"You all don't understand, Old Demon is actively seeking improvement here, right, Comrade Zhao Jiangtao?"

"There's a difference between people. Why did Old Demon manage to perform this feat? It's because the enemy didn't pay much attention to him. Switch him with Handsome Guy, and the other side would respond in no time."

"Exactly, exactly! Hahaha!"

Amidst the laughter, people kept egging each other on, matching each other's rhythm perfectly.

The friendships between men are often like this. When you do something that stands out, you often receive not praise from your good brothers but cold mockery.

Even compliments sound like sarcasm.

But this doesn't mean jealousy or resentment. On the contrary, this is just the normal way men express their emotions.

They will feel happy for you in their hearts but would never admit it out loud.

Just like men cannot comprehend the feelings among women, it's the same the other way around. At times, women find it hard to understand the camaraderie between men.

While speaking, a group of four from the Xinwen Team approached, and they were familiar faces.

The leader was Xu Xiaofeng, and the other two were responsible for flag guarding. They were the "culprits" who had beaten Old Demon black and blue.

The last one was the person Wei Shuai had defeated in the ring.

"Hello, brothers from the Jiangcheng Team!" Xu Xiaofeng greeted warmly.

Miao Yueqian got up to greet them, and the others stood up as well.

After some pleasantries with Miao Yueqian, Xu Xiaofeng walked straight to Xiao Feng and said, "Honestly, I'm not willing to accept or be convinced by this loss to the Jiangcheng Team."

Xiao Feng said nothing but smiled, finding the opponent's candor somewhat admirable.

After a brief pause, Xu Xiaofeng continued, "But thinking about it afterward, if this were a real battlefield, the enemies would be even more ruthless. No matter how we compete, it's all within the rules, but enemies won't care about any rules."

Having said that, Xu Xiaofeng extended his cup forward, "Cheers to you, as thanks for this lesson you've taught me."

The young girl sensibly poured a cup of wine and handed it to Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng took it with a smile, clinking it with Xu Xiaofeng's cup, "Being able to learn something useful from a defeat means there's room for improvement, which is a good thing."

"Yes indeed!" Xu Xiaofeng drank up the wine in his cup entirely, then lamented, "It's a pity, not sure if I'll have a chance to win it back next time, hopefully."

Xiao Feng also downed his wine and said freely, "If there's fate, there'll naturally be opportunities. Life isn't a single game match. What you lose here, you may win back elsewhere."

"You're like a philosopher, aren't you?" Xu Xiaofeng pondered Xiao Feng's words, the more he thought, the more he felt... as if they essentially said nothing.

However, he clearly couldn't say that; even if he didn't understand, he had to act as if he did.

Not far away, Old Demon looked at the two who had beaten him before, slammed the table, and said, "Alright, you guys have some nerve, still daring to come here voluntarily. Brothers, hold them down. I'm going to fight today!"

The Jiangcheng Team members crowded in, surrounding the three Xinwen Team members.

Among the three, the one who had fought Wei Shuai quickly tried to stop them, "Don't be impulsive, our people aren't far from here. Just one shout, and they'll be here in no time. You better consider the consequences first."

"Consequences?" someone laughed, "What consequences? Let's beat you up first. If that doesn't work, we'll call more people. After all, this is our home turf, you can't run away anyway."

Everyone quarreled noisily, yet unconsciously, relationships grew closer. In the end, they just put their arms around each other's shoulders and drank, no grudges held.

As the banquet ended, everyone returned to their tents to rest, except for the teams that had to continue competing the next day, keeping their lights on.

In the tent, Xiao Feng stood among the crowd and said, "Our strength has mostly been figured out by our opponents, so apart from facing the Guangyang Team next, no one should engage in night battles with us anymore. Also, the tactic this time can't be repeated, everyone should be clear on that."

Wei Shuai and the others all nodded, showing they understood. No team relies on a single move to dominate everywhere. This time, the "home invasion tactic" succeeded because the Xinwen Team never expected us to risk everything, completely abandoning flag defense.

If we still hope to win with this move, that would be naive indeed.

Miao Yueqian stood up to add, "The Guangyang Team is best at not large-scale cooperation but small group coordination of three to four people, so if we encounter them tomorrow, we must watch their numbers closely and not let our guard down."

Next, Xiao Feng pointed out individual issues and areas of improvement for the team members.

Of course, some habits aren't easy to change, Xiao Feng tried to say everything he could, but how much they listen and absorb depends on the personal skills of the team members.

It wasn't until eleven-thirty that the team members returned to the communal tent to sleep.

Because of being female, Lu Yao and the young girl followed Miao Yueqian to the women's accommodation area.

The spacious tent suddenly became lively, not because anyone couldn't sleep and talked, but due to the increasingly loud sounds of snoring and teeth grinding.

Xiao Feng got up and walked out, finding it hard to sleep anyway, might as well take a walk.

The night wind was a bit chilly, but Jiangcheng wasn't as humid as the south. As long as one dressed warmly, it was bearable.

He walked to the still gently burning bonfire and sat down, gazing at the star-filled sky, letting his thoughts drift far away.

It's unclear how long he sat there in a daze until Xiao Feng felt a bit stiff in his neck and came back to his senses to find Lu Yao sitting beside him, resting her pretty face on her hands and staring at him.

Xiao Feng waved a hand in front of her eyes, "Is there a flower on my face? You're watching so seriously."

Lu Yao snapped awake, her face blushing visibly, hurriedly saying, "No, I just... went for a break, and seeing you, Brother Yanzhuang, sitting here alone, I wanted to chat with you. But you seemed to be deep in thought, so I didn't disturb you."

Xiao Feng smiled, "Alright, what do you want to talk about, go ahead."

"I..." Lu Yao still hadn't completely responded, even though she had planned a topic before, yet couldn't remember at this moment, only feeling she had countless things to say but didn't know where to start.

"Can't think of anything?" Xiao Feng said, "Then I'll go first."

"Okay," Lu Yao replied, pulling the scarf around her neck a little tighter.

Xiao Feng took a deep breath and said, "A few days ago, I saw Su Yuzhuo..."

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