Chapter 278: Me too! [Deep thanks to everyone for the support! Thanks again!]

Two quarter-hours ago,

at the door of the bow-and-arrow shop,

the shop assistant reached out with a blank expression and said:

"Fifteen guan, if you please!"

"This gentleman, the strong bow is extremely powerful—if you throw and miss, you can still sell it back to our shop."

As he spoke, the shop assistant handed over a five-colored dart, then walked a few steps and stood before the turntable,

gave his hand a push,

and the wooden disk began to spin.

The gentleman sized it up for a while, then finally threw it.

He stopped the turntable; the shop assistant looked and said: "Congratulations, sir—you've won a bottle of bow oil."

As he spoke, he handed over a small porcelain bottle.

The gentleman glanced back once more at that 'Dream Bow of His Heart,' sighed, shook his head, and left the spot,

and when he returned to the crowd, a woman in brocade who seemed to be his Da Da Niangzi landed a fierce smack on him.

The common folk watching around had just been shaking their heads and sighing,

but at the sight of this they burst out laughing again.

Then someone nearby said something:

"Throw half a beat slower and you'll definitely hit the target."

Someone disagreed: "You have to release a breath earlier for it to work."

Listening to the chatter, the shop assistant's mouth quirked up and he kept hawking with renewed vigor:

"Shop treasure! Custom-made model for the Imperial Guards' Arrow-Lead Squad—a top-grade strong bow! Fifteen guan a throw! Normally three hundred guan!"

The shop assistant saw that among the crowd there were some itching to try, so he shouted even harder:

"Three hundred guan at the shop! Not on today's Winter Solstice would you see this! Miss and you still get a gift!"

"You there—want to give it a try?"

The man he asked hesitated a moment, then shook his head.

The shop assistant was hawking at the door when suddenly his eyes lit up—he spotted a group of tall, burly servants,

clustered around a youth in bright red brocade at their head, just arriving at the shop's entrance, followed behind by a Miss and a female attendant Guan Guan Pozi.

"Young Master! Shop treasure, fifteen guan a throw! Care to have a go?"

Rong Rong Xian glanced over, then pointed at the shop assistant and said:

"Hah, boy, are you playing me for a fool?"

"And here I thought it was something worth watching—such a strong bow, who could even draw it!"

Then Rong Rong Xian looked around and egged the crowd on: "Am I right or not!"

"The Young Master speaks true!" the servants trailing him chimed in.

Hearing this, the onlookers exchanged glances, looking rather deflated.

Rong Rong Feiyan, beside Rong Rong Xian, said in a low voice: "Brother, stop talking—don't ruin their business!"

Hearing Rong Rong Feiyan's voice, plenty of people around wanted to sneak a peek,

but seeing the tall, sturdy servants flanking Rong Rong Xian, they all swallowed the thought.

Rong Rong Xian turned to leave,

when the Shopkeeper inside the shop, who had also been standing at the doorway watching, noticed the crowd was about to disperse,

hurried over:

"Young Master, wait! You're mistaken! This strong bow—Colonel Zhou of the Arrow-Lead Squad can draw it!"

Rong Rong Xian waved a hand and said: "Hmph, and how many Colonel Zhous are there?"

Saying that, he was about to leave the spot!

The Shopkeeper called out loudly: "This, this—before, the fifth son of Marquis Marquis Yongyi's house used a strong bow of this very style and defeated the Northern Liao men in the palace hall!"

"."

Rong Rong Xian's heart lurched,

and without another word he reached to clutch his waist sash,

but alas—

the pouch at his waist had already been snatched off him,

and then passed into the hands of a Guan Guan Pozi.

Before the Rong household retinue could say anything,

a brocade-clad youth, a little younger than Rong Rong Xian, asked:

"Is what the Shopkeeper says true?"

"This young gentleman, it's true! Only a strong bow like this can drive the arrow so deep into the target that it takes a Jin Jia guard to pull it out!"

Hearing this, the crowd's drift toward leaving was halted,

and the common folk and gentlemen all nodded in agreement with the Shopkeeper.

The youth who had asked tilted his chin up at the servants around him:

"You there, Shopkeeper—you do know how to do business! Our young lord has long admired Xu Han Wulang—catch!"

With that, he tossed out a piece of silver!

The Shopkeeper hurried to catch it, then cupped his hands in salute.

Seeing someone put up money for the gambling throw again, the people stopped in their tracks.

When the shop assistant went to fetch the multicolored dart, his eyes were full of admiration, and he gave a thumbs-up in front of the Shopkeeper!

After throwing several darts,

that youth ultimately failed to hit the mark; a servant stood aside holding various archery implements.

Just as they were about to leave, they saw a member of the Rong family handing over silver coins.

The one who stepped forward was even a Miss; the youth waved his hand and stopped to watch!

