Fu Xi Yan said, “An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, so let’s save some money and make it best two out of three. We’ll take turns setting the target, and whoever scores the most hits wins.”
Chu Shao Yang’s claim that he possessed some knowledge of all eighteen weapons had been a deliberate exaggeration. There was at least one major cultivation stage between him and Fu Xi Yan, so naturally, it made no difference to him what weapon they used.
“Agreed.”
“I’m fat, so I’ll go first.” Fu Xi Yan eagerly ran to an archery target, laboriously lifted it, then shuffled forward in tiny, strenuous steps until he stopped two meters in front of Chu Shao Yang. Catching his breath, he said, “Let’s keep the first round simple and use this as an example!”
Because the Fu faction had superior numbers, the others could not criticize him openly, but their disdainful gazes clearly said—
That’s it?
That’s it?
That’s it?!
Someone from the Chu faction stepped forward and voiced everyone’s thoughts. “Isn’t that distance rather childish?”
Fu Xi Yan glanced at him and shook his head as though saying, Honestly, what am I going to do with you, you troublesome little minx? Then, readily accepting the criticism, he moved the target one inch farther away.
The man’s face twitched. “Could Guard Fu be afraid?”
Fu Xi Yan ignored him and turned to Chu Shao Yang. “If I were afraid, I wouldn’t have agreed to compete with you, right?” The implication was that if Chu Shao Yang admitted he was afraid, Fu Xi Yan would simply give up entirely and refuse to compete.
Chu Shao Yang looked at the target and surmised that Fu Xi Yan’s reasoning must be as follows: as long as the competition was sufficiently easy, there would be little difference between the two contestants. To put it simply, if two adults competed in arithmetic and the questions were as simple as one plus one and two plus two, who could possibly lose? However, there was a flaw in Fu Xi Yan’s plan—they would take turns setting the challenge, which meant Chu Shao Yang would decide the second round. With one tie and one victory, he was guaranteed to win.
He smiled. “Naturally. Brother Fu is highly skilled and therefore fearless.”
Fu Xi Yan nodded in satisfaction. “Next, let us choose the weapons we will use.”
Suspecting that Fu Xi Yan might tamper with the weapons, Chu Shao Yang said, “Brother Fu, please choose first.”
Fu Xi Yan did not stand on ceremony. He picked up a bow and arrows and weighed them in his hands. Seeing Chu Shao Yang select another bow afterward, he smiled and said, “You had better inspect it carefully. A true man must not invent excuses halfway through, find fault with his weapon, and demand a replacement.”
Chu Shao Yang was already suspicious, so he could not help examining the bow and arrows even more carefully.
The Chu faction member who had earlier accused Fu Xi Yan of being afraid suddenly hurried over to the target. Muttering, “There’s quite a lot of dust on this,” he felt the entire target from top to bottom, then subtly shook his head at Chu Shao Yang.
Chu Shao Yang wondered inwardly: could the problem lie with the bow and arrows in Fu Xi Yan’s hands?
But how could Fu Xi Yan have known in advance that Chu Shao Yang would challenge him today and prepared accordingly?
Suppressing his doubts, he raised a hand calmly. “Please.”
Fu Xi Yan shook his head. “I joined a few days before you. A guest should follow the host’s arrangements, so you go first.”
Chu Shao Yang gave him a long, searching look, then turned toward the target, drew his bow, and released the arrow.
The arrow did not disappoint, swiftly burying itself in the center of the bull’s-eye.
“Excellent!”
The Chu faction enthusiastically applauded and cheered. Mixed in among them, Fu Xi Yan also clapped loudly.
Unmoved, Chu Shao Yang said, “Brother Fu, it is your turn.”
“All right. Please wait a moment.” Fu Xi Yan nodded.
Chu Shao Yang waited.
When Fu Xi Yan remained motionless for a long time, the Chu faction began whispering among themselves. The Fu faction was equally confused, but they could hardly undermine one of their own. Whenever the Chu faction talked too much, they even glared fiercely at them.
Two mosquitoes circled Chu Shao Yang’s head before he slapped them dead. He wiped the mosquito blood from his palm and watched as the surrounding crowd grew increasingly restless, while Fu Xi Yan remained as immovable as a mountain. Worried that Zhu Yu Da might return with Fu Xuan and disrupt the match, he could not resist urging, “Brother Fu?”
With an unfathomable expression, Fu Xi Yan said, “Wait a little longer.”
Someone from the Chu faction finally blurted out, “You aren’t waiting for your uncle, are you?”
Fu Xi Yan thought about it. “When you put it that way, I suppose you could say I am.”
The Chu faction immediately began mocking him. “At your age, you still need to hide behind your uncle? Is that what you call a true man?”
