Chapter 182 - 143: The Prefecture Examination Begins
However, the innocent little girl had no idea that her older cousin, Wen Lan, turned pale upon hearing her words.
Her eyes were fixed on the high-spirited country bumpkin in the middle of the training grounds.
’Could it be... that there’s something going on between this man and my aunt?’
It was no wonder she was suspicious. After all, her aunt had been a widow for many years, and life was difficult where she lived.
’If her circumstances forced her hand, it wouldn’t be impossible for something to have happened with this country bumpkin.’
After all, there were plenty of noblewomen in the Prefecture City who couldn’t endure their loneliness.
She had heard her fair share of scandalous rumors like that.
’Could her own dignified aunt be like that too?’
For a moment, Wen Lan was overcome with indecision.
’I have to find a chance to warn this Fang Yue. I can’t let him and my third aunt see each other again.’
After mulling it over, Wen Lan’s expression hardened with resolve.
’True or not, I can’t let my aunt meet this man.’
Immediately, Wen Lan forced a smile and said,
"Nu, after we go home today, you mustn’t mention to your mother that we saw Fang Yue here. The Prefecture Examination still has two more days, and it would be a shame if this affected your Yue’s performance."
"Oh? Really? Okay, Nu understands. I won’t say a word."
Nu tilted her head up. She didn’t really understand what her cousin Lan was saying, but since it was for Yue’s sake, she decided she wouldn’t mention it.
However,
after deceiving Nu, Wen Lan’s expression grew even uglier.
She was now even more certain that this Fang Yue had some kind of relationship with her aunt. Otherwise, how could Nu possibly ’like’ him so much?
~~~~~~~
At that moment, Fang Yue was preparing for the next assessment.
He was, of course, completely unaware that he was already being plotted against by two different parties.
He had simply never expected to run into anyone he knew here.
After a short rest, the second assessment—archery—began.
Immediately, many eyes in the VIP stands turned to Fang Yue. After all, quite a few of those people had placed bets on him.
The amounts weren’t large; for most, it was just a bit of casual fun.
Even more people simply saw it as a form of entertainment.
So naturally, they were paying close attention to Fang Yue.
Archery, horsemanship, and weaponry—these all tested a Martial Scholar’s comprehensive skills.
Mastering all of them required a great deal of time.
Fang Yue was still young, not even twenty-five. To have already cultivated to the Marrow Transformation stage was incredibly commendable and a sign of outstanding Talent.
In their eyes, it would be impressive enough if Fang Yue managed to score a B+ in this event.
At the same time, it was another chance for the Martial Scholars to size up each other’s strength.
The bows provided for the archery test ranged from a five-stone to a fifteen-stone draw weight.
The targets started at a distance of fifty yards, with another target placed every yard thereafter, for a total of twenty.
The targets were all made of one-inch-thick ironwood and were incredibly sturdy.
The test measured both accuracy and power.
Hitting the bullseye of the first target earned a B. Piercing the bullseyes of five targets earned a B+.
Piercing the bullseyes of twelve targets earned an A, and piercing all twenty earned an A+.
In previous Prefecture Examinations, only twenty to thirty people had ever managed to achieve an A+.
So, while the rules seemed simple, achieving an A+ was actually extremely difficult.
After all, one’s control of power had to be impeccable. Otherwise, if the arrow shattered a target instead of piercing it cleanly, it could easily be deflected and miss the ones behind it.
As before, they were tested in groups of one hundred.
After just a few rounds, it was Fang Yue’s turn.
Fang Yue went straight for a Fifteen-Stone bow. It felt excellent in his hands. As expected of something specially crafted by the imperial court for its Military Officers, the materials were of the finest quality.
The arrows, too, were specially forged from refined iron.
They were strong enough to withstand the formidable power of the Martial Scholars.
Fang Yue tested the tension of the bowstring, glanced at the arrow, and couldn’t help but sigh.
’An ordinary Martial Artist could never handle a bow like this. If I were ambushed from a distance with it, I’m afraid even I would have trouble stopping the arrow.’
’At a hundred yards, a bow like this is probably no less deadly than a firearm.’
’To an ordinary Martial Artist, the deterrent effect must be immense.’
After this moment of reflection, Fang Yue held his breath, focused his mind, and drew the bowstring.
The bow, made of an unknown wood, was instantly drawn into a full moon in his hands.
WHOOSH!
The feathered arrow tore through the air with a piercing shriek, streaking across the sky.
The next moment,
with a soft THUMP.
all twenty targets were pierced clean through their centers. The refined iron arrow embedded itself deep into the stone wall behind them, leaving only its feathered tail exposed.
"Number 635, Archery: A+!"
This event focused on skill, so Fang Yue didn’t mind getting an A+. He needed to bank some points to offset his scores in the later events, after all.
’My Military Strategy and weaponry skills probably won’t be enough to earn an A.’
This display left the onlookers slightly stunned. However, just as Fang Yue himself had considered, the archery test couldn’t fully reveal a competitor’s most critical skills.
Therefore, Fang Yue’s A+ grade only earned him a moment of their surprise, and nothing more.
By this point, the sky was growing dark.
The day’s assessments naturally came to an end.
Just as he stepped out of the examination grounds, someone blocked his path.
"You’re Fang Yue, aren’t you? Come over here. I need a word with you."
The person who had stopped him was, of course, Wen Lan. The young lady of the Wen Family’s third generation spoke in a cold tone, her posture radiating an air of superiority.