After a while,

observing Rong Rong Feiyan's accuracy,

the Shopkeeper leisurely returned to the shop.

And at the entrance,

with every throw of the multicolored dart by Rong Rong Feiyan, Rong Rong Xian's face would twitch.

Hearing the surrounding murmurs of "So rich" and "Obsessed,"

seeing the shop assistant unable to suppress the corners of his mouth,

Rong Rong Xian painfully pinched the space between his eyebrows and turned his head aside.

'Today I still wanted to go play elsewhere; it seems there is no chance now.'

Then he saw Sheng Changfeng, whom he had previously met at the Bai family residence, peeking around curiously!

'Sister, look, I have...'

Rong Rong Feiyan glanced to see who it was.

Realizing she had just thrown the flying dart, she immediately turned her head forward again.

She stared at the slowly stopping wheel,

pretending to be very concerned about the result,

but her fingers, tucked inside her wide sleeves, nervously twisted her clothing.

She slightly lifted her heels,

her heart filled with a sweet joy and a comforting surprise.

Beneath her veil, her white teeth bit her lip.

She had truly thought she might encounter that certain person on this street,

and then, she really did encounter him!

Although she wished it were not at this moment.

However,

it was still a cause for happiness.

Fortunately, at this moment,

"Master!"

"Master!"

"It's bad! Someone hit the target!!!"

A shop assistant from a nearby store shouted loudly as he hurried into the shop, nearly tripping over the threshold at the entrance.

The commoners and wealthy onlookers beside him, seeing the assistant's panicked appearance,

all burst into laughter.

The assistant's arrogant demeanor from just moments ago was still fresh in their minds.

"Hahaha, the assistant changes his face so quickly..."

"I still prefer his look from just now."

"This noble lady has great skill!"

"Amazing! To actually hit the target!"

"Just luck, probably!"

The voices of the surrounding audience were a chaotic clamor.

Rong Rong Xian, looking at the hit wheel, also let out a happy whistle,

but then felt a stinging acidity in the corners of his eyes:

'That is my purse!!!'

Looking at its shriveled state, perhaps, there is still hope... right?

Seeing the successful hit,

Seeing Ningxiang and Seeing Xi Bu, the two maids behind Rong Rong Feiyan, were even more ecstatic,

happily letting out small squeals.

The surprise on Rong Rong Feiyan's face flashed by; just as she was about to smile and turn her head to glance at that certain person,

she forcibly stopped herself, then looked somewhat awkwardly at the wheel ahead.

Seeing Xi Bu and Seeing Ningxiang glanced sideways at Xu Xu Zaijing, then hastily moved closer to Rong Rong Feiyan's side.

"Sister!"

Hearing Gu Gu Tingyi's voice, Rong Rong Feiyan looked over.

She walked to the edge of the crowd, took Gu Gu Tingyi's hand, and said with a smile:

"Sister Gu!"

Then, first looking at the three Lan behind her, she bowed slightly: "Greetings to you younger sisters!"

After the three Lan returned the bow, they looked at the wheel hit in the center of the field.

They exchanged surprised glances and murmured about the good fortune of the Rong family Miss.

Rong Rong Feiyan turned her head again and nodded toward Chang Bai and Chang Feng, while Gu Gu Tingyi introduced them:

"These two are the Sheng family young masters, my elder brother's classmates."

Rong Rong Feiyan likewise performed a curtsy, and Chang Bai returned the greeting with a fist-and-palm salute.

Only then did Rong Rong Feiyan look toward the others who were speaking with Rong Rong Xian:

"Greetings, Little Duke, Gu Pei Erge, Xu Wu Ge!"

The moment her gaze met Xu Xu Zaijing's dark eyes,

Rong Rong Feiyan hastily turned her head away,

then took Gu Gu Tingyi's hand and walked into the archery shop.

The Shopkeeper, who had just turned around with an air of ease, now wore an ugly expression,

as he emerged alongside a middle-aged, sturdy man of about forty or fifty, dressed in ordinary clothes, with strands of silver in his topknot and exceptionally bright eyes.

When that sturdy man saw the several noble young ladies approaching,

surprise flickered across his face; he had not expected the winner of the draw to be a delicate young girl.

However, his gaze was swiftly captured by Xu Xu Zaijing,

and after his bright eyes swept over Xu Xu Zaijing, the middle-aged man smiled and offered a fist-and-palm salute.

This gesture left Xu Xu Zaijing somewhat bewildered, yet he still returned the salute.

Subsequently, the middle-aged man bowed with a fist-and-palm salute toward Rong Rong Feiyan and said:

"This old man is the owner of this establishment! Miss, congratulations on winning this bow in the draw! Please wait inside the shop; we will wrap it up and present it to you immediately!"

"As for the other young ladies, you are also welcome to come in and take a look!"

