Abandoning literature for martial arts, starting by unleashing the beauty's bow.

Using the number of floats on water to determine the life or death of the entire village seems far too frivolous.

However, no one in Mao'er Village dared to raise any objections.

Lu Fengnian's arrows subdued Shangjie Village and Mao'er Village.

All eyes were on the thin stone in Lu Fengnian's hand.

The small stone had been lying under the willow tree for countless years, trampled underfoot by countless people.

Today, it became the focus of the entire event, attracting widespread attention.

Even if I'm about to be thrown into the river, it's still worth the trip to land.

Lu Fengnian took two steps forward, his gaze fixed on the shimmering river surface.

It was here that he awakened the system.

This is where dreams take flight.

Because of this, he felt that Mao'er Village should be given a chance.

Under the old willow tree, nearly a hundred people were gathered, but there was no sound; not a single person spoke.

Everyone stared at Lu Fengnian with tense expressions.

Lu Feng took a deep breath, flicked his wrist, and swiftly threw the small stone in his hand.

With a soft "poof".

The stone hit the river surface and plunged headfirst into the water, splashing up a spray of water before disappearing without a trace.

The villagers of Mao'er Village were all taken aback.

They were already prepared to count the stones that skipped across the water.

Who would have thought that Lu Fengnian, with his amazing archery skills, would be so bad at skipping stones?

Then, the villagers erupted in deafening cheers, shouting out:

"A stone skipping on the water is an odd number!"

"If it's a good year, you'd better keep your word; if it's an odd year, you have to help us solve the water problem."

"The old willow tree has a spirit, and it is protecting our Mao'er Village."

…………

Lu Fengnian scratched his head. "I made a mistake. Shall I try again?"

Zhao Dagui was the first to object, "How can that be? A real man doesn't break his word!"

Other villagers chimed in:

"Yes, a person cannot stand without integrity; how can one go back on their word?"

"With so many people listening, and the old willow tree as our witness, you'd better keep your word this year. Otherwise, you're just a man who squats down to pee."

…………

Lu Fengnian sighed, "Alright, I keep my word. I'll take care of the water problem."

At this point, he turned his gaze to Zhao Tianming and raised his voice slightly, "You are right, a person without integrity cannot stand."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianming, Zhao Tie, and several other men who had recently been released from Shangjie Village all felt their faces burning with shame.

Lu Fengnian turned around, strode up to Liu Yunjuan, and whispered, "Mother, let's go back."

As Lu Fengnian and Liu Yunjuan walked further and further away, the villagers of Mao'er Village breathed a sigh of relief and smiled broadly.

……

"Feng Nian, were you doing this on purpose?"

As soon as Liu Yunjuan got home, she couldn't help but ask.

Lu Fengnian looked ashamed. "Mother, I didn't do it on purpose. It was just a slip of the hand."

Liu Yunjuan shook her head. "How is that possible? I won't say anything else, but just take skipping stones as an example. When you were three years old, you could skip five or six stones."

On ordinary days, when I have nothing to do, I love to skip stones under the old willow tree.

How could there be a mistake?

Lu Feng chuckled softly, "Nothing can be hidden from Mother. Yes, I did it on purpose just now."

So many elderly people were wailing and lamenting; it was heartbreaking.

Liu Yunjuan sighed softly, "I know you're worried about me and Xiaoyu."

Lu Fengnian shook his head. "Mother, things have already come to this, so don't think about it anymore."

Liu Yunjuan's face showed worry. "Fengnian, are you really going to lead the villagers to steal water from Shangjie Village?"

You yourself said that if we take the water from Shangjie Village, their old wells won't be able to hold up, and they'll definitely fight us to the death with Mao'er Village.

If the two villages were to engage in a bloody battle without regard for the consequences, the results would be unimaginable, and you would truly become a heinous criminal.

Lu Fengnian smiled slightly, "Mother, this is the worst possible outcome. I think there should be a better solution."

Liu Yunjuan blinked. "What method?"

Lu Feng smiled and said, "We don't know yet; it will take a few days to confirm."

At this point, he changed the subject, "After today, Zhao Dagui and the other villagers probably won't come to our house anymore."

However, Zhao Tianming will definitely come again, so I'll have to trouble Mother to help me hold him off.

Liu Yunjuan nodded. "Zhao Gang acted dishonestly, so he can't blame anyone else. It's right for you to stay out of it."

…………

Early the next morning, Lu Fengnian went out and walked slowly upstream along the small river at the entrance of the village until he reached the riverbank.

At each end of the river embankment stood a villager from Mao'er Village and a villager from Shangjie Village.

The two villages, worried that the other might not keep its promise, took turns sending people to guard the river embankment and keep an eye on each other.

On the Mao'er Village side, guarding the river embankment is a boy who is about half a year old, with dark skin and a lean build.

Upon seeing Lu Fengnian, the boy quickly emerged from the woods, running all the way. "Brother Fengnian, I saw you compete in archery with Zhao Tianming and Yang Kai! You're so amazing! Can you teach me how to shoot arrows?"

Lu Fengnian smiled slightly and patted his head. "You're not much taller than Lie Gong right now. If you want to learn archery, you'll need to grow a bit taller."

The boy looked disappointed. "Then can I use a bamboo bow?"

Lu Fengnian nodded. "You can play with the bamboo bow first. Once you're familiar with it and have grown taller, I'll teach you archery."

"Okay!"

The boy's face lit up with joy, and he asked, "Brother Fengnian, what brings you here?"

Lu Fengnian looked across the river and said, "Go find some shade in the woods. I need to talk to someone from Shangjie Village."

The boy nodded, quickly turned around, and disappeared back into the woods.

Lu Fengnian slowly walked up the river embankment and then walked towards the other side of the river.

A man from Shangjie Village was hiding under an old tree when he saw someone coming onto the embankment. He immediately jumped out and shouted, "What are you doing...?"

The man's voice abruptly stopped before he could finish speaking.

Because he recognized Lu Fengnian.

On that day, Lu Fengnian and Yang Kai had an archery contest, and the man on the embankment witnessed Lu Fengnian's formidable archery skills.

Lu Fengnian's presence here at this moment naturally caused him considerable anxiety.

However, with duty at his disposal, after a brief moment of panic, he stiffened his neck and shouted, "Lu Fengnian, what do you want to do?"

Lu Fengnian continued walking slowly forward, saying, "I'm empty-handed, I didn't bring a hunting bow, so I have no ill intentions."

The man replied, "Don't go any further. If you do, I'm going to start banging the gong."

"What's wrong? Stand there and say it."

Lu Fengnian stopped and asked in a low voice, "When do you change shifts?"

The man looked suspicious and replied, "There's still about a quarter of an hour left."

Lu Fengnian smiled slightly. "I've come at just the right time. When you go back to the village after your shift, please pass on a message to Yang Kai: I'll be waiting for him on the embankment."