[Martial Arts] Infinite Chamber Game

The darts and straw targets were quickly carried out by the servants. The so-called straw target had its wooden frame removed, leaving only a small mat woven from hemp. There were many types of darts, including hexagonal darts, sleeve arrows, and small and light knives, with a piece of red silk tied at the end.

A handsome young man in a black brocade robe stepped forward, took the straw target and played with it, and said jokingly with a smile: "The biggest difference between this dart target shooting and pitching pots is that it not only tests the accuracy of the dart shooter, but also the courage of the person holding the target."

The descendants of the Ming and Qin royal family flourished, especially this generation. The emperor's reproductive ability was truly amazing. Just like the original owner of Li Xunhuan, whose birth mother was of low status, even after marrying, she did not get a proper title. There was no telling how many more there were in the palace. It was no wonder that the original owner was reduced to being beaten to death by her husband.

The young man in the black brocade robe was naturally also a prince. Since he was not yet old enough to leave the palace and set up his own household, he had not yet been crowned a king. However, his biological mother was the queen, so his identity was destined to be extremely noble. Few people dared to disrespect his words, and they all listened attentively.

"One person shoots darts, and another person holds the target thirty steps away. After three arrows, the two sides exchange moves. The one who hits the most targets wins. The winner can freely choose anyone in the field to hold the target. Isn't this much more interesting than pitching pots?"

He took out the darts from the tray and showed them to everyone: "The flying knives and sleeve arrows here are all blunt, they will never really hurt anyone, is there anyone willing to come up and give it a try?"

Everyone at the table began to whisper to each other, and they all seemed to be very interested in this new and exciting game, but no one was willing to really come up and try it.

What a joke, they are all nobles, of noble status, what's the point of holding a target? They say it won't hurt anyone, but it's a knife and an arrow, if it hits the face, there's no guarantee that there won't be scars.

The third princess was the first to step forward and said with a loud laugh, "This method is excellent. I will try it with you in this first round."

The brother and sister looked at each other tacitly. The young man held the target high above his head, while the third princess walked fifty steps away and selected three hexagonal darts from the tray.

With a whoosh sound, a hexagonal dart drew a beautiful arc in the air and stuck firmly on the edge of the straw target. The young man holding the target did not move his hand or shake his body, and he held the target steadily, winning a round of cheers.

The third princess looked pleased with herself. She also shot the second bullet at the edge of the straw target, but closer to the center of the circle than the first. However, she accidentally shot the third bullet into the air, but she was not annoyed. It was very rare to hit two out of three. Therefore, no matter whether they were princes and princesses or young masters and young ladies from noble families, they all applauded and praised her, and said heaps of flattering words.

The third princess raised her chin proudly. She was very good at pitching pots and had also learned horse riding and archery. It was just a matter of throwing darts and shooting at targets. Naturally, she could learn by analogy.

The atmosphere of the banquet was raised to its climax. Li Xun Huan was actually watching with great interest and was also one of the people who applauded and cheered. When the sister and brother exchanged positions, he poured himself a glass of wine, drank it slowly, and silently said to the little princess: "Who do you think will win between the two of them?"

He didn't seem to realize that the dart target was a trap set for him.

The little princess was not as careless as him. If she could control her body, she would be so nervous that she would grab the hem of her clothes in her hands. "You can still drink? I always feel something is wrong. Do you think they will let me go on stage later? The third sister looked at me just now. She must have bad intentions. I have never practiced archery, not even playing pitching pots. If I go up, I will definitely be ridiculed. What should I do? Do you... can you throw darts? How accurate is it?"

Li Xun Huan did not answer her, but just stared at the straw target in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking about.

There was a round of applause and cheers in the arena. Three hidden arrows landed near the center of the straw target. The young man in fancy clothes bowed and said with a smile, "Thank you, Third Sister." He had obviously won. Then, he really turned his gaze to Li Xunhuan and said, "I heard that Fifteenth Sister has learned a lot of skills recently. Why don't you give me a favor and compete with me in a round?"

