Book 13: Chapter 35: Learning Right Before the Battle
Book 13: Chapter 35: Learning Right Before the Battle
Wherever there are people, there will be ruffians.
The royal court is precisely a giant gathering of ruffians.
Where there are ruffians, there will be a number one.
The number one swords master, the number one archer… Surrounding these two words – ‘number one’, there will often be many battles between experts.
Yunqin had powerful archery masters, Great Mang naturally had powerful archery masters as well.
In the world of Yunqin cultivators, the publicly acknowledged number one archer was Tong Wei. As for an expert like Xu Qiubai, he could only serve as Jadefall City’s number one archery master.
Among Great Mang’s cultivators, the publicly acknowledged number one was Gongsun Yang.
It was just like how many people wanted to become Central Continent City’s most powerful expert by challenging Ni Henian, wishing to become the Great Consecrator of the Imperial Court. In Great Mang, there were naturally many people who wanted to challenge Gongsun Yang and seize the title of Great Mang’s number one archer.
Originally, Gongsun Yang received all challenges for the title of number one archery master. However, five years ago, Gongsun Yang, during early morning, dusk, and deep into the night, at three different times, from three different streets in Great Mang King City, separately fired three arrows at the same rock in Great Mang King City. Then, from that day on, Great Mang didn’t have any archery masters who challenged him.
It was because all of Great Mang’s archery masters discovered that when they fired with the same type of bow and arrow as Gongsun Yang, from the same positions, they couldn’t shoot as far as him, as deep into the stone as him.
Moreover, Gongsun Yang fired at three different times, one during early morning, once at dusk and once deep into the night, these times even more so when lightning is dim, to the extent where the target cannot be seen at all… Only at this time did Great Mang’s archery masters understand that Gongsun Yang’s archery skill already reached the level of one self arrow, already understanding the target of the arrow within the heart. It was to the extent where even without seeing the target, when the target moved, he could still fire from a shocking distance away.
This was completely a level of archery proficiency that followed one’s consciousness, able to shoot wherever one wanted to.
Previously, Gongsun Yang still accepted the challenges of Great Mang powerful archers because he felt like he could learn some things from those Great Mang archery masters. However, ever since the moment he fired those three arrows, he already couldn’t learn anything from other Great Mang archery masters, there was already no need for further duels.
As such, Yunqin cultivators who understood these things all called Gongsun Yang Sir Gongsun, many powerful archery masters who wished to challenge Gongsun Yang even paid their respects to Gongsun Yang, becoming his disciples.
When a cultivator reached this point, then they could have a clear conscience about being the master of a generation.
However, even if it was this type of existence, when it was related to the war between countries where countless people were going to die, there was no choice but for him to be caught up in it, ultimately being reduced to just a strong force in the army.
Sir Gongsun was naturally the man dressed in a raincoat and bamboo hat, the one with a charming voice.
It was because only someone like him could express a bit of doubt towards Shentu Nian, having a discussion on equal terms.
Right now, he was standing on a piece of the city wall. He raised his head slightly, looking towards that Divine Wooden Flying Crane flying about. Half his face under the bamboo hat was exposed.
His half exposed face was calm to the point where there was no expression on his face.
His familiarity with the bow and arrow was already at the level of his own palm and fingers. He could even more so sense the fireworks between those two sound arrows.
Right now, there was at least a powerful Yunqin archer on this Divine Wooden Flying Crane.
This Yunqin archer, would he be able to bring him some pleasant surprise?
Right now, Gongsun Yang’s heart was calm and full of expectation.
…
Li Wu, Lin Xi and Bian Linghan were on the Divine Wooden Flying Crane.
They didn’t hide their intentions at all. Under Lin Xi’s instructions, the Divine Wooden Flying Crane directly flew to the top of the city where Shentu Nian was.
His field of view was extremely clear.
The heat released from the molten iron as it condensed made the rain produce steam, forming a sky filling expanse of white smoke. Meanwhile, Shentu Nian was standing right next to this fire beacon-like expanse of white mist.
“What should we do?”
Bian Linghan gave Shentu Nian a look, asking Lin Xi.
Lin Xi looked at Bian Linghan and said, “When you are sure you can hit him, use Big Black to fire at him with all of your strength.”
