By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 132 Li Younan's Horse Archery [7.2 thousand words!]

Batur frowned and asked, "Is this really okay?"

His wife, who was also the planner, nodded confidently and said, "That's how internet traffic works. You have to ride each other's coattails and create buzz to get traffic. Just do as I say and there won't be any problems!"

Batur hesitated for a moment and remained silent.

He and his wife and a few friends run a weapons experience store. In addition to a high-weight archery range, there are also many suits of armor from various countries, and a combat experience area is under expansion.

Overall, their experience store offers a wide variety of activities. Whether you're taking photos in ancient armor, practicing combat with 1:1 scale weapons and armor, or experiencing traditional bows and learning just how skilled ancient archers were, it's all quite interesting.

However, this kind of unconventional experience requires promotion, so he is still a video blogger. He has been running the account for over a year and has managed to amass tens of thousands of followers, but overall he is not very popular.

Most of the videos he shoots feature archery, and occasionally he wears ancient armor.

He was very burly and imposing in his armor, but only one of his videos went viral. People got tired of seeing the same videos all the time.

His wife patiently explained, "Why don't you contact him first? Doing these kinds of things is beneficial to both of us. Since he's a video blogger, he shouldn't object."

Batur had never done this before, so he was still a little hesitant.

His wife's idea was to create a video where ordinary people could try to draw an ancient bow and see what it was like.

He had actually filmed two or three episodes before, where he would randomly approach ordinary people on the street with a 100-pound traditional recurve bow and offer them a reward if they could successfully draw it. The videos were quite interesting, garnering two or three thousand likes and reaching six figures in views. However, it's noticeable that the latest episode has seen a significant drop in viewership.

One of the main reasons is the lack of highlights, or rather, the lack of dynamism.

His wife carefully analyzed the reasons: "People watch these kinds of videos out of curiosity. It's normal that ordinary people can't pull them apart. It's only when someone can pull them apart that the video becomes interesting."

"But that's not enough. Even if someone with no reputation can stand out, they won't leave a lasting impression."

After his wife watched Li Younan's videos, especially the one where he shot a rat in Jiuzhaigou and hit the bullseye repeatedly in Inner Mongolia, she suddenly had a funny idea.

Li Younan is the kind of person who can generate buzz.

After some persuasion, Batur finally agreed to his wife's plan.

At their own shooting range, they began filming their first video.

His wife checked again in front of the camera: "Have you memorized all the lines?"

Batur nodded.

My wife said okay, and then said, "Let's begin."

Standing in front of the camera, Batur immediately focused his gaze on the lens, becoming engrossed in the moment, and said with a smile, "Today we're continuing our bow-drawing challenge, but our target today isn't some random stranger approaching us on the street. Please watch this video first..."

At this point, Batur paused for a moment, giving room for editing. Their plan was to cut the video of Li Younan hitting the bullseye repeatedly and shooting at a mouse here.

After pausing for two or three seconds, Batur continued, "The guy who appeared in the video just now is also a very famous travel blogger. I think many people have seen his videos."

"From what we know, he had little prior experience with bows and arrows. He relied entirely on his talent to quickly become so accurate. In ancient times, he would have been considered a gifted archer."

"However, we can see that the bow he uses is a labor-saving compound bow. So what kind of sparks will fly when such a talented and accurate archer meets the powerful hundred-pound bow used by ancient generals?"

"Can you pull away, or can you still maintain that high accuracy? I'm sure everyone is curious about that, right?"

Batur recited his lines in one breath, his wife gave him an OK sign, and Batur came over to watch the video.

His wife laughed and said, "Everything is ready, except for striking up a conversation. Let's get to know each other."

Batur isn't actually a very quick-thinking person; his wife does most of the work on managing the videos.

He felt like he had taken advantage of someone in this matter, so he was a little hesitant.

His wife, however, kept telling him that this was a win-win situation and that he shouldn't have such strange ideas.

Now that things have come to this point, we have to do it, no matter how conflicted we feel.

Batur nervously sent a message to Li Younan: "Brother, I want to do a challenge game with you. To put it simply, it's about experiencing the power of an ancient bow. I don't know if you're interested. Don't worry, it won't take up too much time. You can watch these videos; it's roughly in this format."

After this message, he attached a link to his video homepage and sent it to Li Younan.

