Chapter 254
Chapter 254
“Isn’t it a little early to be talking about that?”
Zhao Wan bristled, unable to stand the other woman’s certainty of victory. “How do you know you’ll win?”
Xia Ximo did not answer. Instead, she turned to look at Steward Sun. “Your Highness said you were too young to remember the disappearance ten years ago clearly. But surely the steward of the mansion can remember it?”
“If I win, all I ask is that you allow this steward to help me uncover what happened back then.”
Steward Sun was shaken, his face full of astonishment.
He could not for the life of him understand how their contest had become entangled with events from ten years ago.
What did that disappearance… have to do with Miss Xia?
Although displeased, Zhao Wan inexplicably felt relieved.
Even if she really did lose, she thought, that would hardly be difficult to arrange.
Besides, her father had failed to uncover the truth behind the disappearance while he was alive. Could Xia Ximo really succeed?
“You overestimate yourself.”
Zhao Wan rolled her eyes and ordered the servants, “To the riding ground.”
Riding in snowy weather was no easy matter.
But Princess Fenghua had grown up on the Northern Border and learned to ride from Prince Wu himself. Galloping through snow was routine for her.
When a groom led out the little chestnut reserved for her use, she vaulted neatly into the saddle and began riding around the ground on her own.
Watching, Yu Lang could not help praising her. “Princess Fenghua truly is Prince Wu’s daughter. She does have some ability.”
Ren Fengjue’s gaze, however, rested on her mount. “That chestnut looks like one of those rare blood-sweating horses. It certainly is spirited.”
Just then, the groom led out a white horse. Tall though it was, it clearly lacked vigor and fell far short of the princess’s little chestnut.
Everyone could see the disparity between the two horses, but Xia Ximo’s expression did not change. She walked straight up to the white one.
Ren Fengjue could not help approaching to ask quietly, “Will your wound get in the way?”
“No.”
Perhaps it was thanks to the medicinal plaster, but the pain had eased considerably when she woke that morning.
Somewhat reassured, Ren Fengjue stroked the horse’s back and told her, “Mount up and try it first. If it won’t do, I’ll choose another for you.”
“This one will do,” Xia Ximo replied.
Grasping the saddle with one hand, she too mounted lightly.
Watching the movement from a distance, Zhao Wan was a little startled.
That sickly girl’s agility seemed far from poor. She was nothing like the rumors claimed!
Ever since receiving fifty percent of the Earth Lord’s soul power, Xia Ximo’s abilities had far surpassed those of ordinary people. Once her soul and body had merged, they had improved still further.
Now that the Earth Lord had given her another ten percent of his soul power, she was more formidable than ever.
Holding the reins in one hand, she steadied her breath and urged the white horse onto the ground. In moments, she accelerated into a gallop, her dashing figure every bit a match for Princess Fenghua’s.
Yu Lang stared, dumbfounded. “How did I never notice before that Miss Xia was so skilled?”
This time, Ren Fengjue’s eyes never left her. At the remark, his lips lifted slightly. “I didn’t expect it either.”
On the riding ground, the white and chestnut figures began racing past one another.
After two circuits, Zhao Wan was the first to stop. Breathing a little hard, she ordered the grooms to bring out the targets and set them up at the eastern and western ends of the ground. She then gave Xia Ximo a brief explanation of the rules for mounted archery.
The contest would consist of three rounds.
The first involved no special tricks. It tested the most basic skills of mounted archery.
The two competitors would gallop toward one another, each firing three arrows in succession at her own target area.
In the second round, they would have to complete one circuit of the ground before shooting a single arrow.
The third round would build on the second, adding another circuit and requiring two arrows.
“Best of three. Anyone who misses the target or loses control and falls from her horse along the way loses outright.”
As Zhao Wan spoke, Steward Sun brought over two bows and sets of arrows. For fairness this time, he offered to let Ren Fengjue inspect them first.
Once everything was ready, each woman took her bow and arrows and went to one end of the riding ground, one east and one west.
The weather was reasonably obliging that day. There was a rare patch of sunshine and no wind.
Only the sunlight reflecting off the snow was somewhat dazzling.
Looking out at the vast whiteness between heaven and earth, Xia Ximo involuntarily narrowed her eyes. A faint recollection stirred in her mind of days she too had once spent on horseback, wild and unrestrained.
She reached out to stroke the horse’s head, only to hear the maids from the mansion shout in unison, “Victory to Her Highness!”
Across from her, Zhao Wan held her head high, already assuming the air of a victor before the contest had even begun.
Xia Ximo did not care and paid it no mind. The next moment, however, she heard Yu Lang and Yan Zhengchu shout, “Victory to Miss Xia!”
Two grown men were actually competing with the group beside them.
Then came Axia’s voice. “Miss Xia is invincible!”
“…”
She turned to look at them. Ren Fengjue stood among the crowd. Though he said nothing, his bright eyes remained fixed on her. His silence spoke louder than words.
On the other side, Zhao Wan heard Ren Fengjue’s companions all cheering for Xia Ximo. Even his servant was shouting encouragement.
Yet he made no attempt to stop them. Clearly, his heart was on her side too.
The thought filled Princess Fenghua with displeasure.
The moment the horn signaled the start, she cracked her whip and urged her horse forward…
She charged onto the ground with great momentum, then suddenly squeezed her horse’s flanks, brought out her bow and arrows, and fired three shots in succession toward the target area.
The spectators looked and marveled. Every arrow had struck within the colored rings, just a hair’s breadth from the bull’s-eye.
Zhao Wan had outdone herself, exceeding even her own expectations.
Cheers immediately erupted among the people from the mansion.
That meant at least one of Xia Ximo’s three arrows would have to hit the bull’s-eye to beat Zhao Wan.
Yu Lang scratched his head. “Miss Xia is under quite a bit of pressure now…”
“Not necessarily,” Yan Zhengchu said. “She looks perfectly steady to me…”
Xia Ximo sat tall on horseback. Even the cheers from the mansion’s people failed to stir her expression.
She tugged the reins, and the white horse moved onto the ground. Her robes fluttered in the sunlight, making her a scene of beauty unto herself.
Unlike Princess Fenghua’s forceful entrance, she was more like a cool, light breeze sweeping swiftly across the ground.
By the time everyone registered what had happened, three sharp arrows were lodged in the bull’s-eye, their fletching trembling lightly in the breeze.
An uncanny silence fell over the surroundings.
The people from the mansion instantly fell quiet.
Zhao Wan’s expression was uglier still. She looked as though she had seen a ghost, her eyes full of disbelief.
Only when Ren Fengjue suddenly clapped and called, “Excellent!” was the silence broken.
Yu Lang, Yan Zhengchu, and Axia came to their senses and all raised their thumbs.
“Miss Xia really is invincible!”