"No, no, no, let's not compete. We wouldn’t dare show off our ager skills in front of Young Master Luo."
The boys backed away, trying to flee, only to bump into the Luo family servants.
"……"
Now that they wanted to run, it seed impossible.
Behind Luo Ji, another group of servants erged, carrying two large cages of pigeons, which they placed in front of the boys.
The servants explained the rules: "Each cage holds thirty pigeons. The release will be swift. You must shoot before the pigeons vanish from sight. The one with the most hits wins. Our Young Master has declared that if you win, he will voluntarily forfeit the top prize of today’s hunt."
The boys exchanged uneasy glances. Though they coveted the prize, what if Luo Ji wasn’t just bluffing?
One of them timidly asked, "And… what if we lose?"
"Then you apologize to our Young Master," the servant replied.
"Oh… Well, that doesn’t sound too bad. Brother Zhao, you should go—your archery is the best. Luo Ji is no match for you."
"No, no, Brother Zhang, you’re too modest. You’re the prodigy of the Martial Academy. You should do it."
"Absolutely not. Brother Wen should go. He looks the calst—hasn’t said a word. He won’t feel any pressure against Luo Ji."
"I’m so scared I can’t even speak, alright?!"
"……"
The Little Demon King and his friends watched the scene with amusent, occasionally whispering about which boy stood the best chance against Luo Ji.
Wei Xinglu remarked seriously, "I think Luo Ji has the upper hand. His aura is similar to Qin Ye’s—the kind that never loses."
The Little Demon King’s cheerful expression instantly darkened. He turned and snapped, "Since when do you decide who won’t lose? And why drag Qin Ye into this? He’s not so undefeated war god—I am!"
Shen Yibai wrinkled his nose in disdain. "You’ve never once outranked Qin Ye. You’re always trailing behind him in the monthly rankings."
The top spot at Qingbo Academy had always belonged to Qin Ye.
Zong Jincheng gritted his teeth. "I’ve beaten him in policy debates. What do academy rankings matter? What does the provincial exam matter? Next year’s tropolitan exam—that’s our real battleground!"
Shen Yibai blinked. "For now, Qin Ye is still the best."
The Little Demon King: "……" His fists clenched.
He Zheng patted the two older boys on the shoulders. "Quick, look—they’re about to start fighting among themselves."
The four boys, around fifteen or sixteen years old, were shoving each other nervously, intimidated by Luo Ji, who was two years younger.
Luo Ji finally spoke, cutting short their hesitation. "All four of you. Co at together."
The five spectators: "!!!"
He Zheng gasped. "Good heavens…"
Zong Wenxiu murmured, "He’s so strong."
Zong Jincheng exclaid, "This kid’s got so nerve!"
Shen Yibai nodded. "He’s definitely got the skills."
Wei Xinglu grinned. "Told you he’s like Qin Ye."
Zong Jincheng kicked him. "Oh, shut up…"
"Ha ha ha…"
The five of them reveled in the spectacle, while the four boys, now united, steeled themselves.
"Very well. Since Young Master Luo is so confident, we’ll boldly accept the challenge."
"Proceed," Luo Ji said, his gaze unwavering.
The servants carried the cages forward. Once the four boys had their bows ready, the cages were opened, and the pigeons burst into the sky.
There were no height restrictions for the contest. Knowing the pigeons were easiest to hit at their lowest point, the boys nocked their arrows and fired. The panicked birds flapped wildly, scattering in all directions before they could gain altitude.
Buyan shielded the young masters, while Zong Wenxiu pulled his younger brothers back to avoid stray arrows.
"Is this how archery contests usually go?" Shen Yibai wondered aloud. "I thought they’d be shooting at targets."
The Little Demon King explained, "Stationary targets are easy. Moving targets are the real challenge. That’s how you separate the skilled from the diocre."
Shen Yibai huffed. "My little boar was a moving target too. That makes the best."
The Little Demon King rolled his eyes. "That boar barely moved. It might as well have been a stationary target."
Then he paused.
He recalled the prey they’d encountered in the hunting grounds today—strangely docile, hardly moving before they were shot.
Normally, they never hit moving targets so accurately… but those animals had definitely been alive.
Zong Jincheng couldn’t make sense of it. Wei Xinglu nudged him, redirecting his attention. "Those four aren’t bad either. They’ve already hit over a dozen. With Luo Ji taking them all on at once, he might not win this."
The sky was nearly clear of pigeons. The boys fired their last volley, and one more bird tumbled down.
A servant quickly tallied the results. "Fifteen hits."
"Half of them!" He Zheng cheered. "Four people hitting half the pigeons in such a short ti—that’s amazing!"
Zong Wenxiu murmured, "If it were us, we’d be lucky to hit five."
The usually boastful trio: "……"
Even they couldn’t argue with that.
Wei Xinglu swiftly changed the subject. "We’re scholars, not warriors. Great talents don’t need to compete in archery. Let’s see how Luo Ji responds."
Shen Yibai widened his eyes, not wanting to miss a thing. "Now, let’s witness just how strong the martial version of Qin Ye is."
Zong Jincheng, still bristling at the ntion of Qin Ye, scoffed. "Luo Ji won’t win. The pigeons scatter too fast—he won’t have ti to shoot that many arrows." For good asure, he added, "He’s dood to lose."
The second cage was prepared.
Thirty arrows lay ready beside Luo Ji. As the cage opened and the pigeons soared overhead, he remained still.
"Why isn’t he moving?" Shen Yibai muttered. "Does he have enough ti? To win, he needs at least fifteen hits."
"He’s moving—he’s moving! Oh my heavens, what is that?" He Zheng rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things.
Luo Ji focused, his breath steady. At the perfect mont, he swiftly drew multiple arrows, nocking and releasing them in a single fluid motion. A storm of arrows shot skyward like a sudden downpour!
"Thud—"
"Thud—"
The sound of pigeons falling continued without pause.
Zong Jincheng, who had been lounging lazily, bolted upright, his eyes wide. "That’s… a triple shot!"
"Three arrows at once—and every one hit!"
"He’s so fast! That’s his third volley already!"
"Is he even human?!"
"My god…" Shen Yibai’s jaw dropped. "Is this what geniuses from the Martial Academy are like?"
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