Inside the Ouyang Manor.
A gaunt man in his forties, dressed in a luxurious brocade robe, strolled slowly among the flowers in the garden, holding a pair of delicate silver scissors.
The various flowers in the garden were in full bloom. Wherever his gaze landed, if a flower bloomed fully and vigorously, he would slowly reach out and snap it off. If it could not be snapped off, he would cleanly snip it off with the scissors, stem and all.
"Interesting, truly interesting," he muttered to himself, a playful smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "To think that someone from the Miao region, and the Witchcraft and Gu Tribe at that, would appear in Qianwu Town. It seems the Ice Bow and Mystic Arrows I prepared as the grand prize are quite attractive indeed."
As he spoke, Ouyang Huai's sharp eyes caught sight of a fiery red peony blooming brilliantly amidst the leaves. He reached out to snap it, but the branch was unusually tough.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He exerted force in his wrist, and the silver scissors went snip.
The entire peony, along with a severed branch, finally fell into his palm.
He gave a soft snort of satisfaction, brought the flower to his nose, and took a deep sniff.
"So fragrant... Flowers are indeed most moving when they are plucked at their most vibrant moment."
"You are absolutely right, Master," the manor's steward, standing respectfully to the side with his hands down, complimented in a low voice.
Ouyang Huai brought the topic back. "I didn't expect that person from the Witchcraft and Gu Tribe to be so generous. Exchanging a Red Blood Silkworm for a piece of wood... could he be a bit foolish? Does he not know the market value of the Red Blood Silkworm in the Central Plains?"
He pondered for a moment, a look of smugness rising in his eyes. No matter what, he was the one who profited from this deal.
"Grand Preceptor Yin's people also came at the right time. Have you sent that Red Blood Silkworm to them?" Ouyang Huai asked suddenly.
The dozens of guards sent by Grand Preceptor Yin this time were currently staying at his manor due to the recent shortage of guest rooms in the town's inns.
The steward bowed and replied, "I have already sent someone to deliver it to the side courtyard. I saw that they specially dispatched two guards to leave Qianwu Town on fast horses. I presume it will be presented to their lord within a few days."
"Mm."
Ouyang Huai grunted in acknowledgment, his fingertips gently rubbing the tender petals of the peony.
The bright red color looked exactly like something warm.
The steward, skilled at reading people's expressions, asked knowingly, "Is the Master craving a fresh taste again?"
"Let's wait a while, until the New Moon Archery Tournament is over," Ouyang Huai said, wantonly crushing the peony in his hand, letting the petals twist and deform between his thin, withered fingers.
Then he loosened his grip, and the withered, ruined peony lay dying on the soil.
"Where is Rui'er?" Ouyang Huai suddenly remembered something and looked up to ask. "I heard him say he was going to the storehouse to have a look. He's been in there for so long and hasn't come out yet. What exactly is he looking for?"
The steward hesitated for a moment before replying softly, "The Young Master said he is hosting a banquet tonight for a few friends from afar, and he wants to pick a rare item from inside to give to a young lady."
"Oh?" Ouyang Huai reacted as if he had heard something rare. "Rui'er actually has someone he fancies? Which family's daughter is she?"
"She is... from out of town..." The steward paused, his tone a bit hesitant. "I heard the lady is already married and even has a child. But the Young Master is relentless, insisting she is a fairy and that he will marry no one but her. He also said he wants to find a magical artifact that can ward off Gu and poison, because the lady's husband seems to be that person from the Witchcraft and Gu Tribe."
"Nonsense!" Ouyang Huai shouted abruptly.
After a moment of silence, he reflected on the steward's words. "Are you saying that the man from the Miao region will also attend the banquet tonight?"
The steward quickly nodded in confirmation.
"Have the kitchen prepare more delicacies," Ouyang Huai said, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes. "I will personally make an appearance and do my duty as a host."
Since this Miao man could casually take out a Red Blood Silkworm, he might have more. He could have a good talk with the other party about this business and use a heavy sum of gold to buy all the Red Blood Silkworms in his hands.
Since he was willing to exchange a Red Blood Silkworm for a piece of wood, such a foolish person should not be hard to manipulate.
The outskirts of Qianwu Town were picturesque.
This was an open, flat field, adjacent to a clear, bright lake. The lakeside was connected to a sparse grove of low trees, their shadows swaying gently on the ground with the wind.
Wu Li had chosen this place.
He said the open space was good for practicing archery, the lakeside was convenient for washing hands, and if they got tired, the nearby grove would be perfect for cooling off and resting.
