He can't *actually* know, can he?

"Why wait for ten paces?"

As he spoke, Zhao Cheng raised his bow and fired. He drew an arrow, nocked it, and pulled the bowstring into a full moon; the arrow shot forth like a meteor!

The entire sequence was fluid and seamless, so crisp it was hard to track, and so fast it left afterimages, yet it possessed an indescribable aesthetic beauty that left Meng Wei completely stunned.

The speed of the arrow was even more impossible to follow. Amidst a shrill whistle, it crossed over sixty zhang in an instant, striking dead center of the target before piercing straight through.

Passing through the wooden target, the momentum remained undiminished, fierce as thunder, and with a sharp thud, it buried itself into the earthen wall, leaving only the fletching quivering.

The County Lieutenant was dumbfounded.

Over sixty zhang, a direct hit to the bullseye, piercing through, and embedding into the wall!

Whether it was the posture, the movement, the power, or the accuracy, it was perfect—pinnacle perfection!

This has to be a fluke!

It wasn't like this just a moment ago!

It must be a fluke!

If he could accept that horsemanship might be faked through some strange talent for communicating with horses, archery was absolutely impossible.

This was a craft that even a gifted person could not suddenly master to such a degree through a moment of enlightenment.

Archery is complex, especially hitting a bullseye at this distance; it involves too many variables.

One needs familiarity with the bow, the arrows, and one's own strength, while also calculating angles, wind resistance, and even the rotation of the arrow. Even the slightest tremor, the smallest deviation, or a single shallow breath would affect the final point of impact.

Therefore, this kid just got lucky!

Meng Wei nodded and praised, "A good fluke. Remember that feeling; your movements were very standard. You must remember that feeling."

"Shoot another one. Mimic what you just did."

Zhao Cheng scratched his head, fully understanding Meng Wei's disbelief.

But at this moment, he had already practiced the bow for fifteen years in his mental simulations, and even practiced shooting with his heart as the bow thousands upon thousands of times.

With this bow in hand, shooting was as natural and simple as breathing.

Within his range, nothing could withstand his shot.

In the blink of an eye, another arrow shot out, tracing a straight line through the air. It passed through the same hole in the target, and then, incredibly, struck the nock of the previous arrow, burying itself into the earthen wall with the fletching still trembling.

Meng Wei swallowed hard, unable to fathom what he had just seen.

How could this be!?

To get lucky twice in a row like that—could he actually be a master?

Refusing to believe it, he said, "You, do it again. Let me see."

Before the words had even left his mouth, a third arrow had already embedded itself into the tail of the second, sinking into the wall just as before, the fletching still trembling!

The clerk, who had been hiding far away in the corner, was now trembling at the knees, his eyes wide as saucers!

Wait, you kid almost killed me earlier, and now you've become a master archer!?

What were you doing before!

Something is wrong!

Did I offend him somehow, and he's using this archery practice as an excuse to finish me off?

The more the clerk thought about it, the more his mind spiraled, until he was already considering resigning to go home and farm!

If I can't afford to offend this Sha, can't I at least hide from him?

On the other side, Meng Wei was truly bewildered!

Does such a thing really exist in this world?

I've lived for so many years and never seen it!

It's impossible!

He looked Zhao Cheng up and down for a long time before finally coming up with a plan.

"How about this: if you can hit the target while mounted and galloping, well... I'll guarantee you venison for every meal for a month!"

As soon as those words were spoken, Zhao Cheng's eyes lit up.

"For real?"

"Naturally, for real!"

Zhao Cheng was delighted. He looked up and saw a sparrow flying swiftly into the distance.

Under the clear blue sky, a gentle breeze brushed against the sparrow's wings and his own hair. Zhao Cheng's expression was full of spirit, "What is mounted archery? Uncle Meng, let me show you a real stunt!"

With a shift of his intent, the horse understood, and with tacit agreement, it broke into a wild gallop.

