Chapter 79 - 78: When the Heart of Martial Art Meets the Bow and Arrow...

Chapter 79: Chapter 78: When the Heart of Martial Art Meets the Bow and Arrow...

The superior who had just shouted a reprimand naturally recognized Zeng Anmin drawing his bow on the training ground. Afraid of displeasing Zeng Anmin, he drove everyone away from the training ground with threats and shooing.

"Left Clerk Zeng..." The minor official approached with a dry laugh. "They’re just a bunch of blind, reckless fools. Please don’t lower yourself to their level..."

Zeng Anmin drew another arrow, nocked it on the bow, and took aim.

At this moment, the Martial Arts Aura slowly circulated within his body. Following the circulation method of the second stance of *Falling Jade Disc*, it slowly flowed toward his eyes. As the gentle Martial Arts Aura entered his vision, those already sharp Dan Feng eyes became even more piercing.

Zeng Anmin felt that he could now see the tiny crack next to the bullseye on the target fifty paces away. He gently released his fingers.

WHOOSH!!!

THUD!!!

The arrow’s fletching quivered while the arrowhead struck dead center of the bullseye.

The minor official gasped, his eyes suddenly widening at the sight. Reacting swiftly, he hurriedly clapped and cheered, "What an arrow! Left Clerk Zeng’s Arrow Skill is truly unparalleled!"

Unfortunately, it was just him and Zeng Anmin on the entire training ground. His flattery sounded quite dry in the emptiness.

"A lucky shot," Zeng Anmin smiled modestly.

The minor official inwardly retorted that it was definitely a fluke, but he didn’t dare say it aloud. He merely kept up the bootlicking. Feeling a bit impatient, Zeng Anmin simply put away his longbow, dismissed the minor official, and strode out of the Observation Department.

In an unnamed jungle.

Zeng Anmin adjusted his breathing, fixing an extremely sharp gaze on a large tree a hundred paces away. The Relief Longbow in his hand groaned under the strain, letting out a CREAK. With a light pull, the half-man-tall longbow was drawn into the shape of a full moon!

He breathed in and out, his respiration carrying a mysterious rhythm. A sliver of Martial Arts True Qi separated from within his body, forming a curved cyclone that coiled around the arrow on the bow.

HUM.

The arrow groaned in pain. It seemed as though it would be crushed into powder by the Martial Arts True Qi attached to it in the next second.

Finally, a light breeze brushed past Zeng Anmin’s cheek, stirring a lock of hair across his forehead. Moving along with his hair was the exquisite Relief Longbow!

WHOOSH!!!

Zeng Anmin released his index finger. The arrow caused immense friction against the air, letting out a whistling sound as it rapidly spun through the sky!

THUD!!!

In a flash of lightning, the entire arrow sank deeply into the large tree.

"What immense power!" Zeng Anmin narrowed his eyes.

He changed positions, circling to the side of the trunk. He could clearly see that on the back of the tree, where the arrowhead protruded, a fist-sized hole had been blasted open by the Martial Arts Aura attached to the arrow.

"Is this the power brought by the Martial Artist’s Heart?"

He was still somewhat shocked. If he relied solely on *Falling Jade Disc*, even with the Spiral True Qi, the arrow would at most bury half of its head into the wood. After all, although the longbow in his hand was quite valuable, it was not a Spiritual Artifact. The power it could produce was limited.

However, things were not as simple as he imagined.

CRACK.

An almost imperceptible sound came from the tree. Zeng Anmin blinked. In the depths of his peripheral vision, cracks began to spread across the surface of the entire tree.

CRACK.

Teeth-aching sounds echoed endlessly. Before Zeng Anmin could think further, he watched the tree in front of him slowly fracture.

CRASH.

From the branches to the roots, cracks spider-webbed across the bark before coming to a standstill.

"This... is the true power of the Martial Artist’s Heart?!" Zeng Anmin was horrified, almost losing his voice.

He gently reached out and gave the tree a light tap with his finger. It felt extremely soft to the touch. With almost no effort, his finger sank right into the trunk.

This...

