Fire God

The New Year's Gala continued.

Wu Xiaoqi took the stage in a tank top and denim shorts, performing a Basketball Dance that stunned the entire crowd.

The uproar across the field died down.

In Class 1's formation, Wei Xiuyuan asked Dong Jiayi, "Don't girls like guys who play basketball? Do you like them?"

Dong Jiayi stressed, "No, not this kind."

Cui Yu had already emerged from the gloom of his failed performance. Picking at his teeth, he said, "She likes handsome ones."

Wang Longlong retorted, "Isn't my Qi Ge handsome?"

Lin Zida did not care whether he was handsome or not. He recorded a video and sent it to Zhuang Jianhui, who was recovering from illness at home. "This guy's basketball skills have reached perfection."

After making a few comments, Zhuang Jianhui changed the subject. "Forgot to tell you—I was looking at the scenery from the terrace this afternoon and saw something strange."

Lin Zida asked, "What was it?"

Zhuang Jianhui described it. "A wild duck had a red cloth strip tied around its leg. I definitely didn't see wrong. It must have been marked by someone!"

Qingyu Lake had always been a restricted area. Since breaking his leg, Zhuang Jianhui often spent half the day recuperating on the terrace, yet he had never seen anyone enter the grounds of Qingyu Lake or Tiger Perch Mountain.

That was why he found it strange.

Lin Zida was well-traveled and explained, "When we traveled to the grasslands before, I saw colored cloth strips tied to the ears of some cattle and sheep. It's a local tradition. Legend says they're offerings to the gods and no one is allowed to slaughter them. It's basically a get-out-of-death-free card. Maybe that red strip serves the same purpose."

Zhuang Jianhui said, "I'm curious who tied it