"Good shot!"
The Eighth Prince, who had been on the verge of death at the side of the field, suddenly sat up with a whoosh, clapping loudly and vigorously.
Li Xuan and Yu'er also followed suit, applauding for Princess Ankang non-stop.
However, the applause of the three inevitably seemed a bit hollow in the vast stadium with no other spectators.
The players on the field and the attendants off the field were all in a dazed state, slow to react.
Even Duke Hu of Guo was dumbfounded, looking at Princess Ankang with surprise and uncertainty.
Compared to her performance at the Chongyang Banquet, he clearly felt that Princess Ankang's strength had improved another level.
Even more terrifying was that Duke Hu of Guo couldn't feel any martial artist's cultivation from Princess Ankang's body at all.
"Is this what they call 'frail and sickly since childhood'?"
Recalling the comments others made about Princess Ankang at the last Chongyang Banquet, a vein on Duke Hu of Guo's forehead couldn't help but twitch.
Then, looking at his foolish grandson who only knew how to sit on the ground clapping and cheering, Duke Hu of Guo was filled with anger.
Duke Hu of Guo walked directly behind the Eighth Prince, then sharply knocked him on the head, scolding furiously:
"You brat, you're addicted to being a spectator, aren't you?"
"Hurry up and get up to play Qúc Ju!"
Tears welled up in the Eighth Prince's eyes from the blow.
This was an instinctive reaction under intense pain, which he couldn't control himself.
"Oh—"
The Eighth Prince dragged out the end of his voice, reluctantly getting up from the ground.
However, as he passed Duke Hu of Guo, his gaze couldn't help but appear full of resentment.
After all, he was kicked so miserably on the Qúc Ju field today, all thanks to his maternal grandfather.
"What are you looking at?"
Duke Hu of Guo waved his hand, scaring the Eighth Prince into holding his head and scurrying away.
At this moment, Princess Ankang noticed that after her goal, the entire field was silent.
Although she was puzzled, she still raised her hands high and shouted to her teammates:
"Yay~~~"
Princess Ankang's little face was flushed from the strenuous exercise, giving her the most natural blush.
How could such a delicate and lovely beauty, showing such a cute demeanor, not make one's heart overflow with affection?
Especially General Jiang Ying and the others who were directly hit by this, their heartbeats couldn't help but quicken a few beats, and their chests felt warm, as if they were about to melt.
"Pr-Princess…"
"You are truly amazing!"
General Jiang Ying said sincerely, and the others also nodded in agreement.
Princess Ankang thought her teammates were praising her Qúc Ju skills, and she showed an even more adorable, proud smile, charming everyone into a daze.
General Jiang Ying and the others bypassed the crowd, rushing to Princess Ankang's side to celebrate with her, chattering and asking many questions.
"Princess is so amazing, do you often play Qúc Ju?"
"Princess has such agile movements, your cultivation must be excellent, right?"
"To think you have such strength at such a young age, your daily training must be very diligent."
"Our Qúc Ju skills are also pretty good, I wonder if we'll have a chance to spar privately with Princess in the future."
The four female generals on the same team surrounded Princess Ankang, asking her endless questions.
If they weren't still mindful of Princess Ankang's status, they would probably have reached out to touch her little face.
The other two male young generals were isolated outside, only able to watch.
The two of them weren't idle either; they were actually whispering and analyzing the difficulty of Princess Ankang's shot just now.
They seemed to have some disagreement and even started arguing.
"Bullshit, it must have been a backspin shot, is that even a question?"
"All shots from the Rainbow Bridge are backspin, you don't know anything about Qúc Ju."
"You're the one spouting nonsense, that shot just now was an overhead kick, it definitely had to be kicked backward."
"When you talk Qúc Ju with me, please bring your brain, okay?"
Li Xuan listened to their argument for a couple of sentences and felt a surge of speechlessness.
"The focus of men and women is too different, isn't it…"
At this moment, the Eighth Prince saw that the team atmosphere was excellent, so he thought of taking advantage of the situation and joining the celebration team.
The two young generals arguing on the periphery didn't notice the Eighth Prince, but when the Eighth Prince tried to get closer to Princess Ankang, he found he couldn't.
He found that no matter where he tried to squeeze, he couldn't get into the four female generals' encirclement, so he could only echo their cheers from the outside.
It would have been better if the Eighth Prince hadn't spoken, but as soon as he did, General Jiang Ying noticed him.
Seeing the Eighth Prince, who had been playing dead for a long time, daring to appear again, and even approaching them, General Jiang Ying immediately wanted to secretly deal with him.
"General Sister, can you please stop bullying my Eighth Brother?"
"He's almost been kicked silly!"
"I don't want a silly Eighth Brother."
