The third-tier challenge, known as the Nine-Star Chain ——, tested participants highest level of skill. Contestants faced a series of dynamic rings that required precise timing to shoot through. After prolonged anticipation, Young Master Orange finally achieved the perfect moment—a powerful shot that nearly struck the bullseye, demonstrating exceptional skill. Yet in the end, he narrowly missed the top record by a single point. The crowd immediately cheered him on, their enthusiastic applause celebrating what they considered the second-best performance in history.
Then it was Ah Juns turn. He shot an arrow quickly and immediately hit the faces of those people... The boy, with his skilled skills and excellent performance, broke the record for the first time, and then gave up the two opportunities to continue to break it.
As Ah Jun clinched the championship, Cheng Shao remained silent and walked away without looking back, his head down. Filled with disappointment and resentment, he knew his father would never forgive him——. Yet despite this, Cheng Shao believed his own incompetence was the reason his father treated him differently. After all, his father treated his elder brother differently—this eldest son was the pride and hope of the family.
Then, at the moment when the child won the championship, a group of friends and relatives of Ah Jun broke out of the power they had been saving for a long time. They shouted loudly —— "Hit the target from 100 steps away, hit the target from 100 steps away..." and drove away most of the melon fans.
The nickname "little hundred steps through the bow" was given by the deputy general, which originated from the superb skills of his brother-in-law Yi. Ah Jun seemed to have received the true transmission from him, and he was constantly grateful in his heart.
Speaking of Yi, he was on a mission with his sister Qing when, for some reason, he suddenly sneezed several times in a row. Then he counted on his fingers and calculated that his intuition told him that Ah Jun must have won the championship —— No kidding, it was really accurate!
Qing looked at the man with a puzzled face and said with a hum that it was because she had caught a cold two days ago when she changed seasons to get cool. As the saying goes, "Clothes are warm in spring and cold in autumn", so it seems that her brother-in-law is really afraid of heat.
As for Yi, he insisted that Ah Jun missed him. Then the two of them quarreled and quarreled, which was quite lively. By the way, they collected an exotic beast that they planned to sneak into the city.
Every time an archery festival is held, the guard team raises its alert level, but the limited manpower is assigned to various locations to carry out tasks.
This time, qing Jian was short of hands, so he dragged Yi, who was originally going to watch the game, to fill the gap and patrol with her. Anyway, I cant go to watch the game, so you shouldn t want to go either —— It feels a little overbearing.
The eldest brother-in-law, of course, was not convinced. He said Ah Jun needed his familys support at this moment, and nothing was more important than that. Qing Youxun told him they were not only Ah Juns family, but also the guardians of this city. She had everything arranged, and Ah Jun would not suffer injustice.
So Yi followed along, grumbling angrily, but didnt have much of an opinion —— which was fine, as the two of them could make a date.
Over the years, the outskirts of the city had been plagued by strange beasts. Some boldly attempted to breach the main gates, others tried to climb over walls stealthily, while a few cunning ones would slip in when guards werent watching... Yet none succeeded. What stood out was these creatures deep obsession with Ah Jun, driving them to keep coming back despite repeated failures.
Qing, the eldest sister, had been tirelessly worrying about the citys residents and Ah Jun, while the entire Guardian Team faced mounting pressure day after day. Yi understood all this, for he shared the same concerns. Though Qing sometimes acted irrationally due to her constant efforts, her heart and actions were entirely justified. The true essence of reason doesnt require excessive explanation or justification—it speaks for itself.
Soon, this years Wuyun Archery Festival will be over. After the principal announced the results and gave the graduates awards, Laner was the first to run over and give Ah Jun a warm hug. She was very happy.
The owner of the restaurant in the stands kept shouting from time to time, and strange looks came from time to time. Laner kept looking back at diss with her eyes. Soon after, pudding, Xiao Xi, and the little sister came over.
After experiencing the hardships of the military camp, Biding looked obviously aged, but Ah Jun felt that he was more mature and looked more like an elder brother. While Xiao Xi remained the same as before and continued to play the role of a good brother.
