Lacking Metal in the Five Elements

After Hu Lai changed and came out of the locker room, he found Mao Xiao and Meng Xi standing outside in their school uniforms with backpacks on. The two big guys stood on either side of the door, making Hu Lai feel as if he were looking at a pair of door gods.

"Whoa, what are you two doing?"

Mao Xiao frowned and said to Hu Lai, "We're here to cheer you on..."

Meng Xi pointed at Mao Xiao. "Not 'we.' You. Just you."

Ignoring his friend, Mao Xiao looked seriously at Hu Lai. "I know the coach can be overly harsh sometimes, and I know this is a little unfair to you... You're just a beginner, yet you have to meet such high standards... But no matter what, don't give up, Hu Lai. You have to stick with it!"

Hu Lai was bewildered by Mao Xiao's serious tone and what he was saying. "What's this about?"

Meng Xi curled his lip. "This guy's worried you'll choose to quit the team."

"Huh? Why would he think that?" Hu Lai asked in surprise.

"The others on the team are betting on when you'll quit," Meng Xi explained further.

The moment Hu Lai heard the word "betting," his eyes lit up. He hurriedly asked Mao Xiao, "Did you join in?"

Meng Xi suddenly had the illusion that Hu Lai was standing on tiptoe, looking up at Mao Xiao with stars in his eyes as he asked that question...

Mao Xiao also sensed Hu Lai's sudden enthusiasm. He did not understand why Hu Lai had perked up the instant he heard about it, and shook his head in confusion. "No. Why would I join such a boring bet? They're using it to mock you, Hu Lai."

Hearing that Mao Xiao had not joined, Hu Lai looked deeply disappointed. Even his raised head drooped. "You missed a great chance to make money, Mao Xiao..."

"Make money? What money?" Mao Xiao was completely confused.

Meng Xi had figured it out by then. He gave a chuckle. "There's no money involved, Hu Lai. They're just talking for fun. There isn't even a bet like treating someone to a meal."

Hearing that, Hu Lai wore an expression of both disappointment and disgust. "Tch, what a bunch of cheapskates! I was going to have you get in on it too. Aren't they all betting on when I'll quit? You could bet that I won't quit. Then wouldn't you take all their money in the end?"

Mao Xiao was stunned by Hu Lai's train of thought. "Are you really that short on money, Hu Lai?"

Hu Lai thought of the enormous 350,000 yuan debt his parents had taken on to send him to this school. He shrugged. "It's not like I hate money. You'd have to be crazy to turn down money you could earn."

"So you can put up with this kind of training and this coach just for money? You're amazing!" Meng Xi gave Hu Lai a thumbs-up from the side.

Hu Lai curled his lip. "Those are two different things. I'm not quitting the team. I worked so hard to get in—what would be the point of quitting? I just thought I could make a little money on the side... Forget it. Maybe metal is missing from my Five Elements, and I'm just destined not to have money..."

He shook his head and spoke in a world-weary tone.

He thought again of the hundred yuan Li Zhiqun had stiffed him for. Although he now had a trump card that could shut Li Zhiqun up whenever he wanted, losing that hundred yuan still felt like such a waste when he thought about it...

He was not afraid of trading insults and arguing with Li Zhiqun, but he really did need that hundred yuan!

Another three days of training went by quickly that week. During that time, Hu Lai gradually noticed that his body did not seem to react as strongly to high-intensity training anymore.

At first, on the day after training, he could barely even get out of bed. His entire body ached as if ten burly men had used him as a punching bag while he slept.

But now, all it took was a kip-up for him to spring out of bed without the slightest resistance, his movements as natural and fluid as flowing water.

He knew that the soreness seemed to be caused by something called lactic acid. After going so long without that level of exercise, it was inevitable that he would experience it when suddenly exposed to such activity.

But as he trained more and more, his body gradually adapted to that intensity. The lactic acid building up in his body naturally dropped sharply, and his body stopped aching.

No matter what, it was a good thing that his body no longer hurt. He no longer had to work so hard to pretend everything was normal in front of his father, lest his father notice something was wrong—after the three days of training last week, he had practically given the performance of his life at home. No matter how uncomfortable he felt, he absolutely could not reveal even the slightest abnormality in his movements or facial expressions.

That required extremely strong control over his own body. The old Hu Lai might not actually have been able to pull it off.

But after this period of training, combined with the effects of two bottles of [Marrow-Cleansing Potion], Hu Lai had not exposed a single flaw.

He felt that the effects might not have been as obvious as those of the [Training Boost Potion], but the [Marrow-Cleansing Potion] had genuinely improved his coordination. Even when his body felt so awful, he had not made any mistakes from uncoordinated movements.

Having cheats really was great!

Hu Lai sincerely praised the system.

This weekend, Dongchuan Middle School's football team would face its first national tournament qualifier. They would play at home against No. 50 Middle School from the same city.

Kickoff was at three o'clock on Saturday afternoon.

As a member of Dongchuan Middle School's boys' football team, he had to attend, even though he most likely would not get to play at all.

Middle school football matches were different from professional matches. There was no such thing as an official matchday squad. As long as you were a member of the team, you could take part. If you could not play, you sat on the bench. If the bench was full, you stood at the sideline beside it.

And what did you do there? Cheer for the team and help out with miscellaneous tasks, such as carrying things, helping organize equipment, and watching over belongings. During halftime, when the players on the field came off, you promptly handed them bottled water and towels for wiping sweat. If the weather was too hot, these people also had to fan the players who had taken the field with towels to help cool them down.

Chinese middle school football teams did not have the manager system seen in Japanese manga. The players handled all those odd jobs themselves.

They were tasks and responsibilities that came with being part of a team. They were also a necessary part of cultivating unity among the students.

That way, both the players who got on the field and those who did not could understand the concept of being a "team." It prevented those who could not play from feeling that the match had nothing to do with them, that the team's honor had nothing to do with them, and therefore not putting their hearts into training.

Football was a team sport, and team awareness was extremely important. If a team was divided and everyone could not unite as one, then no matter how strong the individual players were, it would be difficult for them to go far in a major tournament.

There were no classes on Saturday, but going to school would naturally arouse suspicion. Hu Lai was not too worried, though, because his father happened to be working that Saturday. It was not the night shift, but he would still not get home until six or seven in the evening, which worked out perfectly.

Although he had not been selected for the match, Hu Lai was still looking forward to it very much. He could not wait for Saturday afternoon to arrive.

This would be his first time taking part in an official match as a member of the school team.

Nothing like this had ever happened in the first sixteen years of his life.

It could be called a brand-new life experience.

PS: I noticed that the term "shengzhang Cup" in the previous chapter had been automatically replaced with "High Official Cup." "Shengzhang Cup" and "Shizhang Cup" were originally real middle school football tournaments, so I had used those names as well.

But after being replaced with "High Official Cup," it looked very awkward, so I decided to change them all.

They will now simply be called the "Andong Cup."

Just clarifying.