Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 962: The Hall of the Three Pure Ones

It must be known that Ouyang Feng’s rampage at Chongyang Palace happened more than a decade or two ago, and among the three generations of disciples, very few had witnessed his prowess, let alone these daoists.

However, although the long-bearded daoist could not recognize the Toad Style Martial Art, he could clearly feel the increasingly overwhelming aura from Ouyang Feng. The terrifying sense of oppression grew stronger, and he hurriedly shouted, “Don’t let him continue to gather strength; everyone attack together to interrupt him!”

The daoists responded in unison, and thus the forty-nine people on the left side of the Big Dipper Formation charged towards Ouyang Feng’s left, while the forty-nine on the right charged towards his right, attempting to defeat him with the combined force of ninety-eight people.

Ouyang Feng sneered inwardly; the greatest characteristic of the Toad Style Martial Art was to use stillness to counter movement, gathering strength and essence throughout his body without releasing it. As soon as the enemy launched an attack, he would unleash an incredibly fierce counterattack. They did not know the severity of their actions; charging in was simply seeking death.

Seeing the forty-nine daoists on the left and the forty-nine on the right exerting their strength to charge towards him, Ouyang Feng pushed off with his legs, and with a loud bang, the forces of both sides collided. The daoists in the formation either suffered broken swords and arms or spat blood, all falling to the ground.

The long-bearded daoist in charge of the formation reacted quickly and hurriedly stopped about thirty people, but although they avoided the fate of their companions who suffered fractures and bled, they were still in a sorry state.

Previously, he had thought that with the Big Dipper Formation, Chongyang Palace was invincible in the world. At this moment, he realized that there were greater powers beyond the heavens and people beyond the world, understanding that the opponent was not someone they could contend with. He quickly reorganized the formation and retreated up the mountain, planning to notify the elders to gather the full strength of the sect to rescue the injured companions.

Ouyang Feng, proud of his status, did not bother to pursue them. Just then, Song Qingshu and his group arrived at the Sword Cleansing Pool and saw over thirty daoists rushing towards them. Song Qingshu couldn’t help but frown.

If these people returned to report, with so many disciples at Chongyang Palace, it would indeed be troublesome to face dozens of such Big Dipper Formations. However, seeing the shimmering water nearby, Song Qingshu pressed down with his hand, instantly creating a curtain of water. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, the droplets shot out like hidden weapons towards the pursuing disciples, causing a series of gasps. The remaining thirty or so daoists all fell to the ground.

Song Qingshu had a good grasp of his strength; he merely sealed the acupoints of those people, so they did not suffer serious injuries.

Qiu Qianren and Daiqisi were fine, as they had long known how high Song Qingshu’s martial arts were. However, Pucha Qiucao was left wide-eyed. Although she had heard her brother mention his martial prowess, it was not a glorious matter that Pucha Shijie had been defeated by him, so he had spoken vaguely to her sister, leading her to mistakenly believe that her brother had merely lost to him.

But now, seeing Song Qingshu effortlessly subdue over thirty experts from Chongyang Palace, how could she not be shocked? She had just personally experienced how powerful the Heavenly Big Dipper Formation was, yet now Song Qingshu had defeated several times the number of enemies she had faced with just a wave of his hand!

Song Qingshu did not notice the shock his actions caused the young girl beside him. He smiled slightly and said to those around him, “Let’s go.”

Daiqisi chuckled lightly, and with a tap of her toes, she was already several dozen zhang away in a few leaps.

Pucha Qiucao finally reacted, gasping in surprise, and hurriedly chased after her. Although she knew the hope was slim, her nature was not one to easily admit defeat. Gritting her teeth, she pursued.

After Song Qingshu and the others ascended the mountain, they found Daiqisi looking pleased while Pucha Qiucao appeared dejected, naturally aware of who had won and who had lost.

“Someone won’t deny their loss, will they?” Daiqisi’s lips curled into a smug smile, deliberately provoking.

“Hmph, this young lady speaks and acts with integrity, naturally I won’t go back on my word. It’s just being a maid, hmph!” Pucha Qiucao was inwardly furious with the other party. Clearly possessing high martial arts, she insisted on pretending to be a delicate and charming fox, making her think that the other party was merely using beauty to serve others, not realizing she was a pig pretending to be a tiger.

Song Qingshu couldn’t help but laugh, “Alright, alright, it’s just a game to lighten the mood during our journey. No need to take it so seriously.”

Before Daiqisi could speak, Pucha Qiucao interjected, “No, even though I am a woman, I understand the principle of keeping one’s word. Losing is losing.”

Song Qingshu felt a headache coming on. “How about this: your bet will be valid until this mission is over, and it will automatically be nullified once we return to the capital. How does that sound?”

After all, Pucha Qiucao was the young lady of the Pucha family. If word got back to the capital that she was serving as a maid to her favored concubine, it would not look good for Pucha Ahute. Since both parties were in a honeymoon phase in their relationship, there was no need to create a rift over such a trivial matter.

Pucha Qiucao was just a bit too proud to admit it; she didn’t genuinely want to be Daiqisi’s maid for a lifetime. Now that she had a way out, there was no reason to refuse. She couldn’t help but glance gratefully at Song Qingshu, suddenly realizing that this person wasn’t so annoying after all.

“Alright, I have no objections,” Daiqisi said, her eyes narrowing with a smile like a fox. After all, her plan needed to be executed outside; returning to the capital would hinder its implementation.

Song Qingshu nodded and saw a magnificent hall not far ahead, with faint sounds of sheng (a traditional Chinese instrument) and qing (a type of bamboo flute) mixed with the clang of bronze bells and the rumble of drums, clearly indicating a grand ceremony was underway.

At this time, the ceremony for the new leader had already passed the halfway mark. Yin Zhiping first went to the Hall of the Three Pure Ones to pay respects to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, the Grand Supreme Dao Lord, and the Grand Supreme Old Lord. Then he went to the back hall to pay respects to the portrait of the founding master Wang Chongyang, and finally to the third hall where the Seven Disciples of Quanzhen gathered, bowing to the seven empty chairs before returning to the main hall, the Hall of the Three Pure Ones.

Qiu Chuji’s second disciple Li Zhichang took out the decree of the True Immortal to read, appointing Yin Zhiping as the new leader. Yin Zhiping bowed to receive the instruction, recalling that he had once harbored improper thoughts towards Xiao Longnu, feeling a mix of shame and guilt.

After receiving the instruction, Yin Zhiping stood up, intending to humbly say a few words to the crowd of daoists. 

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from the entrance of the hall: “The decree of His Majesty of the Great Jin has arrived, appointing the leader of the Quanzhen Sect!”

The daoists turned to look, only to see a handsome young man standing at the entrance of the hall, flanked by two beautiful girls. Especially the one in the purple dress, with bright eyes and fair skin, delicate phoenix eyebrows and gentle eyes, her cheeks glistening like jade, sunlight filtering through her dress, making her stunningly beautiful.

Yin Zhiping had originally thought that Xiao Longnu was the most beautiful woman in the world, but he did not expect that this woman was not at all inferior to her. Moreover, unlike the cold nature of Xiao Longnu, this woman’s beauty was even more alluring.

Some young disciples in the hall were overwhelmed. Upon seeing Daiqisi’s appearance, their hearts raced and mouths went dry, and some even began to waver in their long-held beliefs in cultivation. They thought that if they could have a taste of her beauty, who cared about being the leader? Even achieving immortality seemed less appealing.