Lin Chong's Women's Cuju Team

Chapter 193 Zou Xiaoyan Breaks Ties with Senior Advisor

After careful consideration, Zou Xiaoyan finally made her decision. She forcefully broke free from Gao Can's grasp and sobbed as she said to him, "Lord Gao, if you insist on forcing me to choose, then I choose my ex-husband—Xiao Minghao. He can abandon me ruthlessly, but I cannot do the same to him. I will stay and take care of him."

"Fine! Zou Xiaoyan, you've really got some nerve. Listen to me carefully, from now on, you are no longer my woman, and your life and death are none of my concern!" Gao Can was furious. In front of the Emperor, Zou Xiaoyan actually disobeyed him and chose to abandon her ex-husband, showing him no respect whatsoever. Since that was the case, he made a harsh statement, vowing to sever all ties with this woman.

When Emperor Huizong saw that Zou Xiaoyan had chosen Xiao Minghao, he suddenly felt that this courtesan was truly loyal and righteous, far more virtuous than his concubines. However, at that moment, all he wanted was to escape. But remembering that Xiao Minghao had just stepped forward to save him, he decided to appease his superiors and said:

“Minister Gao, I think this Lady Zou is a kind and righteous woman. Please don’t be angry! Let’s leave this place first and then discuss this further.”

Seeing that the Emperor had pleaded for mercy, Gao Can, no longer concerned with Zou Xiaoyan, immediately helped Emperor Huizong turn and leave. Xiao Minghao, seeing that Gao Can had betrayed his adoptive father and chosen to save Emperor Huizong, felt a surge of jealousy and contempt. He thought to himself that Gao Can was truly an opportunist, an ungrateful wretch, trying to gain favor with the Emperor, but the Wolf King was not so easily dealt with.

However, seeing Zou Xiaoyan bandaging his wounds with a worried expression, he felt a surge of joy. He thought that after this self-inflicted injury, Zou Xiaoyan would surely forgive him for the harm he had caused her in the past, and she would willingly return to his side, along with his son Xiao Cheng; their family would eventually be reunited.

"Xiao Lang, how are you? Does your wound still hurt? Lord Gao won't help us, so I'll go find someone else to help. It's not safe here; we have to find a way to leave," Zou Xiaoyan said gently to Xiao Minghao.

“Little Swallow, don’t worry! Take out the signal flare from my waist, set it off, and my guards will come to take us away.” Xiao Minghao pulled Zou Xiaoyan’s hand and fumbled for his belt as he whispered to her.

Caught off guard, Zou Xiaoyan was pulled into Xiao Minghao's arms by the hand. Their position was too ambiguous, and she couldn't help but blush. She lowered her eyes and muttered, "So someone was there to help. Why didn't they say so earlier!"

Her voice was so soft it was barely audible, yet Xiao Minghao heard it. He gently pinched her cheek and said in a wronged voice, "My wound was hurting too much just now, so I couldn't remember anything. Does my wife still blame her husband? Didn't you just say you would never leave me?"

Zou Xiaoyan frowned and glanced at the man in front of her, thinking, "What's with all this 'wife' and 'husband'? Didn't this man abandon me a long time ago? But he clearly injured his leg, not his brain. How come he seems to have completely forgotten how he betrayed me before?"

Seeing that Zou Xiaoyan didn't answer her question and was instead lost in thought, Xiao Minghao took her hand, took out the signal flare from his waist, and lit it. With a hiss, the signal flare ignited. A short while later, more than ten imperial guards approached Xiao Minghao and Zou Xiaoyan. They led them away from the football field.

Returning to Shen Daoyuan, he led his troops to the palace gates of the Cuju field, where he found Lin Chong and Wu Song locked in a fierce battle with Yelü Wen and the Wolf King, the sounds of clashing weapons filling the air. The Wolf King, enraged, swung his sword at Lin Chong, who countered with a spear from the Imperial Guards. The Wolf King, while fighting, cursed, "Lin Chong, I have no grudge against you, why are you helping Emperor Huizong?"

"I am a citizen of the Great Song Dynasty, and I cannot stand by and watch the Jin Kingdom oppress my people," Lin Chong replied as he fought fiercely against the Wolf King. Two of the Wolf King's guards joined the battle, and soon Lin Chong was fighting three against one.

Seeing this, Shen Daoyuan immediately ordered his soldiers to fight the Wolf King's men. He himself rushed to Lin Chong's side to support him. Lin Chong, seeing Shen Daoyuan arrive, smiled and said to him, "Lord Shen, you've finally returned. How is His Majesty?"

