I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 43: High-Spirited

Finally, an old general with graying hair, clad in soft armor, entered the training ground, his voice robust and powerful:

"Class begins!"

Rong Yunhao saw that the instructor of archery was unexpectedly an elderly man with white hair. Initially dissatisfied, he did not expect the old general, right in front of everyone, to draw a three-stone strong bow and hit the bullseye with one shot.

The young prince stared in amazement at this scene, then secretly ran over, lifting a large strong bow beside him, his eyes widening in awe: "So heavy!"

Rong Yunhao exerted all his strength, his small face scrunched up, but the hard bow showed no reaction at all—he couldn’t even pull the bowstring.

"Young prince, you’re still young; perhaps you should start with the specially made small bow over there," the old general said.

He then looked towards Rong Baoyi on the stone steps, his expression turning kind, raising his voice:

"County Princess Changle has an astonishing aim, but is a little lacking in strength. If you truly wish to learn archery, you can start by strengthening your physique, training your arm strength, and practicing diligently. With time, you can certainly rival the men."

The old general had been in the shadows and witnessed Rong Baoyi drawing the bow.

He knew that as a girl, Rong Baoyi had certainly never shot an arrow seriously; even if she was gifted, she would only know some theoretical knowledge. Yet today, she surprisingly managed to hit the target right away.

Rong Baoyi’s talent was so high that it stirred the old general’s admiration for her potential.

Rong Baoyi stood up, cupped her fists, and saluted the old general: "Thank you, Old General Chen, for your guidance."

She performed a man’s salute, yet no one said anything.

Gu Lan curled his lips, then suppressively yawned.

Yan Qing approached Rong Yunhao and advised, "Brother Hao, let’s try pulling the half-stone bow together. The strong bows here, except for General Li and the former Crown Prince, are hard for others to draw. Your sister’s strength isn’t much either, let alone managing it."

Rong Yunhao, a bit reluctant, tugged at Gu Lan’s sleeve, his voice soft: "Brother Lan, sister has taught you archery, can you draw this bow?"

Cao Chen stepped forward and said, "How could that be possible? This kind of hard bow is used in the army and requires a well-trained, strong-armed archer..."

Pausing, he scanned Gu Lan up and down, showing disdain.

This frail and thin figure was almost like Yan Qing; how could he possibly draw a strong bow?

Discontentedly he mused, wasn’t Gu Lan just a pretty face? How could the Princess fancy him? Once he embarrasses himself showing off, maybe the Princess will see his true self.

"Young Master, even if you’re good at fighting, this requires tremendous strength," he said cheerfully.

"Is that so." Gu Lan scratched his ear, finding Cao Chen a bit bothersome.

Cao Chen was talking about a military strong bow, weighing over two stone; never mind Rong Yunhao who was just an eight-year-old child, even Cao Chen himself couldn’t draw it.

"Look, Brother Zhenghu is the oldest among us, and last time, even he couldn’t manage to draw it," Cao Chen glanced at Qin Zhenghu, taking the opportunity while the Second Prince wasn’t around, indulging in some taunting.

"Alright," Rong Yunhao lowered his head in disappointment but didn’t press Gu Lan any further. He clenched his little fists and earnestly told Cao Chen, "When Brother Lan grows up, he’ll definitely be able to!"

"Young prince, you do have confidence in Gu Lan."

Meanwhile, Qin Zhenghu, who had been mocked, flushed and wanted to retort, but suddenly, the sky darkened abruptly, a fierce wind swirled up, and the color drained from his face, leaving it pale.

"The wind’s picked up!"

"Such a strong wind."

Cao Chen saw Qin Zhenghu’s pale and stunned expression and taunted further, "Brother Zhenghu, this fear of wind and rain still isn’t cured yet? Tsk, how will you serve as an official in the court in the future?"

Qin Zhenghu buried his head in his chest, not daring to look at the dark clouds in the sky, his body slightly trembling.

"Doesn’t the Young Master want to give it a try?" the old general suddenly suggested.

Gu Lan caught a trace of anticipation in the old general’s gaze.

She looked back and saw Qin Zhenghu, who was trembling.

The book seemed to mention that this future Minister of Industry had lost loved ones in a flood, which was why, after becoming the minister, he personally managed water control and dam repairs, benefiting countless people.

But now, Qin Zhenghu was a timid scholar, seemingly not yet out of the shadow of losing his kin.

Gu Lan’s fingertips curled slightly, then he took the hard bow from above Rong Yunhao’s head. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Rong Heng witnessed this and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Gu Lan turned back and asked proactively: "Brother Hang, don’t you have anything to say to me?"

Rong Heng’s cool face remained indifferent: "Just be quiet."

He bet, Gu Lan could manage to draw it.

Even though he himself didn’t know why he was so confident in Gu Lan.

The old general saw Rong Heng, surprise flickering in his eyes.

This was... the former Fifth Prince?

