Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

In the warm spring of March, flowers bloom, the mountains and forests are lush and green, and farmers are busy working in the fields.

At this busy time of spring, one can see groups of people walking along the official road in an endless stream.

Upon closer inspection, one could see the people calling out to their friends, chasing and playing, their laughter never ceasing.

Upon closer listening, it was discovered that the day of the Tiger-Hidden Village Archery Competition had arrived.

When the topic of this year's archery competition came up, the villagers all looked happy and discussed it animatedly.

In the past, when people from the countryside participated in archery competitions, they could only watch from afar as the wealthy and powerful families of the village took to the stage to compete, drink, and make merry.

This year, Chen Yuancheng, the village head, followed the advice of Elder Shen and changed the old practice.

The entire village was called upon to participate. The winner would receive the same reward, and all other participants who made it to the second round of archery practice would be rewarded with coins and millet.

Upon receiving this order, all the Taoist priests and villagers of Wohu Township were eager to participate and rushed to the meeting.

The villagers held Chen Yuancheng, the village headman, in high esteem.

After all, whether it was when he first took office and inspected the villages to comfort the orphans, widows, the elderly and weak, or when he went out in spring to lend grain and seeds to the poor people, the people of Dao were grateful to him.

This year, many people practiced archery, so the archery venue was chosen in the town center.

This place is very flat and well-connected, making it an ideal location for archery.

Shanghuting is the farthest from the township pavilion, but this year the people of Shanghuting did not arrive later than the people of other pavilions; in fact, they arrived much earlier.

Chen Yuancheng, the village head, was promoted from his position as the head of Shanghuting, and the people of Shanghuting naturally wanted to strongly support Chen Yuancheng's move!

Of the more than 10,000 people in Wohu Township, at least three or four thousand came to watch the archery competition.

With so many Taoist priests, it naturally attracted many vendors to gather here.

Unfortunately, the market was occupied, so the vendors had to set up their stalls on both sides of the main road. Fortunately, because it was a place that all the people on the road had to pass through, their business was quite good.

After all, the villagers who come to watch the archery competition must be from relatively well-off families; otherwise, why would they have the leisure to abandon their farm work?

......

As the sun rises in the east, the people of all the villages have already gathered here, waiting for the archery competition to begin.

At the beginning of the day, Chen Yuancheng arrived together with Cao Miao, the village assistant, the three elders of the village, and the heads of the three major clans in the village.

Zhao Xian and other local officials were already waiting there, tasked with maintaining order at the meeting.

Rural people are prone to quarrels and fights over trivial matters. If so many people gather in one place without officials to suppress them, trouble is bound to break out.

In a short while, Chen Yuancheng and the others arrived at a slightly higher earthen platform.

On the earthen platform, servants had already laid out straw mats and cushions, and tables, incense burners, and other items were all prepared. Screens were also set up on three sides to block the strong winds, making the arrangement thoughtful and elegant.

Chen Yuancheng sat in the main seat, looking around at the jubilant villagers, and a sense of excitement also welled up in his heart.

After a few breaths, his mind calmed down, and he looked at Cao Miao with a smile, raising his hand and saying, "Lord Cao, please."

"Cao Miao obeys!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Miao also stood up and bowed respectfully.

He strode forward, took a deep breath, and solemnly announced, "This year's provincial archery competition, Cao Miao, the assistant director, requests to be the chief officiant!"

"Zhao Xian, a village official, is appointed as the archer!"

Upon hearing the sound, Zhao Xian immediately stepped forward and stood to the left of the earthen platform.

"All residents of the pavilion who wish to practice archery, step forward!"

As soon as these words were spoken, seven teams arrived at the foot of the earthen platform, with varying numbers of people, some as many as thirty or forty, and others as few as ten or more.

Zhao Xian glanced to the side and saw several familiar figures standing among the people of Shanghuting. Zhao Xian exchanged a glance with those figures and smiled knowingly.

