Arrow Shocks All Directions

Wang Jiu racked his brains but could not make sense of it, his mind a complete fog.

However, Zhou Zheng, noticing his long silence, stepped forward and whispered something into his ear.

Li Mo noticed that as Zhou Zheng spoke, the narrow, elongated eyes of Wang Jiu suddenly lit up.

This made Li Mo's heart tighten, a vague sense of unease rising within him as if he had been seen through.

Sure enough, Wang Jiu immediately proposed a new condition: "We shall do as you say, but we must shoot our arrows from the same boat!"

"Agreed!" Li Mo consented after a long silence.

Although Yu Bin did not understand what Li Mo intended by this move, he summoned Hong Ming upon receiving his signal.

"You want me to compete in archery?" Hong Ming asked, surprised upon his arrival.

Yu Bin nodded slightly, just about to explain the reason, when Li Mo stopped him.

Li Mo did not want to put too much pressure on Hong Ming, so he patted his shoulder and said, "Do not worry. Just shoot and hit the target as you do during your usual practice."

"Very well." Hong Ming accepted the task.

Before he stepped onto the field, Li Mo cautioned him: "When it is time to shoot, remember to let Zhou Zheng go first!"

Li Mo did not explain the specific reason, and Hong Ming did not ask.

He walked to the bow of the boat and stood side-by-side with Zhou Zheng, swaying as the vessel rocked.

"Li Mo, it is one thing to have Hong Ming compete, but why set such loose conditions? Isn't this just giving Wang Jiu and his men an opportunity to exploit?"

Yu Bin leaned in close to Li Mo, unable to suppress the doubt in his heart.

It was not just Wang Jiu who failed to understand what medicine Li Mo was selling in his gourd; they were all equally confused.

"If we don't do this, we have even less of a chance!"

Li Mo shook his head slightly and countered, "In your opinion, how does Hong Ming compare to Zhou Zheng?"

Yu Bin answered without hesitation, "That goes without saying; the latter is certainly stronger. Let alone Hong Ming, I suspect that even Shen Lin is no match for Zhou Zheng."

Zhou Zheng had joined the camp months before the others and had long since honed his archery to a foundational level.

Now that time had passed, his skills were surely even greater; how could Shen Lin or Hong Ming even be mentioned in the same breath?

Li Mo agreed with Yu Bin's assessment and continued, "That is precisely why we must pull Zhou Zheng's performance down to Hong Ming's level."

"But even so, Zhou Zheng still has a higher chance of winning, right?" Yu Bin asked, puzzled.

"He does, but Hong Ming's chances are also high. At the very least, he will not lose."

"He won't lose?" Yu Bin was slightly stunned.

Li Mo explained, "As long as Hong Ming does not lose, there will be an opportunity for a rematch, and I will be able to step onto the field as a matter of course!"

The voice was soft, yet it struck Yu Bin like a thunderbolt, suddenly clearing his mind.

He finally understood the deep meaning behind Li Mo's actions.

He also realized why the other had insisted that Hong Ming shoot after Zhou Zheng—it was to eliminate every unfavorable factor that could be used against him.

As long as Hong Ming could steady his nerves and match Zhou Zheng, the scales of victory would tilt in their favor.

"Brilliant!" Once he grasped it, Yu Bin could not stop praising him.

The two men said no more and watched the field, where both sides were now in position and ready.

Hong Ming was very obedient; he did not take the initiative to shoot, waiting quietly for Zhou Zheng.

Zhou Zheng seemed not to notice, his arrow flying out like a streak of light, hitting the center of the circle without fail.

"Well done!"

Winning the first point right at the start immediately drew cheers and applause from the members of the second team.

Zhou Zheng's expression remained unchanged as he looked toward Hong Ming.

Hong Ming said nothing. He took an arrow and drew his bow, and before he had even released it, Li Mo and the others nearby grew tense.

It was not until that arrow landed precisely within the circle that the hearts of the onlookers finally settled.

A faint smile appeared on Li Mo's face.

Since Hong Ming had hit the target on his first shot, it proved he possessed the necessary skill, meaning half of his plan had already succeeded.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Three consecutive arrows were fired, and neither man missed; every shot hit its mark.

The moods of the two teams on the field began to diverge.

