Admit defeat?
The moment Ziqing said this, the entire venue fell dead silent! All that could be heard was the creak of Chu Tiange’s fists clenching at once.
He had been locked in open and covert rivalry with Jun Beiyue since he was barely into his teens, and even Jun Beiyue had never spoken to him with such wild, reckless audacity as this!
This woman was being far too fanciful, wasn’t she!
There was no way he would ever admit defeat—what was Chu Feiyan to him anyway, just some irritating girl who relied on their father’s favor to fight him at every turn for military power? Her life meant absolutely nothing to him.
He scowled coldly, “Your Highness, we children of Western Chu have never known how to write the words ‘admit defeat.'”
“Oh, I know that too. I was just saying it for the fun of it.”
Ziqing gave a faint smile, and only then did the crowd understand—snickers rippled through the onlookers.
How could Ziqing possibly let Chu Feiyan die? If Chu Feiyan died on the hunting grounds of Great Zhou, Western Chu would instantly have an excuse to march troops to the border—wouldn’t that play right into Chu Tiange’s hands?
She had simply been indulging herself, having a bit of fun at Chu Tiange’s expense!
Chu Tiange was so furious he nearly choked on his own breath, glaring venomously at Jun Beiyue—only to find Jun Beiyue already looking back at him, the corner of his mouth curled in open contempt, clearly mocking him for having been played by a woman.
His eyes narrowed sharply, both hands dropping to his sides, throwing darts instantly hidden between every finger. Meanwhile, the blood-sweating horse had slowed to a near crawl, and Ziqing, bow fully drawn, was focused entirely on the incense stick hanging half a li away.
No one paid any more attention to Chu Feiyan, still being dragged screaming and wailing toward the finish line—every eye had converged entirely on the tip of Ziqing’s arrow!
This one shot was no longer just about deciding victory or defeat—it was about witnessing a flawless, absolute triumph!
What Ziqing was aiming at wasn’t the incense flame itself, but the space just beneath it—she was recalling Jun Beiyue’s own unparalleled shot.
Jun Beiyue had told her: at half a li’s distance, with full arm strength, let the arrow fly beneath the incense—that was the method.
Jun Beiyue had also told her: the arrow’s force extinguishes it, or a wind-blade severs it—that was the trick.
An arrow shot swiftly disturbs the surrounding air currents, forming what’s called arrow-force; the sharpness and duration of that force depend on how much power is behind it. And once that power is refined to its peak, the air current shifted by the arrow’s speed is no longer mere force, but becomes a wind-blade—a blade formed of wind itself.
That was precisely why the stringless qin could kill with its strings alone—because force channeled through those special strings formed an invisible wind-blade!
Arrow-force could extinguish the incense flame; a wind-blade could sever the thread holding the spark. Naturally, the former was the lesser method, and the latter the superior one!
The surroundings had grown so silent one couldn’t even hear the wind. Ziqing gripped her bow tightly, her mind entirely undistracted, her sharp eyes narrowed, ready to loose the arrow at any moment.
Meanwhile, the ten darts in Chu Tiange’s hand stood ready as well, aimed at the fine thread above the incense.
Suddenly!
“Whoosh—”
The sound of wind splitting apart was terrifyingly sharp; the tense crowd all jumped. The arrow left the string!
At the same instant, Chu Tiange sent a dart flying after it—only for it to be knocked down the moment it launched.
A second dart followed immediately—knocked down again.
A third followed just as quickly—struck down just as brutally!
He gave a cold snort and unleashed all eight remaining darts at once, intercepting from every direction—some aimed at Ziqing’s arrow, some at the thread, some at the fine incense stick itself, and some straight at Ziqing herself!
Jun Beiyue’s eyes turned suddenly icy; his grip on the whip loosened as several silver needles shot out in pursuit, their force so overwhelming that they knocked the darts entirely off course—and even redirected them toward Chu Feiyan’s side, leaving Chu Tiange’s fingers frozen stiff in shock!
And just at that moment, Ziqing’s arrow passed beneath the fine incense and struck down sharply, landing right in front of Chu Feiyan’s horse’s hooves!
“Ah—!”
“Neigh—!”
People screaming, the horse startled, everything dissolving into chaos.
The white steed’s front hooves reared high, then came down sideways, finally stopping. Just as Chu Feiyan was about to collapse to the ground, three darts suddenly grazed across her face, leaving three lines of blood!
She lay sprawled on the ground, limbs splayed, eyes shut tight, her screams continuing without end, every bone and muscle in her body feeling as if it had come apart—she had no attention left to spare for the pain on her face.
The contest… was finally over!
In the stunned, open-mouthed silence, Emperor Tianhui shouted repeatedly, “The incense hasn’t gone out! Someone, quick! Go check whether the flame’s extinguished!”