"Each pavilion will send out one person in turn, forming teams of seven, each with a bow and ten arrows!"

"Eighty paces away, Zhang Hou!"

Cao Miao shouted loudly, and the seven village officials immediately stepped forward, carrying archery targets, and stood firmly in place at the pre-designated spot.

After the target was set up, an official brought bows and arrows and presented them to the villagers in the front row for inspection.

After verifying that everything was correct, Zhao Xian stepped down from the earthen platform, bowed to an official, and took the bow and arrows offered by the official.

"Bows and arrows are ready; officers, please begin shooting!"

Stepping onto the earthen platform once more, Zhao Xian bowed deeply to Chen Yuancheng and solemnly said.

Chen Yuancheng nodded in agreement, "Alright!"

Seeing Chen Yuancheng's signal, Cao Miao shouted again, "Move forward and deploy the firing pins!"

The first group of seven villagers immediately stepped forward and took the bows and arrows from the official.

"Start the drumming!"

Suddenly, the drums began to beat, the rhythm growing faster and faster, stirring the heart.

"Show my homage!"

Eighty paces away, the seven officials standing on either side of the target heard the sound and immediately waved their flags to indicate the target location.

Then, all the officials bowed and stood at a distance, awaiting orders.

"Archery trap!"

Cao Miao looked at Zhao Xian and shouted loudly.

Zhao Xian responded, bowed to Cao Miao on the platform, then stepped forward a few steps, stood at the shooting position, and looked at the target in the distance.

A few breaths later, Zhao Xian took a deep breath, drew his bow, aimed at the distant target, and a flash of crimson light appeared in his eyes!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Arrows fly like shooting stars, bows twang like thunderclaps.

Ten arrows flew in quick succession, piercing straight into the target.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

In the blink of an eye, ten arrows clustered together, their fletchings trembling, completely obscuring the bullseye!

"Alas, not ninety steps!"

With a sigh, Zhao Xian put away the iron bow, bowed to the Taoist priests on his left and right, and returned to the earthen platform.

"Ten shots, ten hits!"

The village official shouted loudly from afar.

All the people looked at the target, and after a few breaths, their exclamations echoed throughout the surrounding area!

"Such archery skills!"

"How can they be so amazing!"

"..."

On the earthen platform, Shen Gong, one of the three elders of the village, though nearing seventy, was a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator with exceptional eyesight. Seeing Zhao Xian's skill, he stroked his beard and exclaimed in admiration, "Such a young lad, yet possessing such archery skills! Truly, Lord Chen's entourage is teeming with talent!"

"That's absolutely right!"

"The fact that Mr. Chen discovered such a talented young man demonstrates his discerning eye!"

The heads of the three major clans echoed the praise, but their true thoughts remained unknown.

An official in the distance took an arrow from the target and waved a small flag in his hand to signal.

"First team, fire!"

Seeing this, Cao Miao called out again, and the seven Daoists suppressed their shock, bowed to Cao Miao, and then went to their shooting positions.

"shoot!"

At Zhao Xian's command, he waved his small flag and the seven Daoist priests drew their bows and shot arrows at the distant target.

Before long, all ten arrows had been fired, and the seven Daoist disciples put down their arrows and turned their eyes to the target.

A moment later, the village officials in the distance began to report the targets one by one.

After the target reporting was completed, among the seven men in the first team, the best shot could only hit the target five out of ten times, with three arrows hitting the target and two arrows hitting the body!

"The second and third people step forward; the rest return to their respective pavilions!"

Zhao Xian selected two people, and the other five people's faces darkened. They immediately bowed to the crowd on the earthen platform and turned to leave.

The two chosen ones both looked delighted, for according to the new rules of archery this year, they were already entitled to a reward.

"Second team, fire!"

As soon as he finished speaking, seven more people stepped out of the group, ready to go up on the stage to compete in archery.