Bian Linghan’s brows furrowed slightly. “Just this simple?”
Lin Xi chuckled. “Just this simple.”
Bian Linghan turned around to look at Lin Xi. “Your laugh is extremely heavy and rigid, it looks a bit fake.”
“It is extremely heavy and rigid because of the pressure from this city and the lives of so many people.” Lin Xi looked at her and said, “The heavier and more nervous the mind, laughing a bit more will instead make me relax a bit, allow my thoughts to become a bit clearer. Either way, it is just that simple right now, just ensure that your arrow can land on his body.”
“I still cannot reach the level of firing while moving like you.” Bian Linghan’s hands shifted to Big Black’s three bowstrings. “Should we stop over his head and fire directly?”
Lin Xi laughed and said, “Sure.”
The Divine Wooden Flying Crane directly flew towards Shentu Nian, floating high above him.
Most of Great Mang’s soldiers saw the Divine Wooden Flying Crane’s movements. When they saw this Divine Wooden Flying Crane fly above Shentu Nian, they immediately stopped all conversations, the entire battlefield suddenly becoming quiet.
…
Gongsun Yang slowly lowered the bamboo hat on his head.
Right now, for all other archers in Great Mang, the Divine Wooden Flying Crane was still too tall, their arrows couldn’t pose any threat to it at all.
However, Gongsun Yang could already take action.
Only, he had to ensure that the people on the Divine Wooden Flying Crane had the qualifications to make him fire an arrow.
In this type of great battle, if he could only take action twice, then he naturally had to ensure that he could take down an important figure from the other side.
That was why he was going to wait until after he saw the one on the Divine Wooden Flying Crane take action, and then he would make his move.
Bian Linghan didn’t have much hesitation though.
She was Lin Xi’s eyes and arms, so at this time, she completely tossed aside her own thoughts, loyally carrying out Lin Xi’s orders.
After taking a deep breath, all of the power within her body poured out through her three fingers, entering the three black strings.
In this instant, countless raindrops in the sky were guided by the aura around her, completely gathering around her. There was suddenly a transparent mermaid condensed from water droplets in the Divine Wooden Flying Crane’s surroundings. Since it was crystalline and transparent, lacking the Heaven’s Lens Mermaid’s sinister aura, it only gave off an extremely shocking and beautiful feeling.
Before those Great Mang soldiers who saw this Heaven’s Lens Mermaid had time to think anything, the Heaven’s Lens Mermaid broke apart, and then an expanse of dark night descended.
In Gongsun Yang’s perception, there was a black night that appeared, one that was horrifyingly dark.
However, at this moment, his eyes were instead absolutely dazzling, brilliant like the most dazzling gemstone under the sunlight.
He knew that this expanse of dark night was ‘Big Black’, an attack from this world’s unparalleled ‘Big Black’.
This soul weapon alone was already worth him taking action.
That was why he didn’t think about how Shentu Nian was going to block this arrow at all. When this dark night appeared in his perception, the raincoat covering his body already exploded into countless pieces, fluttering outwards like countless small arrows. A pure white longbow appeared in his hands.
A long arrow with peacock feather-like colors instantly left his longbow, leaving his fingers with a speed ordinary people couldn’t sense or see at all, flying at that Divine Wooden Flying Crane.
A wind noise sounded.
The vital energy on the bow shook, coupled together with the arrow sound, it produced a phoenix cry that penetrated the nine heavens.
The white light released from the spotlessly white longbow’s runes formed auspicious clouds one after another. Meanwhile, the radiance released by that arrow was instead like a peacock spreading its tail, exceptionally brilliant.
The power of this arrow was incomparably berserk, just like a rolling starry stream.
Gongsun Yang didn’t need to hit anyone on the Divine Wooden Flying Crane. He only needed to destroy the Divine Wooden Flying Crane, because then, all of the people on it would inevitably die.
However, Gongsun Yang didn’t only fire a single arrow.
The instant the first arrow was fired, with speed bystanders couldn’t see clearly at all, he fired another arrow.
He continuously fired two arrows in an instant.
The second arrow was fiery red colored, just like a cloud filled with volcanic ash on the horizon.
