Chapter 6: Wu Without Second

  At this time, some memories that rose in his mind told Qin Mubai that from a young age, among the three brothers, his own martial arts skills were the worst. This was undoubtedly the most shameful thing for a descendant of a military family. Moreover, "he" had been mischievous and rebellious since childhood, neither good at literature nor martial arts, only loving to fly hawks, walk dogs, fight chickens, and gamble, with a somewhat despicable character, a typical spoiled rich second-generation young master.

  The Qin family has always been very strict, so Qin Shubao and his two half-brothers were somewhat disappointed and annoyed with themselves. No wonder they were driven out of the house early on and thrown into the army, and for three years without returning home or receiving any promotion.

  "Alright, this duel will be my first battle to clear my name after I, Qin Mu Bai, return!"

  With a smile on his face, Qin Mu Bai and his two elder brothers took their bows and quivers from the weapon rack and walked into the archery field.

  "Hehe, Father, don't you think that Third Brother is quite different from before this time he came back?" Qin Shuang'er said in a soft voice, "Shuang'er thinks he's much more sensible than before, less reckless and more steady. Look at his calm and confident demeanor now, it's almost like Father's!"

  "Four younger siblings are sweet-talking, but you can't just focus on maintaining your three brothers. At the age of 18 or 19, you should understand things. When I was his age, I was already commanding troops and capturing cities." Qin Uncle Bao stroked Qin Shuang'er's head, but his sharp eyes were fixed on the three people in the arena, saying calmly, "For a martial artist, having real skills is the foundation; otherwise, no matter how good your demeanor is, it's just pretentious."

  Qin Shuang'er pouted and protested: "Dad, why are you so biased against Third Brother? It's really unfair!"

  "Don't you dislike it?" Qin Shubao chuckled and patted her head, saying, "Stop arguing, watch your three brothers compete in archery!"

  Qin Mubai carefully examined the bow and arrow in his hand, a traditional Chinese compound reflex bow, slightly different from the modern bow he used for training and competition in the 21st century. The bow body was made of high-quality Huang Yang wood mixed with animal horn, strong and powerful, with a long shooting range, requiring more than 100 pounds of force to pull open. According to the military standards of the Great Tang Dynasty at that time, this was the standard "longbow" used by infantry.

  The changes are not far from the truth, Qin Mu Bai believes that he can shoot well with this arrow, and it's just that the power used is a bit greater than before. After crossing over, his strength surged to almost twice that of an ordinary person, drawing this one-stone bow is a small matter.

  "Second brother, how are you?" The eldest brother Qin Tong spoke up.

  "We'll just follow Brother Chang's arrangements." Both Qin Mu Bai and Qin Bin said so.

  "Alright. Father just mentioned the six arts, so let's have a competition according to the standards of the six arts archery," said Qin Tong, "Let's compete in 'San Lian'."

  "Good." The two responded in unison. Qin Mubai, however, was drumming up a thought in his heart: What is Shanlian? This archery art of the Six Arts of Confucianism has quite a complicated routine. Never mind, I'll just watch them shoot first.

  "Please go first, big brother." Qin Mu Bai said.

  "Hmm." Qin Tong responded with a slight smile on his face, drew his bow and shot an arrow at the target tens of meters away.

  A loud "thud" sound, right on target.

  Qin Mubai's heart skipped a beat: What great archery skills! Who says the ancients must lose to modern people? A skilled archer from the Cold Arms Era, wanting to become a professional archer in modern times is not difficult at all!

  Immediately afterwards, Qin Tong shot three more arrows in a row, all of which hit the target. The four arrows were lined up neatly and evenly, just like the character "one".

  "Big Brother's archery has always been the most exquisite, how can I and Third Brother possibly win?" Qin Bin said from the side, his words clearly filled with admiration and astonishment.

  "After four arrows hit the target in a row, it turned out to be 'San Lian'. This little trick I used to play with my teammates all the time, not only did we shoot the character 'one', but also shot out the character 'zhī'." Qin Mu Bai smiled unintentionally, thinking to himself.

  "It's your turn, Second Brother." Qin Tong laughed and clapped his hands.

  "It's better to obey than to show respect." Qin Bin turned his head and glanced at Qin Shubao, full of confidence as he nocked an arrow on his bowstring and shot four arrows in a row, also shooting out a beautiful quadruple hit.

  "Haha, Second Brother's archery skills have improved greatly!" Qin Tong laughed and patted Qin Bin's shoulder, the two brothers were obviously very close.

  Not far behind, Qin Shubao's face showed a hint of a smile, and he nodded slightly.

  Qin Shuang'er pouted and said in a low voice, "It's not fair! Eldest brother and second brother have been good at this since they were young, it's always been third brother's weakest point!"

  Qin Shubao smiled slightly and said, "Since you know it's your weakest point, you should strengthen it. If after three years of military service, your archery skills haven't improved at all, then your third brother is indeed a useless good-for-nothing."

  "Hum! Father, you always favor elder brother and second brother!"

  On the other side, Qin Mubai pulled the bowstring to test his hand and prepare for shooting. Qin Tong and Qin Bin stood aside with their hands clasped behind their backs, looking at him with a hint of a smile. Qin Tong also said: "Third brother, you have been in the army for three years, your archery skills should have improved, right? How can you lose to Erge from the Wen family?"

  "Both elder brothers inherited Father's talent, but I'm not as gifted. If I lose, it's only right. Don't laugh at me, both of you." Qin Mu Bai smiled slightly and shot an arrow with a flick of his wrist.

  The arrow is like a swift current, flying stars chasing the moon!

  A loud "thud" sound, right on target!

