Chapter 331 Teasing

Chapter 331: Toying with the Prey

Han Meng saw Cheng Ge accept the challenge, and a glint of smug satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

He had come prepared and declared loudly, "Shooting at a regular target? That's just a dead thing—how's that supposed to show real skill?"

He gestured, and a personal guard immediately brought forward two red ribbons about an arm's length long.

At the end of each ribbon hung a small, delicate jade ring with a hole through the middle.

"Instructor Cheng," Han Meng pointed at the jade ring, his tone dripping with challenge.

"Each of us takes a ribbon, gallops on horseback, and lets it stream in the wind.

From our mounts, we shoot at the jade ring at the end of the other's ribbon.

Whoever hits it wins. How about that? That's way more telling than some dead target, don't you think?"

The moment he spoke, the whole training ground erupted! The difficulty was absolutely insane!

Not to mention how hard it was to draw a bow on a bumpy horse, the jade ring was tiny, attached to the ribbon's end, its path swaying all over the place with the wind and the horse's speed—like it was alive.

And on top of that, they were shooting at each other!

Not only did you have to hit a tiny, fast-moving target that was hard to even see, but you also had to keep an eye out to dodge or mess up the arrows coming at you.

This wasn't just about archery—it was a full-on test of riding skill, guts, eyesight, and nerve!

One wrong move and you're dead! This was no ordinary contest—this was playing with your life!

The guard who'd come with Cheng Ge went pale and hurried forward, lowering his voice:

"No way! This bet is way too dangerous, what if—" Cheng Ge cut him off with a raised hand.

Under the veiled hat, Cheng Ge's eyes settled on the jade ring, and a barely-there smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Fine." Cheng Ge said, just one word, his voice steady, not a trace of fear in it.

In his whole life, Cheng Ge had never been afraid of anything—except gay guys.

With the other guy throwing down a challenge like that, if he chickened out now, he might as well just drown himself in a bucket of horse piss.

Pretty soon, two warhorses were led out. Han Meng swung up onto a chestnut horse, all smooth moves, clearly a damn good rider.

He grabbed one end of the ribbon and tied it to his topknot in a flash.

Cheng Ge, for his part, hopped onto a white horse with easy grace, tying his ribbon the same way.

The two locked eyes, then spurred their horses at the same time, racing to opposite ends of the field.

The red ribbons cracked in the wind as the horses picked up speed, the jade rings at the ends whipping around in crazy, unpredictable patterns.

Every soldier on the field held their breath, eyes glued to the two riders and those ribbons that would decide it all—the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Han Meng made the first move! His horse control was insane—he twisted around mid-gallop, drew his bow to a full crescent, and the arrow flew like a shooting star.

With a whoosh, it tore toward the jade ring flapping on Cheng Ge's side! Fast and vicious—no time to react at all.

But the second that arrow left the string, Cheng Ge seemed to already know, giving the reins a light tug.

The white horse sidestepped with eerie intelligence, making the jade ring barely dodge the arrow and throwing off the whole ribbon's path.

Han Meng's sure-thing shot skimmed right past the ring—missed!

"Damn, so close!" someone muttered without thinking. Han Meng's face went dark, and he didn't waste a second, wheeling his horse around to a new angle.

When his first arrow missed, Han Meng felt a spike of annoyance, but then a twisted satisfaction crept up.

"Of course," he sneered to himself, "he's just relying on being quick. Against real strength, how long can that last?"

He was convinced Cheng Ge was on his last legs, that his earlier dodge was pure luck.

He dug his heels into the horse's flanks, and the chestnut shot forward.

This time, he didn't rush to shoot. Instead, with his superb riding skills, he began circling Cheng Ge, toying with him like prey.

The red ribbon and jade ring tied behind his head thrashed around wildly as he moved, their path all over the place.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Three arrows in a row, each one faster than the last, all aimed at the jade ring behind Cheng Ge's head from tricky angles.

He watched Cheng Ge barely dodge each one, the ring swinging dangerously close to the arrowheads, and the thrill of being in control swelled in his chest.

"Let's see how long you can keep that up!" He almost laughed out loud.

He even deliberately let two arrows graze past the edge of his veiled hat, making the light gauze flutter, savoring the feeling of superiority that came from intimidation and pressure.

The gasps from the field sounded like applause for his brutal attack.

"Qianhu Han is seriously impressive!"

"He can't keep dodging like this..."

The whispers drifted over, only feeding his ego.

But when the fifth arrow still missed by a hair, the smile on Han Meng's face froze a little.

He started to feel like something was off—those near misses, one after another, seemed... too consistent?

The way he dodged wasn't desperate so much as... calm?

His smugness started to crack with a faint hint of doubt, a creeping unease setting in.

Especially when, right after letting his arrows fly, he felt a cold stare through that veiled hat, locked onto the jade ring behind his own head—a look that didn't fit someone who was panicking.

No, impossible! He shut that thought down immediately—this guy was just putting on a brave face!

Frustration started eating at his reason. His eyes turned cold, and he drove his horse closer.

This time, he dipped the arrow tip slightly, and it sliced through the air, aimed straight at the arm holding Cheng Ge's reins!

If hitting the jade ring was too hard, then crippling his ability to control the horse would do the trick!

"Qianhu Han!" an old soldier shouted, realizing this had gone way past a friendly match.

Everyone was stunned!

Cheng Ge's face hardened a little, but he wasn't all that surprised.

He dodged it easily, and in that flash of a moment, for the first time, he drew his own bow.

The bowstring hummed low, and Han Meng's heart tightened for a moment, only to be overtaken by the thought, "So I've finally forced her hand."

He focused all his attention, bracing for her counterattack, certain she was only flailing in desperation.

Yet, the arrow was never loosed.

Cheng Ge merely drew the bowstring partway, holding the arrow in check, the arrowhead slowly tracking the jade ring swinging wildly behind Han Meng's head.

The feeling of being targeted coiled around Han Meng's neck like a venomous snake, impossible to shake off.

He spurred his horse desperately, swerving and doubling back to break free, but the killing intent clung to him like a shadow, locked onto his jade ring.

Sweat had soaked through his back before he even realized it, and at last, he understood.

Only then did it dawn on him—the earlier near-misses weren't proof of his skill—they were a deliberate taunt, every shot precisely controlled by his opponent.

In an instant, fear and a crushing sense of humiliation engulfed him.

Just as his mind wavered and his movements faltered for a split second—"Whum!" The bowstring snapped! A dark streak pierced the air!