Chapter 569
569 Chapter 569-ji Chang learns archery
“Good Yingluo.”
“Godly arrow, ah!”
As soon as Xia ping ‘an opened his eyes, he saw himself in the crowd, watching the show. The people around him were all clapping and cheering excitedly. Not far away, there was a tall City Tower. At the gate of the City Tower, there were the two words ” Handan “. This was an open space outside of Handan City. There were many small vendors around, and there were many people coming and going at the city gate. Everyone was gathered here. He was also wearing coarse clothes and carrying a bag. He looked travel-worn.
The person who was surrounded by the crowd was a tall man with a beard. He was drawing his bow and shooting an arrow.
The man’s target was a big poplar tree outside the city. The big tree was more than 100 meters away from the man. Xia Pingan looked at the big tree and saw an arrow nailed to it. However, the people around him were cheering.
Xia ping ‘an was still puzzled. It was just a big tree. What was there to be happy about?
Just as this question rose in his heart, Xia Pingan saw the man shoot another arrow.
Xia Pingan saw this arrow clearly. The arrow that was shot from behind hit the end of the arrow shaft in front of him. The sharp arrow head immediately scattered the shaft and feathers of the arrow that had hit the big tree in front of him. The feathers scattered like willow catkins blown by the wind, causing the people around to cheer.
Xia ping ‘an was also shocked. This level of difficulty was no longer as simple as hitting the 10th ring. It was the standard for hitting a blade or a fly from 100 meters away. The arrowheads at the back had to break the end of the arrow shafts in front. No matter how many arrows were shot, there was only one arrow shaft left on the big tree in front.
The man shot another arrow and hit the arrow shaft in front of him. The arrow shaft fell to the ground under the tree, and the people around cheered again.
“Uncle, may I ask who this Archer is? how can he have such high skill?” To be on the safe side, Xia Pingan even asked the uncle beside her.
this is the best sharpshooter in Zhao, the flying guard, ” big tree said proudly and clapped his hands again.
As expected, they were flying guards!
Xia Pingan watched from the side until the FEI Wei finished his performance and the crowd dispersed. The FEI Wei went to the target poplar tree alone and was about to use a small knife to dig out the arrow cluster from the tree trunk. Xia Pingan then moved to the side and helped the FEI Wei dig the arrow cluster from the tree without saying a word.
In this era, the Arrowhead was made of copper and was not cheap. If the Arrowhead was dug out, it could be Reforged into a new Arrowhead.
Fei Wei looked at Xia ping ‘an, who came over to help, and didn’t say anything. After he finished digging, he said, ” young man, you look travel-worn, did you just come to Handan? ”
“To tell you the truth, I came to Handan because I heard that Fei Wei is the top Archer in Zhao and wanted to learn from you. I didn’t expect to see you today, you really live up to your name. Can you teach me your archery skills?”
“Oh, you want to learn archery from me?” Fei Wei glanced at Xia ping ‘an and nodded his head slightly. your body doesn’t look weak. You must have trained before, right? ”
yes, I’ve trained for a while and I like hunting too. I can just about draw a bow!
“What’s your name, and where are you from?” Fei Wei continued to ask.
If this question was asked to anyone else who had fused with the realm Pearl, they would definitely be dumbfounded. However, who was Xia Pingan? naturally, he answered smoothly, ” my name is Ji Chang, and I came from Xing land, Ning Jin!
The flying guard laughed and kept his bow. Suddenly, he took out an arrow with one hand and aimed it straight at Xia Pingan’s eyes. His movements were fast and Swift. The sharp arrow was only stopped when it almost touched Xia Pingan’s eyelashes. Seeing the sharp object coming at him, although Xia Pingan did not avoid it timidly, his eyes naturally blinked twice.
not bad, you’re quite courageous. You didn’t have to Dodge. Since you’re from Zhao, I’ll tell you this. If you want to learn archery from me, you must first learn not to blink. When you learn not to blink, even if a sharp blade or arrow comes, you can stare at the target without blinking. Then come and find me! As Fei Wei spoke, he put the arrows back into the deerskin bag and turned to leave.
Xia ping ‘an didn’t chase after him. He only bowed deeply to Fei Wei’s back. Then, he didn’t enter Handan City, but turned around and left.
