Trying to Shoot a Tree

Lin Ke and Lia walk into the forest together, side by side. Lily floated around beside them. The sun was slowly setting, but there was enough light to see. As they walked deeper into the forest, Lin Ke heard a rustle in one of the bushes.

Faster than Lin Ke could react, an arrow shot out from beside him. In the bushes, a shriek could be heard. Surprised by the sudden move, Lin Ke turned to Lia to see her bow drawn, and aimed right where the rustle was heard.

Walking over to the bush, Lin Ke saw a red chicken with an arrow straight through its neck.

"Woah!" Lin Ke shouted. "That's so cool Lia! How'd you do that?"

Lia laughs sheepishly. "I practiced a lot back then."

Lin Ke picks up the dead red chicken and places it in his spatial storage space. To Lia, it seemed as if he had just placed it into his spatial ring, but he did not.

"I think that should be enough for us to eat for tonight." Lia says softly while lowering her bow.

"Ah, Lia… Can I try?" Lin Ke asks.

"Sure!" Lia answers kindly. "I can teach you. It's not that difficult." She hands Lin Ke her bow. Holding it close up, Lin Ke notices the intricate patterns and lines running through the bow. The bow had some weight to it, and Lin Ke almost dropped it out of surprise from its weight.

"Mmmm… I think you should start out by trying to hit a still object first." Lia suggests.

"Good idea." Lin Ke agrees. He holds the bow up and steadies it, mimicking Lia's actions from earlier.

"Is this correct?" Lin Ke asks.

"Well, for the most part it is…" Lia replies. She walks around him, trying to see any issues. "Try to stand up straighter. Also, make sure your hand is completely straight, and at shoulder height." She detailed each thing wrong with his stance.

After correcting himself, Lin Ke looks back at Lia for confirmation.

Lia nods, "That should be fine." She pulls out an arrow from her quiver. "Try to hit that tree in front of us." She said.

Lin Ke looks ahead to see a relatively large tree about 20 feet away from him. Taking the arrow from Lia, Lin Ke notches the arrow on the string and pulls it back a little. Even with his cultivation realm, Lin Ke had to strain himself to barely pull it halfway. Letting go of the string, the arrow soared through the air… and completely missed the tree. It wasn't even close in the slightest, but went off to Narnia.

"Pf." Lia couldn't help but giggle a little.

Lin Ke scratched his head, slightly miffed and embarrassed by his insanely inaccurate shot. Looking at Lia, who was trying hard to cover up her amusement, he sheepishly responded, "Hey, that was my first time!"

Lia quickly calms down. "I'm sorry… It was just… It was so funny… How badly you handled the bow. It's almost as if you were some delicate royal or something who has never had to pick up a weapon and just lived out their life in luxury."

Lin Ke laughs nervous. "Haha. No, you must be kidding…" When deep in his heart, he was thinking, 'HOLY SHIT. Why is she so spot on?'

"Anyways, this is how you're supposed to notch the arrow." Lia said. Taking another arrow, she puts it into Lin Ke's hand and guides it. "Your right hand has to be shoulder length too, the arrow must be straight, and you need to tuck your hand under your chin a little. Let go when I let go okay?" She explains in detail. Pulling his hand back with the arrow, Lia pulled his hand off the string, and the arrow flew in a perfect line, landing straight in the middle of the tree.

Lin Ke attempts to listen, but gets distracted by a few minor details. Instead of focusing on what the arrow was doing, he was instead focused on how Lia's hand was on top of his. Lin Ke could feel her soft delicate hands guiding his, and she was so close to him that her voice was practically right beside his ear.

"Did you get that?" Lia asked, completely unaware of Lin Ke's scattered thoughts.

Lin Ke unconsciously nods. "Uh huh."

Lia lets go of Lin Ke and steps back. "Try it yourself then."

Blankly, Lin Ke attempts to replicate what Lia had done earlier. Pulling his arm back as far as possible, and leaving it as straight as possible, Lin Ke lets go of the string, sending the arrow whistling through the air. This time, the arrow… still missed. However, it was a lot closer than last time. It managed to clip the side of the tree before falling. Sighing, Lin Ke looks down dejectedly.

"It's okay! Try again! Of course you won't get it perfectly this quickly!" Lia quickly comforts him. "I've been learning these things for about 3 years." She hands him another arrow.

Lin Ke nods, and focuses. He tries to recall everything Lia had said, from the angle of the bow, his stance, how she released the arrow, the positioning, everything. As best as he could, he replicates what Lia had done. Letting go of the string, this time, the arrow flew, and with a thud, landed on the edge of the tree.

"I did it! Third time's the charm!" Lin Ke exclaimed happily.

"Good job!" Lia complimented. "I think we should go back now. It's getting really dark. I'll teach you more tomorrow."

Lin Ke nods, looking up at the sky. It was darkening quite rapidly, and the last rays of light were slowly fading away.It had only been about an hour or two since they left to go hunt, but it was already getting dark.

As they turned around and walked back, a pair of deep piercing eyes locked on to them, slowly watching them as the pair walked away.