Chapter 033: The Basketball Player Should Keep Quiet, White Cloud Daoist Temple

Inside the sports hall of Tengyun No. 1 High School.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Pan Zhiguo strode toward the judges’ platform for the basketball game.

The platform was bustling with activity; many representatives from provincial clubs had already arrived, drawn here by the basketball highlight clips posted online the previous night. They had hurried over through the night—these days, it was rare to find a truly gifted prospect.

And Song Kai was exactly that—a talent among ten thousand.

As coaches exchanged pleasantries, one of them suddenly spotted Pan Zhiguo and immediately stood up.

“Coach Pan, what brings you here?” a coach exclaimed with wide-eyed deference.

Pan Zhiguo, his hands still behind his back and chin held high, didn’t bother to see who it was. He merely nodded and said, “I heard there’s a promising kid here with decent talent. The national team is in dire need of new blood, so I thought I’d come take a look.”

The other coaches, upon seeing Pan Zhiguo, all rose to their feet and vacated the main seat for him.

Pan Zhiguo sat down with an air of authority. “Alright, sit down. Let’s see what this kid is really made of—if he’s as impressive as in the video, maybe he’s worth cultivating.”

“Yes, yes,” the other coaches murmured in acquiescence, knowing that with Pan Zhiguo here, their own chances had all but vanished.

Who was Pan Zhiguo? He was none other than the head coach overseeing basketball under the National Sports Bureau, and concurrently the director of the Sports Management Department—a towering figure in the world of basketball whose word was law.

At the edge of the court, Sun Dao and Kong Qiang were preparing to take the floor.

Kong Qiang glanced up at the judges’ platform and his knees trembled.

“What’s wrong with you?” Sun Dao kicked him. “The strongest team, Red Star, isn’t even playing in this tournament. We have a real shot at being champions today. Why are you losing your nerve?”

“Dao, look—aren’t those faces on the platform familiar?” Kong Qiang pointed.

Sun Dao stole a glance and his own legs nearly buckled. “Damn, what’s going on? That’s the Bayi Club coach, the Qingdao Club coach… Wait, is that—Pan Zhiguo, the top official in charge of basketball at the National Sports Bureau? Holy…”

Kong Qiang quickly steadied Sun Dao. “Dao, what do we do?”

Sun Dao whispered, “It’s fine, just play your best. Kong Qiang, these are exactly the clubs and teams we’ve dreamed of joining. Why do we spend every day playing basketball at the sports institute, if not for a shot at these clubs and the national team? Come on, don’t be nervous—maybe today’s our big break.”

Kong Qiang nodded fervently.

But when the match began, not only did Kong Qiang and Sun Dao’s legs feel like jelly, but everyone else was tense as well. The semifinals were a mess.

Watching from above, Pan Zhiguo grew increasingly impatient. He slapped the table. “What a lousy match! Where’s that kid? When is he playing? Hurry up, I have a meeting with Deputy Governor Liao of Qilu Province later.”

A coach, upon hearing this, rushed off to find the principal.

Principal Wang Lei of Tengyun No. 1 was in his office, chatting with his granddaughter on WeChat. He was usually extremely busy, and planning the sports meet had left him exhausted. Now, with the event nearly over, he was finally catching his breath.

The academic secretary burst in. “Principal Wang, quick, come with me!”

“What’s got you so flustered?”

“Principal, I heard Director Pan from the Sports Bureau is here. I think you’d better go and receive him,” the secretary said hurriedly.

Wang Lei froze, then sprang to his feet. “What? Our school is just hosting a city-level sports meet, and for high school students at that—how did we attract attention from the central government? Or maybe we’ve done such a good job we’re about to be commended?”

The secretary shook her head.

Wang Lei quickly straightened his tie, changed into a suit, slipped on his leather shoes, and dashed to the sports hall.

When he reached the judges’ platform, Wang Lei bent over to shake hands with Pan Zhiguo.

Pan Zhiguo, visibly impatient, said, “Principal Wang, I saw a student from your school yesterday—looked quite promising on the court, so I came over. I was told he’d be playing in this semifinal, but now he’s nowhere to be found?”

Wang Lei was baffled and immediately went to inquire, quickly learning that this match was supposed to be between the Third High School’s team and the Class Seven, Grade Three basketball team from Tengyun No. 1. But the latter had forfeited, so the Third High advanced directly.

Wang Lei set his phone down. “Ah, Director Pan, here’s the situation: that class forfeited, so there’s no match.”

“What? Forfeited?” Pan Zhiguo slammed the table. “Do you know how hard it is for me to come here? Call that student over! This is a rare opportunity, and he just gives up? Hurry!”

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Wang Lei quickly called Liu Yajuan.

When Liu Yajuan arrived and found herself surrounded by so many eyes, she felt uneasy.

“Principal Wang, is something wrong?” she asked.

