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Chapter 103: Drawing the Bow

After hearing Christine’s explanation, everyone looked slightly relieved.

Jella seemed to sense something more, showed extra respect, and immediately said she agreed to the distribution plan, but she had not yet decided whether to enter the canyon.

Only Ashura and the expressionless Rock felt a little confused, unsure whether they should imitate the others’ look of sudden enlightenment.

At the moment four people agreed to enter the canyon, and no one needed to ask Rock; even if Ashura told him to go in alone and kill the Red-Lotus Serpent King, he would still grab his huge axe and stride straight inside.

The remaining three hesitated, especially Luna with the longbow on her back, who had been an invisible presence in the team, quietly staying aside and rarely speaking.

Yet Ashura had noticed her a few times; every arrow she released was both quick and accurate, and she barely needed to aim to hit her target.

Each time the bowstring stirred a gust that lifted the hair hiding her face, and Ashura could glimpse that stunningly handsome visage.

Jella folded her arms and smiled without speaking, the pose making her ample chest even more prominent, and when she met Ashura’s gaze she deliberately thrust it out further.

Gais looked utterly unwilling; he would probably quit the party tomorrow, and he kept glancing at Jella as if trying to drag the goddess he admired back to safety instead of letting her risk her life with those lunatics.

Ashura understood and said with a calm smile, “Let’s drop the subject for tonight and give me your answers tomorrow morning; those who do not wish to go can divide the spoils with us then, wait here until the others return, or leave on their own… better to part on good terms.”

“For now, let’s talk about something more pleasant; it’s still early to sleep anyway.”

Everyone shared a knowing smile, yet for a moment no one knew what topic to choose.

Ashura wanted to liven things up, so he scanned the crowd and saw the quiet, almost invisible Luna sitting with the wooden longbow on her back; when his gaze reached her, the girl immediately turned away.

Ashura gave a mischievous grin, wanting to tease the quiet girl, and he called out, “Luna, may I have a look at the bow on your back? Your archery seems pretty accurate!”

The absent-minded Luna jolted when she heard her name; after hearing Ashura’s request, her pretty face hidden by her hair suddenly flushed for some reason.

She slowly removed the wooden bow from her back, stroked the ancient patterns carved on it, and suddenly recalled how, three years earlier at her coming-of-age ceremony, she had knelt before the War Tree and prayed devoutly, “Grandpa Tree, I wish my people peace and health, and may the tribe live in quiet harmony forever!”

The War Tree, whose bark was wrinkled like an old man’s skin, chuckled and said, “Heh-heh, you youngsters make almost the same wishes every time you come of age; is there nothing you want to ask for yourself?”

Luna, still kneeling beneath the tree, blushed and fidgeted for a moment before saying, “Grandpa Tree, Mama told me I may look for a partner after coming of age; could you tell me who my mate is and where he is?”

The War Tree burst into hearty laughter that shook its leaves, and the embarrassed Luna jumped up, stomped her foot, and turned to run away.

But the War Tree stretched out a root to block her and chuckled, “Little Luna, are you shy? All right, Grandpa won’t laugh; let me divine who your ideal partner is.”

Hearing that, Luna stopped and looked at the War Tree, whose eyes were closed in thought, with a face full of expectation.

Countless young men in the tribe adored her, yet she understood little about romance and had no idea what loving someone felt like, so she turned to the all-knowing War Tree for help.

After pondering for a while, the War Tree gave Luna a meaningful look and said, “Little Luna, I cannot see exactly who your best partner is, but he will appear in a distant land and meet you unexpectedly.”

Luna’s heart skipped a beat and she asked anxiously, “Grandpa Tree, do you mean he isn’t from the tribe and is still far away? Then how will I know who he is, and what if I miss him?”

Tears welled up as she spoke; what maiden does not yearn for love, and learning that her dream husband would be so hard to find made Luna’s heart ache.

Stifling his laughter, the War Tree said, “Little Luna, don’t panic, I have a solution.” As he spoke, he cut a branch from himself, tied it with a vine, crafted a wooden bow, and handed it to Luna.

Luna, eyes still red, looked at the War Tree in confusion, unable to see what this bow had to do with her ideal partner.

The War Tree, still smiling slightly, said, “Keep this bow well; it will help you find your ideal mate. Apart from you, only the man destined to be your true love can draw it, so if any man manages to string this bow, do not let him slip away.”

The newly adult Luna blushed scarlet, yet she swiftly accepted the rustic bow, turned to flee, then spun back to bow gratefully to the tree.

Hearing the old tree’s hearty laughter behind her, she ran away even faster, her face still red.

She dashed back to her tree-house, lay on her bed hugging the bow, and only after a long while did her mood settle as her thoughts drifted far away.

Just then she heard young men of the tribe singing outside her house, trying to attract her attention.

As the little princess of the Elves chief, Luna was acknowledged as the most beautiful woman in the tribe; now that she was grown, the young men had lost all desire to hunt and crowded beneath her tree-house whenever they could, trying every method to catch her eye.

Luna frowned slightly; she disliked how her former playmates now approached her with ulterior motives, and when she noticed the bow in her hands and remembered Grandpa Tree’s words, she bit her lip, grabbed her bow, and left the tree-house.

From then on, the unmarried young men of the tribe suffered a heavy blow, for none of them could draw what looked like a rather flimsy wooden bow.

When Luna repeated the War Tree’s instructions, the youths rushed to the tree to complain about the injustice, giving the old tree a headache.

Later, Luna slipped out of the Elves tribe with the bow to see the wider world and happened to meet the wood-element mage Jella; perhaps because of Jella’s affinity with wood, the two felt an instant closeness and soon became inseparable friends.

Jella helped Luna disguise her pointed Elven ears, reminded her to keep her beauty hidden, and warned her about those fawning men.

Luna shared amusing stories with Jella but kept the bow’s purpose secret, claiming it was simply her personal weapon.

Seeing Luna staring blankly at the bow, Ashura wondered if his request was too abrupt, coughed lightly, and said, “I’m just curious; if it’s inconvenient, forget it.”

Only then did Luna snap out of her memories; she shyly handed the bow to Ashura and began thinking of an excuse to tell him that no one but her could draw it.

But Ashura casually stretched out his long arms and drew the bow to a full circle with ease, even aiming at a distant tree and remarking like an expert, “It’s a good bow.”

Luna looked as though her soul had left her body, staring blankly at the young man grinning roguishly while holding the drawn bow…

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