Lin Chong's Women's Cuju Team

Suddenly, a gray figure flashed past behind the previously quiet rock. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a lithe gray wolf with gray and white fur lurking there. This gray wolf seemed to blend into its surroundings; if it weren't for the occasional glint of its cold eyes, it would have been difficult to spot.

Just then, Du Rushuang shouted loudly, "Ge Ri!" Her clear and loud voice echoed through the silent mountain forest.

As if understanding Du Rushuang's call, the gray wolf suddenly leaped out from some corner, its movements as swift as lightning across the night sky. After landing steadily on the ground, it quickly ran to Du Rushuang's side and affectionately rubbed against her leg, as if trying to win her favor.

However, when it turned to look at Wu Song, its eyes instantly became incredibly sharp, filled with vigilance and warning. Those piercing gazes were like two sharp swords, stabbing directly at Wu Song, sending chills down one's spine.

Wu Song wanted to follow and capture Du Rushuang. Just then, the ferocious gray wolf, Geri, opened its blood-red maw, revealing sharp fangs, its eyes gleaming with malice, and pounced on Wu Song without hesitation. In a flash, Wu Song reacted swiftly, dodging to the side, but the wolf's sharp claws still grazed his arm. Geri held Wu Song tightly, forcing him to fight hand-to-hand, so Wu Song could only watch helplessly as Du Rushuang left.

"Shuang'er, you can't leave!"

"I acted impulsively just now and made you angry, but you can't ignore me."

Wu Song shouted loudly, trying to stop Du Rushuang, while lying on his back and grabbing the gray wolf's sharp claws with both hands to prevent it from stabbing into his chest. However, Du Rushuang did not turn around. As she disappeared behind two large rocks, the melodious sound of the xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument) rang out again, echoing through the mountains. A moment later, in that instant, the gray wolf, Geri, which had been tightly gripping its prey, suddenly released its incredibly sharp claws as if it had been greatly frightened. With lightning speed, it turned around abruptly and fled the scene like a bolt of lightning.

Exhausted from his fierce battle with the gray wolf, Wu Song collapsed to the ground, panting heavily as if trying to inhale every last breath. Sweat streamed down his resolute face, soaking his clothes, but he remained oblivious. He felt a profound sense of bewilderment and loss, compounded by the extreme weakness of physical exhaustion.

"Du Rushuang, you heartless woman! When I find you, I'll kiss you to death, haunt you for three days and three nights, and make sure you can't get out of bed!" Wu Song cursed as he stood up and dusted himself off.

Suddenly, a familiar female voice came from behind a pine tree: "Wu Song, you're too reckless! You say all sorts of lewd things. How dare you treat my sworn sister like this?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Song calmed himself and said to the woman approaching him, "Shi Niang, what brings you here? Did you just see Shuang'er? Take me to her quickly." The woman was indeed Du Shiniang. She wore a lake-blue dress, the color of which resembled the clear and gentle surface of a tranquil lake. The wide skirt flowed naturally like water, swaying gently with her light steps, like ripples on a lake in a breeze. The hem of the skirt was meticulously embroidered with delicate patterns, shimmering faintly like a mysterious treasure hidden deep within a lake.

Du Shiniang glanced guiltily at Wu Song and said, "I saw Shuang'er from afar just now, but I dared not see her. She has a misunderstanding with me, and if she saw me now, she would probably cut me with her knife."

Wu Song looked at Du Shiniang in surprise and asked in confusion, "What exactly is the misunderstanding between you and Shuang'er? And what happened to Shuang'er while I was recuperating at the bottom of Sunset Cliff? Why did she tell me to forget her?"

"By the way! Shuang'er really regained her memories?"

"Was she really involved in the assassination of the Jin envoy?"

"And who is her lover?"

Faced with Wu Song's barrage of questions, Du Shiniang's face slowly darkened. She realized she had made the right decision to secretly follow Lu Zhichen to Sunset Cliff. Du Shiniang knew that Du Rushuang was afraid to face Wu Song and might even lie to him. She had witnessed the scene of Du Rushuang and Wu Song's entanglement from behind the pine tree. A seasoned lover, Du Shiniang knew perfectly well how much Du Rushuang missed Wu Song and how much she loved him. But fate was cruel; Zhang Ruowen was also deeply in love with Du Rushuang, risking his life to cure her poison. If Du Shiniang herself had been in that situation, she felt she would have chosen Zhang Ruowen as well.

"Shi Niang, why aren't you answering my question? Are you trying to lie to me too? I don't believe a word Shuang'er told me just now." Wu Song grabbed Du Shiniang's sleeve excitedly and pressed her for an answer.

Seeing that Wu Song was in a great hurry and determined to get the truth from her, Du Shiniang decided to tell him the whole story. So, Du Shiniang explained to Wu Song in detail how Zhang Ruowen sacrificed half of his martial arts skills to cure Du Rushuang's poison, and how both Du Rushuang and Zhang Ruowen were spies for the Wolf King.

