Chapter 42 Archery

Chapter 42: Archery

From then on, whenever Cheng Ge passed by the family's covered corridor, he would always pause to carefully examine his brother's works hanging there, trying to glean something different from them.

As for Cheng Ge himself, the art bug didn't seem to take hold—it was as if he had been born vaccinated against it.

When he tried learning the violin from his eldest brother, he ruined several million-dollar instruments without managing to produce a single note.

When he tried learning painting from his second brother, he fell asleep and woke up with his head stuck in a paint bucket.

Finally, after watching a movie called *The King of Fighters*, Cheng Ge found his life's direction in that moment.

When Cheng Ge told his parents he wanted to learn Muay Thai, their expressions went pale with fear.

It wasn't without reason—Cheng Ge had been rather frail as a child.

He was constantly sick, and because he was born prematurely, he was tiny and frail.

He looked like a sick cat, as if a single finger could easily crush him.

His parents tried to convince him to drop it, but Cheng Ge was unusually stubborn.

When they refused to let him learn, he took his New Year's gift money that very day, ran away from home, and declared he was going to Shaolin Temple on Mount Song to become a monk.

Seeing him like this, his parents had no choice but to relent, thinking it would at least help him get stronger.

Cheng Ge didn't disappoint, training hard day after day, gradually growing stronger, and later went on to learn different fighting styles.

In fifth grade, he heard that his second brother had been bullied by some punks and had a few hundred yuan stolen.

Although the Cheng family was wealthy and lived well, his parents intended to raise their boys on a tight budget, so their allowances weren't generous.

How could he let that slide? How could he let the Cheng family's honor get stomped on like that?

That day after school, witnesses saw him with one hand in his school uniform pocket and the other holding a broom, cornering over a dozen punks in an alley.

In under half an hour, he had them all calling him "Dad."

From then on, Cheng Ge was a legend.

But later, Cheng Ge got a bit too arrogant. Fearing he might end up in juvie at a young age, his parents put their foot down and made him stop.

Now, hearing that Cui Ji was going to teach Zhou Zhan fighting, his eyes lit up.

The chance to learn from a legend like Prince Zhenbei was an opportunity he couldn't pass up, and he stared at Cui Ji with eager eyes.

Cui Ji must have sensed it, turning his head to meet Cheng Ge's gaze.

But it was only for a moment before Cui Ji averted his gaze.

Just then, light footsteps sounded from outside the courtyard.

A figure appeared, wearing a green round-collar tunic with a gold belt with lychee-shaped jade at his waist.

His face still had a hint of youthful innocence, and he smiled warmly and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Zhenbei."

"What are you doing here?" Zhou Zhan asked, annoyed.

Zhou Hao's smile didn't waver, the curve of his lips just right, giving Cheng Ge the impression of a slightly robotic vibe.

"Father has ordered that since Prince Zhenbei is here to teach fighting, I am to come and pick up a few things, so that I may better help my royal brother in the future."

With that, his gaze fell on Cheng Ge. "This must be the newly appointed Crown Prince's Tutor, Master Cheng. I've heard so much about you."

Cheng Ge's mouth twitched slightly; he couldn't take that kind of flattery from a big shot like him. He cupped his hands in a bow. "Second Prince flatters me. I'm just a simple guy."

Zhou Hao's lips curled up. "Master Cheng is too modest. To serve as the Crown Prince's Tutor, you must surely be crazy talented."

Zhou Zhan was disgusted and couldn't bear to listen any longer. He picked up a bow and started shooting, but each shot missed the target, and his expression grew darker.

Zhou Hao stepped forward, took a bow, nocked an arrow, and drew the string in one fluid motion. The arrow flew straight to the bullseye.

Zhou Zhan knew Zhou Hao was showing off on purpose, and his face turned red with anger as he was about to lash out.

"Keep going! Don't zone out!" A cold voice sounded right by his ear.

Hearing Cui Ji's voice, Zhou Zhan froze up, and he grudgingly grabbed the bow.

But just as he was about to start, Cui Ji took a bow and tapped it against the back of Zhou Zhan's knee, barking, "Your stance is all wrong, and you think you're gonna hit the bullseye?"

Zhou Zhan stumbled, nearly falling, his anger boiling over, but he dared not speak out. He instinctively glanced sideways at Cheng Ge, who was not far away.

"Use this one." Cui Ji stepped sideways to block his view and tossed a Kaiyuan Bow to Zhou Zhan.

As soon as Zhou Zhan caught it, he felt the weight in his hands and looked down at the bow.

The Kaiyuan Bow was a military weapon, much heavier in draw weight than his usual red lacquered bow, commonly used by cavalry.

The Great Zhou strictly prohibited the private manufacture of strong bows, with violators considered rebels.

The one in his hands was a special gift from the Late Emperor to the Cui family—a rare, powerful bow.

For an ordinary person to draw it was nearly impossible.

But with so many people watching, Zhou Zhan didn't want to embarrass himself. He gritted his teeth and strained.

The bow, however, seemed to defy him, barely budging before refusing to move further.

His face turned red, veins bulging on his forehead, but the bow remained immovable.

Seeing this, Zhou Hao casually remarked, "It seems my royal brother hasn't practiced in a long time; his strength has waned considerably."

Hearing this, Zhou Zhan felt both shame and anger, and he put even more force into his effort.

Cui Ji's gaze swept over Zhou Hao, and he said coldly, "It seems the Second Prince is quite confident. Why don't you give it a try?"

Cui Ji now felt like tormenting anyone from the Zhou family, showing no mercy.

Zhou Hao's expression stiffened slightly. Though he knew archery, he had no confidence in drawing the Kaiyuan Bow.

But with everyone watching, he couldn't refuse, so he reluctantly took the bow.

He pulled the string with all his might, his face turning red, but he only managed to draw it a fraction, unable to nock and shoot an arrow.

Zhou Hao set the bow aside and forced a calm demeanor. "This bow is extraordinary. It seems I was overconfident."

Seeing Zhou Hao's embarrassment, Zhou Zhan felt a wave of relief.

As long as he wasn't the only one making a fool of himself, it proved he wasn't completely useless.

However, at that very moment, an arrow whistled through the air, zipping straight toward the target and hitting the bullseye in an instant.

Everyone turned to look, totally dumbfounded.

There stood Cheng Ge, holding the Kaiyuan Bow, looking totally chill. He casually grabbed another arrow from Cui Ji’s quiver.

He stretched his arm and drew the bow to a full moon, his eyes narrowed and his chin lifted a little. Fixing his gaze on the distant target, he let another arrow fly.

This shot was even more formidable, like it literally tore through the air, cutting through everything in its path.

With a sharp "clang," it split the arrow in two already lodged in the target and then embedded itself firmly into the board.

For a moment, only the sound of breathing remained in the training ground.

Is this... even possible?

Cheng Ge withdrew his gaze, glanced at the bow in his hand, then turned to look at Cui Ji and asked, genuinely curious, "This bow is nice—where did you buy it?"

Cui Ji: "..." Should he say something?

"Have you trained before?"

Cheng Ge thought for a moment, hesitated for two seconds, then nodded.

He had indeed practiced archery. If he hadn’t been thrown into this crappy book, he would have been preparing for a top-tier international competition, the top pick expected to win the championship.

Not to brag, but those guys from that neighboring country were total amateurs in his eyes, no match for him at all.

Thinking of this, Cheng Ge couldn’t help but feel a twinge of self-pity—truly, heaven envied talent.

He turned back to Cui Ji, his eyes full of innocence, and spoke up again, "You thinking of giving this bow away? I’ll trade you a ginseng root for it?"

Everyone: "..."