Chapter 120 (Chapter 120) - Turning the tide, even the ability to protect oneself...
Upon hearing Fu Yun's command, the two thin men immediately took off running.
Fu Yun knew they hadn't trained and was prepared that they wouldn't be very fast.
However, he was too optimistic. The two athletes were simply too restrained. Whether it was shyness, fear of ruining their image as virtuous husbands in the eyes of women, or simply because they were too weak to run, they dared not take big steps, as if they were afraid of falling if they ran too fast.
Saying they were running was just putting on a nice tone; in reality, they weren't running at all. They did twist their waists quite a bit, but their foot speed wasn't particularly fast—it was more like brisk walking.
The way the two of them wanted to run but dared not looked rather strange, with an inexplicable stiffness like a crab crawling, which looked somewhat comical.
Fu Yun rubbed her forehead, looked up and met Cheng Jincheng's gaze. They both saw a mixture of amusement and exasperation in each other's eyes.
The audience members present looked at the two men making strange movements on the track and showed expressions of disbelief, while some couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Someone in the crowd started teasing, "Hey, you two young men, don't be shy, hurry up and run!"
"That's right, the two young men are too slow. They should run like Young Master Su and Young Master Cheng to make it interesting!"
"That's right, that's right, hurry up and run faster, or the people behind will lose."
The two men, probably hearing the laughter and teasing, blushed and took even smaller steps.
Seeing that they were about to give up, Fu Yun rushed over to Cheng Jincheng's side and shouted to the members on the track, "Don't stop, keep running! Whichever team wins will get its members three months of free training at the fitness camp, so..."
He paused, then continued to encourage them: "What are you waiting for? Run! You can't miss out on such a great opportunity."
Upon hearing this, everyone exclaimed in surprise, "Wow!"
"A free gift?! Is there really such a good thing?"
"I must say, this young master Su is really generous. I should have let my wife go earlier."
"You wish! Your husband just gave birth less than two months ago and is very weak. Where would he get the energy to run?"
"Tsk, you talk too much."
“What this sister says makes sense. Young Master Su and Young Master Cheng are both unmarried, so their bodies are naturally stronger than those of husbands who have already had children. How can the two be compared?”
"Yes, yes, you're right. I was just being too presumptuous."
Fu Yun: "..." What the hell is this, waiting to be married at home?
Cheng Jincheng: "..."
Fu Yun shook his head, banishing the bizarre conversation from his mind and focusing his attention back on the racetrack.
This was quite surprising. His teammates seemed to gradually loosen up as they ran, and now they were half a meter ahead of Cheng Jincheng's teammates.
It was time to give him a strong boost. Fu Yun shouted to encourage him, "Brother, not bad! Keep it up, surpass your opponents, and win the first lap!"
As Fu Yun's words of encouragement faded, the young man was instantly energized, as if he had been injected with adrenaline. He immediately raised his head, took faster strides, and displayed the fierce courage of a final sprint.
Seeing this, Cheng Jincheng was not to be outdone: "Brother, we can't lose, we must surpass him, come on! I believe in you."
Men are born with a desire to conquer. Seeing that his opponent was far ahead of him, Cheng Jin's teammates were also aroused and immediately began to exert their strength to chase after the player who was ahead of him.
The distance between the two runners was getting closer and closer. The other four runners waiting for the relay stood nervously next to Cheng Jincheng, staring intently at the teammate who was approaching them. They rubbed their palms together anxiously, clearly affected by the increasingly intense sense of urgency on the scene.
Fu Jun comforted them in a low voice: "You don't need to be so nervous. Just do your best when you run."
The four men managed a weak smile, their anxiety clearly unabated.
Fu Yun shook his head inwardly, glanced at the track, and seeing that the runners were almost upon him, immediately reminded them, "They're coming, get ready."
Upon hearing this, the two who were about to receive the baton immediately took a few steps forward, entered the track, walked along the edge, turned their bodies slightly backward, nervously stretched out their hands, and anxiously waited for the baton to be handed to them.
Fu Yun's team arrived at the handover point ahead of time. The baton receiver was so nervous that his hand trembled slightly, but fortunately he did not drop it and managed to hold onto the baton.
Seeing that he was almost startled by the falling wooden stick, Fu Yun immediately warned him, "Run!"
