After telling Zhen Niang about the shoe issue, Qin Yi ran out into the courtyard and found Wang Gensheng. With a bright and eager voice, he suggested, "Gensheng, let's go find Dashan and play."
"Play what?" Wang Gensheng looked up from fiddling with his bamboo house model.
He wasn't really opposed to visiting Dashan, but he'd never actually played with him before. The idea of playing with Dashan hadn't crossed his mind.
"Play archery!" Qin Yi said excitedly.
Hearing this, Wang Gensheng's interest immediately faded. He shook his head firmly, his voice flat: "Don't want to."
Qin Yi's eyes brightened with a new idea. "Then do you want to make bows and arrows?"
Wang Gensheng immediately perked up. "Of course! I've been dreaming about it!"
His father, Wang the carpenter, was most famous for crafting bows and arrows. Naturally, Wang Gensheng, who idolized his father, longed for the day he could inherit his skills and craft bows just as well.
"That's it! You can't make good bows if you've never really handled them or learned archery yourself." Qin Yi said firmly.
Wang Gensheng nodded decisively, now even more enthusiastic than Qin Yi.
"Come on, let's go find Dashan and learn archery!"
Following the route they had taken yesterday, the two of them arrived at Dashan's house again.
"Qin Yi, you kids came back to see Dashan?" Qing Niang smiled warmly.
She had never agreed to Dashan learning archery so early, but Qin An, Dashan's father, had the final say. Now, with an excuse to interrupt his lesson, she happily took the two children up the hill.
With yesterday's experience in mind, Qin Yi felt slightly awkward but no longer as resistant as before. At the cleared space where Dashan practiced archery, he carefully stepped down from Qing Niang's arms. Bowing respectfully to Qin An, he said earnestly, "Uncle An, please teach me archery."
Qing An blinked in surprise. Dashan, letting go of his short bow, exclaimed, "Qin Yi, you want to learn archery? To become a hunter? Did Father agree?"
Qin Yi tilted his head. "Learning archery doesn't mean I want to become a hunter. Who said that? I just want to learn archery."
Dashan tilted his head, confused by Qin Yi's logic, and stayed silent.
Qin An then frowned, asking, "Did you ask your master about this first?"
Qin Yi nodded with a smile. "Yes, he personally agreed."
Qin An raised an eyebrow, astonished. "You personally asked him, and he agreed?"
"Yes!" Qin Yi replied earnestly, unsure why Qin An seemed so excited.
Of course, Qin An was thrilled. The Master knew him. The Master had personally heard from Qin Yi about him and… had approved. Asking to learn archery was a sign of the Master's recognition. Qin An's worries of the past few days vanished, and he laughed heartily, patting his chest. "Good! I'll teach you everything I know."
Qin Yi hadn't expected such an easy agreement. He now looked at Qin An with even more respect. Uncle An was easy to get along with.
"When do we start?" Qin Yi asked eagerly.
"Now. Dashan, take a break and give your bow to Qin Yi."
"Ah?" Dashan reluctantly handed over his bow, reminding, "Qin Yi, take good care of it, okay?"
Qin Yi carefully took the bow, nodding solemnly. "Don't worry, Dashan. I'll cherish it as if it were my own eyes."
Wang Gensheng wanted to join too, but he dared not, quietly standing to the side as background.
Qin Yi quickly added, "Uncle An, Wang Gensheng wants to learn too. He hopes to make the best bows and wants to follow you to learn archery."
Qin An glanced at Wang Gensheng and then at Qin Yi, reluctantly nodding. "Fine. Let him learn with you. How much he learns depends on his talent."
Clearly, Qin An agreed mostly out of respect for Qin Yi.
Wang Gensheng wasn't upset at all; he didn't care for archery itself and just wanted to craft better bows. Learning alongside Qin Yi was just as good. And he didn't even have to put in much effort himself—perfect.
Qin An took out his own bow, demonstrating while explaining: "Stand firmly, hold the bow in your left hand, draw with your right, pull to this extent, aim, release."
His instruction was far from the Master's, but at least there was a demonstration.
Qin Yi observed every motion carefully, remembering it all.
After Qin An shot one arrow, he looked down at Qin Yi. "Archery is simple. Once you understand the basics, practicing is the rest. Go, stand here, shoot an arrow for me."
Following the instructions, Qin Yi stepped a few paces forward, about three meters from a large tree. Mimicking Qin An's movements, he drew, aimed, and released.
Though slightly clumsy and weak, every motion was correct. The arrow hit the tree. At such a close distance, missing would have been shocking.
Qin An was stunned.
The form was perfect. Qin Yi had learned it in just one try. What talent…
After shooting, Qin Yi adjusted his stance based on his previous sword training habits, shooting two more arrows and finding the posture and movements that suited him best.
Seeing this, Qin An was even more shocked.
He had witnessed something extraordinary. Qin Yi had adjusted and refined his technique on his own, without guidance—something usually only done after reaching a plateau. Normally, a teacher would have to point out such details.
But Qin Yi had done it instinctively, in only a few shots.
He was a prodigy.
Now, he finally understood why the Master chose Qin Yi alone as his sword-attendant.