Chapter 80

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Facing the agitated young officials, Liang Xiao, though somewhat panicked inside, refused to show weakness. The contempt on his face grew even more pronounced.

He knew very well that the Han people despised cowards the most, especially these young officials who looked down on everyone. Those who could serve as guards in the Weiyang Palace were undoubtedly the best selected from all over, not only skilled in martial arts but also from respectable families, known as "good families." Many of their fathers and grandfathers were high-ranking officials in the empire, and they had a high opinion of themselves. To be among them, one could not be weak or timid.

Rather than say a word of weakness and be driven away, he would rather be beaten up today, with a bruised face and bloody head, and be carried out. Otherwise, he would find it hard to stand his ground in Chang'an and would be looked down upon by Liu Che. The hard-won opportunity would be lost.

Thinking of this, Liang Xiao stood even straighter. He turned around, took the bow from Tuniu'er, planted it on the ground, and forcefully bent it, stringing it. Then he took a quiver of arrows from Tuniu'er and slung it over his back, slowly surveying the surroundings.

"General Li said that the Weiyang guards protect the emperor and have a great responsibility, and no idle people are allowed. Since all of you are Weiyang guards, I assume you are all excellent archers. I, Liang Xiao, am not talented, but I wish to challenge all of you to see if General Li's words are true or if he is deliberately making things difficult."

The young officials exchanged glances, their momentum weakening. Their archery skills were indeed good, but shooting at a target a hundred paces away was a different story. They all knew that Li Guang's requirement was indeed a challenge, but none of them expected this young man, who looked like he had just learned to ride, to dare challenge all of them and accuse Li Guang of making things difficult.

This is a troublemaker! While the young officials were angry, they also became more curious and appreciative of Liang Xiao.

"I'll do it!" A young official pushed his way through the crowd, walked up to Liang Xiao, and sized him up, momentarily stunned. He looked at Liang Xiao, then at Li Danghu, licked his lips, and his eyes had a strange look.

He was Li Guang's second son, Li Danghu's younger brother, Li Gan, also one of the Weiyang guards.

"Second brother, step back!" Li Danghu shouted, walked up to Li Guang, and whispered a few words. Before Li Danghu could finish, Li Guang sneered, pushed him aside, walked up to Liang Xiao, and said with a mocking smile, "I didn't expect you to have some courage. If so, dare to challenge me?"

Liang Xiao sized him up and smirked. "General, don't be hasty. After I have challenged all the guards under your command, I will face you."

"One by one?" Li Guang was taken aback. "You want to challenge each of them?"

"Of course, only then can we know if General's words are true or if he is deliberately making things difficult." Liang Xiao turned around, faced the target a hundred paces away, drew four arrows, placed one on the string, and held the other three between his fingers. He pointed the bow at the ground, took a deep breath, and drew the bow to its full extent, releasing the arrow with a "whoosh."

The bow was drawn like a full moon, and the arrow flew like a meteor. Liang Xiao shot four arrows in quick succession, hitting the target once and missing three times.

Whistles of disappointment filled the air, and the young officials openly showed their contempt, with some even mocking, "Oh—what accuracy."

"Ha ha, can't blame him, his master only started teaching him after he was crippled."

Li Guang shook his head and glared at Li Danghu. Li Danghu was also worried. This distance clearly exceeded Liang Xiao's control. If things continued this way, Liang Xiao would likely make a fool of himself, and the emperor might be disappointed.

Liang Xiao, however, remained calm. He took two deep breaths, drew four more arrows, and shot them in quick succession. This time, two of the four arrows hit the target.

The surrounding jeers weakened, and the young officials looked at each other, their confidence shaken. Li Danghu breathed a sigh of relief, but Li Guang's eyes showed a new interest.

Seeing two arrows hit the target, Liang Xiao felt more confident.

So far, he had practiced the most at eighty paces, maintaining an accuracy rate of over eighty percent. He had practiced less at a hundred paces, with an accuracy rate of only thirty to forty percent, sometimes reaching fifty percent with good luck. However, he was very confident in today's challenge because he believed that not all the young officials were better than him.

The standard range for ordinary archers was sixty paces, and hitting six out of twelve arrows was considered qualified. At eighty paces, it was already challenging for ordinary people, and hitting over fifty percent at a hundred paces was considered an expert. These young officials were the best of the best, definitely better than ordinary people, and they could handle sixty paces easily and had a good chance at eighty paces, but at a hundred paces, it was risky.

Even Li Guang, known for his archery skills, could not hit every shot at a hundred paces, let alone these young officials.

Even if he missed all four remaining arrows, hitting three out of twelve would still give him a chance to win over one or two people. Even if he only won against one person, he could prove that Li Guang was making things difficult and exaggerating. After shooting eight arrows, he was familiar with the environment and had a good chance of hitting at least one more, increasing his accuracy to over thirty percent.

Liang Xiao was calm and composed, as steady as a mountain. He shot an arrow, and it hit the target!

"Ah—" A few sighs rose from the crowd. With this hit, Liang Xiao's accuracy rate exceeded thirty percent, and victory was in sight. It was already unlikely for them to win.

"Whoosh!" Liang Xiao shot another arrow, and it hit the target again.

A wave of depressed sighs and curses filled the air. Liang Xiao had already hit five out of twelve arrows, surpassing a third of the young officials.

