Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 955: A Carefree Journey

The two of them were so familiar with each other that Ouyang Feng wouldn’t mind such a small joke. He glanced sideways at Song Qingshu and laughed heartily, “Compared to my little brother, my tricks are hardly worth mentioning.”

Receiving such praise, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but smile awkwardly, but he felt somewhat unconvinced. When it came to clever schemes, he feared he was above Ouyang Feng; however, in terms of ruthlessness, he truly couldn’t match the other.

After laughing for a while, Ouyang Feng couldn’t help but furrow his brows. “With your help, I have a bit of confidence in getting Huang Rong to remarry, but that foolish boy Guo Jing is so stubborn and upright. To make him do something unfaithful to Huang Rong would probably be as difficult as climbing to the sky.”

“Is that so?” Song Qingshu replied noncommittally, but his mind drifted back to that time in the inn when he encountered Zhao Min and Hua Zheng. Strictly speaking, Hua Zheng was Guo Jing’s fiancée, yet the two of them ended up not being together due to national hatred and personal grudges, compounded by Huang Rong’s interference.

Hua Zheng was originally a cheerful girl from the grasslands, but when Song Qingshu last saw her, her face was filled with sorrow and fragility, resembling a refined lady from Jiangnan.

Ouyang Feng assumed Song Qingshu was at a loss as well, so he said, “There’s no rush on this matter; let’s think of a way slowly. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. But about that assassin from yesterday, we should talk.”

Hearing him mention Yang Miaozhen, Song Qingshu returned to his senses and listened intently.

It turned out that yesterday, Yang Miaozhen had lured Qiu Qianren into a pre-prepared ambush. If Ouyang Feng hadn’t arrived in time, Qiu Qianren would likely have met his end there. Following Song Qingshu’s instructions, Ouyang Feng didn’t make things difficult for Yang Miaozhen. The two sides, wary of each other’s master-level experts, merely tested each other before retreating.

“That assassin was clearly a young lady,” Ouyang Feng suddenly said with a strange expression. “Could it be that one of your old flames saw you with the Purple-robed Dragon King and got jealous?”

Song Qingshu’s face darkened. “Brother Feng, your imagination is truly rich. I never realized you were so gossipy.”

“Hehe, if she weren’t your old flame, why would she specifically instruct us to go easy and not capture her?” Ouyang Feng wore a knowing expression.

Song Qingshu was momentarily speechless, realizing that the more he explained, the worse it would get. He decided to let Ouyang Feng guess wildly and found something to distract him before heading back to the tent to find Daiqisi.

Daiqisi was sitting alone on the bed, sulking. Upon seeing him enter, she immediately turned her body to the other side.

Song Qingshu couldn’t help but laugh. He walked over and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you angry?”

“You just love to make me feel miserable,” Daiqisi bit her lip, feeling increasingly aggrieved. “As if it wasn’t enough to humiliate me all night last night, today you brought your friend to mock me!”

Song Qingshu sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and turning her to face him. “How is that mocking? Ouyang Feng and I are quite close. He treats you like family, joking with you like that. Didn’t you hear him call you ‘sister-in-law’ so affectionately? If he were ten years younger, I might even feel jealous.”

Daiqisi shot him a glare. “Ouyang Feng is much older than you. Even if he were twenty years younger, you wouldn’t need to be jealous.”

Song Qingshu looked at her with a half-smile. “Why not?”

“Because…” Daiqisi’s cheeks flushed, “you know why.”

“I really don’t know. Why don’t you explain it to me, my lady?” Song Qingshu’s smile widened.

“Pervert!” Daiqisi couldn’t help but spit out.

Song Qingshu reached out to cup her chin, unable to resist exclaiming, “My lady, your smile is truly beautiful. It seems a waste to have such a stunning face when you keep it stern.”

“Who was I smiling for before?” Daiqisi sighed, her expression somewhat dazed.

“Oh?” Song Qingshu’s expression shifted. “Are you saying you can smile just for me from now on?”

Daiqisi’s face turned red, and she hurriedly said, “That’s not what I meant…”

Song Qingshu interrupted her, gently smiling. “Alright, no need to explain. I know that’s not what you meant, but that’s my wish—to see you smile just for me in the future.”

Daiqisi felt dizzy from his words. After a long while, she finally managed to respond, “You really know how to make a woman happy. If I had known you and Qianye back in the day, I might have really been swayed by you.”

“Don’t use the word ‘swayed.’ Can true love be called swaying?” Song Qingshu said with a grin.

“Pfft, who said we had true love?” Daiqisi didn’t know why she felt like a little girl in front of a man much younger than herself.

“Though it’s not true love now, I believe one day you will fall in love with me,” Song Qingshu chuckled.

“Keep dreaming,” Daiqisi said as she threw a pillow from the bed at his head.

“Wow, how dare you attempt to murder your husband! Are you keeping a pretty b0y outside? Quickly confess!” Song Qingshu feigned a fierce expression while starting to tickle her.

Daiqisi gasped, wanting to dodge, but with Song Qingshu’s martial skills, how could she escape? Soon, she was laughing uncontrollably, her b0dy softening, and she accidentally fell onto the bed.

Taking advantage of the moment, Song Qingshu pressed down on her, whispering mischievously in her ear, “Quickly tell me, what’s that pretty b0y’s name? Is it that guy surnamed Han we saw last time?”

Daiqisi was both angry and amused. “Han Qianye is my husband, okay? If we’re talking about pretty b0ys, you’re the one!” She begged for mercy, her thoughts slipping out unconsciously.

“Right, it seems I am the pretty b0y,” Song Qingshu said, somewhat “slow to realize,” staring at her intently.

Daiqisi’s face turned crimson, her ample mounds rising and falling slightly, her breath brushing against his face, stirring something within Song Qingshu. Feeling her soft touch, he could no longer hold back and leaned in to ki$s her.

At that moment, a voice from outside called, “Reporting to the Marshal, the entire army is almost ready. Please board the carriage first, Marshal.”

Song Qingshu inwardly grumbled, thinking that the carriage outside couldn’t compare to the comfort of the beauty beneath him. However, it was broad daylight, and he didn’t have the audacity to keep three thousand men waiting while he dallied in the tent.

Daiqisi also sat up, her face flushed, and while adjusting her slightly disheveled clothes, she shot Song Qingshu a resentful glance, wondering what sin she had committed in her past life to end up in his hands in this life.

Especially when she thought that he was only a few years older than her daughter, Daiqisi felt a headache coming on. When Xiao Zhao saw him, should she call him brother or uncle? How should she explain their relationship to her daughter?

*****

The entire army finally set off. During the following journey, Song Qingshu either spent the nights embracing Daiqisi in the tent or brought her into his luxurious carriage during the day.

Since Song Qingshu strictly forbade anyone from approaching, the other soldiers had no idea what they were doing inside. They only knew that the woman beside the Marshal grew more radiant by the day, and everyone privately speculated whether such a beautiful woman was a reincarnated fox spirit.

Ouyang Feng, with his profound skills, occasionally caught faint sounds of delicate gasps that made even him blush, and he couldn’t help but sigh, “Truly, the waves behind drive on the waves before; each generation surpasses the last.”

Qiu Qianren secretly clicked his tongue, thinking that his new master was truly extraordinary, managing to make the once proud Purple-robed Dragon King willingly become part of his h@rem!

Qiu Qianren came from the bottom of the underworld, so some of his expressions inevitably carried the crude language of the streets.

Along the way, Song Qingshu enjoyed the pleasures of life. 

After a few days, the main force finally arrived at the location of Chongyang Palace—Zhongnan Mountain.

Song Qingshu finally stepped out of the carriage he had been confined to, and Daiqisi came down with him. 

As soon as she appeared, gasps of surprise filled the air. 

Daiqisi was already a beauty that could cause nations to fall, and after this time of nurturing by Song Qingshu, she radiated astonishing beauty.

Looking at the enchanting beauty with almond-shaped eyes and a charming demeanor, even Pucha Qiucao, who usually found Song Qingshu displeasing, had to admit that if she were a man and had such a stunning woman by her side, she would probably be seeking pleasure with her every day.

Taking in the envious and jealous gazes from everyone, Song Qingshu maintained a calm exterior while his heart was blooming with joy. No wonder throughout history, great heroes and figures liked to have beautiful companions; not only did they enjoy themselves, but they also basked in the admiration and envy of those around them…

Song Qingshu cleared his throat, pushing those mixed thoughts out of his mind. After all, as the Grand Marshal, he couldn’t act in a way unbecoming of his status. He then solemnly looked up the mountain, beginning to contemplate the arrangements ahead.

Suddenly, Song Qingshu’s gaze sharpened as he spotted a stone tablet beneath a pine tree at the foot of the mountain, partially covered by grass, revealing the words “Changchun.” He walked over, brushed aside the grass, and saw that the tablet was inscribed with a poem:

“The heavens vast above and below—

Why do they not save the suffering of all living beings?

Day and night, all creatures are slowly tormented,

Silently choking down their pain until they die voiceless.

They cry out to the sky, but the heavens give no reply;

Each small creature struggles, exhausted in body.

Oh, if only the great cosmos could return to primal chaos,

So that Creation would never have spawned sentient life.”

“It turns out this was a poem by Qiu Chuji, the Changchunzi.” Song Qingshu fell silent. 

Historically, the Quanzhen Sect was not a group of anti-Mongol heroes but had sent Qiu Chuji to court Genghis Khan early on, eventually becoming the Taoist agents of Mongolia in the Central Plains. If it weren’t for that world-famous debate that ended in defeat to the Esoteric School of thought, they might have even been established as the national religion of Mongolia.

Because of this connection, Song Qingshu had never held a favorable view of the Quanzhen Sect, especially Qiu Chuji, with whom he had previously formed a grudge at the Golden Snake Conference.

However, when Song Qingshu read this poem, he had to admit that despite Qiu Chuji’s various flaws, he at least possessed a heart of compassion. When he went to meet Genghis Khan, although it was for the Quanzhen Sect, he also spared countless commoners from the suffering of Mongolian massacres. For this merit, he could be considered to have achieved great virtue.

Having come from the future, Song Qingshu had been educated with a people-centered philosophy, unlike the tyrants of this world who treated human lives like weeds. Therefore, Qiu Chuji’s actions were very much in line with his sentiments.

Just for your actions back then, let the Chongyang Palace be spared from a calamity!

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