bookrandom Chapter 88 caught a straight.
Chapter 88 caught a straight.
Confucius Mountain, Confucius Temple.
With the moon and stars shining brightly, Bai Mufeng hurriedly stepped into the main hall.
The hall was brightly lit, and the statue of the saint stood tall.
Below, an elderly man in his seventies, full of energy, is reading a book.
"Teacher, the King of Chu has appeared."
Upon approaching, Bai Mufeng immediately bowed respectfully.
The Confucian sage nodded slightly, put down the book in his hand, and asked, "How do you feel?"
"Quick-witted, wise, and with a global perspective."
Bai Mufeng pondered for a moment before expressing his feelings.
While enjoying a drink in the bamboo hut at dusk, Bai Mufeng had been intentionally observing Qin Xuan. He had thought that the King of Chu would be a bloodthirsty soldier, but unexpectedly, it was the opposite.
He was refined and magnanimous, cared deeply for the people, had a clear sense of right and wrong, and was ruthless and vengeful.
“I have read the couplets you sent over. The person who could write these couplets must be wise.”
The Confucian sage smiled slightly, his gaze deep and far-reaching: "The corrupt empire of Daqi has reached the point where it needs to be eradicated."
"So, the teacher deliberately insulted Dean Qingshan and even slandered Beining City before? Was it to test the King of Chu?"
Bai Mufeng asked.
The Confucian sage did not answer, but simply smiled gently: "I look forward to tomorrow."
The next day, after having breakfast at the inn, Qin Xuan and the others headed to the foot of Kongsheng Mountain.
"The teacher instructed that if Young Master Jin comes, he may go directly into the bamboo house."
A young pageboy, with a humble and respectful demeanor, appeared to indicate that the pageboy from yesterday had been completely expelled from the school.
"Good work."
Qin Xuan nodded, then led Zhao Luoying, Ning Yuanfeng, and Monkey into the bamboo house.
Although Qin Xuan had visited this bamboo house yesterday, he only discovered today that it was a hidden paradise inside.
After passing through a long passage, the view suddenly opened up to a clear valley, where a huge martial arts arena was hidden deep within.
"Brother Jin, you really came."
Bai Mufeng stepped forward to greet him, and Qin Xuan nodded with a smile. His gaze swept forward and he saw Yelü Huanxi and the others, whom he had met briefly at the inn yesterday.
"Young Master Jin, we meet again."
Yelü Huanxi walked over with a smile, her curvaceous figure on full display: "We've already gone through two rounds of competition, you're probably a little late."
"There's an old saying in Daqi: 'The latecomer surpasses the former.' Miss Yelü, you'd better not get too cocky, or you'll be overtaken and lose face."
Zhao Luoying made a sarcastic remark, acting as if she regarded Yelü Huanxi as a mortal enemy.
Yelü Huanxi frowned slightly, about to retort, when someone else came in from outside.
Everyone instinctively turned around, only to see that it was Pan Ruoan, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, leading people from Longyun Bookstore over.
"What a coincidence, the three booksellers have actually come together."
Bai Mufeng smiled faintly, but his face was full of excitement.
"Brother Bai, Brother Jin, it seems I'm the last one to arrive!"
Pan Ruoan greeted the two, and Qin Xuan smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. Then he said to Bai Mufeng, "Brother Bai, let's begin!"
Bai Mufeng nodded, then looked at Pan Ruoan, who nodded slightly in return. Bai Mufeng then ordered two bamboo baskets to be brought over, explaining:
"There are six wooden balls in the bamboo basket, each with a unique number. The two of you can pick four of them, and the corresponding numbers represent the four arts that a gentleman is tested on among the Six Arts."
The rules were simple. Qin Xuan and Pan Ruoan exchanged a glance, then each grabbed four wooden balls.
“Brother Jin, your numbers are three, four, five, and six, which correspond to archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics.”
“Brother Pan, your numbers are one, two, three, and six, which correspond to rites, music, archery, and numbers.”
Bai Mufeng quickly announced the results.
