Discovery on the Basketball Court

Lin's Father and Lin's Mother were naturally not oblivious people. They very tactfully changed the subject, but in their eyes, Xiao Xiao's image undoubtedly became even taller and more mysterious.

Because Xiao Xiao's age was what it was, Lin's Father and Lin's Mother were more inclined to believe that Xiao Xiao was the disciple of some reclusive master.

And weren't so-called masters people who liked to keep a low profile?

Moreover, Xiao Xiao had saved Lin Zhenzhen. They were grateful beyond words, so how could they be "overbearing"? If they offended a master because of this, they would have nowhere to cry.

Therefore, since Xiao Xiao didn't want to say, they naturally wouldn't ask.

After a tacit understanding and relaxed conversation, Xiao Xiao happily retreated, his mission accomplished.

For the next few days, apart from attending classes, Xiao Xiao spent all his other time bonding with his bed. He even had Eldest Brother and the others bring him food.

If it weren't for Xiao Xiao's genuinely poor complexion, Zhang Bo and the others would have absolutely dragged him out for some photosynthesis, even if they had to drag him.

This day, seeing that Xiao Xiao's pale face had finally regained some color, Zhang Bo felt relieved but couldn't help but tease him.

"Third Brother, are you Lin Daiyu? You caught a chill last night, and it's taken you so many days to recover?"

Xiao Xiao could only suffer internally. He wasn't naturally weak; how could a chill make him feel so bad for so many days? But the real reason was hard to explain, so he could only grit his teeth and accept this baseless accusation.

"It's good that you're better," Zhuge Yun waved his hand. "You scared me; I didn't dare to play games freely these past few days, afraid of disturbing your rest."

"What a sacrifice."

"But, Third Brother, you've recovered at the perfect time."

"Hm?" After a moment of confusion, Xiao Xiao quickly reacted, "What's up?"

"Tomorrow, our school is having a basketball match against Polytechnic University," Zhao Luzheng explained.

"Eldest Brother will also be playing," Zhuge Yun winked, "although he's just a substitute."

The next day, it was still dimly lit when Zhang Bo had already finished washing up and headed to the basketball arena.

Xiao Xiao and the others weren't in a hurry; the game didn't start until nine.

Besides, with Eldest Brother helping them secure seats, the group leisurely arrived just in time.

The sky outside was dim, and as soon as Xiao Xiao and the others stepped into the arena, they were almost blinded by the bright lights inside.

Xiao Xiao and the others blinked, and the noisy crowd surged towards them. The basketball arena was already a scene of fervent excitement, as if even the air felt a bit scorching.

"Heh, there are really a lot of people."

Without even needing to look carefully, all they could see were heads packed together.

"But that's understandable. I heard our school's basketball team and Polytechnic University's basketball team have a deep-seated grudge."

"Deep-seated grudge?"

"I'm not very clear about the specifics; it happened several years ago, but this grudge has continued."

"Yeah, supposedly, the players from Polytechnic University have bad character. Seeing that they were about to lose the game, they used dirty tactics, causing one of our school's players to be seriously injured."

"Of course, our school team also lost that game."

"Worse still, those people from Polytechnic University refused to admit fault, only saying that 'the court has no eyes' and it was just an accident. They said our school team was inferior and wanted to frame them. They, who were in the wrong, actually turned the tables and were incredibly arrogant."

"Wasn't the matter investigated?"

"That's the infuriating part. The other side acted discreetly, refused to admit anything, and there were no third-party witnesses. The matter was eventually dropped."

"I heard one of their players has a powerful background..."

"Anyway, the matter was suppressed like that."

"But from then on, the feud between the two basketball teams was sealed."

Zhuge Yun and Zhao Luzheng took turns explaining the situation to Xiao Xiao.

Eldest Brother had told them about this in the past few days, and Xiao Xiao hadn't heard it because he was always resting.

"So, over the years, we've played countless games against Polytechnic University, with wins and losses, and we've all wanted to crush the other side, but neither side has gained an absolute advantage."

"Whenever the other side comes to play, there are always so many spectators. After all, the previous incident isn't a secret, and it hasn't been that many years. Everyone's hatred is still deep, and everyone wishes they could beat those bastards from Polytechnic University into a pulp."

Xiao Xiao and the others walked to the very front of the stands and greeted Eldest Brother, who saw them.

Eldest Brother ran over, led them to their seats, and then left.

The game was about to start, and even though he was just a substitute, he had many things to do.

As expected of the front-row seats, the view was excellent. They could clearly see both teams' players on the court below.

"I heard Polytechnic University has a very strong newcomer this year?" Zhao Luzheng said worriedly.

"Look, there he is," Zhuge Yun pointed to the only person sitting on the resting bench on the opposing team's side.

His legs were stretched out, exuding a sense of laziness.

Even seated, one could tell the other person had a tall and strong physique. His head was tilted back, shrouded in the shadow of the stands above, making his appearance unclear.

"He's at least 1.8 meters, right? He looks really formidable?" Zhao Luzheng felt even more worried as he looked at the person who exuded a powerful aura even while just sitting quietly.

"1.8 meters? He's 1.9 meters. The official data says 1.92 meters."

"And it's not just how he looks; he's genuinely formidable."

"I heard he was scouted by a professional team in high school, but he turned them down, saying basketball was just a hobby."

"That impressive?" Zhao Luzheng was stunned. "Then..."

"Forget it, our team isn't a pushover either. We'll be fine." Zhuge Yun waved his arm vigorously, his face full of confidence.

Deep down, however, he also felt some anxiety. What nonsense am I talking? Why does the other side have such a powerful Newcomer?

Are we going to lose?

Bah, don't jinx it.

How can I dampen my own spirits and boost the opponent's morale?

What "Strongest Newcomer"? The title sounds impressive, but who knows about his actual strength?

"Hey, Third Brother, don't worry too much either. Who knows if the other guy is all talk and no substance? Besides, no matter how famous he is, he's still just a first-year student. He can't turn the world upside down," Zhuge Yun said, patting Xiao Xiao's shoulder and trying to comfort him, thinking Xiao Xiao was worried about the match since he kept staring at the opponent.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah." Xiao Xiao was startled by the pat and snapped back to attention. He hadn't heard what Zhuge Yun said clearly and could only respond vaguely.

His gaze, however, remained fixed on the Newcomer player's... above his shoulder.

There was a giant, eagle-like creature.

Even though half of its body was hidden in darkness, Xiao Xiao's increasingly sharp five senses allowed him to clearly see the creature's full form, and the ferocious horns on the head of this eagle-like, yet not quite eagle, creature.