Upon hearing this, his teammate's expression changed, and he immediately took off running, faster than the first lap runner, and his movements became more unrestrained, making it even more exciting to watch.
Fu Yun smiled with satisfaction. Sure enough, only when you let loose can you feel the excitement of the competition.
The team members ran about two meters ahead before Cheng Jincheng's team members finally reached the meeting point.
Fortunately, he seemed to have overreacted to his nervousness and became less flustered, successfully catching the baton and quickly chasing after his opponent who was running ahead.
Fu Jun then had time to look at the two runners beside him who had just finished their first lap. The two men had flushed cheeks, were covered in sweat, and were bent over with exhaustion. Their arms were trembling as they supported themselves on their knees, and they were panting heavily, completely out of breath.
Judging from this, their physical condition is similar to that when he first transmigrated into Su Fuyun's body—weak and powerless.
Fu Yun gently patted their shoulders and asked softly, "Are you two alright?"
The two contestants smiled shyly and waved their hands, saying, "It's nothing, we're just a little out of breath."
Fu Yun reassured her, "As long as you don't feel dizzy, it's fine. It's normal to have difficulty breathing after strenuous exercise. You'll feel better after a while."
The two men nodded, indicating that they understood.
Wow~ Not bad!
"Whose young master is this? He's quite impressive! Although he can't outrun Young Master Su, he's still pretty fast!"
"That's right, that's right, he's already very good."
After recovering, the two athletes were quickly drawn to the race. They turned their attention to the track and their eyes lit up with excitement and anticipation when they saw the other two running faster and faster.
Fu Jun was secretly pleased; it seemed the demonstration had worked well and the atmosphere had been created.
He focused his attention on the track and immediately noticed a significant gap between the two runners.
It seems that the distance created in the first lap directly affected the results in the second lap. Even though Cheng Jincheng's teammates were faster in the second lap, they did not overtake the results left in the first lap, but only shortened the distance slightly.
Cheng Jincheng was getting anxious and shouted, "Come on, little brother! The second leg is crucial. You must try your best to overtake your opponent and leave him far behind."
As Cheng Jincheng finished speaking, his team members quickened their pace, and Fu Yun could even hear the rustling sound of their clothes being whipped up by the strong wind.
Ancient clothing has very long hems, which is not suitable for sports and affects normal performance. Fu Yun glanced at the third-round athletes who were waiting nervously on the side and wondered whether he should remind them to lift up their hems.
Considering that this action would probably be considered indecent by them, they decided to abandon it for the time being.
Forget it, let's wait for him and Cheng Jincheng to make the first move!
"So, what was the meaning behind Young Master Cheng and Young Master Su's repeated encouragement?"
"It sounds like words of encouragement."
"I must say, those two characters are quite imposing."
"Shall we also speak up for the young men?"
"Great! That's exactly what I was thinking."
"Go, young men!"
The other onlookers found it quite amusing and immediately joined in the encouragement.
"Young man, keep it up!"
"Young man, keep it up!"
Fu Yun and Cheng Jincheng looked at each other, only then belatedly realizing that there seemed to be no such thing as "cheering each other on" in ancient times.
As the crowd roared with powerful shouts, the runners in the second lap were clearly more energetic and ran much faster than those in the first lap.
In the short time it took them to think, they had already approached the point of handover.
Fu Yun said to the two competitors in the third lap, "Get ready, it's your turn."
The two athletes were startled and quickly walked onto the track, waiting along the edge.
When Fu Yun's teammates saw their teammate coming up behind them, they immediately reached out to catch the wooden stick.
The atmosphere was even more intense in the third lap, with the two runners inspired by their opponents from the previous two laps, and they ran even faster.
The onlookers watched intently, their attention completely captivated by the competition.
Everyone started shouting in unison: "Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Go, young men!"
The lap quickly reached the baton exchange point, and Fu Yun's team was still in the lead.
Fu Yun walked to the edge of the track and tied the hem of her shirt around her waist.
Ignoring the intense gazes of the crowd, he waited until his panting teammates came to him, then reached out to take the wooden stick. Just as he touched one end of the stick and was about to wrap his fingers around it, an accident occurred when his palm touched the stick.
Perhaps his teammates were too nervous, because he let go of the stick before he could even grip it tightly.