A guard up ahead immediately called back, “Report—the flame is out!”
At once the whole crowd erupted in delight—Han Ziqing had won again, two victories in a row, an absolute triumph!
“Truly? Bring it here at once, I want to see for myself!” Emperor Tianhui exclaimed with delight. “Prince Xiang, come along and take a look with me!”
“Very well!” Chu Tiange answered readily enough, though he shot a sidelong glance at Consort Yi, his eyes dark with malice.
Consort Yi was clearly shaken, issuing orders one after another, “Someone, quick, go help the Princess Imperial up, summon the imperial physician!”
The horses galloped on, the crowd following after, and only then did Jun Beiyue speak quietly, “Yingzi, have Imperial Physician Gu come at once.”
The moment he finished speaking, he swung down in one motion and landed behind Ziqing—as silent and wordless as ever—yet with overbearing possessiveness he swept her straight up into his arms!
Meanwhile, everyone else took their seats, waiting for the results to be announced.
Emperor Tianhui, looking thoroughly pleased with himself, no longer bothered consulting Chu Tiange, holding the now-extinguished incense stick high, unable to wait to declare loudly, “The flame is out! Second round—Great Zhou’s Prince Yao’s consort wins! In this hunting and archery tournament, the princess consort has achieved total victory—in both the arts of war and refinement, an absolute, complete triumph!”
At once, the entire venue erupted in cheers, thunderous applause, everyone praising Ziqing without end!
Amid the cheering, Jun Beiyue laid her down on a fur-covered couch, his face still cold and silent, saying nothing—yet he personally knelt down beside her to examine her injuries. Had Chu Feiyan seen this scene, she would surely have flown into a mad rage.
But by now, having been helped along, her lovely face had long since drained of all color, her gaze vacant, her whole appearance thoroughly bedraggled—where was any trace left of the celebrated first female general of Longyuan? She had no attention left to spare for jealousy or envy or resentment—she was simply, purely, a woman scared witless.
She was helped over to Chu Tiange’s side. Chu Tiange, his face dark with displeasure, paid her no attention at all.
“Why hasn’t Imperial Physician Gu arrived yet?” Jun Beiyue finally spoke, clearly displeased.
“He rode here himself, in person,” Yingzi reported hastily.
Jun Beiyue, with no time to spare for anything else, moved to carry Ziqing away—only to have Ziqing refuse. “Your Highness, we haven’t collected our winnings yet.”
The moment she said this, Chu Tiange’s expression darkened even further.
“There’s still time to demand payment after your wounds are tended,” Jun Beiyue countered. “Or are you afraid Western Chu’s Prince Xiang might go back on his word?”
Chu Tiange’s face turned nearly black, yet he had no rebuttal to offer.
To everyone’s surprise, Ziqing looked utterly serious. “I’m not afraid—it’s just that I want it right now.”
Chu Tiange was so infuriated he nearly coughed up blood, but Ziqing remained perfectly earnest. “Prince Xiang, as for the ten thousand fine steeds the Princess Imperial promised, please have a written note drawn up. And as for withdrawing your troops from the Three Realms Grounds, please issue the order right now as well.”
At once, everyone’s eyes turned to the Chu siblings. Chu Feiyan still sat there dazed, while Chu Tiange, who never normally let his emotions show, already had veins bulging visibly across his forehead.
After a long moment, he finally spoke loudly, “Fine! Western Chu honors its debts. Both wagers will be delivered at once.”
“Brush and ink, if you please,” Jun Beiyue said coldly.
A guard immediately brought forward brush and ink. Chu Tiange, in full view of everyone, wrote out a military order with a few swift strokes, commanding the troops at the Three Realms Grounds to withdraw the instant they received it.
Just as he was about to set it aside, Jun Beiyue coolly reminded him, “Your seal, if you would.”
Chu Tiange, seething, had no choice but to produce his tiger tally seal and press it down hard, then barked, “Someone, rush this to the Three Realms Grounds at once!”
“Ha, so Western Chu’s Prince Xiang truly is a man of his word after all!” Emperor Tianhui exclaimed with delight, unable to resist commenting.
Chu Tiange wasn’t the type to be a poor loser either—he made a gracious bow, then wrote out another note at once, a formal IOU, and unhesitatingly took Chu Feiyan’s seal to stamp it. He rose himself, holding the note out to Ziqing with both hands. “Princess consort, I’ve truly seen your mettle today. You have my admiration.”
Ziqing accepted the note without ceremony. “You flatter me.”
“Prince Yao, my congratulations!” Chu Tiange said, a flash of malice crossing his eyes as he turned—and at that very instant, a chorus of terrifying howls suddenly rose from every direction!
What was happening?
“It’s a wolf pack! Archers, to your positions!”