Only he, exerting all his might with both hands, could only draw the bowstring a little. It was as if a stroke of good luck from his ancestors had allowed him to barely hit the bullseye.
That's just how people are. When he thought he was bound to lose, he simply resigned himself to it.
But now, since he had finally managed to hit the bullseye, he wasn't willing to admit defeat if asked to do so!
At this thought, his gaze suddenly halted on Feng Jingyi, the only one who hadn't taken his turn yet.
"Third brother has really impressed me. Fifth brother, don't lose either. Let second brother gain some more glory," he said meaningfully.
Feng Jingyi lowered his eyes. There was not a trace of edge about him.
"Second brother need not worry," he replied calmly.
Feng Linche also rarely noticed his fifth son. The smile on his face faded slightly. "You should learn from your third brother. Don't disgrace the Great Zhou," he instructed.
Feng Jingyi lowered his eyebrows and eyes, looking submissive. "Yes, Father."
Feng Jingxuan slowly withdrew his smile. He glanced at Feng Jingye with a sharp look in his eyes, then at Feng Jingyi, who was walking expressionlessly towards the divine arm crossbow. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Feng Linyuan slightly lowered his eyes, pretending not to see everyone's expressions.
After all, there was a significant age gap between him and the fifth prince, Feng Jingyi. So their bond wasn't very deep.
Those days in his youth had been so dazzling, with so many people around him. Six years had passed, and when he recalled them, many people and events had become blurred.
But deep in his memory, there was still a small figure. Whenever they met, that figure would eagerly follow him like a little tail.
As he grew a bit older, Feng Jingyi had become much more reserved. But every time he saw Feng Linyuan, the excitement that couldn't be hidden in his dark eyes had become the only warmth the cold palace had left for Feng Linyuan.
At this thought, Feng Linyuan let out a soft sigh.
He had no intention of interfering in Feng Jingyi's current life and situation. After all, he himself was in a precarious position. No matter what choice Feng Jingyi would make during the archery competition later, all Feng Linyuan could do was respect and support him.
Feng Jingyi stepped forward and calmly picked up an arrow.
Among those present, there were quite a few young masters who had participated in Bai Zheng's matchmaking banquet. Naturally, they remembered this fifth prince who usually didn't like to show off but was actually quite capable.
"Just watch. The fifth prince will surely surprise us!" someone whispered.
This reached Feng Jingye's ears. His face darkened, and his jaw tightened into a terrifyingly cold and hard line.
Feng Jingyi, however, gave a self - deprecating smile.
He had no intention of showing off in this kind of occasion. Unlike the previous people, he had only been a filler in this competition and had never thought of making a splash. So, he had the least psychological pressure.
However, he remembered the look on Feng Jingye's face when he passed by him on his way back to his seat after shooting the arrow, as well as the meaningful words he had said. He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then a look of determination flashed in his eyes.
He imitated Feng Jingye and stood beside the divine arm crossbow. With both hands, he struggled to pull the bowstring. It seemed as if he had exerted a great deal of effort to barely draw it into a half - circle.
"Whoosh!" The arrow left the string at an extremely fast speed. The wind it generated made the torches on both sides flicker violently and almost go out.
Such a fierce speed was almost comparable to the arrow Feng Linyuan had shot earlier.
But this time, there was not a trace of amazement on anyone's face. Instead, they were completely stunned.
Because the arrow Feng Jingyi had shot was not aimed at the target at all. Instead, it flew straight up into the sky.
After shooting the arrow, Feng Jingyi looked very exhausted and gasped for breath. But when he saw the arrow flying into the sky, he secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Feng Jingxuan slightly turned to the side. As if unintentionally, he waved his hand behind him. His deep, cold eyes swept across the sky.
Feng Jingye, seeing this result, was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but burst out laughing, clapping his hands. "Hahaha... Fifth brother, are you blind? The target is not in the sky!"
"Could it be that a wild goose flew by in the sky, and the fifth prince got excited and wanted to roast it for dinner?" Zhuo Lingxiao also sneered sarcastically.
"Hahaha..."
Laughter instantly filled the scene. So no one noticed that someone in the shadow on the other side also shot an arrow into the sky.
They just laughed recklessly and didn't hear the extremely faint "ding" sound in the air at all.
The accident came so quickly. Even on Feng Linche's face, there was still obvious disgust and disdain. When Zhuo Yi was laughing with his eyes narrowed into slits, the arrow suddenly fell. From top to bottom, it slanted into the target.
The laughter stopped abruptly, and the scene instantly fell into a strange silence.
Feng Jingyi was walking back with his head down, looking very disappointed.
Then he heard the emotionless voice of the green - clothed servant behind him. "Fifth prince, you've hit the bullseye!"
"!!!"
He stopped in his tracks, suddenly turned around, and looked at the distant target in disbelief.
Sure enough, there was a wild goose - feather arrow stuck in the target. Unlike the previous people, whose arrows were all shot straight into the bullseye, this arrow was slanted into the bullseye with the arrowhead facing down.
It was exactly the arrow he had deliberately shot into the sky just now!
Feng Jingye jumped to his feet. "Impossible!"
He blurted out uncontrollably.
Everyone was stunned. No one answered him. Instead, Feng Jingxuan stood up and clapped his hands like Zhuo Lingxiao had just done. "Well done, fifth brother! You haven't disgraced the Great Zhou."
Hearing this, everyone finally came to their senses. They looked at each other for a while, then quickly and sensibly joined Feng Jingxuan in exclaiming, "The fifth prince is really a hidden talent. He could hit the bullseye with such a tricky shot!"
Feng Jingyi: "..."
I didn't want to do this!
He turned around stiffly, bit by bit, and carefully glanced at his second brother, Feng Jingye.
Sure enough, at this moment, Feng Jingye's dark face was already covered with a terrifying layer of ice. He stared fixedly at Feng Jingyi and gritted his teeth, saying word by word, "Fifth brother has really, grown, some, skills."
A look of surprise flashed across Feng Linche's face for a moment, but soon he thought of something, and a cold look flashed in his eyes.
It was good that the fifth prince, Feng Jingyi, hadn't disgraced himself. But the winner and loser, as well as the rewards and punishments, had already been decided for today's competition.
The winner was naturally the third prince, Feng Jingxuan, who had hit the bullseye with three arrows in a row. But according to the current result of the competition, the only one left who had barely hit the bullseye was Feng Jingye.
Feng Jingye was no ordinary person. He was the crown prince of the Great Zhou!