This second arrow was even faster than his first arrow. It caught up to the first arrow, fiercely smashing into the tail of the first arrow.
The first arrow that was like a peacock’s tail feathers instantly accelerated again, its power becoming even greater.
Lin Xi sensed the two arrows that approached.
However, he didn’t have enough time to sense where these two arrows came from at all.
As such, he directly used his unique ability, returning to a second ago.
The instant Bian Linghan fired her arrow, his entire figure fiercely leapt towards the skies in front of him.
No one could understand his actions.
Bian Linghan and Li Wu didn’t understand, Gongsun Yang who already fired at the Divine Wooden Flying Crane didn’t understand either… However, this time, Lin Xi could clearly see where the arrow radiance flew out from, he saw Gongsun Yang who raised his bow clearly. While falling from the sky, he saw the Divine Wooden Flying Crane behind him directly explode to pieces, also seeing a strange tangerine yellow short flying sword suddenly appear behind Shentu Nian.
It was unknown who controlled this flying sword, but it was definitely not Shentu Nian’s own flying sword. It was because Shentu Nian’s mouth was currently opened, releasing a burst of flames whose vital energy fluctuations were even more powerful than a flying sword.
This candle light like scarlet flames faced the black arrow descending upon his head with incomparable precision. Then, the instant the black arrow light made contact with these flames, the flying sword also seized this arrow’s trajectory, frantically hacking about, drawing out countless traces in the air.
Lin Xi didn’t waste any time. Under the terrifying feeling of weightlessness in the sky, he directly used his unique ability again, returning to half a halt ago[1], when Bian Linghan asked him what to do.
“Teacher Li Wu, don’t be in a rush to approach yet, let’s circle around this place for a bit. I need to think about some things.” He took a deep breath, replying to Bian Linghan like this.
Bian Linghan’s brows furrowed slightly. She was a bit confused as to why Lin Xi still didn’t think through things yet at this type of time.
“Do you see that man who is standing on the city walls three hundred steps to Shentu Nian’s left, on that pile of Stone Catapult Cart remains?” Right at this time, Lin Xi asked her.
Bian Linghan’s eyes followed where Lin Xi spoke of, saying, “The man in that raincoat?”
Lin Xi nodded. “He is wearing a raincoat right now.”
Bian Linghan’s brows furrowed. “He is wearing a raincoat right now… what does this mean?”
“You don’t need to worry about this.” Lin Xi gave her a look and said, “You only need to know that he is an archer who is more powerful than us… perhaps not inferior to Teacher Tong.”
Bian Linghan’s eyes flashed with radiance. She was already used to Lin Xi’s abrupt judgment, which was why she didn’t ask Lin Xi much.
Li Wu’s brows instead jumped slightly, saying, “If you are certain about your judgment… then that could only be Gongsun Yang.”
Lin Xi’s brows furrowed slightly as he said, “What I need to consider right now is… whether this arrow should directly kill Shentu Nian, or assassinate this archer. This archery master might have the ability to destroy our Divine Wooden Flying Crane under this type of height as long as we get close to him… that is why I want to hear your opinions.”
Li Wu said, “You even have confidence in killing them?”
Lin Xi nodded. “I learned some things from this archery master’s body, which is why regardless of which one it is, I have confidence in killing them.”
Li Wu didn’t ask Lin Xi how he could learn anything from Gongsun Yang before anything even happened… he only seriously thought for a bit and then said, “If it was me, I will choose to kill Gongsun Yang.”
Bian Linghan gave Lin Xi a look. “I will also choose to kill Gongsun Yang… After all, Great Mang definitely has many great figures who would appear here. Losing a main leader like Shentu Nian will at most affect morale. Finding a vice commander like Shentu Nian to command this battle should still be possible. However, the existence of this archery master… it not only signifies that our Divine Wooden Flying Crane might be shot down at any time, we will at least have to pay the price of one or two Sacred Experts.”
Lin Xi chuckled, but his laugh was still a bit difficult. However, he was still able to laugh in the end.
“In that case, we have reached a unanimous decision. We will first kill this archery master!”
1. 1 halt = 1 minute, half a halt is 30 seconds B1C20