Chapter 105

Chapter 105

"Hahaha..."

Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight of Shen Qinglan competing with a child.

Kang Zhanxun: Truly Shen Huaizhi's own brother—the two of them are cut from the same cloth!

After the playful commotion subsided.

The mounted archery exam was about to begin.

Shen Qinglan and the other family members were led to the viewing stands to take their seats, while Han Zhang and the other students lined up in orderly formation according to the numbered plaques issued by the academy, proceeding to take the exam in groups.

The Imperial Academy's riding-and-archery exam was divided into two subjects: "Standing Shot" and "Mounted Shot."

Standing Shot involved shooting at stationary targets, testing one's steadiness of eye and nerve.

Mounted Shot, on the other hand, involved galloping across the open field, drawing one's bow at moving targets while at full speed—this was the "riding and archery" of the six gentlemanly arts.

Knowing about the wager between Han Zhang and Kang Zhanxun, the academy was happy to oblige and specially put the two of them in their own group.

With only about two hundred students in total, and exams conducted in groups of ten, there were only around twenty groups altogether.

Although Han Zhang and Kang Zhanxun had been deliberately scheduled as the final act, their turn came in just over an hour.

The moment the two took the field.

More than half of the surrounding students threw their arms up and yelled: "Kang Zhanxun! Lord Kang!"

Clearly, although Kang Zhanxun was lousy at book learning and often behaved like a reckless playboy, his archery and horsemanship skills were universally admired by the academy students.

Unlike the cold pragmatism of the outside world, the academy—despite its petty squabbles and disputes—was ultimately filled with hot-blooded youth: if you had a skill, you earned everyone's respect.

"Brother Han, today's about saving face, so I won't hold back. Let's settle it man to man."

Kang Zhanxun raised an eyebrow at Han Zhang with a grin, then swaggered over to the bow rack, casually grabbed a twelve-li heavy bow.

Then, pivoting on his heel, he spread his arms and assumed a drawing stance. Though no arrow was nocked, he aimed the empty bow at the sky and slowly drew it to full tension to test its feel.

The muscles in his arms bulged, his eyes flashed like lightning—power surging through his arms, aura reaching the heavens, radiating sheer dominance.

This got the crowd buzzing again.

"Heavens! A twelve-li heavy bow! Brother Kang's arm strength has improved again!"

"In our army's standards, three to five shi is standard for ordinary soldiers, five to eight shi for elite archers, and ten shi or above for top-tier marksmen... Twelve shi is the strength of a tiger—enough to be a drill instructor outright!"

"As expected of Brother Kang, truly divine strength... If not for the poison in his body causing his temperament to be unstable at times, with his martial prowess he could join the army and become another border-guarding war god, not tarnishing his father's and grandfather's names!"

The students buzzed with discussion.

In the viewing stands.

Little Yier heard this, quickly swallowed the pine nut candy in his mouth, tugged at Shen Qinglan's sleeve, and said excitedly: "Uncle Shen, listen! Everyone's praising my dad! My dad's got tiger strength, can draw a twelve-li bow, and looks like a war god!"

"Twelve li's nothing special... my, my husband can do that too."

Shen Qinglan had also studied martial arts, so he naturally knew what a twelve-li heavy bow represented. He couldn't help but swallow hard.

But as always—lose the fight, not the face—gotta talk tough.

Shen Huaizhi and Pan Taining, seated nearby, also grimaced, muttering through gritted teeth: "That Kang Zhanxun is a sneaky bastard! He was holding back—before, he only ever drew a ten-li bow..."

This was bad. They might actually have to kowtow to that scoundrel.

But soon, they puffed out their chests again.

Because...

Han Zhang also sauntered over to the bow rack, scanned the area, and then reached out to take down the fifteen-li heavy bow that was usually just there for show.

"A fifteen-li heavy bow?! He, he took the fifteen-li bow!"

"That kind of draw weight is the pinnacle of bow-making today. Since the fifteen-li bow was created, apart from Old General Guo, who carved out the realm with the founding Taizu, no second person has ever been able to draw it!"

"In his day, General Guo with this bow was a one-man army, making enemies tremble at the mere mention of his name... Can Brother Han really draw it?"

It wasn't that everyone looked down on Han Zhang—it was simply that a twelve-li heavy bow was already strength found in one in ten thousand.

A fifteen-li heavy bow was at the level of human limits—one in ten million could even draw it.

Han Zhang looked like a bookish gentleman—how could he possibly have the aura of a "tiger general"?

As for whether he could pull it off, the field would tell.

Before anyone could voice their doubts.

Han Zhang had already stepped onto the field first, taking his position within the standing shot range, nocking an arrow to the bowstring, standing tall as a pine.

"Draw the strongest bow, use the longest arrow—"

He recited in a resonant voice, his arm bent like a full moon. That hundred-jin heavy bow slowly opened before the astonished gazes of the crowd, the string drawn to its full crescent.

Then the bowstring snapped, and Han Zhang's arrow tore through the air, piercing straight through a three-layer iron-wrapped wooden shield. Wood split and splinters flew, the arrow's fletching quivered violently, and a dragon's roar echoed on and on.

Kang Zhanxun's pupils suddenly contracted, and he couldn't help but clap in admiration: "Excellent!"

But Han Zhang did not pause. He turned gracefully and nocked another arrow.

