"Excellent, with this prize, the two young masters should put in more effort and strive to win this competition!" Yun Jinshan said with a smile, egging them on.
Xiao Jinfeng, however, didn't care about the prize. He simply had no confidence in this game of pitch-pot. Looking at the wine jar that seemed so far away, he felt a pang of dread.
"If you are ready, let's begin. Young Master Gu, please go first!" Old Man Yun, with his pipe in his mouth, walked over and urged them.
Gu Mingyan stretched his arm and casually picked up a short arrow from the table, weighing it in his hand. "Young Master Xiao, it's not too late to concede now!"
Xiao Jinfeng: "..."
Don't try that trick on me. Once the bow is drawn, there's no turning back. If I concede now, wouldn't that be a huge loss of face?
"If you're going to throw, then throw quickly, don't dawdle!" Xiao Jinfeng said indignantly.
"Alright, watch closely!" Gu Mingyan narrowed his cold eyes.
As soon as he finished speaking, he aimed at the wine jar and threw. The short arrow drew a beautiful arc in mid-air. Just as it was about to fall into the jar, Xiao Jinfeng suddenly gave Er Longzi a look...
The latter understood immediately, clenched his fists tightly, and channeled his internal energy. A surge of inner force erupted from his body, tearing the surrounding air.
Internal force is invisible and requires powerful cultivation to be used flexibly. Ordinary people cannot detect it at all. This was also the fundamental reason why Xiao Jinfeng dared to accept the challenge...
The inner force swept through like a fierce wind, directly deflecting the trajectory of the short arrow. With a "ding-clang" sound, the arrow grazed the edge of the wine jar and fell to the ground.
"Ha, haha, Young Master Gu, you missed your first shot! Oh dear, what a shame, you have to drink a bowl of chili water. Hmph, hmph!" Xiao Jinfeng was as proud as a rooster, almost crowing "cock-a-doodle-doo."
Gu Mingyan: "..."
Trying to play dirty with me? He had seen through Er Longzi's little trick long ago. To use such underhanded tactics to interfere with the competition was utterly shameless... However, it was fine. When it was Xiao Jinfeng's turn to play pitch-pot, he wouldn't be able to throw a single arrow in.
Old Man Yun stepped forward, looked at the short arrow on the ground, and said regretfully, "Tsk tsk, Young Master Gu really didn't hit it. He should be punished with a bowl of chili water. Huaihua, bring the chili water!"
Gu Mingyan's lips twitched. Uncle Yun, why have you become so mischievous? Aren't you supposed to favor one side?
Gu Shi couldn't help but chuckle. "Old man, young people are just playing around, don't get involved. Aren't they making jelly at the kitchen? Go take a look, don't let the pot burn..."
"Mother, let them play, I'll go check the pot!" Zhao Guihua handed the little Zhuzi in her arms to Yun Daman and ran out, holding up her skirt.
Gu Shi: "..." This eldest daughter-in-law suddenly has some foresight.
A moment later, Jin Huaihua brought out the prepared chili water and handed it to Gu Mingyan. Looking at the large bowl of reddish liquid, with chili particles floating on top, Gu Mingyan felt uncomfortable in his stomach even before drinking it...
"Young Master Gu, a bet is a bet. The Yun family elders are here as witnesses, don't you dare renege!" Xiao Jinfeng said, crossing his arms and looking askance at Gu Mingyan. Hmph, who was it that confidently wanted to play games with him? Now the retribution has come, he deserves it...
Gu Mingyan picked up the large bowl, stared coldly at Xiao Jinfeng, and lowered his voice, "Prince Ming, you just wait for this Marquis!" If he didn't make Xiao Jinfeng lose face and make a fool of himself today, then his name Gu Mingyan would be written backward.
So, under everyone's gaze, Gu Mingyan pinched his nose and gulped down the entire bowl of chili water...
"Ugh, cough, cough, water, get me some water quickly, cough, cough!" Gu Mingyan shouted. The spicy taste spread from his mouth all the way to his stomach. His entire esophagus felt like it was being scraped by blades, and the pain had numbed him.
Qing Lan saw this and quickly poured Gu Mingyan a bowl of tea. "Mas... Master, why don't you just concede? Why hurt yourself like this?"
"Qing Lan!" Gu Mingyan's eyes were red, and he gave Qing Lan a cold look. "What needs to be done later, do I need to say it?"
Qing Lan: "..." Marquis, you have always been upright and honorable, do you also have to resort to underhanded tactics like Prince Ming? This behavior is rather disgraceful! ~
"Your subordinate, your subordinate understands!" Qing Lan replied.
Next, Gu Mingyan hit seven short arrows in a row. When there were only two left, Er Longzi made his move again, deflecting the arrowhead's trajectory... This meant that Gu Mingyan had drunk three bowls of chili water from start to finish. He was now so weak that he was slumped on the chair, just waiting for Xiao Jinfeng to make a fool of himself.
"Young Master Gu, do you want this old man to prescribe some medicine or something?" Guan Zhongbo couldn't bear to watch.
Gu Mingyan waved his hand and stared at Xiao Jinfeng, "It's nothing, this young master can handle it..." kuAiδugg He appeared calm on the surface, but his sphincter felt like it was out of control, constantly spewing out hot air.
Xiao Jinfeng coughed lightly and walked forward, holding a short arrow. He glanced at Er Longzi, as if to say, 'Give me a helping hand.' Er Longzi nodded cooperatively, responding to the Prince with his eyes: Your Highness, just watch! ~
The competition resumed. Xiao Jinfeng concentrated and threw the short arrow with a 'swoosh'... As the saying goes, a hair's breadth difference can lead to a thousand-mile deviation. Xiao Jinfeng's short arrow was far from a mere hair's breadth off. Er Longzi saw this and once again channeled his internal energy, intending to interfere. But before he could exert his strength, a surge of inner force, even more powerful than his, swept over and directly blasted the short arrow away...
"Crack! ~"
"Oh no, my window!" Old Man Yun stomped his foot and ran to the window, looking speechless. "Young Master Xiao, is this a pitch-pot competition or a window-piercing competition? Look, you've even poked a hole in my window paper..."
That's right, the arrow had flown out the window as if it had wings and landed in the well. Xiao Jinfeng was instantly ashamed. He glared fiercely at Er Longzi, thinking, you useless fool, what did you do? It was deflected too ridiculously.
Gu Mingyan smiled weakly, "Young Master Xiao, please!"
Xiao Jinfeng: "..." Can I not drink this stuff? It looks terrifying.
After gulping down a bowl of chili water, Xiao Jinfeng felt like his backside was on fire. The sensation was like swallowing a firecracker... Jin Huaihua felt heartbroken and stepped forward, tugging at Xiao Jinfeng, and softly persuaded him, "Young Master Xiao, let's stop playing!"
"No!" Xiao Jinfeng clenched his fists, his expression serious. "Again!" In front of the woman he loved, how could he lose face and be ridiculed by the Yun family?
Jin Huaihua: "..." You'll end up killing yourself sooner or later.
So, under Jin Huaihua's loving gaze and the Yun family's kindly smiles, Xiao Jinfeng picked up the second short arrow.