Chapter 164: Truly a Provocation

Had it not been for the previous incident involving the Princess of Liang, the noble ladies would truly have been tempted to entertain other thoughts. After all, it appeared that the Princess of Ningyuan genuinely had no desire to marry the Heir.

Having repeatedly spoken ill of the Heir and arriving today in the company of the Heir of Prince Yi—who, although the Princess’s cousin, hardly adhered to proper etiquette—one would expect otherwise.

Yet, as fate would have it, Heir Jiang had taken a fancy to the Princess of Liang.

While the female seating section was rife with varied thoughts, currents of tension continued to churn beneath the surface on Jiang Lan’s side.

Stung with anger, Shen Kai launched a fierce, all-out offensive that left spectators both inside and outside dumbfounded.

One could hear the official score-keeper’s voice ringing out ceaselessly.

"Ear-shot hit, record—ten points for Young Master Shen!"

Scarcely had the voice faded when Jiang Lan completed her throw right behind him.

"Ear-shot hit, record—ten points for Heir Jiang!"

Seeing this, Shen Kai quickened his pace, not even glancing at Jiang Lan beside him, relying entirely on his peripheral vision and the score-keeper's voice.

Over at the women's section, two messenger pages arrived back-to-back.

The two exchanged glances in momentary bewilderment before the Old Madame in the hall spoke up, "Stop dilly-dallying, speak."

The other ladies were equally eager to watch the spectacle, as such an event was rarely encountered.

"Arrow-shaft hit, record—ten points for Young Master Shen!"

The Old Madame’s heart sank slightly as she sighed, "This Shen lad is truly formidable."

Fearing the old woman might be startled, Lady Gu raised a hand to signal her page.

The page eagerly announced in a loud voice, "Old Madame, our maternal cousin has also scored an arrow-shaft hit, ten points—"

"Good, good! Bestow a reward!" praised the Old Madame.

Beside her, Lady Gu made no mention of maintaining composure. Several rounds had already passed; if she did not allow the Old Madame to give rewards now, and they ended up losing in the end, it would look even worse.

Let them be rewarded; silver was hardly lacking.

The two pages scurried back, and no sooner had they left than two more arrived.

"Pole-leaning hit, record—fifteen points for Young Master Shen!"

Before the assembled ladies and young misses had time to gasp, the newly arrived page shouted out loudly, "Our maternal cousin has also scored a pole-leaning hit, fifteen points!"

In the rockery pavilion, Li Shengmao, the Heir of Prince Yi, looked down at the courtyard below, which happened to be the pitch-pot arena where Jiang Lan and Shen Kai were competing.

"Mimicry?" Li Shengmao asked with a mixture of guesswork and contempt.

"No, it is provocation."

Li Shengmao turned around to see Chen Yu, the Heir of Prince Anping.

"What makes the Heir say so?" Li Shengmao asked after exchanging greetings.

The corners of Chen Yu’s lips curled upward as he stepped forward, taking in the entire outer courtyard of the Duke of Ying’s estate. "Although it is the same technique and the same skill," he slowly began, "his execution is superior, simply flawless. It is as though he is provoking him—no, it is a blatant, naked provocation."

Li Shengmao looked down at Shen Kai below, whose forehead was already beading with cold sweat as he muttered something while shaking his head.

"Ear-pole-leaning hit, record—fifteen points for the Jiang family!"

Shen Kai stared at Jiang Lan in utter astonishment. "How can this be? This is clearly my technique! How could you possibly learn it? Even if you learned it, it’s impossible to master it overnight!"

"Impossible, impossible..." Shen Kai muttered incessantly.

The score-keeper nearby reminded him, "Young Master Shen, Young Master Shen, it is your turn."

Picking up a pitch-pot arrow, Shen Kai glared at Jiang Lan and said, "Let’s see if you can copy this one."

With that, he cast the arrow toward the pot. The shaft grazed the rim, and the arrowhead pointed straight back at the thrower, Shen Kai himself.

The crowd erupted in uproar. "This—this is a dragon’s head!"

The score-keeper’s voice suddenly soared to a pitch three octaves higher. "Dragon’s head, record—eighteen points for Young Master Shen!"

