I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"A fine bow... excellent archery..."

Sanako stared blankly at Aoto, who was still bowing, muttering to herself.

Archery was one of the compulsory courses that Sanako used to take.

Although not an expert in this field, his skill level is still quite remarkable.

Therefore, she naturally understood how amazing Qing Deng's rapid-fire shot was!

Sitting on the precarious back of an ox, without even aiming, he simply nocked an arrow, raised his hand, and shot, hitting a person between the eyebrows more than thirty meters away... Without a doubt, this was the skill of a master!

The last time Sanako saw Aoto show off his archery skills was when they were fighting against the elite forces of the Shimizu clan during the investigation of Gensuke-no-Takeshi.

In less than two years, Qingdeng's archery skills have made great strides!

Furthermore, the bow he used was also extraordinary.

Qingdeng hadn't drawn the bow fully, only halfway—and with just that, the arrow easily flew over a distance of more than thirty meters and effortlessly pierced the hard skull! Upon closer inspection, the arrow shaft wasn't even halfway in!

Sanako has always admired the strong.

Qingdeng's superb archery skills caused her eyes to flash frequently, and her beautiful eyes shone with a series of wonderful lights.

Driven by curiosity, she couldn't help but ask:

"Tachibana-kun, where did you learn your archery skills from?"

Meeting Sanako's expectant gaze, Aoto couldn't help but smile.

Qingdeng could already imagine what kind of conversation would take place after he told the truth—

My archery instructor is Tenshōin Atsuhime. What? You're asking which Tenshōin Atsuhime? Is there even another Tenshōin Atsuhime in this country?

Even if the truth were told, Sanako probably wouldn't believe it. She would just think that Aoto was obsessed with women. After declaring that he would marry three wives, he was now eyeing a widow.

In conclusion, now is not the best time to make his special relationship with Tenshōin public.

So he answered, half-truthfully:

"One day, while I was taking a walk in a shrine, I suddenly met a great tengu. The great tengu was very skilled in archery and was also very enthusiastic. When she saw that I didn't know how to use an archer, she grabbed me and taught me all her skills."

As Qing Deng finished speaking, Sanako's expression changed significantly—black lines appeared on her forehead, and her eyes looked as if she had seen something ominous and dirty.

"Great Tengu...do you think you're Minamoto no Yoshitsune?"

Genkuro Yoshitsune and the Great Tengu—a famous Japanese anecdote: "Ushiwakamaru and Kurama Tengu."

Ushiwakamaru was Minamoto no Yoshitsune's childhood name.

Legend has it that Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a legendary hero of the late Heian period, studied under a tengu (a type of spirit) on Mount Kurama. Yoshitsune's military strategies and martial arts were all taught to him by the Kurama tengu.

During the Heian period (794–1192) in Japan, in order to consolidate power and rule the country, the Kyoto court incorporated Onmyōdō (the Way of Yin and Yang) into the legal code.

Later, an official organization called "Yin Yang Liao" was established to specifically study Yin Yang Dao, which brought Yin Yang Dao to its peak.

For this reason, there are quite a few strange stories related to gods and ghosts during the Heian period.

The stories are varied and absurd, some even more elaborate than fantasy novels, such as "Minamoto no Yorimitsu used the treasured sword Yasutsuna to kill Shuten-dōji" and "Sakanoue no Tamuramaro destroyed Ōtakemaru's physical body with a divine arrow."

Sanako is not the kind of fool who can't read the room.

Seeing that Qingdeng was unwilling to reveal who his archery teacher was, she did not pursue the matter further.

She glanced at Qingdeng suspiciously, then pursed her lips and looked away.

Qingdeng lowered his head and carefully examined the purple bow in his hand, a satisfied look appearing on his slightly upturned lips.

This was the first time he had used Iserza Bharadvaja in actual combat.

It must be said that this bow truly deserves to be a precious bow carefully selected by the dignified "Empress Dowager of the Current Dynasty"; its quality is indeed extraordinary.

Qing Deng didn't know anything about bow making, and he didn't know what materials were used in the bow he had.

He only knew one thing—this bow was simply too perfect!

The bow's curve and weight, the arrow's power... everything was impeccable! It was as if it had been tailor-made for him!

According to Qing Deng's estimate, if the Issatha Bharadvaja were turned into a full moon, its power could reach an astonishing 80 pounds or more!

Generally speaking, a bow weighing around 50 pounds is already capable of penetrating armor.

80 pounds...that's enough to pin a grown man to the ground!

Of course, this is not the most terrifying aspect of this bow.

This bow can only be used to its fullest potential when it is in the hands of Qing Deng... or rather, when it is in the hands of a "mutant" like Qing Deng.

With the support of numerous talents such as "Strong Muscles +5", "Tiger Arms +4", and "Nine Oxen and Two Tigers +3", Qingdeng is able to draw the bow quickly and continuously.

Based on the standards of "raising the bow and shooting" and "each arrow must be of maximum power", he can shoot about 40 arrows per minute.

With 40 arrows per minute and each arrow weighing around 80 pounds, it's no exaggeration to say that Qing Deng, wielding the Iserza Buriro, is practically a mobile rapid-fire artillery platform!

