Chapter 35: What a Terrifying Lord, What Fragrant Bamboo!

"I agree!"

Su Mu's voice rang out across the clearing, so calm it made one's scalp tingle.

The Panda Patriarch looked at Qiao and Su Mu with astonishment, muttering to himself, "These two are both lunatics."

"Thank you."

Qiao whispered his thanks, unslung the longbow from his back, and held it out to Su Mu. "Use this."

Su Mu shook his head. "No need. Your longbow is calibrated to your own grip; I won't take advantage of you."

With that, Su Mu turned to the gathered Panda warriors and shouted, "Do you have a longbow among your tribe that I, a human, can use? Bring one over."

"I'll get it!"

A Panda warrior roared, turned, and sprinted into the valley. Moments later, he returned, handing Su Mu a curved bow and a quiver of arrows.

"You are a true warrior. If you survive this duel, you will be the best friend our Panda tribe has ever known." The warrior shoved the quiver and bow into Su Mu's hands, speaking in a gruff voice. "My name is Pan Shuai!"

The warrior added, then suddenly turned to pull Qiao into a massive bear hug. "Qiao, you are a warrior too. You will win."

...

The cold wind howled like a starving wolf.

Su Mu and Qiao had each walked twenty paces and now stood facing one another. Between them hung a rope with a stone tied to its center; the moment the rope burned through and the stone dropped, it would be the signal to strike.

One arrow to decide life or death!

There was no trickery involved—it was a pure contest of speed. Whoever pierced the other's heart first would be the victor. Everyone held their breath, palms sweating, eyes locked onto the stone.

*Snap!*

The rope finally burned through, and the stone plummeted.

With a dull thud, the onlookers saw two blurs streak through the air, followed by a sharp, oppressive explosion of sound.

Who had won?

They quickly looked at the two fighters, expecting to see someone fallen on the ground, only to be struck with wonder: both contestants stood perfectly still, seemingly unscathed.

But when they saw the shattered arrow shafts lying on the ground, they suddenly realized: the arrows had collided in mid-air.

They hadn't seen who fired first, but one of the marksmen had undoubtedly shot down his opponent's arrow. Such archery could only be described as a miracle.

Everyone felt a chill crawl down their spines. If those arrows had been aimed at their own throats, what hope would they have had?

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Before the shock could fade, the two master marksmen began their true duel.

Cold light flashed before their eyes, and the wind whistled in their ears. The afterimages of the arrows seemed to possess a demonic power that could steal one's soul. Though the spectators stood over ten yards away from the dueling ground, they felt as if they had walked the edge of life and death a thousand times over, their backs soaked in cold sweat before they even realized it.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

No one could track the speed at which the two drew their bows. They only saw arrows dancing through the air, colliding with impossible precision, shattering into splinters.

They were tied once again.

Just then, Qiao reached into his quiver, and six arrows appeared on his bow like the fanned tail of a peacock.

The crowd gasped. Six arrows in a single draw—how could this human lord possibly respond?

*Swish!*

Miraculously, Su Mu’s bow was suddenly nocked with five arrows.

Five arrows to counter six? Was this human lord insane? How was that possible? Had he given up hope and decided to throw it all away?

*Bang!*

The dull sound struck every heart like a hammer. Had the moment of life and death finally arrived?

The arrows flew like streaks of lightning, leaving the strings to hunt for vital points from impossible angles. They collided in mid-air like meteors and rained down upon the earth like a sudden storm.

When the arrow rain ceased, the onlookers were stunned to find that it was another draw.

How did this human boy do it? To counter six arrows with five while precisely calculating the flight path of each—was he a god?

Qiao instinctively reached for his quiver, but his face turned deathly pale. His quiver was empty; he had no more arrows.

Yet, on Su Mu’s bow, one last arrow gleamed, cold and sharp, aimed directly at Qiao's heart.

"In the end, I have lost. A failure even in death."

Qiao closed his eyes in despair, waiting for the end. Perhaps death was the best fate for him after all.

"Don't kill Qiao!"

"Human lord, we beg you, spare him! Our Panda tribe is willing to follow you!"

The cries of the Panda warriors reached his ears. Qiao snapped his eyes open, his vision blurring with moisture. He saw pairs of eyes filled with genuine concern.

*So they didn't really hate me... they were all worried about me.*

Qiao didn't want to die anymore. He looked at Su Mu with pleading eyes; he wanted to live, to remain with his kin.

Unfortunately, Su Mu’s fingers released the string. The arrow, carrying the chill of death, streaked straight toward Qiao's heart.

"You bastard! If Qiao dies, I will kill you myself, you cursed human, to avenge him!"

"Despicable wretch! You are no warrior—Qiao was already out of arrows!"

As the Panda tribe roared in fury, the arrow whistled past Qiao’s ear and buried itself deep into a large tree behind him with a sharp *thwack*.

The entire clearing fell into dead silence.

He missed?

This human, a marksman of such terrifying skill, had missed his final shot?

"Sigh, my luck is truly poor. I missed that last shot. It seems this duel is a draw between Qiao and me."

Su Mu feigned regret, sighed, and tossed his bow to the ground. He turned to Badaozhan and the Little Divine Dragon standing nearby.

"Badaozhan, Little Divine Dragon, it is time for us to leave."

The three of them walked away without looking back, leaving no room for attachment. This was the greatest gift he could give Qiao. Qiao was the finest archer he had ever seen; he should not have died by his hand.

Su Mu’s archery was a family legacy, practiced since childhood. By the time his father had passed, he was a master of the tenth tier, and his weapon of choice had been the longbow. It was no surprise that he could best Qiao, but Qiao—who had never left the Panda tribe and was entirely self-taught—had managed to stand toe-to-toe with him for twenty arrows without falling.

If it came to raw talent, Qiao’s was arguably superior to his own.

As for the Panda tribe, he didn't strictly need them. The Dark World was filled with powerful races; he could recruit others when the opportunity arose.

"Human lord! May I follow you? Your archery is sublime; I wish to follow you and learn."

Watching Su Mu’s retreating back, Qiao suddenly summoned his courage and shouted. He then ran to the Panda Patriarch, asking with nervous anticipation, "Patriarch, may I leave the tribe and follow this human warrior? I promise, I will not tarnish the name of our Panda warriors!"

"Hahaha!" The Panda Patriarch laughed heartily, personally pinning a warrior’s badge onto Qiao’s chest. "You foolish boy—not only you, but our entire Panda tribe will be following this Lord to his domain to enjoy a better life."