Chapter Forty-Nine: At a Disadvantage
The gray totem appeared extremely ancient and mysterious, rising and falling with Bai Ye’s breaths, exuding a fierce and primitive aura.
...
“Whoosh—”
A sharp arrow, carrying a surge of energy, pierced the tree trunk, its fletching quivering incessantly.
The great tree shuddered slightly, shedding a few leaves that floated down, covering several scattered arrows on the ground.
Li Le’s tense brows and eyes relaxed; she took a deep breath and set the massive bow aside, shaking her reddened fingers, rubbed raw by friction.
It was already noon. Since morning, Li Le had been practicing archery. After an entire morning, the ground was littered with arrows of all kinds.
“This bow is indeed too large—really unwieldy, and my hands ache from the strain,” she muttered, kneading her palm with a faint grimace. “I never found archery so hard when I practiced before.”
As she spoke, Li Le gave the cold, rigid bowstring a hard pull, coaxing a dull sound from it.
She had no idea what material this bowstring was forged from, but its resilience was extraordinary. Even with her current strength, it took considerable effort to draw the string.
Though this bow was not sized for her, Li Le couldn’t help but marvel at the bowstring’s pliancy, thinking:
“I’ve never seen such a supple bowstring before. I wonder what technique was used to make it. It’s on par with the top-tier bows I saw in my previous life, isn’t it?”
Li Le stroked the bow, admiration gleaming in her eyes.
“Though I can’t use it now, I believe I’ll get the chance in the future…”
Lately, she’d felt a faint itching in her bones, as if her height might soon catch up further.
But that was only to be expected. After all, bones didn’t change as obviously as strength; their growth was a gradual process, not something to be rushed.
Once she reached a certain stature, this bow would truly come into its own.
Li Le walked to a large stone, picked up an arrow lying beside it, and murmured:
---
“For now, I need to get used to the feel of the bow. Ever since my body changed, it’s become so much harder to manage my strength…”
Beside her, Tuan Tuan lay sprawled atop the stone, snoring lazily, pinning down several arrows.
Li Le glanced at the creature, her expression softening with indulgent amusement. She paused a moment, then carefully drew out the arrow farthest from Tuan Tuan.
Her movements were so gentle that Tuan Tuan didn’t even stir; its faint breathing never changed.
Taking a deep breath, Li Le returned to her starting position, a hundred paces from the tree. She gritted her teeth and drew the bow half full once more.
“Whoosh—”
An arrow shot forth, its momentum even greater than before, but this time it veered off course, missing the center of the trunk and skewing slightly left.
Li Le paid no mind to the errant arrow; instead, she twitched her ears, turning to look down the path she had come by. This little grove was behind Brother Bai’s cabin and belonged entirely to him.
It was secluded, rarely open to outsiders.
Yet now she heard hurried footsteps.
“Sis—!”
Lie’s familiar voice rang out from afar.
Li Le’s brows lifted in mild surprise, her grip on the bow loosening.
Soon, Lie burst from the path, panting, with a hint of joy in his eyes.
It seemed archery practice was over for today.
Li Le, realizing as much, casually set the bow aside and asked curiously, “Lie, why aren’t you home training your body? Has something good happened? What brings you looking for me?”
Ever since he lost an arm-wrestling match to her a while back, Lie had thrown himself into physical training at home, hardly to be seen these days.
She wondered what had happened to bring him running now.
---
Catching his breath, Lie’s eyes sparkled. “Sis, Ji and the others have returned from the ‘Exchange Hall’ in the city center with their elders!”
Ji?
That was the girl Lie had mentioned before.
Taken aback, Li Le asked quickly, “The one you told me about?”
“Yes!” Lie nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly—the ones I mentioned before. They’re back! Sis, you always wanted to visit the ‘Resting Quarter,’ right? Come home with me now and I’ll introduce you to Ji, Ling, and Cong. Then we can all go to the ‘Resting Quarter’ together!”
Li Le was caught off guard; she hadn’t expected Lie to remember this.
They were supposed to repair the machinery together days ago, but a sudden hunt at the city gates had thrown off their plans.
She never imagined Lie would bring it up now.
Li Le’s gaze flickered. “...Have they agreed already?”
“Of course!” Lie replied with some pride. “They’re all amazing!”
Afraid Li Le might not believe him, he hastened to add, “I’m not lying, really! Especially Ji—she’s the strongest out of all of us! Even Ya can’t beat her!”
At this, Lie rubbed his arm with a wry grin, an uncharacteristic wariness glinting in his eyes.
Clearly, he had suffered at her hands before.
Li Le smiled silently, then said: