Archery Club

Lan Mu skipped breakfast, packed up the food, and fled home with Su Yue in embarrassment.

He was already upset, and the sight of the soup dumplings made him feel sick.

Foods he had once particularly loved now looked utterly disgusting for some reason.

The smell of meat filled him with an indescribable revulsion.

In the end, Lan Mu did not eat a bite. He only drank some milk.

"Why is an elf such a picky eater?!"

Lan Mu figured he was not hungry anyway, so he simply did not eat. This elven body had never consumed human food before. If he forced it down, it might make him nauseous. That would only bring trouble upon himself.

Thinking about elves' reverence for nature, perhaps they did not eat meat at all. Maybe dew and fruit were enough to sustain them...

But there was no fruit at home. Remembering the six days he had spent starving as the White-haired Lion, he swore that this time, he would not hide at home and go hungry.

"I refuse to believe it! I finally transformed into a humanoid form. What is there to be afraid of about going outside?"

Lan Mu left home again. This time, he did not bring Su Yue along. As a man, being hit on was simply too embarrassing.

Going out with a beautiful woman, only to be the one getting flirted with—the feeling was impossible to describe.

"Su Yue might not be able to see what I look like, but she has probably already imagined me as some kind of femboy, right? Oh, god!"

Lan Mu felt like crying, but Su Yue had not reacted at all. He certainly would not bring it up himself.

He had originally planned to buy a computer today, but he changed his mind. With Su Yue around, he thought he should first rent a larger place.

Besides, suddenly transforming into an elf meant he might be forced to stay that way for at least seven days, throwing all his plans into disarray. He decided to deal with the studio after the forced transformation period ended.

After thinking it over, he somehow found himself walking into a physical archery equipment store. He also casually bought two pounds of apples on the way.

This archery equipment store called Modu Forest was huge. It seemed to be the only one in all of Modu. At least, when he searched online with his phone, it was the only store selling bows and arrows that he found.

It did not just sell equipment. There was also a training ground inside, while the second floor housed an archery club. All sorts of bows hung densely across the walls, along with various cool-looking crossbows.

Compound bows, recurve bows, and traditional bows—they had everything. Before this, Lan Mu had never known there were so many kinds of bows. There were no fewer than thirty models of compound bow alone.

Since this was also a club, the clerk was extremely professional and gave this complete outsider an elaborate introduction.

Lan Mu did not understand any of it. To him, whether a bow was good or bad could only be determined by trying it.

The reason he had wandered in here was because he wanted to test just how talented he was at archery in his current state.

After all, once the forced period ended, he did not know whether the White-haired Lion transformation would be overwritten. For at least some time, he would have to rely on the elf's abilities to protect himself.

At the very least, the White-haired Lion was a born Hunter. No one could escape its pursuit.

But what about an elf? If he ran into trouble without a suitable weapon, how could an elf whose strength did not even surpass the limits of a human protect himself?

Rather than waste the next seven days idling away at home, he might as well prepare in advance for his elf transformation and get more familiar with it.

After listening to the clerk ramble on for ages, Lan Mu became increasingly shocked. Most of the bows here cost over ten thousand yuan, while even the cheapest ones were over two thousand.

Lan Mu clearly looked like an amateur. The clerk guessed he would not buy any high-end professional bow, so he recommended a flashy compound bow with an ornate design. It had two pulley systems, a complicated bow body, and dark red flame patterns painted all over it. Its greatest feature was that it looked good.

"Miss, take a look. This Fire Nitre is a new model for this year. It can reach a maximum speed of 350 FPS and has a 75% let-off..."

Before the clerk could finish, Lan Mu immediately cut him off in annoyance. "Which eye of yours saw a beautiful woman?"

"Uh..." The clerk was fairly quick-witted. Once he realized Lan Mu was a man, his eyes shifted, and he immediately said, "Sorry, sir. I misunderstood."

What the hell did you misunderstand? Lan Mu was speechless, but he could not be bothered to pursue it. It was best not to mention this matter at all. The more they talked about it, the messier it would get.

So Lan Mu said directly, "I don't want this bow. It's too flashy. I want something more practical."

This bow was actually quite practical, but the clerk did not argue. Instead, he introduced several more popular compound bows.

"These two models are nearly out of stock. Many archery enthusiasts like them. They are valuable whether for hunting or collecting."

Lan Mu took one look and saw they were compound bows again. They looked especially complicated at a glance, with countless accessories. Even shooting required a release aid. This kind of bow was unsuitable for rapid firing. The release aid alone would severely affect his hand speed.

"Don't recommend compound bows anymore. I heard that even a slight misalignment in the accessories can greatly reduce their accuracy. I also do not have time to maintain such delicate bows."

"Uh..." Left with no choice, the clerk recommended a recurve bow.

"This hunting recurve bow is very popular at our club. Its nickname is Shark. Its arrow rest and bow sight can suit many different archery styles. No matter how you shoot, this bow can handle it."

Lan Mu had a good impression of the Shark. He gripped the handle, and it felt excellent in his hand as well.

He pulled the string. It had quite a bit of draw weight, but he still drew it to full draw.

The clerk's mouth twitched as he watched from the side, and he could not help saying, "Sir, don't draw it like that. You could damage the bow."

