Recklessness Will Ultimately Sever the Spiritual Root

"Whoosh—"

The arrow sliced through the air with a sharp whistling sound, like a bolt of lightning, striking the bullseye with unerring precision.

"Thud—"

The moment the arrow embedded itself into the target, Su Cheng’s previously imposing aura seemed to dissipate, and he reverted to his frail, sickly appearance, as if the heroic display had been nothing more than an illusion.

"Cornelia wasn’t lying!" Just as Su Cheng stood there panting in confusion, Sister Qin’s crisp voice suddenly rang out beside him, startling him into turning toward the source.

"Coach Han, are you alright?" Nearby, Sister Qin was supporting Han Ya, her face etched with concern.

Han Ya swayed unsteadily, her cheeks flushed. With great effort, she lifted her head and gazed at Su Cheng with an unmistakably affectionate look.

The sight alarmed Su Cheng. He hastily set down his bow and asked, "Coach Han, are you okay?"

"I… I’m fine… Your archery… was incredible…" Han Ya’s voice grew softer, her blush deepening into something mesmerizing. She tried to stand but collapsed back onto the sofa, her legs too weak to support her.

Seeing this, Sister Qin quickly helped her sit down, while Su Cheng stood awkwardly to the side, utterly clueless about what had just happened.

After about half a minute, Han Ya finally regained some composure. She propped herself up and offered Su Cheng a gentle smile before turning to Sister Qin. "I’m alright now."

"Hey, are you really a beginner?" Sister Qin now directed her suspicion at Su Cheng. "That sequence of movements was flawless—like flowing water. There’s no way you’re a novice."

From the sofa, Han Ya also fixed her gaze on Su Cheng. Though her cheeks were still rosy, the earlier allure had faded slightly. She bit her lip and asked in a sultry tone, "Why pretend to be a beginner?"

The question left both women stunned, especially Sister Qin, whose eyes brimmed with confusion.

The Han Ya they knew was sharp and composed, her occasional soft smiles never masking her inherent resilience. But now…

What was this flustered, lovestruck demeanor?

Sister Qin couldn’t make sense of it.

Su Cheng was equally baffled by Han Ya’s behavior, but he had no explanation for her question.

All he knew was that his body had moved on its own, as if possessed. He couldn’t even recall who he was—only that he had to do something important. Then, like a machine, he had acted on pure instinct, releasing the arrow without conscious thought.

As Su Cheng struggled to find the right words, Sister Qin suddenly stepped closer and clapped him on the shoulder, wearing a knowing smirk.

Su Cheng blinked at her in confusion. She leaned in and whispered teasingly, "You sly fox. Playing dumb to catch us off guard, huh?"

"No, absolutely not!" Su Cheng shook his head vehemently. "I don’t even know what happened. It was like my body wasn’t mine—like someone else was controlling me. I had no idea what I was doing."

The explanation only deepened the bewilderment on Han Ya and Sister Qin’s faces. They exchanged a glance before falling silent, their eyes locked on Su Cheng.

Realizing he needed to clarify, Su Cheng quickly added, "Maybe it’s what Coach Han calls ‘the zone.’ I felt like I entered this strange, incredible state."

"That… might actually be true." Surprisingly, Han Ya seemed to believe him. She furrowed her brow, lost in thought. "That feeling… I experienced it too just now…"

As she spoke, her cheeks flushed again, and she abruptly stood up. "I need to use the restroom. You two talk—I’ll be right back."

Seriously, what’s with this suspicious behavior?!

Sister Qin watched Han Ya’s flustered retreat with silent exasperation. But when she turned back to Su Cheng, her expression shifted to one of awe. She grabbed his shoulders excitedly. "Could it be… you’re actually a once-in-a-generation archery prodigy?"

"Uh, I wouldn’t know…" Su Cheng scratched his head awkwardly, playing dumb.

Truthfully, he had expected something like this. Cornelia had once mentioned his natural talent for archery. But today’s performance had exceeded even his wildest expectations.

