After reading it, my heart felt heavy.
Wang Fangfang was unwell.
I had no choice but to uphold the nation's honor.
Jingxiang and Azhen were both formidable fighters, especially Jingxiang—a woman made of water, best at using softness to overcome hardness.
Among those remaining, she was the strongest in combat.
Originally, Yina led the charge, but now only these two were left, forcing them to step up their skills.
If they didn't want to die, they had to push themselves.
Jingxiang had truly mastered the essence of the Japanese arts, already delving into various secret techniques.
Only Azhen had given up entirely, letting things be however they may—daring anyone to kill her, the undisputed queen of slacking off.
Zhou You didn't dare actually kill her, so he just let her lie there.
That was the price of giving up.
Though beautiful women were by his side, Zhou You still felt unsatisfied.
He got up and headed to the Wrestling Hall for a few exhilarating bouts to vent the nameless anger in his heart.
As soon as he entered the hall, he ran into Li Houliang, who walked toward him with a beaming face. "Brother You, the archery range is set up, and the coach has arrived."
A while back, he'd asked Li Houliang to find a coach, but the coach had been away leading a team in a competition and only just returned.
During that time, they'd set up a small area on the second floor as an archery training ground.
It didn't need to be huge, but it had to be safe enough.
In a remote corner, they'd sectioned off a narrow, elongated space. For now, there were only three lanes, mainly to cater to Zhou You's personal hobby.
"Did you buy all the gear?" Zhou You asked about the archery equipment.
"Yeah, most of it. We'll see what the coach needs for the rest. Bate'er helped a lot too—he'd learned archery before." Li Houliang put in a good word for Bate'er, who had genuinely been a big help.
"Alright, have Bate'er come along and take a look later," Zhou You said.
Going up to the second floor, he walked toward the opposite side of the dining hall and saw someone inspecting the equipment.
Li Houliang called out, "Azhong, Brother You is here."
"Brother You, this is Guo Youzhong, an assistant coach at the sports school's archery range. He usually handles most of the training since the head coach doesn't show up much anymore," Li Houliang introduced.
Zhou You sized him up. Guo Youzhong didn't have the fierce aura of traditional martial artists; instead, he looked more like a casual sports enthusiast.
He wasn't tall either, around 175 centimeters, shorter than Zhou You.
Guo Youzhong extended his hand with a smile. "I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Zhou. I was away leading a team in a competition recently and just got back when Ah Liang dragged me over here."
Zhou You was equally polite, shaking his hand. "Sorry for the trouble. Archery ranges outside are a mixed bag, and I wanted to learn the real deal, so I asked Brother Liang to find a professional."
"Oh, I don't have much to show for myself. If my teaching isn't up to par, please point it out, Mr. Zhou," Guo Youzhong said modestly. With the rise of archery ranges in the country, their field had started to pick up.
Still, outside archery ranges were indeed a mixed lot—many were run by enthusiasts turned owners, often making basic mistakes that invited ridicule.
Guo Youzhong pointed at the gear Li Houliang had bought. "Which bow would you like to start with, Mr. Zhou? A straight bow, a recurve, or a compound bow?"
Zhou You found all this tedious—the more it was broken down, the more complicated it sounded.
With technological advances and material abundance, more people had time and energy to dabble in all sorts of random things, gradually formalizing them.
It was like medicine: the more it was subdivided, the more terrifyingly detailed it got. Everyone called themselves doctors, but step outside their specialty, and they were no different from laymen—or worse, they might fall into greater misunderstandings due to their own knowledge limitations.
"I'll try them all and see which is most convenient and practical," Zhou You said helplessly.
Seeing Zhou You's expression, Guo Youzhong probably guessed what he was thinking.
To outsiders, archery was just archery!
What difference was there from making a bow with a bamboo pole and a string as a kid?
Only when you dug deeper did you realize there was a whole new world inside.
He picked up a bow and a quiver of arrows.
"Let me first demonstrate the method we commonly use in the training team. Stand with your feet parallel, shoulder-width apart, with your weight on the balls of your feet."
"Place the arrow on the arrow rest, with the main fletching facing inward, and make sure the nock clicks into the correct position on the string."
"Next, draw the bow and shoot. See, I've put on my finger tab. Place your index finger above the arrow nock, and your middle and ring fingers below it."
"When drawing, hook your fingers at the first joint of the bowstring, push the bow grip with the web of your front hand, and draw to your anchor point."
"The anchor point is crucial. The standard anchor is to pull the string to a point between your nose and lips, with your thumb pressed against your chin."
"Then it's just aiming at the target, which takes a lot of practice."
Watching Guo Youzhong demonstrate, Zhou You was a bit dazed.
This archery was different from what he'd done on the grasslands, and the method varied too. But the explanation was very detailed, and with the live demo, Zhou You could still follow.
"Coach, why does this bow have a sight?" Zhou You was curious.
"Competition bows all have sights; traditional bows usually don't," Guo Youzhong explained.
For the rest of the time, they alternated between explanations and practice.
They started with a 20-meter target.
The bow with a sight was quite effective.
Zhou You improved quickly.
The most satisfying part of archery was the moment the arrow left the bow and the thud of it hitting the target.
To a person, it felt very visceral.
A sense of release, a sense of accomplishment. It was almost addictive.
"Coach, what's the maximum range of this bow?" Zhou You shook his arm.
"This one's 24 pounds, entry-level. About 30 meters—any farther, and it won't hit the target." Seeing Zhou You's confusion, he added, "No rush. With more practice, your strength will adapt quickly. Then we'll switch to a bow matching your poundage, and the range will increase."
Zhou You finally got a bit interested. Thirty meters—what was that good for?
But as practice went on, his arms and fingers started to ache.
He let the others nearby give it a try.
Zhou You turned to Bate'er. "Can you shoot arrows while riding a horse?"
Bate'er nodded. "I can shoot, but not accurately."
Oh, well.
Inaccuracy didn't matter—when there were enough people, you just blanket the area.
"Brother Liang, what's the usual rate for hiring an expert? Add a little extra on top—don't shortchange them," Zhou You instructed. The archery coach was still working at the sports school and came out for extra cash in his free time.
"Got it, no problem." Li Houliang knew Zhou You wasn't stingy.
To be honest, indoor archery didn't feel right.
But outdoor archery was very dangerous, unless you had a big open space like a farm. In the city, there wasn't much room for it.
Zhou You stopped after a while—his hands hurt.
Better to keep practicing wrestling; that was truly useful. His lower body was getting more stable.
Lifting and slamming moves came easily now, greatly enhancing the user experience.