Little Sorcerer, Divine Doctor-Chapter 894 - 46: A Startling Arrow (Part 1)

Dugu Sheng hadn’t expected such boldness from the future daughter-in-law from the Donghuang Dynasty.

He immediately grew more interested and commanded, "Since that’s the case, let it be decided, someone bring the archery target."

Beside Qing Meng, the Young Madam Qing uneasily tugged on her husband’s sleeve, "Do we really have to compete? My archery isn’t good, what if..."

"What if for what? Even that Donghuang Sheng dares to compete, what are you afraid of? The last place is surely that useless princess, let’s see who can shelter her then," Qing Meng glanced at his wife.

The women of Hou Qin had learned horseback riding and archery since childhood, but not everyone specialized in archery like Qing Qiang.

So the uneasiness wasn’t only felt by Young Madam Qing.

But on second thought, no matter how bad they were, they couldn’t be worse than Donghuang Sheng.

The crowd looked at Donghuang Sheng’s appearance, delicate and soft as if she hadn’t seen much sunlight, and her hands didn’t look like they had ever held a weapon. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

With such thoughts, ninety-nine percent of them were already certain that Donghuang Sheng would be the chosen one for fertilizer.

With Dugu Sheng’s command, several martial artists carried forward an archery target half a man’s height.

Hou Qin’s archery target wasn’t an ordinary hay target—its diameter was half a meter, made with resilient golden arrow grass at the center and covered with two inches thick horned rhinoceros skin.

The red bullseye was dyed with magical beast blood, and this beast skin target weighed over a hundred pounds, bringing with it a fierce battlefield aura.

If one’s arm wasn’t strong, they might find it challenging to hit the red bullseye, or even the target itself.

"Holy Emperor, since there’s a competition, there should be a judge for fairness. Let me volunteer as the judge," Empress Qing seemed quite enthusiastic as she volunteered.

"Perhaps I could be the judge. How do the Holy Emperor and Empress feel about that?"

A martial artist in plain robes approached.

"Director Song, why are you here?" Upon seeing the visitor, the Emperor of Post Qin showed joy.

The noble prince and princess consorts present stood up to greet him respectfully.

"Master," even Dugu Xiu dropped his usual cold demeanor and stepped forward.

Yun Sheng was equally surprised; this Director Song was the same middle-aged flower farmer she had met in the Medicine Field earlier.

Still dressed as a flower farmer, it was unexpected that he was the Director of Beidou Martial Arts Academy.

This Director Song was not only the director but also the mentor who educated Dugu Xiu. Dugu Xiu had learned all his combat skills from Director Song.

He didn’t hold any official position in the court but could freely enter the Imperial Palace, being unquestionably the foremost among Hou Qin warriors.

Director Song’s background was mysterious, and his cultivation was significantly advanced.

Rumor had it that his cultivation even surpassed that of the Martial Emperor’s realm.

However, Director Song was indifferent by nature, upright, and with no fondness for courtly ceremonies.

Each year, Dugu Sheng had held the azalea banquet at the palace, inviting him, but according to tradition, he had never attended.

His sudden appearance at today’s azalea banquet was startling to the crowd.

Seeing Director Song, Empress Qing’s expression changed slightly.

The Emperor of Post Qin and others might not understand Director Song’s background, but Empress Qing knew.

Director Song was sent by the Clan Leader Hei Yao of the Qilin Clan, tasked with teaching Dugu Xiu martial arts.

Though sent by Hei Yao, he was Hei Yao’s elder brother, rumored to be from the Eight Desolates Tribe’s Beast God Altar.

When Hei Yao befriended Empress Qing, he saw her as an ambitious woman eager for power, aiming to control Hou Qin’s politics.

To prevent Empress Qing from becoming too powerful and manipulating Dugu Xiu, Hei Yao sent Director Song to support Dugu Xiu’s early ascension to the throne of Hou Qin while curbing Empress Qing’s ambitions.

Indeed, after Director Song’s arrival, Empress Qing’s relationship with Dugu Xiu had become much more distant.

Therefore, Empress Qing had always been resentful of Director Song and wished to drive him away, but since he was very respected by the Emperor of Post Qin and Dugu Xiu, she could only harbor hidden hatred.

Today’s azalea banquet was meant for Empress Qing to show Donghuang Sheng some harshness, and if she were the judge, she could manipulate the competition somehow. However, with Director Song here, she had no choice but to resentfully step aside.

With Director Song’s arrival, judging naturally fell to him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, since the Holy Emperor has appointed me as the judge, allow me to alter the archery rules," Director Song said, establishing new rules for the archery contest.

The officials’ relatives, all between the ages of fourteen and thirty, were required to participate in this archery competition.

Victory would be decided using five arrows, and whoever hits the most rings wins.

According to the usual standard, the competition started with those of lower ranks; participants eligible for the azalea banquet ranged from third-rank military officers to princes and princess consorts, meeting the criteria, including future Crown Princess Consort Yun Sheng, making a total of thirty female guests.

Each had five arrows, amounting to 150 arrows altogether.

Special treatment was applied to each arrow; the tails were tied with a Copper Coin marked with numbers "1" to "30".

Yet, just before the archery contest began, Director Song spoke again.

"Currently, each female guest has been given five arrows marked with different numbers. This time the contest will only leave the final result until the last person has shot their arrow. Meanwhile, arrows already shot shall not be removed. Later competitors can knock off previous arrows, and if knocked off, prior results will not be calculated." Director Song’s rules were unheard of.

However, this greatly increased the excitement and intrigue of the archery competition.

Yun Sheng was given arrows marked "1" on the tail, which made her go last.

First to go was a third-rank military officer’s wife; she took arrows from a nearby guard and shot five times in succession.

The arrows landed consecutively within the "7, 8, 9 rings."

As expected of a military officer’s wife, her archery was indeed impressive.

Yet despite such a display, the officer and his wife were still tense.

According to Director Song’s competition rules, until the last arrow was shot, nobody knew the final outcome.

The archery target was large enough to hold two to three hundred arrows, but space was limited, and without removing arrows, by the end, the probability of hitting the target or being knocked off increased.

Afterward, fourteen or fifteen more people took their turn, with most arrows landing within seven or eight rings except for one slightly weaker one.

During this, two arrows were knocked off.

"It seems Hou Qin women are truly equal to men in bravery; such archery could have them excel even on the battlefield," Dugu Xiu nodded in agreement.

"I hope those who follow are also of similar caliber," Empress Qing remarked, side-eyeing Yun Sheng.

~Speculative minds about the plot are lively, someone even guessed it correctly! Don’t be too clever, leave some prospects for Da Fuzi, thanks also for the tips, subscriptions, and tickets~