Then, Ah Jun excitedly took his sister and the kitten for a stroll with his best friends. They dined at a cozy little restaurant, visited their parents at home to play video games, gathered with Bidings team at the base, went shopping and watched movies together, played in the woods with his magical beast friends, and even camped under the stars at night chatting and laughing...
In the ancient forest, with Xiao Bai by his side, the children are safe and can play carefree. During the camping trip, Xiao Xi showed off his eloquence, which made his two younger sisters laugh heartily. However, because some of his jokes were a bit too much, he was occasionally criticized by pudding.
Liu Liu still snuggled up to Ah Juns arms as usual, wailing and cheering him on. But Lan er, who was watching from the side, felt a bit annoyed that Liu Liu kept taking over Ah Jun every time. She knew he wasnt one of them.
But the kitten was used to it. She would squat on Ah Juns shoulder and look at him, then hide in her hat hut.
As for Ah Jun, he must not know anything because he thinks differently —— He regards the little fox as his family because of a kind of emotion.
Noticing Ah Jun and Lan ers speechless expressions, curious Xiao Xi joined them, wanting to lighten the mood... When he sat down beside Ah Jun, a fitting joke suddenly came to mind. He began teasing —— As the storyteller described, when fox spirits become demons, their mothers transform into alluring beauties to seduce men, draining human vitality—both terrifying and wicked, especially the Qingqiu Nine-Tailed Fox clan. What if Ah Jun were to catch this little foxs eye? The thought made Xiao Xis face pale...
In this paragraph, Xiao Xi spoke vividly, which made Lan Er frown and feel uneasy —— while Ah Jun was still the same as always. His stupid appearance was so stupid that everyone was sweating for him.
Of course, only Xiao Xi was joking, but disaster happened. Listen!
After the commotion, Xiao Xi covered his face and frantically searched for the culprit. He glanced at Lan ers cheerful smile, then at Ah Juns radiant grin, before finally locking eyes with sleeping Liu Liu. Yet without concrete evidence—especially when Liu Liu kept wagging its six tails as proof—and with Second Brothers cover-up, Xiao Xi found himself utterly helpless.
—— Well, well, no pain! So, while comforting herself, Xiao Xi stared at the little fox and muttered. What a womans heart is!
But as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a slap on his head —— He saw that Xiao Xi suddenly turned her head, stared at Liu Liu in doubt, scratched the top of her head, and then turned her head to look at it. It was Sister Laner!
Balan standing behind could not stand the words, so she had to teach the child a harsh lesson. At this time, the little fox looked at Ah Jun who was smiling foolishly and shouted "Oh, my sister is so handsome!"
Poor Xiao Xi, his good intentions completely ruined. He came to chat sincerely, but everyone acted so rudely—no one even spoke to him, let alone reason with him. Fortunately, Xiao Xi was magnanimous and everyone got along well. He just made a self-deprecating remark before reminding Ah Jun—— about the Qingqiu tradition: "If a woman likes someone, its for three lifetimes..." Well, this pretty girl would have to make do—I wouldnt lose out. But if those humanoid figures from Liu Liu turn out crooked, what will happen to my second brother?
—— Huh, phew!
Suddenly, just as Xiao Xi was happily continuing to frighten Ah Jun, the familiar voice came again. Then Xiao Xis buttocks were hit hard, and he cried out in pain.
The chubby boy turned his head again. Sister Lan er remained motionless, her face calm as ever... Then he glanced at Liu Liu, while the little fox was playing with his sixth tail. "Whos hitting me?" Of course, Ah Jun looked utterly embarrassed, unsure which side to support.
Then, everyone began to laugh again, so much that even the pudding in the distance heard it and came over to join the fun —— However, Ah Jun did not dare to laugh too much. He controlled his emotions and looked at Liu Liu with a kind look.
Of course, Lan ers eyes were still watching Ah Jun. The more she looked at him, the more uncomfortable she felt. The more she smiled, the more bitter it was —— So she looked at Biding. The two of them exchanged glances and looked at Ah Jun helplessly, with hidden worries in their hearts.
