Chapter 3, Companions (Part 1)

"What, do you think Qing'er can eat more than you?" Yi Ye heard his words clearly and chuckled, "He can eat at home; with a bowl like this, he could finish another one."

Although he did not know how to practice, Yi Ye still slowly lay down.

The longbow held by Ziqing is an old bow. Its previous owner, to prevent slipping, tightly wrapped several layers of hemp rope around the bow grip. As she grasped it, a slight prickling sensation was felt in her hand, accompanied by a familiar yet unfamiliar feeling that traveled from her fingertips. Almost instinctively, she pressed the pad of her thumb against the bowstring, sliding it downwards to test the tension of the string.

Others nearby naturally saw it and began to jeer and laugh, hissing at him: "Xu Datie, go home! Don't embarrass yourself here!"

After the meal, Zhao Zhongwen led them to the armory to select weapons. The armory officer checked their tokens and opened the door to let them in. As soon as they stepped inside, they felt a heavy chill in the air. Long spears and iron blades were neatly stacked, their tips covered in dust, their sharpness concealed. Ziqing, with keen eyes, noticed a few iron blades still bearing spots of dried, dark blood, causing an inexplicable sting in his eyes, and he quickly turned his face away.

Zi Qing was momentarily taken aback, unsure of how to respond. Yi Ye smiled and came over to explain for her: "There are hunters on the mountain near our village, and I often encounter them while gathering firewood. They taught me how to use a bow and arrow."

I... I was taken aback, staring at the target ten zhang away, with a look of disbelief on my face, "It's too far, too far, I definitely can't do it"

I see, it is excellent that you are able to use it. Zhao Zhongwen said with a smile

Zhao Zhongwen stepped forward to pinch his arm: "Your arm strength is insufficient, which is why you cannot hit the target. You should practice your arm strength first. Di Su ... ... "

Zi Qing and Yi Ye were both somewhat surprised and puzzled. Zhao Zhongwen pushed aside a mouthful of rice and explained vaguely: "Tiezi two years ago... his sister fell into a well, he... saved her, but he was in the well for too long and almost lost his life. After he woke up, he became like this; everyone says it was because water got into his brain... You all hurry up and eat, don’t just stand there!"

Lift your buttocks

Ziqing fell silent again, burying her head in her food, and only raised her head after finishing. She suddenly noticed that Disu had been staring at her. She could only look back at him in confusion. He suspiciously leaned over to look at her ceramic bowl, which was already empty, having been cleaned out thoroughly, and mumbled something indistinctly.

"Can this illness be cured?" she asked Yi Ye in a low voice

Over here! Over here! Xu Datie waved a wooden stick, grinning widely, and called out to them loudly. He was quite tall, and even when squatting on the ground, he remained quite noticeable. In contrast, the girl squatting beside him, Di Su, looked even more like a small sprout.

Di Su took an arrow shaft and poked him in the waist. Yi Ye was already very ticklish, and as a result, he laughed so hard that he rolled on the ground, refusing to let Di Su touch him again no matter what.

Yi Ye could only take a short iron dagger, "The more weapons I have, the safer I will be... May my ancestors bless me!"

Zhao Zhongwen observed her movements, which were remarkably skillful, and asked in surprise, "Can you use it?"

Yi Ye, feeling helpless, could only draw an arrow from the quiver, mimicking Xu Datie's earlier posture as he placed it on the bow and attempted to draw the string. Zi Qing focused intently, using his hands to twist a small blade of grass; Xu Datie furrowed his brow, concentrating deeply on the distant target, lost in thought. Di Su watched him, stifling a smile that was hard to define as either surprise or joy. Zhao Zhongwen, feeling helpless, stepped forward slowly, realizing that he had no idea what to do at all. He began to manipulate Yi Ye's fingers, explaining how to hold the arrow, how to grip the bow, where to position the bow, and where to direct his gaze, teaching him all the most basic archery techniques.

