Chapter Five: Catching the Tongue

200 meters.
180 meters.
150 meters.

Lu Xingchen released an arrow, perfectly hitting the moving target—Wang Xing!

A headshot!

All the soldiers watched in amazement.

The shooting range immediately erupted in noise.

"Damn, that must have been at least 150 meters! Lu Dazhuang’s sight range is unreal!"

"No wonder the captain parachuted him into our squad; turns out he’s a master!"

...

Wang Xing was hit and completely stunned.

His sight range was only 120 meters, which was why Lin Wanqing valued him and promoted him to squad leader.

But this Lu Dazhuang had reached a terrifying 150 meters!

Could a rookie really achieve that?

Wang Xing was thoroughly convinced.

He picked up a wooden arrow and approached Lu Xingchen, shouting, "Salute, Squad Leader!"

The other soldiers echoed in unison, "Salute, Squad Leader!"

Now, Lu Xingchen truly secured his position.

At that moment, Lin Wanqing arrived at the shooting range with a middle-aged man.

As soon as she stepped in, she heard the chorus of voices and smiled slightly.

It seemed her judgment was correct; she had found a capable person.

Lu Xingchen saw Lin Wanqing and immediately stepped forward.

"Captain, did you need me for something?"

"Lu Dazhuang, last night our battalion defeated a logistics unit from Fengming Kingdom, seizing countless supplies. Most importantly, over two hundred warhorses."

Lin Wanqing’s lips curved into a pleased smile.

Lu Xingchen was slightly stunned but quickly understood her intention.

"You don’t mean to turn the infantry archery squad into a mounted archery squad, do you?"

Lin Wanqing was surprised.

This Lu Dazhuang was quite sharp!

She nodded slightly and said, "That’s exactly what I mean. This gentleman is Yi Hong, a squad leader from the elite mounted archery battalion under the Grand General. I invited him to train you all. What do you think? Can we do it?"

"Of course we can! I can teach mounted archery too!"

Lu Xingchen was excited.

The regular army of Dayan Kingdom had seventy to eighty thousand soldiers. That mounted archery battalion was the elite of the elite, answering only to the Grand General.

He never imagined he would one day lead mounted archers!

"Good, I’ll entrust you with those two hundred warhorses. Don’t disappoint me!"

After Lin Wanqing left, Lu Xingchen immediately took the troops out for field training.

With veterans like Lu Xingchen and Yi Hong, the soldiers adapted quickly, and within a month, they developed combat effectiveness.

The war between Dayan Kingdom and Fengming Kingdom continued unabated. After training, Lu Xingchen sought out Lin Wanqing immediately.

"Captain, the mounted archery squad is ready. Please issue the mission."

"Good. Lead your mounted archery squad and capture a few prisoners for me."

"Understood!"

Lu Xingchen swiftly organized the troops and left the base camp, advancing toward the combat zone.

But Lu Xingchen didn’t plan to only capture prisoners.

He still vividly remembered the moment the infantry archers were wiped out and how Shen Tao took a blow for him—blood debts had to be repaid with blood.

Moreover, to level up and allocate skill points, he needed to kill enemies.

Though the mounted archery squad had only a hundred men, their mobility was extremely high. If commanded well, they could inflict massive damage.

The mounted archers moved swiftly and soon spotted a thousand-strong Fengming Kingdom infantry force within half an hour.

"Captain, they have too many troops. Should we take a detour?" Wang Xing suggested.

Lu Xingchen snorted coldly.

"I don’t look down on smaller forces. They have only infantry, no cavalry. Prepare to charge and deal a heavy blow! Remember: when the enemy advances, we retreat; when they retreat, we pursue. Don’t give them a chance to catch us. Also, scatter formations and maintain high speed to avoid concentrated fire from their archers."

At his command, the mounted archers charged as one.

Before the enemy leader could react, the mounted archers unleashed their first volley.

[Congratulations, host, you have killed a One-Star Warrior. Gained 1 experience point and 1 exchange point!]
[Congratulations, host, task triggered: Trial by Fire. Requirement: Kill 100 enemies within one day. Task reward: 100 experience points, 100 exchange points, and a low-level Profound Technique "Li Huo Sword Technique."]

Lu Xingchen was elated.

The rewards were rich, and a Profound Technique had dropped.

In that case, he would kill to his heart’s content!

After three volleys from the mounted archery squad, the enemy began to form ranks and tried to encircle Lu Xingchen.

However, the enemy was helpless against Lu Xingchen—they couldn’t touch or catch him and could only passively take damage.

As the encirclement was about to close, Lu Xingchen led his troops to break through easily and resumed their hit-and-run tactics.

No one in the mounted archery squad was injured, and the enemy’s numbers visibly dwindled.

[Congratulations, host, you have killed a Three-Star Warrior. Gained 3 experience points and 3 exchange points!]
[Congratulations, host, your rank has advanced to Six-Star Warrior, gaining 6 talent points!]
[Congratulations, host, you have acquired the talent: Frenzy. Effect: Critical hit rate increased by 1%!]

After the enemy lost more than half their men, they began to retreat and scatter.

"Pursue them! Leave no one alive!"

If any escaped, they would report back, and Fengming Kingdom would send cavalry or martial arts experts to hunt them down.

That was the last thing Lu Xingchen wanted.

The mounted archers spread out in pursuit while Lu Xingchen targeted the enemy leader, a One-Star Warrior.

Ordinary arrows were difficult to harm Warriors; only Lu Xingchen, wielding his Purple Star Bow, could challenge him.

Lu Xingchen invested 15 talent points into "Frenzy."

[Frenzy (Level 16): Critical hit rate increased by 30%, critical hit damage increased by 15%.]

He then purchased ten alloy arrowheads from the system store, which increased damage by 5 points.

Each alloy arrowhead cost 5 exchange points—he felt a pang of regret.

But as long as it meant defeating the enemy, it was worth it!

Lu Xingchen’s horse slightly outpaced the One-Star Warrior, quickly closing the gap.

The first arrow flew.

The One-Star Warrior, focused on fleeing, failed to react and was pierced through the right arm.

The second and third arrows were dodged.

After the fifth arrow, the warrior grew furious.

As a Warrior, being humiliated by a martial artist was disgraceful.

Since he wouldn’t let Lu Xingchen go, he decided on a desperate fight.

The One-Star Warrior turned and charged at Lu Xingchen.

Unexpectedly, Lu Xingchen turned with him, denying any chance of close combat.

The One-Star Warrior cursed inwardly.

Damn, this guy was too cunning!

In the struggle, Lu Xingchen fired four more arrows, all blocked by the warrior’s iron blade.

The tenth arrow was loosed.

This time, the arrowhead pierced through the iron blade and penetrated the One-Star Warrior’s chest.