Literal Meaning

Inside the archery range.

There was no wind, nor was there any light.

Only a slender figure stood tall and proud.

His gaze, burning like a torch, pierced through the darkness to lock firmly onto the elusive target in the distance.

The target was like a firefly in the pitch-black night, branded into the thick, ink-like gloom.

Beyond that, there was nothing else.

Hum!

The petite Black Stone Bow erupted with astonishing force in the hands of Hong Ming.

The moment the arrow made contact, it felt as if a riverbed blocked for years had been dredged, instantly flowing without obstruction.

Hong Ming's entire aura underwent a drastic transformation, resembling a top-tier archer who had spent years slaughtering on the battlefield, radiating a soul-shaking deterrence.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The deterrence surged into the arrows like a tide, transforming into cold, ribbon-like streaks of light that tore through the layers of extreme darkness to strike the bullseye.

Under the silent night sky, they emitted a piercing, thunderous roar.

The target was a full thirty zhang away from Hong Ming; in ordinary circumstances, let alone at night, even in broad daylight, Hong Ming would have struggled to hit it.

Yet now, every shot found its mark, with a hundred hits out of a hundred attempts.

This was not the vague concept spoken of by Li Mo and the others, but a literal reflection of reality.

Within a hundred-meter radius, his archery skill had reached the pure, literal definition.

Like an archery skill solidified into a concept, it adhered perfectly to the secret manual: within a hundred meters, a hundred hits out of a hundred shots!

His five senses had also been heightened alongside his archery.

In terms of vision, light and shadow had become irrelevant factors; even in a place without light, he could see all manner of things clearly.

Within a hundred-meter radius, even the slightest movement could hardly escape his keen eyes.

In terms of hearing, it no longer seemed affected by his vision; he could observe in all directions and listen to everything around him.

The greater the movement, the clearer it became, allowing him to guard against all kinds of dangers before they occurred!

"With my archery improved, when the fish tide arrives in a few days, my hope of catching a Treasure Fish will be even greater!"

Hong Ming was very satisfied with the progress of his archery, feeling that his hard work over this period had not been in vain.

His heart grew increasingly expectant for the arrival of the fish tide.

If he were to encounter a Treasure Fish during that time, he could shoot it from the shore or snipe it from the water.

By then, the question wouldn't be whether he could catch the Treasure Fish, but whether it had any parents, brothers, or sisters.

He was a man of compassion; a family should be kept together!

The more Treasure Fish he obtained, the faster his cultivation speed would be, and he might even be able to break through ahead of schedule.

The fish tide that Hong Ming was looking forward to arrived slightly later than he had imagined, but the preparations for the entire Archery Battalion became increasingly heavy.

On the eve of the fish tide, Yu Bin gathered Hong Ming and the others to arrange personnel: "According to tradition, every team must divide their labor during the annual fish tide, and this time is no exception."

"Divide labor?" Hong Ming, standing in the ranks, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

Yu Bin's voice followed immediately: "Our Third Team will be split into two small squads: the Harvesting Squad and the Treasure Fish Squad."

He then proceeded to introduce the duties of the two squads to everyone.

The names were self-explanatory and concise.

The Harvesting Squad was responsible for catching ordinary fish during the fish tide, sorting them, and escorting them back to the River Bureau to settle the earnings.

The Treasure Fish Squad had heavier responsibilities that concerned the earnings of the entire team; they did not participate in catching ordinary fish, focusing instead on the potential appearance of Treasure Fish.

After quickly clarifying the distinction between the two squads, Yu Bin went straight to the point and assigned the personnel.

The Harvesting Squad required no screening; whoever was left over after the Treasure Fish Squad was chosen would belong to this team.

The Treasure Fish Squad valued quality over quantity, focusing on substance rather than numbers, and only six archers were selected.

Among them were five veteran archers, and the only newcomer was Shen Lin!

"Shen Lin can join the squad too?"

