Chapter 288: Chapter 129: Li Younan’s Horseback Archery

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 was taken aback, thought for a moment, and asked, "Then why does it not listen to me but let me ride it?"

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

Lan Yiyi felt that these two sentences she said were quite flavorful, ah, suddenly she had a flash of inspiration... truly classic.

Happy.

Chen Rui blinked with a complicated expression.

Fortunately, after some fuss, Chen Rui was still able to ride the horse.

Lan Yiyi took the initiative to lead the horse’s reins, taking Chen Rui for a walk around the area.

Meanwhile, Li Younan watched with interest as a coach tamed a horse that had just been brought back from the market.

After a while, the young guy who had brought them over came riding a black horse.

He carried a traditional bow and arrows, with a quiver full of arrows on the side. From a high vantage point, he explained some key moves in horseback archery to Li Younan, repeatedly emphasizing that it was a particularly cool skill.

Li Younan found it amusing, noticing that the young guy wanted to show off. He agreed a few times, "Impressive, impressive."

The praised young man felt even more confident, saying, "Later, you should give it a try too."

He rode the horse towards the target, drawing his bow and shooting arrows, releasing three consecutively. Two missed, but one hit the target.

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

He now had a remarkable physical condition, given that activities like parkour, climbing, and archery had enhanced his physique in different aspects.

Although these enhancements weren’t enough for him to achieve a higher level of riding skills, they certainly allowed him to handle some physical maneuvers on horseback more adeptly, building on his basic skills.

Moreover, he had archery skills that allowed him to hit targets accurately from 70 meters away.

Among his skills, he didn’t possess the already impressive horseback archery. But what would happen if he combined the two skills?

At this moment, the young man made another round and returned to the archery spot, quickly drew, and shot three arrows out again.

This time was a slight improvement over the previous round. He hit two arrows, but the third one missed due to the speed of nocking. By the time he had the arrow strung, the horse was already far away, so the aim was naturally off.

Seeing this, Li Younan pondered. So, for mounted archers, besides good riding and accuracy, shooting quickly was also crucial.

The young man circled again and again, only stopping after he had shot all his arrows.

At this time, Lan Yiyi also leisurely led the horse Chen Rui was riding over.

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

Lan Yiyi squinted at the targets and thought about her own archery practice the day before, blandly commenting, "Well, keep at it. Try to win a place at next year’s Nadamu Festival."

Hearing this, the young man coughed and didn’t respond.

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

Before Lan Yiyi could respond, the young man excitedly explained, "Mounted archery isn’t easy. First, your riding skills must be good. You at least need to control the horse’s movements with just your legs and center of gravity. Besides that, your saddle position has to be stable, with your body and horse tense at all times, and then the timing to draw the bow..." He went on explaining for a while.

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

Lan Yiyi blinked.

The young man confirmed, showing hesitance as he didn’t know Li Younan’s riding or archery skills. He advised, "How about riding the horse around for a couple of laps first, then trying stationary archery... and finish with mounted archery, as it’s somewhat risky."

Chen Rui asked curiously from the sidelines, "Do you guys also have this in your college entrance exams?"

The young man froze momentarily, "Huh?"

Lan Yiyi burst into laughter from the side.

She looked at Chen Rui, not sure if this little girl was asking jokingly or seriously thought so.

And at this moment, Li Younan was already mounting the horse.

This time, he didn’t use the conventional method. Instead, crossing his hands to grab the saddle, he used a move similar to a horizontal bar spin to flip elegantly onto the horse without stepping on the stirrup.

The young man was momentarily stunned, struck by the coolness and eager to learn this move.

Li Younan reached out, "Pass me the bow!"

Lan Yiyi, glancing at the still-astonished young man, took the bow from his hands and handed it obediently to Li Younan.

Li Younan extended his other hand, "Pass me some arrows."

At this point, all the arrows had been used up. The young man hesitated as he looked towards Lan Yiyi, "Sister Lan, can he really do it?"

Lan Yiyi was also uncertain inside, but she just felt that Li Younan wouldn’t have any problems. Nonchalantly, she said, "Of course, he can. Go pick up some arrows over there."

Li Younan, however, waved his hand, "No need."

His gaze fixed on the two arrows embedded on the track.

Horsemanship, archery...

Truly something to look forward to.

But for now, he needed arrows first.

...

He pressed the horse’s belly, and the horse immediately accelerated forward.

It had to be said, this horse was excellently trained. Li Younan quickly grasped its nature.

The defining trait of this horse was stability.

Therefore, the archery... would be stable too!

Chen Rui watched Li Younan ride a horse for the first time, staring at him blankly.

But Lan Yiyi had known for some time how well Li Younan could ride, her eyes full of admiration.

Only the young man found it unbelievable, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

Wind "whooshed" past Li Younan’s ears.

As they neared the position of the arrows, Li Younan didn’t slow down; his body suddenly tilted down to the lower left, left foot out of the stirrup, right leg gripping tightly to the saddle, his body nearly hanging off the side of the horse.

His left hand, like an iron hook, skimmed the ground, and with a "whoosh," he picked up the first arrow. Using the horse’s forward momentum, his body reached forward to the right, his right hand quickly grabbing the second arrow.

"Wow!"

Chen Rui slightly opened her mouth, but recalling Li Younan’s fierce performance while skiing, the scene before her suddenly seemed to make sense.

Lan Yiyi, the smile on her face grew increasingly pronounced... Such a man, really... really... She looked at the young man, "Can you do that?"

The young man’s expression was complex. He had just been showing off against a true master.

And that wasn’t all. After picking up the arrows, Li Younan used his waist and core strength to instantly bounce back onto the saddle, both feet securely "clacking" into the stirrups.

The two arrows were already gripped in his left hand.

His right hand didn’t stop, immediately taking the first arrow from his left hand.

Nocking, drawing, releasing the bowstring— as if he practiced it countless times, the tension of the bowstring and its touch against his cheek was his benchmark.

His eyes locked onto the target in the distance, the red dot clear as if pinned right in front of him.

"Boom!" The bowstring thrummed, the air from the shot arrow brushing past his cheek.

Li Younan’s right hand didn’t pause, taking the second arrow from his left.

Nocking, drawing, releasing the bowstring— the action was quick as if there were no intervals.

The string was held in the same position, the gaze fixed on the same point.

"Boom!" The second arrow chased the tail of the first as it flew.

The horse continued to gallop, Li Younan sat upright looking towards the target.

The distance delivered two muffled thuds, almost simultaneously.

At the bullseye, two puffs of dust rose clearly.

"Absolutely amazing!"

Both girls cheered in unison.