Hidden Shadow – CH 141

Chapter One-Hundred-Forty-One: Killing Feather Arrow

The official nodded. “Indeed, it was originally a divine bow. Because its name offended the Emperor, a Han dynasty Emperor ordered it to be forged in heavenly fire.”

The legendary ancient divine bow—how divine it truly was, no one knew.

The official thought, “It’s not like I put this bow here. Since it’s always been sitting in the second-class armory, there’s no reason not to let someone choose it.”

After thinking it over, he still added, “Miss, you are skilled in archery. If you have the opportunity, you can try to take the Moon Goddess Bow and the Candle Dragon Arrow. They have always been enshrined in the temple, and anyone who can draw them can take them away.”

The Moon Goddess Bow and the Candle Dragon Arrow were the legendary bows used by Hou Yi to shoot down the suns; everyone knows this.

An Jiu paused, her focus entirely shifting. “So arrows have names, too. What are these two called?”

The official’s gaze shifted slightly, looking at the two arrows. “Killing Feather Arrow. Though not destroyed, the Dragon-Subduing Bow is ruined. No other bow can unleash its true power; now they’re practically useless arrows.”

“I’ll keep them as a souvenir,” An Jiu said regretfully, still clinging to a sliver of hope that perhaps they could be repaired someday.

It was rare for her to find something she liked, even if it was broken; it held a special place in her heart.

The official didn’t try to dissuade her further, only offering a suggestion: “Miss, you’d better change the name.”

An Jiu nodded.

Changing the name was merely to avoid drawing attention. If a legendary divine bow could be so easily renamed, this “Dragon-Subduing Bow” wouldn’t still be called the Dragon-Subduing Bow.

Leaving the armory, An Jiu and Lou Mingyue parted ways, An Jiu going to the library to find Headmaster Sheng.

It was already late, and he hadn’t left yet.

The door was open, and An Jiu knocked a few times.

Headmaster Sheng looked up, his hair disheveled, and barely managed to lift his drooping eyelids to glance at her. “The door seems a bit open…”

An Jiu was speechless. It definitely wasn’t closed! Anyone with eyes could see that.

An Jiu went inside, deciding not to ask him any more questions. She untied the Dragon-Subduing Bow and went straight to a chair by the wall to sit down.

“Huh?” Headmaster Sheng’s eyes widened slightly. “It seems to be the Dragon-Subduing Bow.”

“Yes, the official of the armory said it’s dead, but I still want to know more.” This thing was under Headmaster Sheng’s jurisdiction; the Dragon-Subduing Bow wasn’t an ordinary weapon; he should know that.

“Ah…” Headmaster Sheng propped his chin on his hand, dark circles under his eyes, his eyes long and slightly curved, making him look like he’d transformed from a fox into a raccoon dog. “I threw it into the armory about seven or eight years ago, and you’re the first person willing to bring it out.”

If martial arts heroes saw such a legendary artifact, even a broken one, they’d fight tooth and nail for it. But those trained at the Konghe Academy must learn to assess situations carefully to survive longer. Those who practiced archery relied primarily on long-range shooting in combat; choosing a heavy and useless bow not only hindered their strengths but also became a burden.

“There are plenty of Dragon Subduing Palms and Dragon Binding Techniques in the martial world. The Emperor fears the Dragon Subduing Bow because it’s an ancient divine artifact.” Headmaster Sheng covered his mouth and yawned. “Heavenly fire is also lightning fire. This bow was struck by lightning. Legend says divine artifacts have spirits; I wonder if it was damaged by the lightning…”

He grinned. “This bow was originally yellow. It was turned black after being struck.”

“Is it beyond repair?” This was An Jiu’s biggest concern.

“I am but a lowly errand boy in the Konghe Academy; how could I possibly know how to repair divine artifacts?” Headmaster Sheng habitually tapped the table with the tip of his pen, leaving a blot of ink.

Calling him an errand boy was no exaggeration. The position of Master of Revenue was low-ranking but involved managing a vast array of tasks, in addition to five or six other tedious duties. Yet, he only received one salary, working diligently and refusing promotions. He remained Master of Revenue for over ten years, only once accepting a nominal academician position because he couldn’t refuse.

Therefore, Headmaster Sheng was widely recognized as the best colleague in the Konghe Academy.

An Jiu remained silent, neither speaking nor leaving, simply sitting there staring at him.

“Alright, since divine artifacts possess sentience, try using your internal energy… or if you don’t have internal energy, try carrying it around to cultivate its mental energy,” Headmaster Sheng said lazily. “I think it’s similar to polishing jade; jade becomes more spiritual with wear, and the divine bow should be no exception.”

“Thank you,” An Jiu said, bowing and taking her leave after receiving an answer.

Headmaster Sheng watched An Jiu leave, yawning incessantly, wanting to find a place to lie down for a while. He glanced down at a stain of ink on the table, frowned, and raised his sleeve to wipe it, but seeing the turquoise of his official robes, he paused, rolled up the sleeve of his outer robe, wiped it with the sleeve of his white inner garment, and then contentedly lay down on the table.

…

Mo Sigui had also heard about this trial, but as a rare breed, the Konghe Academy practically worshipped him, so naturally, he couldn’t participate in such a dangerous activity.

Everyone was actively preparing. Bored, he mixed various poisons and medicines, giving one to An Jiu and another to Lou Mingyue, but she threw them away.

Mo Sigui returned with a pile of bottles and jars, seeing An Jiu preparing her equipment, and plopped down on a stool. “Ah Jiu, can I ask you for a favor?”

“Hmm?” An Jiu glanced at him sideways as he stuffed medicine bottles into her pocket.

Mo Sigui said, “Protect my little Yu Yu.”

An Jiu coldly replied, “I thought you were being sarcastic.”

Lou Mingyue was an eighth-level martial artist, wielding a top-grade sword, while An Jiu had no internal energy whatsoever. She had just reforged her body, hadn’t even mastered the first level of the Severing Meridians Palm technique, and carried a broken bow on her back…

Was she supposed to be taught to risk her life to protect the world for love, like Mei Jiu?!

An Jiu prepared herself and left without looking back.

Although she saw no one around, she sensed people passing by, so she quickened her pace and ran to the training ground. Her newly forged physique was several times stronger than before, and her mental strength had surpassed the Transcendent Realm, allowing her absolute control over her body. Relatively speaking, she would need to reforge and temper her body at least ten more times to barely match her mental strength.

“Hey! Hurry up,” Sui Yuntong called out.

The training ground was almost full; An Jiu’s group was only missing her.

An Jiu didn’t speed up, running steadily towards the training ground.

“Li Qingzhi arrived first, and we got a good one.” Sui Yuntong waved a thick envelope in his hand.

All missions had levels; the more difficult and dangerous the mission, the higher the score. If they reached 20 points early, they could leave the Konghe Academy and join the Konghe Army sooner.

Their group was very strong, arguably even among the best in the Konghe Army, so naturally, they chose the difficult ones.

Lou Mingyue looked at the excited group and thought, “Have you considered other people’s opinions…?”

Sui Yuntong opened the envelope, took out a stack of papers filled with information, and read through them. “The target is in Bianjing City and lives on Pan Tower Street in the east of the city…”

Pan Tower Street was connected to the Imperial Street, not far from the palace. The street was lined with shops, and the surrounding area was filled with the residences of nobles, making it one of the most prosperous and wealthy areas in Bianjing City. Land there was incredibly valuable, so the houses were naturally built very compactly. To make someone disappear from the world unnoticed in such a place was indeed quite difficult.