Chapter 6: The Edge of Red Heart with One Arrow

  Lü Yi was still thinking about what Qin Cheng had just said to him on the way back to the cavalry division, and in addition to feeling a sense of wonder, he also felt a sense of relief.

  Just then, after a brief hand-to-hand combat, Qin Cheng said to himself in an extremely low and serious tone: "I want to learn archery, you have to help me."

  "Learn archery and horsemanship? What's the use of an infantryman learning archery and horsemanship? Are you trying to become a cavalryman?" Lü Yi remembered himself being extremely surprised at that time.

  "Not bad!" Qin Cheng replied very affirmatively.

  "In fighting against the Xiongnu, the key lies in cavalry, with infantry playing a very small role and having almost no use on the battlefield. Therefore, I want to become a cavalryman, and the most important thing for a cavalryman is archery, so I must practice archery!"

  "This year is almost over, and you can't even practice horse archery well in a short time!" Le Yi said.

  "This year won't do, then next year!" Qin Cheng said firmly. "I know that even if I practice well in horsemanship and archery, it's not necessarily possible to transfer from infantry to cavalry, but if I don't practice well, I'll definitely become a cavalryman! In short, horsemanship and archery must be practiced!"

  "Alright, I'll help you!" Yue Yi was infected by Qin Cheng's rare determination and fighting spirit, and replied affirmatively. Only he didn't know that this Qin Cheng was no longer the same Qin Cheng.

  Le Yi's face involuntarily revealed a smile as he thought about it. As companions who grew up together with Qin Cheng, their feelings were not ordinary. Especially after Le Yi's father and mother passed away one after another, if it weren't for the help of Qin Cheng and his sister Qin Yue, he would have probably starved to death long ago. However, Qin Cheng had never been outstanding since childhood, and his personality was also mediocre and somewhat weak-willed, which made him incomparable to Le Yi, who had practiced archery and hand-to-hand combat skills since childhood and had a strong personality - the difference between them was like heaven and earth. It was precisely because of this that when Le Yi was selected as a cavalryman, Qin Cheng could only be an infantryman.

  As a childhood friend, Le Yi had tried many times to change Qin Cheng, but unfortunately, Qin Cheng, who had been living under the care of his sister Qin Yue since he was young, was simply beyond help. This once made Le Yi feel heartbroken and frustrated. Until now, just when Le Yi was about to give up on his plan to make a name for himself in the army with Qin Cheng, Qin Cheng suddenly burst out unexpectedly today, which made Le Yi feel invigorated! So Le Yi had already secretly made up his mind to help Qin Cheng practice horseback riding and archery well. As for whether he could become a cavalryman, Le Yi didn't have a way, but he was willing to hold an optimistic attitude.

  Due to some miserable experiences and his exceptional martial arts skills, Yue Yi's personality is actually quite arrogant. From a young age, he had only two close friends, one of whom was Qin Cheng. Therefore, Yue Yi also regarded Qin Cheng as exceptionally important.

  Qin Cheng returned to his own barracks in the infantry department just before rest time. Dong Chu and others had already returned the war horses to his cousin, who was a squadron leader in the cavalry department, and reported Qin Cheng's situation to the military authorities, of course, according to the agreed-upon statement with Qin Cheng, but the specific handling of the matter would have to wait until another day.

  The fellow soldiers in the same room who didn't know the situation couldn't help but tease Qin Cheng when they saw him return, and even Shi Chang scolded him harshly. In response, Qin Cheng didn't say much, as the outcome of the military trial would be announced soon anyway, and he was too lazy to argue with them. This made Dong Zhu and others who had been waiting for a good show since the soldiers from different squads started teasing Qin Cheng feel disappointed. In their opinion, Qin Cheng should have beaten them all up to vent his anger, as it would be easy for him given his previously demonstrated strength. This would also make the fellow soldiers in the same squad as Qin Cheng feel proud, especially Dong Zhu, who would feel more at ease with himself.