Seeing Su Cheng’s reluctance to elaborate, Sister Qin turned her attention to the target. The arrow stood perfectly centered in the bullseye, its fletching still quivering faintly from the impact.

Hitting the bullseye from ten meters wasn’t extraordinary, but upon closer inspection, Sister Qin realized the shot was unnervingly precise—so much so that no human eye could detect even the slightest deviation.

"No way. Absolutely no way!" She pulled out her phone, opened a measuring app, and gasped. Su Cheng’s shot had achieved "absolute precision"—a feat beyond even the world’s top archers.

"How… is this possible?" Sister Qin’s voice trembled. This wasn’t just skill—it defied human capability.

She looked back at Su Cheng, who still wore that same clueless grin, as if unaware of the shock he’d caused. "What’s wrong?" he asked blankly.

Just then, Han Ya returned. Without thinking, she yanked the arrow from the target and tossed it aside before asking, "Coach Han, are you feeling better now?"

Sister Qin realized Su Cheng’s talent shouldn’t be confined to this small archery range. Having witnessed Han Ya’s reaction, she knew the club would go to great lengths to keep him. To avoid complications, she decided to remove the evidence.

"Just… my period came early," Han Ya replied, her usual vigor returning. But when her eyes met Su Cheng’s, they still shimmered with unmistakable admiration. She bit her lip. "Let’s… continue, shall we?"

Sister Qin could hardly bear to watch Han Ya’s lovestruck act any longer. "Since we’ve already tried it out, should we head back?" she suggested to Su Cheng.

At this, Han Ya panicked. "W-Wait! I haven’t fully assessed his potential yet!"

"Yeah, wouldn’t it be a waste of money?" Su Cheng chimed in. "Let’s stay a bit longer. It won’t take much time."

"Alright, pick up the bow again," Han Ya urged eagerly. She pointed at the target. "Do you remember that state you were in earlier? Try to recreate it."

Su Cheng obliged, lifting the bow and nocking an arrow. But the moment he drew the string, his body ached fiercely.

His hands trembled violently, as if afflicted by Parkinson’s—a far cry from the fluid grace he’d displayed before. Now, he looked every bit the feeble beginner.

Sister Qin exhaled in relief.

Though Su Cheng couldn’t reenter that mysterious "zone," the memory of that one perfect shot was already seared into their minds—a moment neither woman would ever forget.

"I... I..." Su Cheng was momentarily speechless, completely at a loss for what to do. Just as he was about to turn to Coach Han Ya for help, a fragrant breeze brushed past him—Han Ya pressed herself against him, one hand enveloping his bow-drawing hand while the other wrapped around his waist, gradually applying pressure...

"So blatantly taking advantage?" Sister Qin, who was standing nearby, nearly popped her eyes out in shock. She rubbed her eyes, her face filled with disbelief. "Coach Han, don’t you think you’re getting a little too close?"

"This is how I teach beginners," Han Ya explained, adjusting Su Cheng’s posture to the right angle before reluctantly letting go and stepping back. "Alright, shoot now."

"Oh..."

Hearing this, Su Cheng steadied himself with a few deep breaths and released the arrow toward the target.

Twang—

The arrow cut through the air, tracing a graceful arc before landing perfectly... off the target.

Su Cheng froze, staring at the missed shot in stunned silence.

"It’s fine, let’s try again," Han Ya’s gentle voice reached his ears as she wrapped her left arm around his waist again—this time pressing her lower body tightly against him.

This didn’t look like archery instruction at all.

It was practically a couple’s intimate game!

The satisfied expression on Han Ya’s face made Sister Qin itch to yank the two apart.

It was obvious—this woman was openly taking advantage of Su Cheng.

Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and stepped in to rescue him. "Coach, I don’t think you realize—Su Cheng is a boy. You should maintain some distance. Besides, his stamina isn’t enough to keep practicing like this."

"Oh, I forgot. Force of habit, sorry." Han Ya blinked, a bashful smile appearing as she quickly withdrew her arm and stepped back. "You should rest for a bit."

"Okay."