Without adding friends, you can only send one message, and after that, Batur can only wait patiently.

To Batur's surprise, Li Younan replied to the message shortly afterward with just three words: "Sure."

Batur and his wife exchanged a glance, both becoming somewhat excited.

His wife said smugly, "See? I told you that other people's accounts could grow this big without any internet mindset. How could that be possible!"

Batur nodded repeatedly: "Wife, you're right!"

……

When Li Younan learned that the other party was planning to drive hundreds of kilometers away just so he could experience a traditional bow, he was quite surprised.

It was quite a coincidence today. He usually doesn't bother checking his private messages on short videos, but he was waiting for the two girls to get their makeup done, so he picked up his phone out of boredom and glanced at his private messages. Just then, Batur sent him a message.

Li Younan wasn't thinking about anything like traffic or exposure; he was just simply curious.

He had watched Batur's videos. The main body in the video was burly. Although he was about the same height as Li Younan, around 1.8 meters, he was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted. He was often seen in the videos pulling a bow and arrow weighing over 100 pounds.

The compound bow that Li Younan used to play with had a maximum adjustable weight of only 70 pounds. Although this number was far from Li Younan's limit, and the power of a 70-pound compound bow was already amazing, not inferior to a hundred-pound American hunting or traditional bow, he was indeed very curious about what it would be like to shoot arrows with an ancient powerful bow.
The other party wanted to come find him with a bow and arrow, and Li Younan agreed without much thought. After all, it was part of the travel experience, so it was fine.

This was just a minor incident, and Li Younan didn't pay it any mind.

To stay in touch, he added Batur as a friend on WeChat using his work account, sent him his location, and then forgot about the whole thing.

Today's main task is to go to Lan Yiyi's house to see her little pony.

Li Younan certainly didn't dislike newborn foals; the Altay horse breed was quite good.

By cultivating a tacit understanding with it from a young age and training it patiently and diligently, even the delicate maneuvers required for Western equestrian competitions are not complicated for Li Younan.

In the field of equestrian competitions, China has always been a weak point, almost a blank area, but it is clear that the number of riders in China ranks among the top in the world.

Although Li Younan sometimes felt that it was unfair to participate in the competition under the foreigners' rules, for example, according to the rules of many herders' horse riding festivals in China, such as picking up hada, cross-country racing, or archery on horseback, several autonomous regions could easily send out a large number of top athletes... surely better than the European cavalry that had trampled across the land, right?
But such thoughts are just wishful thinking.

However, to be fair, due to the system, Li Younan's riding skills are top-notch in both systems, so if conditions permit, it would be quite interesting to try training in fine motor skills.

However, compared to that, riding a fast horse across the vast grasslands is more fun... so Li Younan would be happier if Lan Yiyi gave him a fully grown horse.

While Li Younan was lost in thought, the two girls had already made up their minds.

Li Younan opened the door to his room, where two girls were already standing in the hallway, chatting amicably and waiting for him.

"I didn't know you had such a deep understanding of film..."

"No, no, comparing myself to you experts would be laughable..."

The two looked at Li Younan together as they finished talking.

……

For Chen Rui, the main purpose of this trip was to see the grasslands in winter.

Although it was bleak overall, the feeling of emptiness would be quite nice if it snowed a little more.

If she gets really bored, she should leave early. She can't stay in China for long anyway, and it would be troublesome to reapply for a student visa if she stays too long.

Lan Yiyi's makeup skills are quite good. From Li Younan's professional perspective, she is much better than his cousin, who is terrible at makeup.

However, overall it's still just a formulaic approach, without grasping the essence of makeup and the mastery of light and shadow.

However, compared to Chen Rui, she is much better. Chen Rui's makeup skills are basically still at the stage of drawing eyebrows and applying lipstick. She cannot accept the smoky makeup from Europe and America.

Lan Yiyi called a young man from the horse farm to pick them up in a minivan.

In the summer, their horse farm is used as an experience project for hotels in the county town to enhance the guest experience, and this vehicle is used to pick up and drop off passengers.

The young man was not a steady driver. His understanding of driving skills was limited to the level that being able to drive fast meant being a good driver. He probably wanted to show off his skills to others, so he didn't anticipate when pressing the accelerator and pressed it too hard or too softly.

