Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System
Chapter 255 - 121: Li Younan’s New Persona
Arrow notched, string drawn, the pain of the string pressing against the fingertip is clear.
The cheek pressed tightly against the cold string, the line of sight followed the arrow shaft, the target wobbled in the wind.
With a forceful pull of the bowstring, the muscles in the back tightened, and the bow arm made a slight sound.
Coach: "Anchor... Aim... Release."
"Thwap!" Li Younan’s arm was jolted forward by the rebound of the bowstring.
The arrow left the string, "whoosh," and slanted into the lower right side of the target.
In the corner of his eye, Xiaoyang’s second arrow "thud!" landed at the boundary of the yellow and red rings, closer to the center.
Someone nearby softly exclaimed "Whoa."
The coach handed Li Younan a second arrow.
String notched, cheek pressed, bow drawn.
Released.
"Thwap!" The arrow flew out, "snap," hit the outer white wooden frame, hitting the target but still missing the bullseye.
Then, from Xiaoyang’s side came another decisive "thud!".
No need to look, he hit it again, this time in the inner red ring.
Li Younan notched the third arrow.
Huang Xiaoyang glanced at Li Younan and offered a few pointers: "Focus more on the feeling in your back."
Dan Dan’s eyes were wide open, recording the video for Li Younan.
Li Younan’s gaze passed through the arrow’s nock, the distant yellow bullseye appeared exceptionally clear, no longer wavering.
It should be about time.
This time, the muscles in the middle of Li Younan’s shoulder blades engaged automatically, the motion of drawing the bow became smooth, and the creak of the bow arm was quieter.
The bullseye appeared unusually stable in his field of vision.
Without hesitation, his fingers released.
"Thwap!"
The bowstring’s rebound hit the arm guard, the forward surge in the arm still present.
But the sound of the arrow leaving the string seemed sharper and straighter.
Li Younan’s gaze calmly followed that dark shadow.
"Thud!"
A solid, dull sound, the tail of the arrow shaft still quivering slightly.
It nailed right in the center of the bullseye’s yellow dot, the arrow feathers still vibrating at high frequency.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The "thwap" sound from the adjacent shooting lane halted.
The coach, previously looking down, raised his eyelids, looked at the target, and then at Li Younan, saying nothing, just returning the half-pulled-out cigarette back into the pack.
Huang Xiaoyang, who was about to notch another arrow, paused.
He looked at the straight arrow in Li Younan’s bullseye, then turned to look at Li Younan, neither smiling nor as relaxed as before.
He slowly put down the bow.
"Luck?"
The voice was not loud.
Li Younan didn’t answer.
The fourth arrow was nocked.
Fingers grasped the string, cheek pressed tightly.
The bullseye remained clear and steady in his sight.
Drawn bow, the muscle memory in his back awakened, movements fluid, almost no unnecessary shaking.
The aiming was completed in an instant, as if there was an invisible, straight path between his body, the bowstring, the arrow shaft, and the distant yellow dot.
Release.
"Thwap!"
"Thud!"
Another crisp hit.
The arrow nestled close to the previous one, deeply embedded in the bullseye, the tail feathers of the two arrows almost touching.
Xiaoyang said nothing more.
He stood slightly behind and to the side of Li Younan, no longer surprised but with a focused observation, his originally steady breathing seemed to slow down a bit.
Li Younan continued to shoot.
Fifth arrow, "thwap," "thud!" hit the bullseye again, forming a compact triangle around the yellow dot with the three arrows.
The body’s sensation dominated everything.
The archery ability brought by the system was truly powerful.
The influence of the wind seemed to be automatically corrected by the body; with each release, the bowstring’s rebound and the forward surge in the arm became a natural part of the action, no longer interrupting.
The bullseye remained clear, stable in his field of vision, as if magnetically drawn.
Sixth arrow, "thwap," "thud," a fourth arrow joined the cluster in the bullseye.
Huang Xiaoyang silently picked up his bow, returned to his position.
He notched an arrow, his actions still standard and smooth.
Drawn bow, the aiming time seemed a bit longer than before.
"Thwap!"
"Thud!"
His arrow also hit the bullseye, but the position was slightly off.
He exhaled, but his eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, evidently dissatisfied with his shot placement.
He instinctively adjusted his stance and nocked another arrow.
And at this moment, Li Younan’s seventh arrow.
"Thwap!"
"Thud!"
Hit the bullseye again.
Five arrows blossomed like an iron flower around the yellow dot.
As he lowered the bow, Li Younan squinted at the dense pattern of arrow holes on the bullseye.
Huang Xiaoyang also put down his bow. He had a few on his bullseye too but they were more spread out.
He walked over, looked carefully at the tight cluster on Li Younan’s bullseye, then picked up Li Younan’s bow, weighed it, and examined the grip, saying nothing.
Then he looked up at Li Younan, his gaze complex.
Dan Dan was dumbfounded, glanced at the coach next to her and asked, "Is it reasonable for him to shoot so accurately?"
The coach’s expression was also complex, muttering, "Some people are indeed born sharpshooters." But he shook his head, "To be honest, although he’s quite accurate, this bow’s poundage is not high, if it were a stiffer bow, it wouldn’t be so easy."
"But as long as he can adapt to the force of a strong bow, it won’t take long for him to become a true sharpshooter."
The rest of the time continued with the archery experience, Li Younan shot with great satisfaction.
Of course, it wasn’t always about consistently hitting the mark, capable as he was, he occasionally intentionally missed a few arrows to seem more realistic.
But even so, he surpassed many veteran coaches on the archery range, with everyone marveling at the prowess of the younger generation.
After lunch and a short rest, Li Younan sent the video footage Dan Dan helped him film to Brother Long.
Brother Long lazily replied, "Weren’t you not planning to shoot a video this time?"
Li Younan said, "It’s my first time formally learning archery, I discovered a talent in myself, I think it’s quite interesting, making this into a video should be pretty good, right?"
Brother Long didn’t immediately respond, likely watching the video footage that Li Younan sent over.
After a long while, he sent over a series of ellipses, then asked, "Is it really your first time learning archery?"
Li Younan shamelessly said, "Remember the last time I shot a mouse in Jiuzhaigou? That’s when I first thought I had a talent."
Brother Long said, "You do indeed have talent, this video is easy to edit, I’ll have it done for you before tonight."
In the afternoon, Li Younan still had to go shoot pre-sunset wedding photos with Huang Xiaoyang and the others, so he didn’t wait for Brother Long.
In the afternoon, Huang Xiaoyang and Dan Dan spruced up, Dan Dan wore a heavy bridal makeup, which seemed overly vivid in person but was perfect for photographs.
Heaven did not disappoint their day’s wait, the evening weather was great, with light clouds in the sky, turned golden by the setting sun.
The lighting and backdrop were so beautiful, it posed a challenge for Li Younan... racking his brains to ensure the background did not overshadow the subjects, trying various angles.
But despite the exhaustion, they got the photos they wanted.
Meanwhile, a task was completed!
Li Younan didn’t rush to check the task rewards.
Upon returning to the yurt that night, Brother Long had already sent over the edited video more than an hour ago.
The video’s title was... "Dear netizens, please help me determine if I am the legendary Archery Prodigy?"
Although he understood it was a clickbait title for attracting views, Li Younan still felt a bit embarrassed.
After discussing with Brother Long about whether the title was appropriate, he eventually couldn’t resist and clicked upload.