Seeking Truth with a Sword
Chapter 65 - 60 Longbow

Chapter 65: Chapter 60 Longbow

Watching Li Ang lead the horse away, Pei Jing arched his eyebrows and stopped patting the railing. The girl with willow-leaf eyebrows beside him also squinted, letting go of the grass in her hand.

This was... being outplayed?

The same thought arose in both their minds. Pei Jing’s expression remained unchanged; he stylishly flicked his sleeves and turned to look at another military horse. The girl with the willow-leaf eyebrows, after a brief pause, withdrew her gaze.

The residents of Chang’an in the corridor also noticed the commotion in the distance. Many people, especially the young noblewomen, indignantly exclaimed, "Who is that person? Why is he taking Mr. Pei Jing’s horse? Doesn’t he know that the results of the Imperial Examination are very important?"

"Yes, Mr. Pei Jing has such a good temper! Why should he let him have it?"

Just because he’s my young master.

Chai Cuiqiao scoffed disdainfully. If the situation had been more appropriate, she would have loved to go over and make a few sarcastic remarks, such as, I’m just a passerby. I hope everyone can show more kindness and less malice, and focus more on the work itself.—these were some of the bizarre things she had heard from Li Ang.

While Chai Cuiqiao was silently praying, Li Ang took a deep breath, mounted the horse, patted the Red Horse’s cheek, and whispered, "It’s all up to you now!"

"NEIGH—!"

The Red Horse responded with an intelligent, long whinny, its hooves pounding fiercely against the ground, its mane flying wildly.

"WHOOSH—!"

The riders in the front felt a gust of wind whip past their ears. Before they could even form the thought, What was that streaking by? the crimson flash had already surged to the front.

Blades of grass flew, and dust billowed. Carrying Li Ang, the Red Horse raced forward, instantly surpassing the steeds of the Hu Ren youths.

The Hu Ren youths’ faces contorted with intense displeasure and rage. They instinctively wanted to kick their horses’ flanks, whip them fiercely, and spur them on recklessly, but they suddenly saw the cold gazes of the Academic Palace Instructors on the side of the track.

Their bodies stiffened dramatically, as if drenched by icy water, and they instinctively pulled tight on the reins.

The Academic Palace valued scholarship, but it valued character even more. Mistreating warhorses on the racecourse was equivalent to forfeiting eligibility. This was especially crucial considering each of them had only secured a preliminary entry slot through the Chang’an City Hu Shang Guild, which had paid an extremely high price.

"So fast!"

The student recommended by the Ministry of War, who had been in the lead, stared dumbfounded as Li Ang sped past him, endless regret welling up inside.

Given Li Ang’s clumsy riding posture, it was obvious he wasn’t an exceptional rider. It was purely the superior quality of the Red Horse, which sprinted willingly, sparing no effort.

Could this... could this person have brought a well-trained, famous horse from home? That’s cheating! Where’s the judge? Judge! Rule on this!

The student recommended by the Ministry of War looked like he was about to cry, only able to watch helplessly as Li Ang streaked ahead and crossed the finish line first.

My head... it’s spinning.

Buffeted by the fierce wind and jostled on horseback the entire way, Li Ang felt dizzy as he dismounted. He first affectionately hugged the exhausted, heavily panting Red Horse, then leaned against a tree trunk by the roadside and shook his head vigorously, trying to clear it.

An Academic Palace Instructor approached with a smile, registered Li Ang’s results on the roster, and allowed him to lead the horse back along the outside of the racetrack.

Li Ang, holding the reins, didn’t rush back to the paddock. Instead, he picked some dry grass from the ground, sorted through it, and fed it to the Red Horse while patting its cheeks gratefully. "Thank you," he murmured. "Next time I’ll bring you some alfalfa..."

The surrounding students turned to watch him lead the Red Horse closer, their gazes complex—filled with confusion, curiosity, envy, and even pity.

No one wanted to take the Red Horse from Li Ang now. Although the horse was of excellent quality, it had exhausted its strength. At least for today, it couldn’t be expected to deliver another impressive performance.

Considering that the other best warhorses had already been chosen, and their own first-round results weren’t even as good as what the Red Horse had achieved...

Could it be that this year’s first place in the Imperial Examination will actually be taken by a student who doesn’t even know how to ride a horse?!

Li Ang was too tired to interpret the complex looks around him. He led the horse back to the pasture and returned the Red Horse to its corral.

Song Shaoyuan and Ji Linglang were the first to come over. Zhai Yiming and Yang Yu also approached after a brief hesitation.

"Risheng," Song Shaoyuan said with a smile, thumping Li Ang’s shoulder. "You’ve really made a name for yourself this time. After tonight, the heads of those horse racing guilds in Chang’an might invite you to a banquet to explain your horse-training techniques."

"Brother Song, please don’t tease me." Li Ang knew his own situation best. With a wry smile, he waved his hand. "It was just good luck."

"Every action has its consequence; it’s not as simple as just good luck," Ji Linglang said with a faint smile. As the daughter of the Yizhou Governor’s House, she vaguely guessed why the Red Horse had tried so hard, but with outsiders present, it was inconvenient to explain the reason.

Yang Yu asked, "Risheng, which subject will you take next?"

"I’ll finish Archery first. As long as I don’t miss the target completely, it’ll count as a success. Then I’ll check out mathematics or something..." Li Ang scratched his head and replied.

He had no expectations for Archery. He wasn’t some young nobleman who went hunting with friends in the mountains every few months—practicing with a bow also required time, money, and energy.

The subsequent developments unfolded just as he had expected. The Archery test took place on the range. Each examinee had thirty shots: six at close-range targets, six at medium-range targets, six at long-range targets, and twelve at moving targets that slid along a circular track. Scores were calculated based on the final ring count.

Li Ang mimicked the ergonomic power-generation techniques from his Otherworld memories, maintained a standard posture, and managed to hit just over half the targets. He did a bit better than those more literary-focused students who clearly weren’t skilled in Archery.

"THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!"

A succession of thuds resounded nearby. As Li Ang lowered his bow, he glanced aside and saw Pei Jing, the gentleman in white robes, surrounded by a group of students. With slightly pursed lips, Pei Jing drew his bow and loosed arrow after arrow, each one finding its mark.

Continuous cheers erupted from the onlookers. "Ah! Good! A hit! Another hit!"

"As expected of Mr. Pei Jing, he’s even penetrating the targets!"

"Truly, ’At dawn, he sought the white feather, only to find it embedded in the stone’s edge!’"

"Twenty-five hits out of thirty shots! That’s even one more hit than those from the Ministry of War! This score must be the best this year, right?"

The Archery test wasn’t as frantically paced as the Imperial Examination. The young men surrounding Pei Jing shouted their praises, while Pei Jing himself, seemingly accustomed to such compliments, maintained an unruffled smile. He casually removed the thumb ring from his finger, stylishly handed his bow and arrows to a friend, then turned his head to glance at Li Ang, giving an almost imperceptible nod.

What does that mean? Recognition from a top student?

Li Ang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Just then, he heard a cool female voice from behind, "Excuse me, please make way."

"Oh, sure." Li Ang picked up his bow and arrows and stepped aside, only to see the girl with the willow-leaf eyebrows approaching. She was carrying a shortbow and a longbow; the longbow was even taller than she was.

Such a tall bow...

The requirements for Archery were much looser than those for the Imperial Examination. There was an ample supply of arrows and bows—even providing different types, materials, and draw weights for candidates from all corners of the land to choose from.

However, a longbow of this height... It seemed she was the only one in the entire field who had chosen such a weapon.