When Gui Xuanqing learned that his father was coming, he was practicing archery at the range behind the mountain.
Nowadays, he has long become the person with the highest archery skills in the Crossbow Team.
But even so, he continued to practice diligently without stopping. Besides spending time with Jin Fu figuring out how to further improve the crossbow arrow manufacturing platform, he spent almost all of his remaining time at the range.
The reason was nothing but addiction.
The feeling of hitting a target from a long distance was simply fascinating.
And the constant compliments from the Crossbow Team members addressing him as Senior Brother Gui filled him with a sense of accomplishment.
At this moment, he was trying to break through his limits by hitting a humanoid target from nearly three hundred paces away.
This was not only a test of Gui Xuanqing’s archery skills but also a severe test of the Mechanical Crossbow and the crossbow arrows used.
Because at a distance of three hundred paces, any slight deviation would be magnified infinitely, leading to a miss.
After aiming for a long time, Gui Xuanqing suddenly pulled the trigger.
The crossbow arrow shot out swiftly, taking more than a second to travel those three hundred paces.
But the expected scene of the humanoid target being hit did not appear.
The crossbow arrow hit a large tree five meters away from the target, shaking the leaves down with a rustle.
Gui Xuanqing angrily swung his fist.
This was already the fourth arrow to miss the target.
The dispersion did not decrease but instead expanded from just over one meter to over five meters.
This made Gui Xuanqing a bit restless.
At this moment, he received the news that his father had come to visit him.
Stunned, Gui Xuanqing quickly headed toward the front of the mountain.
Sure enough.
As soon as he arrived at the mountain gate, he saw his father, Gui Heshu, directing his men to unload things.
Of course, Gui Heshu wouldn’t come empty-handed, especially considering the current special situation where the Azure Dragon Temple was secluded, so the supplies brought were much more than before.
"Father!" Gui Xuanqing called out excitedly.
Gui Heshu turned around and saw his son, instantly a smile spread across his face.
"Qing’er, come quickly, see what I’ve brought for you."
As he spoke, Gui Heshu took out a package.
"These are your favorite osmanthus cakes, made by your mother herself. She specifically asked me to bring them when I came, kept them chilled, so they’re still fresh. Try them."
Gui Xuanqing felt a bit embarrassed.
When he was young, he had a sweet tooth and especially loved the osmanthus cakes his mother made. That was true.
But that was in his childhood. Now, he was a dignified member of the Crossbow Team, with exceptional archery skills, admired by many brothers.
If they found out he loved sweets like a little girl, he couldn’t imagine what they would think of him.
Sure enough.
Gui Xuanqing heard chuckles coming from behind, making him even more embarrassed.
"What’s wrong?" Gui Heshu didn’t think too much, enthusiastically opened the package, took out a piece of osmanthus cake, and handed it over.
Gui Xuanqing reluctantly took it but didn’t eat it; instead, he asked, "Father, why did you suddenly come?"
"Isn’t it just because I missed you, so I came to see you?" Gui Heshu replied with a smile.
"Is that so?" Gui Xuanqing was deeply skeptical.
No one knows a father better than his son.
He could see at a glance that Gui Heshu’s smile was a bit forced.
Gui Heshu felt a bit guilty under his son’s gaze and was about to say something when a voice came from the back of the convoy.
"Xuanqing, do you still remember me?"
Gui Xuanqing found the voice familiar, looked up, and saw Liang Xin’an standing at a distance with a smile, to his surprise.
"Liang... Uncle Liang?"
Gui Xuanqing had met Liang Xin’an a few times when he was little. Although they hadn’t interacted much, Liang left a deep impression on him.
Plus, over the past ten-plus years, Liang Xin’an hadn’t changed a bit, still as scruffy as before, so Gui Xuanqing recognized him immediately.
"Hmm, not bad, haven’t seen you in over a decade, and you have the makings of a fine gentleman."
Liang Xin’an said with a cheerful smile, completely different from his previous madness while dealing with the Nangong Brothers.
Gui Heshu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He knew that Liang Xin’an had a fondness for his son, Gui Xuanqing.
This was why he dared to bring Liang Xin’an along.
Otherwise, if Liang Xin’an went mad, wouldn’t it cause trouble for the Azure Dragon Temple?
Gui Xuanqing didn’t think too much. He was overjoyed and ran over enthusiastically.
"Uncle Liang, where have you been all these years? I really missed you."
"I went back to the sect to handle some matters." Liang Xin’an replied with a cheerful smile, though his eyes glancing intentionally at the crossbow quiver on Gui Xuanqing’s back.
Even though it was covered with cloth, Liang Xin’an could easily recognize that it was indeed a Mechanical Crossbow produced by his sect.
It seems the rumors were true; the Azure Dragon Temple did capture a batch of Mechanical Crossbows and formed a team because of it.
But where did they get the crossbow arrows from?
One must know that the Mechanical Sect had barely interacted with the outside world in the past decade, only fulfilling some old orders, refusing new clients no matter the offer.
So, Liang Xin’an could conclude that even if the Azure Dragon Temple obtained the Mechanical Crossbows, they couldn’t have bought the crossbow arrows.
Despite his inner doubts, Liang Xin’an’s demeanor was incredibly gracious.
"I heard from your father that you’ve developed well over the past couple of years and have become quite a notable figure now. Congratulations, congratulations."
"Oh, Uncle Liang, you’re joking. How can I be a notable figure? My Martial Dao talent is average, and I have no special skills, but I’ve gained something in the Archery Dao."