The naive Su Cheng simply assumed this was Han Ya’s coaching style—that she was just overly dedicated. He didn’t think much of it and, after sitting back down, hesitated before thanking her. "You’ve worked hard."

"You’re the guest here. Meeting your needs is my job." Han Ya shook her head with a smile. "And... you don’t have to treat me like a stranger."

Su Cheng didn’t know how to respond and could only lower his head, staring at his trembling hands.

In this state, continuing to practice was clearly impossible. He sighed and decided to call it quits for now, turning to the coach. "I don’t think my body can handle any more practice today."

"That’s fine. I can wait for you to rest." Han Ya didn’t seem bothered. "We still have plenty of time before dinner."

"Actually, Su Cheng, we have other plans this afternoon," Sister Qin cut in. "Let’s wrap it up for today."

"Ah... okay." Seeing Sister Qin’s urgency, Su Cheng couldn’t refuse and nodded in agreement.

Han Ya shot Sister Qin a visibly irritated glance before turning back to Su Cheng, her tone pleading and coquettish. "If you’re tired, how about we go to the lounge and chat? I can explain some archery concepts to you?"

"Well..."

Su Cheng was tempted—there was still so much he didn’t understand—but he glanced uncertainly at Sister Qin.

"Alright, let’s go." Without waiting for his response, Sister Qin grabbed his wrist and pulled him away. "We’ve got things to do."

"Wait, please." Han Ya blocked their path, her voice tinged with melancholy as she looked at Su Cheng. "You have real talent in archery, and we really clicked. So... when will you come back to the archery range?"

"He won’t be back anytime soon. He needs to focus on physical training," Sister Qin interjected sharply. "You saw how weak he is—that’s the priority now."

She thought that would settle it.

But Han Ya surprised her.

"That’s perfect, actually."

Han Ya quickly pulled a business card from her pocket and handed it to Su Cheng with both hands, her voice pleading. "This is my number. I can provide in-home personal training—custom workout plans, nutritionally balanced meals, full health support. Please don’t refuse me."

Any normal guy would’ve crumbled under such an offer, but Su Cheng was broke. He immediately waved his hands in refusal. "Coach, I’m just a poor student. I can’t afford such expensive services!"

"It’s free. Even your future visits to the range will be free." Han Ya’s expression turned crestfallen. She bit her lip and whispered, "We have such a strong connection, and your talent is once-in-a-lifetime. If I let you go, I’d regret it forever. I don’t want to live with that regret..."

"Enough!" Sister Qin dragged Su Cheng away, calling over her shoulder, "We have other plans. We’re heading home now."

"Call me anytime!" Han Ya chased after them, waving goodbye to Su Cheng.

Su Cheng was baffled. This coach was way too enthusiastic—and way too nice to him.

Something felt off, but he didn’t dwell on it, simply following Sister Qin out in a hurry.

In the car, Sister Qin held out her hand, her expression stern. "Give me her business card. Now."

"Okay."

Though confused, Su Cheng obediently handed it over.

Sister Qin immediately tore it up, then went a step further—pulling out the archery club membership card from her wallet, snapping it in half, and tossing both out the window.

"Uh..." Su Cheng was stunned. He looked at Sister Qin, unsure why she’d suddenly lost her temper.

"Don’t you think that coach was way too into you?" Sister Qin’s brows furrowed with concern. "She’s clearly got ulterior motives. Don’t go back to that range, and don’t contact her!"

"Huh? Really?" Su Cheng couldn’t fathom why anyone would be interested in him. He was decent-looking but frail, socially awkward—what was there to covet?

Even his so-called archery talent had only flashed briefly.

To others, it might’ve just been luck.

He fell silent, frowning in thought.

"You’re so dense." Sister Qin smacked his shoulder. "Your archery talent is enough to drive people crazy. Don’t show it off so casually. And I suspect your ability to enter that ‘zone’ depends on your physical condition."

"How so?"

"Bottom line—right now, your stamina is too weak to sustain that mystical state."

"Alright."

"But there’s one thing you need to remember: boys have to protect themselves out there too!"