"Why shouldn't he? A while ago, his archery was already no worse than Zhao Qing's, and now it's likely even better."

"It's truly a blow to one's confidence! I've been in the Archery Battalion for nearly three months, and yet my archery isn't as refined as a newcomer's!"

The archers erupted into heated discussion upon seeing Shen Lin join the squad.

Yet, no one had any objections; Shen Lin's archery had long been recognized by the entire Third Team.

Hong Ming was equally indifferent to this; he was more concerned with his own situation.

Unlike Shen Lin, he was tossed directly into the Harvesting Squad, which was completely contrary to his original intentions.

With his archery skills improved, he was more interested in hunting Treasure Fish than simply scooping them up.

One had to know that any Treasure Fish caught during the fish tide belonged entirely to the individual soldier.

This meant that no matter how many Treasure Fish he caught, he had no need to fear the covetous eyes of petty people, as the Archery Battalion would have his back!

Joining the fishing squads now would mean completely forfeiting the opportunity to hunt for Treasure Fish.

There were quite a few archers who shared the same thoughts as Hong Ming, all hoping to pick up a windfall of Treasure Fish.

Yu Bin gave his response to this: provided it did not affect the fishing yields, if they happened to encounter Treasure Fish during this period, special circumstances would be handled with special measures; they would be unrestricted and free to hunt them.

Every word implied that as long as they could catch a Treasure Fish, everything was negotiable.

Such a promise completely dispelled Hong Ming's concerns, leaving him with no further worries.

After settling this matter, Yu Bin informed them of the many precautions to take during the fish tide.

In the days that followed, both the Archery Battalion and the Main Combat Battalion were filled with busy figures.

They were all making meticulous preparations for this impending feast.

The Archery Battalion was divided into two major camps, and the Second Battalion, where Hong Ming was stationed, was responsible for the Chuan River.

The Chuan River was a major tributary in the upper reaches of the Huai River, which further extended into several medium-sized tributaries.

The three major squads of the Second Battalion were responsible for these medium-sized tributaries.

These tributaries were quite cooperative, converging into the main tributary at the same location, which facilitated their fishing efforts.

Before the fish tide even arrived, the banks of the Chuan River were already fortified, with Water Soldiers patrolling day and night.

On the river surface, boats were spread out in a vast, imposing formation; although separated by land in between, when viewed from high above, they looked like iron chains spanning the river.

Countless figures shuttled back and forth, revealing a scene of frantic activity.

In many squads, the Treasure Fish teams were still resting and recuperating, but the fishing squads had already begun their work.

By then, many ordinary fish had already arrived from afar, acting as the vanguard and becoming the first to fall into the nets.

The three major squads turned nothing away; they let the small fish go and returned fully loaded with baskets of large fish.

"It's a pity our squad didn't go to the other two rivers; they can start catching Large Yellow Croakers there today!"

During a break, everyone discussed their gains, their faces filled with smiles but also a hint of dissatisfaction.

Especially when they saw the neighboring two squads continuously hauling in Large Yellow Croakers, that dissatisfaction turned into nearly palpable envy and jealousy.

Hong Ming took a few gulps of cold water to quench his thirst, and upon hearing the conversation, he couldn't help but cast a glance over.

Unlike the cheap silver carp and grass carp they were catching, the neighboring squads were primarily catching Large Yellow Croakers.

In the market, the price of a Large Yellow Croaker was twice that of a grass carp and three times that of a silver carp.

"Moreover, those two river areas are wider, so the probability of Treasure Fish appearing might be higher!"

As Hong Ming observed, he analyzed the situation in secret.

While others only saw baskets full of Large Yellow Croakers, his eyes were fixed solely on the Treasure Fish.

A moment later, he withdrew his gaze and continued his work.

Deep down, a sense of eagerness flowed through him at every moment: "It's almost time; tomorrow, the fish tide will officially arrive!"