Lin Chong's Women's Cuju Team

As the blood-red sunset gradually sank in the west, its soft and warm afterglow shone upon the towering, precipitous Sunset Cliff. This golden light, like the most delicate brushstrokes in nature's hand, gently painted, adorning the entire Sunset Cliff in a dreamlike and enchanting way.

Nestled among these cliffs, several ancient pine trees, weathered by time, tenaciously take root in the crevices of the hard rocks. Their branches twist and turn, as if telling stories of countless years of struggle against storms; their needles remain lush and green, shimmering with a captivating luster under the setting sun, like emerald pearls embedded in the rocks.

Amidst this beautiful scenery, a tall and imposing figure suddenly appeared—it was none other than Wu Song, the tiger-slaying hero! He was bathed in a faint golden light, making his already robust physique appear even more majestic. His sharp eyes gazed into the distance, revealing a resolute and courageous spirit. Du Rushuang gazed at the figure of the man she had once deeply loved, her lips trembling as she gently blew on her xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument). Unbeknownst to her, tears welled in her eyes, and the music of the xun distorted.

Du Rushuang's heart was in turmoil. It wasn't that she was heartless enough to avoid him, but rather that she didn't know how to face Wu Song. She had regained her memories, rekindled her old feelings for Zhang Ruowen, and had chosen Zhang Ruowen over Wu Song. Du Rushuang felt utterly worthless; why had she ever provoked Wu Song in the first place? And now, how was she supposed to tell him about her past with Zhang Ruowen?

But then she thought, why should she explain herself to Wu Song? Was she trying to beg for his forgiveness? Du Rushuang thought again, perhaps she hadn't done anything wrong; it was all the fault of fate playing tricks on her, Wu Song, and Zhang Ruowen. Seeing that Wu Song's leg injury had healed, Du Rushuang felt a great weight lifted from her heart, but she lacked the courage to face him again. She knew she couldn't forget her past with Wu Song in just a few days. Therefore, the usually bold and straightforward Du Rushuang decided that this time, she would choose to run away.

Wu Song, having shouted for so long his throat was almost hoarse, still saw that the heartless and willful woman refused to show herself. He unscrewed the lid of the wine jug at his waist and tilted his head back, gulping down the strong liquor. The alcohol gave him an idea. So Wu Song shouted towards the mountain stream:

"Shuang'er, if you don't show yourself, I'm jumping off this cliff. I don't know what's below. Since you don't want me anymore, there's no point in me living!"

Wu Song glanced at the opposite cliff and caught a glimpse of a small patch of red clothing fluttering slightly in the wind. He bit his lip and, surprisingly, leaped off the cliff. However, Wu Song's gamble paid off; a brown leather whip suddenly flew from afar towards his waist and tightly wrapped around it.

Wu Song was overjoyed, but when he looked up, he saw the girl who had bound him with a long whip. Du Rushuang glared angrily at the man clinging to the protruding rock face on the cliff edge and shouted at Wu Song, "Wu Song, I never thought you would use such tricks to deceive me?"

"Shuang'er, you've finally shown yourself to me!" Wu Song grinned mischievously, looking both roguish and irritating. "If I hadn't done this, you would definitely have abandoned me."

Du Rushuang pursed her lips, shook her head helplessly, and then tried to pull Wu Song up to the top of the cliff. However, Du Rushuang suddenly felt several cold and fierce eyes staring at her from behind. She glanced behind her and froze on the spot.

It turned out that she had stopped playing the xun while trying to save Wu Song, and four or five wolves were surrounding her. They all had fierce eyes and their tongues were sticking out, looking like hungry wolves. Du Rushuang quickly grabbed the whip with one hand and took out the xun from her waist with the other, wanting to play it again. However, she slipped and fell halfway off the cliff.

Just as things were about to fall, the gray wolf Geri suddenly leaped behind Du Rushuang, gripping her belt tightly with its teeth to prevent her from sliding off the cliff. Because the gray wolf had developed a bond with Du Rushuang since childhood, it was the only wild wolf she didn't need to control with her xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument). The gray wolf, holding onto Du Rushuang's belt, slowly dragged her back to safety. Du Rushuang gave the gray wolf a grateful look.

The gray wolf blinked, then warily turned back to protect Du Rushuang, howling at the five wolves that were about to pounce on her. The wolves usually followed the gray wolf's lead, so seeing him blocking Du Rushuang's path, they dared not act recklessly and quickly turned away.

Du Rushuang then focused her attention and pulled Wu Song up the cliff. As soon as Wu Song regained his footing, he hugged Du Rushuang tightly. He brought his face close to the girl's flushed cheeks and stared at Du Rushuang with eager eyes. Du Rushuang couldn't stand his tight embrace like a lion in heat, and she quickly struggled to break free.

