid's fight, how serious can it be?

"Fine, a duel it is. Tuniuer, please tell Hu Lai that I accept. Two days from now, at Jin Kui Mountain, I will... duel with him."

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