Zi Qing smiled and said, "Hmm"

After the husked corn, wheat grains, and rice are boiled with water to make a sticky and thick mixed rice, a large spoonful is placed into a ceramic bowl. Ziqing holds the bowl and looks around. A few tables are occupied by the captain or the fire leader, while most of the soldiers are either standing or squatting to eat. Fortunately, everyone in the army is wearing closed-crotch trousers, so squatting on the ground is not undignified.

Zi Qing nodded, walked over with the bow, and, following the manner in which he had just taught Yi Ye, drew the bow and nocked the arrow. One arrow after another, both the strength and accuracy were identical to Yi Ye's, with the landing spots of the arrows hardly differing. In the meantime, laughter echoed all around. After Zi Qing finished shooting, without waiting for Zhao Zhongwen to speak, he lowered his head and walked over to Yi Ye's side, obediently starting to support himself on the ground.

Xu Datie pondered for a moment, shook his head, and then broke into a silly grin, chuckling "heh heh heh".

"Brother, Dìsù is asking you to learn from them," Ziqing pointed to a few soldiers a short distance away, who were lying prone on the ground, their palms pressed against their chests, their bodies rising and falling with the effort of their arms. Yi Ye watched for a moment and said with a relaxed smile, "This is easy." After saying that, he turned over onto the ground and indeed imitated their movements perfectly. Standing nearby was Dìsù, who wore a serious expression and was supervising strictly.

Zhao Zhongwen patted Xu Datie on the shoulder and casually took all the remaining arrows from the quiver behind Xu Datie.

Xu Datie silently carried several quivers and took the opportunity to go to the place where the arrows were stacked to fetch more arrows

Dissatisfaction can bring some joy: "I have practiced the short blade for a while; if there is anything you do not understand, I can teach you."

Try it, haven't you all learned it before

Yi Ye shook his head and replied softly, "It is already difficult to survive; there is no cure."

In the brisk spring breeze, at the training grounds, crimson hues reappear, and dark iron armor glistens, filled with the sounds of bowstrings being drawn and the whistling of iron arrows piercing the targets

Zhao Zhongwen assessed Ziqing's stature and remarked, "I truly can't tell; he doesn't seem to gain any weight."

Each quiver contains twenty-eight arrows, thus he has shot approximately one hundred arrows

Xu Datie gritted his teeth and shot the arrow in his hand. When he wanted to take another arrow, he discovered that the quiver was empty. Only then did he lower the bow in his hand, feeling frustrated as he scratched his head. In the distance, the grass target had four or five arrows inserted haphazardly, while the others were scattered around the target.

Those people take it for granted, and a bit of laughter is all there is to it

Zhao Zhongwen effortlessly found the tall and strong Xu Datie, who was intently staring with wide eyes, drawing his bow like a full moon, diligently shooting arrow after arrow at the target. Di Su sat on the ground beside him, bored, chewing on a blade of grass, watching the target while smacking his lips.

Zi Qing looked at Yi Ye, who smiled gently and casually patted her on the head. She obediently lowered her head, said no more, and, bow in hand, followed them out of the armory

Yi Ye was astonished: "Are you saying that in addition to the bow and arrow, I also need to take a short dagger?"

They are of smaller stature, and are afraid that they cannot wield long weapons effectively; if the weapons do not suit them, it may instead pose a danger

Yi Ye took turns handling the halberd, beryllium, and the spear, but found them all too heavy. He sighed and asked, "Is there nothing lighter?"

Yi Ye looked around, smiling as he waved to the laughing soldiers. He took another arrow, exerted all his strength to draw the bowstring, and finally shot it out. It was certainly better than before, as the arrow flew a bit farther, yet it still fell short of the target by a considerable distance

One arrow after another, until all the arrows in the quiver were shot, not a single arrow was fortunate enough to make intimate contact with the target

"You really resemble my younger sister," Xu Datie suddenly said to her while taking a bite of his meal

Zi Qing was taken aback, paused for a moment, and asked: "Where does it resemble?"