"So that's how it is! Zhang Ruowen was Shuang'er's former lover. No wonder he looked at me with hostility when he was at Zixiang Pavilion, but his eyes were gentle and tender when he looked at Shuang'er. But what's the story behind the misunderstanding between you and Shuang'er?" Wu Song glanced at Du Shiniang, not forgetting to ask her about the conflict between her and Du Rushuang.

Du Shiniang sighed softly and said somewhat awkwardly to Wu Song, "I took advantage of Zhang Ruowen's internal injuries and had General Zhou send men to capture Zhang Ruowen. That's why Shuang'er resented me and said she wanted to sever our sisterly bond."

"So you've captured that Zhang fellow. No wonder Shuang'er ignores you. But I know you did this to save Brother Lin Chong. Come on! I'll go with you to Dali Temple right now and explain what happened that day when Shuang'er and I were tracking the assassin. That way, we should be more confident in getting Lin Chong out of prison." As Wu Song spoke, he tugged at Du Shiniang's sleeve, urging her to leave Sunset Cliff with him quickly.

Du Shiniang was overjoyed. With Wu Song as a witness, her chances of getting Lin Chong out of prison had increased. After walking a few steps, Du Shiniang suddenly stopped and looked at Wu Song seriously, asking, "Brother Wu, tell me honestly, after hearing what I told you about Shuang'er's identity and her relationship with Zhang Ruowen, what are your thoughts?"

"What do I think? Of course, I'll continue to pester that hateful woman, Du Rushuang. Does she think I'll give up so easily? As long as she doesn't marry, I'll still have a chance. I don't care about what happened between Zhang Ruowen and her. I couldn't be a part of her past, but I don't want to miss out on her future!" Wu Song said to Du Shiniang in a firm tone.

Du Shiniang thought Wu Song's words of love were really good. She even wanted to clap her hands and praise him as a "devoted hero." It was a pity that Du Rushuang couldn't hear them herself, but she immediately decided to stand on Wu Song's side and find a way to help him win Du Rushuang back in the future.

When Du Shiniang brought Wu Song to the Dali Temple, only Pan Jinghe and two officials came out to greet them. It turned out that Ning Weizhi had been summoned to the palace by Emperor Huizong at dusk, supposedly to discuss the matter of Consort Luo. Du Shiniang asked Pan Jinghe with a puzzled look, "Miss Pan, who is Consort Luo? Why would His Majesty summon Lord Ning to the palace for her?"

Seeing that Du Shiniang was unaware of Chen Jinhuan's entry into the palace, Pan Jinghe said mysteriously, "Shiniang, haven't you heard? The current emperor has recently taken in Gao Qiu's adopted daughter. This girl is as beautiful as a fairy, and she has already been bestowed the title of Consort Luo before even entering the palace to serve the emperor."

“How would I know Gao Qiu’s adopted daughter? Ever since General Zhou rescued me from the Ministry of Justice’s prison, that scoundrel Gao hasn’t come to our Zixiang Pavilion to see Lady Zou for several days,” Du Shiniang said to Pan Jinghe.

Pan Jinghe turned slightly to the side, her clear, watery eyes turning gently before looking directly at Du Shiniang. A faint smile played on her lips, and she blinked her jewel-like eyes, which twinkled like stars in the night sky. Then, she parted her lips slightly and said to Du Shiniang in a playful tone, "Shiniang, we both know this Consort Luo, and you were the one who personally delivered her portrait to the Emperor."

"The portrait I sent? Isn't that Lady Chen Jinhuan? Could she be Consort Luo?" Du Shiniang said as if suddenly realizing something. "But when did Chen Jinhuan become Gao Qiu's adopted daughter? After she disappeared at the palace's football field that day, I also sent people to look for her. Later, I learned that Ning Zhanyan was not dead and had hidden her. Ning Zhanyan loves her to the point of madness, how could he possibly agree to Lady Chen entering the palace?"

Pan Jinghe muttered, "Who knows! Anyway, I heard Brother Ning say that Chen Jinhuan is Consort Luo, but after she entered the palace, she was confined to Weiyang Palace. It is said that she is destined to bring bad luck to her husband. The Empress strongly opposed her serving the Emperor and even threatened to kill herself to prevent the Emperor from seeing her. That's why the Emperor summoned Brother Ning to the palace to find a solution."

After listening quietly to Pan Jinghe's words, Du Shiniang began to slowly pace through the solemn and imposing hall of the yamen. Her brows were slightly furrowed, her eyes fixed on the ground, as if trying to see through the hard stone slabs to uncover the hidden truth. Each step seemed heavy and slow, as if carrying the weight of her deepest doubts and anxieties.

At this moment, Du Shiniang secretly pondered, "Chen Jinhuan's entry into the palace is definitely not as simple as it seems." However, despite racking her brains, she still couldn't pinpoint exactly where the problem lay. Was it a complex power struggle within the palace? Or was someone deliberately plotting a conspiracy behind the scenes? Or perhaps some other hidden secret unknown to outsiders? These questions shrouded her mind like a thick fog, leaving her feeling bewildered.