Brother Liang, I can pick up the arrows for you.

Just as Wang Shu was about to teach Liang Shanbo archery, footsteps came from the field.

Three people came carrying bows and arrows.

Leading the way was Xiao Hu, a burly man with a mulberry bow slung over his shoulder, longer than the usual bow.

Behind Xiao Hu were two men, Wei Cong and Zhou Daoxian, both students of Yizhai. Wei Cong was of medium height and carried a mulberry wood bow on his back. Zhou Daoxian was tall and thin with slightly high cheekbones, and also carried a mulberry wood bow on his back.

The three of them had also come to practice archery in the wilderness.

Xiao Hu spotted Liang Shanbo in the distance, his eyes lit up, and he strode over to him. He looked Liang Shanbo up and down, examining the bow and arrows in Liang Shanbo's hands, and grinned, "Brother Liang, are you here to practice archery today too?"

Liang Shanbo cupped his hands and said, "Brother Xiao, that's right. I'm a beginner in archery and know nothing about it."

Xiao Hu reached out and patted Liang Shanbo on the shoulder: "I told you long ago, Brother Liang, you should learn archery! You beat me in wrestling that day, and I felt it was a waste that you didn't learn archery with all your strength. Wrestling is close combat, while archery is for killing enemies at long range. You need to learn both to be truly skilled."

He added, "You just keep practicing, and I'll watch from the side. If you don't understand anything, you can ask me. Although I dare not say that I can hit the bullseye every time, as long as the target isn't too far away, I can hit seven or eight out of ten arrows."

Liang Shanbo said, "Thank you, Brother Xiao."

Xiao Hu, Wei Cong, and Zhou Daoxian were not in a hurry to practice archery; they all watched Liang Shanbo from the sidelines.

Wang Shu said to Liang Shanbo, "Junior brother, when learning archery, you must first learn the posture. If your posture is not correct, the arrow will go astray."

He instructed Liang Shanbo to stand with his feet shoulder-width apart, sideways, with his left shoulder facing the target. Liang Shanbo complied.

"Hold the bow in your left hand and draw the string with your right. The hand holding the bow should be steady, and the hand drawing the string should be flexible. Steady but not stiff, flexible but not frivolous."

Liang Shanbo gripped the bow handle with his left hand and the bowstring with three fingers of his right hand, trying to draw the bow. When he had drawn it halfway, he felt the bow arm tremble slightly and the bowstring made a soft, scratchy sound.

"No," Wang Shu shook his head. "Your bow-drawing posture is incorrect. It's not about using only your arm strength, but your back strength. Lower your shoulders, use your back to pull the bow to your cheeks, not to pull it with your arms."

He reached out and gently pressed down on Liang Shanbo's left shoulder, then used his other hand to push against his back, saying, "Lower your shoulders, open your back. Yes, that's it."

Liang Shanbo adjusted his posture as instructed, slightly separating his legs, relaxing his shoulders and elbows, and using his back to draw the bow again. This time, the bow arm trembled less, and the bowstring was fully drawn.

"Alright." Wang Shu stepped back. "Now aim. Close your left eye slightly, and look out from above the arrow shaft with your right eye at the bullseye."

Liang Shanbo did as instructed, looking out along the arrow shaft with his right eye, where the bullseye swayed slightly in his vision.

The bowstring made of twisted sinews, the rough bamboo arrows, the rusted arrowheads, and the unadorned oak bow—all these things reminded him that this was not the shooting range of his previous life. There were no scopes, no precisely calibrated firearms; only the oldest bows and arrows.

He fired the arrow.

The arrow flew out with a "whoosh".

Missed the target.

The arrow flew over the target and landed on the grass behind it.

Yin Xin stood beside Zhu Yingtai, unable to suppress a soft laugh.

Zhu Yingtai quickly turned her head and glared at her, then lowered her voice and said, "Shut up!"

Yin Xin fell silent, but her eyes still held a smile.