Lan Mu's technique was not professional, but it was not enough to damage the bow.

"How much is this bow?"

"The bow alone is 6,900 yuan."

"Oh?" Lan Mu raised an eyebrow. That flashy Fire Nitre had only cost 5,800 yuan, yet this Shark was 6,900. Still, he really did like it. Just as he was about to make up his mind and buy it, the clerk spoke again.

"That is only 6,900 for the bow itself. The full set costs around ten thousand."

Lan Mu saw the set the clerk brought out. It included matching arrows, a matching quiver, a matching bow case, matching maintenance supplies, and so on.

"A few arrows, a quiver, and a bow case cost three thousand?"

The clerk explained further. With that silver tongue of his, he went from raw materials all the way to reviews from club members, leaving Lan Mu unable to refute him.

"I'll shoot a few arrows first and try it out. I heard you have a training ground here."

"We do, but members are already using it. If you really want to try it, you'll need to wait in line for a while." The clerk looked apologetic.

"Members?" Lan Mu asked.

The clerk smiled faintly and, as if performing a magic trick, produced an information sheet. Lan Mu saw that it clearly listed the benefits of various membership levels.

"Junior VIP... annual fee: 480. Free maintenance, a 10% discount on non-latest archery equipment, and free use of the training ground..."

"Intermediate VIP... annual fee: 1,000. Free maintenance, a 20% discount on all archery equipment, and access to the small training ground and VIP Training Ground at any time."

"Senior VIP... annual fee: 3,000. Free maintenance, a 30% discount on all archery equipment, professional coach delivery**, expert guidance at the VIP Training Ground, and the ability to participate in Forest Club outdoor activities and indoor gatherings."

Lan Mu looked over the VIP tiers and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Why did you have to copy this of all things?"

"What exactly is this club of yours? Is there a threshold?"

This time, the clerk did not take out an information sheet. Instead, he introduced it verbally. "Modu Forest Club is the largest archery club in Modu. It has ninety-seven members. Club membership is different from membership at this store. The annual fee starts at one hundred thousand yuan. Not only do you receive all the VIP services offered by this store, but you can also compete to participate in club tournaments. We have dedicated leagues and competitive athletes."

"As long as you are a club member, all products in this store are sold at a 30% discount. You can also freely custom-order any equipment you want. Even if you are a beginner, once you join the club, we guarantee to teach you until you master it. As long as you are willing to learn, we guarantee to train you into an expert."

"The club often organizes gatherings and outdoor activities. Four months ago, Forest Club even went abroad to hunt amid the ice and snow of Canada."

Lan Mu had no interest in the club. No matter how eloquently the clerk spoke, the moment he heard that the annual fee was one hundred thousand, he completely lost interest.

"So what you mean is, ordinary customers like me have to wait behind every member and can only use the range after they are done?"

"Yes."

Lan Mu sighed. He was tempted to just buy the equipment, go home, and find some park to practice in.

But with bows and arrows, how could he know whether one was good without personally trying it? What if he spent ten thousand yuan and later discovered it was unsuitable for an elf to use?

"Fine, I'll wait. By the way, can I take a look?"

"Of course. Please follow me."

The clerk led Lan Mu to the back of the store. This was where equipment was assembled, adjusted, and maintained. Two clerks were doing maintenance work.

Beside the room was a small door. Beyond it was the small training ground.

The training ground was not large, roughly the size of two basketball courts. Five people were already shooting arrows. Their postures looked very standard, with their shoulders level, legs spread front and back at shoulder width, their bodies turned sideways as they nocked arrows and drew their bows.

"This is the place. You can sit in the chairs and rest for now."

Lan Mu nodded and sat in a designated resting area, eating an apple as he watched the group shoot.

All five of them were using compound bows. Their postures were impeccable. After aiming for ages, one of them finally released an arrow.

The arrow flew straight ahead and struck the bullseye fifteen meters away.

After that person hit the target, the other four released their arrows as well. They were all shooting at the fifteen-meter target, and without exception, they all hit the bullseye.

The five smiled faintly, nocked another arrow, and began aiming at the twenty-five-meter target.

The range had targets at fifteen meters, twenty-five meters, and fifty meters. The fifteen-meter target was level with the shooter, while the twenty-five-meter target was much higher. As for the fifty-meter target, it hung from the ceiling and had to be shot upward.

At first, Lan Mu watched with great interest, but before long, he was bored out of his mind.

He had no idea what these people were doing. The targets were so close, yet they insisted on aiming forever, taking more than ten seconds to slowly build up before releasing an arrow.

The whole place was silent, making archery feel incredibly solemn and meditative. They were not drinking tea. It was only a few dozen meters away, so what were they taking so long to prepare for?

After about two minutes, they finally hit the bullseye on the fifty-meter target.

Sweat had appeared on each of their foreheads. Compound bows saved effort, but holding a bow drawn steady without trembling was still exhausting.

After shooting the three targets, the training ground set up another three targets in different positions. They drew their bows again, held their breath, and stood motionless.

Lan Mu had already finished one apple. Seeing this, he could only start eating another.

Just then, a young man carrying a bow case on his back walked in.

He smiled faintly at Lan Mu and sat down in a chair as well.