Zeng Anmin was still in a daze. Suddenly, the entire tree collapsed, turning into countless specks of sawdust in the wind and scattering all over the ground.

CLACK.

Losing its support, the arrow fell to the earth.

He thought, "Did I freaking do this?!"

Zeng Anmin abruptly raised his head, vigilantly scanning his surroundings. After confirming there was no one around, he breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately picked up the arrow from the ground and sprinted madly out of the jungle.

THUMP THUMP THUMP.

His speed fleeing the scene this time was undoubtedly the fastest of his entire life!

"Time to bail!" he thought.

Back at the Office of the Chief Clerk, Zeng Anmin’s heart was pounding wildly.

His distance from the tree just now had been a hundred paces. Converted to *zhang*, that was forty *zhang*!

That meant, relying solely on a single longbow, the power of his Martial Arts Aura had increased... four times over?! ℴℴ𝘮

What kind of concept was this? With his current combat power in the Void Realm, what Realm was he equivalent to?

At this point, his mind was spinning as he began to re-evaluate the longbow in his hands.

GULP.

Zeng Anmin’s gaze lost focus. Furthermore, this was without him utilizing the "Intent" of the Dragon Inspection Map.

He wondered, "When I go all out, will every arrow I shoot be accompanied by a Golden Dragon charging at the enemy?"

Zeng Anmin recalled the phantom of the Dragon Inspection Map in his Sea of Consciousness...

What would that turn into then? The Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Arrows?

"Bah, how tacky..." he thought.

In the Capital City, within the Imperial Study.

Emperor Jianhong sat in his chair, staring expressionlessly at the figure standing before him. The figure wore luxurious red robes, his face pale and beardless. He had extremely calm eyes that seemed to bring people a sense of peace. He simply stood there quietly, looking as though he were smiling, but upon closer inspection, his face was devoid of expression. It was hard to describe; it merely felt profoundly mysterious and subtle.

With bright eyes and white teeth, he was remarkably handsome, appearing to be no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He was none other than the Chief Eunuch, Si Zhongxiao—the man whom every member of the Scholars wished they could execute, whose flesh they wanted to eat, and whose blood they yearned to drink.

"Companion Si, tell me, how should I confer rewards for King Jiang’s rebellion case?"

Emperor Jianhong’s voice echoed. He possessed a majestic bearing, and his voice left a deep impact. An inexplicable sense of suppression rose within the Imperial Study.

As his words fell, Si Zhongxiao did not answer immediately. He remained silent for a moment before lifting his gaze. When their eyes met, Si Zhongxiao’s body visibly hunched in deference, and his gaze became as docile as an old dog by the courtyard wall.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this servant does not understand."

Si Zhongxiao’s voice was very thin. Whether intentional or natural, his throat carried a sort of hoarseness. It was precisely this hoarseness that suppressed the thinness of his voice, making him sound no different from a normal man.

Emperor Jianhong slightly raised his eyelids, his eyes fixing on Si Zhongxiao. A cold scoff rang out.

"Someone said that I should confer a reward upon him. They also suggested that since Yan’an Road currently has no Governor, he should be allowed to concurrently serve as the Governor of both Fengqi Road and Yan’an Road."

Upon hearing this, Si Zhongxiao lowered his eyes. In an angle Emperor Jianhong couldn’t see, an intense murderous intent flickered in his eyes. Although Emperor Jianhong didn’t specify, Si Zhongxiao immediately guessed that the person who proposed this idea was definitely his mortal enemy...

"Do you think it’s appropriate?"

Emperor Jianhong’s voice was very light this time, even carrying a hint of gentleness. However, Si Zhongxiao, who had followed Emperor Jianhong for a long time, felt a chill run down his spine. Only he knew that whenever Emperor Jianhong spoke like this, someone was bound to die...

After a long while, Si Zhongxiao slowly raised his head. Speaking even more softly than Emperor Jianhong, he respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Huang Yuangao, has requested retirement. His hometown is in Liangjiang Commandery. In this subject’s opinion, why not let him return home and temporarily oversee Fengqi Road?"

As soon as these words were spoken, brilliant light burst from Emperor Jianhong’s eyes!