Qin Xuan was somewhat surprised that he had actually drawn a straight, but that made things easier, since shooting and maneuvering were a piece of cake for him anyway.
As for Pan Ruoan, he remained calm, revealing nothing about his state of mind.
"Will you two be assessed together, or separately?"
Bai Mufeng asked.
The Six Arts of a Gentleman do not involve competition between each other. As long as each person passes their own test, they are qualified to meet the Confucian Sage.
However, it was a coincidence that Qin Xuan and Pan Ruoan were both participating at the same time, and Bai Mufeng naturally enjoyed watching the drama unfold.
"Then let's go together!"
Qin Xuan and Pan Ruoan said in unison, then looked at each other and smiled.
Bai Mufeng immediately ordered his men to bring a bow and arrows, and at the same time, he pushed a target a hundred meters away.
“Master, these two men both seem rather frail, especially the one surnamed Pan; I doubt he could even draw a bow.”
On Yelü Huanxi's side, some people couldn't help but start making sarcastic remarks.
Yelü Huanxi's gaze lingered intently on Qin Xuan, and she chuckled, "Not necessarily. The one surnamed Jin doesn't seem that weak."
Qin Xuan's physique is not the kind of exaggeratedly muscular type. On the contrary, his body is extremely well-proportioned. Although he doesn't seem to have many muscles, his whole body is full of power.
Pan Ruoan, on the other hand, did indeed appear rather frail.
"Duo!"
The group was chatting when, unexpectedly, Pan Ruoan raised his hand and shot an arrow without even preparing or aiming.
The next second, the arrow flew like the wind and hit the target accurately, but not in the center, but at the edge.
"Pan Ruoan has passed the test."
The pageboy's voice rang out, and Pan Ruoan smiled faintly without saying a word.
Qin Xuan was taken aback and subconsciously asked, "Just hitting the target is enough?"
Bai Mufeng rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking to himself, "Do you think everyone is like you, King Chu, who is proficient in both literature and military strategy?"
Archery and charioteering, two of the Six Arts of the Gentleman, were originally intended only to help scholars maintain a strong physique, not to actually turn them into expert archers.
"Brother Jin, you have quite the big mouth. This is a distance of 100 meters. Generally, the most effective attack range for archers in the army is 100 meters. If someone can hit a target more than 100 meters away, then they are already a master archer."
Yelü Changkong couldn't help but scoff, thinking that Qin Xuan didn't understand archery at all.
Zhao Luoying, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but chuckle and whispered in Qin Xuan's ear, "Your Highness, there is actually someone in this world who dares to teach you how to shoot arrows. It's hilarious."
Beside them, Ning Yuanfeng and the monkey also had strange expressions, barely suppressing the urge to burst out laughing, and kept shrugging their shoulders.
"What, is what I said so funny?"
Yelü Changkong felt insulted and became enraged, questioning him.
"No, no, you're absolutely right. We really overestimated our strength."
Qin Xuan grinned, then casually picked up a bow, nocked an arrow, and his movements, though seemingly unintentional, exuded an unusually smooth and fluid quality.
Yelü Huanxi was taken aback. She had just sensed this and couldn't help but ask:
"Young Master Jin, you've been hiding your true abilities, haven't you?"
Qin Xuan turned his head and, while shooting an arrow, replied, "I never told you I couldn't use a bow and arrow, did I?"
Before the words were even finished, there was a loud "bang," and the arrow pierced straight through the bullseye of the target. It actually went right through.
At this moment, Yelü Huanxi's heart trembled violently.
When he shot that arrow, he clearly didn't turn around; he just aimed by feel. Yet, it pierced the bullseye. Just who is this man?
Pan Ruoan shared the same thought as Yelü Huanxi, his brows furrowing unconsciously.
He always felt that Jin Xuan in front of him gave off a great sense of pressure, but the other party clearly did not show anything in particular.
"Young Master Yelü Changkong, how is it? Does my Master Jin's archery skill meet your standards?"
Ning Yuanfeng glanced at him sideways, his voice full of mockery.