The day before the autumn shooting, when the wind rose again

It's already September, autumn.

Liang Shanbo practiced archery for no more than three months. During those three months, he spent almost half an hour, sometimes even an hour, every day either practicing archery in the fields outside the back gate of the academy or drawing his bow and shooting arrows at the old pines in the pine forest behind the mountain.

His physical abilities are superior to those of ordinary people; his strength, speed, endurance, agility, and other athletic qualities are all extraordinary.

He was also calm. In archery, the most important thing is one's state of mind. A person who is impatient and agitated, even with amazing arm strength, will still shoot off course; a person who is calm and composed, even with insufficient bow strength, will still shoot steadily. His state of mind was much calmer than that of his peers. He had lived two lives, so he was not flustered in the face of adversity and remained calm under pressure. This composure naturally benefited his archery practice.

Therefore, his archery skills improved so quickly that even Xiao Hu and Wang Shu were amazed.

Recently, Wang Shu and Liang Shanbo practiced archery together in the fields. Each shot ten arrows; Wang Shu hit the target seven times, while Liang Shanbo hit it eight times. Wang Shu put down his bow, looked at him, and after a long while said, "Junior brother, I have never seen such rapid progress before."

That evening, it was getting dark but not quite night.

A sunset glow burned across the western horizon, spreading its light across the fields outside the school's back gate, tinging the yellowing foxtail grass and plantain with its rosy hue.

After practicing archery in the pine forest behind the mountain, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai were walking down the mountain path. Liang Shanbo carried a bow case on his back and an arrow quiver at his waist. Zhu Yingtai walked beside him, a fine layer of sweat on her forehead, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her left hand rubbing her right arm.

Zhu Yingtai turned her head to look at Liang Shanbo, a hint of pride in her eyes, "Brother Liang, I really didn't expect that today I would be able to hit the old pine tree twice out of twelve arrows I fired."

Liang Shanbo smiled slightly: "My dear brother, you've made great progress."

Zhu Yingtai laughed and said, "Compared to Brother Liang, I am far inferior."

As they were talking, the two walked out of the mountain path and onto the wilderness.

On the other side of the field, Xiao Hu, Wei Cong, Zhou Daoxian, and a group of students were practicing archery.

Xiao Hu had just fired an arrow, which hit the bullseye perfectly, the fletching trembling slightly. He put down his mulberry bow and was about to take another arrow when his gaze inadvertently swept towards the mountain path, where he saw Liang Shanbo.

"Brother Liang!" he called out, his voice deep and resonant, clearly audible even across half the field.

He strode over to Liang Shanbo.

Wei Cong and Zhou Daoxian exchanged a glance and curiously followed.

Liang Shanbo went up to him, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "Brother Xiao."

Xiao Hu approached, looked Liang Shanbo up and down, his gaze lingering on the bow sack on his back. He grinned and said, "Brother Liang, tomorrow is the Autumn Archery Competition. Your archery skills have improved rapidly, I've seen it all, truly beyond the reach of ordinary people. I'm planning to have a good competition with you and Brother Wang tomorrow."

Liang Shanbo said, "Brother Xiao, you flatter me. I've only been practicing archery for three months, how can I compare to you? I'll do my best tomorrow."

Xiao Hu waved his hand and said seriously, "Don't be modest. Although you've only been practicing archery for three months, you can already hit the target seven or eight times out of ten. Such rapid progress is something I've never seen in anyone else in all my years of archery practice. If you beat me tomorrow, I'll give you three thousand coins."

Liang Shanbo was slightly taken aback and was about to politely decline when Xiao Hu interrupted, "Don't refuse. Half a year ago, I fought with you and lost three thousand coins. Thinking about it now, it was quite a pleasant experience."

"If you can defeat me tomorrow, this three thousand coins will be a congratulatory gift for your mastery of archery. If I defeat you, you naturally don't need to give me a single coin. This matter is settled."

After he finished speaking, without waiting for Liang Shanbo's reply, he bowed and strode back.

Wei Cong and Zhou Daoxian exchanged a glance and then followed them back.

Liang Shanbo stood there, watching Xiao Hu's burly back, a smile appearing on his lips.

Zhu Yingtai couldn't help but say, "This Brother Xiao is quite a straightforward person."

Liang Shanbo nodded: "Indeed."

Half a year ago, Liang Shanbo inquired about Xiao Hu's character from Sun Yuangui. Sun Yuangui said that Xiao Hu was straightforward and didn't hide anything. When making friends, he only considered whether people were compatible with him. He respected capable people, and if someone defeated him, he would respect them and might even become their friend.

Every word of this is true.

Ever since Liang Shanbo defeated Xiao Hu in a wrestling match, Xiao Hu has frequently come to talk to him. The two have become good friends through their interactions.

In Liang Shanbo's view, the reason why Xiao Hu proposed the bet of three thousand coins was perhaps because Xiao Hu was very confident in himself, or perhaps because Xiao Hu felt that he had a chance of winning, so he took the opportunity to give him three thousand coins to help his poor friend.

Six months ago, he received three thousand coins from Xiao Hu, repaid Zhu Yingtai one thousand four hundred and ten coins, and the remaining one thousand five hundred and ninety coins had been spent in small amounts over the past six months. Now he was penniless. If he could get another three thousand coins from Xiao Hu, it would be enough for him to live on for quite some time.

He turned to look at Zhu Yingtai and smiled slightly: "Brother, let's go back."

Zhu Yingtai nodded and followed in his footsteps, but suddenly couldn't help glancing towards the wilderness again. There, Xiao Hu had already drawn his bow again, and Wei Cong and Zhou Daoxian were standing beside him, whispering something.

Xiao Hu fired an arrow, hitting the target surface but not the bullseye.

He put down his bow, turned around, and faced Zhou Daoxian.

"Brother Xiao," Zhou Daoxian couldn't help but speak, his tone tinged with displeasure, "why did you promise Liang Shanbo three thousand coins? It was completely unnecessary."

Xiao Hu raised a thick eyebrow slightly: "What? You don't actually think I'll lose?"

Zhou Daoxian hurriedly said, "It's not that I think Brother Xiao will lose, but it's a bit rash to promise money like this."

Xiao Hu grinned, looking at Wei Cong and Zhou Daoxian: "If you two can defeat me tomorrow, I will give you three thousand coins. If I defeat you, you don't need to give me a single coin. How about it?"

Zhou Daoxian was taken aback, then his heart leaped with joy, but he feigned indifference and said, "Alright, I'll do as Brother Xiao says."

He secretly began to calculate. Although his archery skills were inferior to Xiao Hu's, he wasn't entirely without a chance. Archery was all about performance under pressure and mindset; perhaps he could perform exceptionally well tomorrow, while Xiao Hu might falter. What if those three thousand coins really did fall into his lap?

Wei Cong was not as eager as Zhou Daoxian; he simply nodded slightly and said calmly, "As Brother Xiao would say."

His gaze passed over Xiao Hu's shoulder and looked towards the wilderness. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai had already walked far away; only their backs could be seen, one carrying a bow case and the other with her hair tied up with a bamboo hairpin, walking side by side toward the back gate of the school.

A strange feeling suddenly welled up inside him. He always felt that Liang Shanbo was different from others. It wasn't just because Liang Shanbo was skilled in both literature and martial arts and had extraordinary talent, but also because Liang Shanbo's eyes were sometimes too calm, like looking into a deep well, unfathomable.

Just then, the autumn wind picked up again. He pulled his coat tighter and said softly, "It's getting cold."

The autumn wind blows, and the grass ripples.

Dusk was falling.