He stroked his beard and said, "The wind has picked up suddenly, I fear it won’t be good for shooting arrows."

The training ground suddenly fell silent because of Gu Lan’s action, and everyone’s eyes were fixed on her. Only the sound of the wind could be heard.

"Baoyi, do you think Gu Lan can draw that bow?" Miaoyan watched the slender figure in the training ground without blinking, and couldn’t help but ask Rong Baoyi.

Baoyi, being the daughter of Prince Rui, usually kept an eye on these things and knew a bit about military equipment.

Rong Baoyi shook her head, "I’m not sure, that bow is roughly two and a half stones. Scholars like Cao Chen and Qin Zhenghu definitely can’t draw it, but what if Young Master Gu inherited the divine strength of Marquis Gu?"

Rong Miaoyan said, "If only your brother could inherit the divine strength of the Prince."

"He’s only eight, sister," Rong Baoyi said, feeling a bit eager herself, "If I were as old as Cao Chen, I could definitely draw it, but Gu Lan..."

Han Xuan’er couldn’t help but sneer, "Innate divine strength? How could Young Master Gu, who looks so weak, have such strength?"

"The last person to draw such a hard bow was that oaf Su Zixiao," Miaoyan recalled for a moment and then said, "as well as Brother Jingqi and Gu Changting. They aren’t particularly robust either."

Gu Lan picked up the short bow without saying a word, her clear and light water-ink eyes looking ahead, and her thin lips lifted slightly.

She hadn’t lied to Rong Baoyi before, she really hadn’t learned archery.

What she learned were killing skills.

Gu Lan pinched the arrow and bowstring with her thumb and middle finger, and to everyone’s astonishment, effortlessly drew the short bow.

The rigid arrow rested against her lips, and Gu Lan paused for a moment, provocatively glancing at Cao Chen.

Cao Chen was so shocked that he could swallow an egg whole.

This was a two-stone strong bow!

Why did Gu Lan make it look so easy, making him feel like she was drawing Rong Yunhao’s toy bow?

"Drawing, drawing the bow doesn’t mean you can——" Han Xuan’er’s words were cut off.

"Whoosh!"

With a sound that seemed to tear through the air, the white-feathered arrow flew like a sharp stream of light, tracing a perfect arc, before embedding straight into the solid wood target a hundred meters away.

The vermillion bullseye, pierced dead center.

The arrow was deeply embedded in the target, and the white feathers at the tail were still "buzzing" in vibration.

"Hit, it’s the bullseye!" The old general couldn’t help but shout excitedly, "As expected of the marquis’s son!"

No one expected that today he would discover two archery prodigies, especially Gu Lan, who would one day inherit the Dingyuan Marquis position. It seemed the marquis had worthy successors.

"To hit the bullseye from such a distance, and Gu Lan even sought Changle’s advice on archery beforehand——" Even Yan Qing, who had been quietly observing, couldn’t help but speak in surprise.

Rong Baoyi’s pretty face turned slightly red, "Gu Lan, you actually do know archery, don’t you? I was showing off my skills in front of an expert."

Rong Yunhao, excited, hugged Gu Lan’s leg, completely ignoring his sister, his eyes sparkling with admiration, "Brother Lan, you’re so cool! Teach me, teach me! I’ll give you all my almond pastries!"

Gu Lan lowered her head and patted the young prince’s hair, still not speaking.

Heh heh, those almond pastries were hers to begin with...

She turned her head and smiled slightly in the direction of Rong Heng.

A young man, brimming with youthful vigor, stood with unparalleled grace, his black hair dancing in the wind, the warm colors in his obsidian eyes akin to the delicate embellishments of an ink painting.

The sunlight was obscured by dark clouds, but the white-clothed youth standing in the center of the training ground was the rising sun.

Rong Heng looked at Gu Lan, his peripheral vision catching the incredulous stares of those around them.

Suddenly, he was quite pleased, filled with an ineffable pride because he was the only one who believed Gu Lan could draw the bow.

And she really did it.

However, glancing at the worshipful, surprised gazes of Rong Miaoyan and the others, Rong Heng felt a bit of gloom.

Gu Lan set down the short bow, unhurriedly walked back to Rong Heng, and smiled with teeth exposed, "I get it now, keeping quiet really does have its benefits, Brother Hang, you’re so considerate for me."

As long as she kept her lips sealed, she could strike the coolest pose.

Rong Heng: ?

Gu Lan: "See, wasn’t I the coolest person in the whole place when I stood there saying nothing?"

Rong Heng: ...

Just then, a rumble came from the gray sky.

Qin Zhenghu, who had just looked up in awe because of Gu Lan’s bullseye shot, shuddered again upon hearing the thunder.

He clutched the book roll in his hand, which was a regional gazetteer.

A line of broken ink words was exposed from his hand:

"...summer floods surge, wreak havoc and drown many to death——"