I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"This kind of bow... is the first time I've used one. But it should be fine."

—First time using a Japanese bow?!

Sanako rarely showed such an uncharacteristic expression, with her red lips slightly parted.

You've never even used a bow and arrow, so where do you get the confidence to say there's no problem?

At that moment, Kitahara Konosuke's voice came:

"Lord Niou! There's no time to lose! Let's begin!"

Kitahara Kōnosuke, convinced that Aoto knew absolutely nothing about archery, just wanted the trial to start as soon as possible so he could get these annoying guys back quickly.

Sanako glanced at Kitahara Konosuke, then turned back to look at Aoto.

What's done is done.

It was too late to ask Aoto to renege on the agreement with Kitahara Konosuke, or to declare that "the agreement is invalid" or "another trial would be arranged."

Therefore, Sanako bit her rosy lower lip, then tiptoed and whispered in Aoto's ear:

"Listen, Tachibana-kun. When you draw the bow, remember to keep the bow perpendicular to the ground. Hold the bow at the lower, curved part of the bow..."

All martial arts... especially archery, a highly technical skill that relies heavily on experience, cannot be mastered quickly by simply listening to a few words of advice.

But Sanako still decided to do her best to help Aoto.

Having dabbled in many martial arts, Sanako had studied archery for a period of time. Although she wasn't an expert, she knew the basics of using a bow.

After quickly telling Aoto all the bowing techniques she knew that she could learn in a short time, Sanako walked back to the edge of the courtyard, looking rather unhappy.

"Lord Niou, do you see that target over there?"

Qing Deng looked ahead—20 meters directly in front of him stood a straw target, about half a person's height.

A thumb-sized red circle symbolizing the bullseye is drawn in the very center of the target.

There are two palm-sized white circles drawn around the red circle.

"Lord Renwang! I'll give you seven arrows! If you can hit the white circle with three of them, you'll pass the trial! What do you say? Any objections?"

Qingdeng glanced calmly at the distance between himself and the target, then shook his head:

"no disagreement."

"Alright! Let's begin! There's no time limit for this trial, so you don't have to rush. Take your time, aim carefully..."

Boom!

Before Kitahara Konosuke could finish speaking, an arrow struck the red bullseye squarely.

That clueless look of "seeing Kazuyu for the first time" disappeared.

Qingdeng stood sideways, his feet level with his shoulders; his left hand gripped the lower third of the bow, the bow at a 90-degree angle to the ground; his hand holding the bow and drawing the string was steady and powerful.

Qingdeng expressionlessly drew a second arrow from the quiver beside him.

He nocked the arrow, drew the bow, but barely aimed—he just raised his hand and released it.

Boom!

It hit the bullseye again.

Qingdeng drew his third arrow without stopping.

The same process of nocking an arrow and drawing a bow involves almost no aiming—the arrow is released as soon as it's raised.

Boom!

The third time, it hit the bullseye.

Three arrows, three hits on the bullseye.

The distance between each arrow should not exceed 2 millimeters.

The entire courtyard was deathly silent.

******

******

Okay... I lied yesterday... I don't have anyone to spend Valentine's Day with! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

The author actually adjusted their sleep schedule yesterday. Because I've been writing novels by hand lately, I had to change my lifestyle and update schedule. After adjusting my routine yesterday, the effect was immediate—I managed a super-fast update today.

That's 1.1 words today! It has foreshadowing, plot, Sanako, and plenty of face-slapping moments. Asking for a monthly vote isn't too much to ask, right? (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets!

So the golden ratio for the human body starts from the navel, not the buttocks... I must have been stupid (crying leopard.jpg)

Forget about the 1.1-meter-long leg length of Sanako...

In short, Sanako's legs are long, straight, and very shapely! Use your imagination!

Chapter 319 Man-Slayer Aoto vs. Man-Slayer Kuwajiro! A duel between man-slayers!

In an instant, the courtyard became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The only sounds were the faint breathing of the crowd and the buzzing of arrows.

Because Qingdeng's shooting speed was so fast, he almost never aimed when he shot each arrow; he just raised his hand and shot.

Therefore, the total time it takes for all three arrows to be fired is less than 10 seconds, and most of that time is spent taking the arrows out of the quiver.

Due to the excessively high rate of fire and the short firing time, every arrow Qingdeng fired still trembles slightly like the tail of a wagtail due to the reaction force.

The large courtyard contained more than just Aoto, Kitahara Kōnosuke, Sanako, and Ōtsuki Minoru.

At the edge of the courtyard and the entrance, there were many Yakuza guards on guard duty.

Whether it was Kitahara Kōnosuke and Sanako, or the Yakuza sentries, everyone present except Aoto, after a slight pause, stared blankly at the target that had been hit in the bullseye by three arrows.

Staring in disbelief, he was dumbfounded.