Fu Xi Yan replied modestly, “The Standards for Students says, ‘Whether eating or drinking, sitting or walking, elders go first and juniors follow.’ Perhaps my family discipline was strict from childhood, and I learned the lesson especially well. Unlike your esteemed household, where no distinction is made between senior and junior or superior and subordinate, and you ordinarily make your uncle trail behind your backside. If that is what it takes to be a true man, then I concede my inferiority.”
The speaker’s face immediately flushed red. “That isn’t what I meant.”
Pretending not to hear him, Fu Xi Yan called toward the crowd behind them, “Ah, Uncle Zhu, you’re back.”
Everyone turned and saw Zhu Yu Da, who had secretly slipped away earlier, pushing his way through the crowd. Contrary to Chu Shao Yang’s expectations, there were no reinforcements behind him. This time, it was the Chu faction’s turn to be bewildered. Had they wrongly accused Fu Xi Yan? Was this boy genuinely foolish enough to accept a challenge from someone far above his level?
Chu Shao Yang could not help viewing him in a slightly different light. Knowing he could not win yet still daring to face the challenge head-on—perhaps Fu Xi Yan possessed some backbone after all!
After once again being scrutinized by everyone present, Fu Xi Yan appeared entirely unsurprised. He handed the bow he had been holding all this time to someone else and extended a hand toward Zhu Yu Da. Zhu Yu Da reached behind his back and produced a small, delicate slingshot and several pellets.
Fu Xi Yan stroked the frame of the slingshot and praised, “Excellent craftsmanship.”
“Of course it is.” Zhu Yu Da was full of complaints, but upon seeing the Chu faction watching them like tigers stalking their prey, he swiftly changed his tune. “I went through tremendous effort to obtain this. You had better not fail at the crucial moment.”
“Don’t worry.” As Fu Xi Yan tested the slingshot’s band, he said, “Go pull Chu Shao Yang’s arrow out.”
Zhu Yu Da glanced at the target. At such a short distance, Fu Xi Yan should have a good chance of succeeding, so he enthusiastically went over and removed Chu Shao Yang’s arrow.
Fu Xi Yan aimed the slingshot experimentally at the target, then seemed to remember Chu Shao Yang’s existence. “They both count as projectile weapons. You don’t mind if I choose this, do you?”
Chu Shao Yang believed he had finally seen through Fu Xi Yan’s scheme completely.
Compared with a conventional bow, a slingshot was smaller and required less strength. It lacked the power for long-distance shooting but was far easier to control at close range. One glance at Fu Xi Yan’s smooth palms revealed that he rarely practiced. No wonder he was trying to win through clever tricks.
However, such crooked little schemes were nothing but empty theatrics before absolute strength.
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Brother Fu may do as he pleases.”
Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Fu Xi Yan raised his hand, pulled back the band, aimed, and released. The pellet shot forward like an arrow leaving the bowstring and flew precisely into the hole left by Chu Shao Yang’s arrowhead. Like a nail, it embedded itself firmly in the target.
“Excellent!”
Zhu Yu Da led the applause. Although the rest of the Fu faction sounded somewhat reluctant, they followed with enthusiastic cheers, and the atmosphere immediately became just as lively as it had been after Chu Shao Yang’s shot.
The Chu faction: “…” No wonder he had ordered them to remove Shao Yang’s arrow. He just wanted a convenient little hole to stick his pellet into!
They repeatedly signaled Chu Shao Yang with their eyes, hoping he would slam the table in outrage and denounce such shameless opportunism!
Chu Shao Yang remained calm and confident. The first round had merely ended in a tie, and he still controlled the second challenge.
He smiled. “It is my turn to set the challenge.”
Fu Xi Yan nodded obediently. “Please.”
Chu Shao Yang pointed toward a row of low walls in the distance. “Why don’t we use the ants on that wall as our targets?”
Fu Xi Yan had expected him to make things difficult, but not this difficult. The wall was roughly half a li away. Merely reaching it was already beyond an ordinary person’s ability, yet they were also expected to hit a crawling ant. The difficulty could easily be imagined. There was clearly no possibility of winning the second round through luck.
Many Bone Forging Stage experts present silently examined themselves and concluded that even if they possessed sufficient arm strength, they lacked the necessary eyesight.
Chu Shao Yang drew his bow until it bent to its limit, appearing ready to snap in half. Suddenly, the arrow shot forth and, in the blink of an eye, buried itself in the distant wall.
Seeing the confidence on his face, someone from the Chu faction hurriedly suggested, “Why don’t we all go over and examine it?”
The noisy crowd surrounded Chu Shao Yang and Fu Xi Yan as they walked over. The arrowhead had sunk deep into the wall. Only after Chu Shao Yang pulled it free did everyone see half an ant’s body stuck to its sharp tip.
The members of the Chu faction immediately exclaimed loudly:
“Excellent! A hero truly emerges in his youth!”