As the horse surged and dipped, Zhao Cheng faced the heavens, his upper body as still as if it were carved from stone. His eyes locked onto the target with steady, powerful focus, not trembling in the slightest. Only from the waist down did he move in rhythm with the horse's frantic pace, displaying an indescribable, effortless grace!

The galloping horse shot forward like an arrow, and Zhao Cheng had already drawn his bow and nocked an arrow. As he focused his vision, the fine feathers of the sparrow became clearly visible in his eyes, every single strand distinct!

Strength, angle, wind direction—everything flowed into Zhao Cheng's mind as naturally as water.

After hundreds of millions of draws, the certainty of a hit had been etched into his soul and blood!

This arrow would not miss!

The bowstring was pulled to its absolute limit!

Meng Wei's eyes widened, his entire focus concentrated on that single arrow.

This brat, he actually intends to shoot a bird while galloping on horseback!!

How could this possibly be done!?

Yet why is he so full of high spirits?

Even I feel that this arrow of his cannot possibly miss!

This movement, this posture, this gaze... it has become art!

At this moment, everyone on the training ground, whether new recruit or veteran, was captivated by that figure, who was brimming with the utmost high spirits.

Countless young men felt a surge of yearning, thinking that a real man should be just like this!

But just then!

Snap!

The bow was pulled until it exploded!

The ox-tendon snapped, the bowstring shattered, and the loud noise startled the horse, causing it to rear up on its hind legs.

Stunned, Zhao Cheng pressed down on the horse's head with one hand and let out a soft hum, suppressing it back down.

He looked at the hard bow, now broken into several pieces in his hand, and couldn't help but feel speechless.

Having practiced with a mental bow for so long, he had forgotten that the physical bow in his hand was too fragile.

Forget it, shooting at a target is closer anyway.

Zhao Cheng turned his horse around and rode back.

Everyone was stunned, followed by a sense of regret.

They hadn't expected such a spectacular shot to come to such an abrupt end.

Instinctively, they had wanted to see that arrow fly and bring the bird down from the sky.

But indeed, it was too far.

Meng Wei watched Zhao Cheng ride back, and this time, he too felt a sense of regret.

That bow... it really seemed to have held him back.

The entire field was silent.

But soon, everyone reacted.

What the hell am I regretting for!

This guy blew up the bow!!

Is he even human?

Zhao Cheng rode back slowly, turned around, and stopped in front of Meng Wei, the high spirits between his brows shifting into calm composure.

"Uncle Meng, I accidentally blew up the bow. Does what you said before still count?"

Meng Wei was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Naturally, it counts. It was a problem with the bow, not a problem with you."

Zhao Cheng nodded and smiled. "Then bring me another bow. As you said, I'll just shoot at the target."

Meng Wei looked at the youth's composed expression and felt inexplicably uncomfortable, though he couldn't put his finger on why.

He nodded and suddenly shouted, "Bring me my bow!"

A guard immediately went to fetch his usual elite heavy bow.

Meng Wei looked at it but didn't take it. "Not that one. Bring me the bow I keep in my collection!"

The guard was stunned. "You don't even use that one often..."

"Less talk."

"Yes."

The guard returned quickly, bringing another heavy bow.

This bow was pitch-black throughout, with ends shaped like deer antlers, wrapped in ox-tendon, and a string as thick as a rope. Seeing the veins bulging on the guard's arms, it was clear this bow was not light.

Meng Wei took the bow and handed it directly to Zhao Cheng.

"This Blackwood Heavy Bow is crafted with Green Paulownia Wood from the Chu State as its core, Jiang Mi antlers for the tips, Qianzhong rhinoceros hide for the string, and a frame of refined iron. It weighs one hundred and twenty jin, and it is said to have a range of up to two hundred and forty paces."

"Take it and try shooting the bird from horseback once more. If you can shoot the bird down, this bow is yours!"