Chapter 77: Don't Want Your Face Anymore?

Nan Xueyin ignored Shu Yu; it wasn't as if she couldn't hear the conversation over there.

One said, "Brother Xia, isn't winning against her easy for you?"

Another said, "But she was brought here by the Crown Prince after all. If she loses and gets unhappy, then goes crying to the Crown Prince to lodge a complaint, Brother Xia might not have a chance to get promoted in the future."

So someone teased, "Brother Xia, why don't you go easy on her?"

Xia Lin said with an arrogant tone, "Usually I hit it in two or three arrows, but today, out of respect for the Crown Prince, I will go easy on her and hit it in three. That way, she won't lose too embarrassingly."

The group burst into laughter.

Nan Xueyin did not know what was so funny about that.

She pushed Shu Yu aside and looked straight ahead, "Xia Lin, is it?"

Xia Lin and the others looked over at the sound of her voice.

"Let's add a wager."

Xia Lin laughed upon hearing this: "This young lady, why are you so confident?"

Someone on the side muttered: "I reckon she loves to spar with people in the Eastern Palace, and since they all go easy on her for the Crown Prince's sake, she's actually convinced herself she's invincible."

Nan Xueyin had no expression on her face and said: "If I lose, I will sever my own left arm. If you lose, you will kneel on the ground and kowtow to me three times."

Once these words were spoken, the whole crowd was stunned.

Shu Yu hurriedly pulled at her: "What kind of reckless wager are you making? An arm isn't something you can just cut off; if the Crown Prince..."

"My business has nothing to do with him," Nan Xueyin brushed him off, "Besides, I will not lose."

Over there, Xia Lin raised his voice and said: "Young lady, if I lose, I will kowtow to you. If you lose, there is no need to sever your left arm; just put in a good word for me before the Crown Prince."

Fearing Nan Xueyin would say something even more shocking, Shu Yu clapped his hands, "Fine! It's a deal!"

Nan Xueyin couldn't be bothered to say anything more and withdrew her gaze.

"Begin!"

Shu Yu gave the order.

Xia Lin nimbly shot an arrow; the arrowhead landed half an inch away from the colored flag.

It was actually quite close, and the crowd let out a few sighs of disappointment.

"It's fine! Brother Xia said he'd go easy on her!"

"Does that mean he has to go easy on her for another arrow later?"

"She hasn't even shot yet! Is she unable to draw the bow?"

They were laughing again.

Nan Xueyin did not find those laughs unfamiliar.

She became an Assassin for Xiao Mingyu and underwent all kinds of training, but the training grounds were basically filled with men; the few women there received special treatment, meaning the training for female Assassins was much simpler and easier.

They would say they envied the women.

They also said that women were inferior to men in many aspects, and that this was natural.

Seeing Nan Xueyin insist on undergoing the male Assassin training, they advised her not to force herself.

Nan Xueyin knew they meant well, but hearing it just made her feel unhappy.

She insisted on training alongside the men; at first, her speed couldn't keep up, and her strength couldn't keep up, so she would always be defeated in one or two moves during sparring.

They laughed just like this.

Perhaps they found it amusing, and there was a faint sense of mockery, but more than that, it was the condescension of those looking down from above.

It was the same right now.

Nan Xueyin's expression grew colder and more somber; she drew her bow, nocked an arrow, aimed at the direction of the colored flag, and instantly released her fingers.

The arrowhead sliced through the air with a soft "swish."

"Hey—"

The first to cry out in surprise was Shu Yu.

He stared at the colored flag knocked over in the distance; at first, he didn't believe it, but after checking several times, he confirmed it was indeed Nan Xueyin's, and only then did he burst into cheers: "She hit it! She hit it!"

He laughed out loud, "She hit it in one arrow!"

Nan Xueyin's expression was indifferent, "I said earlier, I will not lose."

Shu Yu did not spare any praise, "You are too amazing! I knew you would win!"

Nan Xueyin couldn't even be bothered to expose him; hadn't he just advised her, "You are a woman, it's not shameful to lose to him, just finish within five arrows or so"?

Over there, Xia Lin and the others also realized that the woman they looked down upon had hit that small colored flag with her very first arrow.

They couldn't laugh anymore; they looked at each other in disbelief.

"This... how is that possible?"

"I've trained for two or three years, and I still have to aim for three or four arrows before I can hit it if I'm lucky..."

Nan Xueyin thought coldly, is training for two or three years considered very impressive?

From the time she became an Assassin at ten years old until now, she had never relaxed her training when there were no missions.

Back then, to hit the target with one arrow, she drew her bow until her fingers bled profusely, staining a large portion of the white bowstring red.

"Just luck, right?"

Nan Xueyin heard this and sneered: "Then let's compete again."

She stared at the person who spoke, "You, and anyone else who thinks I just got lucky, let's all compete together."

That person looked embarrassed, but caught in a dilemma, they could only bite the bullet and agree.

Shu Yu excitedly raised his hand: "Count me in! I'll compete too!"

Thus, including Xia Lin, Shu Yu, and several others who refused to believe it, there were six people in total, including Nan Xueyin, standing in a line.

The colored flags were quickly set up, and everyone had their bows and arrows ready.

This time, Nan Xueyin moved first, still with a single arrow, which struck the colorful flag straight on.

Shu Yu watched from the side, feeling that it looked easy!

He drew his bow with great interest and shot an arrow—

It was off by two inches and missed.

Shu Yu's expression collapsed instantly, "It didn't even hit?!"

The others also shot their arrows one after another, but not a single one hit the target.

Finally, only Xia Lin remained.

Everyone stared at him as if looking at their last hope; fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, he tightened his jaw, focused his Qi, and shot an arrow—

The arrowhead looked as if it were about to hit the colorful flag, but it narrowly grazed the edge, causing the flag to ripple and sway.

A look of awkward, ashen embarrassment spread across Xia Lin's face.

The surroundings fell into a deathly silence, and then, Nan Xueyin laughed out loud.

Although it was a woman's voice, it lacked any softness; it sounded like laughter, yet it held no joy.

Amidst the silence, her laughter was particularly abrupt, as if saying: Is this it? Aren't you all just trash?

Hearing this, everyone felt burning shame on their faces.

"Xia Lin."

Nan Xueyin finished laughing and spoke slowly, "It is time to fulfill the wager."

To Xia Lin, this sentence sounded truly like a demon urging him to his death; he felt his face, which had been punched, start to ache again, even more painfully than before.

"A man's knees hold gold..." someone advised.

Nan Xueyin glanced over, "So, in order to keep the gold under your knees, you don't want your face anymore?"

That person instantly went silent.

Shu Yu laughed out loud; he approved of the attack in those words and chimed in, "You said it yourself just now, I heard it all!"

Under the gaze of everyone, Xia Lin truly could not go back on his word; he could only bite the bullet, move stiffly in front of Nan Xueyin, close his eyes, and with a "thud," kneel to the ground, followed by "bang, bang, bang"—three loud kowtows.

Nan Xueyin accepted them calmly and finally said her first kind word, "Not a bad kowtow."

These three words fell upon Xia Lin's ears like an unbearable humiliation!

His face turned red and ears hot, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into right then and there.

"Let's compete again!"

Among the soldiers, there were those who were unconvinced, shouting and clamoring, "Let's compete with blades and swords!"

Nan Xueyin, who had once skewered three Assassins with a single sword, turned her head.

Looking at that young man, she inexplicably curled the corners of her lips and said, "Fine, let's compete."