The little princess closed her eyes in despair. She knew it! He knew these people would not let him go. Wasn't it because he stole the first place from his own sister at the Lotus Poems Contest and stole her limelight? What about darts shooting at a target? They just wanted to see him panicking in public while holding a target. Or, to put it bluntly, even if he threw all the darts at her, at most he would just be accused of being a fool. Who would stand up for him?
Didn’t she see that her so-called brother had a gloomy look in his eyes and a mocking smile on his lips!

"Don't agree to him! He just wants to humiliate me. I...we can't afford to offend him."

Li Xun Huan agreed with this. He looked a little embarrassed. He stood up and said calmly, "I know nothing about darts. My brother, please don't make fun of me. Let's choose someone else."

Before the young man could answer, someone shouted, "Eh? Princess, what are you talking about? The rules of the game are that the winner can choose anyone in the field to hold the straw target. The princess didn't object just now. Why are you trying to refuse now that it's your turn?"

"That's right, it's just a game, Your Highness, please don't be a spoilsport."

"Fifteenth sister is now married and her status has become even more noble. Don't you see that even Princess Zhaohua has suffered today? Yet you are so arrogant. Do you think that you don't take us, the princes and grandchildren of the emperor, seriously because you have married a man from a noble family?"

Princess Zhaohua is the title of the third princess. Yes, even the princess born to the Queen can hold up a straw target with a calm face, but you, a girl born to a palace maid, are refusing it. It's really ungrateful of you.

Li Xunhuan still looked very hesitant, his brows slightly furrowed and he bit his lips lightly.

If he used his own body to make this expression, it would definitely look very artificial, but now he was wearing the skin of a beautiful girl, and making this expression... although it was also artificial, it was not too obvious.

The boy's smile had turned cold: "I am embarrassed to say this, sister."

Li Xun Huan said timidly, "War is truly merciless, and I am really scared, so please don't embarrass my sister, okay?"

The young man laughed: "Fifteenth sister, don't you believe me? Just now, Third sister held the straw target steadily and was not injured. Does Fifteenth sister have to be a spoilsport?"

Things had come to this point, so Li Xunhuan had no choice but to go on stage. He walked up slowly and raised the straw target. It looked extremely reluctant and difficult.

At this point, how could the bystanders not understand? The so-called dart shooting at the target was just a prank on this timid and cowardly princess who had no status and loved to show off. Of course, no one would stand up to speak for her, and they were all waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

The little princess was about to cry, but she didn't really cry because she suddenly realized that Li Xunhuan didn't seem to be afraid at all. His heart was very calm, and the hand holding the straw target was very steady.

As if it really was just a game.

"You...you don't seem scared?"

Li Xun Huan blinked: "I am really scared."

The young man seemed to have picked up a hidden arrow from the tray, but no one saw it. He actually didn't take anything. He just took the hidden arrow out of his sleeve - a hidden arrow with a sharp tip. "Fifteenth sister, you must hold it steady, and don't dodge. My aim is not good. If I miss, please don't blame me, fifteenth sister."

With a wave of his hand, the arrow from his sleeve flew out into the air.

If someone who has some knowledge of hidden weapons hears this sound, his face will definitely change drastically, because that is not an arrow shot with a gaming mentality at all. Games are only for fun, but this arrow is meant to hurt people!

For this young man, seeing the person in front of him crying out of fear would be the best, and it would be even better if he could kneel down and beg for mercy. Isn't this also a kind of fun? If she really did this, she would become a joke in the entire capital within a day.

However, this always weak and incompetent princess disappointed him. She did not cry or beg for mercy. Even though she was afraid, she only said so with her mouth. Her hands did not shake, and her body did not tremble.

There are naturally ways to play without being afraid.

Therefore, the flying sleeve sword was not aimed at the straw, but at Li Xunhuan's hair!

You know, although the Ming and Qin dynasties had an open-minded customs, letting a married woman let her hair down in public was tantamount to a great humiliation.

