Why wait a year or two? We can seize the championship in just three months.

Liang Shanbo drew an arrow from his quiver.

Xiao Hu also drew an arrow from his quiver.

Both men nocked their arrows and drew their bows simultaneously. Liang Shanbo's mulberry bow and Xiao Hu's mulberry bow were taut in the autumn sun. The two bowstrings produced two distinct, rough sounds that intertwined.

Liang Shanbo's gaze, looking out from above the arrow shaft, was as calm as still water.

Xiao Hu's gaze, looking out from above the arrow shaft, was as sharp as a knife.

"Fire the arrows!" Pei Liang gave the order.

"Whoosh—"

"collapse--"

Two arrows shot out simultaneously.

"Duh! Duh!"

Two arrows struck the targets of the two arrow stacks almost simultaneously.

Both winners raised white flags.

The scene erupted in uproar.

Sun Yuangui slapped his thigh and muttered, "Another tie!"

Zhu Yingtai's hands involuntarily clenched tighter.

Pei Liang looked at the two white flags, smiled slightly, and raised his voice again: "Shoot a second arrow. Each of you will shoot one arrow, and the winner will be decided by this single shot."

Liang Shanbo remained expressionless and drew a second arrow from his quiver.

Xiao Hu drew his second arrow, grinned, and said to Liang Shanbo, "Brother Liang, let's do our best with this arrow!"

Liang Shanbo nodded: "Okay."

The two men nocked their arrows, drew their bows, and aimed at each other simultaneously.

The field suddenly became extremely quiet, as if you could hear the wind blowing through the grass.

"Whoosh—"

"collapse--"

Two arrows flew out simultaneously through the air.

"Duh!"

Xiao Hu's arrow hit the bullseye! The winner raised the red flag.

"Duh!"

Liang Shanbo's arrow also hit the bullseye! The winner raised the red flag.

Another tie!

The scene was no longer just in uproar, it was boiling over.

Sun Yuangui stood up, then sat down again, his expression a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

Jia Boyang couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly.

Zhou Daoxian's face turned pale, and he muttered, "This Liang Shanbo, he's only been practicing archery for three months, how come he's so skilled..."

Seeing this result, Pei Liang turned to look at Meng Wenlang. Meng Wenlang nodded slightly. Pei Liang understood and raised his voice again: "Shoot a third arrow!"

Liang Shanbo bent down and drew the third arrow from the quiver. His fingers gently traced the shaft, feeling its smoothness, its steady, unwavering movement.

He raised his head, looking at the white silk on the arrow stack thirty paces away, at the red heart drawn in vermilion on the silk, and then gripped the mulberry bow tightly.

This bow was a gift from the gentleman.

He remembered clearly the words the gentleman had said when he presented the bow.

"Archery, like wrestling, cultivates a calm mind and sustained arm strength!"

He nocked the arrow, drew the bow, and the bowstring, made of twisted deer sinew, was taut. The bow limb trembled slightly, but then stabilized.

Thirty steps. Bullseye. Autumn wind.

His eyes were fixed on the red heart.

At that moment, the wind stopped.

He seemed oblivious to the murmurs around him, and as if he had forgotten Xiao Hu's presence beside him, only hearing the faint, grating sound of the bowstring being taut.

He fired the arrow.

"Whoosh—"

The arrow flew extremely steadily and smoothly, straight towards the bullseye, neither too fast nor too slow, as if it was meant to be there, as if the bullseye had been waiting for this arrow all along.

"Duh!"

The arrow hit the bullseye! The arrowhead pierced the cinnabar in the center of the white silk.

The winner suddenly raised the red flag.

At the same time, Xiao Hu also fired an arrow.

"Duh!"

The arrow struck the target.

The winner raised the white flag.

There was a moment of silence on the field, then an even more enthusiastic gasp of amazement erupted.

"Xiao Hu hits the bullseye!"

"Liang Shanbo has won!"

"Liang Shanbo actually defeated Xiao Hu!"

Zhu Yingtai finally loosened her clenched hands. She let out a long breath, only to find that she had stood up without realizing it.

Pei Liang announced loudly, "Three more arrows will be fired. The first arrow hit the bullseye for both, the second arrow hit the center for both, and the third arrow hit the center for Liang Shanbo and the bullseye for Xiao Hu. Liang Shanbo wins!"

