Chapter 47: Divine Maneuver

Li You paid no attention to the noise around him; his mind was as still as water. He released an arrow, controlling his horse's pace with his legs, and as the "Feitian Beast" shifted from a walk to a trot to a gallop, its back rose and fell like waves—peaks and troughs alike.

Li You swiftly adapted to the different rhythms of the "Feitian Beast's" wave-like motion, performing "pressing the wave" and "pushing the wave": first pressing his hips firmly against the saddle, then, at each moment the horse powered forward with its hind legs, he thrust his waist forward precisely before pulling it back.

Thus his center of gravity remained stable, and through it he transmitted a sense of safety to the horse beneath him, fully merging with the "Feitian Beast's" rhythm.

As he neared the second target, Li You seized the instant of suspension during the horse's hind-leg thrust—this was the perfect moment to release the arrow!

Li You used his hooked-finger release, drew an arrow from the quiver at his left waist, extended his index finger and thumb while leaving a notch between them, forming an arrow-tail shape; he whipped it toward his chest—the arrow found the string, slid along the bow's nock, and shot out…

"Crack!" The red center of the third target fell instantly—the crowd outside fell utterly silent.

Another long-distance mounted shot—and it hit again. At this point, he was already unbeatable.

Many couldn't help wondering: was this cheating? Was it against the rules?

In everyone's subconscious, mounted archery meant close-range shooting—with small bows, short bows. The space on horseback was cramped, and drawing the bow was hard enough as the horse bounced; how could one possibly aim? One could only close the distance before drawing!

After all, Sima Qian wrote in the "Biography of General Li" from the Records of the Grand Historian: "When he shot, if the enemy came swiftly, he would not release unless within dozens of steps—once released, the target fell instantly."

And from the "Treatise on Food and Money" in the Book of Han: "Six chi make a step, a hundred steps make a mu, a hundred mu make a fu…" we can calculate that General Li Guang shot from within ten or so meters.

Then there was Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin's "face-to-face output"; the Eight Banners' "five-step face shot."

Yet here came Li You, a freak—shooting from forty or fifty steps away, hitting twice, and using what they considered a "hard bow"!

The greatest shock was Wu Nai. He had always ignored Li You, only refraining from provoking him out of his uncle's warning. Now, seeing this, he was glad he hadn't antagonized Li You—this scholar only looked like a scholar.

Xu Daxi, nearing the second target, was basking in the crowd's cheers, certain Li You couldn't catch him. He raised his bow—and hit the second ring. The red center remained. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

But his horse was fast—he'd already passed it. He could only turn toward the third target, since the third and fourth were awkward for him; he couldn't shoot well with his left hand, and going there would waste precious time.

Li You had already hit two red centers, securing his unbeatable position—he now spurred his horse into full pursuit. He didn't know if the contest timed them, but if he caught Xu Sanxi, this round would at least be a tie!

He rushed to catch up, so he didn't notice Xu Daxi's arrow hadn't struck the third target's center. Passing the third target—barely eight steps away—he didn't even draw his bow, whipped around the bend, and followed Xu Daxi toward the north.

"You missed the hot dumplings even when shitting!"

Hearing the hoofbeats behind him, Xu Daxi grinned—he'd reached the third target. Since he couldn't shoot left-handed, he turned his horse around—and froze in shock.

"Where's the center? Why's it gone?"

Before Xu Daxi could process it, laughter erupted from the judges' table—Wu Nai and others mocked mercilessly. The people from Mao'erba could only hang their heads in silence.

Li You's arrows were too fast—almost like a string of beads—and he shot them from horseback!

"Race back to the finish! Your horse is faster!"

Suddenly, Liu Jianchen bellowed toward Xu Daxi, who stood stunned at the fourth target.

Xu Daxi spurred his horse back to the finish. Behind him, Li You was barely ten steps away. Seeing Xu Daxi had stopped, Li You slowed his horse, riding slowly to a halt five steps from the finish line.

Wu Zhuge's smiling face froze. He snorted, saying nothing.

Liu Jianchen shouted: "Li Xianggong hit two red centers; Xu Daxi hit only one. But Xu Daxi returned to the finish first, with the shortest time—so it's a tie!"

At this, everyone from Mao'erba agreed. Only Longmenzhai's people scowled. Wu Zhuge exploded: "You think Longmenzhai is made of soft persimmons?"

Liu Jianbao laughed: "Brother Wu, don't get angry. Didn't we already agree the rules? Time matters too! Otherwise, you could just walk up to each target and shoot slowly—anyone could hit! A tie makes sense."

"What if I hit three red centers?"

Suddenly Li You shouted. Before he finished speaking, he drew his bow backward, nocked a shovel-headed arrow, and aimed at the second target. But from his position near the finish, the second target lay diagonally—he could see only its side profile, not its front.

Yet Li You paid no mind. He nocked the arrow, drew right and pulled left. This time, when releasing, he used the thumb-release method, slightly brushing the string as he let go—the arrow shot out…

The flat, shovel-shaped arrowhead, launched by the string's force, tilted outward. Its trajectory diverged from the second target, forming an angle. The straight shaft created an air-pressure layer within this angle, but where the flat head passed, air rushed back in—creating a low-pressure zone.

This generated a pressure differential—a lateral force—that caused the shaft to shift horizontally, curving inward, tracing a perfect arc toward the target…

"Crack!" The arrow struck the red center, embedding itself and sending the target flying several zhang before it landed on the ground…

The bright red center, like a fiery smile, spun on the ground like a roly-poly toy, clacking toward the crowd…

At that moment, everyone stood frozen.

This arrow turned mid-air! My god—what kind of divine maneuver was that?