The little princess was already screaming and closed her eyes in fear. After a while, she seemed not to hear any mocking and ridiculing voices. On the contrary, the surroundings were very quiet and Li Xunhuan did not make any sound.

She opened her eyes and saw a sleeve arrow stuck neatly in the center of the straw target.

How?

The young man was equally surprised. He knew his aim well. He was clearly aiming at the hair of the fifteenth sister, so how could he hit the target? And he shot so accurately, hitting the center of the circle at once?

Li Xun Huan smiled and shook the straw target in his hand: "My brother, you have a good aim!"

The young man was dumbfounded. He had a background in rifle shooting, so how could he miss by so much? If the fifteenth sister had moved the straw target, it would be even more unbelievable. He stared at her with his own eyes, but he didn't see her make any movement.

He stamped his feet and without thinking, shot out the second hidden arrow he had prepared.

This time, the aim was the strap on her left shoulder!

It must have been a coincidence just now! It will definitely be right this time!
He was disappointed again.

The arrow is still on the straw target, still in the center of the circle!

Li Xunhuan shook the straw target, but he said nothing and just gave the young man an encouraging look.

Even a blind man could see that it was Her Royal Highness the Princess who temporarily adjusted the position of the straw target so that it could hit the center of the circle. The one with the best accuracy was not the prince, but Her Royal Highness the Princess, who was raised by the palace maids!
She could actually predict the direction of the hidden arrows, block them in advance, and make them hit the center of the circle twice! How fast must her reaction be, how accurate must her judgment be to be able to do this?

The boy's cheeks suddenly became hot. The humiliation of hitting the target was even worse than missing it. Looking at the smiling face of the fifteenth sister in front of him, and remembering what she said, "I'm extremely scared", he was so angry that his lungs were about to explode!
She knew it long ago. Not only that, she also took advantage of the situation and made fun of him!
Outrageous!

With the last arrow, the young man’s eyes flashed with ferocity, he smiled coldly, and shot the arrow from his sleeve straight towards Li Xunhuan’s lower abdomen!
Let’s see how you can stop it this time!
The arrow flew out and hit the target, right in the center of the circle!

Li Xunhuan was still holding the straw target. No one could see his movements clearly. They only saw that the sleeve arrow was going very low and there was no way it could hit the straw target.

But the arrows just happened to land on the straw target! Or at the center of the circle, the three sleeve arrows were tightly next to each other, and everyone present was dumbfounded. For a moment, they didn't know whether to cheer or not. It was very embarrassing.

The little princess was so surprised that her voice trembled: "What's going on? Didn't you say you're not good at this? How did you make him hit the target every time?"

Li Xun Huan did not answer, but took out three hidden arrows, walked over, put the straw target in the young man's hand, and waved the hidden arrows in front of his eyes: "Excellent archery, your accuracy is really something I admire, but my accuracy is really not good. If I accidentally miss the target, I think you will not blame me, right?"

The young man was still in a daze when he saw Li Xunhuan had already stopped fifty steps away, holding his hidden arrow! His legs suddenly became weak, and he no longer cared about his face. He threw the straw target far away, turned around and walked away, shouting as he walked: "My lord, I don't want to play anymore! Who wants to play with you..."

Before he could finish his words, he felt a chill on his head, and his hair began to fall down. In the center of the straw target he threw, two sleeve arrows were firmly stuck!

Three sleeve arrows were shot out at the same time, and no one saw when or how she shot them!
When people saw the hidden arrows, two had already hit the target, and one had just shattered the boy's hair crown. This was simply... simply... she had clearly done it on purpose!
Li Xun welcomed the shocked and frightened looks of the crowd and said calmly: "I lost. Since my royal brother won, please choose another person to hold the target." He swept his eyes over the men and women at the table one by one, smiled calmly, and sat back in his seat.

Although he didn't say anything, that one look was more embarrassing than swearing a thousand times.

If a boomerang doesn't pierce yourself, you won't feel the pain!

The little princess had already screamed “Ahhhhh!” “Great! So great! You have so many surprises that I don’t know about!”

(End of this chapter)