"Instructor Lin, His Majesty has been safely escorted away by Senior Advisor Gao. Let's capture the Wolf King together and end this chaos quickly!" Shen Daoyuan shouted to Lin Chong while brandishing his longsword.

"A senior advisor? Why would he help us?" Lin Chong said in surprise.

“The man surnamed Gao killed his own adoptive father, upholding righteousness even at the cost of family ties. The Emperor believed him.” Shen Daoyuan glanced at Lin Chong and answered calmly.

"What? Gao Can actually betrayed Gao Qiu! What an ungrateful wretch! He's a heartless ingrate!" The Wolf King roared angrily upon hearing Shen Daoyuan and Lin Chong's conversation.

"You've always been this kind of person, Wolf King? You only just realized it?" Lin Chong couldn't help but mock, enraging the Wolf King so much that his eyes turned bloodshot, and he swung his sword at Lin Chong's lower body. Lin Chong nimbly jumped aside, then leaped behind the Wolf King and pierced the chest of one of his guards with his spear. The guard immediately coughed up blood and collapsed dead.

The Wolf King turned his head and his face contorted with rage. He hadn't expected Gao Can's betrayal, and he certainly hadn't imagined that the metal trigger piece on the Nether Sphere Ning Zhanyan had given him was fake. Today, he felt he had no hope of winning; whether he could leave alive was now the most important question. With that thought, the Wolf King steeled himself and turned to Yelü Wen in the distance, shouting, "Wen'er, why aren't you calling Geri and the others to come help?"

Hearing the wolf king's words from afar, Yelü Wen hastily feinted with his sword, forcing back Wu Song, who was fighting him. He then ran to the palace wall, and once he was steady, he took out a short flute from his robes and began to play. A moment later, more than a dozen wolves rushed out from outside the palace wall. The lead gray wolf, its eyes gleaming with ferocity, led the others to kill all the imperial guards blocking their path, leaving a trail of blood.

Yelü Wen watched this scene with admiration, then played a few more notes on his flute. The wolves then rushed towards the palace gate where Yelü Wen was. Wu Song had seen these wolves before, knowing they were a pack brought to the outskirts of the capital by the Wolf King and Yelü Wen, and he had witnessed their ferocity. So he shouted to Lin Chong and the others, "Everyone be careful! These wolves are not to be trifled with!"

Lin Chong and Shen Daoyuan replied in unison, "Understood! Everyone should be careful."

Seeing this, the Wolf King sneered a few times and ordered Yelü Wen, "Wen, you and Geri and the others should end Lin Chong and Shen Daoyuan's lives as soon as possible. I'm going to chase after that dog emperor."

"Yes, sir! Take care, godfather!" Yelü Wen said, bowing to the Wolf King. The Wolf King then led a group of men away from the Cuju Palace gates, quickly pursuing the direction in which Emperor Huizong of Song had fled.

By this time, the wolf pack had already killed nearly a hundred soldiers and imperial guards in front of the Cuju Palace. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they lunged at Lin Chong, Shen Daoyuan, and the others with their blood-red tongues and sharp claws. They were tall and strong, and had been trained by Yelü Wen for many years, making them the best killing machines.

Although Lin Chong and Shen Daoyuan were highly skilled in martial arts, they lacked experience in dealing with wolves. They fought the pack without managing to injure them. The wolves, seemingly oblivious to pain, only knew how to attack relentlessly. Lin Chong was caught off guard and knocked to the ground by the gray wolf, Geri. Geri opened its mouth and lunged for Lin Chong's neck. Lin Chong thrust his spear towards the wolf's throat, but the wolf dodged to the side. The spear struck its left eye, and Geri let out a painful and furious roar.

Hearing their leader's howl, the other wolves swarmed towards Lin Chong, their expressions fierce as if they wanted to tear him apart. Lin Chong panicked slightly and raised his spear, waving it in a circle in front of him, trying to scare the wolves away.

"Brother Lin, don't panic! I'm here!" Wu Song rushed to Lin Chong and called out loudly. Lin Chong calmed down upon hearing Wu Song's voice.

Wu Song held a flask of wine in his hand, took a swig, then splashed the wine in a circle in front of him before looking at Yelü Wen behind the wolf pack. He shouted at Yelü Wen, "Yelü Wen, today we shall fight to the death here. Only one of us can survive. You have taken my Shuang'er, and today I will take her back with my own strength!"