Princess Ankang said pitifully.
Seeing Princess Ankang plead for the Eighth Prince, General Jiang Ying and the others immediately softened, feeling even more that Princess Ankang was sensible and well-behaved, unlike certain irresponsible and shameless individuals.
Ultimately, General Jiang Ying, out of respect for Princess Ankang, did not make things too difficult for the Eighth Prince.
At least she no longer openly resorted to dirty tricks as before.
However, it was impossible for General Jiang Ying to show the Eighth Prince any good face; the few of them collectively treated the Eighth Prince as transparent, choosing to ignore him.
But even so, it was enough for the Eighth Prince to breathe a sigh of relief; at least he didn't have to face enemies everywhere as before.
Princess Ankang saw the possibility of General Jiang Ying and the others cooperating, so she immediately boosted morale, preparing to win today's match first.
No matter what, at least a good start between the Eighth Prince and General Jiang Ying would help their relationship slowly improve, right?
The others naturally understood Princess Ankang's intentions, but no one blamed her; in fact, they thought she was thoughtful and kind, even considering her incompetent brother who was a drag.
But the Eighth Prince didn't care about any of that; as long as no one kicked him anymore, he was happy.
"Hehehe…"
While the Eighth Prince was still happy, the opposing team had already quietly started the game.
The ball suddenly hit the grinning Eighth Prince's chest.
"The ball is with Old Eight!"
The Third Prince, who had started the play, shouted maliciously.
The Eighth Prince immediately reacted, kicking the ball away.
But no matter how fast he was, he couldn't stop disaster from striking.
The opponents, with fierce expressions, had already charged towards the Eighth Prince, pretending not to have reacted, and crashed into him head-on.
The Eighth Prince turned and ran, but unfortunately, someone stronger than him slid and tackled him first.
A group of people tumbled together, and finally, a cluster of figures rolled out of bounds, heading straight for Duke Hu of Guo's feet.
Duke Hu of Guo raised his foot to stop the "ball," looking at the Eighth Prince whose face was covered in footprints, and shook his head with a click of his tongue.
He then casually pushed the "ball" aside, completely unconcerned.
The twelve young generals on the field were hand-picked by Duke Hu of Guo, who had specifically instructed them to "take good care" of the Eighth Prince.
Since the Eighth Prince wanted to take on responsibility again, he had to gain the trust of these people.
Duke Hu of Guo knew his own grandson best.
The Eighth Prince did not have the ability to win over the masses.
Therefore, he could only let him taste some hardship and integrate into the military in this down-to-earth manner.
Otherwise, once a wrong tone was set at the beginning, even with Duke Hu of Guo's support, the Eighth Prince would struggle to truly win people's hearts.
At that point, a hidden danger would be laid.
After all, there was still one person in the military who coveted the connections and resources in their hands.
Duke Hu of Guo looked at the Third Prince, who was coordinating seamlessly with his teammates.
Undoubtedly, the Third Prince, who also had an aristocratic family background and had been cultivating within the military for many years, was the Eighth Prince's biggest threat.
During the years the Eighth Prince had been slacking, the Third Prince had not relaxed for a single day.
Although the Third Prince had not achieved great merits, his years of effort had ultimately yielded results.
At least for now, many in the military still recognized the Third Prince more.
With Princess Ankang's brilliant performance, she also received special attention from the opposing team; she was constantly marked by a dedicated person, and sometimes even two or three people surrounded her, not giving her a chance to receive the ball.
Although General Jiang Ying and her team were not weaker than their opponents, they were unfortunately one person short in coordination, inevitably falling into a disadvantage.
Princess Ankang's previous goal, besides relying on her strong personal ability, was more importantly due to catching the opponent off guard.
But now that she was tightly marked, it was no longer easy to get such a good opportunity.
Gradually, the disadvantage of being one person down became more apparent, and finally, the Third Prince and his team found an opportunity, coordinating with teammates to equalize the score.
"Good shot!"
As the ball passed through the Fengliu Eye, the Third Prince and his teammates roared and celebrated with fist bumps, their morale high.
In contrast, Princess Ankang's side's morale inevitably took a hit.
"Damn it!"
General Jiang Ying cursed under her breath.
She had wanted to show off in front of Princess Ankang, but instead, the score was equalized, which greatly angered her.
But no matter how angry General Jiang Ying was, the difference in strength was still very difficult to bridge.
She couldn't help but glance at the Eighth Prince, who was lying at Duke Hu of Guo's feet, her face full of disdain.
"If it weren't for that good-for-nothing…"
"Sister Ying, we also didn't provide support just now." Someone still spoke a fair word for the Eighth Prince.
"Hmph, it's still his fault for being useless, he can't even outrun them."