Liang Shanbo drew a second arrow from his quiver, nocked it on his bow, took a deep breath, drew the bow again, aimed, and released the arrow.

This time, the arrow flew past the side of the target and landed on the grass behind it.

Still no luck.

Zhou Daoxian curled his lip slightly and said to Wei Cong beside him, "So this is all the top-tier figure in Jiazhai is like."

Xiao Hu turned his head, glared at Zhou Daoxian, and said in a low voice, "Watch your mouth."

Zhou Daoxian was taken aback, then muttered awkwardly, "Just telling the truth."

Liang Shanbo was not discouraged and continued to practice shooting arrow after arrow.

Wang Shu watched his retreating figure with a hint of approval in his eyes. This junior brother, practicing archery for the first time, was composed and unhurried. Although he missed several times, he adjusted each time.

Gu Jun said, "Junior brother, don't be impatient. Archery is not something that can be mastered in a short time. When I first started learning archery, I didn't hit the target at all for the first two days."

Xiao Hu also said in a muffled voice, "Brother Liang, your arrow just now missed by a lot."

Liang Shanbo continued shooting arrow after arrow.

The ninth arrow landed off to the left of the target.

The tenth arrow grazed the lower edge of the target.

The eleventh arrow hit the edge of the target, embedding itself in the wood along the edge. It wobbled a couple of times but didn't fall off.

Zhu Yingtai's eyes lit up.

Yin Xin couldn't help but whisper, "He hit the target! Young Master Liang hit the bullseye!"

Zhu Yingtai turned her head and glared at her again, but couldn't help but curl up her lips slightly.

Wang Shu drew the twelfth and last bamboo arrow from the quiver and handed it to Liang Shanbo: "For this arrow, try lowering your left hand a little more. When you nock the arrow with your right hand, don't apply even pressure with your three fingers. Keep your index finger slightly loose, your middle finger slightly tight, and your ring finger slightly loose. This way, the string will slide out of your fingertips more smoothly when you release the arrow."

Liang Shanbo took the arrow, adjusted it as instructed, drew his bow, and aimed.

This time, the arrow drew a straight arc and, with a "thud," hit the bullseye!

Xiao Hu laughed and said, "Excellent! On your first attempt at archery, you hit the bullseye with a single arrow! You truly are worthy of being called Brother Liang!"

Wang Shu also said, "Junior brother, for your first time practicing archery, you've done exceptionally well!"

Gu Jun smiled slightly: "With your talent, Junior Brother, you might be able to compete with Brother Xiao within a year."

Xiao Hu laughed and said, "If Brother Liang is willing to put in the hard work, with his abilities, he won't need a year; in less than half a year, he'll probably be able to surpass me."

Hearing Xiao Hu's words, Zhou Daoxian turned to Wei Cong and whispered, "Brother Xiao is really giving him too much credit. He only started learning archery at such a young age, and he can beat you after half a year? He might not even beat me after ten years! He only beat you in the wrestling match because he caught you off guard. There's no such thing as 'catching someone off guard' in archery."

Wei Cong did not respond.

In fact, none of Xiao Hu, Wang Shu, or Gu Jun mentioned one crucial point: Liang Shanbo's bow and arrows today were of poor quality. Wouldn't he have performed even better if he had used better bows and arrows?

Liang Shanbo put down his oak bow, walked over to the target, and picked up the bamboo arrows scattered on the grass one by one, putting them back into his quiver. Some arrows were stuck in the mud, and when he pulled them out, they were covered in mud. He wiped them off with his fingers and put them back in the quiver.

Zhu Yingtai walked over, squatted down, and helped him pick up the arrows.

She picked up an arrow and handed it to Liang Shanbo. Liang Shanbo took it and glanced at her.

A smile played on her lips: "Brother Liang, although I don't know archery, I can still pick up the arrows for you."

Liang Shanbo smiled and nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, my brother."