"Shuang'er, may I hug you? Where have you been all this time? Why have you been avoiding me?" Wu Song looked up and met Du Rushuang's gaze, asking her in confusion.

Seeing that she couldn't break free from the man's embrace, Du Rushuang had no choice but to give up. She glanced at Wu Song and then lowered her eyes, not daring to meet his gaze. After clearing her throat, she managed to calm her rapidly beating heart and said to Wu Song in a cold tone, "Wu Song, let me go! I don't want to lie to you anymore. I came here today to get to know you better."

"You understand? You're lying to me?" Wu Song looked at Du Rushuang with a puzzled expression. Du Rushuang kept her eyes down, refusing to look at him.

"I'm sorry! I lied to you. I didn't actually lose my memory at all. My true identity is a spy from the Jin Kingdom. I pretended to have amnesia to infiltrate the Zixiang Pavilion to get close to Du Shiniang and Lin Chong. My mission was to gather intelligence on the Song Kingdom's women's football team and also to find an opportunity to assassinate the Jin Kingdom's envoy." Du Rushuang told the lie she had hastily woven. She discovered that she was actually quite good at lying; she figured Wu Song wouldn't be able to find any loopholes in this story.

However, Wu Song only slightly loosened his grip on Du Rushuang, then reached out and lifted her pointed chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. He said to her in a mocking tone, "Shuang'er, do you think I'll believe what you just said? If you didn't lose your memory, why would you steal your own brother's corpse? Besides, you didn't interact with those assassins at all that day at the football field, nor did you run towards the location of the Jin envoy. How could you have assassinated him?"

"I... I just didn't have a chance to act at the time. My companion killed the Jin envoy first." Du Rushuang said coldly, pushed Wu Song away, and turned to leave with her back to him.

"We haven't explained things clearly, Shuang'er, you can't just leave like this!" Wu Song shouted as he ran quickly to Du Rushuang and pulled her into a tight embrace again. The smell of alcohol on Wu Song made Du Rushuang slightly dazed, and she couldn't help but recall their passionate encounter in the wooden cabin that night.

Du Rushuang bit her lip, half-closing her eyes to suppress her impulse. When she looked at Wu Song again, her eyes were pleading. She advised Wu Song, "Brother Wu, the man in black who took me away from the wooden house that day was my former lover. I have reconciled with him. Forget about me! Just think of everything we did together as a dream."

"What? A dream? My lover?" Upon hearing Du Rushuang's words, Wu Song's face turned red with anxiety, and the smell of alcohol rushed to his head. He excitedly said to Du Rushuang, "So you've gotten back together with your old lover and want to abandon me, is that it? Du Rushuang, how could you do this to me?"

Du Rushuang looked at Wu Song, unsure how to persuade the man before her. Wu Song's gaze was fixed intently on the beautiful Du Rushuang before him; her delicate chin was slightly tense, revealing a barely perceptible hint of nervousness. Her beautiful, captivating eyes seemed veiled in a thin mist, appearing somewhat unfocused, as if they held a deep, tranquil pool, inviting one to explore its mysteries.

Wu Song felt as if his heart had been clenched by an invisible hand, an uncontrollable impulse surging within him. He disregarded everything else, abruptly lowering his head and without hesitation gently pressing his burning lips against Du Rushuang's delicate, luscious lips. Du Rushuang felt a dizzying sensation, her breath suddenly stolen, her jaw snapping shut, and her slender waist tightened even more.

Wu Song lifted Du Rushuang up and kissed her deeply, his nimble tongue licking every corner of the girl's mouth. He wanted to repeatedly confirm whether the woman in front of him really didn't love him anymore. However, he felt that once he kissed her, he would never want to let go for the rest of his life, and he wished he could tear Du Rushuang apart and devour her.

As dusk fell, the blood-red sunset gradually sank in the west, its last rays falling gently on the earth like a golden veil. In this wilderness shrouded in the afterglow, two figures embraced tightly, their necks intertwined, their lips pressed passionately together, as if time itself had stood still at that moment.

Not far away, on a higher hill, a pack of wolves stood silently. They howled to the sky, their mournful howls piercing the still air and echoing throughout the valley. Each howl seemed both a testament to the scene before them and carried a mysterious quality, inspiring awe in all who heard them.

Just as Du Rushuang was about to run out of breath, Wu Song finally released her. Staring at Du Rushuang's flushed face, Wu Song gently wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth and said in a coaxing tone, "Shuang'er just kissed me back, so why are you still stubbornly saying you don't love me anymore? Hmm?"

Du Rushuang glanced at Wu Song with red eyes and scolded him coquettishly, "You lecher! I don't want to talk to you anymore." Wu Song looked at Du Rushuang and was a little amused and exasperated. He reached out to pull her away, but Du Rushuang suddenly shouted to the gray wolf guarding nearby, "Ge Ri, let's go!"