Chapter 31: Farewell, Young Archer—Bow Drawn to the Full

In the capital, the price of coal was three taels of silver per cart. During the bitter winter, when demand skyrocketed, it became a scarce commodity that ordinary people could hardly afford, leaving them with nothing but their own inner fortitude to withstand the freezing cold.

Pang Shiyuan’s scented coal briquettes, however, cost only eight mace of silver per cart. Being both high-quality and affordable, they were soon sold throughout the Southern Chu Kingdom and even traded to neighboring nations. With this single business venture, Pang Shiyuan vaulted to the position of the richest man in the dynasty.

What Lu Lan could not fathom was why Pang Shiyuan’s scented coal briquettes produced no foul odor when burned, nor did they cause poisoning.

Lu Lan brushed the black stone dust from his palms and called over Xianyu.

"Find two burlap sacks and pack two bags of this black stone to take back to the manor."

He intended to take them back for a thorough investigation.

Xianyu and Li Laifu were terrified.

"My Lord, you mustn't bring these stones back to the manor to burn! If the Master or the Mistress were to be overcome by the fumes, this old servant would be unable to bear the blame!"

Li Laifu had spent over a decade at Mount Dadong, watching batch after batch of mountain guards fall ill and die, all poisoned by the stench. The masters in the manor were delicate and noble, unlike servants like them who did the dirty, grueling work. They might be struck down after only a few breaths.

Lu Lan looked at the servant who was so concerned for his master’s well-being and walked over to pat the little boy on the head.

"What is your name, and how old are you?"

The little boy had dark skin and was covered in dirt, yet his eyes shone with a resolute light. He showed no fear in front of his master.

"Answering my Lord, my nickname is Gou'er, and I am five years old this year."

"Gou'er, do you have a formal name?"

"My formal name is Li Changwei."

Li Changwei?

Li Changwei!

Lu Lan stared at the little boy in front of him, stunned.

He was Li Changwei?

In his previous life, twenty years later, the demon empress Gu Xingwan usurped power, attempting to ascend the imperial throne and rule from behind the curtain. Local warlords and rebel kings raised banners of revolt under the pretext of "clearing the emperor's side," plunging the Southern Chu Kingdom into chaos. Just as the nation teetered on the brink of collapse, a young general emerged. Single-handedly leading an army, he swept through seventeen factions of warlords and rebels with unparalleled valor. After quelling the rebellion, Gu Xingwan conferred upon him the title of "Dragon General Who Protects the State."

Calculating the time, Li Changwei would have been twenty-five or twenty-six years old then—it matched perfectly. He simply hadn't expected that Li Changwei had been a former servant of the Duke of Yu’s manor.

Lu Lan felt the thrill of having discovered a rare treasure. He squatted down and touched the broken bow Li Changwei carried. The elm wood, hard and sturdy, had developed a thick patina from constant practice.

"Can you shoot?"

Li Changwei nodded firmly. "Grandfather said a mountain guard must know how to ride and shoot, so I learned a few basics."

Li Laifu stood to the side, smiling sheepishly with a hint of pride. His grandson’s archery skills seemed innate; he learned instantly and mastered it quickly. Perhaps one day he would be able to earn his living as a soldier.

Lu Lan nodded and suddenly stood up, walking into the thatch hut to search for something. Xianyu and Li Laifu looked at him, bewildered.

A moment later, Lu Lan emerged holding a rotten pear. He paced off the distance and stopped at a spot one hundred paces away from Li Changwei.

The "Dragon General Who Protects the State," Li Changwei, had possessed extraordinary skills even in his youth. By age five, his archery was already superb. Later, in the military camp, he would shoot a halberd from a gatehouse, hitting the small branch on the halberd from a distance of one hundred and fifty paces.

Whether or not he was that same Li Changwei would be revealed by a single test.

Under the confused gazes of the three, Lu Lan placed the rotten pear on top of his own head and smiled.

"Li Changwei, stand right there and draw your bow. If you hit the pear on my head, I shall reward you handsomely."

As soon as the words left his lips, Li Changwei trembled violently.

Li Laifu and Xianyu felt their legs go weak and scrambled over, tripping and falling in their haste to stop him.

"My Lord, you mustn't do anything rash!"

"Oh, heavens! The sky is falling..."

Over the distance of a hundred paces, Xianyu fell five or six times. Li Laifu, looking as if he had lost his soul, blocked the path between his grandson and Lu Lan, shouting:

"My dear grandson, don't you dare shoot! You'll lose your head!"

Xianyu hugged Lu Lan’s leg, wailing at the top of his lungs:

"My Lord, if any harm comes to you, the Master will surely skin me alive! Please, have mercy! I haven't even taken a wife yet!"

Seeing Xianyu crying until his snot and tears were a tangled mess, Lu Lan felt inexplicably touched.

He gently helped Xianyu up. "Very well, I hear you. I won't do it."

"Wuuu-wuuu-wah!"

Xianyu cried even harder; in all the years he had followed the young master, this was the first time he had ever listened to reason.

Suddenly, Lu Lan placed the rotten pear on top of Xianyu’s head.

Xianyu: ??

"You do it."

Lu Lan stepped quickly to the side and waved at Li Changwei. "Shoot. You don't have to worry about hurting me this time. Shoot freely."