With a clang, the baton slipped from the fingers of the two runners.
Fu Yun: "..."
The crowd gasped in surprise: "Ah!"
"It actually fell."
"What a pity!"
"Is Young Master Su going to lose?!"
Upon seeing this, his teammates panicked and bent down to pick up the stick.
Fu Yun quickly raised her hand to stop him: "You can't pick it up, only I can do it."
He bent down quickly to pick up the wooden stick from the ground, and before running out, he said a comforting word: "It's okay, I won't blame you for losing."
Fearing that the team members might overthink the incident of the baton falling, he added as he ran, "Don't rush off, wait until the race is over. I need your help with something."
His teammates nodded quickly and urged, "Got it, hurry up and run!"
Fu Jun was relieved and ran forward as fast as he could.
He had barely run a meter when Cheng Jincheng took the wooden stick from his teammate and suddenly chased after him.
He looked at Fu Yun with fighting spirit: "Boss, the time to decide the winner has come. This time I will definitely not lose to you."
Fu Yun noticed that he had also tied his clothes around his waist. She immediately curled her lips into a meaningful smile, quickly glanced at the crowd, turned her head to look at Cheng Jincheng, who was closely following behind her, raised her chin slightly, and deliberately provoked him: "Then you'd better work harder, otherwise you'll be embarrassed if you lose to me again."
"Hmph!" Cheng Jincheng snorted and shouted, "Come on, who's afraid of who!"
After running a lap, the two were neck and neck, and passed the handover point at the same time.
As Fu Yun began the final lap, she gradually felt her strength waning, and her knees grew heavier and heavier.
He gritted his teeth and did not slow down for the time being.
He had to slow down only when a sharp pain shot through his chest from breathing too rapidly.
"Why has Young Master Su slowed down?"
"Could it be that you can't run anymore?"
"He must be exhausted!"
"Young Master Su, keep going! Don't give up!"
"Go, Su Xiaolangjun!"
"Go, Su Xiaolangjun!"
The crowd shouted in unison, their voices deafening and stirring up a sense of excitement.
Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Fu Yun gritted her teeth and forced herself to speed up, running alongside Cheng Jincheng and creating a tug-of-war.
However, due to physical limitations, he lacked the explosive power of a sprinter and was never able to surpass Cheng Jincheng.
"Go, Su Xiaolangjun!"
"Go, Cheng Xiaolang!"
A different encouraging voice suddenly broke in, startling Cheng Jincheng. Then, he became so excited, as if a power button had been suddenly pressed, that he charged out like a wild horse.
He eventually crossed the finish line, leading Fu Yun by about half a meter.
"Wow, it was actually Young Master Cheng who won."
"Young Master Cheng is truly remarkable."
"Indeed, one cannot judge a book by its cover, nor can one measure the depths of the sea."
"What a pity. Young Master Su was originally in the lead, but he dropped his stick halfway through."
"Since it's a cooperative competition, the result is what matters, the process is not important."
"Exactly, we should win beautifully and lose with dignity."
"That's right, that makes sense."
Some people felt it was a pity, while others were happy for the winners.
Cheng Jincheng grinned from ear to ear, overjoyed.
He looked at Fu Jun smugly, panting heavily, and said, "I told you I would win, and you definitely won. How about that? Are you convinced now?"
Fu Yun's whole body went limp, she was panting heavily, waved her hand, and couldn't say a word.
He really wanted to plop down on the ground and sit down.
But remembering the familiar figure he had seen before, he managed to hold back.
She came to the event too, so she couldn't be too undignified.
Cheng Jincheng was unaware of Fu Yun's current situation. He was enjoying the attention he was receiving from the crowd and listening to the lively discussions about the event that were occasionally heard from within the crowd. He was in an exceptionally good mood.
All these reactions prove that the event was a great success.
Cheng Jincheng grinned smugly: "It's rare to see me finally win a round against you."
Fu Yun wasn't bothered by winning or losing. He bent over, trying to calm his violently beating heart, feeling that his heart was about to give out.
He clutched his chest and calmed himself for a long time before gradually recovering from his exhaustion. He looked up at the bustling crowd and reminded them, "Next... is the important part."