The members of the second team, having witnessed Hong Ming's archery, could not help but look grave.

The members of the third team, however, seemed to see hope and began to fill with anticipation.

Zhou Zheng's face was as calm as a lake, his tone firm: "This time, you go first!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Hong Ming did not react, but Li Mo and Yu Bin behind him suddenly changed color.

Both of them had their hearts in their throats, unable to help but feel nervous, fearing that Hong Ming might agree.

The worst-case scenario unfolded: Zhou Zheng struck a pose, signaling that if Hong Ming did not agree, he would not loose his arrow.

After a moment of stalemate, Hong Ming made a concession.

"What is this kid trying to prove!" Yu Bin complained.

Li Mo said nothing, his expression growing increasingly heavy.

At this moment, Hong Ming's arrow slipped from his fingers and took flight.

As expected, the unexpected happened.

Zhou Zheng waited until the last moment to act, deliberately aiming his shot toward the path of Hong Ming's arrow.

Just as Hong Ming's arrow hit the target, his own arrived right on cue, forcefully knocking Hong Ming's arrow aside and causing it to miss the target and fall.

Seeing this, the Second Team cheered and jumped for joy, while the Third Team looked as if they were mourning their own parents.

Wang Jiu glanced at Li Mo with a smile in the corners of his eyes; although he did not know what Li Mo was planning, Zhou Zheng had his own ways of dealing with things.

In the end, this archery contest would still conclude with the Second Team's victory.

Ignoring Wang Jiu's smugness, Li Mo let out a soft sigh.

The plan had deviated from expectations, and Hong Ming, whose archery was already inferior to Zhou Zheng's, had now lost his advantage; it seemed there was no turning back.

He helplessly passed a death sentence on Hong Ming in his heart.

His gaze drifted away, falling toward the vast river, finally finding a modicum of comfort.

The hour was still early; there was still hope of catching more Treasure Fish.

Yet at that moment, a faint intake of breath suddenly reached his ears, followed immediately by hearty, enthusiastic applause.

What had happened?

Li Mo could not help but turn his head, quickly discovering that Hong Ming had once again shot first.

But the situation seemed to have been turned around.

Hong Ming had actually shot down Zhou Zheng's arrow from the pine tree!

"Again!"

Seeing this, Zhou Zheng immediately drew his bow and pulled the string.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The stage that followed became increasingly fierce.

The two took turns, both changing their tactics and constantly shooting down each other's arrows.

Hong Ming displayed a high level of skill, his arrows never missing their mark, hitting nine out of ten.

However, the situation did not improve; as Zhou Zheng fired his ninth arrow, only one of his opponent's arrows remained on the distant pine tree.

"For the final arrow, how about we shoot at the same time?"

Zhou Zheng looked at the remaining arrow and turned to Hong Ming with a smile, as if he saw the dawn of victory.

"Sure!"

Hong Ming agreed more readily than he had imagined.

Though somewhat surprised, he mostly assumed the other party had given up struggling and accepted reality.

Paying no mind, Zhou Zheng pulled his string to a full moon, and upon seeing Hong Ming make the same move, he shouted, "Fire!"

As the word fell, the arrow erupted with power far exceeding his previous shots, grazing the air with a piercing whistle.

This arrow had no name, but it would certainly strike the pine tree.

No matter how Hong Ming struggled in his death throes, it would be to no avail.

The outcome of this archery contest was decided; he had won, and the Treasure Fish would finally belong to him!

Zhou Zheng's smile was radiant, filled with the joy of claiming the Treasure Fish.

But this trace of joy was shattered in an instant by Hong Ming's arrow.

Hong Ming's arrow was like a blade, unstoppable, as if it had foreseen the future and severed Zhou Zheng's arrow in mid-air.

Then, with its momentum undiminished, it accurately shot down the very last arrow on the pine tree.

Taking its place, it drove itself firmly into the pine wood like an iron nail, causing the tree to sway incessantly.

The withered yellow leaves on the pine tree, struck by the impact, fell one after another.

As the withered leaves drifted down, dancing across the sky, they felt like heavy hammers, slamming fiercely into everyone's hearts.

The archery contest had reached its end, and the outcome was finally set.

Hong Ming had hit ten out of ten, a single arrow deciding the fate of the day!