Ji Chang’s hometown was in Ji Changzhuang, Ningjin County, Hebei. Of course, Ji Changzhuang had not yet existed at this time. It was later changed to commemorate Ji Chang. Xing land was not far from Handan. Three days later, Xia Pingan had returned to Ningjin County.
Xia ping ‘an originally wanted to find someone to ask and find a way to return to his own home, but as soon as he returned to Ning Jin, he was recognized by an old man driving an ox cart on the way.
The old man was sitting on the ox-cart. When he passed by Xia ping ‘an, he tilted his head and sized her up, then laughed, ” isn’t this Ji Chang? what’s up? I heard that you were going to Handan to learn archery from a master archer. Did you manage to learn it so quickly? ”
Xia Pingan broke out in a cold sweat. People nowadays were so down-to-earth. Ning Jin wasn’t a big place, and there probably wasn’t much news or gossip about it. A man from Ning Jin had gone out to learn from a marksman, and almost everyone in the county knew about it. Ji Chang seemed to be a little famous in Ning Jin, too, for him to be recognized.
I met the Sharpshooter. The Sharpshooter said that I’m not good enough and that I should go home and practice my Kasaya, ” Xia Pingan could only reply in this way.
alright, I’m going to collect the leather and I’m passing by your house. Get in the car. We’ll take a walk on the way.
Xia Pingan heaved a sigh of relief in his heart and got on the ox-cart.
On the ox-cart, Xia ping ‘an only found out about Ji Chang’s family situation after a few indirect questions.
In fact, Ji Chang’s family was quite well-off. Several generations of the family had accumulated and managed the business. In Ji Chang’s generation, the family had left more than 300 mu of fertile land, and they could usually collect a little rent. Because of the good family conditions, Ji Chang liked to shoot arrows from a young age. He often went hunting with hunters and could even catch prey to sell. In Ning Jin, he could be considered a well-known Archer and rich child, and many people knew him.
The old man driving the carriage was named Feng. He was a small leather merchant in Ningjin County and knew Ji Chang.
The ox-cart traveled slowly on the road. Two hours later, the ox-cart arrived at a Manor with hundreds of families. It stopped outside a courtyard with a few courtyards, a few large tile-roofed doors, and a jujube tree in front of them. alright, Ji Chang, you’re home. When we find more prey, I’ll come back to collect them. I’ve long heard that there’s a big worm on Dongshan mountain. A few days ago, there were also rich merchants who came to collect the skin of the big worm. If not for the arrow-eyed crickets.
Xia Pingan alighted from the car, walked to the door, and knocked on it. After a while, the door opened, revealing the face of a 15 or 16-year-old girl. The girl became happy the moment she saw Xia Pingan. She turned her head and shouted into the house, ” Madam Xuanji, Madam Xuanji, master Xuanji is back!
It was indeed here!
Xia Pingan heaved a sigh of relief in his heart and walked in directly. Then, he saw a delicate-looking woman in a long dress walking out quickly. When she saw Xia Pingan, the woman seemed to heave a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on her face. it’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back. Xiao Huan, go to the kitchen and tell the old lady to cook two more dishes tonight!
“Alright!”
In Ji Chang’s family, there was a virtuous wife, a maidservant, and an old woman who helped with the household. Ji Chang was the head of the family. Usually, the main income of the family came from the rental of the tenant. Because Ji Chang was powerful and had a group of friends in the manor and County, none of the tenants dared to not pay the rent. Therefore, the family lived a pretty good life. At least, they did not have to run around to make a living. Ji Chang could concentrate on archery and martial arts. When it was time to collect the rent, he would do so. As for Ji Chang’s wife, she was in charge of the family’s Affairs, big and small. The family lived a happy and harmonious life.
This time, Xia Pingan came back home to practice his eyesight.
Usually, Xia ping ‘an would watch the clouds rise and fall, the sun rise and the moon fall, the Eagles, the rabbits, the dogs in the manor, and the ants on the ground. He would try his best to keep his eyes open and not blink. Even if his eyes were red and tearing up, he would not blink.
Ji Chang’s wife usually weaved cloth at home. Xia Pingan lay directly under the loom, his eyes staring at the handle of the loom without blinking.