For a moment, Kitahara Konosuke, his eyes glazed over, forgot to breathe, and even forgot the existence of his own body. He was in a bizarre state where his soul seemed to have left his body and was wandering in the heavens.

A moment later, his consciousness sluggishly regained control of his body.

He stiffly turned his equally stiff neck, his eyes wide with shock as he looked at Qingdeng.

At this moment, Qingdeng, like a victorious general, slowly and calmly dismounted from his firing stance.

—Niou…knows archery?! How does he know archery?!

Despite his inner resistance to this reality, the scene unfolding before Kitahara Kōnosuke was undeniable and could not be ignored.

As a lover of the bow, Kitahara Kōnosuke immediately recognized how amazing Aoto's skill had been.

It's important to know that the target Qingdeng used was a 20-meter target.

For someone who has never practiced archery, or whose archery skills are not good, it is difficult to even accurately shoot an arrow at a 10-meter target, let alone a 20-meter target.

To prevent the possibility that "Aoto might know archery," Kitahara Konosuke specifically chose the furthest target in his archery range, this 20-meter target, to test Aoto.

If it were just a normal three arrows hitting the bullseye three times, that would be fine. However... Qingdeng's shooting accuracy was not only ridiculously high, but he also barely had time to aim, firing as soon as he raised his hand.

Hua Lao spends a long time aiming, while Zhu Gong can shoot immediately... These are two different concepts, two different levels of understanding.

Without a doubt, Niou was a highly skilled archer—this was the part that Kitahara Kōnosuke couldn't understand the most.

With Qing Deng's family background, he shouldn't have had the opportunity to learn archery!

—Could it be that Niou really only recently started learning archery? That makes even less sense! Niou is a prodigy in swordsmanship, so how could he also possess extraordinary talent in archery, reaching a level that ordinary people would take years of arduous training to achieve in just a month or two? Don't be ridiculous! How could such a monster, talented in everything and proficient in everything, exist in this world?

Kitahara Kōnosuke was so focused on staring at Aoto with a look of utter astonishment that he didn't notice that Sanako and Ōtsuki Minoru, who were standing not far from him, were wearing the same dumbfounded expressions.

The two women's expressions of shock were no less than those of Kitahara Konosuke.

No. Perhaps... the two women are even more shocked than Konosuke Kitahara right now.

Because they knew Aoto much better than Kitahara Konosuke, they were absolutely certain that Aoto had never studied archery before.

"...!"

Ootsuki suddenly felt a chill on the corner of her mouth. She quickly came to her senses and raised her hand to touch the spot that felt cold—it turned out that her red lips were open too wide and she almost drooled.

After wiping the drool from the corner of her mouth, Ootsuki Minoru turned her unexpectedly awkward gaze back to Aoto.

In fact, up to just now, a great deal of resentment towards Aoto was rising continuously from Ootsuki Minoru's heart.

Do you think I don't know your past, Tachibana Aoto? We grew up together! When have you ever learned any archery?

Despite knowing nothing about archery, he insisted on accepting the so-called trial proposed by Kitahara Kōnosuke... Ōtsuki Minoru couldn't help but think darkly: Could it be... that Tachibana-kun is just trying to appease me, and in order to fulfill his promise to me that he "will do his best to save Ōtsuki Tsuneji" as soon as possible, that's why he so readily agreed to Kitahara Kōnosuke's request?

When the trial fails, he will put on airs and say to her, "I'm sorry, I've done my best. Good luck to you."

The more Ootsuki Minoru thought about it, the more likely this was to happen. The more she thought about it, the more angry and aggrieved she felt, and she almost burst into tears.

And then... no more.

After Qingdeng released the bowstring for the first time, all his bitterness and grievances vanished.

Instead, they were utterly dismayed, as if they, like Kitahara Konosuke, could not believe their eyes.

Sanako's reaction was much calmer than Kitahara Konosuke and Otsuki Minoru's.

On the one hand, it was because Sanako received extremely strict Yamato Nadeshiko education from a young age, so she was well-mannered and rarely showed any signs of emotional turmoil.

On the other hand, it's because she's long been used to receiving shock and disbelief from Qingdeng...

Sanako merely widened her eyes slightly, her beautiful facial features suddenly taut, and her eyes rippled with emotion.

In that instant, Sanako suddenly recalled the scenes of her tenderly educating Aoto...

"..."

Sanako felt her cheeks turning red and hot at an alarming rate.

Just then, a gentle night breeze blew by, and Sanako's long hair swayed in the wind.

Sanako pretended to press her hair down with her slender, snow-white fingers, but actually she was secretly using her palm to cover her face, which was flushed with a cherry blossom glow...

……

—These cheap gadgets are really quite useless...

Aoto weighed the Japanese bow in his hand, silently comparing it with the Japanese bow he usually used when practicing archery at the Moon Palace Shrine.