Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yan Liqiang raised his head. This was his first glimpse at the look of the man who ruled over the millions of beings in the Great Han Empire.
No superhuman powers, no scary looks, and no divine aura protecting him. The man standing in front of him was no longer young as he also had some noticeable gray hairs. One could tell that he was once a handsome young man through his aging but well-maintained face. The Emperor was clad in the exquisite dragon robe, exuding a dignified and profound aura. What impressed Yan Liqiang the most was his pair of deep, serious, and wise eyes. Just by meeting his gaze, Yan Liqiang knew that he was definitely a capable man.
To Yan Liqiang’s surprise, the Emperor was looking at him a little… too intently. His gaze was so focused and serious; it was as though he saw Yan Liqiang had hidden something precious on him.
Thoughts of having the Psychic Serpent read the Emperor’s mind crossed Yan Liqiang’s mind. However, his thought didn’t provoke any reaction in his brain.
This was Yan Liqiang’s first time ever encountering such a situation. Though he looked calm, he was getting shocked mentally.
Recalling to Fu Guang’s advice, the Psychic Serpent’s ability would only fail under two circumstances. The first case was when the other party possessed a mysterious object that could block the Psychic Serpent’s perception. Just like how everything in this universe had their own natural enemies, certain objects could also limit the Psychic Serpent’s ability. Wearing a lead-sealed helmet would be the simplest way to disable its ability. The second case was when that person had attained a certain high level of cultivation, where the mind would not be distracted or would have thoughts running at lightning speed.
Which of the two represented the current situation? Yan Liqiang muttered to himself…
The Emperor smiled at Yan Liqiang, “Minister Sun informed me that he brought back a talented and courageous young man named Yan Liqiang from Gan Province. When he was escorted back to the Imperial Capital, this brave young man defeated hundreds of Blackwind Bandits by himself with just a bow. We have only just realized that you are much younger and more capable than expected through our first meeting today!”
“It was the imperial bodyguards and Brother Liang’s effort to protect Lord Sun for a safe return. I was merely contributing a little help, by luck,” Yan Liqiang responded humbly.
“Hahaha, good! A modest boy! Oh yes, We heard that you are fifteen years old, right?”
“Yes. I’m fifteen years old this year!”
“Fifteen years of age is indeed still young and immature for an ordinary person, but not in our propitious Great Han Empire. Di Longtu was already a general at the age of fifteen. He led 100,000 troops and defeated the New Crescent Dynasty, making an achievement that would last for an eternity. Zhi Gan from the former dynasty became the Grand Chancellor at the age of fourteen, and he was the leader of hundreds of officials. Therefore, as long as one has the ambition, one can achieve anything regardless of age.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. Both Di Longtu and Zhi Gan were not ordinary men, but heroes. I dare not compare myself to them, I only hope that I can do my best and not disappoint Lord Sun, Eunuch Liu, and you, Your Majesty.”
Initially, the Emperor thought that Yan Liqiang might be difficult to interact with or impolite as he was still young. However, Yan Liqiang exceeded the Emperor’s expectations by speaking fluently with him. He was polite and decent, as though he were from a noble family.
Looking at Yan Liqiang’s youthful face, the Emperor grew fonder of him.
“Minister Sun mentioned that you have unusual talent in the art of archery and posses divine strength. A normal person would be exhausted after releasing ten arrows consecutively, but Minister Sun said that you can release over hundreds of arrows at full power. Not only that, they are so deadly that they can reap souls like fallen leaves swept away by an autumn breeze. We have never met a person with such strength before, do you mind demonstrating?”
“Of course, Your Majesty!”
“Great!” The Emperor clapped. He then looked at the bow in his hand and his eyes lit up, “This bow is about twenty piculs. It can pierce through stone and gold within a thousand meters. Will you be able to draw it?”
“Sure!” Yan Liqiang glanced at the Horned Python Bow and smiled.
“Fetch the arrows!” the Emperor demanded.