Zhu Yingtai stood there, watching the handsome young man in the field, watching him go to retrieve the three extra arrows, and watching him carefully place them back into the quiver. The autumn wind swept across the field, fluttering the corners of his handkerchief and the hem of his clothes, but it could not disturb the calm on his face.

"Brother Liang has won! He defeated Xiao Hu! He's the champion!"

Zhu Yingtai didn't say anything, but it seemed like she was screaming in her heart.

Gu Jun smiled and said to Wang Shu beside him, "Senior brother, do you remember what I said to Junior Brother Liang when he first started learning archery three months ago?"

Wang Shu asked, "Which sentence?"

Gu Jun said, "I said that day that with Junior Brother Liang's talent, he might be able to compete with Brother Xiao within a year."

Wang Shu smiled and said, "That's right. I remember Xiao Hu said that if our junior brother is willing to work hard, he won't need a year; he can surpass him in less than half a year."

Gu Jun nodded and smiled, "Exactly."

Wang Shu exclaimed, "We all underestimated Junior Brother Liang. Why did it take a year or two? In just three months, he defeated Xiao Hu and has won the championship today!"

At this moment, on Yizhai's side, Zhou Daoxian still looked depressed.

He also recalled the scene three months ago when Liang Shanbo first learned archery. At that time, he had whispered to Wei Cong, "Brother Xiao is really giving him too much credit. He's only started learning archery at such a young age, and he can beat Brother Xiao in half a year? He might not even beat me in ten years!"

Fortunately, he's not easily embarrassed, otherwise his face would probably be burning right now.

At this moment, Xiao Hu walked up to Liang Shanbo, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Brother Liang, you have won. I am completely convinced. I, Xiao Hu, am inferior to you in wrestling and archery."

Liang Shanbo smiled slightly: "Brother Xiao, today, we are evenly matched."

Xiao Hu shook his head: "It's a draw. I've practiced archery for many years, you've only practiced for three months. If you win, you win. A real man accepts defeat."

He grinned again: "Today's autumn archery match was truly exhilarating."

After saying that, he turned around and walked towards Yizhai's seat.

On stage, Pei Liang sighed to Meng Wenlang, "I know Xiao Hu. In wrestling and archery, he is unmatched among the younger generation in Qiantang. It is truly remarkable that Liang Shanbo was able to defeat him in both wrestling and archery."

He paused, then his tone became more serious: "This young man is a promising talent, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and calm and composed. You have taken on a fine disciple, sir!"

Meng Wenlang looked at the young man below the stage who was already whispering to Zhu Yingtai, his gaze softening slightly, and slowly said, "He is a rough gem, still needing to be polished."

Then, he stood up from his seat and announced loudly, "Today's autumn archery competition has produced Liang Shanbo as the champion. He is awarded a bow and arrow."

The servant delivered the prize.

The bow was made of mulberry wood, and the bowstring was made of twisted deer sinew. The quiver was made of leather, with a leather rope binding the opening. The quiver contained twelve arrows.

It is exactly the same bow and arrow that Meng Wenlang gave to Liang Shanbo in Songzha.

Liang Shanbo walked onto the stage, bowed respectfully to Meng Wenlang, and solemnly said, "Sir, you have already given me a bow and arrow. I use it every day, and the bow is still strong, so there is really no need to add another one. Please take back this new bow, sir."

Meng Wenlang handed the prize in his hand to Liang Shanbo: "This bow and arrow is a reward for the Autumn Archery Competition. You won the championship with your own skills, so it should be yours. As your teacher, I cannot discriminate based on who you are."

He then laughed and said, "You already have the bow and arrows I gave you, and now you've received this new bow. If you don't need both, you can sell the new bow and exchange it for some paper, ink, and money."

Liang Shanbo accepted the bow and arrows with both hands, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you, sir. I accept your thanks."

He straightened up, held the new bow in his hands, took two steps back, then turned around and walked back to his seat.

As Zhu Yingtai watched Liang return and saw the new bow, she suddenly remembered that afternoon three months ago when she said she wanted to buy a bow and arrows, and Liang stopped her, saying, "My bow is your bow; my arrows are your arrows."

"Will Brother Liang gift me this new bow?" she couldn't help but wonder. This thought filled her with anticipation.

If he doesn't give it to her, she won't blame him; if he does, she will be delighted.

Liang Shanbo had already walked to her side, glanced at her, and his eyes held a hint of a smile.

Zhu Yingtai looked at him and smiled.