Lin Chong's Women's Cuju Team

Chapter 179 The Jin Dynasty Woman Rolling Her Eyes

Chapter 179 The Jin Dynasty Woman Rolling Her Eyes

After hearing Du Shiniang's words, Consort Luo Chen Jinhuan asked anxiously, "Shiniang, is what you said true? Liulang and Lord Shen Daoyuan have already made preparations for today's Cuju match between the Song and Jin states? Where is Liulang now? I'm still very worried about him!"

"Your Highness, don't worry about Lord Ning. His plan to fake his death and escape was so meticulous. You must believe that he won't be easily harmed by the Wolf King. If it's really inconvenient for you to come forward, then help me and Shuang'er keep the Jin Kingdom female team members occupied," Du Shiniang earnestly advised Consort Luo.

Luo Fei lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, then decided to do as Du Shiniang said. She would keep Yin Xue in check and prevent her from causing trouble for Du Shiniang and the others. Du Rushuang was also persuaded by Du Shiniang's silver tongue, and she became more active on the football field. Seeing Du Rushuang suddenly become more enthusiastic, Hasalawa did not dare to slack off and quickly went after her.

Before long, the situation on the Cuju field became more favorable to the Song Dynasty women's Cuju team. Du Rushuang and Du Shiniang cooperated seamlessly, creating three near-goal opportunities for the Jin Dynasty's Cuju goal, but unfortunately, each time the Jin Dynasty woman, as strong as a wild boar, blocked their shots. Mohat noticed that his team members were clearly less agile in Cuju skills than the Song Dynasty women, and their on-the-spot reactions were also slower.

Strange! Didn't Lord Yelü say that the Wolf King had already captured Ning Zhanyan to threaten Ning Rushuang? How come Du Rushuang went from being timid and hesitant to being carefree and unrestrained the moment Du Shiniang entered the arena? It seems we need to bring in another female player to put some pressure on the Song women's team. Mohart thought this and did just that.

The Jin Dynasty women's Cuju team needed to make a substitution, so Du Shiniang, Zou Xiaoyan, and the others had a chance to go to the Cuju field to drink water and rest. At this time, Consort Luo was also summoned to the stands by Emperor Huizong of Song. Emperor Huizong personally wiped Consort Luo's sweat, praising her excellent Cuju skills and saying that she would score a goal sooner or later. He also told her not to run too much and to take good care of herself!

Consort Luo found the Emperor's buzzing in her ear too noisy! Concerned for Ning Zhanyan's safety, she lazily responded with a few words, but her eyes weren't on the Emperor; instead, they were fixed on a red wall outside the palace gates of the distant football field. Emperor Huizong assumed his Consort Luo was simply too tired and didn't want to argue with her.

However, just as Consort Luo picked up the cup of fragrant tea handed to her by a palace maid, she caught a glimpse of a man in a black robe with disheveled hair, his head pressed against the palace wall, which was over seven zhang high. That man was… he was… Liu Lang. Consort Luo was startled, frowning as she stared at the man on the palace wall and the two men dressed as imperial guards beside him.

Just now, Du Shiniang told her that Liu Lang would protect her and that he would be alright. How come he's now pinned against the palace wall with a large knife pressed against his neck? No! She can't take the risk. She can't win this football match, and she can't let Du Shiniang and the others win either. She has to save Ning Zhanyan's life. If her lover dies, she doesn't want to live either.

Emperor Huizong noticed that Consort Luo was staring blankly at her teacup, and assumed she was worried about the Cuju match. He gently pulled her into his arms, kissed her forehead, and comforted her, saying, "Huan'er, don't worry! Even if we lose today's Cuju match, I won't blame you, much less punish you. If anyone will be punished, it will be Du Shiniang and Lin Chong. Why don't you just stay off the Cuju field and avoid the hardship? I'll have my advisor select someone from the palace women's Cuju team to replace you, how about that?"

"Thank you for your kindness and care, Your Majesty! However, since I am your concubine, I will naturally fight to the death against the Jin women's football team on Your Majesty's behalf, protect your three cities, and safeguard your great country and your beloved people." Consort Luo said solemnly to Emperor Huizong of Song, while tightly gripping the emperor's arm as she spoke.

Emperor Huizong had previously thought Consort Luo was as beautiful as a fairy, seemingly gentle but actually strong-willed. Today, he realized his judgment was correct; this woman truly possessed backbone. If she were an official in the court, Emperor Huizong would likely have promoted her to a high-ranking position in the cabinet. It was a pity that Chen Jinhuan before him was a woman, but such a woman only made him more captivated.