“This far surpasses piercing a willow leaf at a hundred paces. His skill is practically divine!”
“As expected of General Chu’s nephew—a tiger cub born to a family of generals!”
As they spoke, everyone’s gaze gradually shifted toward the other general’s nephew.
Fu Xi Yan remained perfectly composed.
A mature slacker had to follow “one principle” and “two nevers”: persist in refusing to join the rat race even if a tornado itself swept him up; never allow capitalists to manipulate him through guilt; and never let unhealthy social trends lead him by the nose.
He gazed sincerely at Chu Shao Yang and said regretfully, “I was born with a compassionate heart. Since sweeping the floor might harm the lives of ants and insects, I never sweep, much less pierce them with arrowheads. Naturally, compassion is merely my personal virtue, and I would never use it to morally coerce others. Brother Chu’s skills are extraordinary and truly admirable. I concede this round.”
Chu Shao Yang’s smile nearly collapsed. It would have been one thing if a thin man had made such a sarcastic remark, but judging from Fu Xi Yan’s physique, he clearly did not live on vegetables. How could he have the nerve to claim compassion? His refusal to sweep had nothing to do with cherishing life—he simply ate, slept, and refused to work!
Fu Xi Yan smiled at him with his round, glossy black eyes. “Let us proceed to the final round.”
With a smile that did not reach his eyes, Chu Shao Yang said, “I await your instructions.” Come on! Come on, then! Let this father see what you can do that I cannot!
Fu Xi Yan said, “There’s no hurry. Let me think about it.” He beckoned to Zhu Yu Da.
Zhu Yu Da pulled a pear from his sleeve and handed it to him.
Fu Xi Yan appeared about to take a bite. Then he turned toward Chu Shao Yang, and his gaze suddenly sharpened. “Brother Chu, was that black gauze cap newly made? Why does it have an extra…”
The black gauze caps were made to uniform specifications. How could one possibly have anything extra or missing?
“What?” Seeing Fu Xi Yan craning his neck to examine the top of his head, Chu Shao Yang instinctively lowered it slightly, and then—a pear appeared atop his cap.
Smiling brightly, Fu Xi Yan said, “For the third challenge, let us use the pear on Brother Chu’s head as the target.” Young Master Chu had clearly encountered too few scoundrels in his life. Fu Xi Yan, who had grown up having his chair pulled away whenever he stood up in class, being kneed behind the legs during physical education, and looking left when someone tapped his left shoulder only to find them standing on his right, would never fall for such a cheap trick.
Chu Shao Yang’s body stiffened. Forcing a smile, he said, “Brother Fu, surely you are joking?”
Even as he spoke, his mind frantically calculated how he might shoot the pear atop his own head. Drawing the bow normally would not work, since an arrow could not turn around. If he held the bow backward, Northern Zhou bows were far too large to draw from that position. Unless he stepped forward on the string with one foot, moved the other foot backward to adjust the angle, drew the bow with one hand, and used the other hand to… Merely imagining the scene made his entire body feel ready to split apart!
His opponent was despicable and shameless! How could he allow himself to be led by the nose?
He reached up to remove the pear, but Fu Xi Yan firmly seized his hand. Blinking with an expression that seemed both innocent and utterly shameless, Fu Xi Yan said, “We agreed that I would set the first and third challenges, while you set the second. How can you go back on your word?”
“Since this is a martial contest, martial ability should naturally come first! How can you resort to such underhanded tricks?” Chu Shao Yang was clearly furious, and his words became increasingly impolite.
Fu Xi Yan smiled. “I seem to recall that you invited me to exchange a few moves. An exchange can be literary, martial, or a battle of wits… There are all sorts of ways to compete.”
Chu Shao Yang stared at him before slowly forcing out a smile. “Brother Fu speaks reasonably.”
The members of the Chu faction, who had been signaling so furiously that they were nearly cross-eyed, immediately became anxious. “Shao Yang, you absolutely mustn’t—”
Fu Xi Yan happily interrupted them. “Does Brother Chu intend to concede?”
The Chu faction continued providing a background chorus of “Don’t, don’t, you mustn’t!”
Chu Shao Yang said, “Even if I cannot do it, does that mean Brother Fu can?”
“Since Brother Chu concedes, it is my turn.” Fu Xi Yan held the slingshot in one hand and reached for the pear with the other, but Chu Shao Yang dodged him.
With the pear still balanced on his head, Chu Shao Yang said expressionlessly, “Shouldn’t the pear for the third challenge remain on my head?”
Fu Xi Yan slowly withdrew his hand. “Oh? What does Brother Chu mean?”
He abruptly raised the slingshot and aimed. As though he had foreseen the movement, Chu Shao Yang suddenly leaped into the air, spreading his arms like a great roc and soaring over Fu Xi Yan and the surrounding crowd.
Futile Devices Scans 
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