The participants originally gathered around the stall withdrew one after another, leaving only An Liu and Ye Muyan standing before it.
The stall owner struck the copper gong a few more times and loudly announced the rules.
“Each of you gentlemen has five arrows. Ten zhang away, there is a wooden target the size of a fist, with rings from the center outward ranging from ten points to one point. Within one ke, both gentlemen must shoot their arrows, and the one with the higher cumulative score wins.”
“Time begins!”
As soon as the vendor announced the start, An Liu took the lead, loading an arrow and drawing his bow.
After aiming for a long time, he secretly pressed a small device concealed in his palm, and the arrow flew out, landing steadily within the ten-point ring.
“Wow! As expected of Young Master An.”
“Indeed, not only is he talented in scholarship, but he is also so skilled in archery!”
“His archery posture is so dashing.”
Hearing the surrounding praises, An Liu smiled smugly. Seizing the momentum, he used the cheating device in his palm to shoot two more arrows in succession.
Both arrows landed firmly in the ten-point ring.
The onlookers all felt that Gu Qinghan’s male companion was bound to lose. An Liu had hit every shot perfectly, while the masked man hadn’t even prepared his arrows yet.
An Liu turned his head, hoping to see a look of regret on Gu Qinghan’s face.
To his surprise, Gu Qinghan wasn’t looking at him at all. Instead, her eyes sparkled as she gazed at her male companion.
Unable to resist, he sneered mockingly, “Miss Gu, it seems your companion isn’t very proficient in archery. I could even let him have one arrow.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Muyan placed five arrows on his bow at once.
An Liu now found it truly laughable. He laughed heartily, somewhat losing his composure. “You haven’t even shot a single arrow yet, and you think you can hit five at once?”
“Aren’t you being too arrogant?”
Ye Muyan didn’t look at him. He simply drew the bow to its fullest, glanced at the bullseye, and released the arrows cleanly.
“Twang!” The sound of the arrows cutting through the air reached everyone’s ears.
In astonishment, the crowd followed the trajectory of the arrows and saw that all five arrows had split An Liu’s previously shot arrows cleanly in half.
The target swayed unsteadily and, after a moment, could no longer hold on and fell to the ground.
At that moment, the crowd fell silent, and the air grew still.
Only Gu Qinghan ran up to Ye Muyan’s side and said sweetly, “Yan Gege, you’re amazing!”
Her voice snapped the surrounding people out of their daze, and they erupted into enthusiastic applause.
From time to time, someone shouted, “This gentleman is incredible! A true master archer!”
The stall owner immediately announced, “This gentleman wins!”
An Liu was also stunned into rigidity.
He wanted to say something but felt too ashamed.
Seeing Gu Qinghan looking at Ye Muyan with trust and not sparing him a single glance, resentment surged in his heart.
The humiliation of the evening welled up inside him, and he lost his rationality.
Clutching an arrow, he charged toward the two. But before he could take more than two steps, Ye Muyan shot an arrow that struck his palm.
“Ah!!”
Excruciating pain shot through him, and he clutched his right wrist, collapsing to his knees on the ground.
At that moment, the device that had helped him hit the ten-point rings fell out.
Someone in the crowd with sharp eyes immediately shouted, “That device is used for cheating in archery!”
“This An Liu truly can’t handle losing.”
“Who knows how he earned his reputation as the top scholar?”
“Looking at his face now, I realize it’s not that handsome after all.”
“What a low-class character, bringing shame to us men. Wife, I’ll win that thing you want for you fair and square later!”
Ye Muyan looked at An Liu with a gaze as if he were an insect, saying coldly, “I told you, you’re not worthy.”
He went to the stall, picked up a few items Gu Qinghan had earlier taken a liking to, and walked away without looking back.
After a while, the crowd at the stall saw officials take away An Liu, who had fainted from the pain.
They all speculated about the identity of the masked man.
By then, the two had already walked to the lakeside, which was not as bustling as the capital.
Only the moonlight and stars were exceptionally beautiful, reflected in the lake with an intoxicating charm.
Gu Qinghan closed her eyes, savoring the comfort and tranquility of the moment.
Ye Muyan could finally look at Gu Qinghan’s face openly. His gaze traced her features inch by inch, unwilling to look away for even a moment.
His stare was too intense for Gu Qinghan to ignore, and she opened her eyes.
Having kept them closed for a while, her almond-shaped eyes held a faint glimmer of moisture.
Like a little deer.
Gu Qinghan removed the jade thumb ring she had worn all evening, took Ye Muyan’s large hand, and slipped it onto his finger.
“Thank you, Yan Gege. Your archery was amazing tonight!”
“Thanks to you, I had a wonderful time~”
The girl’s voice was soft and sweet, her eyes carrying a hint of dependence.
Ye Muyan felt the warmth in his hand.
His voice was slightly hoarse: “Qingqing, I had a wonderful time too.”
The two gazed at each other for a moment until fireworks soared not far away.
Gu Qinghan bit her lip, reluctant to part. “It’s getting late. I should head back to the manor now. Yan Gege, rest early and have sweet dreams!”
Just then, Wanzhu ran over, her voice flustered. “Forgive me, Miss. I lost track of you.”
Gu Qinghan said meaningfully, “It’s fine. Yan Gege was with me.”
She waved her small hand at Ye Muyan, smiled, and mouthed “goodbye” before leaving with Wanzhu.
Under the moonlight, only Ye Muyan remained. He raised the hand Gu Qinghan had touched to his nose, inhaling her unique, sweet fragrance.