Less than 20 minutes into the drive, Chen Rui frowned, looking like she was about to get carsick. Lan Yiyi also felt a little nauseous and asked the young man to slow down.

He verbally agreed, but his actions showed no sign of restraint.

When he was overtaking a large vehicle on a bend, he didn't see the other vehicle, so he signaled and changed lanes. Just as his car entered the oncoming lane, a bus came from the opposite direction, so he quickly changed back.

Although everything was under control, it still made Li Younan frown.

Sitting in the passenger seat, he gave the young man a couple of pointers.

He said nonchalantly, "Brother, don't be scared. I'm a great rider. I had everything under control just now. I'm just used to riding fast horses on the grasslands, hahaha, you guys just aren't used to it..."

*Smack!* Lan Yiyi slammed her hand on the back of the seat in front of her. She couldn't take it anymore: "Stop the car! Stop the car!"

The young man paused for a moment, then obediently parked his car on the side of the road.

Lan Yiyi then opened the car door, got out, and vomited. Chen Rui, who hadn't felt nauseous before, also opened the car door and got out after seeing this.

Once back on the bus, Lan Yiyi said fiercely, "Little brat, you sit in the back!"

Li Younan smiled and got out of the car from the passenger seat.
Then, amidst the young man's pitiful gaze, Li Younan sat in the driver's seat.

The young man was still muttering to himself, "Sister Lan, if you can't even handle a car at this speed, how can you ride a horse fast? Our horse farm has no hope of participating in the races at the horse racing festival next year..."

"shut up."

"Okay, Sister Lan."

Li Younan found it somewhat amusing, and then quickly got into driving mode.

When he took over the car, the two girls immediately stopped feeling dizzy. In fact, Li Younan was not driving slowly at all; in many sections, he was even driving much faster than the young man.

Lan Yiyi snorted and said, "Did you see what driving skills are? They're faster than you and more stable. You should learn from them!"

"I'm used to riding horses, so..."

"Still arguing? Do you even ride a horse well?"

……

About an hour and a half later, the car arrived at Lan Yiyi's horse farm.

This horse farm is the largest and relatively the most professional in the area.

There are many circular fences enclosing the horse farm, which are used for tourists to train in horseback riding.

This space ensures that the horses won't suddenly go crazy and run away, while also providing enough distance for tourists to learn the most basic horseback riding techniques.

Outside is a racetrack that circles the horse farm, much longer than a school track.

A thin layer of snow had already accumulated on the ground. The workers they had hired were unloading feed from a large cart and carrying it into the stables over there.

Not every owner of a horse farm can afford to have such a professional stable.

Because the workers were unloading feed and other supplies needed for the stables, and it was inconvenient for them to go over, they wandered around the area and chatted.

Li Younan also gained a general understanding of the situation regarding Lan Yiyi's family's horse farm.

The stables are still very important in winter.

Lan Yiyi's family has many horses of different breeds from other places. In addition to local Mongolian horses, there are many other breeds, such as Ili horses, Hequ horses, and even an Arabian horse. Some of the horses must be cared for in temperature-controlled stables.

Lan Yiyi told Li Younan that in recent years, Inner Mongolia has been vigorously developing horse culture and holding various competitions and cultural festivals. As Xilinhot is known as the "Horse Capital", it naturally regards the development of the horse riding industry as a key project.

The direction of the reform is professionalization, gradually standardizing the previously unregulated horse farms. Li Younan is well aware of this; in fact, Inner Mongolia has uniquely favorable conditions for developing the equestrian industry.

Not to mention that this place is very suitable for raising horses, with a large number of horses and a well-established local horseback riding culture.

Now that people's living conditions have improved, especially in places like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, people who pursue a high quality of life are mostly happy to pursue new things.

They have money, but getting them to spend it is not an easy task.

We need to gradually align with international standards and transform our previously rough management practices into refined and sophisticated ones.

As well-known local entrepreneurs, Lan Yiyi's family responded to the government's call and became pioneers... According to Lan Yiyi's description, this is roughly the situation.

However, Lan Yiyi's parents basically no longer live here, and the management has been handed over to Lan Yiyi's uncle.

Lan Yiyi grew up here and would come back to visit for a while every year.

Once you get here, this is truly Lan Yiyi's territory.

Whether it's the equestrian instructors or the workers here, everyone shows Lan Yiyi a great deal of respect.