  "Wow, Third Brother is amazing!" Qin Shuang'er jumped up and cheered loudly. Qin Tong and Qin Liang's faces twitched in unison, saying in the same tone but with different words: "Third Brother indeed has great archery skills!"

  Only Qin Shubao remained calm and composed.

  The archery in the Six Arts of Confucianism emphasizes not killing enemies on the battlefield, but rather cultivating one's character and shaping a gentlemanly demeanor. This "participating" archery emphasizes a single word: "uniformity" - not whether or not you hit the bullseye, but whether the three arrows that follow can be lined up in a row with the previous three.

  The Confucian esoteric meaning of "xiū qí zhì píng" is also embodied in this shooting art.

  However, Qin Mu Bai's elegant posture of drawing his bow and shooting arrows just now, as well as the confident air of 'one arrow must hit the target', really made Qin Shu Bao and others' eyes widen in surprise.

  "There are still three arrows, Third Brother will shoot them!"

  "Good." With a calm smile, Qin Mu Bai held the bow with his left hand and plucked an arrow with his right hand. His five fingers effortlessly opened to reveal three arrows, which he swiftly and smoothly nocked onto the bowstring as if flowing like clouds and water.

  Qin Tong and Qin Bin were suddenly shocked and widened their eyes - what did he want to do? Was he going to shoot all three at once?

  There are people who can shoot three arrows at once, and it's possible to see such skilled archers in the army. But the problem is... now we're trying "Sanlian", which requires four arrows to be shot in a row and lined up in a straight line!

  Who can guarantee that under such circumstances, the three arrows shot out at the same time will be lined up in a row on the target?!

  Absolutely impossible!

  "Perhaps only a godly shooter like Father can achieve that?!" Qin Tong and Qin Bin thought in unison.

  "Ah......" Behind her, Qin Shuang'er let out a light and gentle exclamation, pointing at Qin Mu Bai with some excitement, "Dad, look quickly, Third Brother is going to use Triple Bloom!"

  "The ignorant child doesn't know high or low, how can three sprouts grow at the same time and be equally connected?..." Qin Shubao sneered.

  He had barely finished speaking when three crisp "dang" sounds came from the edge of the target!

  The dust has settled.

  Qin Tong and Qin Bin were dumbfounded, Zhang Da's mouth was so big that it could almost swallow his own fist.

  "Wow!!!!! It's so beautiful! Third brother is so amazing! The plum blossoms are so neatly arranged!" Qin Shuang'er jumped up excitedly.

  Qin Shubao stood up abruptly and stood tall!

  Qin Mubai put down his longbow and smiled slightly, turning around unintentionally to see his father Qin Shubao standing up, a pair of sharp eyes filled with surprise accurately falling on himself, like a knife edge passing by.

  "Third brother...... this...... is truly a divine shot!" After a while, Qin Tong and Qin Bin came back to their senses together, took a deep breath in unison, and exclaimed in shock.

  "My little brother has made a fool of himself." Qin Mu Bai bowed his hands and smiled calmly.

  Qin Shu Bao slightly furrowed his brow and sat back down, Qin Shuang Er excitedly flushed red in the face, surrounding Qin Shu Bao chattering away: "Dad, you see that, hehe! Third Brother really did it! Three consecutive shots, so neat and tidy!"

  "Hmm..." Qin Shubao hummed softly and didn't say anything more.

  "Dad, why don't you praise Third Brother a little bit!" Qin Shuang'er leaned over, pinching his shoulder while whispering in his ear.

  "A man learns archery, is it just for fame and fortune? As a member of the military family, shooting well is a given, shooting poorly should be punished." Qin Shubao's expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, "However, Sanlang seems to have made some progress compared to a few years ago. Go, call them over."

  "Yes! Hehe!" Qin Shuang'er skipped over, looking like she was on cloud nine. After exchanging a few words with her two brothers, she leaned in close to Qin Mu Bai and whispered, "Third Brother, Father praised you!"

  "Really?" Qin Muru smiled with a "heh heh".

  Three brothers put down their bows and arrows and walked together in front of Qin Shubao, paying homage.

  "There is no first in literature, no second in martial arts. Today's archery competition, Sanlang wins." Qin Shubao didn't say much, and after finishing this sentence, he stood up with his cane and said, "I've troubled you, you three brothers go about your own business!"

  "Yes, Father."

  Qin Shuang'er supported her father as they walked, laughing and chatting all the way, like a lively and agile bird, occasionally making Qin Shubao burst out laughing.

  "After three days, I see you with new eyes." Qin Tong gazed at Qin Mu Bai seriously and said, "Third brother, I didn't expect your archery skills to have improved to such an extent. Your demeanor and elegance are beyond compare, and you seem to possess the majestic air of our father, the great general. In comparison, I am truly ashamed. It seems that I must also work harder. I bid you farewell for today. Another day, we brothers will compete again."

  "My father needs to rest, so I'll take my leave." In comparison, Qin Bin's words carried a more refined and cultured tone, "Third brother, please serve and obey your parents well at home. When you have time, it wouldn't hurt to read some books. As the ancients said, 'A country is peaceful when its people are educated.' Now that we live in a prosperous era, having more knowledge can only be beneficial. I bid you farewell!"

  "Got it, little brother! Farewell to the two elder brothers!" Qin Mu Bai bowed his hands in farewell, and his heart stirred slightly: Now, they looked at me with a more intimate gaze, and spoke to me with a warmer tone. Apparently, after that small test of archery skills, Father and the older brothers have changed their opinion of me... After all, blood is thicker than water; perhaps they didn't really dislike me, but rather were disappointed in the old Qin Mu Bai who was useless and unaccomplished.