Chapter 495: Chapter 311: Nianjun’s Admiration, Two Women Secretly Compete, Fame Spreads, Madame Hears the News

At the Dream Inn, the young talents saw Zhou Shijie’s seriousness. Having pride in their hearts, they were skeptical about the "astonishing archery" he claimed, yet his defeated demeanor did not seem like a pretense, sparking their curiosity.

In the inn’s hall, three pots of beast soup were bubbling with heat. The essences of various beasts rolled in the pot, the texture of tiger and bear hearts clear, with bear paws and leopard backs nearly cooked.

The aroma of the cooking soup was fresh and fragrant. Yang Wentian brought dozens of bowls and chopsticks, tossed them beside the Korean soup. The bowls landed perfectly in order, spread out systematically. Yang Wentian placed a palm in the air, striking the beast pot. The pot jolted, spreading beast soup like rain, falling precisely into the bowls.

The crowd praised continually, grabbing bowls of fresh soup, slurping as they sat around the beast soup in a lively circle. Zhou Ting of the Yangshan Sword Sect shouted, "Waiter, prepare water and wine!"

The inn’s waiter carried wine jars and clear water. Clear water was poured into the pot, while the wine jar was placed aside for the young talents to take. Everyone sat orderly, drinking soup, wine, and eating meat, waiting for Zhou Shijie to speak.

Gu Nianjun took a small sip and said, "Brother Wang, please speak."

Zhou Shijie called for a wine jar, drank heavily, and slowly said, "Today’s hunt, I indeed used some tricks. I possess [Emerald Eyes], unique eyes with the ability to trace and distinguish, stronger than most people."

"I saw many winter hunters, and quite a few fellow Sword Sect grandmaster brothers and sisters present. Common beast captures are naturally not weak, but if one can hunt a Snow Beast, it would bolster one’s reputation and showcase one’s archery skills."

Upon hearing this, many smiled knowingly. Yang Wentian said, "Frankly speaking, I also wanted to hunt the Snow Beast. Yet, this beast is extremely cunning, and I haven’t even seen its fur."

Many echoed this with laughter. Gu Nianjun asked, "And then?" Zhou Shijie replied, "I was quite lucky to track down a snow tiger and injured it with an arrow, but it ran away."

Zhou Shi Jie said, "The Snow Beast’s vitality is strong. If one arrow doesn’t kill it, there’s a great chance of it escaping. Such a setback shouldn’t be enough to make Brother Wang despondent, leading him to give up archery, right?"

Zhou Shijie said, "I possess Emerald Eyes, although I temporarily lost it, I could gradually detect the traces of the snow tiger through subtle clues. I pursued it step by step, until I was confident that I’d be able to kill a snow tiger!"

Zhou Shijie took another sip of wine and said, "The incident occurred right here."

Everyone listened with endless curiosity aroused by his storytelling. Gu Nianjun slightly furrowed his brows and said, "Brother Wang, please continue."

Zhou Shijie said, "I stealthily approached, less than three hundred feet away from the snow tiger. I nocked an arrow on the string and shot it out. Unexpectedly, just then, another arrow flew from elsewhere and hit my flying arrow!"

Liu Mei exclaimed, "Brother Wang, your arrow had left the string, yet it was hit?"

Zhou Shijie nodded. The young talents were in awe; the arrow’s momentum was powerful and swift, being hit by another arrow was exceptionally difficult.

Zhou Shijie said, "But that’s not all. I turned to look back then. I saw the person who shot the arrow standing miles away from me... no, at the time I thought it was two miles far. In reality, it was certainly more than two miles, because amidst the vast Snow Mountain, all was white, that person with a red bow was conspicuous, making it seem very close."

"As they say, ’seeing mountains run horses to death,’ this is the same concept. When I walked there myself, it was five miles... no, eight miles away! Maybe even further? Really hard to determine amidst the endless snow."

Mu Hongchou said, "Wait, you mean eight miles apart, the person shot your arrow down? That’s incredibly unbelievable unless they used Inner Qi and martial arts, it’s absolutely impossible."

Zhou Shijie shook his head and said, "I’m convinced it was pure archery."

Hua Wu nodded and said, "Unless... you were shooting against that person, with opposing directions."

Zhou Shijie shook his head and said, "No, I mentioned the word ’look back’ earlier, that person was directly behind me. It wasn’t a confrontation."

Yue Kai thought and said, "I understand now. It must be a coincidence because the person shot their arrow first. Brother Wang shot later, and due to the difference in timing, coupled with the same shooting direction, the two arrows collided."

Gu Nianjun and Mu Hongchou silently nodded in agreement, finding it sensible. Mu Hongchou said, "So, essentially Brother Wang shot the other’s arrow down. But due to the complex situation, Brother Wang believed they shot your arrow down."

Zhou Shijie said, "I was competitive by nature and thought this was a great coincidence. So, I nocked another arrow to the bow for another shot, this time there was no luck."

Everyone listened intently. Zhou Shijie said solemnly, "If the first time was coincidence, this second shot had no room for error. I saw firsthand as my flying arrow was shot down again. It was a later but accurate shot, I fired first and they followed."

Yang Wentian doubted deeply and said, "Brother Wang, were you possibly under some illusion? How could this happen otherwise?"

Mu Hongchou said, "The later arrow shooting the earlier one is too incredible. Furthermore... you were eight miles away. Even with my archery skills, I wouldn’t dare claim precision at eight miles, let alone hitting a flying arrow. I’ve never heard of such a feat!"

Gu Nianjun remained silent, her eyes glimmering. Zhou Shijie bitterly smiled and said, "Why on earth would I lie to you, this is undoubtedly true."

"That person raised a finger, indicating they’d let me shoot another arrow. At that moment, I used all my lifelong archery skills and learning. I shot the third arrow."

Liu Mei asked, "Did it get hit again?" The room fell silent to the point of hearing a needle drop, everyone waited for Zhou Shijie to respond.

Zhou Shijie nodded and said, "Indeed, without a doubt, it was shot down again. This time, I saw them draw their bow and shoot, their stance and demeanor... I... I cannot describe. I am utterly in awe and admiration."

"After that arrow, I no longer had the will to face it again. I saw them draw their bow again, several miles away, and with one arrow they killed the snow tiger lying in the snow. The grace they showed, truly... truly made one feel inadequate."