Lin Chong's Women's Cuju Team

Du Rushuang took Du Shiniang's hand and made her sit on the steps by the inn's football field to watch her match against Hasalawa. Lin Chong approached Du Rushuang and told her that when facing the football goal, she must first probe the opponent's defensive weaknesses and then kick from those weaknesses. Du Rushuang blinked to indicate that she understood how to deal with Hasalawa, this tall and strong Jin woman.

Because this was a one-on-one Cuju match, there was only one goal. Du Rushuang saw a yellow ribbon tied to the goal, fluttering in the wind under the bright sun. Filled with fighting spirit, she met the gaze of Hasalawa, who was standing in front of the goal, her eyes seemingly saying to the Jin woman, "You're dead! Just wait until I kick your man and the Cuju ball flying, hmph!"

Hasalawa seemed to understand the provocation in her eyes, but how could she be afraid of this Song Dynasty woman who was more than half a head shorter than her and as slender as a bamboo pole? Hasalawa stretched her neck a few times, deliberately tilted her head, and glared at Du Rushuang, her attitude equally defiant.

Yelü Wenze and Lin Chong stood on either side of the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) goal, their faces showing tension as they constantly glanced at the two women in front of the goal. Wu Song stood not far behind Du Rushuang, his eyes also fixed on Du Rushuang, who was dressed in red, on the Cuju field. He knew that Du Rushuang had summoned Lin Chong and Du Shiniang today to test the strength of the Jin Kingdom's women's Cuju team, but this woman was bold enough to challenge the team's captain alone. However, he also believed in Du Rushuang's Cuju skills; he had witnessed her fierceness when he accompanied her to Cuju training before.

Du Rushuang's mother was from the Jin Dynasty, so her hair was actually golden and slightly curly. However, in order to infiltrate the Song Dynasty as a spy, she dyed her hair black and straightened it. These days, she was staying at a Jin Dynasty inn, and Yelü Wen forbade her to continue concealing it. Therefore, a few strands of golden hair were clearly mixed into Du Rushuang's black hair. A person's true eye color cannot be hidden, and thus Du Rushuang's eyes captivated Khasalawa.

Hasalawa bent down, concentrating intently on guarding the goal. It was then, with complete focus, that she noticed the unusual color in Du Rushuang's hair and eyes. She couldn't help but ask loudly, "Du Rushuang, why aren't your eyes white? And why are there golden strands mixed in with your black hair?"

"Guess?" Du Rushuang said to Hasalawa with a slight smile. As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly kicked the football ball hard into the goal. Hasalawa thought to herself, "This is bad," but she reacted quickly and leaped high to catch Du Rushuang's kick.

Du Rushuang only used 70% of her strength for the first ball. Her kick was purely to test Hasalawa's reaction in front of the goal. But she couldn't help but admire Hasalawa's reaction from the bottom of her heart. It was at least ten times faster than she had imagined.

Du Rushuang didn't rush to kick the second ball. She simply placed it a step away from herself, then assumed a right-foot-forward, left-foot-back stance, half-closing her eyes as she aimed at the open space on Hasalawa's right. Seeing Du Rushuang hesitate for a while, switching her kicking posture between her left and right feet, Hasalawa impatiently scolded, "You Song woman, why are you so hesitant when kicking a ball? Did you see how powerful I am earlier and your legs went weak?"

"How is that possible!" Du Rushuang roared coldly, and with those four words, she kicked the football ball into the air with her right foot. Yelü Wen, who was on the right, saw the beautiful arc of Du Rushuang's kick and couldn't help but applaud and praise her, "That was a beautiful shot! My Shuang'er."

"Bah! Who is his Shuang'er? This Yelü Wen is shameless!" Wu Song couldn't help but curse aloud upon hearing Yelü Wen's words, deliberately making sure everyone on the football field could hear him. Du Shiniang and Lin Chong glanced at Wu Song simultaneously, signaling him not to speak recklessly and disturb the two women on the football field.

