Zhushi Jiu had been thinking about what he could do. To be honest, with his current archery skills, it was quite difficult to even think about taking down a Black Soldier. In the end, his peak operation was just a messy fight with an unknown outcome.
If he had Du Fei’s steady and accurate archery skills, he would definitely be able to achieve more. But now, he didn’t need to worry about that because he had directly pulled Du Fei herself over. With Du Fei’s help, he was certain he could at least take down one of those Black Soldiers.
Around 6 pm, Zhushi Jiu held his bow and quiver and entered the park. The evening air was refreshing, and the park was bustling with people. A young couple was strolling around, chatting and enjoying the evening breeze.
“…So, your Executive Chess Society comes to this park to practice archery every night?” Zhushi Jiu asked.
Du Fei, dressed in casual wear and carrying a bow package, stood beside him. She had been invited by Zhushi Jiu to come to the park to guide the newbies of the Executive Chess Society in archery. Du Fei was familiar with the park and knew that it was crowded at night, so she wasn’t too worried about being alone with a stranger. She had a bottle of pepper spray and a stun gun in her pocket, and she had some self-defense skills, so she wasn’t too afraid to come.
If it were just a normal archery practice, it would be fine. But if Zhushi Jiu had any ulterior motives, she would not be polite.
Zhushi Jiu didn’t know what was going on in Du Fei’s mind. He was currently thinking about the impending battle.
When Du Fei asked her question, he corrected her after a while, “It’s not ‘you guys,’ but ‘we.’ Coach Du, you’re now a part of the Executive Chess Society too.”
Du Fei didn’t respond.
“But it’s not like we come every night. We occasionally come here to practice archery, and not many people show up. But today, everyone wanted to gather because they heard that a provincial champion was coming to guide us.”
“Why do you practice archery at night?”
“Because everyone is busy with school or work during the day, so we can only practice at night.”
There were students too… Du Fei relaxed a little.
She continued asking, “Why do you practice in the park instead of a shooting range? The shooting range is open until 10 pm. If you can’t find a place to practice, you can come to the shooting range. Besides, the lighting in the park is not good for archery.”
“Because it’s cheaper to practice outside.”
Zhushi Jiu’s matter-of-fact response made Du Fei pause, and she had some goodwill towards these Executive Chess Society members.
To save money, they were willing to practice archery outside, but they didn’t hesitate to spend 5,000 yuan each month for her guidance… These people were really passionate about archery. She was touched, and she even wanted to refund some of the money.
…But it was just a thought.
“Coach Du, do you know any archery masters who are better than you?”
“Hey, I’ve already retired from the professional circle, so I don’t know any masters.”
Du Fei’s response was within Zhushi Jiu’s expectations, and he didn’t feel disappointed. He smiled and flattered her, “I thought that masters would have their own circles, and it would be easy for someone as skilled as you to get along with them.”
Du Fei humbly responded, “That’s not the case.”
As they walked, Zhushi Jiu asked, “Are we getting farther away from the crowd?”
“Ah, this is how it is. We usually practice archery in the southeastern corner of the park, where it’s less crowded.”
Right now, the two of them were walking on a stone path surrounded by greenery. Although the environment was quiet, Du Fei started to feel a bit uneasy.
Why was that?
When they were chatting, Zhushi Jiu was very charming and could grab her attention. Sometimes, they would even discuss topics beyond archery. Chatting with Zhushi Jiu made her feel very comfortable.
Because of this, she gradually let her guard down and didn’t notice that they had walked to this secluded path.
Now, could they still turn back?
She thought to herself.
A call broke Du Fei’s train of thought.
“…Coach Du… Coach Du?”
“What’s up?” Due to the quiet environment, Du Fei was startled and asked, “What did you just say?”
“I didn’t say anything.” Zhushi Jiu shook his head, looking concerned, “Coach Du, are you feeling unwell?”
The atmosphere was awkward.
Zhushi Jiu suddenly patted his forehead: “Ah, look at me! I forgot that you might be scared, being alone with a stranger at night in such a secluded place. That’s my fault!”
