hundred bu away. Just within the range of an infantry bowman. Fei Long could see the strain in his opponent’s body as he pulled the string.
The young man was slightly smaller than he, so Fei Long had a strength advantage, but nominal only. Streaks of pain radiated from his side after only the first five shots.
The third arrow hit centre and the crowd cheered with excitement. More markers flew from hand to hand. People would be betting on each shot as well as the overall competition. His father had explained the intricacies of such wagering to him once. It was knowledge he hadn’t found any use for.
His opponent took a moment to wipe sweat away from his brow. The fourth target was the furthest one yet. The young man pulled back as far as he could and released. The crowd groaned as the arrow flew wide.
‘Disaster!’ Bai Shen proclaimed.
Fei Long shushed him. ‘Don’t heckle.’
‘He can’t hear us.’
That was eight out of ten targets with the last one still to go. The final sun was an obscene length away; nearly an entire li. Fei Long tried to gauge the distance. Had he ever shot an arrow that far?
The rival archer was doing the same. He stood with his shoulder pointed to the tenth target for a long time. Finally, his expression hardened with resolve. He pulled the bow back so far that the wood strained against the string. At any moment something would snap: the string or the bow or the
archer himself. He let go and the sigh of the release sounded like the blow of an axe. Fei Long’s intention wrapped around the arrow as it soared, slicing through the air, flying true. Never mind that this was his opponent’s shot. The technique of it deserved to hit centre.
The arrow fell just short. A sigh went through the crowd, followed by more chatter. Despite the miss, his opponent had done very well overall.
‘Your turn—show him how it’s done.’
Fei Long walked towards the line again, sinking deep within himself to conjure up the legendary match from five years ago. If only he could conjure up himself as he’d been that day. Fei Long had known the moment the shoot was over that he would never hit that well again. It had been one day in a thousand days. His mind had been clear, his body strong. The world was his for the taking.
Today his mind was anything but clear. He thought of Zōu and his smug look. The two million cash in debt hanging over his head. He thought of the family home where he and his sister were born. If he sold it and moved away, Pearl would never know where to find them. And he thought of Yan Ling.
More than once, she’d pulled him away from the brink of ruin because she was stubborn, where he was patient. She was impetuous, where he was forbearing. He believed everyone should fulfil his duty. She believed that everyone should go one better.
‘Houyi!’
It took him a moment to realise that Bai Shen was yelling at him.
‘They’re going to disqualify you if you don’t shoot.’
Fei Long lifted an arrow. He was just setting his eyes on the target, that was all.
He aimed and fired. Just like his opponent, he took the two targets on the right with ease. The wound had started to throb, pulsing at his side as a reminder of weakness. He sucked in a breath and pulled through the pain to claim the next target.
The fourth one was a challenge. He took his time centring it in his sight. His aim was steady. He timed his breathing, slowed his heartbeat. The moment he released, a sharp twinge made him double over. The arrow flew foul, with no grace to speak of as it loped into the grass.
The crowd groaned, jeered, swore. The bookies went mad. New odds were frantically cast, all while Fei Long clutched at his side and gulped in air. Off to the side, the Bull looked like he was ready to snort with rage. If Fei Long had been in a speaking mood, he would have told Zōu something about karma.
Bai Shen came to kneel beside him. His eyebrows raised sharply with concern as he put a hand on Fei Long’s shoulder. ‘Do you need to rest? I can try to delay them.’
‘No.’ Fei Long rose slowly. ‘No, let’s do this now.’
The pain would only get worse. He took his stance and faced off against the tenth