Li Danghu breathed a sigh of relief. At this point, Liang Xiao had saved face and would not be ridiculed. Such a performance was not something even he could guarantee. He glanced at his younger brother, Li Gan, and his lips curled. Li Gan stuck out his tongue and made a silly face.

Li Guang grunted, saying nothing.

Liang Xiao ignored the reactions, entered a state of mind where he had the bow in his hand but no bow in his mind, and remained completely calm. He drew another arrow, focused on the distant target, took a deep breath, leaned back slightly, and drew the bow to its full extent, releasing the arrow.

The bowstring trembled, and the arrow flew, hitting the center of the target.

"Hit the center!" Li Gan exclaimed.

In the Han dynasty, the target was rectangular, and the center was called the "center" or "bullseye." Hitting the bullseye was equivalent to a bullseye in modern times, which was very difficult.

Li Guang stared at Liang Xiao, his eyes narrowing, and his interest growing. The surrounding young officials fell silent. Hitting the bullseye at a hundred paces was no easy feat, and only a few of them could do it. Liang Xiao's hit, even if partly by chance, proved that his archery skills were already better than at least half of the young officials, and he had the ability to challenge Li Guang.

Hitting six out of twelve arrows, with one bullseye, Liang Xiao was confident of winning. The last bit of tension dissipated. He smiled slightly, closed his eyes, and exhaled. A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, drew an arrow, hooked the string, drew the bow, leaned back slightly, and released the arrow.

The bowstring hummed.

"Whoosh!" The arrow flew, and the feathered tip brushed past, like a startled swan emerging from the water.

"Thud!" The arrow hit the center of the target, piercing the leather target with a soft "swoosh."

The young officials collectively drew in a sharp breath, stunned. Li Gan excitedly shouted, "Hit!"

The center of the bullseye was called the "core" or "bullseye," equivalent to a ten-ring in modern times, which was not just a matter of skill but also required good luck.

Liang Xiao not only had excellent archery skills but also had incredible luck. At this moment, even if Li Guang were to challenge him, he might not have the confidence to win.

Many young officials sighed inwardly. They must have had bad luck today, otherwise, how could they encounter such a bizarre situation, where a new colleague hit the bullseye on his first try.

Not only were the young officials amazed, but even Liang Xiao himself was surprised. Four arrows hit the target! This was a level of performance he had never achieved in practice, truly a stroke of luck.

Liang Xiao did not look at Li Guang and the others, put away his bow, took a step back, and waited silently.

The surroundings were silent, with only heavy breathing, but no one spoke. Various looks of surprise, anger, and helplessness fell on Liang Xiao's face. Many young officials were red-faced, their eyes almost spitting fire. This young man, who looked unremarkable and even a bit rough, had such excellent archery skills? At a hundred paces, he hit seven out of twelve arrows, with one bullseye and one core hit, a level of luck that was hard to believe.

The challenge had just begun, and the young officials had not even drawn their bows, yet Liang Xiao had already won, and won decisively.

Li Guang was very embarrassed. He had not expected Liang Xiao to be so strong, nor had he expected his archery skills to be so excellent. He glared at Li Danghu, furious.

Li Danghu was also helpless. Facing his unreasonable father, he could only smile bitterly. He knew Liang Xiao's temper and archery skills and had tried to stop him, but failed. At this point, there was nothing he could do to salvage the situation.

Li Guang's second son, Li Gan, looked at the distant target, then at Li Danghu, his face burning. He wanted to step forward to help his father, but he knew that at this distance, he could not achieve such results and would only embarrass himself.

Liang Xiao waited for a moment, seeing no one step forward to challenge. He smiled slightly, bowed to Li Guang, and turned to leave. Although he said nothing, his smile was like a slap in the face to Li Guang and all the young officials.

Li Danghu shook his head, followed him out, and grabbed Liang Xiao. "Liang brother, please wait."

Liang Xiao stopped, smiled bitterly, and said, "Li brother, it's not that I don't want to stay, but as you can see, your father doesn't want me. He gave me such a hard time on our first meeting. Even if I stayed, could I stand my ground in the Weiyang Palace?"

Li Danghu hesitated. He thought for a moment. "Let me take you to find a place to stay first. We'll discuss the matter of joining the palace later. My father is a military man, and that's just his nature. Please don't hold it against him."

"Liu brother, rest assured, I still admire your father. However, we don't get along, and it might be difficult to work together."

Li Danghu smiled bitterly and sighed inwardly. The situation had developed beyond his expectations, and he had no good solution at the moment. He led Liang Xiao out of the city and into a neighborhood called Wanhuhu, stopping in front of a small courtyard.

"Liang brother, if you are to serve in the palace, living too far away would be inconvenient. Lord Pingyang has arranged a place for you to stay. It's not very large, but it's clean and suitable for your family."

Liang Xiao was about to speak when the gate of the neighboring courtyard opened, and a tall man bent over and walked out, exclaiming, "Liang Xiao, you've caused me so much trouble!"

Liang Xiao looked up and saw it was Dongfang Shuo, the man who had wanted to swap wives on their first meeting. He wondered why he was also living here.

Liang Xiao hit the bullseye, and the old man requested a recommendation; Liang Xiao hit the core, and the old man requested a collection!

...

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