Lin Chong's Women's Cuju Team

Chapter 176 Du Rushuang scores the first goal

Upon hearing that Du Shiniang was to be rewarded, Liu Guangfu had the prizes prepared in advance for today's Cuju (ancient Chinese football) match brought up by eunuchs. The officials and members of the Jin delegation were stunned to see more than ten eunuchs carrying chests of gold to the viewing platform. "His Majesty is so generous today! It seems the woman who scores a goal in Cuju today is going to have a stroke of good fortune!"

Du Shiniang accepted the gold ingot Liu Guangfu handed her, smiling with her eyes half-closed. Gao Can took the opportunity to approach Du Shiniang, bent down and whispered in her ear, "Shiniang, you won first place in today's match. No matter what happens on the field afterward, remember that you promised me you would never play against the Jin women in Cuju."

"Oh? Does Lord Gao mean something big is going to happen on the field today?" Du Shiniang's almond-shaped eyes widened as she glared at Gao Can and questioned him. Gao Can coughed and threatened again in a low voice, "You don't need to worry about today's events. Just stay by the sidelines of the football field. Otherwise, you, Lin Chong, Du Rushuang, and the others will not be able to leave this palace safely today."

Du Shiniang frowned, about to test Gao Can again, but was startled by Liu Guangyu's loud voice: "Today's women's Cuju match officially begins! All players, please take your positions."

Gao Can quickly returned to his seat. Du Shiniang, not wanting to pry into his next scheme, could only go to the sidelines to watch the game. Lin Chong was already waiting at the sidelines. Du Shiniang affectionately took his arm, not glancing at Gao Can again. Gao Can, his eyes red with jealousy, downed the cup of wine Lu Minggu handed him in one gulp, thinking to himself, "Let's see if Du Shiniang chooses Lin Chong or me after today. I'm afraid she won't have a choice then."

The sun shone brightly that day. Two teams of women, dressed in vibrant red and azure blue Cuju uniforms, danced like butterflies across the carpet of green grass on the field. The Jin delegation and Song officials were mesmerized. The Jin women possessed a resilient, sun-kissed beauty, while the Song women exuded a gentle charm tempered with a touch of strength. The clashes and thrusts of the two teams revealed a powerful beauty.

Du Rushuang was being chased by two Jin women, one on each side, until beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She glared at the woman who had tried to steal the football from behind her feet. The woman's waist was bulging, as if she were hiding something. Could this Jin woman be hiding a concealed weapon—a dart or a silver needle? She'd better be careful.

Because of a momentary lapse in concentration, the football at Du Rushuang's feet was snatched away by another plump woman with a wide waist and round belly. Du Rushuang quickly turned around to chase after the plump woman, but unexpectedly, the woman who had been hiding a concealed weapon at her waist called out to her, "Ning Zhanshuang, how come you don't recognize your sister?"

"Do we know each other?" Du Rushuang frowned and replied, then looked at the Jin woman who knew her real name with suspicion and asked, "What are you hiding on your waist? This is the palace. If you try to use a hidden weapon to launch a sneak attack, the Imperial Guards will kill you!"

"Heh! It seems you really don't recognize me. Lord Yelü said you had amnesia before, and it turns out it was true. We fought side by side under the Wolf King, and you've forgotten me!" The woman sneered twice and gently stroked her belt.

At that moment, Du Rushuang saw a small, silver snake poke its triangular head out of the woman's belt and flick its pale red tongue at her. Du Rushuang's eyes widened instantly; she finally remembered the woman playing with snakes before her. Her name was "Yin Xue," her mother was a Miao woman, and her father was from the Jin Dynasty. She had lived among snakes since childhood and was most skilled at using venomous creatures to harm people.

“You are Yin Xue, I remember you.” Du Rushuang ran closer to Yin Xue and whispered in her ear, “I remember that we were mortal enemies in the Jin Kingdom’s intermediary team. We fought each other to the death, both openly and secretly. But you never seemed to win against me even once.”

"Really? You finally remembered me. Well then, today's football match will show you whether you're better or I am!" Yin Xue said to Du Rushuang through gritted teeth.

