Lin Chong's Women's Cuju Team

Chapter 34: Can I continue to be bullied?

Lin Chong sat down at Lu Zhichen's table. Yang Bingnan personally went up to pour tea for him and the others, and then ordered the waiter to bring a few side dishes before pulling Chen Cheng and Zou Xiaoyan away.

When Lu Zhichen saw Lin Chong arrive, his face lit up with surprise. He called out to Lin Chong, "Brother Lin, how did you know I was here?" Lin Chong smiled and patted Lu Zhichen's shoulder, teasing him, "Brother Lu, you're quite the celebrity in Bianjing now. There are wanted posters for you all over the city. I was worried about you, so I quickly sent my spies from Zixiang Pavilion to gather information about you. That's how I found out you came to Hongyanfang."

"I see! It seems that under Brother Lin's tutelage, Zixiang Pavilion has become an underground intelligence network in the capital, not just a brothel and gambling den. I find it quite interesting!" Lu Zhichen said to Lin Chong after drinking a cup of hot tea.

Lin Chong blinked, picked up a piece of braised duck meat, swallowed it, and said to Lu Zhichen, "I met Du Shiniang and General Zhou Chengquan by chance, which is how I became the head of the Zixiang Pavilion. General Zhou Chengquan is loyal to the emperor and the country. This intelligence network was carefully designed for him by Shiniang. Helping the general can be considered as Lin Chong doing a good deed for the people of the Song Dynasty."

“Brother Lin, our strategist Wu from Liangshan is wondering why you refused to join the Liangshan outlaws even after being framed by Gao Yanei and having the hay storage burned down. It turns out you still couldn’t forget your loyalty to the country and have now joined General Zhenyuan.” Lu Zhichen shook his head slightly and stared into Lin Chong’s eyes as he spoke.

At this moment, Wu Song followed Lu Zhichen's words and began to tease Lin Chong. He deliberately looked Lin Chong up and down, then squinted and said to him, "Brother Lin, I see you're living quite comfortably in Zixiang Pavilion. Your complexion is rosy and you're in great spirits! Is it related to that Du Shiniang? Has she become our new sister-in-law?"

"I think you're asking for a beating, aren't you, Wu Song? Du Shiniang and I are just confidantes, not the ambiguous relationship that others are talking about. It's just that General Zhenyuan and Gao Can both have bad intentions towards her, so I have to protect Shiniang in Zixiang Pavilion." Lin Chong slightly hooked his index finger and gently tapped Wu Song's forehead, speaking to him in a lecturing tone.

"So, in the end, Brother Lin, you still refuse to join Liangshan because of a woman, right?" Lu Zhichen saw right through Lin Chong's thoughts. Lin Chong fell silent and simply lowered his head to drink his tea.

Seeing this, Lu Zhichen became even more curious about Du Shiniang and Zixiang Pavilion. So he tugged at Lin Chong's sleeve and said, "Brother Lin, I want to go to Zixiang Pavilion to see Du Shiniang. I'm curious about what kind of woman she is that has captivated you so much. Besides, I'm also worried about my junior sister Wuyuan."

Lin Chong nodded slightly, indicating his agreement to take Lu Zhichen to Zixiang Pavilion. Seeing Lin Chong only nodding to Lu Zhichen, Wu Song, fearing he would be left behind, quickly grabbed Lin Chong's arm holding the teacup and shook it, pleadingly saying, "Good brother, you won't just take the monk to Zixiang Pavilion alone, will you? I also want to go and see it. Besides, I have a grudge against Du Rushuang; I want to follow her and find a chance to take revenge."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chong was immediately bewildered. Du Rushuang's identity and background were indeed suspicious, but Du Shiniang had sent Du Rushuang to the Jiaofangsi to deliver a message to Pan Jinghe, and Du Rushuang had handled the matter quite well without causing any major trouble. Therefore, both Du Shiniang and he believed that Du Rushuang must have truly lost her memory. However, now that he heard that Wu Song had a grudge against Du Rushuang, he had no choice but to investigate further.

"Brother Wu, what grudge do you have against a woman like Du Rushuang? Tell me, and maybe I can avenge you." Lin Chong composed himself and said to Wu Song with a gloomy expression.

Seeing Lin Chong's expression change, Wu Song realized that his joke had gone too far. He actually had feelings for Du Rushuang. Ever since that night when he was drugged and kissed her, he had been thinking about finding an opportunity to tell Du Rushuang that he wanted to take responsibility for her. But today, he ran into Lu Zhichen and Chai Nianci, which made Du Rushuang not pay any attention to him.

“Brother Lin, actually Du Rushuang only bit a few of my fingers by accident. I’m petty and hold grudges, but you’re a magnanimous person, so there’s no need to take my little matter to heart. You just need to take me to Zixiang Pavilion as well.” Wu Song put his hand on Lin Chong’s shoulder and whispered in his ear as softly as a mosquito’s buzz.

Upon hearing this, Lin Chong's gloomy expression vanished, replaced by a hint of displeasure in his eyes. He thought to himself that Wu Song was clearly teasing him, and that his target was obviously Du Rushuang. This kid must have fallen for that icy beauty, Du Rushuang.

