The Firing Range

As they walked, Xu Qing suddenly stopped and looked back at the opposite street, where a boy was watching them.

"What's wrong?" Xu Xin also turned her head and met the boy's gaze.

Xu Xin's heart skipped a beat. It was him.

Seeing Xu Xin look back, the boy nervously averted his gaze and quickly left with his companions.

"Sister Xin, is that the boy who's been staring at you for a year? Does he like you?" Xu Qing asked.

In their first year of high school, they were in the same class as that boy, and he often stared at Xu Xin.

Xu Xin smiled shyly, "No way. If he really liked me, why wouldn't he say it?"

"Really? I feel like he must like you, otherwise why would he always stare at you?" Xu Qing blinked. Although he didn't understand much, he could sense many things.

"Alright, Xiao Qing, you're still young, you don't understand these things," Xu Xin stopped him from continuing, feeling quite embarrassed.

Xu Qing thought for a moment, "But I'm only a few months younger than you, Sister Xin. And I always rank in the top three in my grade. I think I should understand."

Hearing him say that, Xu Xin couldn't help but laugh. If your expression matched your words, it would be a little more convincing. But with that dazed, cute look on your face, who would think you understand?

Seeing Xu Xin laugh, Xu Qing scratched his face. He felt that he understood many, many things.

Normally, he seemed to be spacing out, but he was actually thinking, really.

"Then Xiao Qing, do you like anyone?" Xu Xin asked him.

Xu Qing thought seriously and then replied, "I like the people who like me."

"Pfft... Is that so? I told you Xiao Qing is still young. Come on, let's go. When you're really grown up, I'll find you the best girlfriend," Xu Xin said with a chuckle.

"Hmm... I think I can find the best girlfriend myself," Xu Qing replied naively.

"Xiao Qing, forget it. I'm afraid you'll be tricked one day and won't even know it. I'll do it."

"No, I understand these things, I won't be tricked."

"Okay, okay, you won't be tricked. But still listen to your sister."

"Oh, alright."

With that, the two walked across the intersection and entered a small alley.

A high-end car was already waiting there. Seeing them approach, an old butler in a black uniform stepped out and opened the car door. "Miss."

Xu Xin nodded to the old butler and got into the car with Xu Qing.

Soon, the car drove out of the alley and sped towards the city center.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped outside the gates of a huge manor.

As the massive iron gates opened, a wide, straight avenue came into view, stretching deep into the manor.

The car carried Xu Qing and Xu Xin into the manor.

The car stopped in front of a large fountain, and Xu Xin and Xu Qing got out.

"Miss," the servants and maids in the manor bowed respectfully.

Xu Xin nodded to them and then led Xu Qing into the luxurious and imposing villa.

The Xu family belonged to the Underground Alliance, one of the major families within the alliance in the country.

The Underground Alliance was an alliance formed by super-families and consortiums from many countries like the United States and Europe, controlling the global economy. Even national governments and armies could only coexist peacefully with the alliance.

Although the Xu family was not among the top families in the alliance, they were still a major family in the second tier, with considerable financial strength.

In the beautifully landscaped courtyard, Xu Xin and Xu Qing sat, with many exquisite desserts on the table.

Xu Qing ate with one dessert in each hand, his mouth covered in cream, looking like a simple-minded foodie.

The maids nearby couldn't help but want to laugh at the sight.

They hadn't been with the Xu family for long. They heard that the young lady used to have several playmates, but only Xu Qing was kept, always staying by her side and treated like a younger brother.

In their eyes, Xu Qing had no merits other than his decent looks and good academic performance. As for being dazed and cute, whether that counted as a merit was debatable.

However, he was quite cute.

"Are you full?" Xu Xin asked him with a smile.

Xu Qing wiped his mouth and nodded, "I'm full."

"Then let's go to the training ground," Xu Xin stood up and led him towards the backyard.

There was a large training ground in the backyard. Xu Xin brought Xu Qing in.

It looked like a shooting range, but not for firearms, rather for archery.

Upon arriving, Xu Qing walked directly to a table where many metal longbows of different sizes and models were displayed.

Next to the longbows were metal arrows, dozens of them, gleaming with a cold, eerie metallic sheen.

These longbows and arrows were made of Kro Alloy, very valuable, and were equipment for martial artists.

Xu Qing picked up a pitch-black longbow and an arrow, then drew the bow and nocked the arrow in one fluid motion. In that instant, his aura completely changed.

A glimmer of brilliant light flashed through his clear eyes, like a meteor streaking across the night sky.

Whoosh!

The next second, the arrow left the bowstring and shot out, tearing through the air with a deafening sonic boom that echoed throughout the training ground.

Standing not far away, Xu Xin looked toward the distance; five hundred meters away stood a thick wall of Kro Alloy, and the arrow was already embedded deep within it.

"That's truly amazing. Even though Xiao Qing hasn't undergone any professional training, he still possesses such strength," Xu Xin exclaimed in wonder.

It was only by chance that she had discovered Xu Qing possessed physical attributes far beyond those of an ordinary person.

That incident happened on the street, when a small child was nearly struck by a speeding sports car; the car was moving so fast that a normal person wouldn't have been able to react in time.

Yet, Xu Qing had leaped out, scooped up the child, and jumped directly to the other side of the street, averting a tragedy.

The entire process was as light as a dragonfly skimming the water—incredibly fast—and many people hadn't even noticed what had happened.

Afterward, Xu Xin had been terrified and asked Xu Qing how he did it, but he simply said he wasn't sure himself; he just knew he could do it, and it felt very simple.

From that moment on, Xu Xin knew that Xu Qing had the potential to become a martial artist, though she never spoke of it to anyone else.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three arrows flew out, pinning themselves to the wall in the blink of an eye, forming an equilateral triangle.

Then came four, five, six, seven; soon, the arrows on the wall formed the shape of a flower.

After finishing these rounds, Xu Qing lowered the longbow in his hands, his face neither flushed nor breathless; to him, this was no different from play.

He had never been taught such archery; it was all something Xu Qing had figured out on his own. It was like a hobby—as long as he delved into it, he could produce results.

"Xiao Qing, do you want to become a martial artist?" Xu Xin asked, clapping her hands as she walked over.

"A martial artist?" Xu Qing blinked his eyes. He had heard of martial artists; it seemed they were meant to hunt monsters.

He also knew that martial artists had different ranks, like Fighters and War-Generals, but he didn't have any concrete understanding of them.

To him, it was just a slightly unusual term.