Sun. Bai Shen backed away and the crowd hushed once again, all bets final.
Eight out of ten. He was at a draw, but for him that was the same as a loss. The terms were that he needed to win.
He’d seen how the other archer had performed on this target. His arrow had flown straight, propelled with all his strength, but it had fallen short. Fei Long couldn’t pull much harder, not with his body in agony.
In the legend of Houyi, the tenth Sun was the one that remained. Zōu and his crony had placed the last target far enough to taunt them. It wasn’t meant to be attainable. Not with this bow and his strength on this day, but he couldn’t give up yet.
Fei Long sighted the target and pulled back as far as he could, bending the bow until the wood creaked. Every muscle within him strained. His ribs screamed, but he could endure it for a single release. He had no other choice. If he shot straight, absolutely straight, and the arrow was blessed by wind and air—
He paused, lowering the bow and releasing the tension with the arrow still in place. He’d shot this far before in infantry drills, but it wasn’t precision shooting. The purpose of the infantry was to let loose a rain of arrows.
All instinct left him in the wake of the pain. He tried to push the ache to the back of his mind, tried to draw forth the training and knowledge within him. The tenth Sun mocked him across the field as he reassessed the distance. The mask around his face became unbearably hot and stifling.
Fei Long straightened and sighted again. With a silent tribute to Houyi, he angled the bow upwards and let the arrow fly.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Fei Long tracked the path of the arrow as it soared across the park. He measured its speed and decline and somehow he knew. He turned his back on the target and started walking.
Bai Shen continued to stare down the field, transfixed.
‘Come on.’ Fei Long didn’t pause as he passed him. He hooked the bow over his shoulder and lengthened his stride. The jubilant roar of the crowd confirmed what instinct had already told him.
The arrow had hit its mark.
‘Let’s go,’ he called to Bai Shen, louder this time.
Zōu was up on his feet, grinning as if he’d held the bow himself. The Bull met his eyes and clapped his hands in acknowledgement. His debt was settled.
The crowd was coming alive behind him. He had to get out of there, away from the revellers and well-wishers while his identity was still hidden. At the edge of the park, he broke into a run. Bai Shen caught up to him.
‘A truly humble man!’ The actor laughed, keeping pace beside him. ‘Not even staying to steep in the glory.’
They ran out into the streets and ducked into an alleyway. Fei Long’s entire left side burned. He clenched his jaw and forced himself to breathe through it. The competition had pushed him to his limit.
‘Fei Long!’
He knew that voice. He turned to see Yan Ling flying towards him.
‘You were wonderful!’
He caught her in his arms and she squeezed him hard. Too hard. He winced, but held on to her, feeling her soft curves moulded against him. Nothing would make him let go.
‘So wonderful,’ she murmured, tugging the scarf away from his face.
Her eyes shone as she looked upon him, and he decided she was perfect just like that, safe in his arms, wearing that oversized robe that always failed to disguise her.
Bai Shen beamed. Dao scowled. And the chaotic noise coming from the street meant that the crowd from the park was spilling out onto the city.
‘They want their champion,’ Bai Shen warned. ‘You baited them with that mask.’
The four of them set off, crossing and weaving through the busy streets like a pack of wayward demons. Bai Shen let out a whoop of triumph. A sense of lightness filled Fei Long, lifting him as his feet flew over the paved streets. The pain receded into the background. He hadn’t felt this way since he’d been a boy, running with no destination through a city that never ended.
The weight of debt and ruin had finally been removed. There was only one thing left that kept him from soaring to the heavens. He slowed his pace so that Yan Ling was beside him. Her cap had fallen off and her hair flew behind her.