"Was it him?"
"...I understand. After all, Su Xue'er is the only direct descendant of the Su Family. She'll inherit that secret in the future, so we can't let that kid get close to her anymore."
"What am I going to do? Find a few brainless family wastrels and make it look like an accidental brawl."
"Exactly. Once wastrels lose their tempers, nobody can control them. That makes it easier to pull off."
"The Federation belongs to our Nine Prefectures, after all. So what if he's the president's godson..."
The voices on the call gradually faded away.
Gu Qingshan looked around, taking in the layout of the archery range.
Twenty lanes stretched out in a row. Some people stood at the shooting lines, practicing their aim.
Some had instructors beside them, correcting their stances bit by bit and offering guidance.
A staff member noticed him looking around and asked, "Would you like archery lessons? Our instructors are all professionals."
"Ah, no thanks."
"Are you using your own bow or one of ours?"
"I'll use my own."
As Gu Qingshan spoke, he reached into the bow case on his back and took out the Night Rain Bow.
"I'll get started, then."
"Go ahead."
Careful not to use even a trace of Spiritual Power, Gu Qingshan casually picked up an arrow and raised his hand to shoot.
BOOM!
The target fifty meters away blew apart, and even the wall behind it had a small hole in it.
The entire archery range fell silent.
"What happened?"
"An explosion?"
"No, it looks like something went wrong with the target."
The onlookers, unsure what had happened, glanced over and murmured among themselves.
They were all nobles of standing, so even when something unexpected happened, they didn't panic right away.
The two staff members beside Gu Qingshan were already dumbstruck.
"Sorry, I'll use one of your bows instead," Gu Qingshan said quickly.
This was a distinguished gentleman, so it was only natural that he'd be different from ordinary people. One staff member barely managed to convince himself of that and said, "All right, then. Would you like to share a lane with someone, or reserve a private one?"
"A private lane." Gu Qingshan thought for a moment before answering.
"For a first-time rental of one of our bows, it's only 800 Credit Points. A private lane costs 1,000 Credit Points per hour."
"...All right."
Only after the two staff members walked away with strange looks on their faces did Gu Qingshan quietly let out a breath of relief.
The Night Rain Bow was too powerful. The moment Spiritual Power activated it, the bow would vanish automatically, erasing all traces of its user along with it.
Gu Qingshan had already considered this. To avoid drawing attention, he hadn't used even a trace of Spiritual Power and had only used thirty percent of his raw strength.
The result was that the arrow target, built to withstand heavy impacts, had been blown apart.
After putting away the Night Rain Bow, Gu Qingshan chose the lane at the far edge and waited for the staff to set things up.
Before long, a staff member returned with three bows.
"Please try these."
Gu Qingshan took a bow in hand and weighed it, then chose the heaviest.
"I'll use this one," he said.
"Of course. Enjoy your practice." The staff member politely stepped away.
Good. Now he could begin training.
The only thing he had to watch was how much strength he used.
Gu Qingshan drew a practice arrow, used ten percent of his strength, and gently pulled back the bowstring before releasing.
Everything went normally.
Gu Qingshan picked up another arrow, drew the bow, and let go.
The arrow shot out like a streak of light.
Gu Qingshan relaxed a little and continued drawing and shooting.
Over the next half hour, he emptied two quivers.
Still, something felt a little off...
He set down the practice bow and hesitated briefly before taking out the Night Rain Bow.
The range's practice bows were too ordinary. Gu Qingshan couldn't find much joy in practicing with them.
He might as well use the Night Rain Bow. That way, he could practice his skills and grow more in sync with it at the same time.
He just had to be careful not to use Spiritual Power and to control how much strength he put into each shot.
The former would cause an unusual phenomenon, and the latter would destroy the targets. Either way, he'd attract unnecessary attention.
Standing in the middle of the lane with the Night Rain Bow in hand, Gu Qingshan used one percent of his strength, nocked an arrow, and shot.
He practiced for a full hour.
Gu Qingshan practiced to his heart's content, drenched in sweat, and grew a little more familiar with the Night Rain Bow.
Although he hadn't used any skills, the insights he'd gained in archery were real. His focused practice had put each one to the test.
He practiced in a state of complete absorption, unaware that someone had been watching him all along—and had gradually shifted his gaze to the Night Rain Bow.
"Hello."
A voice came from the side.
Gu Qingshan looked over and saw a young man standing beside the lane, watching him closely.
"What is it?" Gu Qingshan lowered his bow and asked.
"May I ask if you're willing to sell your bow?"
"Sorry, it's not for sale," Gu Qingshan said.
The young man's gaze fell on the Night Rain Bow. "Name your price. Our Hui Shao says money isn't an issue."
"I'm not selling it," Gu Qingshan repeated.
The man shook his head and turned toward another lane.
He walked over to a group of young men and quietly repeated Gu Qingshan's response to the one leading them.
The leader heard him and smiled as he said something.
Before long, the entire group had gathered beside Gu Qingshan's lane.
Gu Qingshan acted as if he hadn't noticed. He drew his bow and kept shooting, one arrow after another.
"That's a fine bow you've got."
The leader stared at the Night Rain Bow, a flash of admiration passing through his eyes.
"It is," Gu Qingshan said.
"I want to buy your bow," the man continued.
"It's not for sale," Gu Qingshan said.
"Come on. Sell me the bow and we can be friends."
"It's not for sale."
The man thought for a moment. "How about a wager? I'll put up 100,000 Credit Points."
Archery was the perfect sport for wagers and guesswork. Not only nobles but even wealthy commoners liked to bet on it for fun.
Gu Qingshan looked around.
The group had surrounded more than half the range.
It looked like there was no way to settle this peacefully.
He smiled. "All right, but I have one condition."
"Go ahead. I'm listening."
Hui Shao rolled his neck.
Whenever a fish was about to bite, he'd unconsciously roll his neck to hide the stir of excitement inside him.
His elder brother, who held power in the family, had told him to deal with someone, so he had no choice but to come.
He'd thought it would be a simple provocation, but then he'd stumbled upon an unexpected discovery.
He possessed a secret Heaven Chosen Skill that let him see strange phenomena—something nobody else knew.
In this bow, he'd seen a woman dressed in ancient clothes, drawing the bow and shooting.
The woman was breathtakingly beautiful.
She seemed to have countless ties to the bow.
This bow had quite a history!
What was more, Hui Shao himself was fanatically passionate about archery and had practiced it for over a decade. He could tell how remarkable this bow was.
It would be wonderful if this unique and powerful bow belonged to him.
As long as the other man agreed to the wager, Hui Shao was confident he could win it.
It was nothing more than a few tricks. Some were respectable, others dirty.
Completing his mission while earning a handsome reward on the side—it was truly a rare stroke of good fortune.
Before you continue