However, Lin Chong did not expose Wu Song's thoughts to his face. Instead, he looked troubled and said to Wu Song, "Brother Wu, not just anyone can go to Du Shiniang's Zixiang Pavilion. Even high-ranking officials have to send a visiting card and guess what items are missing from Du Shiniang's treasure chest, not to mention the acrostic poem that needs to be solved. Brother Lu was wanted by the whole city because he saved Master Wuyuan, so I took him to Zixiang Pavilion for refuge. However, I cannot take you to Zixiang Pavilion without a reason."

After hearing Lin Chong's words, Wu Song noticed his displeasure and apparent predicament. He pursed his lips and glanced several times at Du Rushuang, who was chatting with Chai Nianci in the distance. What should he do if Lin Chong insisted on not taking him to the Zixiang Pavilion? Du Rushuang seemed so lovely from afar, and so captivating up close. Sometimes, even her scolding voice sounded strangely pleasant to him, like a young girl's coquettish voice, making his heart flutter.

The more Wu Song thought about it, the more upset he became. Why could Lu Zhichen, a big monk, chase after a young girl who was practicing Buddhism with her hair still intact, to Zixiang Pavilion? He was much more handsome than Lu Zhichen, and Du Rushuang had praised him for his superb martial arts skills and amazing arm strength. So why couldn't he go back to Zixiang Pavilion with Du Rushuang?

A moment later, Wu Song took off his veil, tidied his hair, and then tentatively said to Lin Chong, "Brother Lin, do you think the Zixiang Pavilion needs a man with martial arts skills like me? With my abilities, I should be more than qualified to be a guard there, right?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chong couldn't help but snort lightly, saying with a hint of disdain, "Wu Song, do you think the guards of Zixiang Pavilion are not as skilled as you? Listen to me carefully, there are several martial arts masters in Zixiang Pavilion right now, such as Yun Zhonghe and Kunshan Peng. Tell me, how do you compare to their skills?"

"These... these are all former martial arts masters, how could they be willing to settle down in Zixiang Pavilion?" When Wu Song heard Lin Chong mention the names of several martial arts masters, he couldn't help but admire Du Shiniang's charm. He realized that he was indeed a frog in a well, overestimating his own martial arts skills.

After a while, Wu Song, still unwilling to give up, pestered Lin Chong again, asking, "Good brother, is there really no way you can take me into the Zixiang Pavilion? Don't forget, I just helped Du Rushuang a lot in rescuing Pan Jinghe. Will you help me just this once?"

Lin Chong, growing impatient with Wu Song's persistent pestering, raised an eyebrow, licked his lips, and suddenly had an idea. So, Lin Chong placed his hands on Wu Song's shoulders and said earnestly, "Brother Wu, I've thought of a way for you to enter the Zixiang Pavilion legitimately. But I wonder if you'd be willing?"

"What method? As long as it doesn't go against my conscience, Wu Song can do it." As soon as Wu Song heard Lin Chong say that he had a way to get him into the Zixiang Pavilion, he anxiously asked Lin Chong.

"My idea is to have you as the assistant coach of the Zixiang Pavilion Women's Cuju Team. Du Shiniang has taken up the imperial edict and wants to form a women's Cuju team that can compete with the Jin Kingdom's women's Cuju team. Gao Can forced me to become the coach, but I'm afraid my abilities are limited on my own. Why don't you help me out and supervise the Cuju team members from the sidelines?" Lin Chong slowly revealed his idea, staring at Wu Song's face to see his reaction.

Wu Song's eyes lit up, he patted his chest, and said loudly to Lin Chong, "No problem! Wu Song is willing to be the assistant coach of the Zixiang Pavilion Women's Cuju Team. Brother Lin, just watch my performance from now on."

When Du Rushuang learned that Wu Song was also going back to Zixiang Pavilion with them and would be the assistant coach of the Zixiang Pavilion women's Cuju team, she was greatly surprised. Ignoring the astonished looks of Zou Niangzi and Chai Nianci, she rushed up to Lin Chong and the other two, grabbed Wu Song's waist, and excitedly looked up at him, shouting, "Wu Song, that's great! Now that you're back at Zixiang Pavilion with us, you can continue to be bullied by me!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Song was both amused and exasperated. He pinched Du Rushuang's cheek, which was flushed with excitement, and then the two pressed their foreheads together. Wu Song then smiled and said, "You silly girl, when we go to Zixiang Pavilion to train in Cuju, I wonder who will bully whom?"

"Of course I'm the one bullying you. If you dare to yell at me or get angry at me, I'll bite your arm hard!"

"you dare?"

"Why wouldn't I dare? I'm a woman as cold as ice."

"I'm afraid even your eternal iceberg will melt when you meet a tiger-slaying hero like me, right?"

"A tiger-slaying hero? I wonder who was almost eaten by a tiger last time, and luckily I saved them."

Wu Song and Du Rushuang walked hand in hand, flirting and teasing each other. Zou Xiaoyan, Chai Nianci, and the others behind them got goosebumps listening to them. Lu Zhichen, however, leaned over to Lin Chong and whispered, "Brother Lin, it seems that Wu Song is quite shrewd. He can win over a girl's heart without even using a sack. And she's a stunningly beautiful ice queen!"

Lin Chong narrowed his eyes and chuckled...