Chapter Eleven: The Arrow on the Archery Field

  At the other end of the campus, there were archery targets set up one by one, and the examination was underway.

  "What's wrong with you, can't even hold a bow and arrow properly? Even a 7 or 8 year old child can do better than you. A hot-blooded young man who can't even hold a bow and arrow properly, how can he be considered a student of the academy, how can he fight on the battlefield to protect his family and country?"

  A middle-aged examiner suddenly scolded Li Tu loudly, attracting the attention of other examinees.

  "As expected, he is only slightly better at playing the piano, but in other aspects, he can't compare with us."

  "But this is also a matter of course. He has lost his sight, and it's already unbelievable that he can become a sixth-grade guqin player. If other aspects are also so outstanding, how can people live?"

  "A blind man is forever a blind man, this is an unchangeable fact, even if you are skilled in music, what's the use?"

  Wu Qi saw that the blind man was being scolded by the examiner and felt a great sense of satisfaction, hoping that the scolding would be even more severe.

  "Didn't the examiner realize he was blind? How can a blind man shoot arrows? It's not right to scold someone without investigating the reason, is it?"

  Xiao Wei said in a low voice, it's unfair to the blind man, letting a blind man shoot arrows like an ordinary person, isn't this making things difficult for him?

  "On the battlefield, seasoned soldiers never ask for reasons, only results. And they only need results. Moreover, 'shooting' is a compulsory subject for admission to the Imperial Academy, representing the military power of the dynasty. With literature comes martial arts, he should have known this before the exam, and it's not anyone else's fault." said Ding Tai calmly.

  At this time, Li Tu felt a bit bitter in his heart and didn't know how to say it. It wasn't that he didn't want to learn archery, but rather he couldn't live a normal life like ordinary people, with many things restricted. Drawing swords and riding horses, fighting on the battlefield, blood staining iron armor, was every young man's dream, and also his dream, only he couldn't achieve it.

  "I have been blind for many years and cannot practice archery."

  "I can see that you are blind in both eyes, but this is no excuse for not practicing archery. Who says that being blind means you cannot shoot arrows? Who says that being blind means you cannot even hold a bow and arrow properly? You are making excuses for your own mistakes, shirking responsibility, it's extremely foolish behavior." The middle-aged examiner shouted.

  "The academy teaches its students to be well-rounded in both literature and martial arts, seeking both knowledge and ability. Even bookworms can wield a sword and ride a horse into battle, fighting on the front lines. You can't even hold a bow and arrow properly, what a waste of being a hot-blooded young man, how can you call yourself a student of this academy?"

  "I too wish it were so, but I really can't see. How can one shoot arrows or wield a sword and ride a horse? Can a blind man do such things?"

  Li Tu's heart was getting more and more bitter, I also want it to be like this, but can it be?

  "Huh? Don't believe me?"

  The middle-aged examiner smiled slightly, then tore a piece of cloth from his body, folded it into a strip and covered his eyes. The other examinees saw the examiner do this and couldn't help but become curious, wondering what he was going to do.

  The middle-aged examiner covered his own eyes and said to another examiner, "Tie Gun, you know what to do."

  "Dark Arrow, you're really serious about this kid, aren't you? You're both in your several tens and still have that temperament, haha." Tie Gun said with a smile, then looked at Li Tu and shook his head, saying: "Kid, how should I praise you? Do you know that those skilled archers in the world don't even use their eyes when shooting arrows?"

  "Dark arrow, how about one with a higher difficulty?"

  "Whatever you want."

  "Good, let's see if your archery skills have deteriorated over the years."

  Iron gun walked forward, and after walking for a hundred steps, he stopped, about forty feet away.

  The candidates on the playground looked at the two examiners, wondering what they were going to do. Was one of the examiners covering his eyes to perform a blind shooting performance, but what was the other examiner doing by walking 100 steps away?

  The middle-aged examiner rummaged through his pocket and scattered something into the air. Even the examinees with exceptionally good eyesight only saw a few faint, blurry black dots.

  "Is it possible that the examiner wants to shoot copper coins at a hundred paces? If one's eyes are not blindfolded, this might be achievable, but with blindfolded eyes, how is this possible?"