  Before long, the bugle sounded in the camp, and all the soldiers went to sleep. There was no more conversation that night.

  In the entire barracks, there were only two people who didn't fall asleep immediately. One was Qin Cheng and the other was Dong Chu.

  Qin Cheng, who was still immersed in the thoughts and feelings brought about by the changes of his past and present lives, did not notice that Dong Zhuo's eyes flickered when he looked at him intentionally or unintentionally.

  Qin Cheng, who had a sleepless night, got up first at dawn the next day.

  Early in the morning, Qin Cheng and Dong Zhuo were taken away by the military for questioning. After confirming that Dong Zhuo's words yesterday were true, the military did not make things difficult for Qin Cheng. Later, it was natural to post a notice announcing the relevant content.

  However, Qin Cheng suddenly became a celebrity in the army, and many soldiers looked at him with strange eyes when they saw him, and couldn't help but gossip. Someone who was struck by lightning and didn't die would naturally attract everyone's attention. This is also the price Qin Cheng had to pay for avoiding being labeled as a "deserter".

  Because they are all trying to do their best, the intensity of the military training has inevitably increased. Moreover, everyone has heard more or less about the news of the Xiongnu army invading Daijun and Miyang, knowing that a big battle may be imminent, so the training is also more serious. As a result, Qin Cheng's riding and shooting can't help but take up some time in the evening to train.

  "You want to learn horseback archery, first you need to learn stationary shooting. Stationary shooting is standing in one place and shooting at a fixed target. Stationary shooting is the foundation of horseback archery, your previous stationary shooting wasn't very good, so I'll teach you that first." Yue Yi held a strong bow and explained to Qin Cheng who was listening intently in front of him, "This strong bow is commonly used by cavalrymen in the army, its characteristics are powerful and long-range, but it also requires more strength, generally speaking, it needs eight liang of strength or above."

  Qin City looked at the strong bow in his hand, with its bone scabbard, wooden body and inwardly curved horn. Holding it in his hand, he felt a sense of weightiness. Before crossing over, Qin City had also played with compound bows during his free time. Although he hadn't studied them seriously, his archery skills were not bad, and were even quite good. Because before crossing over, Qin City's horse ranch had an attached archery range. Since unifying the province's underworld three years ago, Qin City, who didn't gamble or visit brothels, spent most of his free time at the horse ranch, archery range, and boxing gym. And as someone who had struggled in the underground boxing arena for four years and was ranked first, his athletic talent was not to be doubted.

  "You have some basic knowledge of archery, now try shooting a few rounds first and let me see." Le Yi said after introducing the strong bow. In fact, according to Le Yi's understanding of Qin Cheng before, he didn't need Qin Cheng to try shooting at all. He was very clear about how good Qin Cheng's archery skills were. However, considering Qin Cheng's abnormal behavior yesterday, Le Yi decided to test him first as a precaution.

  "Good!" Qin City also agreed without hesitation, although the ancient strong bow in his hand was different from the compound bow he played with before crossing over, but the principle of archery was after all the same. Qin City now held the strong bow in his hand and felt pretty good about it, he believed that this round of trial shooting shouldn't be too bad.

  Having said that, Qin Cheng drew his bow at a target fifty paces in front of him.

  "Hold on!" Le Yi suddenly interrupted Qin Cheng, quickly running to the front of the target that Qin Cheng was facing, and forcibly moving it forward by ten steps, making it only forty steps away from Qin Cheng. After doing this, Le Yi ran back and then signaled to Qin Cheng that he could start. This wasn't because Le Yi didn't have confidence in Qin Cheng's archery skills, but rather because Qin Cheng's skills made him unable to be confident. Le Yi didn't want Qin Cheng to feel too much pressure, which would cause him to lose his nerve on the first shot.