This experience was vastly different from my previous horseback riding experience in Hulunbuir.

She basically makes all the decisions; her emotions are the most important.

The snow on the ground didn't stop them from riding horses. It was Chen Rui's first time in Inner Mongolia, and even more so, her first time getting so close to horses. She looked around curiously.

Before long, the young man who had picked up Lan Yiyi earlier, under Lan Yiyi's arrangement, led a group of chestnut horses, which were said to be the most docile in the area, for them to experience.

Of course, it was mainly for Chen Rui to experience.

I briefly explained some basic techniques for mounting and dismounting a horse to Chen Rui and let her try it herself.

Chen Rui nervously climbed onto the horse's back and calmed herself down for a while on horseback.

The young man then explained the key points of horseback riding to Chen Rui for a while. Chen Rui listened very attentively, and Li Younan suspected that she had never been this attentive when thinking about physics.

The horse beneath him seemed a little bored, lowering its head to lick the thin layer of snow on the ground.

After a while, Chen Rui indicated that she understood, grabbed the reins, stood still, squeezed her legs twice, and twitched her legs on both sides of the horse's belly.

The horse raised its head, looked left and right, then lowered its head again to continue licking the snow.

Everyone present burst into laughter.

Chen Rui blushed. "Why isn't it moving?"

Lan Yiyi said with a smile, "Because you are kind."

Chen Rui paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, and then asked, "If it doesn't listen to me, why does it make me ride on it?"

Lan Yiyi went over and patted the horse's head, saying, "Because it is kind."

Lan Yiyi felt that her two sentences were so meaningful, ah, she suddenly had an inspiration... so classic.

Happy.

Chen Rui blinked, her expression complicated.

Fortunately, after some effort, Chen Rui was able to ride a horse again.

Lan Yiyi took the lead, holding the horse's reins, and led Chen Rui for a stroll in the vicinity.

Li Younan watched with great interest as a trainer tamed a riding horse that had just been bought from the horse market.

After a while, the young man who had picked them up rode over on a black horse.

He carried a traditional bow and arrow on his back, with a quiver full of arrows hanging on his side. He looked down at Li Younan and explained some key points of horseback archery, repeatedly emphasizing that it was a particularly cool skill.

Li Younan found it somewhat amusing. He could tell that the young man was trying to show off, so he chimed in with a few words: "Impressive, impressive."

The young man who was praised felt even more impressive and said, "You should try it out later."

He rode his horse toward the target, drew his bow and shot three arrows in succession. Two arrows missed the target, but one hit it.

Looking at the arrow on the target, Li Younan put on a thoughtful expression for a moment.

He now possesses astonishing physical abilities, thanks to the different focuses of his training in parkour, rock climbing, and archery.

While these enhancements aren't enough to directly grant him a higher level of riding skill, they do allow him to perform some body control on horseback with greater ease, building upon his level one riding skill.

At the same time, he also has the archery skill to hit any target he points at from 70 meters away.

He didn't acquire any skills like mounted archery, which is already quite powerful. But what kind of effect will it have if he uses both skills together?

The young man rode around once, returned to the spot where he had shot the arrows, quickly drew his bow, and fired three more arrows.

This time was slightly better than the previous round. He was hit by two arrows, but because of the speed at which he nocked the arrow, the horse had already run far away by the time he finished, so the third arrow was naturally out of aim.

Seeing this, Li Younan seemed to be deep in thought. Therefore, in addition to good riding skills and accurate shooting, another very important thing for a mounted archer is to shoot quickly.

The young man went around and around until he had shot all the arrows before he stopped.

At this moment, Lan Yiyi led Chen Rui's horse slowly over.

The young man stopped his horse in front of Li Younan and the others, dismounted, and said triumphantly to Lan Yiyi, "Sister Lan, look, all three of my last shots hit the target."

Lan Yiyi squinted at that direction, thinking about her archery yesterday, and commented indifferently, "Then good luck, and try to get a ranking at next year's Naadam."

Upon hearing this, the young man coughed but did not respond.

Li Younan asked curiously, "What are the differences between mounted archery and stationary archery?"

Before Lan Yiyi could speak, the young man excitedly began to explain: "This mounted archery is no simple matter. First of all, you have to be a good rider. You have to be able to control the horse's movement using only your legs and center of gravity. In addition, you have to sit firmly on the saddle, and your whole body, waist, and horse have to be constantly tense. Then there's the timing of drawing the bow..." He went on and on.

