The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Who Taught You?

Murong Ye’s breath caught in his throat.

Before he could respond, Ye Yunfeng had already drawn another arrow, pulling the bowstring taut—

Seeing the cold glint of the arrowhead, Murong Ye’s eyelid twitched, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

The corner of Ye Yunfeng’s lip curled up. He turned slowly, his back as straight as a blade about to be unsheathed.

SWISH—THWACK!

The arrow struck dead center!

The entire sequence was as smooth as flowing water. He had fired two arrows before anyone even had time to react!

One arrow to split the fletching of Murong Ye’s, the other landing squarely in the bullseye of his own target!

From start to finish, Ye Yunfeng hadn’t even made any extra preparations or adjustments. He had just casually raised his bow and landed two perfect shots!

The grounds fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

It was Ye Yunfeng who broke the silence. ”Assistant Teacher, this score can be counted as normal, right?”

”Ah?” The Assistant Teacher, standing to the side, snapped back to his senses. ”Oh, oh, it should... it should be fine...”

Missing the target wasn’t unheard of, but this—

Qiao Zimo muttered in a daze, ”How can you call that missing the target? That was clearly him ripping Murong Ye’s face off, throwing it on the ground, and stomping on it a few times!”

’I’ve seen people get humiliated, but never this ruthlessly!’

Who could have imagined that a match everyone thought Murong Ye was guaranteed to win would take such a dramatic turn!

Ye Yunfeng cracked his neck, glanced at the score recorded by the Assistant Teacher, and asked nonchalantly, ”Both are ten-point shots. So, is it a tie?”

Murong Ye felt as if another slap had landed on his burning face.

’In front of everyone, how could this possibly be considered a tie! This Ye Yunfeng is obviously saying that on purpose!’

Ye Yunfeng glanced sideways at him.

”Continue?”

...

Murong Ye no longer had any desire to continue.

His fists clenched tightly as he said in a cold voice, ”There’s no need!”

With that, he turned and stormed off the field.

Ye Yunfeng called out to him, ”We haven’t determined a winner yet, and you’re already quitting?”

Murong Ye’s chest tightened, and he was about to explode with rage.

He took a deep breath and forced a few words through his clenched teeth.

”We’ll compete in the second round!”

Ye Yunfeng raised an eyebrow, then lowered his bow and strode casually off the field.

Qiao Zimo immediately rushed forward to greet him, his eyes filled with adoration.

”Dude, you’re incredible! Not even Murong Ye is a match for you!”

Ye Yunfeng shrugged. ”It’s nothing. Back in the day, when I helped my sister catch rabbits, I could skewer four with a single arrow.”

Qiao Zimo: ”Huh?”

Ye Yunfeng shook his head and clicked his tongue. ”What can I say? My sister and Xiao Wu—I mean, my third brother and I—really love roasted rabbit.”

Back then, they had nothing. It was freezing cold, and they were on the verge of starvation, so their only choice was to find food in the forests and wilderness.

His sister took him out a few times, and he learned quickly, catching every last rabbit within a ten-kilometer radius.

His sister wasn’t skilled at much else, but her roasted rabbit was truly one of a kind...

Lost in thought, Ye Yunfeng smacked his lips nostalgically.

”Can’t be helped. We had a lot of siblings in our family, after all.”

Qiao Zimo fell silent.

’So, just because there were four siblings who needed to eat, he learned to skewer four rabbits with one arrow?’

’The kind of accuracy and power others couldn’t achieve even with painstaking daily training... you gained just so you could eat roasted rabbit?’

”...You guys sure know how to do a lot of things,” Qiao Zimo praised dryly.

A corner of Ye Yunfeng’s mouth hooked up, his face showing unconcealed pride. ”My sister is the amazing one! She can do anything!”

”Ye Yunfeng?”

Feng Zhang had appeared at some point.

The students instinctively straightened up, retracting their various gazes from Ye Yunfeng.

”Lord Master.” Ye Yunfeng’s lazy demeanor also vanished.

Feng Zhang came closer and looked him up and down several times, his eyes filled with rare admiration.

”You’re quite something. Who taught you these skills?”

Ye Yunfeng said, ”Naturally, from my si—”

Beside him, Ye Jingyan gave him an impassive look.

Ye Yunfeng changed his tune. ”—from my older brother.”

”Oh?” Feng Zhang was a little surprised.

He had previously looked into the two brothers’ situation. Three years ago, their parents had an accident, and their older brother, Ye Xiting, died along with them.

After that, the half-grown children began a life of exile, spending a full three years before finally returning to the Capital City.

’Three years ago... Ye Yunfeng would have been ten at most. For so much time to have passed, and for his Imperial Archery skills not only to have not deteriorated but to have become even more outstanding than his peers... it’s truly incredible.’

”My older brother loved playing with swords and spears. He often took my third brother and me with him when we were young. After doing it enough times, we just got good at it,” Ye Yunfeng said.

Feng Zhang nodded thoughtfully.

He collected his thoughts, a rare smile appearing on his face.

”You... are very good.”

...

As noon approached, the first round of the examination finally concluded.

The June weather was sweltering. The sun blazed down, and there wasn’t a hint of a breeze.

Therefore, the start of the second round was deliberately delayed by one hour.

When they returned to the training grounds, two rows of sturdy horses with sleek, glossy coats were lined up at the edge of the field.

The second round of the exam focused on agility, and compared to the previous one, the difficulty had increased by several levels.

Murong Ye chose a horse that was pitch black except for a white patch on its forehead. He stepped into the stirrup and swung himself gracefully onto its back!

The horse shook its neck as if trying to throw him off, but with a single pull on the reins from Murong Ye, it quickly quieted down.

”He used to go to the battlefield with his father, so he’s a master at handling horses. When Princess Qingyang’s horse was suddenly spooked, he was the one who stepped in and saved her,” Qiao Zimo muttered under his breath. ”That’s why he always picks the fiercest, most arrogant horse. And, of course, he always takes first place.”

Although he had witnessed Ye Yunfeng’s skills that morning, this was, after all, Murong Ye’s greatest strength, so Qiao Zimo didn’t dare to get his hopes up.

”But don’t be nervous! You already beat him in one round this morning. Even if he takes the top spot this time, you two will be tied! From a certain point of view—that means he lost!”

Ye Yunfeng gave him a speechless look. ”Which of your eyes saw me being nervous?”

Ye Jingyan, however, chuckled. ”Brother Zimo really is a know-it-all, isn’t he? You know everything.”

Qiao Zimo chuckled and scratched his head. ”Actually, a lot of people know this stuff. It’s just that you weren’t in the Capital City before, so you’re not familiar with it. If there’s anything you want to ask in the future, just ask! I’ll be sure to tell you everything I know!”

As they spoke, Ye Yunfeng had already casually led a horse onto the field.

At the Assistant Teacher’s command, the field instantly descended into a chaotic fray.

The participants had to ride their horses while also finding the right moment to hit the rapidly moving targets—it was no easy feat.

Ye Yunfeng squeezed his legs, urging his horse forward. The moment his hand touched the quiver on his back, he felt something was wrong.

He froze, slowly raising his head. Seeing three horses closing in on him from the front, he raised an eyebrow.

’Can’t beat me one-on-one, so you’re ganging up on me?’