However, Hasalawa didn't hear Yelü Wen and Wu Song's words. She simply jumped easily, lunging to her right and catching the football ball kicked by Du Rushuang with both hands. The second ball still didn't go in.

Because Du Rushuang conceded two goals, as agreed before the match, she and Khasalava switched roles. Khasalava became the one attacking, while Du Rushuang became the one guarding the goal. After the switch, Mohat whistled, and a Jin woman dressed in the same orange Cuju uniform as Khasalava placed a brand-new Cuju ball wrapped in gold silk at Khasalava's feet.

"Why switch to the Cuju ball?" Du Rushuang asked Hasalawa, somewhat puzzled, upon seeing this. Hasalawa snorted and said to Du Rushuang, "Guess?"

Hasalawa felt incredibly satisfied to retaliate with Du Rushuang's earlier provocation. Du Rushuang, on the other hand, blushed with anger. She bit her lip, trying to concentrate and calmly prepare to deal with Hasalawa's upcoming kick.

Lin Chong shouted, "Begin!" Hasalawa then kicked the golden football ball forcefully towards Du Rushuang's lower abdomen. Du Rushuang quickly leaped to catch the ball, but suddenly a small blade popped out of the football ball in mid-air, its silver light dazzling in the sunlight.

"Oh no!" Du Shiniang and Lin Chong cried out simultaneously, only to see that Du Rushuang's wrist had already been cut by the small blades that flew out of the football ball, and blood gushed out immediately. After being cut on the wrist, Du Rushuang gritted her teeth, endured the pain, turned around, and used her head to nudge the edge of the football ball, trying to change its flight direction.

Unexpectedly, Du Rushuang's action triggered another mechanism on the football, and a gleaming array of silver blades flew out from the ball, heading straight for Du Rushuang's neck. Fortunately, Wu Song noticed in time, rushed to Du Rushuang's side, and they rolled to the ground together. After falling, Wu Song anxiously asked the woman, "Shuang'er, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, let me go!" Du Rushuang was pinned to the ground by Wu Song, their embrace somewhat intimate. She quickly called out to Wu Song. Wu Song then sat up, giving Du Rushuang the opportunity to sit up. He was about to pick up Du Rushuang's wrist to check the depth of the wound from where she had just bled.

At this moment, Yelü Wen also arrived. He saw Wu Song and Du Rushuang lying intimately on the ground and said angrily, "Wu Song, what were you doing just now? Why did you pounce on Shuang'er?"

"Ah Wen, don't misunderstand! Just now, for some reason, that golden football ball had a hidden mechanism inside. My wrist was cut by a blade, and I almost cut my neck. Brother Wu Song saved me," Du Rushuang explained to Yelü Wen.

Because he was standing in a different position than Wu Song, Yelü Wen hadn't seen the blade fly out of the football ball before. Now, hearing Du Rushuang's words, he was very surprised and quickly helped her up from the ground. He saw blood seeping from the back of the woman's hand, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and carefully bandaged the wound on Du Rushuang's wrist. Then, he asked in confusion, "Shuang'er, the wound on your wrist isn't deep. I'll apply some medicine powder when we get back, and it will heal quickly. But what about this football ball?"

Seeing Yelü Wen bandaging Du Rushuang's wounds, Wu Song felt a surge of jealousy and cursed at Yelü Wen, "This golden ball is no ordinary football! It looks more like a ghost ball to me. Did you Jin people steal the blueprints for the ghost ball?"

Yelü Wen's face darkened at Wu Song's questioning. He hadn't expected Mohart and Hasalawa to be so audacious as to publicly use the Netherworld Orb to ambush Du Rushuang. He'd heard a few days ago that Mohart had gone to the palace to ask the emperor for the Netherworld Orb, and had been refused. Why did he now possess a brand new one? Could it be, as Wu Song claimed, that Mohart had stolen the blueprints for the Netherworld Orb?