Literal Meaning

In the archery range.

No wind, no light.

Only a tall, proud figure stood there.

His gaze burned like a torch as it pierced the darkness, fixed tightly on the target far away, its whereabouts nearly impossible to discern.

The target was like a firefly in the pitch-black night, etched against the ink-dark sky.

Nothing else existed.

Whir!

The small Black Stone Bow in Hong Ming's hands unleashed astonishing force.

The instant it met the arrow, it was as if a river choked for years had been cleared, its passage suddenly flowing freely.

Hong Ming's entire bearing changed in an instant. He was like a master archer who had fought on the battlefield for years, radiating a terrifying, soul-seizing menace.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The menace surged into the arrows like a tide, turning into streaks of piercing light that burst through the layers of dense darkness and struck the bull's-eye.

In the silent night, they let out a deafening roar.

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

Now, however, not a single arrow missed. Every shot hit its mark.

This was no vague concept like the one Li Mo and the others spoke of. It was the literal truth.

Within a hundred meters, his archery had reached its pure, literal meaning.

It was like concept-level archery after a Trait had been fixed in place, fitting the manual's description to the letter: within a hundred meters, every shot hit its mark!

His five senses had also grown sharper along with his archery.

As for his eyesight, light and darkness had become irrelevant. Even in a place without light, he could see everything clearly.

Within a hundred meters, even the slightest stir of wind or grass could hardly escape his notice.

His hearing no longer seemed to depend on his eyesight. He could watch in every direction and hear from all sides.

The louder the sound, the clearer it became, allowing him to guard against every danger before it arose!

"My archery has improved. When the fish tide arrives in a few days, my chances of catching Treasure Fish will be even greater!"

Hong Ming was very pleased with his progress. He felt all his hard work over this period had paid off.

He was growing ever more eager for the fish tide to arrive.

If he came across Treasure Fish, he could shoot them from the shore if he had the chance, or hunt them underwater if need be.

By then, the question would not be whether he could catch Treasure Fish, but whether they had parents, brothers, or sisters.

He was a merciful man. A family ought to stay together!

The more Treasure Fish he obtained, the faster he could cultivate. Perhaps he could even break through ahead of time.

The fish tide Hong Ming eagerly awaited came a little later than he had imagined, but preparations throughout the Archery Battalion grew increasingly hectic.

On the eve of the fish tide, Yu Bin summoned Hong Ming and the others to assign their duties. "As usual, every team will be divided into groups for the fish tide. This time will be no different."

"Divided into groups?" Hong Ming, standing among the others, raised an eyebrow.

Yu Bin's voice came at once. "Our Third Team will be split into two groups: the Fishing Team and the Treasure Fish Team."

He then explained the duties of the two groups.

Their names said it all, plain and simple.

During the fish tide, the Fishing Team would catch ordinary fish, sort them by type, and transport them back to the River Bureau to settle the proceeds.

The Treasure Fish Team had a heavier responsibility, one that concerned the whole team's earnings. They would not catch ordinary fish, but would focus on any Treasure Fish that appeared.

After quickly explaining the difference between the two groups, Yu Bin got straight to the point and assigned the members.

There was no need to choose for the Fishing Team. Anyone left over after the Treasure Fish Team had picked its members would belong to that group.

The Treasure Fish Team valued skill over numbers, quality over quantity, and selected only six archers.

Five were veteran archers. The sole newcomer was Shen Lin!

"Shen Lin made the team too?"

"Why wouldn't he? A while ago, his archery was already as good as Zhao Qing's. By now, he's probably even better."

"What a blow to my pride! I've been in the Archery Battalion for almost three months, and I'm still not as good as a beginner!"

When the archers saw Shen Lin make the team, they broke into a flood of discussion.

But no one objected. Shen Lin's archery had long since earned the recognition of the entire Third Team.

Hong Ming didn't care much about it either. He was more concerned with himself.

Unlike Shen Lin, he had been tossed into the Fishing Team, which ran completely counter to his original intention.

Now that his archery had improved, he wanted to catch Treasure Fish, not haul in ordinary ones.

It was worth noting that any Treasure Fish caught during the fish tide belonged to the soldiers themselves.

That meant he could catch as many Treasure Fish as he liked without worrying about petty thieves coveting them. The Archery Battalion would back him up!

But joining the Fishing Team meant he would lose the chance to hunt Treasure Fish entirely.

Quite a few archers shared Hong Ming's thoughts. They were all hoping to chance upon a Treasure Fish.

Yu Bin addressed their concerns: as long as it did not affect the proceeds from fishing, if they encountered a Treasure Fish, they could make an exception and catch it without restriction.

Everything he said made it clear that as long as they could catch Treasure Fish, anything could be discussed.

That promise completely dispelled Hong Ming's worries, leaving him with nothing to hold him back.

After finishing his explanation, Yu Bin went over the many precautions to take during the fish tide.

For the next several days, the Archery Battalion and the Main Combat Battalion were filled with people rushing about.

They were all making meticulous preparations for the approaching festivities.

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

The Chuan River was a major tributary in the upper reaches of the Huai River, and it in turn branched into several smaller tributaries.

The three teams in Second Battalion were responsible for those smaller tributaries.

As it happened, the tributaries all converged at the same spot in the main river, making it convenient for them to fish.

The fish tide had not yet arrived, but the banks of the Chuan River were already guarded, with Water Soldiers patrolling day and night.

Boats stretched across the river in a vast expanse. Though patches of land divided them, from high above they looked like iron chains spanning the water.

Countless figures hurried back and forth, their busy bustle plain to see.

In many teams, the Treasure Fish Team was still resting and recuperating, while the Fishing Team had already started work.

By then, quite a few ordinary fish had traveled here from afar, leading the way as the vanguard—and promptly becoming the first to fall into the nets.

The three teams took whatever came. They let the little fish go, then scooped up basket after basket of large fish and headed home with full loads.

"It's a shame our team wasn't sent to either of the other two rivers. They're already catching large yellow croakers there today!"

During a break, the others discussed their haul. Their faces were wreathed in smiles, though a hint of dissatisfaction remained.

It was especially hard to ignore when they saw the neighboring teams haul in large yellow croakers one after another. Their dissatisfaction turned into almost tangible envy and jealousy.

Hong Ming drank several mouthfuls of cool water to quench his thirst. Hearing the others talk, he turned to look.

Unlike the cheap silver carp and grass carp they were catching, the neighboring teams were mostly catching large yellow croakers.

On the market, large yellow croakers cost twice as much as grass carp and three times as much as silver carp.

"Besides, those two river sections are wide. Maybe the odds of Treasure Fish appearing there are higher too!"

As Hong Ming watched, he quietly analyzed the situation.

The others saw baskets full of large yellow croakers. All he could see were Treasure Fish.

A moment later, he looked away and went back to work.

But deep down, he was always itching to give it a try. "Soon. Tomorrow, the fish tide will officially arrive!"