Looking at Xu Datie's back, Zhao Zhongwen let out a long sigh, squatted down beside them, and comforted, "You don't need to be too discouraged; there are still three months left, let's practice well."

Aren't Qing'er and Di Su both using short blades

"Buddy, take a break!"

Upon his selection, Zhao Zhongwen indeed chose two longbows for the two of them, along with quivers and arrows, allowing them to take them with care

Hearing him smack his lips, Xu Datie became increasingly anxious, and the arrows he shot became more and more off-target. Ziqing glanced over and immediately noticed that his back was slightly hunched, his elbow was slightly lowered while drawing the bow, and the last fingers of his grip on the bowstring were not properly positioned. His movements had completely gone awry, and he couldn't help but let out a light sigh as he sat down next to Tiesu.

"Do not pay attention to him," said Tao Wan, who had a rather large bowl. Di Su pushed all the food he couldn't finish into Xu Da's large bowl, and the latter quickly buried his head in eating. "He is not useful here," Di Su remarked, pointing a finger at Xu Da's head.

Zhao Zhongwen shrugged and shook his head: "Why not use a shorter weapon? It would be slightly lighter. However, you must understand that the shorter the weapon, the more dangerous it is. Better to be three points longer than one inch shorter"

Zi Qing lowered his head, using a wooden spatula to scoop up the rice, eating it in large mouthfuls. Yet, he could not help but glance up at Xu Datie, who had already finished his meal again, scratching his head and grinning foolishly

An arrow was shot and landed merely one zhang away in front of Yi Ye, causing a burst of laughter to erupt around.

Not bad

If the elder brother is like this, then the younger brother goes without saying. Zhao Zhongwen waved to Ziqing with little hope, saying: "You... also give it a try."

Zhao Zhongwen squinted at the target and couldn't help but want to click his tongue, but he forced himself to hold back. He lightly kicked Di Su, signaling him to be quiet. The latter quietly raised four fingers at him, indicating that Xu Datie had already shot four quivers of arrows.

Zi Qing agreed without any objections and nodded, saying: "Alright, let's use the short blade."

Yi Ye looked at him in bewilderment

Di Su rolled over from the ground, laughing joyfully, and led Yi Ye over, saying: "Lie down!"

Surrounded by uproarious laughter, Yi Ye did not find it strange. He clasped his hands together and smiled, saying: "As a newcomer, I ask for everyone's understanding. Please allow me to practice a bit more."

"Hurry and lie down!" Although the novice is small, when glaring, they seem somewhat impressive. "You can't even hit the target, so why not practice quickly!"

What weapon do you wish to use?" Disu asked her

Zi Qing had not yet thought of an answer when Zhao Zhongwen replied for her: "He is about your height, I think it would be more convenient to use a short blade. ... ... What do you think?" He turned to ask Zi Qing.

Ziqing squatted down according to their appearance, and Xu Datie grinned at her, to which she responded with a faint smile

Zhao Zhongwen pulled and dragged Xu Datie back, forcibly seating him on the ground, and then called out to Yi Ye, saying: "You come and give it a try"

Yi Ye, feeling helpless, raised his eyes to see Zi Qing in the east fiddling with a longbow and quiver. His eyes brightened as he said: "I can use a bow and arrow, this is light!"

Zhao Zhongwen smiled and said, "Our Zhenwu Army is originally an archery battalion, and archery is something everyone must practice. Later, I will select two sets of bows for you."

Zhao Zhongwen and Yi Ye, who arrived shortly after, squatted down beside them and were just hearing what Disu was saying

Xu Datie, filled with rage, shook his fist the size of a ceramic bowl at them. Private fights were strictly prohibited in the army, and he did not dare to actually strike them. Instead, he could only spit and curse at them, but the wind blew against him, splattering his own face, forcing him to wipe it with his sleeve

The child, still innocent and unrefined, reached out to pinch her arm, curious to see if her arm was also devoid of flesh. Ziqing shifted uncomfortably and explained: "Chopping wood is physically demanding"