Chapter 48: Victory

The people near the dining table were actually about the same distance from the target as the finish line, so most could only see the side of the second arrow target and part of its front—the upper portion of the three-ring mark—not a straight line, and thus could not see the bullseye at all; this was purely a matter of perspective.

But the cruel reality was that Li You's arrow seemed alive, as if it had eyes: first flying outward, then curving around to the center, as if spotting the bullseye, then bending inward again, finally striking true!

Anyone hearing this would think it nonsense, pure fantasy!

But the cruel reality was that all these people had witnessed this absurd scene together!

What a sin!

Truly a sin!

Li You had simply wanted to try—he remembered that in his past life, he'd seen online videos of people who could truly shoot arrows that curved and still hit their targets.

Now that he had the original body's excellent martial foundation, why not try? There was certainly a large element of luck, but fortunately, it worked.

"The last two bullseyes were a tie; now with three, shouldn't I win?"

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

Even Liu Jianchen, usually so eloquent, couldn't laugh now—he stammered, at a loss for words, clearly seeing his own men staring at Li You as if he were a god, some muttering whether Li You was a reincarnation of Yang Youji or Hou Yi.

"If this doesn't count as a win, then you're deliberately challenging Longmen Village to a contest of strength!"

Wu Zhuge said, urgently needing to urinate, his face impatient, his tone growing irritable.

"Of course it counts!"

Liu Jianbao knew that if they cheated now, even his own men wouldn't stand for it.

So he feigned cheerfulness and bowed to Li You: "Brother, your archery is truly divine! In all my years, I've never seen an arrow fly like it had eyes—damn, it actually curved! I swear, I've seen a ghost!"

"Maybe there was a wind just now—just luck!"

Li You dismounted and returned the high-cleft salute with a cheerful smile.

"Scholar?" Xu Daxi also dismounted, looking at Li You with serious expression.

"Hmm?"

"Can I learn archery from you from now on?"

"Uh…"

……

The road home was a glorious one: in all three contests, only Li You had made his opponent beg to become his disciple—this was true virtue subduing others, winning their sincere admiration!

Li You had become the object of worship for Wang Qiong and his group; even Wu Nai, though silent, secretly envied Li You's archery to death, and wondered—Li You was younger than him, barely nineteen—when had he started practicing archery? How could he be this strong!

Could he have practiced archery with his left hand and read books with his right? That would be too incredible!

Wu Nai felt the characters in books were all lurking tigers—if he didn't press them down with his finger before reading, they'd all vanish before his eyes.

"Mr., come forward!"

Wu Zhuge suddenly spurred his horse forward.

Li You sensed the unusual honor in the title and dared not delay—he quickly followed!

"I never imagined Mr. was truly both literary and martial—a true master! I've treated you too lightly before!"

Wu Zhuge was especially grateful to Li You today; without him turning the tide, Wu Zhuge would have been forced into a bloody fight with Liu Jianbao just to save face.

"Great Master overstates it! Born in chaotic times, with father and uncle both border troops, knowing some martial arts is nothing special!"

Li You spoke calmly, but inside he was overjoyed—he had waited patiently, and today he'd finally seized his chance!

"I… am old, worn out, still hearing your bold words from our first meeting! But… ah, words fail me!"

Wu Zhuge put on an expression of helplessness, clearly tormented.

"Great Master surely has his reasons—I understand! But I still hope you'll overcome all obstacles and become the true lord of this region."

Li You persisted, gently guiding: "Take the Mianxi region, for example—if you don't seek dominance, others will rise to take it, seize the iron mines, and claim Lady!"

"Claim Lady?"

Wu Zhuge's eyelids twitched violently; his sharp gaze stabbed straight into Li You's eyes. Li You, cowed, lowered his head and eyes, appearing meek.

After a long pause, Wu Zhuge spoke: "Then speak seriously—how exactly? Don't repeat those empty words—give me specifics."

Li You immediately perked up: "Win the people's hearts!"

"Win the people's hearts?"

Wu Zhuge's lips curled in faint mockery: "Win the hearts of those people? Like you did last night—using wolf meat to win over the miners and salt slaves?"

"Yes!"

Li You had long known Wang Qiong had told Wu Zhuge everything; to avoid unnecessary gaps, he chose openness: "In this world, force only solves problems temporarily—whether in court or the martial world, stirring hearts means crushing some and winning over others.

When I came here, I already told Great Master the perfect method to split the miners and salt slaves—these newly recruited members become our endless source of soldiers, and most importantly, these soldiers remain firmly under your own command!"

"Hmm, go on."

Wu Zhuge's face was expressionless, but inside he sneered: This Li You talks too well—but fails to see he's merely a pawn, a mere scholar after all.

From the start, when he decided to spare Li You's life at Nanzhai—that reckless act—was mostly to see if Li You could someday balance the village's various factions.

Just as he kept Li You at Nanzhai, he intended to use him to test Cao Er's limits; as for Li You's petty schemes here, how could he not know? How could Cao Er not know?

Whether Cao Er or Wu Zhuge, killing Li You would take only a single word.

Li You was skilled at reading expressions; seeing Wu Zhuge's cold demeanor, he felt uneasy—hadn't Wu Zhuge been easy to fool when they first met? Had he never been fooled at all—had he always treated me as a pawn in his game with Cao Er?

Li You pushed the thought aside, focusing his mind: "Cough, I believe that once you've gathered enough troops and overwhelming force, Great Master should centralize all power in your own hands!"

"Centralize power? What does that mean?"

"It means eliminating the other Masters—every man answers only to you, as if your arm extended directly to your fingers, pointing anywhere, striking anywhere!" Li You spoke plainly.

"Eliminate… the others…"

Wu Zhuge felt the words like a burning coal lodged in his throat; his face twisted violently.

Li You, self-satisfied, began to glow with pride…