That was also the first time in his life he appeared on CCTV, although it was only for a brief two seconds.

Unfortunately, since 2010, the national soccer team's performance has been deteriorating.

Before Xu Yun time-traveled, they even embarrassingly lost to Jiaozhi.

Thus, after arriving in the Song Dynasty, it was only natural that he wanted to watch a Cuju match.

A quarter of an hour later.

Having finished dressing, Xu Yun hurriedly left his room, randomly asked a servant in charge of the guests' meals for two sesame cakes, and then set off with Zhang San.

Daxiangguo Temple was located northeast of the Vermilion Bird Gate, to the right of Imperial Street, marking the standard core area.

Xu Yun had been on this route a few times, but unfortunately, he hadn't seen a particular chubby monk.

Of course.

As the most bustling temple nowadays, the Cuju location certainly wouldn't be right next to the temple:

The Ju City where the match took place was about four or five hundred steps away from Daxiangguo Temple, seemingly a venue specifically set for large Cuju events.

"Cuju is divided into three types: confrontation, banquet, and non-goal play."

Arriving at the edge of Ju City, Zhang San pointed at the internal field, separated by a wall, and said:

"Confrontation involves goals at either end, with opposing team members competing to kick the Cuju into the opponent's goal to win."

"The banquet style involves placing a two-foot-high 'Flirtatious Eye' in the center, with each side taking turns to shoot, and the one that gets the Cuju through the 'Flirtatious Eye' the most wins."

"Non-goal play involves no goal and is more about freestyle arts and techniques; those street performers you see kicking the ball use this style."

Xu Yun nodded in understanding.

According to Zhang San's description.

Confrontation is similar to modern soccer matches, the banquet style resembles penalty shootouts, and non-goal play is essentially a showcase of skills.

Actually, Xu Yun didn't know.

The skills in non-goal play are called techniques, which Wu Cheng'en later referenced in Chapter 73 of , leading to the phrase "showing all one's skills."

Xu Yun then looked at Zhang San and asked:

"Third Brother, where are our seats for watching the game?"

"Oh, no rush, no rush."

Zhang San waved the ticket in his hand and explained:

"We have tickets, so our seats won't be taken. It's a bit early to enter now, let me take you to see something interesting first."

Xu Yun was immediately puzzled:

"What are we going to play?"

Zhang San pointed in a certain direction:

"The gambling house!"

"Gambling house?"

Xu Yun blinked, then realized:

Goodness.

How could I forget this other 'national pastime' of the Northern Song?

After all, this was an era where even the Emperor wouldn't hesitate to gamble for his favored concubines...

Then, under Zhang San's guidance, they arrived at a street with a strong gambling house vibe.

This very moment.

The street was lined with more than ten large and small shops, with people constantly coming and going, making the business seem extremely prosperous.

There were those betting with four or five copper coins.

And those betting with jade hairpins and silver bracelets.

And others throwing down Money Shop receipts...

Among those placing bets, Xu Yun even saw a few government officials in official robes!

What a crazy era.....

While Xu Yun was astonished, Zhang San was cleverly looking for a suitable shop:

"Liu's odds have always been low, not worth it...."

"Zhao's House has a bad reputation; rumor has it they often default on payments....."

"Lin Family Gambling House employs numerous thugs, said to rob people on their way home....."

Seeing Zhang San analyzing each shop, Xu Yun glanced at him:

"Third Brother, how much are you planning to bet, given your fear of dirty dealings?"

Zhang San puffed out his chest confidently:

"Six cents!"

Xu Yun: "..."

Then Zhang San spent an entire round before finally locking on his target:

A stall rumored to be backed by a Third Master Level boss.

The two teams in today's match were both 'Clubs' and of considerable notoriety:

The home team was the Central Capital Imperial Guard stationed in Bianjing, and the challengers were the Northwest Imperial Guard, who had just returned with Wang Hou and Tong Guan. (It was supposed to be a different imperial guard, but the entire chapter got flagged before, and I couldn't change it, so I'm using Central Capital as a substitute.)

Seeing Xu Yun and Zhang San approaching the stall, a waiter-looking servant quickly came over:

"How can I help you two patrons wager today?"

Xu Yun glanced at the stall's surface, and curiosity sprang up in his mind, so he asked before Zhang San:

"This little brother, what kinds of bets can we place?"

"Oh, there are plenty."

Seeing Xu Yun's decent fabric and polite demeanor, the servant eagerly started explaining with his fingers:

"The simplest is the win-loss outcome, with naturally low odds, place your bets."

"Next is the exact score, like three to one, four to two, with varying odds."

"Then there's the total score parity, total score over-under, and even how many goals each 'Ball Head' can score."

"For example, the Central Capital Imperial Guard's strongest Ball Head Ma Zeben, a pot maker from the Artifact Bureau, has an unbeatable move called Swallow's Nest....tsk tsk, even the officials give him a thumbs-up!"

Listening to the servant's endless talk, Xu Yun thought for a moment and said:

"Then I'll bet ten cents on the Central Capital Imperial Guard to win."

He wasn't a gambler, nor did he expect to win a large sum.

After all, the saying goes, nine times out of ten, gamblers lose, and falling into this trap would be catastrophic.

The ten cents he wagered weren't much, purely because he time-traveled to this era and just wanted a little fun.

Then Zhang San also wagered six cents, likewise betting on the Central Capital Imperial Guard to win.

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