Li Younan walked to the horse and said, "I want to give it a try."

Lan Yiyi blinked.

The young man checked and, not knowing Li Younan's horseback riding and archery skills, hesitated for a moment before advising, "Why don't you ride a horse around a couple of times first, then try shooting arrows in place... and finally get on the horse? Horseback archery is still somewhat dangerous."

Chen Rui asked curiously from the side, "Do you have to take this in the college entrance exam?"

The young man paused for a moment, then asked, "Huh?"

Lan Yiyi laughed heartily from the side.

She glanced at Chen Rui, unsure whether the girl was asking the question jokingly or genuinely thought so.

At that moment, Li Younan had already mounted his horse.

This time, he didn't use the conventional way to get on. Instead, he crossed his hands, grabbed the saddle, and then used a flip-over motion similar to a horizontal bar rotation, flipping onto the horse very gracefully without stepping on it.

The young man paused, stunned. That move looked cool. He couldn't do it; he wanted to learn…

Li Younan reached out: "Bring me the bow!"

Lan Yiyi looked at the young man who was still in a daze, took the bow from his hand, and obediently handed it to Li Younan.

Li Younan then stretched out his other hand: "Bring me the arrow."

By this time, the bow and arrows had been used up, and the young man looked at Lan Yiyi with some hesitation: "Sister Lan, is he really capable?"

Lan Yiyi wasn't entirely confident, but she just felt that Li Younan would definitely be fine. She said nonchalantly, "He'll definitely be alright. Go over there and get some bows and arrows."

Li Younan waved his hand and said, "No need."

His gaze fell on the two bows and arrows stuck in the runway.

Horsemanship, archery...

That's something to look forward to!

But right now, we need arrows first.

……

Squeeze your flanks, and the horse will immediately accelerate and charge forward.

It must be said that this horse was trained extremely well; Li Younan immediately grasped its temperament.

The most notable characteristic of this horse is its steadiness.

That archery... was also a sure thing!

It was the first time Chen Rui had seen Li Younan riding a horse, and she stared at him blankly.

Lan Yiyi already knew that Li Younan rode very well, and her eyes were full of admiration.

Only the young man looked somewhat incredulous and rubbed his eyes.

The wind whistled in Li Younan's ears.

As he approached the arrow, Li Younan did not slow down. Instead, his body suddenly tilted to the lower left, his left foot slipped out of the stirrup, and his right leg gripped the saddle tightly, leaving him almost suspended on the side of the horse.

His left hand swept across the ground like an iron hook, swiftly grabbing the first arrow. Taking advantage of the horse's forward momentum, he leaned forward to the right and his right hand flashed out to grab the second arrow.

"Wow!"

Chen Rui's mouth was slightly open, but then she thought of Li Younan's fierce performance while skiing... and the scene in front of her seemed to make sense.

Lan Yiyi's smile deepened... This kind of man is really... really... She looked at the young man: "Can you do it?"

The young man's expression was somewhat complicated. He had just been showing off to someone, but he didn't expect him to be a real expert.

It wasn't over yet. Just as he picked up the arrow, Li Younan used his waist and abdomen to spring back to the saddle, his feet landing firmly on the stirrups with a "click".

He had already gripped both arrows in his left hand.

Without stopping, his right hand drew the first arrow directly from his left hand.

Nocking the arrow, stringing it, drawing the bow—it was as if he had practiced countless times; the tension of the bowstring and the feel against his cheek were his benchmarks.

My eyes were fixed on the bullseye in the distance, the red dot so clear it looked like it was nailed right in front of me.

"Bang!" The bowstring snapped, and the air currents from the arrow grazed my cheek.

Without pausing, Li Younan's right hand had already drawn the second arrow from his left hand.

Nock the arrow, draw the string, pull the bow—the movements are so fast they seem to happen without pause.

The string is still pressed against the same spot, and the eyes are still locked on the same point.

"Bang!" The second arrow flew out, chasing after the tail of the first one.

The horse was still running when Li Younan sat up straight and looked at the target.

Two muffled thuds, "plop, plop," came from afar, almost simultaneously.

At the bullseye, two small clumps of dust were clearly raised.

"awesome!"

The two girls cheered in unison.

(End of this chapter)