  For Yue Yi's actions, Qin Cheng felt a burst of laughter in his heart and didn't say much. He concentrated his energy and slowly opened up the formation.

  Qin Cheng slowly lifted his right foot, making his feet and shoulders the same width. His left hand drew the bow, his right hand held the arrow, placing it between his index and middle fingers. He then placed the arrow on the curved tip of his left index finger. His eyes focused intently on the target, forming a straight line with the arrow. Taking a deep breath, he pulled back the bowstring like a full moon. Concentrating, he finally exhaled sharply and released the arrow. All movements were completed in one smooth motion, slow but flowing, like clouds drifting across the water, with an air of elegance!

  Suddenly, "Ka!" "Bang!" two sounds rang out in succession, the four-edged iron arrow flew through a straight line in the air, fiercely inserting into the target, and when I looked closely, half of the iron arrow had already entered the target, with the arrow tail still violently trembling!

  Le Yi took a deep breath and was shocked in his heart. This power, how could it be described with just one word? And...

  Qin Cheng lowered his strong bow, looked at the iron arrow he shot out, and laughed: "After all, it's the first time using this thing, I hit the edge of the red heart, didn't quite hit the center, what a pity!"

  Very proud of himself!

  Le Yi's forehead suddenly appeared a black line, "Being hit by the red heart is being hit by the red heart, what's the point of only hitting the edge of the red heart?!" Originally wanted to praise Qin Cheng, seeing Qin Cheng's complacent look, Le Yi dispelled this idea, "This is just a mere 40 steps, if you can hit the red heart beyond 50 steps, that's real ability!"

  "Good!" Qin Cheng's enthusiasm was greatly aroused, and he said decisively. After speaking, he moved two steps to the left, walked to another fifty-step distance from the archery target, opened his stance, drew his bow and arrow, aimed at the small red heart, and waited for the shot!

  Lü Yi watched Qin Cheng's movements from the side, thinking to himself, how many catties and taels do you have that I wouldn't know? Just now, that one arrow already counted as your luck, if this next arrow hits again... Do you think shooting arrows is like squatting in a latrine? You just aim wherever and there's goods?

  Qin Cheng did not know what Yue Yi was thinking at this time. After concentrating his spirit and energy, a full-strength arrow had already been shot out!

  Bang!

  The quadrangular iron arrow was inserted into the target again, with half of it entering the target!

  "Haha!" Qin Cheng burst out laughing, his voice rising a few decibels, "Again the red edge! How come you always can't hit the center of the red?"

  He finished speaking and turned his head, only to see Yue Yi rubbing his eyes, then staring at the target fifty paces away with wide eyes, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

  This is too unbelievable, this is still that mediocre guy who can't be more mediocre, the arrow he shot out is actually an insult to mediocrity! This would be considered a good archery skill in the entire army!

  "What's wrong with Le Yi?" Qin Cheng asked innocently.

  "Cough, cough, nothing. Ah, you shot that arrow quite well, haha!" Le Yi felt embarrassed and worried that Qin Cheng would be offended by his reaction, so he made a joke to ease the situation.

  "It's nothing, just a bit more strength!" Qin Cheng swung his hand with a big air, very pleased with himself. "But to be honest, even if I took ten steps back, I could still hit the mark, haha!"

  "...Le Yi only now realized that he was worried about Qin Cheng's self-esteem being hurt, this was a stupid mistake. He immediately shouted: "Ten more steps back? If you can still hit the target, then you're the boss!"

  "Alright! Quickly move the target!" Qin Cheng waved his hand grandly and said with a heroic tone.

  "Let you be able!" Le Yi ran over like a gust of wind and quickly moved the target.

  "Watch closely!" Qin Cheng shouted loudly, then gathered his spirit, adjusted his posture, took a deep breath, and drew the bow again. The three points were in line, and the full moon shape of the bow was displayed once more.

  Lao Yie looked at Qin City, his heart rose to his throat, and he couldn't help but think, sixty paces, damn it!