Cheng Jincheng nodded, noticing that his voice sounded weak and listless. He quickly turned to look at him and was startled to see that his face was pale and his brows showed signs of exhaustion. He hurried over to him, stared at his face, and asked, "Are you alright? Why do you look so pale?"
Fu Yun shook her head, took a deep breath, and said slowly, "It's nothing. I must have run too fast just now, and my heart couldn't handle it."
He sighed as he spoke: "As expected, my physical condition is still too poor. I can't even handle running 400 meters at top speed."
Cheng Jincheng quickly brought over a long bench and helped Fu Yun sit down: "Leave the rest to me and Lu Zhisheng! You need to rest for a while."
Fu Yun didn't stand on ceremony and slightly raised her hand: "Alright! Then I'll trouble you. I do need to rest for a while. My chest hurts even when I breathe."
Just as Cheng Jincheng was about to turn around to get busy, he heard a slightly familiar female voice ask, "Do you need any help?"
Cheng Jincheng and Fu Yun turned their heads and saw Qian Qingling walking over with several deputy generals.
She glanced at Fu Yun for a moment, then looked at Cheng Jincheng: "Young Master Su must be exhausted. Young Master Cheng has also run several laps. Do you still have the energy to handle what's coming next?"
Cheng Jincheng was slightly taken aback, then laughed heartily: "I'm fine! I'm tough, this distance won't tire me out."
Qian Qingling raised her eyebrows, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "Have you ever practiced martial arts?"
Cheng Jincheng shook his head: "Of course not." He patiently explained: "I am just passionate about sports and exercise regularly, which is why I have such good physical strength. However, it is far inferior to martial arts. In front of you, I don't even have the ability to protect myself. It's very useless. I can't fight and kill. It can only improve my physique."
"Oh?" Qian Qingling was amused by his words: "So, you want to spar with us?"
Cheng Jincheng immediately waved his hand: "How could that be! My skills are nothing special, I wouldn't dare to show off in front of you."
Xing Fei chuckled and couldn't help but tease, "Young Master Cheng, there's no need to be modest. I watched the match just now, and you were quite impressive."
Cheng Jincheng's expression froze. Thinking about all the cringeworthy things he had said during the competition, he felt like disappearing on the spot.
He gave an awkward smile: "Please excuse my poor appearance."
"Young Master Su, Young Master Cheng, where are you?"
Lu Zhisheng's voice came from the front.
Fu Yun and Cheng Jincheng looked up, and Fu Yun replied, "We're here."
Lu Zhisheng smiled apologetically at the crowd surrounding him as they registered, and said loudly, "Please wait a moment while I go and ask Young Master Su about the upcoming events. I'll be right back."
Everyone laughed and said, "It's alright, Young Master Lu, go ahead! We'll wait for you to come back."
Lu Zhisheng quickly withdrew from the crowd and strode over: "Young Master Su, everyone is eagerly signing up. I wonder if the women's team or the men's team will compete first?"
Fu Yun said, "The women's team will compete first."
Lu Zhisheng nodded: "I understand."
Cheng Jincheng found an opportunity to escape, so he ran away as soon as he could. He pretended to apologize and said, "Generals, I'm sorry, we still have a competition to organize, so we'll have to stay and keep you company for now."
Qian Qingling remained silent for a moment, then replied, "We have nothing to do right now, how about we go and help you?"
Fu Yun had no objection: "Sure! We're short-handed anyway."
Since Fu Yun had already agreed, Cheng Jincheng naturally had no reason to refuse: "Then thank you, generals."
He instructed Fu Yun, "You probably won't recover for a while. Since General Qian and the others are already helping you, you should rest here. Don't worry about the competition; leave it to us."
Fu Yun didn't try to be stubborn and agreed to Cheng Jincheng's suggestion: "That's fine. As long as we follow the procedures, there won't be any problems."
Cheng Jincheng nodded, said nothing more, and went to the crowded area with Qian Qingling and the others.
After they had walked away, Fu Yun bent down, rubbed her chest, and slowly exhaled, feeling somewhat frustrated: "Why are you still so weak?"
Only after his discomfort subsided did he look up at the crowd, his gaze slowly searching to see where the men who had just helped demonstrate the sprint and relay races were.
Before his eyes could find those people, Zhilan's familiar, clear, and melodious voice came from behind him: "Are you not feeling well?"
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