The others fell silent and said nothing more.
General Jiang Ying and the Eighth Prince's situation was known to their close sisters, and they could completely understand General Jiang Ying's attitude towards the Eighth Prince at this moment.
But at this time, seeing Princess Ankang walk over, General Jiang Ying also put away her negative attitude, instead feeling a little guilty.
They had all seen Princess Ankang being targeted and defended just now.
Princess Ankang was still very unaccustomed to this kind of direct confrontation in Qúc Ju matches, and quickly fell into a disadvantage after several physical confrontations.
The one responsible for marking Princess Ankang was the only female general on the opposing side, whose strength was not to be underestimated, and who had obvious true qi fluctuations on her body.
The fact that Princess Ankang could contend with her opponent a few times using her own strength already made everyone very impressed.
"Your Royal Highness, I'm very sorry..."
General Jiang Ying was about to take responsibility for their incompetence when Princess Ankang interrupted her with a smile:
"General Sister, I have a strategy that might work."
"Do you want to give it a try?"
Several young generals exchanged glances, surprised by Princess Ankang's excellent mindset, and all nodded in unison.
"If we continue to play like this, I'm afraid we're bound to lose."
"But if we can hold on for a while, we might find a chance to win."
"This matter will require the help of a few General Sisters and General Brothers."
Listening to Princess Ankang call them'Sister' and 'Brother' one after another, the few people on the same team were immediately charmed and could only nod repeatedly.
Next, Princess Ankang consulted General Jiang Ying about methods for physical confrontation, and General Jiang Ying was equally generous.
"Your Royal Highness, you must use your back as a shield, firmly protecting it between your opponent and the ball."
"You can also use your hands to maintain balance during the confrontation while resisting the opponent's movements."
"As for defending, you must do the opposite."
"Don't give the opponent a chance to turn the shield and switch from defense to offense."
"Simply put, don't give the opponent a chance to turn and hold the ball."
"As for stealing the ball, as long as the first touch is on the ball, then it's a good steal!"
Princess Ankang nodded secretly, remembering these key points.
While teaching, General Jiang Ying was also curious about Princess Ankang's strategy.
As a result, Princess Ankang actually said:
"Everyone, for the rest of the time, we will defend strictly, and then deploy a surprise attack at the last moment to secure the victory!"
Princess Ankang waved her small fist, speaking with conviction.
"But where will this surprise attack come from?"
The young generals looked at each other, unable to help but smile bitterly.
But at this point, they could only do their best, at least not wanting to lose too badly with Princess Ankang.
"Your Royal Highness, we will form a defensive formation on our own later."
"Formations require practice and coordination and cannot be used immediately."
"How about Your Royal Highness attracting defense outside the formation to reduce our pressure?"
Finally, it was General Jiang Ying who helped refine Princess Ankang's strategy.
Naturally, Princess Ankang nodded repeatedly in agreement, having no objections.
The match continued, but the atmosphere became dull.
Just as General Jiang Ying said, they defended with all their might, without even the slightest desire to attack.
There was only one person left responsible for marking Princess Ankang, but the ball never came their way.
Duke Hu of Guo pouted, somewhat disappointed with the current situation.
He looked at the Eighth Prince, who was motionless at his feet, and silently shook his head gently.
And in this anxious situation, Princess Ankang had a faint smile on her face, confident and composed.
This made the opposing female general, who was responsible for marking her, look at her a few more times.
In this situation, the First Prince and the Third Prince were not in a hurry at all.
As the saying goes, prolonged defense is bound to lead to a mistake; there will always be a moment when an opportunity arises.
Even if General Jiang Ying and the others managed to defend until the end, the outcome of the match would still be clear.
Anyway, it was just an exhibition match; there were no prizes for winning and no punishments for losing.
They only needed to complete the exhibition match as required by the imperial decree.
As everyone accepted this awkward situation and let time pass by bit by bit, Princess Ankang, who was bored and yawning, suddenly pointed outside the field and let out a surprised 'Eh'.
The female general marking Princess Ankang subconsciously glanced in the direction Princess Ankang pointed.
But when she withdrew her gaze, Princess Ankang's figure had disappeared.
The female general turned her head abruptly, only to see Princess Ankang's fleeing back.
"Oh no!"
The female general had no time to think, launching herself to pursue Princess Ankang.
As a result, the female general watched with wide eyes as Princess Ankang displayed a not-so-refined light footwork, running at an astonishing speed.
"What kind of light footwork is this!?"
The female general was startled and uncertain, only able to shout a warning:
"Watch out!"
The other players, who were attacking with all their might, heard the warning and turned back somewhat bewildered.
At this moment, the Third Prince was holding the ball.
