Under such circumstances, it was indeed reasonable for Feng Jingxuan, as the host, to be the first to take the stage.
But Feng Jingxuan was extremely shrewd. He had absolutely no idea how difficult the divine arm crossbow was to use.
Seeing that even Wang Lin had made a fool of himself, if he rushed forward at this moment, who knew what the result would be?
Thinking of this, his inky gaze swept over to a place not far away, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
"With Marquis Dingyuan here, if I were to go first, wouldn't I be making a fool of myself?
In the old days, Marquis Dingyuan was renowned far and wide. It's a pity that he has rarely shown himself since he was seriously injured six years ago. I imagine that there are quite a few people here who, like me, are looking forward to seeing the marquis's elegance.
Since the marquis has recovered from his illness, how about having the marquis go first?"
He said loudly.
When Feng Linyuan saw that Feng Jingxuan had specifically named him to go first, he smiled.
The light from the torches cast a faint shadow on his side face.
Feng Jingxuan's intention was self-evident.
He wanted Feng Linyuan to go and test the waters for him.
Under normal circumstances, Feng Linyuan would surely have declined with Feng Jingxuan for a few words. But today, thinking of Bai Zheng who was still waiting for him to return in the main hall, his eyes drooped slightly.
Both Feng Linche and Zhuo Yi were looking at this side intently, as if as long as Feng Linyuan said the word "no", they would come up with a whole bunch of reasons that Feng Linyuan couldn't refuse.
The air was filled with an indescribable silence.
After a while, Feng Linyuan smiled faintly.
"Fine."
Everyone was stunned for a moment, and then their faces showed undisguised excitement and anticipation.
Feng Linche and Zhuo Yi even had a glint in their eyes and couldn't help but glance at each other.
They saw Feng Linyuan stand up gracefully, with one hand behind his back, looking tall and straight.
On his jade-like face, a gentle aura gradually emerged. Under the illumination of the fire, he looked like the three-inch snow on the plum branches.
"Everyone, I'll make a fool of myself first."
He said calmly, then nodded to Feng Linche who was sitting in the upper seat, and walked towards the location of the divine arm crossbow.
Everyone present stared intently at Feng Linyuan's figure.
Bai Yinan had a complicated look in his eyes. He looked at his only son-in-law standing in the distance, feeling a bit troubled.
As an official in the court of the Great Zhou and a descendant of the Bai family, he naturally knew better than ordinary people about the situation of the Marquis Dingyuan's Mansion in the Great Zhou.
Feng Linyuan had been keeping a low profile and living in seclusion for these years. On the one hand, it was because of his health, and on the other hand, wasn't it also to avoid the limelight and bide his time?
His Majesty the Emperor had been eyeing the Marquis Dingyuan's Mansion covetously. If Feng Linyuan performed well in this first appearance after six years, it would surely make Feng Linche jealous and prompt him to take action against him again.
But if he performed poorly... in front of their long-time enemy, the people of the Western Liang, the Marquis Dingyuan's Mansion had never lost!
Bai Yinan felt mixed emotions. He was both afraid that Feng Linyuan would perform badly and afraid that he would perform too well. His hand on his leg unconsciously grabbed the robe and wrinkled it into a ball.
Feng Linyuan had been very strong in his youth, but after six years of illness, his figure had become much thinner.
Now standing beside the huge divine arm crossbow, people couldn't help but wonder if Feng Linyuan's thin arms and legs could still draw the bowstring.
Everyone held their breath and watched silently.
Unlike Wang Lin, this time, Feng Linyuan didn't even take a horse stance. He still carried his left hand behind his back casually. He only used his right hand to pick up a goose-feather arrow, hooking the arrow shaft with his index finger and middle finger, and placing his palm on the string.
Chen Jianzhi sneered: "Just one hand? Can he even pull the bow up..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he stared in disbelief with his eyes wide open.
In just a short moment, Feng Linyuan had effortlessly drawn the bow to its full extent. The string was pulled to the extreme, on the verge of breaking.
Everyone's hearts were lifted as the string was tightened.
Chen Jianzhi's mouth also opened a bit wider.
The divine arm crossbow that even the head of the guards beside Feng Linche had to struggle to pull with both hands was easily drawn to its full extent by Feng Linyuan with just one hand?
What a huge difference in strength!
Both Feng Linche and Zhuo Yi's eyes darkened.
At this moment, everyone could only see Feng Linyuan's back. They couldn't see that his face was calm and relaxed, without the slightest sign of strain or effort. Even his lips were completely relaxed, slightly curved.
Otherwise, the expressions of the crowd would have been even more wonderful.
When he had drawn the bow enough, Feng Linyuan then released his hand. With a "whoosh" sound, the goose-feather arrow turned into a black light, cutting through the void and rushing straight towards the target.
The torches on both sides trembled wildly with the airflow generated by the arrow, and several of them went out at once.
Before everyone could react, they heard a "thud" sound. The arrow shot by Feng Linyuan accurately hit the red dot on the bullseye. The arrowhead had obviously been deeply embedded in it and stayed firmly in the bullseye, instead of falling directly to the ground like the arrow shot by Wang Lin.
The whole action was smooth and completed in one go!
The scene suddenly fell into a long silence.
Only the string of the divine arm crossbow was still trembling violently, making a "buzzing" sound.
Zhuo Lingxiao stared stiffly at the target in the distance, unable to say a word.
This... This was Feng Linyuan's strength? Sure enough, his reputation was well-deserved.
Although a few torches on both sides had gone out, it still didn't affect everyone's view of the result of Feng Linyuan's shot.
"Marquis Dingyuan has hit the bullseye."
The green-clothed servant standing beside the target announced loudly.
This voice seemed to break some kind of balance, and the cheers and excited shouts of the onlookers suddenly erupted!
Everyone stood up involuntarily and looked excitedly at Feng Linyuan, who was walking back calmly.
Their Marquis Dingyuan had returned!
Bai Yinan's lips trembled involuntarily. Due to being too nervous before, his hands had been a bit cold.
But at this moment, his eyes were firmly fixed on Feng Linyuan's figure.
This was his son-in-law, the God of War of the Great Zhou, the great Marquis Dingyuan! Thinking of this, Bai Yinan's heart was also filled with pride.
"The marquis's elegance is as good as ever." Seeing Feng Linyuan walking past him, Zhuo Lingxiao suddenly said.
Feng Linyuan stopped and smiled casually at Zhuo Lingxiao: "This divine arm crossbow of the young master is really good. If it were another bow, I might not have been able to achieve such a result."
"A Yuan has indeed made progress. You've impressed me." Feng Linche's voice was devoid of any emotion, calm and indifferent.
There was no trace of joy or anger on his face. His eyebrows were calm, and only his mouth was barely pulled up, making it seem like he was praising.
Feng Linyuan lowered his head and eyes: "Your Majesty flatters me. I've only shown some insignificant skills, not worth mentioning. The highnesses are all valiant and will surely shoot better than I."