This kind of training was extremely boring. If one did not have confidence and perseverance, they would give up halfway.
Just like that, after two years of staring, Xia ping ‘an had trained Ji Chang’s eyes to be full of life. He would no longer blink passively due to conditioned reflexes and fatigue. Xia ping’ an once again went to Handan and met the FEI Wei.
The flying guard still remembered Xia ping ‘an. After testing Xia ping’ an’s skill of not blinking, the flying guard knew that Xia ping ‘an really wanted to learn. Hence, he said to Xia ping’ an, ” you only don’t blink now, but it’s still not enough. If you want to become a sharpshooter, your eyes still can’t see things. You have to train your eyes to see small things as big as big, see small things as big as they are, and see small things as big as they are. You have to see an ant as if you’re looking at a sieve. Then, come and find me, ran ran.
If an average person heard what the flying guard said, they would definitely think that the flying guard was making things difficult for them and did not want to teach them. However, Xia Pingan knew that the flying guard was not making things difficult.
This process was actually the same as Liezi’s learning how to ride the wind and fly. Both were beyond common sense, but they both developed the potential of human body. The process of eye cultivation was to concentrate the energy and consciousness in the eyes for a long time in a high intensity. This process might develop the potential of one’s eyes.
When she returned home again, Xia Pingan found the hair on the Yak’s tail and the lice. She tied the lice up with the Yak’s tail hair and hung it under a window at home. Every day, she would focus on staring at the lice.
Ten days later, the lice, which was originally as small as a sesame seed, suddenly became bigger in Xia Pingan’s eyes. It looked like it was about the size of a broad bean. This made Xia Pingan feel refreshed. He knew that his visual ability had been developed a little, but he still persevered.
There were many lice in the countryside, and when the lice died, they would change to a new one.
If there were no lice, then flies, mosquitoes, sesame seeds, or green beans would do. Anyway, as long as it was small, Xia Pingan would tie it up with cow hair and hang it under the window to stare at it every day.
After looking at it for three years, the lice hanging under the window was almost the size of a car wheel in Xia ping ‘an’s eyes. Xia ping’ an was ten meters away, but he could even see the tiny hairs and antennae of the lice clearly.
Xia ping ‘an once again went to Handan to find Fei Wei.
After the test, the flying guard was also touched by Xia ping ‘an’s spirit. He realized that Xia ping’ an was indeed determined to learn archery, so he taught him everything he had. Within a year, he passed on his archery skills to Xia ping ‘an.
It was only on the night that Xia ping ‘an was able to finish her apprenticeship that the FEI Wei and Xia ping’ an drank. The FEI Wei had drunk a little too much before he said to Xia ping ‘an, ” my archery skills are actually nothing. In this world, there are actually people who are better at archery than me.
“Oh, who is that?”
that’s my master, gan Fei, who is also your Grandmaster. What I taught you was to shoot when you have a bow. My master gan Fei is the best Archer in the world, and he has already reached the realm of shooting without shooting.
Xia Pingan’s heart skipped a beat. He knew that a hidden mission had arrived. ah, Where can I find Grandmaster? ”
the last time I saw your Grandmaster was more than 20 years ago. He said that he had found a place in Shu to live in seclusion. The scenery there was beautiful and the sun shone brightly. Your Grandmaster no longer wanted to come out. I haven’t seen him in all these years!
Xia ping ‘an bade farewell to the flying guards. After making a trip home and making some preparations, he went directly to Shu to find gan Fei.
Xia ping ‘an searched in Sichuan for a year, but it didn’t matter. No one in Shu had heard of the name gan Fei, but he still didn’t give up.
Later on, Xia Pingan focused his search on Mount Emei. He searched around Mount Emei for more than half a year, but he still found nothing.
On this day, while Xia ping ‘an was searching the mountain, he suddenly heard a soft groan from the grass in the valley below the mountain path. Xia ping’ an was a little curious, so he followed the slope of the mountain path to the valley below. Then, he saw an old man lying in the grass. The old man was dressed as a woodcutter and had a woodcutter on his body. Beside him, there was a pile of firewood.
This woodcutter seemed to have accidentally slipped down from the mountain road above.