  One of the examinees seemed to have thought of something and suddenly exclaimed.

  The other examinees seemed to have realized something too and widened their eyes.

  When the iron spear examiner let go, the dark arrow examiner had already strung an arrow on his bowstring. At this moment, he suddenly fired several arrows in a row, with a speed so fast that people couldn't see the action of shooting arrows.

  The bowstring vibrates and then comes the swift sound of the arrow being shot out.

  "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

  Several arrows pierced through the sky, and the faint arrow shadow disappeared instantly. No one could see its trajectory at all.

  "This speed is too fast, it's impossible to see how many arrows the examiner has shot."

  Look at the action, it seems that the examiner only shot one arrow, but the several long arrows in his hand had disappeared. This shows that the examiner fired several arrows in an instant.

  Several actions were completed in an instant, and the speed was so fast that it was impossible to capture.

  "All five arrows pierced through the copper coins and passed through, shattering the copper coins."

  The iron spear examiner in the distance took a look at the copper coins on the ground and shouted loudly.

  "What?"

  The candidates were all shocked in their hearts, staring blankly at the examiner in front of them who looked very ordinary, covering his eyes and still being able to shoot through a copper coin from a hundred paces, and it was instantaneous consecutive shooting of five arrows.

  How is this arrow technique?

  Being able to shoot accurately at a hundred paces in the army is already a top-notch shooter and is a rare talent.

  The dark arrow examiner unexpectedly managed to cover his eyes, a hundred paces piercing copper coins. This is many times more difficult than the ordinary hundred steps piercing willow leaves, and the examinees simply cannot imagine how high the examiner's archery skills are. They stood on the square, the copper coins almost invisible at a hundred paces away, only seeing blurry faint black dots, some examinees with slightly weaker eyesight couldn't see them at all.

  If you close your eyes, a copper coin falls in front of you. As long as it doesn't hit the ground, you can't hear its sound at all. Moreover, the school grounds are not quiet, and they are more than 100 steps away. How did the examiner do it?

  At this time, all the candidates were shocked beyond measure, and this archery had exceeded their imagination.

  "How is this possible? Blindfolded, a hundred paces away, and yet you can see through copper coins."

  The most shocking thing was Li Tu, although he couldn't see anything, but he could hear what happened on the square.

  "With such exceptional archery skills, he must have been the top shooter in the military, so why did he become an ordinary instructor at the academy?"

  Ding Taiji looked at the dark arrow examiner, guessing in his heart.

  The dark arrow official untied his cloth strip and said to the crowd of examinees, "The examination will continue." Then he pointed at Li Tu and said, "Zi Yi, you step forward."

  Li Tu stepped forward and followed the examiner to one side.

  "Now you can understand, the eyes are not the only ones that can see, each organ of the human body has its function, they can all make you see indirectly. For example, your ears can hear; your brain can analyze; your heart can feel; your hands can touch. It's just that you haven't gone deeper to understand and don't know how to use them, many times you don't need eyes to see to know everything."

  "Although being blind in both eyes is very restrictive, it's not a reason you can't do something. Trying doesn't necessarily mean success, but not trying definitely means no success. The fact that you're still able to come and take the entrance exam for this school shows that there are things about you worth taking note of, otherwise you wouldn't be hearing my words."

  "Thank you, examiner, I think I understand."

  "Understood, now I'll teach you how to use a bow and arrow." Anqi nodded.

  "Open your feet to shoulder-width apart, interlock three fingers of both hands under the chin, with elbows and shoulders level. Pull arms outward, then release finger grip, and open arms along the pulling force. Practice this movement first and get familiar with it."

  Li Tu continued to practice the examiner's words, practicing several times. The examiner continued: "The bow hand mainly uses the thumb and index finger to hold the bow, with the arrow on the curved part of the index finger. The drawing hand opens the string with three fingers, holding the arrow between the index and middle fingers. Inhale, draw the string under the chin, pay attention to whether your shoulders and elbows are level. Release, exhale, and pull the arrow back with the drawing hand, also paying attention to whether your movements are level."

  "Inhale quickly, exhale slowly, got it?"

  "I understand."

  "You practice on one side first, and then take the last exam."

  Li Tu picked up his bow and arrow and began to practice slowly.

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