Without any delay, Eunuch Liu personally brought over three quivers full of arrows with a smile and placed them in front of Yan Liqiang. “Since it is the Emperor’s wish, do your best in the demonstration. You must not disappoint His Majesty!”
“Understood!”
“This is not about disappointing us. It will be fine as long as you try your best. Things like this cannot be forced,” the Emperor added softly.
“Yes yes, your Majesty. Forgive me for speaking out of turn!” Eunuch Liu was still smiling as he lightly tapped his own cheek, then hunched and retreated back.
Yan Liqiang took the Horned Python Bow from the Emperor. He weighed it in his hand and he found the feeling at once.
This Horned Python Bow was unlike to those bows displayed at the archery range — this was the Emperor’s. The body of the bow had a beautiful and natural pattern, certainly a priceless piece.
After picking up an arrow and gently placing it next to the bowstring, Yan Liqiang asked, “Your Majesty, may I know which target to shoot?”
“You can shoot the few targets located 5000 zhang away which we just shot…” said the Emperor while pointing to the direction of the targets.
5000 zhang was equivalent to 1500 meters. There were four targets about the height of a man which stood under the trees. Each of them was approximately separated by twenty meters and painted with a human form. These few targets were the furthest in Deer Villa’s archery range, similar to the maximum range and killing distance for archery on most battlefields.
It would be a mission impossible for Yan Liqiang to draw the mighty twenty-picul bow when he first came to Imperial Capital. But after the recent harsh training and cultivation, his stamina was increasing daily up to the level where he was shocked by his own incredible strength. Hence, it was an easy task for Yan Liqiang to handle this heavy and strong bow.
Yan Liqiang lifted the bow and took a deep breath. He instantly drew the Horned Python Bow into the shape of a full moon.
Yan Liqiang released his hand. One could only hear the sound of the accelerating arrow which had physically vanished from sight.
As soon as the arrow left the bow, Yan Liqiang once again drew the bow to the full moon shape within a fraction of a second and released the next arrow.
At this moment, Yan Liqiang seemed to have transformed into one of those robots in an assembly line, constantly repeating the same action to shoot away the arrows quickly and steadily. Within a second, two arrows flew out from the bow….
Before the first arrow hit the target, the second arrow was in the air, and the third arrow was ready on the bowstring…
The Emperor and Eunuch Liu stared at those targets 1500 meters away, and they were amazed by the scene.
The arrows were released from the bow continuously and struck the target one after another, forming blossoms of arrows on the target with a constant rhythm.
Eunuch Liu and the Emperor didn’t realize anything at the beginning. After a few seconds, both were astonished to see that the blossoms of arrows were actually forming some words…
At about the one minute mark, the last arrow left the bow. The four targets which were 1500 meters away had the 108 arrows on them which formed a Chinese phrase – Long Live The Emperor!
Eunuch Liu was stunned. He knew that Yan Liqiang had good skills in archery, but he never expected him to have such impressive talent by shooting 108 arrows perfectly within a minute. If this happened on the battlefield, Yan Liqiang could have killed 108 enemies in a minute. If there were 108 cavalry riding on rhinodrake steeds galloping toward Yan Liqiang, wouldn’t he wipe them out before they could even reach him?
Yan Liqiang was not the only person who could shoot perfectly at this distance; a few of those in the Imperial Cavalry Unit could do it too. However, he should be the only person in the Great Han Empire who had the incredible archery skill to shoot hundreds of arrows flawlessly with this strong bow in such a short time period.
H-He… He’s totally a monster…!
Yan Liqiang brought the bow down steadily with a small blush on his face. “Thank you!”
The Emperor gazed at the words and was stunned for ten seconds before he could react. He then immediately gave an order, “Bring those four targets over!”
Soon, the targets were carried over to the veranda of the archery range.
These targets were made of three-foot thick hardwood, covered by a layer of cloth. Eunuch Liu and the Emperor looked at the side of the targets. Once again, they were amazed. All 108 arrows were exactly one foot deep into the targets, with the body of the arrows spread evenly across the targets. The tails of the arrows resembled a nicely-harvested farm…