Du Fei was embarrassed: “No, no, it’s not that! I just… got a bit of a chill from the wind.”
Zhushi Jiu immediately took off his outerwear and put it on Du Fei.
“Coach Du, take my jacket.”
There were no extra words of concern, just action. Zhushi Jiu pretended to be very natural, but Du Fei’s heart skipped a beat.
What was going on with this guy?
Although they had just met, Zhushi Jiu’s actions made her feel that he was truly a gentleman.
But… they had only just met!
Du Fei couldn’t help but think that Zhushi Jiu might have feelings for her.
“…Let’s go warm up first,” Zhushi Jiu said, holding his bow and quiver.
“W-warm up?” Du Fei stuttered, then saw Zhushi Jiu take out the bow and arrow.
“Ah, yes! W-warm up!” Du Fei’s face turned bright red, and she hastily opened her own bow package, not daring to look at Zhushi Jiu.
Zhushi Jiu felt a bit amused, although he had intentionally created this atmosphere. Seeing Du Fei’s flustered expression, he almost couldn’t help but laugh.
…
Zhushi Jiu had already noticed Du Fei’s tension and guard. To dispel her wariness, he had been chatting with her, trying to make her relax.
The effect was there, but not significant. Especially when they were in a secluded environment, Du Fei’s tension only increased.
Zhushi Jiu had no choice but to resort to this tactic, and indeed, Du Fei’s wariness was broken. This made it easier for him to do what he needed to do next.
The two of them assembled their bows and Zhushi Jiu led Du Fei into the woods.
At this time, Du Fei was no longer tense, but her face was bright red, and she walked stiffly.
“Coach Du, are you feeling okay? Do you need to rest?”
Zhushi Jiu’s concerned words made Du Fei’s voice tremble: “N-no need to worry! I’m fine!”
Zhushi Jiu confirmed, “Really?”
Du Fei nodded, “R-really!”
“Alright then.”
After saying that, Zhushi Jiu took out an arrow from his quiver, naturally drawing his bow.
…Then, he aimed at Du Fei.
“Coach Du, don’t move or make a sound. Cooperate with me. Trust me, at this distance, even a beginner like me won’t miss.”
Du Fei was stunned.
…
Under the clear moonlight, the two of them faced each other—no, it shouldn’t be said that they faced each other. It was more like one-sided coercion.
Zhushi Jiu was holding a bow, threatening Du Fei.
The arrow on the bowstring was a hunting arrow, which could definitely pierce a human skull at close range. Although Du Fei hadn’t tested it, she had seen her grandfather use the same bow and arrow to hunt in the woods when she was a child.
Any wild animal would be unable to resist the power of the arrow.
…
Du Fei’s heart was racing, and her mind was blank. Any ordinary person would be stunned and unable to think. She was a bit better, still able to think about why Zhushi Jiu was doing this.
“…Why?”
Du Fei’s voice was cold, and she asked.
Zhushi Jiu took a step closer to Du Fei, who didn’t dare move. He helplessly said, “Coach Du, earlier, there were surveillance cameras outside, and I couldn’t act too abnormally. But now, in this woods, there’s no surveillance equipment, just the two of us. I had to prepare you for the truth. But I was also worried that you would leave halfway, so I had to threaten you.”
“What I’m about to say might make you think I’m crazy, but please listen. If you don’t believe me, I have no choice, and we’ll both die… Of course, I’ve already prepared for the possibility that you won’t believe me, and I can try again later.”
Du Fei looked at this strange man who was speaking nonsense, her hand reaching for her quiver.
Whoosh!
Zhushi Jiu shot an arrow, which grazed Du Fei’s face and entered the woods behind her.
What a great opportunity!
Du Fei, who was so scared that she was sweating, was about to draw her arrow.
However, Zhushi Jiu’s movement was even faster than hers. His drawing of the arrow was extremely smooth, and before she could even draw her own arrow, he had already prepared his next shot!
“Coach Du, I really advise you not to move.”
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter