Chapter 2 Locke

  My father's thunderous roar, like a bolt of lightning on a clear day, nailed me to the spot, not daring to move. At this moment, I felt like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, completely devoid of any ability to resist.

  "Alright, alright, Kulen! Why are you always so harsh on your son? He's just a child, being playful is only natural, it's not like he's committed some great crime. Children are meant to be playful. Besides, eagles will eventually fly out of their nests, one day he'll go out and make his own way in the world, and you won't even get to see him then." Teacher Ellen saw how scared I was and quickly spoke up for me.

  "Hmph, Eagle? Look at him, where's the flair I had back then? I was already an intermediate swordsman at his age. Where is he now? Fourteen years old and only barely a beginner swordsman. Sigh, it's really frustrating! Although he still looks down on me, Father's expression has obviously softened a lot."

  "This can't be blamed on the child, I've told you before that he has a slender build, more like his mother's, and is not suited to being a swordsman. You didn't believe me, but insisted on having him learn swordsmanship." Mr. Allen immediately spoke up in my defense.

  "It's not like there's no way, you and I are both swordsmen by birth, if we don't learn swordsmanship what will we rely on to survive in the future? I don't want him to be like his grandfather, a civil official who spends all day socializing with those useless nobles." The father regretfully shook his head and downed a cup of wine.

  "I think this child's physical condition is actually quite good, it's just that he's inclined towards agility, why not call Lok to take a look? He was our military unit's famous divine archer back in the day, and it's said that even the elves' archery skills can't compare to his. Maybe this child will become an outstanding archer in the future, who knows?" Teacher Ailen suggested after sizing me up for a moment.

  "Hmm... fine, anyway, this little rabbit won't have much progress in learning swordsmanship." My father also looked me up and down with a scrutinizing gaze, nodding his head as he spoke. The two of them seemed to be sizing me up like merchandise, as if they were going to sell me off like a fat sheep.

  "I'll go call Locke, you two wait here for a moment." Seeing his father nod, Allen immediately got up to call the Locke they were talking about. Actually, I also knew Uncle Locke, who was said to have been the captain of Father's archery team back in the day. His marksmanship was incredibly accurate, hitting every target with ease, but I had never seen it for myself.

  After Mr. Ai left, Father has been drinking with his head down, completely ignoring me standing beside him. I didn't make a sound either, usually I don't dare to talk to Father much, now he's ignoring me is the best outcome, if it goes on like this, I reckon today I won't have to endure Father's stormy temper. So, I stood quietly in the corner without making a sound.

  "General, I heard you called me!" Uncle Luo's shout outside the door pulled my wandering thoughts back from afar.

  "Come on in. It's been so long since we left the army, where are all these rules? I've told you before not to call me that." Father said towards the outside of the door.

  The wooden gate of the courtyard was gently pushed open, and Uncle Rock and Teacher Allen walked in side by side. Uncle Rock had a pair of black shiny eyes that seemed to be able to see through people when he looked at them. At this moment, those bright eyes were looking at my father and me, filled with a smile.

  "Come on over and sit down, I want to discuss something with you." His father also smiled and invited Uncle Locke.

  "Hello Uncle Locke!" I greeted Uncle Locke obediently.

  "Yalick, hello, why are you being so well-behaved today?" Uncle Lock said with a smile as he walked over and ruffled my hair.

  I awkwardly smiled at Uncle Locke without saying a word, wondering if I had always been naughty in their eyes.

  "Don't bother with that little rabbit, he's always neglecting his sword practice and running off to play. Like a wild horse that's broken free." His father grunted, beckoning Uncle Locke over.

  The three people sat down again, and the father poured a cup of wine for each person. Everyone raised their cups and took a drink.

  "What did you want to find me for? It shouldn't be just about drinking today, right?" Uncle Lock asked after having a few cups.

  "My son, as you've seen, Allen and I both think he's not cut out to be a swordsman. We were thinking of asking you to take a look at him and see if he has what it takes to be an archer." After hesitating for a moment, the father told this to Uncle Lock.

  Upon hearing Father's words, Uncle Locke turned his head and looked me up and down. His gaze swept over my body, making me feel uneasy all over.

  But that's not all, Uncle Rock stood up and pulled my hand to take a closer look, then suddenly swung his hand in front of my eyes, I hurriedly covered my eyes with my hands, but his hand had already come down. Then Uncle Rock turned around and pointed to a tree about three hundred steps outside the yard, saying: "Alik, take a look at the leaves on that tree, can you see them clearly?"

  I strained my eyes to look at the treetops in the distance, and vaguely saw the shape of the leaves, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see any smaller details. I had to say to Lock: "I can only see the general outline of the leaves, but on small things, I just can't see clearly."

  Uncle Locke didn't say a word after hearing me out, he returned to his seat, picked up his wine glass and started drinking.

  "Locke, what's going on? You'd better say something." Father didn't ask, but Allen teacher became somewhat anxious.

  "General, ah, big brother, I'll tell you the truth, you can judge for yourself." Uncle Luo said with a drink in his hand, looking at Father.

  "Ah, never mind, Luoke. Just say what you want to say." Father picked up his wine cup and took a big gulp, nodding his head as he spoke.

  "Actually, your son's physical condition is quite good, his fingers are strong and slender, and his hand-eye coordination is also very good. Unfortunately, his eyesight is slightly worse than mine. If I were to teach him, becoming a high-level archer would be no problem, but for him to reach my level would be difficult. Although I have ways to slightly improve his eyesight, the improvement won't be too great. This kind of thing is usually innate." Locke picked up his wine glass and clinked it against his father's before downing the contents in one gulp.

  Upon hearing Uncle Rock's words, Father hesitated for a moment, took a sip of wine, and then said to Uncle Rock: "In any case, it's better than being an intermediate swordsman for a lifetime. Lock, I'll leave it to you."

  "No problem, don't worry, I'll make sure to teach Alick well. I guarantee that by next year, Alick will be able to pass the intermediate archer exam in the Imperial City." Uncle Lock happily clinked glasses with Father and then turned to instruct me: "Alick, remember, tomorrow morning when the village rooster crows for the first time, you must come to my place. From now on, every morning I'll teach you archery for two hours, and after that, you'll go to Teacher Allen's place to learn swordsmanship. Don't be late!"

  My father looked happy too, but I knew that in fact his expectations of me were absolutely not just to be an ordinary high-level archer. I was going to disappoint my father.