FID – Chapter 1004

Chapter 1004: The Saintess Tribe

  The news that the man Qian Yi had brought back was now facing off against Qian Liu quickly reached the Elder.

  “Elder, should we go take a look? What if they get carried away and cause trouble?” Qian Yu asked, worried.

  “No rush. We’ll go later,” the Elder replied with a soft snort. “He just came to the village and is picking a fight already: too young and too reckless. Let him suffer a bit at Qian Liu’s hands. It’ll temper his arrogance. Once it settles down, then we can intervene.”

  Qian Yu glanced toward the courtyard and sighed silently. Qian Liu was the most capable young man in the village, and he had long been devoted to Qian Yi. Having her protector show up and challenge him would surely test even his usual composure.

  The scene was bound to get messy.

  Lose face in public, lose authority at home—Qian Yu worried that the protector’s frustration might end up landing on Qian Yi. She didn’t want the girl to suffer for someone else’s pride.

  “Elder…”

  “Enough. Do you think I don’t understand your worry? If that happens, it only proves Qian Yi has poor judgment. It’s better to sever the relationship before they are officially betrothed. And just because you’re worried about her, do you think this old woman—who’s raised Qian Yi from childhood—won’t care about her future?”

  The Elder’s words eased Qian Yu’s mind. “I was overthinking. Elder has always treated us as family. How could you not care about Qian Yi’s future?”

  “Hmph. You talk much more sensibly now.”

  Qian Yu immediately stepped forward, eager to please, kneading and massaging the Elder’s shoulders. The Elder couldn’t help but feel both exasperated and amused.

  Meanwhile, Xue Qinglian and Qian Liu were already standing in the village’s central square. A dense circle of villagers with men, women, and children had gathered around, shouting and cheering.

  The scene was lively and boisterous.

  “Since this is a challenge, the rules must follow our village customs. Do you dare?” Qian Liu’s gaze locked on the man across from him, every inch radiating battle intent.

  “Word competition or physical combat, take your pick,” Xue Qinglian replied, hands clasped behind his back, his tone casual and unruffled.

  These were words he wouldn’t dare speak to Feng Qingbai, but to anyone else in the world? He feared no one.

  Would he back down? Never.

“Our villagers are mostly rough and straightforward,” Qian Liu continued. “Unlike outsiders with all their worldly knowledge, we’ll skip the word contest. According to village rules, the match has three categories: courage, strength, and speed.”

  Qian Yi’s heart leapt. She shouted from the sidelines, desperate, “Following that scoring system is obviously unfair! Xue Honglian isn’t a villager. How can he—”

  “Qian Yi, your guardian is the one who issued the challenge first. My brother is merely accepting it. Besides, once in the village, rules are rules. Should we bend them just for him?” Qian Xi cut in with a playful smile, her words dripped with teasing mockery.

  Qian Yi found herself at a loss for words, completely stumped. Indeed, the fact remained: he had issued the challenge first.

  When he said he was going to help her ‘save face,’ Qian Yi hadn’t expected him to do it like this.

  When the match actually began, he was sure to be at a disadvantage. Being skilled now would do him no good at all.

  Watching him still so calm and relaxed in the square, Qian Yi’s heart pounded. With his temper, who knew what he might do if he lost face? What if he stormed off in a fit of embarrassment? Where else could she find a guardian so convincing and capable?

  But now, trying to persuade him to step down was impossible. She buried her face in her hands and groaned. If only she hadn’t complained in front of him earlier, none of this would have happened.

  Qian Xi’s gaze, meanwhile, remained fixed firmly on Xue Qinglian. He was, without a doubt, the best-looking and most imposing man she had ever seen. Whether his abilities matched his striking appearance, however, remained to be seen.

  “Let’s begin,” Xue Qinglian said.

  Honestly, he was curious about the village’s rules for competitions.

  Qian Liu gave him a long, measured look, then clapped his hands. Immediately, two villagers came forward carrying bows and arrows, handing one set to each of the combatants.

  At one side of the small square, target boards were set up. Xue Qinglian raised an eyebrow. By his estimation, the distance between their positions and the targets was at least a hundred steps.

  “First, we test strength. Whoever hits the bullseye and embeds the arrowhead the deepest wins.”

  Xue Qinglian smiled faintly and said, So this was a test of arm strength. “I’m a guest. It wouldn’t be polite for me to go first—you start.”

Qian Liu gave a light snort and made no attempt to decline. “Then I’ll go first.”

  In the first round, Qian Liu intended to crush the arrogance of the man opposite him, to unsettle him for the next two rounds. He wanted him to regret stepping forward to challenge! 

He also wanted to prove to Qian Yi who was truly superior.

  “Qian Liu! Qian Liu! Qian Liu!” The crowd erupted in cheers.

  Amid the shouts, Qian Liu stepped up to the marked line, nocked his arrow, and aimed squarely at the bullseye.

  His strong, well-toned arms flexed with exertion, muscles taut and defined, radiating raw power. Many of the girls watching blushed at the sight.

  Watching his stance, Xue Qinglian raised an eyebrow. To draw a bow steadily like that, keeping his arms perfectly still, was no small feat—this was real skill.

  As Qian Liu focused on the target, the cheers rose even louder, surging like waves toward the sky.

  “Whoosh—”

  The arrow flew, striking the bullseye dead center. The feathers at the tail quivered slightly as the sharp shaft completely pierced the target, emerging cleanly on the other side.

   “Excellent! Truly worthy of being the Saintess Tribe’s greatest warrior!”

  The crowd erupted in applause. But when Xue Qinglian heard the words Saintess Tribe, his eyelids narrowed sharply.

  The Saintess Tribe.

  Pure-blooded girls were chosen for the imperial palace, destined to serve as vessels to extend the emperor’s life.

  Finally, he understood the extraordinary significance behind it all.

  “Your turn.” The voice from across the line pulled Xue Qinglian out of his thoughts. A faint smile curved his lips as he stepped up to the marked spot, bow and arrow in hand.

  Outwardly, he remained calm, detached, serene. Only he knew how, when his eyes had caught the arrow that had nearly pierced the bullseye, he had secretly wished he could turn back time and refuse this contest.

  Had the men in this village been raised on some sort of strength potion? That thick wooden target hadn’t just absorbed power. It had been pierced clean through.

  Xue Honglian, if you don’t want to lose face, step up already. 

  Don’t pretend you don’t know. I lose face, you lose face. Imagine if word gets out. Here I am, the proud young master of the Cangying Pavilion, losing an archery contest to some hillbilly! Your face won’t know where to go.

  Xue Qinglian notched his arrow and drew the bow, calm as ever. His hands were steady, his composure flawless, though inside, he was quietly cursing that little Honglian.

  Time ticked by. He held the bow drawn, his posture elegant and relaxed—but he did not release the arrow.

  “What are you doing? Are you actually going to compete or not? How long are you going to hold it before letting it fly?”

  “Not scared of losing, are you? Were you intimidated by Qian Liu’s performance? Then fire the arrow already!”

  “It’s better to lose gracefully than to cheat by stalling! Hurry and shoot. The next two rounds won’t wait for you!”

  Xue Qinglian glanced sideways at the crowd of hecklers, memorizing every face.

  His eyes swept across the anxious, worried young girl at the edge of the square. He paused for a heartbeat on her expression before withdrawing his gaze casually.

  —Xue Honglian, I have thick skin, and I’ve done plenty of shameless things. Losing face isn’t new to me. But if you don’t step up, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

  He drew the bowstring to its limit, taking aim at the bullseye.  Xue Qinglian narrowed his eyes and slowly, deliberately, released his fingers one by one.