The same thing happened three times, and each instance was more egregious than the last. One of her arrows was even shot with such ferocious force that it shattered a red leaf someone else had already struck, rendering their points void. I looked at Master Wei’s expression; she was the picture of composure, utterly shameless, with a careless smirk playing on her lips. She was absolutely doing it on purpose.
I began to understand her game and couldn't help but shake my head with a silent, wry laugh. She was truly being a menace to everyone else!
Others soon caught on to her strategy. Especially those who lacked the skill to hit the targets and were merely hoping to fish in troubled waters by sheer luck; they began to follow her lead, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.
By the twelfth arrow, Master Wei had managed to hit four or five targets, including two red leaves. I didn't know the current rankings, but since red leaves carried the highest points, I figured her score wouldn't be too embarrassing.
Only about twenty people remained in the field now—either well-bred scions of noble houses or renowned marksmen from the military. The Crown Prince sent someone to inquire about the current scores; the man in first place was General Di Kuan.
The two of us huddled together, frantically searching for Wei Qingming’s name. There it was—fourteenth place, barely avoiding the bottom of the list.
I looked up and glared at her in frustration. She saw me, of course, and with a slight twitch of her lips and a squinting smile, she took another arrow in hand. The gong sounded again. Twenty-odd arrows flew out in a sparse formation. This time, Master Wei turned serious and struck a white leaf.
A white leaf was roughly the size of a bowl and pale in color, making it a strain on the eyes to aim at. In terms of difficulty, it wasn't much easier than a red leaf, yet it was worth less than two-thirds of the points. However, with the competition more than halfway through, most of the red leaves had been claimed. Those that remained were at tricky angles, so securing a white leaf was a solid move.
By the time the seventeenth arrow was spent, the Emissary had finally squeezed into the top ten. Her eighteenth and nineteenth arrows struck two red leaves in succession, drawing a burst of cheers from the crowd. At this point, only five or six people were still shooting. There was no other reason for it—there simply weren't many leaves left. The few remaining red and white leaves were positioned in extremely difficult spots, left only for true masters to challenge.
Currently, the scores of the leader, Di Kuan, and the runner-up, Song Duanyan, were neck and neck. Whoever claimed a red leaf with their final arrow would secure first place.
Someone in the crowd jeered, "Lord Duan, take the top prize!"
Song Duanyan laughed. "Indeed. If I win the grand prize, it would be quite a feat to go back and demand a cup of wedding wine from my second brother." He was the younger brother of the famous capital socialite Song Zhixian, only sixteen or seventeen years old, and possessed a very heroic countenance. Tonight, according to the arrangement, Dong Banyuan was to be married into the Song family.
Di Kuan, meanwhile, called out to Wei Qingming from a distance, "Little Daoist Wei, why so conservative today? It's the last arrow; don't hold back."
"Even if I give my all, how could I compare to General Di?" Little Daoist Wei replied with elegant poise. How very humble of her.
Wei Qingming’s reputation in the capital circles was quite unique. Song Duanyan was much younger than her and rarely encountered her, so hearing this, he couldn't help but study her for a few moments. For some reason, Young Master Song felt that although this legendary "demon king" had a faint smile, it was full of schemes and calculations. Just as he was about to release his bow, he glanced at her again, driven by some inexplicable impulse.
That glance revealed a clue: Wei the Third was aiming for the same red leaf as Di Kuan!
Of the five people left, only two red leaves remained. Aside from the three of them, the other two were clearly playing it safe; one chose a white leaf, the other a yellow one. With three people competing for two red leaves, someone was bound to come up empty!
A realization flashed through Song Duanyan’s mind. He felt his archery was on par with Di Kuan’s, perhaps even superior, but if they both hit a red leaf, he still wouldn't take first place. He could only win if he snatched the very leaf Di Kuan was aiming for!
The moment this thought arose, he immediately shifted his aim.
Di Kuan saw everything clearly but didn't care. He didn't change his target, remaining focused on his aim.
The final gong sounded. Song Duanyan gritted his teeth and released his arrow with everything he had. He just had to be a fraction faster than Di Kuan...
Unfortunately, Di Kuan’s arrow struck the very center of the leaf, unerringly accurate. Song Duanyan’s arrow, however, was off by a few inches, narrowly grazing through the gaps between several leaves.
"Ah!" Upon seeing the result, his supporters cried out in frustration.
The Crown Prince and I both laughed. After Wei Qingming successfully baited Song Duanyan, she had taken the red leaf he had abandoned. Her score soared, landing her in the top five.
