Chapter 876 - 878: Accidental Entry, Exceptional Performance_1
Other Study Palaces also had women participating in mounted archery, and soon Bai Ruozhu spotted Lin Hanlan, who had previously looked for Jiang Yichun. Lin Xufei was with her, and the two of them nodded and greeted Bai Ruozhu very friendly.
Because Lin Xufei had escorted and helped them all the way, Bai Ruozhu, Tu Ying, and Tu Bai all smiled politely at him and his sister.
The archery competition started quickly, and everyone drew lots to determine the order of shooting. They went up in groups of five, taking turns based on their assigned numbers.
As soon as Lin Hanlan drew her lot, she exclaimed, "Oh no, bad luck, first in line—that’s so nerve-wracking!" She even pouted, looking extremely adorable.
Bai Ruozhu thought about how Lin Hanlan said she was raised as a boy, but felt that she seemed even more coquettish than Tu Ying, without much of a tomboyish demeanor.
Lin Xufei laughed softly, "You, nervous? Stop playing innocent here and get going."
Lin Hanlan chuckled twice, then strode to the archery spot. She picked up the bow and arrows in a very dashing manner, then stretched her body and drew the bow casually. A whoosh sounded as the arrow swiftly flew out and hit right in the center of the target!
The audience burst into applause, and many people cheered for Lin Hanlan. There were even some calling her name, showing her popularity was quite high.
The four others in her group didn’t perform as brilliantly. Each person shot five arrows, with Lin Hanlan hitting the bullseye with all five. Of the rest, only one managed to hit the bullseye with three arrows, further highlighting Lin Hanlan’s superior archery skills.
After shooting her five arrows, she put down her bow and fist-saluted the audience, her manner very free and easy, resembling Tu Ying as a woman of valor. Many young masters from the audience started shouting her name, calling out "Lin Hanlan’s heroism is second to none!" and the like.
In the second group was Tu Ying, also the second female contestant to shoot. The audience naturally compared her to Lin Hanlan.
Tu Ying was not affected by anything. She walked confidently to her spot, drew her bow, and shot. She carried a certain air of valor in her posture, even resembling a heroic commander. She swiftly shot three arrows in quick succession, all hitting the bullseye. Then, she quickly grabbed two arrows and shot both at once, and with a whoosh, both arrows hit the bullseye together!
Bai Ruozhu was stunned; she had thought dual shooting was a fabrication for TV, but today she saw it was real!
Because Tu Ying’s first three arrows were so fast, and with the following two arrows shot simultaneously, she finished first in her group. She turned and fist-saluted the judges and the audience, then walked back elegantly.
The crowd was momentarily silent before erupting into enthusiastic applause. Many people cheered, clearly showing that Tu Ying’s archery was even more formidable than Lin Hanlan’s, by no small margin.
Because Tu Ying was so impressive, and with the sudden burst of applause from the audience, the other four contestants in her group were somewhat affected mentally, including Dang Youshen, who only hit the target with three arrows, with the other two coming close to the bullseye—a fairly good result still.
The third group saw Zheng Kangle’s turn, and he had been staring at Tu Ying with burning eyes, as if brimming with determination. He performed even better than usual, with four arrows hitting the bullseye and only the last one slightly off the mark.
By the time Zheng Kangle finished, his face was a bit red. Although he couldn’t compare to Tu Ying, he at least hadn’t embarrassed himself in front of her.
Tu Ying hadn’t noticed Zheng Kangle’s difference and said with a smile, "Zheng Kangle, you did well. Give it your all in the mounted part later."
Zheng Kangle’s smile almost reached his ears, "Alright, I will definitely perform my best."
Bai Ruozhu wanted to laugh, considering that Zheng Kangle, with his family background, was actually in a better position to pursue Tu Ying. Unfortunately, Tu Ying felt nothing for him—unrequited love, with the stream having intent, but the fallen flowers feeling none.
In the fifth group, there were no contestants from Beiyu Study Palace, but someone they knew, Lin Xufei, was participating. Everyone watched by the side, and Lin Hanlan didn’t go to watch her brother compete properly. Instead, she came over with a giggly smile, "You must be Tu Ying, right? Your archery is amazing, I really admire you!"
Tu Ying cupped her fist towards her, "No need to be polite, you did well too."
Lin Hanlan smiled, "I’m far behind compared to you, I need to practice a lot more after seeing you." She finished speaking and looked at Bai Ruozhu, saying, "Sister-in-law, you must give it your all too later on."
Tu Ying looked at her strangely, thinking, isn’t her brother Lin Xufei? Why is she calling Bai Ruozhu sister-in-law?
After she finished speaking and left, Bai Ruozhu whispered to Tu Ying, "She knows Achun, she calls him elder brother, so that makes me her sister-in-law."
Tu Ying uttered an ’oh’, feeling that this way of addressing could easily cause confusion.
Soon, the fifth group finished. No wonder Lin Hanlan didn’t go to watch her brother do archery; it turned out that Lin Xufei’s skills were only above average, roughly on par with Zheng Kangle.
The sixth group was Bai Ruozhu and Tu Bai’s turn to perform. Bai Ruozhu took a deep breath, gently moved her right hand that wore the finger guard, and then walked to her position to focus. Her eyes were fixed on the bullseye, and she silently told herself, "Come on, you can definitely hit the target."
Perhaps too focused, the sounds around her seemed to gradually fade away until everything seemed far removed. Her world seemed to consist only of the target she was intently fixing on, as well as the bow and arrow in her hands.
She inhaled, drew the bow and aimed for the bullseye, then gently released her hand. The arrow whizzed out – the first arrow hit the bullseye!
She took another arrow, drew the bow, and shot again. The bullseye in her eyes appeared enlarged. She was immersed in it and suddenly found the joy of archery.
She could exclude distractions and concentrate on archery. In her world, there were only the target and the bow and arrow, no other thoughts.
In the judges’ area, one of the judges suddenly uttered a ’huh,’ then stroked his beard and said, "That woman is quite lucky, to find the unity of archer and arrow at such a time."
The judge beside him also took notice, "Indeed, this is interesting. It’s rare to come across such a situation."
Therefore, the judges all watched Bai Ruozhu, but unfortunately, she felt nothing of their scrutiny. She was engrossed in the focus of archery, releasing one arrow after another. She hit the bullseye with each of the five arrows. This state suddenly improved her performance, even achieving a score thirty percent higher than usual.
Just as she was about to take the sixth arrow, a servant by her side reminded her, "Miss, you have already completed five arrows!"
Bai Ruozhu suddenly came back to reality, waking from that state of unity with the arrow. She looked at the target in a daze. Ah, she had hit all five arrows!
Only then did she remember that wonderful feeling she had just experienced. Suddenly feeling a sense of regret for not having enjoyed it a bit longer, she even gave the servant a slightly annoyed look before walking away.
In the judges’ area, the perceptive judge exclaimed with regret, "That servant is so blind, why wake her up at such a time? What a pity, if she stayed in that state a bit longer, her archery could have improved significantly."
"Come on, this is a competition, could we let her keep shooting indefinitely? She’s lucky to have had this opportunity; at least she will score well now," another judge remarked.
Thinking it over, the perceptive judge could only sigh with regret.
Bai Ruozhu was somewhat puzzled about what had just happened, not knowing what it was. She was about to ask Tu Ying when she saw that Tu Ying’s eyes had turned red, and tears had already wet her cheeks...