Saying this, he extended his hand to invite Rong Rong Feiyan, Gu Gu Tingyi, and the three Lan sisters into the shop,

The shop was open from south to north, allowing one to see straight through from the entrance, so there was no issue,

and the Guan Pozis from the Gu, Rong, and Sheng families entered first, standing at the innermost doorway leading to the rear rooms.

Only then did the several young ladies walk in and take their seats,

Gu Gu Tingyi looked at the dazzling array of bows and arrows in the shop,

and began examining them with interest alongside the three Lan sisters.

The Shopkeeper following nearby, however, said, "Owner..."

The middle-aged man waved his hand, looking at the noble Young Masters speaking outside the door, and said:

"No need to say more; since someone in this Miss's family can draw this bow, it will surely not let a bright pearl remain covered in dust!"

"Shopkeeper, no one in my family can draw this bow!"

Rong Rong Feiyan hastily waved her hands and said in a crisp voice.

The middle-aged man froze, then looked again at Xu Xu Zaijing outside the door; his expression stiffened before he spoke with embarrassment:

"This old man misspoke! Miss, do not take offense! Do not take offense!"

Rong Rong Feiyan struggled to suppress the corners of her mouth, then remembered she was wearing a veil,

so she stopped suppressing it,

and her eyes curved into crescent moons with laughter.

Watching the middle-aged man's changing expression,

Rong Rong Feiyan said, "It is nothing!"

While conversation continued inside the shop,

at the shop entrance,

a shop assistant was preparing to carry out a powerful bow slightly smaller than the previous one and place it at the doorway,

Seeing the noble youths at the door, he knew that once they left, the shop's popularity would not remain so high,

Consequently,

he sighed with worry.

The brocade-clad youth who had failed to win the draw earlier, observing the clothing and accessories of Xu Xu Zaijing and his group,

and further noting the imposing manner of the servants behind them,

exchanged a few words with the guards and servants beside him before approaching, just in time to hear Rong Rong Xian say:

"Thank heaven and earth, it only cost four hundred guan."

The brocade-clad youth offered a fist-and-palm salute and said:

"Please do not take offense; overhearing your conversation just now, this brother bears the surname Xu and ranks fifth; could he be from Marquis Marquis Yongyi's household?"

Rong Rong Xian looked at this brocade-clad youth and said with a smile:

"Jing-ge'er, this young man's servant said he has long admired you!"

Hearing Rong Rong Xian's words, the brocade-clad youth's eyes lit up.

"Is this truly Han Wulang in person?"

Xu Xu Zaijing smiled, offered a fist-and-palm salute, and said, "A pleasure to meet you."

The brocade-clad youth laughed:

"A pleasure! A pleasure! I never expected to meet Han Wulang the moment I arrived in Bianjing!"

"Han Wulang, while you were in the palace, did you truly use a powerful bow of the style this shopkeeper just displayed?"

Hearing this, the shop assistant, who had just drawn a breath to shout out, felt a chill stick in his throat as he looked toward Xu Xu Zaijing.

Xu Xu Zaijing nodded,

"Then, Han Wulang, help me assess this bow!"

Saying this, the youth pointed to the powerful bow the assistant had just brought out: "How much silver does this bow cost?"

The shop assistant quickly caught his breath and said, "Two hundred strings of cash!"

The youth lifted his chin, and his attendant immediately handed over a silver note.

The shop assistant's eyes lit up; he hurriedly took it and said, "Honored guests, please wait a moment!"

Immediately, the assistant removed the strong bow and shouted, "Someone inside, bring a bowstring! And a few more people out here to string it!!"

Soon, someone from the shop walked out holding a bowstring, followed by two others behind him.

After seeing clearly what the assistant held in his hands, the two turned back into the shop.

The assistant explained, "Honored guests, those two have gone back to fetch the tools for stringing; please wait a moment!"

Xu Xu Zaijing reached out, took the bow limbs and the bowstring, and said:

"No need."

Speaking thus, before the shop assistant's widely staring eyes, he strung the bow.

"Whoosh!"

Xu Xu Zaijing drew the bow easily; instead of dry-firing it and damaging the bow, he slowly drew and released it several times, then

nodded with an unchanged expression and said, "Not bad! But for my use, it's a bit too soft."

Saying this, Xu Xu Zaijing passed the bow to Gu Gu Tingye beside him, who was eager to try.

Gu Gu Tingye also mimicked him, drawing and releasing it once, then

passed the bow to Rong Rong Xian while discreetly shaking his hand; puffing out his chest and holding his breath, he spoke in a hoarse voice:

"It's also a bit too soft for me. Cough, cough."

To the side, Rong Rong Xian, who had tried once and failed to draw the bow, gave a cough and passed it to the brocade-clad youth.

Inside the shop,

Rong Rong Feiyan, having heard the conversation,

blinked her eyes,

looked toward the shop owner, and said,

"That bow over there—could we let those few outside try it?"

(End of Chapter)