Chapter 75

After seeing Liu Ling off, Liang Xiao continued his peaceful life, patiently waiting and making the most of his time to practice archery.

Half a month later, he finally managed to increase his accuracy to eighty percent.

At this level, it seemed he had hit a bottleneck. No matter how focused he was, it was very difficult to improve his accuracy further. Every time he had a chance to break through, a few arrows would inexplicably miss, ruining all his previous efforts.

Liang Xiao was a bit anxious, but he had heard from Huan Yuan that this was a problem that every archer would inevitably encounter. Using a one-stone bow, with a range of eighty steps and an accuracy of eighty percent, such a performance was already enough to place him among the renowned archers. He was only sixteen years old and still had plenty of room for development.

Liang Xiao made efforts to adjust his mindset, calming himself down and rationally facing the current difficulties.

He reduced the intensity of his archery practice but increased the frequency of practicing drawing the bow without arrows. Every evening, he would sit alone in the melon field, watching over the melons while practicing breathing and training his hearing.

Huan Yuan was a sound archer, not an ordinary archer. Whether one could distinguish friend from foe in the dark by hearing and locate targets by sound was the hallmark of a sound archer. To achieve this, exceptional hearing was crucial.

Sitting in the melon field, hidden under the melon vines, listening to the wind rustling past his ears and stirring the melon leaves, Liang Xiao felt a sense of detachment from the world.

"Clippity-clop... clippity-clop..." The sound of hooves came from a distance.

Liang Xiao's ears perked up, and he woke from his daze without opening his eyes, merely touching the bow and arrows by his side.

"Clippity-clop... clippity-clop..." The sound of hooves grew closer, finally stopping beside the melon field. Liang Xiao was not familiar with horses, so he could only tell that there were several horses but could not determine the exact number.

"Lord, are you thirsty? I'll pick a couple of melons. These Dongling melons are famous in Chang'an for their quality," a slightly high-pitched voice said, sounding a bit like a child's.

Another voice replied, "Don't be rash. I heard that this Liang Xiao is skilled in archery and likes to use poison. Taking an arrow from him for a couple of melons is not worth it. If Dongfang Shuo finds out, he'll lecture me again."

Liang Xiao was taken aback. This lord not only knew his name and his archery skills but also knew about his use of poison? The first two were understandable, but the last one was strange. He had never fought anyone in Chang'an, let alone used poison. How did this person know?

Moreover, Dongfang Shuo lecturing him?

Liang Xiao's heart stirred. He had a vague idea of who the visitors were.

Actually, when Dongfang Shuo first came, he had a premonition, but he was not sure.

Liang Xiao opened his eyes, slowly stood up, his left hand holding the bow and his right hand ready with an arrow. He looked at the flickering torches and indistinct figures in the distance and called out, "Who are the distinguished guests visiting at this late hour? What can I do for you? If you are thirsty, I can give you a couple of melons to quench your thirst. If you take them without permission and ruin my livelihood, don't blame me for hurting you."

There was a moment of silence in the distance, clearly surprised by Liang Xiao's appearance. They were still a hundred steps away, and although they had horses, they were not galloping. They were discussing whether to pick the melons, and although they were not whispering, their voices were not very loud, yet Liang Xiao had detected them. His hearing was indeed impressive.

After a few murmurs, the slightly high-pitched voice spoke again. "We are from the Pingyang Marquis's residence. We passed by here and heard that Lord Liang is skilled in archery. We would like to challenge you to a shooting contest. What do you think, Lord Liang? Are you willing to accept the challenge?"

The Pingyang Marquis's residence? Liang Xiao remembered that Liu Ling had mentioned the Pingyang Marquis. However, he did not think this Pingyang Marquis had any connection to Cao Can's descendants. This Pingyang Marquis was someone else, and he was likely the person Liang Xiao had been waiting for.

In his mind, this person was the only one he could rely on, the only one he could truly depend on, even though he was not perfect. A career in politics was risky, and one had to be cautious. But where else could he find a better choice?

However, since you are unwilling to show your true face, I will play along. Life is a stage, and it all depends on acting. Let's see who has the better acting skills, you, the emperor of a thousand years, or I, the穿越者 (time traveler).

"Shooting contest?" Liang Xiao held the bow and slowly walked out. He did not walk too slowly, nor too quickly, each step taken with great confidence, exuding a calm and composed demeanor. This was his first appearance before his future employer, and the first impression was crucial.

He walked out of the melon field and stopped ten steps away from the group, using the torchlight to carefully observe the people on horseback.

In the center, surrounded by others, was a young man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a smile on his lips. Although he did not have the regal aura described in stories, he was handsome and spirited. The other young men around him, though good-looking, lacked the same confidence and composure.

While Liang Xiao was observing him, he was also observing Liang Xiao. However, with the torches by his side, Liang Xiao could see his face clearly, but he could not see Liang Xiao's face, only his tall figure and confident steps.

The Han people were accustomed to judging people by their appearance, and Emperor Wu of Han was especially so. It was said that Gongsun Hong, an old man who raised pigs, became Prime Minister partly because of his appearance. To embrace this opportunity in this era, Liang Xiao had to prepare, and he was well aware of the future boss's preferences.

From the young man's eyes, Liang Xiao knew that his first impression was good. Of course, it was not perfect, as his clothes were too shabby. There was no way around it; he did not know when he would have the chance to appear, so he could not always dress up nicely to watch over the melons.

If looks were not enough, he would rely on his demeanor. He could not be an idol, so he had to be a capable person. To be honest, he was not used to the Han aesthetic of men wearing makeup, and he could never adapt to it.

"I am just a melon guard, and even the melons belong to the owner. What do I have to bet?" Liang Xiao stood sideways, ready to shoot at any moment. He had to play the part fully. Since he could not tell them he had been waiting for them, he had to act cautious and wary. "If you want melons, I can give you a couple. More than that, I cannot explain to the owner."

The young man with clear features and a face like powder, but a slightly high-pitched voice, smiled. "If you win, we will honor our bet and give you whatever you want. If you lose, we do not want your possessions, just an answer to one question."

"What question?" Liang Xiao grunted, his eyes wary. "It seems very advantageous to me. However, I do not like taking advantage of others, so it's best to be clear."

The young man in the center laughed, parted his attendants, and rode forward. "It's the question that stumped Dongfang Shuo. It's rare for Dongfang Shuo to be stumped, and I am very curious. Did you deliberately play a trick on him, or are you truly so knowledgeable that even Dongfang Shuo cannot match you?"

Liang Xiao looked puzzled. "Are you a friend of Dongfang Shuo?"

Sorry, it's late.

Please recommend and collect!

Note: There's more today.

...

Previous page AD starts

Previous page AD ends