"Since my beloved concubine insists on playing against the Jin women's football team, then I will not stop you. Just remember safety first, and don't overexert yourself. My empire is protected by me and a group of capable ministers; there's no need for a woman like you to risk your life," Emperor Huizong said solemnly to the woman in his arms. Consort Luo blinked a few times, indicating that she believed the emperor's words and would protect her.

The Cuju match resumed, and the Jin Kingdom women's Cuju team substituted Yin Xue with a tall woman whose eyes rolled upwards. Pan Jinghe tugged at Zou Xiaoyan's sleeve and whispered in her ear, "Sister Zou, look at this new Jin Kingdom woman who's come on. Why are her eyes rolling upwards? It's kind of scary! Do you think she's blind?"

"Don't talk nonsense! How could a blind person play football? I think this Jin woman is just scary-looking. You don't need to be afraid. Besides, we'll be playing football with her later. Just look down at your feet and don't look into her eyes, okay?" Zou Xiaoyan comforted Pan Jinghe. She was good at comforting people, but in fact, she was also frightened by the Jin woman rolling her eyes in front of her.

Unlike Zou Xiaoyan and Pan Jinghe, Du Shiniang and Du Rushuang were worldly-wise. Luo Fei had even seen countless grotesque death row inmates in the Mingfu Cave, so the three of them weren't afraid of the Jin woman who rolled her eyes. However, they didn't know that this Jin woman actually practiced witchcraft. When Du Rushuang was controlling the ball, the Jin woman who had rolled her eyes said something in Jin script beside her, and Du Rushuang unconsciously slowed down and looked up to meet her gaze. At that moment, Khasalava on the other side snatched the football from Du Rushuang's feet.

When Du Rushuang regained her senses, she discovered that Hasalawa had scored another goal for the Jin Kingdom team. Du Shiniang noticed that Du Rushuang seemed to have been bewitched, allowing Hasalawa to steal the ball, so she approached her and asked suspiciously, "Shuang'er, what happened to you just now? You clearly had the ball under control, and you could have easily scored with a single kick, so how did Hasalawa manage to steal it so easily?"

Du Rushuang broke out in a cold sweat. She leaned close to Du Shiniang's ear and whispered, "Sister, you must not look at that Jin woman who is rolling her eyes. I remember who she is now. Her name is Misty. She knows witchcraft. Her eyes can bewitch people and make them obey her commands. I fell for it just now. You must tell the other sisters to be careful of this person and never look into her eyes."

Upon hearing this, Du Shiniang turned to look at the Jin woman named Misty in the distance, her heart filled with unease. She had heard of Jin women who possessed witchcraft before, but had never seen one in person. Now that she had witnessed it, she realized how terrifying such women with witchcraft truly were!

So, Du Shiniang gathered Pan Jinghe, Zou Xiaoyan, and others into a circle, with Lin Chong standing in the middle. Lin Chong told them about the witchcraft involving the mist, and instructed them not to look into the mist's eyes during the competition. He also told them to pretend to be deaf and dumb and not to listen or respond if the other person called her name or said anything.

"These Jin people are despicable! They can't beat us at Cuju (ancient Chinese football), so they resort to unorthodox and evil arts to deal with us. Shi Niang, Instructor Lin, we'll be careful when we go to Cuju later. But should we report this to His Majesty so that he can arrest that 'mystery mist' and prevent her from playing Cuju?" Consort Luo said through gritted teeth.

"Your Highness, no! We don't have any solid evidence. Let's do as Shuang'er suggests for now. Here, have some cotton wool. Use it to plug your ears. As long as we don't listen to what Miwu says and don't look into her eyes, we won't be afraid of her tricks." Du Shiniang distributed the cotton wool to her sisters while expressing her opposition to Luo Fei's suggestion.

Consort Luo thought Du Shiniang's words made sense. They didn't have any concrete evidence yet, so they couldn't just make up stories about how the fog had been replaced. So everyone stuffed cotton wool into their ears, but this meant they could no longer talk to each other and could only communicate through eye contact and gestures.

Next, Misty couldn't gain any advantage over Du Shiniang and her companions, but her Cuju skills were also quite good. When she tried to steal the ball, she was ruthless and fierce, like a she-wolf. Du Rushuang was actually held back by Misty, and Luo Fei dared not actively counter her, fearing that Ning Zhanyan was in danger. So, only Du Shiniang, along with Pan Jinghe and Zou Xiaoyan, tried to break through the opponent's defense.