The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Missing the Target

This polo match is organized by the palace. The players are all scions of noble families.

This was the Eldest Princess’s way of showing them favor.

Ye Chutang lowered her gaze respectfully. ”Thank you for your kind intentions, Eldest Princess. It’s just that Yan and A Feng have been away for the past few years without anyone to instruct them. They aren’t skilled in Imperial Archery, so I’m afraid it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

”What does that matter?” the Eldest Princess said with a smile. ”Boys their age are meant to enjoy a bit of excitement. As for their Archery Skill, they are at the Imperial College. Feng Zhang himself will be there to teach them.”

The chance to be personally instructed by Feng Zhang was something countless people would envy.

Ye Chutang no longer refused. She curtsied in salute.

”Thank you, Eldest Princess.”

...

In the blink of an eye, the day of the monthly exam arrived. The students all gathered on the training grounds, waiting for the Imperial Archery examination to begin.

Ye Yunfeng touched the quiver on his back, feeling both excited and nervous. ”Jingyan, this set must have cost our sister a lot of money, right?”

This was miles better than the mismatched junk he used to scrounge up!

Ye Jingyan glanced at the longbow in his hand and mulled it over for a moment. ”Hmm... not necessarily.”

When our sister and Xiao Wu dropped off the equipment yesterday, they both seemed completely relaxed. Xiao Wu, in particular, barely even glanced at it.

’So it’s highly likely these two sets didn’t cost our family a thing.’

Ye Yunfeng was a little baffled. Before he could ask, he sensed something and turned to look.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

It was none other than Murong Ye.

He walked to the front of the crowd and shot a glance at Ye Yunfeng, a cold sneer curling his lips.

”Well, well. You actually bought a new bow and arrow set? What a waste of money.”

The noisy crowd fell into an odd silence as countless pairs of eyes darted between the two of them.

Everyone knew Murong Ye had challenged Ye Yunfeng to a showdown during this monthly exam. They just hadn’t expected the tension to be this thick the moment they met.

Ye Yunfeng crossed his arms and scoffed. ”That’s right. My sister picked it out especially for me. Using it to compete against you? It really is a waste.”

Murong Ye’s face darkened.

”Let’s see if you’re still laughing when we get on the field!”

Ye Yunfeng couldn’t be bothered to pay him any mind.

Qiao Zimo whispered, ”Are you sure about this? Ever since Murong Ye entered the Imperial College, he’s never placed lower than first in the Imperial Archery exams!”

Murong Yang is a general, and he has meticulously trained his son. Say what you will about him, but Murong Ye’s martial arts and mounted archery are truly outstanding.

That’s why he’s so arrogant at such a young age and looks down on everyone else.

Ye Yunfeng cleaned his ear with a finger. ”So what? When my sister used to send me out to catch rabbits, I never missed.”

Qiao Zimo: ”...”

’How can you compare the two?’

’Even though that slingshot Ye Yunfeng made was impressive, he’s ultimately self-taught. Murong Ye, on the other hand, has been professionally trained since he was a child. This—’

Qiao Zimo sighed to himself, then clapped Ye Yunfeng on the shoulder. ”Hey, it’s fine, man! He’s older than you and has every advantage. Losing to him is nothing to be ashamed of!”

Ye Yunfeng rolled his shoulders and scoffed lightly.

”Pity. I don’t like to lose.”

...

The exam was divided into two rounds. The first round had stationary targets. The second round was mounted archery with moving targets. Students competed in groups of ten.

The second round was obviously much more difficult.

Ye Yunfeng took his position, and Murong Ye deliberately chose the spot to his right.

The two of them standing together immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Feng Zhang walked over. Seeing Ye Yunfeng skillfully nock an arrow and draw his bow, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

’Didn’t the Eldest Princess say these two boys had been living on their own for the last few years and were unskilled in archery?’

’But from the looks of it... he doesn’t seem like a complete novice.’

He swallowed the words of guidance he was about to offer, took a few steps back, and crossed his arms to watch with keen interest.

A few Assistant Teachers nearby were also murmuring among themselves.

”That Ye Yunfeng’s form looks decent enough. Don’t tell me he found someone to teach him at the last minute?”

”I’ve seen him hanging around Qiao Zimo a lot lately.”

”Qiao Zimo? No way. Qiao Zimo’s not even this good!”

Feng Zhang stroked his chin. ”It looks like he learned a long time ago. This isn’t something he just picked up.”

He had a sharp eye for talent, so if he said it, it must be true.

The Assistant Teachers all nodded in agreement.

”That’s right, he’s Ye Zheng’s son. He was born into a noble family, so it would be normal for him to have learned these skills.”

”That makes sense. Even if his family’s fortunes declined and he let his skills fall into disuse for a few years, the foundation is still there. He should be fine, at least he won’t miss the target completely.”

”He’s just a bit hot-headed. Murong Ye provoked him, and he took the bait. He’s the only one who’s going to lose out from this...”

They weren’t speaking loudly, but their voices carried across the open training grounds and could be faintly heard.

Murong Ye let out a cold laugh, then took aim, drawing his longbow to its limit—

WHOOSH—THWACK!

The arrow flew out and struck the bullseye dead center!

A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd.

The crowd instantly erupted into excited chatter.

”That’s Murong Ye for you! Hitting the bullseye in one shot from this distance!”

”Ye Yunfeng is definitely going to lose. How can he possibly compete with that?”

”If I were him, I’d just give up. Why humiliate yourself like this...”

Murong Ye glanced over, his face a mask of provocation. ”Don’t be nervous. According to the exam rules, if you miss the target with your first arrow, you get a second try.”

Ye Yunfeng acted as if he hadn’t heard. His lightly calloused fingertips brushed gently along the edge of the arrowhead as he lifted his gaze to the bullseye in the distance.

In this instant, the aura around him suddenly changed.

His roguish air vanished in an instant. His long, dark eyes fixed on the target, and his entire being seemed to radiate a sharp, undeniable aura, like a blade poised to strike.

Feng Zhang lowered his arms, studying him seriously for a moment before letting out a soft, ”Heh.”

”There’s no shame in losing to Murong Ye. This kid’s not bad. Given time—”

FWIP—!

Before he could finish, a black-fletched arrow shot forth!

CRACK!

The sound of something splitting apart rang out.

In that instant, all noise vanished. The vast training grounds fell into a suffocating, dead silence.

—On Murong Ye’s target, an arrow came flying at incredible speed and split the shaft of his own arrow—the one in the bullseye—clean in half! It buried itself deep into the wood!

The two halves of the split arrow trembled, sending shockwaves through the crowd.

As realization dawned, everyone gasped—Ye Yunfeng’s arrow had hit Murong Ye’s target, and it had split his arrow in two!

The Assistant Teachers looked at each other, utterly speechless.

Feng Zhang took an involuntary step forward, his eyes instantly blazing with excitement.

Murong Ye was also stunned, barely believing his eyes.

’How... how could this have happened!?’

’That arrow actually—’

”Oh, my apologies,” Ye Yunfeng said, shrugging with his hands spread. ”My hand slipped. I missed the target.”

Murong Ye stiffly turned his neck, only to see the roguish-looking young man flash him a peculiar grin.

”Oh, by the way,” he said, ”I seem to recall you saying that if you miss the target on your first try, you get a second chance. Is that right?”