Chapter 74: The Grand Banquet at the Hu Family (7)

Li Linfu stroked his long beard gently and smiled slightly. “Comparing Anxi’s Best Archer with the World’s Best Archer, I give more confidence to the World’s Best Archer. I’ll bet two thousand guan that Shi Siming will win.”
An Lushan was momentarily stunned. Li Linfu was the governor of Anxi. Even if Li Qing’an was not very skilled, he should have sided with Anxi—why would he bet on Shi Siming? After thinking for a long time, he still couldn’t understand the reason.
By then, the trial shots were over. Li Qing’an had hit the target seven out of ten times, while Shi Siming had hit it eight out of ten. It seemed Shi Siming had a slight edge. Those who did well were often imitated by others. The high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty’s gambling inspired many people present to do the same. Ignoring their wives’ objections, men began betting against each other. Since Shi Siming had a slight advantage in the trial shots, sixty percent of them believed he would win, while only forty percent favored Li Qing’an.
The competition had officially begun. Li Qing’an and Shi Siming stood ten zhang away from each other at the white line, each holding an arrow. Behind them was a table with nineteen specially made arrows, heavy enough to be thrown ten zhang away. They calmly stared at their respective golden bottles in the distance. There was no wind in the hall, making it ideal for shooting.
A guard waved a red flag, and the drumbeat began—“Dong! Dong!” The drums were to be struck twenty times, and arrows had to be shot before the beats stopped; otherwise, it would count as a miss.
Li Qing’an took a deep breath, swung his arm, and the arrow flew into the air. At the same time, Shi Siming’s arrow also soared upward. The trajectories of the two arrows were almost identical. A straight shot was impossible; only a parabolic path could give the arrows enough height to land vertically inside the bottles.
“Bang! Bang!” With two crisp sounds, both arrows landed inside the golden bottles simultaneously. It was a tie, and applause erupted around them.
“Li Qing’an must win!” Du Gu Mingzhu clapped her hands and shouted loudly.
Her sister, Du Gu Mingyue, watched Li Qing’an silently, following the flight of his arrow. A hint of tension flashed in her eyes as her heart tightened, only to relax slightly afterward.
Nine to nine—after nine rounds, the score was still tied. Just then, an accident occurred. Li Qing’an’s tenth arrow hit the neck of the bottle and bounced back to the ground.
“Li Qing’an missed his tenth arrow!”

The announcer mercilessly announced Li Qing’an’s score, while Shi Siming’s tenth arrow landed perfectly in the bottle. Ten to nine—Shi Siming was ahead. There was uproar everywhere; it was definitely a careless mistake—his arrow didn’t even touch the bottle’s mouth. Even Gao Lishi stood up immediately, watching the scene anxiously. An Lushan and Li Cong were extremely pleased; they knew that in such a duel between masters, the outcome often depended on just one arrow.

Yang Huahua’s heart was in her throat. She placed her hands over her chest and silently prayed that heaven would cause Shi Siming to make a mistake as well.

“Sis, what should we do?” Du Gu Mingzhu covered her face, too scared to look.

Du Gu Mingyue gently took her sister’s hand and comforted her, “Mingzhu, there are still ten arrows left! The outcome is uncertain.”

The competition continued. The red flag was lowered, and the drums sounded again. Shi Siming glanced triumphantly at Li Qing’an before releasing his arrow. With a “thud,” it entered the bottle first. He knew well that both of them had deliberately held back their strength during the trial shots. Now, Li Qing’an might have made a mistake due to nervousness—this could very well be the final result. At least he, Shi Siming, was confident that he would hit all his remaining arrows.

The drums kept beating. Li Qing’an calmly stared at the golden bottle, as if nothing had happened. Yet he delayed releasing his arrow, putting pressure on himself. This was a psychological tactic he often used in past competitions—applying appropriate pressure midway to withstand the intense psychological stress in the final shots, while also affecting his opponent and causing subtle changes toward the end of the race.

Seventeen beats of the drum had passed. Some people couldn’t wait any longer and shouted, “Li Qing’an, shoot already!”

But Li Qing’an remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the golden bottle. He had found the perfect rhythm. Two more beats—eighteen, nineteen.

“Li Qing’an, you idiot!” Some of those who had bet on him cursed loudly. Shi Siming smiled triumphantly, thinking Li Qing’an was about to collapse and that victory was within reach.

“Thud!” The twentieth beat sounded. Many people closed their eyes in despair. But at the moment the drum sounded, Li Qing’an released his arrow. It traced a perfect parabolic path through the air and landed precisely inside the golden bottle.

Silence filled the hall, followed by thunderous applause, as if he had won. Even those who had bet on Shi Siming couldn’t help but applaud.

At that moment, Gao Lishi suddenly felt something. He turned around and was stunned—behind Yang Huahua, he saw the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine. He rubbed his eyes and looked again in disbelief; it was indeed the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine, surrounded by a large group of guards. No one knew when they had arrived.

Just as Gao Lishi was about to stand up, Li Longji waved at him with a smile and pointed to the competition area, signaling him not to interrupt the match.

Li Longji had entered through the back door. Sitting behind a sheer curtain, and with the arrows being shot outward, no one noticed his arrival.

Yang Guifei, sitting beside him, was also nervous and sweaty. As Li Qingan shot his arrow at the sound of the final drumbeat, she couldn’t help but applaud.

“Again!” Shi Siming growled. The drumbeat for the twelfth arrow sounded, and Li Qingan shot his arrow just as the drumbeat faded, hitting the golden bottle accurately. Shi Siming immediately followed suit, shooting his arrow at great speed and also hitting the bottle.

Then came the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth… eighteenth arrows. Li Qingan always shot at the sound of the nineteenth drumbeat, with Shi Siming closely following. Li Qingan smiled inwardly—he had unknowingly taken control of the rhythm.

It was now 18 to 17, with Shi Siming still ahead by one arrow. Many people shook their heads slightly.

Those who thought Li Qingan would lose were filled with regret. The tenth arrow must have been a fluke; if he had performed normally, he wouldn’t have lost, and the match would have been a draw.

Dugu Mingzhu sadly threw herself into her sister’s arms. Li Qingan was about to lose, and she didn’t want to watch any longer. Dugu Mingyue sighed softly. Li Qingan was indeed remarkable—he had shown her the pinnacle of the arrow pot game. It was just a pity he was about to lose.

An Lushan and Li Cong exchanged glances, both showing smug expressions, especially An Lushan, who was delighted to have caused Li Qingan such a setback.

Gao Lishi remained silent, watching the match with a serious expression. He believed that with two more arrows left, it was still uncertain who would win.

Only Li Linfu smiled gently, stroking his beard. This Li Qingan was truly good—capable of achieving his goals.

At that moment, Yang Yuhuan whispered to Yang Huahua, “Third sister, you’re going to lose this time.”

Yang Huahua snorted lightly. “It’s just a game. If I lose, so be it!”

“I doubt it!” Li Longji shook his head and said calmly, “If I’m not mistaken, something unexpected will happen with the last two arrows.”

“Why?” The Yang sisters were both stunned.

“Don’t ask. You’ll know after you see it.”
Li Longji’s gaze was fixed on Li Qing’an. If his guess was correct, this young man was truly extraordinary.
With a dull thud, the drum for the nineteenth arrow was struck.
……