Gu Baozhu rode slowly past the Daxing team, her eyes fixed on her teammates.

Everyone raised their clubs at the same time and shouted in unison, "Fight!"

Their expressions were excited, and they all truly followed Gu Baozhu's lead.

It looks like the war is about to restart.

Qin Yuan was encouraged by their indomitable fighting spirit, but she was also worried about their safety. She couldn't help but shout, "If the rules are not changed, this competition will favor the Yelü clan, which is really unfair. Why don't we suspend the competition, send someone to get torches, and then agree on the new rules?"

Her voice was drowned out by the clamor of the crowd.

Sixth Master Gu whispered, "Third Sister-in-law, don't worry, nothing will happen with Third Brother here."

His face was full of admiration, his eyes shining, clearly showing his complete trust in Gu Jinghui.

Qin Heng added, "Yes, brother-in-law is the Marquis of Dingbei, invincible in battle. He can definitely guarantee that we won't lose. Wasn't it brother-in-law who saved Sister Baozhu just now?"

The guards, brimming with confidence, drew their swords and raised them high, shouting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

In an instant, the fighting spirit that was ignited both on and off the field was as intense as a raging fire.

Qin Yuan sighed inwardly, her slender hands gripping the reins tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.

"Okay, I'm not worried anymore."

Hunting and polo are common activities for military training, so I was indeed worrying too much.

Lord Gu has commanded troops for many years and must have his own plans.

She should learn to rely on and trust him more in areas where he excels.

On the field, Gu Jinghui shouted, "Yelü Guzha, it's too dark. Let's pick up some torches before we fight."

Yelü Guzha's hoarse voice immediately rang out: "Dingbei Marquis, it is as you wish. Whatever your demands, we Yelü people will accompany you to the end."

The Yelü clan immediately roared in unison to show their strength.

The referee on the platform stepped down to rest, and the gong player hung the gong on the flag rack and found a place to sit down as well.

The students of the Imperial College spontaneously went to find pine torches.

The atmosphere on the field shifted from intense excitement to a relaxed and calm one.

Everyone knew that this was a brief calm before the fierce battle.

Gu Jinghui stood with his hands behind his back, ramrod straight, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.

His cold, stern face seemed to be covered with a layer of frost.

His unusual and dangerously handsome appearance attracted the attention of the young women.

His sharp brows furrowed as he asked, "Gu Baozhu, tell me properly, why are you playing ball so soon after coming out for only a short while? Hmm?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was so cold that ice crystals were falling from it.

Gu Baozhu, having lost her earlier arrogance, lowered her head and mumbled an explanation. With her teammates adding their own comments, she quickly clarified the not-so-complicated matter.

However, she brought several noble ladies to watch the poetry competition, and got into a dispute with the Yelü clan members who were also wandering around the area. The two sides agreed to settle the matter with polo, and the loser would be at the mercy of the other party.

Gu Jinghui sneered.

"Polo was originally introduced from Tibet. The Yelü clan in the north grew up on horseback and were exposed to polo earlier than we in Daxing. The reason you were able to maintain a draw this time is only because the polo balls they usually play are made of cow bladders wrapped with hair and pebbles. They are not familiar with the wooden polo balls of Daxing. Otherwise, you would have been at a disadvantage."

Gu Baozhu was a little breathless, but then she straightened her chest and said, "They all fawned over that tall, dark-skinned guy, insisting that his poems were the best, and that even Scholar Qin would carry his shoes! They said that Young Master Nantang and Master Songshan would kneel down and become his students! Can his writing even be called poetry? Although I'm the daughter of a military officer and can't really tell the difference, others can understand it. Does he think Daxing has no one else? Even you, Third Brother, couldn't stand it if you were there! Right?"

It's acceptable to talk about Scholar Qin, but when it comes to Lord Gu, the young master of Nantang, one has the same opinion as Gu Baozhu.

He sneered, "What kind of poetry can Yelü Guzha write? He used to pretend to be a great scholar back in the north, but he was embarrassed by an old scholar in the border town who had failed the imperial examinations for many years. He incites you ignorant little girls to play polo. He is utterly shameless."

Upon hearing this, Gu Baozhu immediately replied, "This person is really annoying, like a stray dog, barking at everything he sees."

"He is a hostage of the Yelü clan, so naturally many people are surrounding him. You should stay away from him in the future."

Seeing that Lord Gu was no longer so cold and stern, Gu Baozhu pleaded with pleading eyes, "Third Brother, I know you're angry. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have been seriously injured. But now that the die is cast, we can't just admit defeat, can we?"

Gu Jinghui simply uttered two words.

"Won't."

He paused, then said calmly, "Don't worry, I won't let you lose."

Gu Baozhu and the other women immediately cheered.

Qin Siyuan found Qin Yuan as the crowd dispersed.

"Thank goodness you came."

Qin Siyuan looked terrified.

Qin Yuan asked, "How come I heard that Seventh Sister signed a life-or-death contract with the Yelü clan for your poem?"

Qin Siyuan, his handsome face covered in sweat, looked utterly defeated.

“My dear sister, this is a long story. By the time I found out, they had already signed a death pact. The seventh young lady is straightforward and couldn’t resist being provoked. The Yelü clan is really going too far. It was clearly a verbal dispute between men and women, but they made the two women’s teams play polo to determine the winner. These barbarians are truly treacherous and shameless.”

Qin Yuan paused for a moment.

She really didn't understand how things had developed this way.

But with Gu Baozhu around, anything is possible.

Qin Heng comforted them, saying, "With my brother-in-law there, they should be able to win."

Qin Siyuan sighed, his hands tucked into his wide sleeves. As a scholar, he really couldn't offer any help.

Sixth Master Gu waved him over repeatedly.

“Brother Siyuan, come here quickly. I haven’t seen you for days. I heard from Shen Changle that the people from Shuhai Pavilion have come to challenge us. You’d better write more good poems.”

Qin Siyuan smiled and said, "I've been busy preparing for the imperial examination, and my uncle asked me to search for poems about fireflies from previous years, so I haven't had much time. I've read all your new poems, and you've made great progress. It's clear that you've put in a lot of hard work."

Sixth Master Gu couldn't help but beam with joy.

“Mr. Songshan made me memorize all the poems in the Tang Dynasty before I could write poetry. These days I’ve been memorizing poems until the wee hours of the morning every day.”

Qin Heng stuck out his tongue: "This...this is...too hardworking."

By this time, torches had been lit one after another, and the area gradually became brighter.

Gu Jinghui stood in the middle of the field, and shouted from his dantian: "Yelü Guzha, bring me the treaty between the two sides. I have seen that you have repeatedly violated the rules in playing polo. If you want to play again, you can't play like this."

Upon hearing this, a commotion erupted both inside and outside the venue, with all sorts of opinions being expressed.

Amid the noise, Yelü Guzha slowly walked into the arena.

His thick, unruly hair and dark, robust physique immediately caught everyone's eye. As Qin Heng had said, the strong, wild aura emanating from him could not be concealed by wearing a long, flowing robe.