“Why did your class forfeit?” Wang Lei demanded, clearly frustrated.

Liu Yajuan was at a loss. “Our main player said he didn’t want to play, so we had no choice.”

“Is it Song Kai?” Pan Zhiguo interjected.

“Yes, that’s him.” Liu Yajuan didn’t know who Pan Zhiguo was, but, seeing his bearing, she guessed he was someone important and answered cautiously.

“This is outrageous! Does he think basketball is child’s play? We have so many coaches who came here overnight, and he just decides not to play? Call him now and ask if he still wants this opportunity!” Pan Zhiguo thundered.

“Wha… what opportunity?” Liu Yajuan was bewildered.

“Admission to the Huaxia Sports Academy without entrance exams, and a future chance to join the national team!” Pan Zhiguo declared, pride in his voice.

Liu Yajuan scratched her head. “Honestly, I don’t think Song Kai is interested.”

“What?” Pan Zhiguo glared. “What kind of teacher are you? Do you know what the Sports Academy is? It’s a prestigious institution—the best sports university in the country! And the national team—a once-in-a-lifetime chance!”

Wang Lei quickly interjected, “Miss Liu, call the student right now. You can’t decide his future for him.”

Liu Yajuan, now a bit annoyed herself, took out her phone and called Song Kai, putting it on speaker.

The call connected. Song Kai was in a taxi.

“Hello, teacher? It’s a day off today, isn’t it?” Song Kai said.

Liu Yajuan spoke loudly, “Someone from basketball wants to talk to you. I’ve put you on speaker—go ahead.”

Pan Zhiguo bristled at the phrasing—“someone from basketball”? He was the national team coach and a director under the Sports Bureau!

“Oh? Who is it? What’s this about basketball?” Song Kai, realizing he wasn’t being summoned back to school, sounded much more relaxed.

Pan Zhiguo cleared his throat. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Pan Zhiguo, national basketball team head coach, vice-chairman of the Basketball Association, and also—”

“Stop. What do you want?” Song Kai interrupted bluntly.

Pan Zhiguo almost choked on his own breath. “Here’s the thing—I saw you play, you have talent. I want to give you a special recruitment—”

“No need. I’m more talented at academics. Anything else?” Song Kai replied.

Pan Zhiguo’s face turned beet red, too angry to speak.

After a pause, Song Kai asked, “Miss Liu, if that’s all, I’ll hang up. In the future, just decline these trivial matters for me. No need to tell me. Goodbye, Miss Liu.”

He hung up.

Liu Yajuan stifled her laughter, put her phone away, and shrugged.

The other coaches, watching Pan Zhiguo being snubbed, turned green with suppressed laughter.

Pan Zhiguo sat in stunned silence for five seconds before finally managing to speak. He slammed the table, “What does he mean, ‘more talented at academics’? Can his studies get him into a better school, or a future like this without the entrance exam?”

Liu Yajuan replied slowly, “Well, this student is the top of our senior year and ranked second in the whole city. As long as nothing goes wrong with the college entrance exam, any university in the country will accept him…”

...

Song Kai had just gotten into the taxi. He put his phone away and let out a sigh of relief—thank goodness, it wasn’t the school calling him back to class.

Today, he had to settle Tang Zhong’s issue and maybe earn a little on the side.

He turned to the taxi driver. “Mister, is there a Taoist temple nearby?”

The driver, his face pockmarked but full of energy, replied, “Hey, young man—going to a temple to pray for luck?”

“That’s right,” Song Kai said.

The driver immediately hit the gas. “Let me tell you, our Tengyun City has a famous temple—White Cloud Temple. There’s an old Taoist priest there, Master Baiyun. I’m telling you, whether it’s exorcising spirits, praying for blessings, seeking children, or curing illness—it’s all incredibly effective!”

“Really? That impressive?” Song Kai was surprised. “Let’s go there!”

“You got it.” The driver sped toward the city outskirts.

Song Kai swallowed. He hadn’t expected that such a formidable Taoist priest would still exist nowadays. From what Song Kai remembered, most Taoist priests nowadays were frauds. During the years of upheaval, the genuine old priests had been either killed or disheartened into seclusion, leaving only charlatans behind.

Yet here in Tengyun, there was still a master of such renown? Perfect—he could have a good discussion with him.

He’d heard that modern Taoism had split into several branches—Wudang, Zhengyi, Maoshan, and so on—unlike his own era, when Quanzhen was the sole school.

Song Kai’s thoughts wandered as the driver stopped in front of a temple.

The temple’s gate was rather grand, but something seemed off. Why did the entrance have an inscription dedicated to the Bodhisattva Guanyin of Mercy and Salvation? Wasn’t Guanyin a figure from Buddhism? Why was she enshrined in a Taoist temple?

Frowning, Song Kai stepped inside, just as an old man with a white beard approached…