He heard a strange whooshing sound coming from behind him and immediately felt confused.
"This speed can probably only be achieved by a kicked ball, right?"
"But the sound seems duller."
The Third Prince's head turned slightly, just as he was about to see what was going on, when a sudden strong force came from behind him, and then he felt his feet begin to lift uncontrollably into the air.
To make matters worse, the ball at his feet, for some unknown reason, remained as still as a rock, tripping him, which immediately caused his body to spin rapidly.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the Third Prince, who was spinning into a blur and heading straight for the Fengliu Eye.
They had only just seen Princess Ankang perform a savage tackle on the Third Prince, and then the Third Prince took flight.
Princess Ankang, who had snatched the ball, didn't care where the Third Prince was flying to; she turned and kicked the ball with a powerful swing, shouting loudly:
"Surprise attack!"
The Third Prince and the ball flew out, one to the left and one to the right, and everyone didn't know which one to watch.
But what puzzled everyone even more was, who was the'surprise attack' Princess Ankang was referring to?
After all, everyone on the field was crowded onto this half of the pitch.
Meanwhile, the First Prince, who was completely uninterested in the rapidly spinning Third Prince and only focused on the ball, suddenly reacted, chasing after the ball at full speed while shouting to his teammates:
"Stop him quickly!"
Following the First Prince's reminder, everyone then noticed a figure darting out from beside Duke Hu of Guo's feet, heading straight for the ball's landing spot.
It was none other than the Eighth Prince, who had faked his death.
The Eighth Prince gritted his teeth and sprinted, but alas, his strength was insufficient, and the distance between them was rapidly closing.
In a moment of crisis, the Eighth Prince directly threw his body out, opening his legs like a pair of scissors, and then fiercely scissor-kicked the ball falling through the air.
"The surprise attack has arrived!"
"Death Scissor Kick!!!"
Bang!
Bang bang, crackle, ah ah ah...
The Eighth Prince suffered a fatal interception; muffled thuds and screams were incessant.
But the Eighth Prince still kicked the ball at the last moment, and even managed to get the ball successfully through the Fengliu Eye.
Of course, the Third Prince was not so lucky.
His head was stuck in another Fengliu Eye, his body swaying in the wind like a teru teru bōzu doll.
General Jiang Ying and the others looked at the Third Prince above them, all somewhat speechless.
The Third Prince was much more miserable than the Eighth Prince just from that one hit, wasn't he?
And everyone found it even harder to believe that it was the cute Princess Ankang who had sent the Third Prince flying up there.
Princess Ankang was completely oblivious to the 'good deed' she had done, even happily spreading her arms and cheering:
"Operation successful!"
On the other side, the Eighth Prince, seeing that he had kicked the ball in, also let out a difficult breath.
"Sigh, I didn't expect to be ambushed twice in a row."
The First Prince shook his head with a sigh, his tone full of helplessness.
His other teammates, seeing that the First Prince could still maintain his composure at this moment, couldn't help but admire him.
Although it was their first time meeting this First Prince, everyone had a deep impression of him at this moment.
Only the Eighth Prince said to him with great displeasure:
"Big Brother, can you please get off me first?"
The Eighth Prince was quite speechless at the First Prince, who was standing on his stomach, showcasing his composure.
"Eh, Eighth Brother, how did you get under my feet?"
The First Prince asked in surprise, but showed no intention of moving his feet.
"Can you please get down first before we discuss other issues?"
The Eighth Prince had not been as angry all day from being beaten as he was now.
"You should have said so earlier, why didn't you say so earlier? If you had said so earlier, I would have gotten down earlier!"
The First Prince gestured with his hands, but still didn't move his feet.
The Eighth Prince immediately became enraged, his face flushing.
The young generals standing nearby immediately understood and turned around, ignoring the two princes' dispute, silently forming a circle to block out external gazes.
But after a short while, these young generals scattered in terror.
The First Prince keenly sensed something was wrong, looked up, and saw Princess Ankang charging towards them, immediately leaping three zhang away and fleeing the area.
"Ugh!"
"Li Xian, you motherf*cker, remember this!"
The Eighth Prince dry-heaved, but the next moment felt his body lighten, and he was directly lifted up by someone.
"Eighth Brother, are they bullying you?"
The small Princess Ankang single-handedly lifted the Eighth Prince, looking like a big sister ready to stand up for him.
Princess Ankang immediately put on a pose of charging head-first into someone, and the First Prince in the distance quickly shouted to stop her:
"Hey, stop fooling around!"
"Duke Hu of Guo has already announced the end of the match."
As the First Prince spoke, he took three steps in two to walk over to Duke Hu of Guo.
Duke Hu of Guo looked at the First Prince beside him and asked in confusion:
"Did I?"