But, for Ah Jun, it feels very warm, whats there to worry about friends!
Moreover, after meeting his friends from other beasts, he felt that his physical and mental state had improved. How could there be any talk of sucking human spirit ——? For someone like him, what harm could there be? It was good enough to ensure that he did not absorb others spirit.
Another point is that although there are many legends in history books about foxes becoming evil spirits and harming people and countries, they may not be true, after all, they are only artificially compiled and subject to great subjective judgment.
And just like humans, there are good and bad foxes – we shouldnt judge them by a single standard.—— Moreover, the phrase "harming others and destroying nations" seems more fitting when applied to human wars. Why not reflect on ourselves? Is it really right to think that only I am supreme and my own views are always correct...
A Jun pondered silently, his thoughts unspoken. He lifted his gaze to meet his friends eyes, each one filled with concern for the nation and its people. Lan er wore a jealous expression, but A Jun sensed she was simply tired from the days events and needed rest. He remained seated with Liu Liu, who refused to move as the little fox still slept, preferring to stay by A Juns side ——. Speaking of which, Liu Liu was indeed quite heavy—so heavy that he couldnt be carried, making him immobile!
Of course, occasionally, Ah Jun himself wondered why Liu Liu was so close to him at first, as if he were one of his own. Thinking about it, it might be because he was born with a constitution that attracted strange beasts.
Yet good times are always short-lived, especially for Ah Jun. Thus, this poor child had to face the next challenge. —— After the Archery Festival, the young guardians were preparing for their own spiritual journeys. While most chose light and enjoyable paths, Ah Juns journey remained different.
For him, such a journey meant nothing, because he had an important task to complete —— After reading the schools travel guide and consulting various books and magazines about the pilgrimage, I concluded that... without exception, all the content was full of fun and temptation.
But these were things the child could only see, not think about, because they didnt fit his task —— So worries and anxiety began to set in. In the following days, Ah Jun began to look a little uneasy again. Fortunately, he thought of his new pen pal at this time and wrote her a letter.
The letter arrived promptly. Just as Ah Juns heart found solace, his master appeared before the child——. Understanding the boys troubles and their source of anxiety, the elder guided him into the study. The spacious, well-organized room always made Ah Jun feel both cautious and at ease whenever he entered.
The exquisite calligraphy on the wall of the study, "Diligence leads to clarity, tranquility leads to far-reaching", was the same admonition that Ah Jun had been exposed to since he was a child and was also the family motto of the Zhuge clan.
The elder approached the desk and laid out the carefully prepared spiritual journey plan for Ah Jun. Then, grandfather and grandson sat together in a rocking chair, basking in the sun and enjoying the gentle breeze. The elder patiently guided the child step by step through preparations, helping him embrace the challenges ahead.
Gradually, Ah Jun also became calm. After all, he was still a child. Without the timely help of adults, even the strongest heart had its weak moments.
The elders plan was meticulously detailed and logically structured, crystal clear to read—especially for a child as intelligent as him. Subsequently, Ah Jun obediently informed his master that he could ——. The elder remained silent, merely smiling as he gently patted the long-absent good boy before reluctantly departing the study to resume his meditation retreat.
While Ah Jun continued to sit in the rocking chair, studying the plan carefully under the warm sunlight of early winter. At this moment, the child felt full of confidence and was sure to complete the task.
In addition, the elder told the child that the planned pilgrimage would not only help him unlock the impatiens seal and fulfill his wish, but also make his body more stable.
Of course, its not that easy to achieve these two goals. Theres little childlike fun in the journey, and the process can be extremely difficult and challenging.
Therefore, Ah Jun had to stay fully alert to complete every step —— Fortunately, the child wasnt intimidated by this; instead, he became even more excited. Ah Jun knew all too well that becoming a Guardian was far more challenging than imagined—especially for someone like him with special circumstances! But now there was finally a solution, and it was a double-edged opportunity. This hard-won chance demanded careful handling!