But from beginning to end, the only person actually cooling off and resting in the shade was Chai Xiaomi.
She had lost count of how many times Wu Li had chased her back into the shade.
Not far away, under the scorching sun, the youth was tossing a handful of pebbles into the air one by one.
Song Yueyao was already able to draw her bow and shoot down several of them. Her progress was astonishingly fast.
Meanwhile, Chai Xiaomi felt like a substitute player benched on the sidelines, with the head coach refusing to call her into the game.
Occasionally, she would go over to learn for a bit, but it wouldn't be long before he sent her back to the shade with a single sentence.
Seeing her looking on so eagerly, he would come back, teach her a few basic postures and essentials, and have her practice drawing the bowstring in place to get a feel for it.
After teaching her, he would go back to continue teaching Song Yueyao practical combat.
It was exactly like a substitute practicing dribbling on the sidelines while the star player was doing flying slam dunks on the court.
And the head coach had to run back and forth between them.
Chai Xiaomi pulled the bowstring for a while and soon found it boring. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she secretly picked up a branch and began doodling aimlessly on the ground out of boredom.
First, she carefully outlined two round eyes with the branch, then a small nose...
Whenever she caught a glimpse of Wu Li's gaze sweeping over, she would hurriedly toss the branch aside and pretend to lower her head and study the bow in her hands.
As if sensing her slackness, when Wu Li came to her again, he glanced at the drawing of four people and a cat on the ground and asked, "Do you want to learn the True Form Mirror?"
Chai Xiaomi instantly perked up. "Yes!"
As a result, the head coach had it even worse.
Teaching basketball on one side, and football on the other.
Wu Li would hold up a thin branch to correct Song Yueyao's posture and hand shape over there, then run back to teach her hand seals and incantations step by step. After a few times, Chai Xiaomi actually grasped the essentials and learned most of it.
Anyway, her main goal wasn't to learn archery. She was just acting as an overseer, watching from the side to see if Wu Li would try any little tricks.
She had figured it out last time at the bow and arrow shop. Time and again, Wu Li was trying to create situations where Song Yueyao would initiate contact with him. So as long as Song Yueyao didn't make a move, she was fine just staying put obediently.
At this moment, Song Yueyao was fully focused on drawing her bow and taking aim, free from any distractions.
Chai Xiaomi felt a bit more reassured. She lowered her head and resumed her drawing, a big fat snake, a large falcon, she drew them all in...
When she looked up again, she saw Wu Li walk over to the lakeside, squat down, and casually roll up his sleeves.
Sensing something was wrong, she dropped the branch and rushed over.
The lake water had been warmed by the scorching sun. Wu Li casually splashed it a few times. The water was crystal clear. He cupped his hands to scoop some up and was just about to lower his head to drink when a small hand suddenly stopped him.
"Don't drink it!"
Wu Li raised his eyes and met Chai Xiaomi's furrowed brow. Her sudden nervousness made him pause for a moment. "I'm thirsty."
They had left in such a hurry that neither of them had brought a waterskin.
He was truly parched, which was why he had gone to the lake to drink.
Besides, he had grown used to drinking this kind of water since he was a child; in fact, he had consumed water far filthier than what was in this lake.
"Even if you are thirsty, you can't drink from the lake. It's dirty." Watching the water slip away drop by drop through his fingers, Chai Xiaomi grabbed his wrist and shook off the remaining moisture completely. Only then did she say with a serious face, "Unboiled water is never clean, let alone water from a wild lake. There are parasites in it. What if you make yourself sick?"
Just then, Song Yueyao, who had been completely absorbed in her archery practice nearby, heard the commotion. She unfastened the waterskin from her waist and tossed it over casually.
"Why didn't you say you were thirsty earlier? Don't stand on ceremony, have mine!"
Having grown up roughing it in military camps with her grandfather, she had long ceased to care about such trivial boundaries between men and women.
On the battlefield, nothing was more important than staying alive.
"Sister Yao is the best!" Chai Xiaomi caught the waterskin, unscrewed the cap without leaving any room for argument, and lifted it directly to Wu Li's lips. "Here, drink."
The young man's lips, usually a soft cherry pink, were now slightly pale and chapped with fine lines.
The beads of sweat on the tip of his nose caught the sunlight, glistening faintly.
He had been running back and forth, on one hand instructing Song Yueyao and tossing stones for her, and on the other hand constantly checking on Chai Xiaomi resting in the shade. Out of all of them, he had sweated the most.
He was severely dehydrated and had clearly been thirsty for a long time.
Yet, even so, when the waterskin was pressed to his lips, he turned his head away and refused it.