Du Rushuang curled her lips and said to Chai Nianci behind her, "Sister Chai, how about I go with you to snatch the football from that fat woman in front?" Chai Nianci readily replied, "Okay!"

So, Chai Nianci and Du Rushuang snatched the football back from the fat woman's feet, and Chai Nianci quickly ran to the goal with the ball. Yin Xue and Hasalawa exchanged a glance, and the two rushed towards Chai Nianci. Hasalawa kicked Chai Nianci from behind, the force of which seemed less like a steal and more like an attempt to trip her.

Chai Nianci sensed Hasalawa's fierceness and feared she would be tripped up; she didn't want to be swept off her feet and made a fool of herself in public like a turtle. However, Yin Xue swept the ball directly in front of her, giving her no chance to escape. In this critical moment, Chai Nianci kicked the football into the air, then jumped up and quickly turned around, forcefully pushing the football with her chest, sending it flying behind Hasalawa.

Before Hasalawa could turn to receive the ball, Du Rushuang bumped into him with her body, then seized the initiative and controlled the ball between her legs. Du Rushuang's lightness skill was impressive, and her receiving action was swift and clean. Wu Song, watching from outside the football field, couldn't help but shout in praise: "What a 'turning the tide' kick! Keep it up, Shuang'er!"

"Why does this man talk so much nonsense?" Du Rushuang cursed inwardly, calling him a Wu Song, before shooting the football directly into the Jin Kingdom's goal. At that moment, a Jin Kingdom female player quickly turned and ran towards the goal, trying to change the direction of the football with her body. However, Du Rushuang's "turning the tide" was too powerful and too fast. When she rushed forward, she could only see the football flying directly into her own goal.

"Excellent! Your Majesty, we've scored the first goal in Cuju!" Liu Guangyu bowed and loudly congratulated Emperor Huizong of Song. The emperor stood up excitedly, and the officials beside him, including Gao Qiu and his son, Xiao Minghao, and others, quickly followed suit, clapping and offering their congratulations.

When Mohat saw his team concede the first goal, his face darkened. But when he looked at Yelü Wen, he saw a look of delight on his envoy's face. He couldn't help but say loudly to Yelü Wen, "Lord Yelü, our team has conceded a goal, why do you look so pleased?"

"The one who just scored was Shuang'er, my fiancée. Shouldn't I show joy and pride?" Yelü Wen glanced at the slightly annoyed Mohat and replied coldly.

Mohat then remembered that Du Rushuang—no! Ning Zhanshuang—was the beloved of his Lord Yelü, but today this woman represented the Song Dynasty, not the Jin Dynasty. Oh well, he decided not to bother with Yelü Wen. So what if their Jin women's football team conceded a goal first? They would catch up later.

Seeing Du Rushuang score, Lin Chong gently patted her shoulder in approval. Du Shiniang stepped forward and gave her sworn sister a light hug. Chai Nianci, Pan Jinghe, and other teammates also congratulated Du Rushuang. Du Rushuang glared at Yin Xue from afar, only to see Yin Xue standing with her hands on her hips, looking at her with a defiant expression. The small silver snake at Yin Xue's waist crawled onto Yin Xue's shoulder and stuck out its tongue. Du Rushuang really wanted to snatch the little silver snake and stomp it to the ground, just like before, but she restrained herself from this thought.

At this moment, Emperor Huizong ordered a young eunuch to present a plate of gold ingots to Du Rushuang. It turned out the Emperor was rewarding her for scoring a goal, and this goal was worth five hundred taels of gold. Pan Jinghe looked at the plate of gold ingots, a look of envy appearing on her face. She thought to herself, "Du Rushuang is so lucky! In this important Song-Jin football match, she's the first to score!" No matter what, she was determined to perform well before the Emperor today; she too would score a goal and win the gold ingots.

Thinking of this, Pan Jinghe glanced at Ning Weizhi on the viewing platform. The man was dressed in a neat official robe today, looking refined and gentle, watching her from a distance. As their eyes met, Ning Weizhi raised her right hand, clenched her fist, and made a gesture of encouragement. Pan Jinghe nodded slightly to the man, indicating that she had received his encouragement.