Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Shen Qing looked at the heavy bow in his hand.

This bow was crafted from dark iron in the town of Taiping County.

To some extent, it was a fine bow, but only limited to that. Now that his bow technique had broken through, it was time to replace it with a new Hundred Shi Heavy Bow.

Shen Qing hung the heavy bow with the broken string on his horse and turned back to the city.

After handling his daily duties, Shen Qing did not delay and went straight to the most renowned Bai Bing Hall in Yongzhou City.

Yongzhou City had always been a hub of transportation and prosperity, a place where people and goods gathered in abundance.

Thus, unlike in Taiping County, Shen Qing did not need to find a specific blacksmith to customize a heavy bow but could purchase one directly.

Among the various shops, Yongzhou's Bai Bing Hall was the most famous, with a full array of weapons.

It was said in Bai Bing Pavilion that as long as you had a court permit and sufficient silver, there was no weapon you couldn't buy.

After Shen Qing finished his duties, he headed straight to Bai Bing Hall.

Upon entering Bai Bing Hall, the subtle scent of iron rust and pine resin wafted into his nostrils.

Inside the shop, an array of various weapons shone coldly, dazzling to the eyes.

Shen Qing glanced around and saw an elder with white hair and beard sitting behind the counter, carefully polishing a long sword, his eyes hinting at an obsession with weapons.

"Senior, I am Shen Qing. I've come to Bai Bing Hall to find a heavy bow capable of bearing the strength of a Hundred Shi. Does your esteemed shop have such weapons?" Shen Qing stepped forward and asked respectfully.

"A Hundred Shi Heavy Bow? That's quite rare." The elder heard this, looked up at Shen Qing, a trace of surprise in his eyes: "To draw a Hundred Shi Bow, one would need to be at least a martial master of the Yu Luo Realm. Those with ordinary strength can't even pull the bowstring. You look unfamiliar and young; are you sure you want to buy a Hundred Shi Bow?"

"I have twenty shi, thirty shi, and fifty shi here. Would you like to try them?"

Shen Qing caught the meaning behind his words, smiled, and said, "Thank you, senior, but I only want the Hundred Shi Bow. I wonder if you have it here?"

"There is indeed one. Never mind, bring out your credential for me to check." The elder finished polishing the sword, sheathed it, and looked up.

Shen Qing was not surprised.

Although the Great Zhou Court did not prohibit weapons, not everyone could casually purchase them.

According to the laws of the Great Zhou, court officials could wear swords and daggers, martial masters from registered martial arts halls could purchase them, but any other weapon purchases were considered illegal.

However, this rule was largely ineffective in many places of the Great Zhou, where people found many ways to acquire various weapons.

But Bai Bing Hall was conducting business and was not familiar with Shen Qing, so they naturally followed the rules.

Shen Qing was not offended and took out his ID card from the Guardian Martial Department.

The elder inspected the ID card and found that Shen Qing was indeed an officer of the Guardian Martial Department, and he was a bit surprised.

Having resided in Yongzhou for many years, he hadn't heard of an official with the surname Shen.

He didn't ask much. Seeing no issues with the process, he stood up and said, "Follow me, I happen to have a ready-made Hundred Shi Heavy Bow in Bai Bing Hall."

Shen Qing said nothing more, took back his ID card, and honestly followed the elder.

Bai Bing Hall was large.

When Shen Qing entered the inner part of Bai Bing Hall, he felt an atmosphere that was both ancient and solemn.

The weaponry within was dazzling, leaving him overwhelmed.

The elder's gaze quickly scanned across the rows of weapon racks, finally settling on a specially-made display.

"There it is."

A remarkable Hundred Shi Heavy Bow lay quietly, its body crafted from an unknown black metal, emanating a faint cold light. The taut bowstring, upon closer inspection, shimmered with rainbow-colored glows, appearing extraordinary.

Shen Qing was delighted, stepped forward quickly, and carefully examined the heavy bow.

He gently touched the bow and picked it up.

He discovered that although the bow appeared cumbersome, it was heavy but not unwieldy, and holding it in his hand required no effort at all.

Shen Qing carefully examined it, seeing two flying dragons etched upon the bow, the entire bow seemingly containing immense power, and he couldn't help but nod in acknowledgment.

Shen Qing turned to the shopkeeper of Bai Bing Hall standing beside him and said, "Is there anything special about this heavy bow?"

The elder stroked his beard and smiled, "This bow is called 'Cloud Splitter,' and it was acquired by Bai Bing Hall by chance many years ago. Who exactly forged it is unknown. If you want to buy it, Officer, you're welcome to take it."

Hearing this, Shen Qing withdrew his gaze and said, "May I try it?"

"Of course, but do not dry-draw the bow, as it can damage the bow. I have an arrow here that you can try in the back courtyard of Bai Bing Hall."

The elder then took out an ordinary bow and arrow and handed it to Shen Qing.

Shen Qing took the arrow and went to the backyard. Enjoy exclusive content from empire

The back courtyard of Bai Bing Hall had many wooden posts, bearing numerous marks left over from weapons testing.

Shen Qing gently placed the arrow upon the taut bowstring, his eyelids slightly lowered, a sharp gleam flickering in his eyes.

In the elder's astonished eyes, Shen Qing took a deep breath, his shoulders slightly sank, and effortlessly drew the bow to its full moon form: "Such formidable arm strength."

At that moment, Shen Qing suddenly released his grip.

The arrow sliced through the air, producing a sharp whistle as it shot toward the wooden target.

Bang!

When the arrow struck the solid wood, instead of embedding deeply as expected, a deafening explosive sound rang out, and splinters flew.

The arrow and the wood simultaneously shattered into fragments.

The elder beside him had his mouth slightly open, showing an expression of disbelief.

"This Hundred Shi bow named 'Cloud Splitter' is nice, I'll take it," Shen Qing said with a smile.

Earlier, he hadn't used the true Heavenly Bow Technique but merely wielded the bow with his inherent strength.

For some reason, this bow felt incredibly comfortable to use and very much to his liking.

"I wonder how much the shopkeeper wants?"

The elder glanced at Shen Qing, pondered for a while, and said, "I see you are so fated with this bow; I won't charge you much, just 1,200 taels."

1,200 taels?

Shen Qing couldn't help but click his tongue.

He knew bows weren't cheap, but he didn't expect them to be that expensive.

Previously, the fifty shi heavy bow had cost him nearly two hundred taels, yet this Hundred Shi bow was more than six times that.

This shopkeeper saw him as an easy mark.

"Four hundred taels," Shen Qing named a price and said.

"Are you teasing me?" The elder showed no leniency in price: "At most, a thousand taels."

"Five hundred taels. If you want to sell it, sell it; otherwise, forget it. I can have a craftsman make such a bow; it would just take some time."

"Eight hundred taels, not a bit less."

"It seems you're not sincere," Shen Qing feigned to leave.

"Six hundred taels, no less, or I'll not sell it. Go find a blacksmith to create one then."

Shen Qing pretended to ponder, weighed it for a moment, and said, "Alright, six hundred taels then. Thank you, senior, for accommodating."

For Shen Qing, six hundred taels was not a small amount, but he could afford it.

After settling the transaction, Shen Qing also took seven Purple Gold Heavy Arrows from the shop before leaving contentedly.