Satisfied, Qingdeng turned his gaze away from the bow, then placed the bow in his left hand and freed his right hand to hold the reins.

"Zanako, let's go and take a good look at the enemy's camp!"

Having said that, he lightly tapped the cow's belly, urging the radish forward.

"Moo~~"

The radish understood perfectly and ran off in no time.

Sanako paused for a moment, then hurriedly spurred her horse to catch up.

She never forgot her role as a "bodyguard," remaining highly vigilant, occasionally turning her head to look around and checking her surroundings, and sometimes straining her ears to listen for any sounds from afar.

Despite trying to remain calm, a strong sense of tension lingered on his face.

For a female swordsman who is usually so composed to become like this... one can only imagine the immense psychological pressure she is under.

As the saying goes, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained"—so, Qing Deng and Sanako's current predicament is that they are circling around the tiger's den!

Sanako was so nervous, while Aoto... was as calm as ever!

His expression was so relaxed and composed, as if he were enjoying a spring outing and admiring the flowers!

His calm demeanor left Sanako, who was standing to the side, completely stunned.

She had to be vigilant about her surroundings while also casting a shocked glance at Qingdeng... her eyes were almost too busy to keep up.

Just then, the sudden, rapid sound of hooves drew Sanako's attention.

She looked in the direction of the sound—and saw about a dozen cavalrymen galloping up from behind, heading straight towards them!

Seeing this, Sanako immediately sounded the alarm:

"King Tachibana! The enemy cavalry is approaching!"

As she spoke, she subconsciously raised the naginata in her hand, her expression solemn, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Qingdeng, however, just smiled lightly, seemingly unconcerned.

"Zona, don't be nervous. A mere dozen or so cavalrymen can't do anything to me."

As he spoke, he drew an arrow from the quiver beside the saddle.

Immediately afterwards, he kept riding, turned half his body, and shot an arrow.

The high-pitched string notes expanded instantly.

The released arrow pierced the air and instantly plunged deep into someone's throat.

The man struck by the arrow made incomprehensible "gurgling" and "ooh" sounds, gripped the wooden beam piercing his throat with both hands, fell off his horse, and tugged at the ground with alternating leg movements. He teetered on the edge of life and death, and soon passed away.

Qingdeng kept moving.

He drew arrows from the quiver continuously with a swift yet rhythmic pace.

Drawing an arrow, nocking it, drawing the bow, shooting the arrow, hitting the target, drawing another arrow... and so on, in a continuous cycle.

With the added advantage of being a "riding expert", Qingdeng's riding talent has reached 36 times the average level of ordinary people!

Thanks to this talent, Qingdeng is incredibly good at riding things!

Whether it's a person or an ox or a horse, they can all be ridden with great flair—in every sense of the word.

In addition, he has "Iron Waist +3" and "Bear Waist +5" to enhance waist strength, "Cat Turn +3" to improve balance... These talents allow Qingdeng to remain firmly seated in the saddle even when the reins are released.

As a result of the systematic modifications, Qingdeng's horse archery skills became extremely high.

Even on the bumpy back of a cow, it can achieve an absurdly high hit rate, just like on flat ground.

The arrows shot out and struck either the throat or the top of the head... in short, vital areas that would surely kill.

One arrow, one kill!

The cavalry squad, which originally consisted of about ten men, was quickly reduced to six men after Qingdeng called them out one by one—and this happened in less than ten seconds!

Instantly, the surviving bandit cavalrymen all showed deep fear on their faces, and unanimously tightened their reins, widening the distance between themselves and Qingdeng.

Seeing that the other party was no longer approaching, Qingdeng put away the Iserza Furiro in his hand and continued to urge the ox forward, slowly moving forward.

The surviving bandit cavalry dared not approach, nor were they willing to leave.

And so, this incredibly bizarre and comical scene was born—

Aoto and Sanako rode leisurely ahead, while the bandit cavalry followed cautiously behind... Whenever they realized they were a little too far ahead, they would hastily slow down or turn their horses around to retreat, for fear that an arrow might fly over.

The sight of them swaggering around the enemy lines without the enemy daring to approach was truly astonishing.

A moment later, a cavalryman, whether driven by a sense of responsibility or unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere, took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and spurred his horse forward... The next instant, an arrow flew through his brow and emerged from the back of his head.

And then... no more.

Having learned from the example of this "brave warrior," the rest of the group were completely intimidated by Qingdeng's "kite tactics," and obediently kept a certain distance from Qingdeng, more docile than lambs.

Qingdeng ignored the cowards behind him. He straightened his body, stretched his neck, squinted his eyes, and stared straight at the bandit camp not far away. Every now and then, he would take out a monocular telescope from his pocket and scan the surroundings.

Once the number exceeds ten thousand, the scale becomes enormous.

A crowd of over ten thousand people... even if they didn't form a battle formation, they could basically fill the field of vision of an ordinary person.

The sky was shrouded in mist, with only weak sunlight seeping through the distant heavens, outlining the endless camps that stretched across the vast basin.

A dense, dark mass of people, like a surging tide, moved through every corner of the camp, each performing their duties in an orderly manner.

Large flags of different sizes and colors fluttered in the wind.