Chapter 48: Victory

The people near the dining table were actually positioned roughly at the same level as the target, so most of them only saw the side of the second target board, and a portion of the front—specifically the upper part of the three rings. It wasn't a straight line, so they couldn't see the bullseye at all; this was entirely a matter of perspective.

But the problem was that Li You’s arrow seemed to have a life of its own, as if it had grown eyes. It first flew outward, circled toward the middle as if it had spotted the bullseye, and then began to curve inward, finally striking it!

Anyone who heard this would think it was a tall tale, complete nonsense!

Yet the cruel reality was that so many of them had witnessed this absurd scene together!

A sin!

It was simply a sin!

Li You had also purely wanted to give it a try. He remembered that in his past life, he had indeed seen someone on the internet who could truly and skillfully shoot a curving arrow and even hit the target.

Now that he possessed the excellent martial foundation of the original body, there was no harm in trying. It certainly involved a great deal of trickery, but fortunately, it was a success.

"The previous two bullseyes were a draw; now that there are three, it should count as a win, right?"

Li You’s voice was the first to break the silence.

Even the glib-tongued Liu Jianchen couldn't force a laugh at this moment; he was momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say. He clearly saw the group of his own brothers beside him looking at Li You as if he were a deity, with some muttering nonsense about whether Li You was some reincarnation of Yang Youji or Hou Yi.

"If this doesn't count as a win, then you are intentionally trying to arm-wrestle with my Longmen Shanzhai!"

Wu Zhuge said, feeling a surge of urgency to urinate; his face was full of impatience, and his tone turned irritable.

"It counts, why wouldn't it count!"

Liu Jianbao also knew that if they still tried to welsh on the bet after things had reached this point, his own brothers would likely find it unbearable to watch.

Thus, he feigned generosity and cupped his hands toward Li You, saying, "Brother, this archery skill of yours is truly miraculous. In all the years I've lived, this is the first time I've seen an arrow fly as if it had eyes. Damn it, it could actually curve; it’s truly hellish!"

"Perhaps there was a breeze just now, it was merely luck!"

Li You dismounted, returned the salute with a high-fork gesture, and laughed heartily.

"Scholar?" Xu Daxi also dismounted and looked at Li You with a serious expression.

"Hmm?"

"Can I follow you to learn archery in the future?"

"Uh..."

The road home was a glorious one. Of the three rounds of competition, only Li You had beaten his opponent to the point of wanting to become his apprentice. This was truly conquering people with virtue, making the other side sincerely convinced!

Li You had simply become an object of worship for Wang Qiong and his group. Even if Wu Nai didn't say it aloud, he was actually envious of Li You’s archery skills to death. At the same time, he was curious: Li You was much younger than him, seemingly only nineteen—at what age did he start practicing this? So fierce!

Could it be that he practiced archery with his left hand and read books with his right? That would be too awesome!

Wu Nai felt that the characters in the books were all road-blocking tigers; if he didn't press them down with his finger before reading, they would all run away without a trace.

"Mr., come, come to the front!"

Wu Zhuge suddenly spurred his horse forward.

Li You felt that this form of address was unusual, so he dared not be negligent and quickly followed!

"I truly did not expect that you, Mr., are truly both scholarly and martial, a master of the generation. I have been somewhat neglectful of you in the past!"

Wu Zhuge was especially grateful to Li You today. If not for him turning the tide, he would have only had the path of a bloody battle with Liu Jianbao’s brothers for the sake of face.

"The Chief overpraises me! Born in troubled times, and with both my father and uncle in the border army, I know a little martial arts; it is nothing worth mentioning!"

Li You spoke calmly, but his heart was extremely happy. After patient waiting, he had finally seized the opportunity today!

"I... am old, full of twilight. I still remember the first time I met you, Mr., and your bold words! It’s just... sigh, it’s hard to put into words!"

Wu Zhuge put on a look of being unable to help himself, appearing very troubled!

"The Great Chief has his own hidden difficulties, I can understand! However, I still hope the Great Chief can overcome all obstacles and become the master of a region."

Li You still wouldn't give up, coaxing him step by step: "Just like this Mianxian area, if the Chief doesn't want to dominate, there will naturally be others who want to replace you, swallow up the iron mines, and seize your Lady!"

"Seize my Lady?"

Wu Zhuge’s eyelids twitched violently, and his sharp gaze suddenly pierced straight into Li You’s eyes. Li You lowered his head and eyes in a cowardly manner, looking perfectly obedient.

After a long while, Wu Zhuge finally spoke: "Then tell me seriously, what should be done? Don't give me those empty words from before; say something more detailed."

Li You immediately perked up and said: "Win over the hearts of the people!"

"Win over the hearts of the people?"

The corners of Wu Zhuge’s mouth curled into an arc, and he said with a hint of sarcasm: "Win over whose hearts? Like you did last night, using wolf meat to win over the hearts of those miners and salt slaves?"

"Yes!"

Li You had long known that Wang Qiong must have told Wu Zhuge everything. To avoid unnecessary friction, he might as well be open and honest. He said earnestly: "In the affairs of the world, force can only solve temporary troubles. Whether in the imperial court or the pugilistic world, manipulating hearts is nothing more than striking one group and winning over another."

"Just now on the way here, I already told the Great Chief the perfect, unparalleled method to divide the miners and salt slaves. These newly promoted members from among the miners and salt slaves will become our endless source of troops. And most importantly, these troops can always be kept firmly in your own hands, Great Chief!"

"Hmm, continue."

Wu Zhuge was expressionless, but in his heart, he was sneering repeatedly: This Li You is glib-tongued, but unfortunately, he cannot even see that he is a bargaining chip; he is, after all, just a scholar.

From the very beginning, his unreasonable decision to spare Li You’s life at Nanzhai was more about wanting to see if there was a possibility of balancing the various factions within the Shanzhai in the future.

Just like keeping Li You in Nanzhai, he wanted to use Li You to test where Cao Er’s bottom line was. As for the little tricks Li You played in Nanzhai, how could he not know? How could Cao Er not know?

Whether it was Cao Er or Wu Zhuge, killing Li You was just a matter of a single word.

Li You was good at observing expressions. Seeing Wu Zhuge’s cold look, he felt a bit uneasy, wondering to himself: I remember when we first met, Wu Zhuge was very easy to fool! Could it be that he wasn't fooled at all back then, and really just treated me as a chess piece to play against Cao Er?

Li You didn't dwell on these thoughts and focused his mind: "Ahem, I think that once you have gathered enough troops and have overwhelming strength, the Great Chief should centralize power in your own hands!"

"Centralize power? What does that mean?"

"It means abolishing the other chiefs, so that all the brothers listen to your direct command, Chief. Like an arm moving a finger, strike wherever you point!" Li You’s words were very blunt!

"Abolish... the others..."

Wu Zhuge only felt that these words were like a ball of charcoal stuck in his throat, and his complexion changed drastically.

Li You became smug, thinking he was right...