Wei the Third even held her bow and smiled at Young Master Song. "Thank you for yielding."
Young Master Song glared at her, his molars grinding together. Yet, remembering the various terrifying rumors about her, he didn't dare provoke her further.
***
The lights were brilliant, the voices jubilant; the scene of a prosperous age reached its zenith.
A beauty clad in a blue fox-fur cloak carried a flower lantern, wandering through a forest of thousands of lanterns inscribed with riddles. Hearing the constant chatter around her, she turned back to look at the red silk floating high before Xuanle Tower. Unfortunately, it was too far away to see who was standing upon it.
"Miss, Miss, try this rabbit sugar..." Biyao ran over happily, handing her a pink and white sugar cake.
Yindeng smiled in response and took the sugar. She spun it around, admiring it for a moment before taking a tiny bite out of the rabbit's ear.
"We shall depart tomorrow," she said suddenly. "To Suizhou."
Biyao was stunned. "Alright... what kind of errand is it this time?" She then laughed again. "But that's a matter for tomorrow! Tonight, we play until we drop!"
***
Chunan Tower was overflowing with cheers. The Tower Master sat alone in a small room hidden behind layers of secret passages, holding a scroll. He seemed to be appreciating it, yet also seemed distracted.
A confidant approached and whispered, "It is the Palace Master..."
In front of outsiders, Ling Chunan maintained a warm and graceful posture, a master of social graces. In private, however, he appeared exceptionally sinister and cold. He smiled knowingly. "Invite him in."
***
In a pavilion on the fifth floor, Lu Kaifeng was playing chess with Qiao Songlin. The game had passed the mid-stage, and the battle was growing increasingly fierce.
Lu Kaifeng twirled a chess piece between his fingers. Hearing the extraordinary commotion outside, he glanced out the window and smiled. "It seems the willow-shooting has ended. There are many talented people in the capital; it was a lively competition indeed."
"Probably some general won," Qiao Songlin added casually, still deep in calculation. Suddenly, footsteps thundered on the stairs, and Zhu Yixin ran up excitedly, shouting, "A-Qing! A-Qing got fifth place!"
***
Only a few streets away from the bustle of the Imperial Street, the path through Yun Lane was exceptionally quiet because everyone had flocked to see the lanterns. Four palanquin bearers dressed in red satin carried a beautifully decorated small bridal sedan. They were preceded and followed by musicians playing wedding music, heading west.
Xue Yishan, dressed in black, stood in the middle of the road. Compared to a month ago, her already thin frame had become even more skeletal.
The procession was forced to stop. No matter how dazzling the distant lights were, they could not reach this road; only the clear, frost-like moonlight fell silently.
After a long time, Xue Yishan struggled to open her mouth, as if wanting to call a very familiar name, but she ultimately couldn't bring herself to say it. She only whispered, "My zither... is destroyed. I cannot... play a piece to see you off."
The sedan curtain remained silently lowered.
Only then did she seem to make up her mind, her tone brightening slightly. "I cannot bring myself to watch you leave, either. A-Yan, can you... look back just one more time?"
A faint scoff seemed to come from inside the sedan.
Dong Banyuan answered tonelessly, "Look back? In all these years, have I not looked back enough?"
Xue Yishan was silent for a moment. "It is my fault..."
"You and I have spent our lives drifting in this trade; we should know best that the human heart isn't that large. There will always come a moment when it is worn hollow."
She laughed softly from behind the curtain. "My thanks to the Master for seeing Banyuan off."
***
After receiving the rewards bestowed by the Inner Court and finally shaking off the lingering Crown Prince, we decided not to ride our horses and instead walked toward the south of the city. The wind stirred up the snowy air, which drifted into our nostrils.
"I'm afraid it will snow heavily again tomorrow," I said.
"Mm. No matter." Wei Qingming reached out to gently tuck the small mink fur around my neck, smiling faintly. "Let's go home."
The brilliant lanterns of the prosperous age continued to rotate tirelessly. In the quiet alleys, the whistling of fireworks and the bright laughter of children echoed, carrying the final wishes of the night. The air drifted with the scent of saltpeter—the unique, peaceful scent of the New Year festival.
The radiant light of the Aoshan lantern mountain almost filled the entire sky. Those tiny points of light released from children's hands ascended suddenly, illuminating a corner of the night sky that the man-made sun could not reach, falling colorfully upon our hair, clothes, and eyes.
We left the clamor of the city behind us, walking home side by side amidst laughter and conversation.
(End of Part One)
