load and strapped it onto his back. The archery contest was located at the second-largest park in the city and was a short walk on foot. Fei Long had decided to leave before the Dragon Hour so he could get in position before the crowds gathered.
‘Your opponent is some young hellion. They say he’s a prodigy with a bow and arrow,’ Bai Shen reported.
Much like they used to say about him.
‘What else?’
‘He’s won several small wagers. In the last Great Shoot he made it to the final three rounds, but that’s nothing. You’ve won the whole thing.’
‘I never won,’ Fei Long corrected. ‘And past tournaments don’t matter. Only today matters.’
‘Right…here, drink this.’ Bai Shen held out a flask. ‘Same thing we drank five years ago before the tournament.’
Fei Long scowled. ‘Actors and your superstitions.’
‘Yan Ling said she was worried about you.’
‘When did you speak to Yan Ling?’
‘She told me to do something to help you.’ Bai Shen gave the flask a few shakes. ‘This might loosen the muscles up a bit.’
Fei Long kept on walking. ‘This is a bad idea.’
He hadn’t had wine in years and he certainly didn’t want to combine liquor with the herbal remedy he’d taken to dull the pain. Yet after a few paces, Fei Long stopped and held out his hand. Bai Shen pulled the cork and took a swig first before handing it over. Fei Long lifted the flask in a quick toast before tipping it over and spilling his portion onto the ground.
‘Wait! That’s good stuff.’
Fei Long handed the liquor back. The symbolic gesture would have to do.
They continued towards the park. He could already hear the hum of the crowd beyond the walls of the alleyway and they stopped just short of the end. Fei Long unwound the red scarf from his hand to tie it around the lower half from his face.
‘Brilliant.’ Bai Shen laughed. ‘The crowd will love that. By the way, if you don’t do something intelligent about Yan Ling once this is over, I’ve decided I’m going to steal her away from you.’
Fei Long glared. ‘How is that information supposed to help me?’
‘I just thought I should warn you. She’s not usually the sort I fancy, but people can change.’
‘Enough, Bai Shen.’
‘We can’t go exiling all our pretty women to foreign lands. It’s a crime against the empire.’
‘Enough.’
They’d reached the entrance into the street. Bai Shen exhaled, then alternatively flexed and relaxed his hands as if preparing for a theatre performance. Fei Long supposed this was much the same—a grand show for the masses.
They stepped into the intersection and faced the crowd gathered at the park entrance. News of their arrival travelled in a wave as soon as they saw the bow in his hands. A cheer went up and all eyes clamped onto him. Money and paper markers changed hands rapidly.
Fei Long looked straight ahead and kept on walking. Bai Shen did his part to clear the way, his tenor voice carrying clear through the crowd. ‘Move aside! Move aside!’
There were noblemen and merchants alike among the spectators. The city guards were gathered to keep the peace, but they were just as interested as everyone else in the match. The crowd was smaller, yet rowdier than it had been five years ago for the Great Shoot. That event had been sanctioned by the Emperor. This one was instigated by two gambling-den lords posing as self-made gentlemen.
Two canopies were set up on either side of the green. Zōu reclined beneath the one on the far end, attended by his concubines and bodyguards. The rival lord was settled opposite him under the shade of his own canopy, surrounded by his own escort.
Further down the line another tent had been set up. He recognised Minister Cao right away. Tong was with him, as well as several other ranking officials. Fei Long ducked away involuntarily, though his face was covered.
The other competitor arrived just behind him. Bai Shen was right. Here was a young man, pale-faced, with an intense energy in his eyes. For Fei Long, it was like looking at his own reflection. Not in appearance, but in spirit. He nodded once at the other bowman. The courtesy was not returned. His opponent was occupied with sizing him up.
Fei Long stared across the grass at his first sight of the field.
‘The legendary Houyi,’ Bai Shen said beneath his breath.
‘And the Ten Suns,’ Fei Long finished.
There were ten straw targets, painted in gold and set out at varying distances. The final