What did he just hear? He'd hit the bullseye?!
Like a stone cast into a still lake, after a brief moment of silence, the crowd erupted into exclamations.
"I never thought His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's archery skills could be so remarkable. Truly, a master conceals their abilities!"
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince doesn't have as much time as others to practice such things. He's always swamped with affairs, yet he was still able to hit the bullseye when forced to participate in this competition. His Highness is truly extraordinary!"
...
The crowd chattered away, sparing no praise they could think of.
Even Feng Linche, sitting at the head of the table, was a bit incredulous.
He knew better than anyone else just how much talent his second son had.
If it had been Feng Jingxuan or Feng Jingyi who'd hit the bullseye today, he wouldn't have been surprised.
But this time, even Feng Jingye had managed it.
It seemed... this divine arm crossbow was truly a useful weapon?
"From now on, no matter which Highness asks you to drink, remember to drink less." Thinking of this, Feng Linche turned to Wang Lin behind him and instructed.
Wang Lin: "..."
Without any defense, he simply lowered his head and replied, "Yes."
Feng Jingxuan stared calmly ahead, expressionless, but the whites of his cold eyes were tinged with a hint of red.
An arrow that even Wang Lin couldn't shoot far, and that good-for-nothing Feng Jingye had actually hit the bullseye?
How was that possible!
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has truly made a stunning debut. I'm truly impressed," Feng Jingye returned to his seat, and Zhuo Yi loudly praised. "If my good-for-nothing son had even half of His Royal Highness's talent, I'd be at ease."
"Father, that's too belittling of your son!" Zhuo Lingxiao immediately protested.
He stopped Feng Jingxuan, who was about to step forward to shoot, and jerked his chin at Zhuo Yi. "I'll go first this time. If I don't get on stage, I'm afraid Father will nag me to death."
Hearing this, Feng Jingxuan smiled and took a step back.
Zhuo Lingxiao had the characteristic boldness of the people from the Western Liang. He strode over to the divine arm crossbow, casually picked up an arrow, and tossed it into the air. The arrow spun a full circle in the air before steadily landing back in Zhuo Lingxiao's right hand.
Before the crowd could even let out their exclamations at this dazzling display, Zhuo Lingxiao had already wrapped his arms around the divine arm crossbow and lifted it up steadily.
Everyone was stunned!
If they remembered correctly, this divine arm crossbow had been carried up by four servants earlier.
The crossbow was too bulky and clumsy, and it was stable enough to shoot from the ground. Otherwise, Feng Linyuan and Feng Jingye wouldn't have been so successful earlier.
But now, Zhuo Lingxiao had actually picked it up, hooking the string with his thumb, pressing his thumb down with his index and middle fingers, and with a little force, the bowstring was pulled into a full moon.
Feng Jingye's face turned green.
Before the crowd could even cheer, there was a whoosh, and the arrow shot out like a meteor. The goose feathers at the arrow's tail flashed a bright arc as it shot straight into the distant target.
"His Young Master Zhuo has hit the bullseye!" the green-clothed servant quickly announced.
The scene immediately erupted into a round of exclamations that were clearly more enthusiastic than before.
"Did I see that right? That Young Master Zhuo actually picked up the divine arm crossbow that even Lord Wang couldn't pull?"
"Looking at him, you'd think this bow and arrow were as light as a feather!"
"This must take at least a decade or more of training, right?"
The exclamations never ceased, and Zhuo Yi couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh heartily.
"Hahaha... Good, very good. It was worth all the effort I've put into training you!"
"Of course!" Zhuo Lingxiao couldn't hide his pride, and his steps were light as he walked over.
As he passed by Feng Jingye and Feng Linyuan's seats, he even leaned over with a smile. "Your Highness, Marquis, I'm flattered!"
He was truly... so annoying.
Feng Linche's face was ashen. On his own territory, he'd sent out three princes and a marquis, yet it was Zhuo Lingxiao, the young master from the Western Liang, who'd taken first place in the competition? If this got out, wouldn't the Great Zhou be laughed at by the neighboring countries?
Thinking of this, he fixed his deep gaze on Feng Jingxuan and Feng Jingyi, who'd been rather inconspicuous and silent, and said meaningfully, "Xuan'er, Yi'er, you two are the only ones who haven't taken the stage yet. Don't disappoint me."
Feng Jingxuan smiled slightly, nodded, and stepped forward first.
At first, Zhuo Lingxiao's performance had truly shocked him, but after watching, he felt confident.
No matter how fancy the process was, the result was just hitting one arrow.
Compared to him - hehe!
He walked up to the divine arm crossbow confidently, grabbed the handle with one hand, and at the same time, took out three arrows. He aimed at another target in the distance.
While the crowd was still in shock at the thought of "Is His Highness the Third Prince going to shoot three arrows at once?", there was a tremor of the bowstring, and the three sharp arrows let out a synchronized whoosh.
This time, the torches on both sides weren't extinguished, so everyone could clearly see that the three arrows Feng Jingxuan shot had precisely, quickly, and neatly hit the bullseye of the target!
The green-clothed servant's voice announcing the result was tinged with a hint of excitement he couldn't hide: "His Highness the Third Prince has shot three arrows at once, and all of them have hit the bullseye!"
Who had ever seen such a sight?
For a moment, everyone was stunned, and the venue fell silent again. They even forgot to clap and cheer.
Feng Jingxuan laughed and said, "Everyone, I've made a fool of myself."
In his seat, Zhuo Lingxiao's arrogant and proud smile froze for a moment, but soon, he stood up generously and clapped his hands. "His Highness the Third Prince's archery skills are truly amazing!"
The crowd was immediately reminded and erupted into cheers.
"As expected of His Highness the Third Prince. This is the first time I've seen such an exciting competition!"
"At such a long distance, it's already difficult to hit one arrow. Shooting three arrows at once and all hitting the bullseye - this isn't something that can be achieved just by practice. It also requires sufficient talent and perseverance..."
"After all, he's His Highness the Third Prince. He's truly different!"
Feng Linche was beaming with joy. He nodded in satisfaction, and his eyes were filled with admiration and relief as he looked at Feng Jingxuan. "Xuan'er hasn't shamed the men of the Great Zhou. Well done."
Normally, Feng Linche would just call his sons "Third, Fourth," but it was rare for him to call them by their given names so affectionately. It was clear that he was truly happy.
Feng Jingye's face was even more distorted than when he'd been pulling the bow earlier, and his fingers hidden in his sleeves were trembling.
Well, now Feng Jingxuan had stolen the show, while he, Feng Jingye, seemed to be at the bottom of the list!
Not only had Zhuo Lingxiao picked up the bow directly earlier, but at the beginning, Feng Linyuan had even shot with one hand, and both of them had pulled the bowstring to a full moon.