Piercing Willow Archery

Wang Heng's movements froze.

It wasn't his. It was Hong Ming's?

He was a little surprised, but even more embarrassed.

His gaze swept across the crowd. Fortunately, no one had noticed his awkward predicament.

At that moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on Hong Ming.

Hong Ming was even more bewildered than Wang Heng. He remembered that Huang Chun had returned to the army long ago. Could it be that he'd changed his mind?

Though he didn't think that was likely, he glanced at Wang Heng, strode past the others, and stepped forward to accept the document.

The one Huang Chun had given him was fake, but the appointment document in his hands now was genuine.

After looking it over for a moment, Hong Ming put it away.

When he raised his eyes again, Wang Heng and Zhou Min had slunk away.

Seeing Hong Ming's fortunes take a dramatic turn and the document fall into his hands, the Water Soldiers found it theatrical, but paid it little heed and dispersed.

Qin Hao, however, came over of his own accord to congratulate him before leaving.

The Martial Practice Field returned to its usual bustling activity, but Hong Ming was still full of doubts.

He looked around and, seeing nothing amiss, suppressed his racing thoughts and immersed himself in training again.

Before he received the document, Hong Ming practiced martial arts at the field in the mornings, while his afternoons were free.

After receiving it, he had to report to the camp at the appointed time each afternoon.

The document stated that he had to report within three days. Hong Ming didn't wait that long and went to the Archery Battalion that very afternoon.

This was his first time setting foot in an official camp. Inside, all kinds of practice fields were scattered across the grounds.

There was a Martial Practice Field for training hand-to-hand combat, an equipment yard for honing weapons, and an archery range dedicated to bowmen.

Fences divided the various practice fields into sections of all sizes, with clear boundaries that kept them from interfering with one another.

Figures drilling in formation could be seen everywhere, inside and out. Shouts and battle cries rose and fell, filling the air with a grim chill that seemed to shoot straight into the sky.

The Archery Battalion where Hong Ming was to report was situated on the eastern side of the camp. That entire area belonged to the battalion.

He walked unhurriedly along the camp roads, quietly observing everything around him.

The camp lay beside the Huai River, its open terrain well ventilated—a superb place to practice archery.

Several practice fields stood on either side of the camp, most of them archery ranges for the bowmen's daily training.

Rows of targets stood at the north end of each range, neatly arranged.

To the south stood many bowmen practicing their archery. They held their bows, drew their strings, and focused on their aim.

As arrows tore through the air, their whistling filled the grounds in an unbroken rush.

Walking along and taking in the sights, Hong Ming soon found himself at the camp's registration office. He presented his document.

The document already specified his assigned camp: the Archery Battalion's Third Battalion.

But since he was new and didn't know where the Third Battalion was, he followed the directions he was given and spent some time finding it.

"You're Hong Ming? The new archer?"

The man who received him was a brawny fellow with a square, honest face. He quickly finished checking the document.

After confirming everything was in order, he returned it.

He beckoned Hong Ming over. "My name is Li Mo. Squad Leader Han assigned you to me. I'll be training you from now on. You've never practiced archery before, have you?"

"No," Hong Ming answered honestly.

Li Mo had expected as much. After asking the routine questions, he took Hong Ming to collect his supplies.

There were two main items: ten arrows and a yellowed booklet.

The arrows were made of ironwood, tough and durable, and engraved with Hong Ming's name. They were standard issue for ordinary bowmen.

The yellowed booklet was somewhat complicated. It listed the various rules of the Archery Battalion, along with the essentials of an archery technique.

The latter had an imposing name: Piercing Willow Archery.

Li Mo explained each item in turn. "Use these ten arrows sparingly. They're yours, but if any are damaged or lost, you'll have to pay to repair or replace them yourself."

"As for Piercing Willow Archery, that's the technique you'll be practicing for the next while."

Hong Ming listened attentively and gave a slight nod to show he'd committed it to memory.

There was still plenty of time, so after they'd collected the supplies, Li Mo led Hong Ming to the archery range.

The range wasn't large, about ten zhang long and three zhang wide, just right for a beginner like Hong Ming.

Li Mo had clearly mastered the Piercing Willow Archery Technique by heart, and readily recited its teachings.

His explanation differed somewhat from the booklet, but the meaning was much the same.

He began teaching Hong Ming the essentials of the Piercing Willow Archery Technique. To sum it up, they were simple.

It came down to three things: eyes, hands, and arrows.

Eyes meant seeing far; hands meant having strong arms; arrows meant hitting accurately.

"Hong Ming, though Piercing Willow Archery sounds like an ordinary technique, mastering it is no easy feat."

Though Hong Ming had listened with complete concentration, Li Mo still reminded him solemnly,

"Like the Coiling Dragon Stake and Frost Sky Fist you've learned, this is also a superior archery technique."

A superior archery technique!

Hong Ming's eyes shifted slightly at the words.

By now, he was no longer a fledgling and naturally understood how martial arts manuals were classified.

Martial arts were divided into cultivation arts and combat techniques.

The Coiling Dragon Stake was a cultivation art, while Frost Sky Fist and Piercing Willow Archery were both combat techniques.

They shared the same three tiers: inferior, intermediate, and superior.

The Coiling Dragon Stake and Frost Sky Fist were both superior martial arts. He'd thought Piercing Willow Archery was just some common technique, but who would've guessed it was superior as well?

Li Mo continued, "Piercing Willow Archery has three stages in all: beginner, minor mastery, and great mastery."

He spelled it out for him. "You're considered a beginner once you can hit a target a hundred meters away every time. Three hundred meters is minor mastery, and five hundred meters is great mastery!"

As he spoke of Piercing Willow Archery at the stage of great mastery, a hint of yearning crept into his voice.

That yearning soon passed to Hong Ming. "If you can master this archery technique in your lifetime, a promotion and a fortune will be within reach. Then, not only will the Squad Leaders in the various battalions look up to you, but even the Commander in charge of our Archery Battalion will hold you in high regard and treat you with respect!"

Though archery had nothing to do with one's martial cultivation, those who reached great mastery were all exceptionally capable, in no way inferior to Transformation Force warriors.

If their own cultivation could keep up, they could even kill Transformation Force experts from a distance.

There were no more than a handful of people at that level in the entire Archery Battalion, which showed just how rare it was.

Having finished painting the picture, Li Mo said no more and began teaching Hong Ming through demonstration and instruction.

His method was plain and practical, combining theory with hands-on training.

The theory posed no challenge to Hong Ming. He went over it five times in quick succession and memorized all the essentials.

But when it came to practice, he found himself struggling.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

After mastering the theory, Hong Ming fired several arrows in succession, but every one missed. He didn't even come close to the edge of the target ten zhang away.

"Your arm strength is more than enough, and your eyesight is decent. You're just not accurate."

Li Mo patiently pointed out Hong Ming's mistakes, then reassured him,

"Take your time. With enough practice, you'll get there. There was a fellow in our battalion who practiced for a full half month without getting his aim right. Only after that did he slowly start to improve."

Half a month?

Hong Ming felt somewhat reassured, but curiosity got the better of him. "Brother Li, how long did the fastest person in our battalion take?"

"Ten tries!"

Li Mo hesitated for a moment before answering softly.

The fastest one wasn't measured in days, but in attempts!

Hong Ming fell completely silent. The reassurance he'd just felt was instantly struck down.

He'd already taken more than ten shots!