Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Spectator’s Mindset and Shooting Range Techniques

“Look, look! The young master of the Xu family is stepping up! There’s going to be a good show!”
“We just witnessed the Gu family’s embarrassment—now it’s the Xu family’s turn!”
Outside the archery range, the crowd was far more interested in seeing the young masters of the landowners make fools of themselves than in the high scores of Wu Yi, Old Tiger Lei, and the others.
“If the Xu family’s young master doesn’t even get a single arrow on the target, I’ll remember it for five years!”
“Only five years? I’m planning to tell my grandchildren about it!”
These farmers were positively gleeful, relishing the chance to see the landowners’ sons falter. Their daily lives were harsh, and their resentment toward the landowners had long simmered without any outlet. Today, thanks to Xu Wenshan’s boldness, they could finally vent what they’d never dared say before.
They knew their own lives would never change, and if nothing unexpected happened, their grandchildren would end up just like them—eating chaff and husks, working for the landowners’ grandchildren.
So they were eager to prove that there was no real difference between themselves and the landowners—in fact, in some ways, the landowners seemed even less capable.
But just then, a discordant voice broke the pleasant atmosphere.
“Hmph, a bunch of people who know nothing about archery, only here to talk nonsense.”
The speaker was Li Forty-Six.
A young man, unable to contain his irritation, retorted, “Uncle Li, you know archery—why don’t you compete, then? All you ever do is criticize us.”
Li Forty-Six replied quietly, “Knowing you’ll lose, why go up and disgrace yourself?”
The young man crowed, “Then aren’t you just a coward?”
Li Forty-Six said, “I’ve hunted for twenty or thirty years, drawn my bow thousands upon thousands of times. Have you ever even touched a bow? If I’m a coward, what does that make you?”
His words left the young man speechless.
An old man nearby tried to smooth things over, “Alright, alright, let’s say less. Forty-Six, none of us have handled a bow—we don’t know. Why don’t you give us your thoughts on the competition, so we might learn something?”
The suggestion was quickly echoed by those around. Though Li Forty-Six was known for his bluntness, he was generous in sharing his expertise in archery, so he began to comment earnestly.
“This competition has really exposed us old hunters from Gou Hollow—we’ve lost utterly. Not only compared to Xu Wenshan, but even to hunters from other villages, we’ve been soundly defeated.”
At this, the crowd frowned. Though the veteran hunters hadn’t scored well, hadn’t everyone’s scores been low? Why so defeatist?
“You don’t believe me?” Li Forty-Six smiled. “Look closely—who got the high scores?”
The people exchanged glances; they hadn’t paid attention to who had scored highest.
“One is Wu Yi, who’s from another village, and the other is Old Tiger Lei, who just moved here. Neither are hunters from Deer-Crane Hollow—both learned their archery elsewhere.”
After a pause, Li Forty-Six continued, “We’re far behind them.”
A hush fell. They knew he spoke the truth.

...

“If you win the five strings of cash, how will you use it?” Wu Yi looked at Old Tiger Lei with a half-smile.
In the athletes’ lounge, the archers’ spirits had faded; no one could lift their heads.
Only Wu Yi and Old Tiger Lei remained energetic and confident.
Their scores were forty and forty-six, respectively.
After confirming their rivalry, Wu Yi took the initiative to speak.
Old Tiger Lei glanced at Wu Yi, “What’s this? Are you giving up?”
Wu Yi smiled, “How could I give up? I even married a wife for those five strings of cash. I just want to know—how much do you want it? Tell me, if you really had five strings of cash, what would you do?”
Old Tiger Lei replied, “Nothing special. I just want to go home.”
“You can go home whenever you please. Where are you from? Is your hometown far?”
“Yes, very far. What about you? If you had five strings of cash, what would you do?”
Wu Yi was quiet for a while, then said,
“I’d kill someone.”
Old Tiger Lei was silent for a long time, then finally said,
“If you want to kill, you can always kill.”
...

“You talk about outsiders being so skilled, but why don’t you compete yourself? You’re supposed to be the best archer in Deer-Crane Hollow!” someone challenged Li Forty-Six.
Li Forty-Six replied, “Don’t call me the best archer in Deer-Crane Hollow. I never was.”
“Then who is?”
Li Forty-Six said,
“Xu Wenshan.”
“Who?”
“Xu Wenshan. The young master of the Xu family—Xu Wen Shan.”
The crowd was momentarily dumbfounded. They wanted to laugh, but found they couldn’t, because Li Forty-Six’s expression was serious.
“Xu Wenshan? That Xu family’s young master? He’s the best archer here?”

Li Forty-Six nodded, “I have no reason to lie to you.”
“You must be senile, old man,” the young man said, “what nonsense! If he’s the best archer here, I’ll eat all the dung in my family’s latrine!”
...

“All competitors, take your positions and prepare!”
Ah Fa scanned the archers at the shooting platform, spotting his own young master, and felt a twinge of nervousness.
“Begin!”
As Li Da Zhuang began shooting, his mind was emptied of all distractions; Xu Wenshan, best archer, five thousand coins—none of it mattered now. Only the target and the bow in his hands were important.
First arrow! It hit the target, though a bit off, landing around the sixth ring.
Second arrow! This one was better, closer to the center.
Third arrow! Fourth arrow!
...
After many days practicing at the range, Li Da Zhuang gradually realized the differences between archery for the range and archery in the mountain forests.
In the mountains, accuracy matters, but even more important are reflexes, speed, composure, and judgment. Game moves—you must anticipate its actions, and remain calm to ensure a hit.
But in the archery range, only accuracy matters.
Accuracy! Accuracy! Nothing else is important—this is range archery.
Does this mean range archery is less effective in real hunting? Not at all.
Because those who train at the range, after just a few trips to the mountains and a basic grasp of animal habits, can hunt with their bows. But hunters who spend all their time in the mountains, no matter what, cannot match the archery skills of those who practice at the range.
Hunters spend most of their days tracking and waiting, rarely drawing their bows. They cherish their arrows, never shooting unnecessarily.
But archery requires constant practice. At the range, one can shoot without worry, so the number of shots per day greatly exceeds what hunters manage—and naturally, their skills grow faster.
Yet many hunters, out of pride, think themselves superior and refuse to learn what range archery truly is.
Therefore, he would not lose.
“Shooting complete! Begin scoring!”