"The wind blows hard, horn bows twang; the general hunts at Wei City—"

The words left his mouth, and the arrow followed suit, its trajectory like lightning, splitting the previous arrow clean down the middle, both halves piercing the bullseye.

"One arrow, two shafts split! That's one arrow splitting two shafts..."

The surrounding students gasped in disbelief.

Yet Han Zhang remained unfazed by the gasps around him, keeping up his flashy show... er, I mean, his exam.

Nock arrow, draw bow, release.

Smooth as silk, all in one fluid motion.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"

Ten arrows in rapid succession, each one striking true, every shaft piercing the willow leaves.

When the final arrow embedded itself in the bullseye, the iron-wrapped wooden shield could no longer hold, splitting apart with a resounding crack, the arrowhead driving deep into the stone wall of the training grounds.

Han Zhang lowered his bow and stood tall, his clear voice ringing across the entire field:

"I would draw my carved bow like a full moon, gazing northwest, and shoot at the Heavenly Wolf—"

His breathing showed not the slightest sign of strain, clearly demonstrating that such bow strength and archery skill were merely the limits of the bow itself, not his own.

The field fell into momentary silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

A moment later.

Thunderous cheers erupted.

"Heavens, he can draw a bow with fifteen units of draw weight with ease, not a single arrow misses, and his breathing doesn't even quicken?"

"This... is this even human? How could a mortal body possess such power?!"

"That was a three-layer iron-wrapped hardwood shield! He just shot straight through it? How much strength does that take? How fast must those arrows have been?!"

"Every arrow hits the bullseye, every arrow splits the one before it... This is what they call hitting a willow leaf from a hundred paces."

"I never imagined Brother Han would be so gifted in letters, yet his martial skills are equally extraordinary—truly a master of both the pen and the sword!"

"Well said—'draw the strong bow when pulling, use the long arrow when shooting; the wind howls and the horn bow sings, the general hunts at Weicheng; I would draw my carved bow like a full moon, gazing northwest, and shoot at the Heavenly Wolf'... We scholars should likewise possess such valor and boldness!"

The students were overcome with excitement, their faces flushed and hearts racing with passion.

At the viewing stand.

Shen Qinglan covered his itching nose, as if it might bleed, gazing at that towering, mountain-like figure in the field, his eyes filled with worship and infatuation, burning with adoration.

He gripped An Yongyan's arm tightly, repeating over and over: "An Ge'er, look, that's my husband... that's my husband..."

His husband was truly the finest man of this era!

An Yongyan was equally filled with admiration, agreeing enthusiastically: "Lan Ge'er, your husband is truly amazing! Is this what the books mean by 'one who wields the pen to bring peace to the world, and mounts the horse to secure the realm'?"

Master Han truly was a man of every excellence, except for his family background.

No wonder Lan Ge'er had made such a fuss before, insisting on marrying him even against all odds. With such a fine man, had he not already given his heart to another, he would willingly become his concubine!

With that thought in mind.

An Ge'er quickly pleaded: "Lan Ge'er, you have such excellent judgment. In the future, if I have a son, you must help me choose a good husband for him!"

"Of course! An Ge'er, rest assured, I'll definitely help my nephew pick a fine husband... If we truly can't find one, and I have a son, I'll have him marry your young lad—we'll arrange a childhood betrothal."

Shen Qinglan nodded immediately, patting his chest in a gesture of assurance: "The child I have with my husband will surely be as outstanding as he is."

An Ge'er was delighted, but still shook his head: "There's no need to force a marriage pact. If the children later fall in love with others, it would only breed resentment. Better to let them grow up together and nurture their feelings..."

"You're right, An Ge'er, you've thought this through more thoroughly..."

The children weren't even born yet, and the two were already discussing marriage alliances.

Beside them, Li Huilan and the others were speechless: ...

No wonder the two had become such close friends—one was overconfident, the other overtrusting. Truly a perfect match.

The family members, assembled students, and academy instructors at the viewing stand were all stirred with excitement and awe.

Meanwhile, back in the training field.

After watching Han Zhang's performance, Kang Zhanxun immediately understood why Han Zhang had been confident enough to propose the wager for their competition.

That archery skill was indeed unmatched.

But he wasn't discouraged. He picked up his bow, aimed at the target, and loosed ten arrows in succession, streaking forth like shooting stars chasing the moon, cutting through the wind.

All ten arrows also struck the bullseye, each shaft piercing the one before it!

"Bravo—!"

The surrounding crowd erupted in cheers once again.

Though Kang Zhanxun fell short of Han Zhang in raw arm strength, in terms of arrow precision and steadiness of technique, he was in no way inferior.

Even Han Zhang couldn't help but applaud in sincere admiration: "Brother Kang, excellent archery!"

If it weren't for his extraordinary advantages—his exceptional physical constitution and the crossbow accuracy honed from killing zombies in the apocalypse—he truly couldn't have matched Kang Zhanxun's level.

This man was a true born general.

"Today's mounted archery exam includes both stationary and horseback shooting. The wager is still undecided."

Receiving his opponent's acknowledgment, Kang Zhanxun laughed heartily, then turned and strode toward the horses in the distance.

He swiftly selected a mount, swung into the saddle, and flashed a grin at Han Zhang once more, his voice booming like a great bell:

"Brother Han, let's go another round!"

"Exactly what I was hoping for."

Han Zhang didn't hesitate either, laughing openly in response, then walked toward the horses with an upright, confident bearing.