Xue Mingfang rolled up his sleeves. "Eighteen points already, and we’re on the eighth round? What on earth is that fellow trying to do? Does he think our Duke’s estate is devoid of men?"

"Third Brother Xue, let’s go! This young master will clear the path for you!"

Zhao Yang happily bounced over to Xue Mingfang’s side. "Third Brother Xue, let’s go give him a thrashing and see if he dares to act so presumptuously again!"

Spurred by Zhao Yang’s words, Xue Mingfang’s temper flared even higher. Had his second brother, Xue Ming睿, not been standing right beside him, he truly would have charged out and led men to thrash Shen Kai.

"Second Brother, isn’t that Shen Kai openly bullying us? Our cousin has never played this game before, and managing to throw like this is already a remarkable feat, yet he pulls off a dragon’s head—a full eighteen points!"

Xue Ming睿 gestured to his sixth younger brother to pull away the trouble-making Young Master Zhao, who loved inserting himself into every spectacle—the further away, the better.

"We are the hosts today, and dignity is paramount above all else. If he wins, it is due to his skill. If we lose, we must do so with grace and poise. Using power to suppress others is not something the sons of the Xue family do."

Xue Mingfang wilted. "Very well, Second Brother. I promise I’ll settle accounts with him later."

"You..." Xue Ming睿 sighed. Truth be told, he wanted to teach him a lesson too.

However, one had to admit that Shen Kai’s pitch-pot skills were truly peerless. If only he had been a bit more modest and courteous, he wouldn’t have provoked the sixth brother into accepting the challenge, thereby avoiding this entire farce.

"What is Heir Jiang doing? Why hasn't he thrown his arrow after all this time? Could he have conceded defeat?"

Whispers rippled through the crowd below. Even on the rockery, Li Shengmao smiled and remarked, "Whether it was mimicry or provocation no longer matters. He is going to lose."

Chen Yu looked down at the courtyard. "Oh? Is that so?" Watching the poised, rice-colored figure holding her breath below, he added, "I wouldn't be so sure."

Both men kept their eyes fixed on the scene below.

Paying no mind to the speculations and deliberate mockery of the crowd, Jiang Lan tapped her left arm—it ached slightly. *The wind is about to rise,* she thought to herself.

Then she turned around, picked up a single arrow, and without a second thought, tossed it backward without looking.

"Dragon’s head, record—eighteen points for Heir Jiang!" The score-keeper’s voice rang out across the entire courtyard once more, driving the noise of the crowd to a fever pitch!

Down below, Xue Mingfang clapped his hands enthusiastically and laughed, "Come on then, let’s see what other tricks you have left!"

Seeing his cousin score successfully once again, Xue Mingfang’s admiration reached new heights. "No wonder! Three attempts were quite enough for my cousin. Brilliant, utterly brilliant!"

"When it comes to pitch-pot, this young master now only bows to my cousin-in-law!" Zhao Yang had squeezed in from somewhere, though Sixth Young Master Xue was nowhere to be seen.

Zhao Yang shouted from the side, "Come on, show us whatever formidable tricks you’ve got! Our Master Jiang will return every single one of them in full!"

And return them in full indeed! The surrounding spectators began to catch on. At first, they had thought Heir Jiang simply didn't understand the rules, copying Shen Kai’s every move.

But upon closer reflection of Heir Jiang’s performance just now—calm and unhurried—although the technique and stance bore a striking resemblance, a slight hint of greenness could still be detected. Yet that tiny trace of inexperience did nothing to diminish a technique that verged on perfection. It was truly breathtaking.

Formidable, genuinely formidable!

"Why do I feel like the Heir is actually the one doing the provoking?" someone observed. Though the words were spoken without a shred of disrespect, they were laced with deep admiration. "From now on, when it comes to pitch-pot, I only bow to the Heir!"

"Of course it's a provocation! Who told Shen Kai to run his mouth earlier?"

The surrounding crowd burst into hearty laughter, making no effort to lower their voices.

Hearing this, Shen Kai was naturally seized with sudden fury and embarrassment.

Instead of immediately retrieving an arrow, he walked over to the score-keeper and muttered a few words.

The crowd then watched as the score-keeper walked over to Heir Jiang and exchanged a few words. Heir Jiang did not speak; she merely nodded.