  Under Lü Yi's gaze, the right hand of Qin Cheng suddenly loosened, and the four-edged iron arrow shot out with a "hiss" sound, directly hitting the target!

  Bang!

  Bullseye! Red heart on the edge!

  "Crack!" Le Yi's large mouth suddenly closed, and his chin folded in.

  I'm speechless!

  Then, Qin Cheng's laughter came again, "Grandma's, how come it's Red Edge again?!"

  What else can you do? Yue Yi cursed in his heart. Heaven, I still thought he was a little servant who couldn't shoot arrows, but heaven has never seen such an incompetent archer!

  Yue Yi could only look at Qin City with a gaze of watching a monster.

  Three arrows hit the target in a row, Qin City was excited, and suddenly he forgot about Yue Yi next to him, stroking the strong bow in his hand, he was self-absorbed and posed again in the same posture as just now, with a smile all over his face.

  Then, Qin Cheng made a move that made Yue Yi collapse. He himself ran to the target he had just shot, moved it back ten steps, and then ran back with a smile.

  Then, in the midst of Le Yi's stunned gaze, Qin Cheng forcibly calmed his mind, looked up at the sky, and began to concentrate his spirit for the fourth time. Next, he nocked the arrow, drew the bow, focused his mind, took a deep breath, pulled the bowstring, concentrated his spirit, and with a swift motion, released the arrow!

  Yue Yi felt that his heart was completely controlled by Qin Cheng's movements, and with every move of Qin Cheng, Yue Yi's heart would violently beat once. Finally, when the iron arrow in Qin Cheng's hand shot out again, Yue Yi felt that his heart had also flown out!

  Bang!

  As the iron arrow shot into the target, Yue Yi felt his heart suddenly explode in that instant, and then a wave of weakness.

  He has no idea what to say or think anymore!

  Damn it, he hit again! And it's on the edge of the red heart. Moreover, Qin Cheng's voice came again!

  "Haha, damn it, still the red edge, how did I do this, why can't I hit the center of the red heart?" After finishing speaking, Qin Cheng burst into a self-satisfied laugh.

  Yes, how did you do this? I also want to know. Le Yi's heart is screaming! Seventy steps, this is seventy steps! How many years have you practiced to reach this level?! You say shoot and hit the target?!

  Qin Cheng had barely finished laughing when he turned his head to look, only to see Yue Yi walking away with his shoulders slumped and his back to him.

  "Le Yi, you haven't taught me archery yet! Why are you leaving?" Qin Cheng shouted loudly towards Le Yi's back.

  Le Yi waved his hand weakly without even turning his head, "You practice slowly by yourself, I'm not feeling well today, I'll leave first." I couldn't help but leave, if you hit the red heart again from eighty steps away later, I'd rather die! This is too damaging to one's self-esteem!

  Behind Le Yi, Qin Cheng let out a loud cry, and then there was no sound. Le Yi's heart sank, this guy, wouldn't he be thinking of doing something desperate?

  Then, just as Yue Yi was about to turn his head back, he heard a "bang" sound, and Qin Cheng's loud voice rang out again: "Haha, eighty steps! Finally hit the bullseye! I'm really fucking awesome!"

  Red heart?

  Le Yi's eyes turned black and he almost fell to the ground.

  Damn it, stop worrying about this beast! Goddamn, what a beast! Eighty steps away! Not even beasts are that scary!

  "It seems that my archery skills need to be far enough to hit the mark! I see, so that's how it is! Haha, I'm really their god! Hey, try again at ninety paces!"

  After hearing Qin Cheng's words, Yue Yi suddenly felt a lightness under his feet and finally fell to the ground. Then, regardless of Qin Cheng's "huh" behind him wanting to say something, he crawled up with all fours and fled like flying!

  Monster!

  Better leave you before you hit ninety steps, my self-esteem also has a bearing limit.