“Ah, old man, are you alright?” Xia Pingan quickly helped the old man sit up.
I’m getting on in years. I can’t even walk properly on the mountain road. I accidentally slipped down just now. Can you send me up, little brother? ” The woodcutter spoke to Xia ping ‘an in an authentic Shu accent.
“Old Sir, where’s your house? I’ll send you back.” As Xia Pingan spoke, he carried the woodcutter on his back.
“Little brother, you’re a good person. My house is on the hillside at the foot of the mountain, only seven or eight miles away from here.”
“Old Sir, you lead the way, I’ll take you home!”
The woodcutter thanked Xia ping ‘an profusely. Xia ping’ an carried the woodcutter on his back and walked out of the ravine. After walking for four to five miles, he finally sent the woodcutter back to his house.
Walking more than ten miles on the mountain road and carrying a person on his back was really not an easy journey.
The woodcutter’s home was a small wooden house at the foot of the mountain. There was no one else in the small wooden house other than the woodcutter.
brother, can I trouble you to help me pick up the firewood? I found them with great difficulty and I want to sell them for money. I don’t want to waste them! The woodcutter said to Xia ping ‘an when they got home.
“Old man, how much is that firewood worth? I’ll buy it!” Xia ping ‘an was stunned for a moment. As he spoke, he took out some money and was about to buy the woodcutter’s firewood.
sigh, I don’t deserve it. Little brother, I can’t take your money. I just want my firewood. Little brother, you’re tired today, so forget it. I’ll rest for a day and go by myself, ” the woodcutter said in embarrassment.
Xia Pingan glanced at the old man and smiled. I’m sorry for being rude. Please wait at home, old man. I’ll help you bring your firewood back!
With that, Xia Pingan left the wooden house and walked another seven or eight miles on the mountain road, returning to the small ravine. He found the place where the woodcutter had left the firewood and picked up a handful of firewood.
By the time Xia ping ‘an returned to the woodcutter’s cabin, it was already getting late. The sun was about to set, and Xia ping’ an was also tired and covered in sweat.
Xia ping ‘an hadn’t even taken a sip of water when the woodcutter unexpectedly said to him, ” little brother, you’ve brought back all my firewood. Can you help me bring the firewood to spring breeze House at the foot of the mountain? this is the firewood for spring breeze House. I promise to send some Kasaya to spring breeze House.
“Alright, old Sir, please wait a moment. I’ll send it over to you now!” As Xia Pingan spoke, she wasn’t angry. She picked up the firewood and prepared to leave.
spring breeze house’s roast chicken and wine are not bad. Little brother, use the money you earned from selling firewood to bring me some food and wine. I haven’t eaten anything for the whole day, ” the woodcutter even said.
Xia Pingan nodded and went down the mountain with the firewood. After walking for five or six miles, he finally found spring breeze House and delivered the firewood.
The spring breeze house’s manager paid for the firewood, but this bit of firewood was not enough to buy wine and roast chicken. Xia Pingan added some money to buy wine and roast chicken, and brought them back to the woodcutter’s small wooden house.
When she returned to the wooden house, the sky was already completely dark. She handed the wine and the roast chicken wrapped in lotus leaves to the woodcutter. The woodcutter finally smiled and invited Xia Pingan to drink and eat the chicken together. Xia Pingan did not refuse and stayed in the wooden house with the old man by the fire. They drank the wine and ate the roast chicken.
After two glasses of wine, the old man put down the glass and suddenly asked, ” how is the FEI Wei doing in Handan? ”
Xia ping ‘an was stunned. Looking at the old man’s smiling face, he hurriedly bowed to the old man, ” Ji Chang pays his respects to Grandmaster!
hahaha, hehe. the old man laughed out loud. There was a different kind of expression between his brows, and he no longer had the aura of a woodcutter. that brat Fei Wei is the most unreasonable and impetuous. When I taught him the skills, he felt that he had learned almost everything and wanted to compete with me, so he even sneak attacked me. However, I didn’t teach him my shooting without shooting. He’s too impetuous and wants to go out and explore without subduing the heart fire. If I really teach him the skills of the God of shooting, he will cause big trouble. It seems that he has grown a lot in the past few years. You’re not bad, you can learn my ability to shoot without shooting, hehe.”