Chapter 44: To Master This Skill, One Must First Castrate Oneself
System: [Correct, Host. Winning his favor will earn you a significant amount of luck points. I also recommend building a good relationship with the Best Actress. It will be very helpful for your future acting career.]
Gu Hua’s heart thumped with excitement, as though she could already see countless luck points flying toward her.
“Brother Qian, I’ll work even harder this time.” She turned to Ling Qian with earnest eyes. “Last round was my fault—I didn’t prepare well enough, and you suffered for it.”
Ling Qian’s gaze was gentle. “Don’t say that. I’m a few years older; it’s only natural I take care of you. Just stay behind me. Leave everything else to me.”
“Mm! Thank you, Brother Qian!”
Livestream chat:
[The Hua-Qian couple is as sweet as ever!]
[HuaHua, fighting! Young Master Ling, fighting! You two are the best!]
The director raised the loudspeaker again: “And now, everyone, please turn around.”
Everyone turned their heads. On the beach stood a giant spinning wheel, with several small boats lined up beside it.
The first three looked relatively new, but the last two were so old and rickety that anyone sitting in them was guaranteed to capsize.
The head director announced, “Now, let me explain the rules of the Parent-Child Spin Game—parents will be strapped to the wheel while staff spin it. Children will stand two meters away and shoot arrows at the wheel.”
Chi Qian immediately recalled the TV drama she watched the night before and casually added, “Whoever gets hit by the arrow becomes the royal consort, right?”
Chi Fengxiao: “Pfft!”
The head director shouted, “Please note, this is not Journey to the West, and we are not rehearsing a skit! The child’s arrow must hit the red zone on the wheel to count as a win. Each child gets one shot per round, three rounds total!”
“The first person to hit it will have the right to choose a boat!”
“Now, we’ll draw lots to decide the order.”
A staff member brought over a box, and the celebrity parents drew their numbers one by one.
“Uh-oh, bad luck for me, I drew first,” Luo Fan smiled. “Fortunately, my younger brother’s hobby is archery. He’s pretty good at it.”
“Little Chuan, I’m counting on you later.”
Luo Zichuan adjusted his glasses and nodded.
Chi Fengxiao drew second, followed by Wen Li and her daughter, then Shen Jing and his son, and finally Gu Hua and Ling Qian.
Luo Fan was strapped onto the wheel in a spread-eagle position. A red line was marked two meters away, where Luo Zichuan stood with his bow.
The arrowheads were wrapped in cotton and smeared with paint. Painful to get hit by, but not deadly.
The pressure was real.
The staff gave the wheel a hard spin.
Red, blue, green, black—the colors blurred together as it whirled around.
Sweat beaded on Luo Zichuan’s forehead. Just as the wheel slowed to a stop, he loosed the arrow.
Thud!
It hit just outside the red zone, leaving a paint mark in the blue.
So close.
Luo Zichuan pressed his lips together, frustration flickering in his eyes.
Luo Fan walked over. “Whoa, I almost puked up there. Xiao Chuan, keep at it next round—you just weren’t focused enough.”
“…Mm.”
Next was Chi Qian’s turn.
Chi Fengxiao leaned in and whispered, “Hey, give your uncle a heads-up—do you even know how to shoot this thing?”
Chi Qian thought about it. “Nope.”
She’d never played with these toy bows. Back in the cultivation world, she’d only ever used the Golden Crow Divine Bow— the kind that could shoot down a miniature sun with one arrow.
“…Then take it easy, okay? Losing is no big deal, but don’t forget I’m your only uncle.” Chi Fengxiao walked off, face full of dread.
Chi Qian mused silently: The other four uncles probably got eaten by him.
“Chi Qian, so you don’t know how to do this?” Luo Fan offered with a smile. “How about I ask my brother to teach you?”
Luo Zichuan immediately refused. “I don’t want to.”
Luo Fan sighed. “Little Chuan, be polite to girls. Be a gentleman.” Then, turning back to Chi Qian, he said, “Sorry about that. How about I show you—”
Before he could finish, Chi Qian had already loosed the arrow.
She hadn’t even aimed.
The wheel was still spinning so fast the colored zones were just a blur.
Luo Fan smirked. This is just nonsense.
Chi Fengxiao’s heart nearly stopped. He almost shouted, “An uncle’s life is still a life, you know!”
The cotton arrow struck right beside his head.
The next moment, the entire wheel—uncle included—was sent flying.
Clang!
Boom!
The wheel crashed into the ground with a deafening noise.
Chi Fengxiao was left sprawled upside down, dazed and expressionless.
Who was he? Where was he? What just happened?
Chi Qian: “…”
Everyone else: “…”
[Wh…what the hell just happened?!]
[Help! My brother just flew off like an Indian flatbread!]
[Can we confirm that was an arrow? Not some kind of nuclear weapon??]
[I already called the cops! I swear I did!]
A group of staff rushed over, propped the wheel up, and unstrapped Chi Fengxiao.
“Wow, Director, there’s a huge hole in the red zone!” a staff member shouted.
Chi Qian looked completely innocent. She swore she’d only used a little bit of strength.
Maybe she was just too well-fed and full of energy lately.
The head director: “…Chi Qian destroyed program property. Her score is reset to zero!”
Chi Qian: “?!!”
Chi Fengxiao, barely back from the brink of death: “???”
He glared in disbelief. “I almost died out there, and you’re punishing her by just resetting her score?!”
How dare you?!
The head director: “Brother Chi, just look at the wheel behind you.”
Chi Fengxiao turned his head—and fell silent.
The wheel wasn’t just punctured. When the staff touched the area near the hole, the whole section crumbled into pieces.
Badly damaged.
Chi Fengxiao suddenly felt that the only reason he was still standing here alive… was sheer ancestral protection.
Otherwise, he’d be long gone.
“I refuse to accept this!” Chi Qian puffed her cheeks. “I hit the target!”
The head director: “Fine. Then you can pay for the damages to our equipment.”
“…Reset to zero is fine. Whatever. I don’t care.” Chi Qian’s face flipped instantly.
Paying money? Impossible. Not a single cent would ever leave her hands.
Luo Fan smiled smoothly, comforting her: “Even though your score’s gone, you really are amazing. Honestly, my brother should be asking you for lessons.”
“That might not work,” Chi Qian said blankly. “Our sect’s secret technique is only passed down to girls. For a man to learn it… he must first castrate himself.”
Luo Zichuan immediately felt a chill between his legs and took several steps back.
Luo Fan: “You… you’re really funny, huh.”
He was completely thrown off.
Chi Qian set the bow down, ready to leave—only to notice Tang Xin behind her, face red with nerves.
Wen Li spoke calmly, “You are my daughter. There’s nothing you can’t do, even if you’ve never learned it before. If you fail, it only means you haven’t worked hard enough.”
Tang Xin’s face crumpled as though she were about to cry.
Chi Qian rubbed her nose, walked back, and said to her, “This bow’s a bit off. Come here, I’ll explain.”
Tang Xin hurried over.
“Stand properly with the bow, body sideways, feet slightly apart… When you nock the arrow, the cock feather must be vertical to the string’s groove, the nock firmly against the bowstring… yes, that’s it, hold steady…”
Standing behind Tang Xin, Chi Qian guided her step by step, teaching her how to draw, nock, hook the string, and push the bow.
Gu Hua let out a mocking laugh, “Qian Qian, someone who’s never done archery can’t just master it like that. You shot one arrow and broke the wheel earlier—that doesn’t mean you know how to teach.”
