Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 514: At an End

To be a commander of a battalion, the skill of the guards is naturally commendable. However, these guards’ martial arts are more suited for direct confrontations on the battlefield rather than dealing with experts from the wulin in the current complex environment.

As a group of guards rushed towards him, Song Qingshu moved effortlessly, dodging and maneuvering with ease. Although he hadn’t learned skills like the Great Cosmic Transformation or Heaven and Earth Great Shift, his cultivation had reached a certain level where understanding one technique allowed him to master many. Using his strength effectively, his actions produced remarkable results.

After a chaotic skirmish, the guards fell one by one, unable to continue fighting. What frustrated them even more was that they realized the fatal wounds they sustained were all inflicted by their own comrades, while Song Qingshu remained seemingly untouched.

At this moment, the sounds of battle grew louder in the distance. Song Qingshu knew that the Qing army was desperately holding back Yang Miaozhen’s attack. He couldn’t help but admire the general Tu Hai for his outstanding ability to organize everything so meticulously in such a short time.

However, this was all in the past now. With Tu Hai dead, he could no longer influence the battle.

Song Qingshu leaped onto the commanding flagpole, holding up Tu Hai’s head. With one hand holding a torch to illuminate it, his powerful voice echoed through the entire camp: “Attention, soldiers! Tu Hai is dead! Anyone who surrenders will be spared!”

The repeated announcement resonated throughout the camp, and the Qing army suddenly fell into a deathly silence. Most of the Eight Banner soldiers’ first reaction was disbelief, but upon seeing the head illuminated by the torch, they realized it was indeed their general Tu Hai’s, causing them to be overwhelmed with shock.

As the Qing army began to stir in chaos, Song Qingshu quickly tore down the Qing army’s command flag and dashed towards the camp entrance. Using his Qinggong, he leaped from tent to tent, avoiding the Qing soldiers’ attempts to stop him and evading sparse arrows that posed little threat.

Soon, Song Qingshu reached the camp entrance and saw that while the Qing army was in disarray, it was far from collapsing. His heart sank. Although he had caused chaos by assassinating Tu Hai, unless he could break through the camp gate and let Yang Miaozhen’s forces enter, the chaotic camp would eventually return to normal, and the Qing army might recover, considering Yang Miaozhen’s forces were not numerous.

“Kill him!” 
Just as Song Qingshu grew anxious, a sharp voice shouted from nearby. He turned to see a young military officer, dressed in fine attire, organizing the surrounding soldiers.

Song Qingshu had encountered this person once during his time in the Qing court. He was Xu Hao, a descendant of a general and a member of the Yellow Banner. Xu Hao had a poor reputation among the Eight Banner youth and was secretly labeled a hypocrite by many in the capital.

Despite this, the Qing army’s ability to hold its ground amidst the chaos was likely due to his efforts. Even in the face of their general’s death and the camp’s disorder, he managed to keep the gate secure. It showed that one should not judge by appearances—given time, Xu Hao might become another notable general of the Qing court.

‘What a pity,’ Song Qingshu thought.

At this point, a barrage of arrows from the Qing soldiers fell upon him. Song Qingshu used his internal strength to reinforce the command flag in his hand, protecting himself.

Seeing Song Qingshu deflect the arrows with just a flag, the nearby Qing soldiers were stunned.

“What are you standing there for? Keep shooting!” Xu Hao, frustrated and angry, lashed out at a nearby archer with his whip.

Xu Hao had heard of Song Qingshu’s reputation as the top expert of the Qing court but had never paid it much heed. To him, a martial artist was insignificant in the face of thousands of soldiers. But witnessing it firsthand, his confidence was shaken.

Song Qingshu, understanding Xu Hao’s situation, used the flag to sweep away the arrows that had been fired at him. He then spun it around, sending the arrows back at the archers with greater speed, causing them to fall in disarray.

Seeing several arrows lodged in his chest, Xu Hao could hardly believe it: ‘Am I really going to die like this?’ 

He fell to the ground, unwilling and defeated.

With Xu Hao’s death, the Qing army’s already unstable defense line completely collapsed. Yang Miaozhen finally led her troops into the camp.

“Brother Song, you’ve cut down two generals amidst thousands of troops. I truly admire you!” Yang Miaozhen, commanding her troops, stopped her horse and looked at Song Qingshu with admiration.

Song Qingshu smiled faintly and casually tossed Tu Hai’s head to her. “The rest is up to you. This will be more intimidating if you take it with you.”

Although she was a woman, Yang Miaozhen was excited by the bloodied head. “This is indeed a good prop. I’ll look for you again when I get back. I’m heading out now!” She secured Tu Hai’s head to her horse’s neck and led her remaining soldiers, shouting loudly as they charged into the Qing army’s camp.

Watching Yang Miaozhen’s determined figure, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but remark, “What a formidable woman.”

He stepped lightly and landed on top of the lookout tower. Surveying the Qing army camp, he saw flames everywhere and Eight Banner soldiers fleeing in all directions. He sighed in relief, having successfully caused the Qing army to implode.

However, Tu Hai’s troops were all elite. Even though most of the Qing soldiers didn’t know what was happening and fled in panic, a few areas in the camp still had Qing soldiers attempting to regroup under lower-ranking officers.

Song Qingshu furrowed his brow. If these soldiers managed to reorganize, it would cause trouble for Yang Miaozhen’s advancing troops.

Swiftly, Song Qingshu moved and soon arrived at one such area. To his surprise, he found Xiao Feng, Yelü Qi, Zhang Songxi, and Yin Liting fighting fiercely against a large group of Qing soldiers. They were all injured and looked severely wounded.

Xiao Feng spotted Song Qingshu and shouted urgently, “Brother Song, don’t mind us. Hurry and save Master Huang and Princess Jiu.”

“And my sister!” Yelü Qi added.

Song Qingshu paused, realizing that although they were in danger, they were still fighting and were not in immediate life-threatening peril.

After shooting a few surrounding archers to help them, Song Qingshu headed towards the direction indicated by Xiao Feng.

Soon, he noticed a dazzling sword light not far away. Knowing from his previous encounter with Yelü Nanxian that this was her Sun and Moon Divine Sword, Song Qingshu hurried towards it, understanding that such a powerful move would only be used in a critical situation.

As more Qing soldiers surrounded her, Yelü Nanxian sighed inwardly, thinking, ‘No wonder the Qing Dynasty could stand toe-to-toe with the Mongols for years. Today, I fear my life is at an end.’

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