Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1068: The Secrets of That Year

Song Qingshu actually had a simpler way to interrogate Li Qingluo: using the Soul Capture Technique. Presumably, Li Qingluo would then tell him everything. The reason he went through all this trouble, using various methods of coercion and enticement, was largely because he didn’t want to expose his trump card.

After all, Li Qingluo, as the White Lotus Holy Mother, possessed knowledge far beyond that of ordinary people. It would be difficult to hide the Soul Capture Technique from her, and Song Qingshu wasn’t the kind of person who would destroy a beauty to silence witnesses.

Furthermore, Song Qingshu had watched many supernatural films and television dramas in his previous life, knowing that even the ability to read minds had corresponding countermeasures. If everyone knew he possessed the Soul Capture Technique, others would be on guard, and the technique’s effectiveness would likely be greatly reduced.

As the saying goes, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Song Qingshu worried that relying too heavily on the Soul Capture Technique would lead to his downfall, so he would never use it unless absolutely necessary.

 However, he never expected such explosive news to come from Li Qingluo, almost making him use his Soul Capture Technique to verify its authenticity.

“Yue Fei is your uncle-in-law?” Song Qingshu’s expression was extremely strange. In his previous life, Yue Fei was a universally revered hero, seemingly unapproachable and sacred. Now, knowing he was Li Qingluo’s uncle-in-law, he suddenly felt a touch more approachable, and the distance between them seemed to have shortened considerably.

 Li Qingluo nodded, a hint of reminiscence on her face: “Indeed, when the Jurchens invaded the south, my uncle resolutely joined the army. Who knew that his hometown would be occupied by the Jurchens so soon after? In that time of crisis, his first wife, Liu, abandoned her mother-in-law and young son, remarrying twice, finally marrying an officer under Han Shizhong.”

“This broke my uncle’s heart. Afterwards, he became celibate, refusing countless matchmaking attempts from princes and ministers, until he was sent by the court to quell the rebellion of Yang Yao and Zhong Xiang in Dongting Lake, where he met my aunt.”

“Zhong Xiang, unable to defeat my uncle on the battlefield, resorted to assassination. As the leader of the Ming Cult in Jiangnan, Zhong Xiang possessed unparalleled martial arts skills and many capable and extraordinary subordinates. Once, when my uncle was on the verge of death, my aunt happened to be living in seclusion nearby. She happened to pass by and rescued him, taking him home to heal his wounds. Afterwards, the two fell in love, and my aunt married him…”

“Fall in love?” Song Qingshu’s expression immediately turned strange.

 “What?” Li Qingluo looked at him strangely.

“Nothing.” Song Qingshu chuckled awkwardly. It was all the fault of those old-timers in his past life; they made so many normal words unbearable to read—things like “busy with affairs of state,” “omnipresent,” “debating with a group of scholars”… (G: all the pun got lost in translation.)

He quickly banished those disrespectful thoughts from his mind: “As far as I know, Yue Fei’s later wife was Li Wa. She’s your aunt?”

“Yes, Li Wa is just my aunt’s alias. Her real name is Li Canghai.” Mentioning her aunt, Li Qingluo’s eyes flashed with deep reverence and respect.

“Li Canghai!” Song Qingshu exclaimed, many of his previous doubts suddenly clearing up.

Li Canghai could be considered one of the most mysterious women in Jin Yong’s novels. She was only mentioned briefly in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils when recalling the past of Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui, and her whereabouts were never mentioned again.

 Everyone only knew her as Li Qiushui’s younger sister, who, at a young age, captivated Wu Yazi. The jade statue Wu Yazi later carved in the Wuliang Jade Cave was modeled after her—the “Fairy Sister” Duan Yu later spoke of.

Regarding Li Canghai’s final fate, there were many speculations on online forums in my previous life. Some believed she married into the Murong family, while others even thought she was the later Sweeping Monk. Song Qingshu never imagined she had married Yue Fei!

Song Qingshu suddenly realized a crucial problem: “Wait a minute, the ages don’t match.” Li Qiushui should be at least eighty or ninety years old now, and Li Canghai, being her sister, wouldn’t be much younger. Yue Fei was only in his thirties when he was murdered; even if he were alive today, he would only be around sixty.

“My aunt is older than my uncle, what’s so strange about that?” Li Qingluo snorted, clearly dissatisfied.

“So it’s that kind of relationship, huh? Old Yue is quite progressive.” Song Qingshu’s expression was strange.

 As if his expression had struck a nerve, Li Qingluo retorted angrily, “My aunt is a woman of divine beauty, possesses extraordinary martial arts skills, and her appearance has remained unchanged for decades. So what if she’s a few years older? There are only men in this world who are unworthy of her, never men she is unworthy of!”

Song Qingshu glanced at her in surprise: “You seem very concerned about your aunt.”

Li Qingluo’s expression changed slightly. After a moment of silence, she said, “Back then, my father suddenly disappeared, and my mother…”

She hesitated, then skipped to the next part and continued, “At that time, I was only ten years old, orphaned and destitute, wandering to Jiangnan. If it weren’t for the chance encounter with my aunt, I probably would have been sold by human traffickers somewhere. My aunt not only took me in but also arranged an excellent marriage for me with the prestigious Linchuan Wang family of the Southern Song Dynasty…”

“The Linchuan Wang family?” Song Qingshu’s expression shifted. “The descendants of Wang Anshi’s family?”  

“Yes,” Li Qingluo nodded, “Later, during the Jingkang Incident, the Jin army marched south, and the Wang family moved from Linchuan to Suzhou.”

“So Wang Yuyan’s family was this powerful.” Song Qingshu clicked his tongue in amazement. Among the most prominent clans of the Song Dynasty, the Zhen, Ding, Han clan, to which Han Dingxiao belonged, was considered the most prestigious, while the Linchuan Wang clan was roughly sixth. The Wang family’s power was evident.

“With your aunt’s high level of martial arts, how could she have allowed Yue Fei to be wrongfully killed in prison?” Song Qingshu suddenly became puzzled.

“You also believe my uncle was innocent?” Li Qingluo’s gaze softened considerably.

 Song Qingshu instinctively replied, “The killing of Yue Fei is like snow falling in June, a tragedy unparalleled throughout history. If this isn’t considered an injustice, then the word ‘injustice’ doesn’t exist in the world.”

As a transmigrator, he naturally possessed an objective understanding of Yue Fei. He didn’t realize that in this world, although many felt Yue Fei was wronged, the imperial court hadn’t exonerated him, leading many uninformed people to believe Yue Fei truly harbored rebellious intentions. Therefore, his casual remark won Li Qingluo’s favor.

“Thank you,” Li Qingluo sighed softly. “If my uncle and aunt knew in the afterlife, they would probably feel some solace.”

“Your aunt is dead?” Song Qingshu was shocked.

 “Didn’t you just ask me why my aunt, with such high martial arts skills, would let my uncle be wrongfully killed?” Li Qingluo bit her lip and said bitterly, “It’s just fate playing tricks on us. Normally, my aunt wouldn’t be afraid; she could simply break him out of prison and elope with him. But coincidentally, at that time, my aunt was pregnant and about to give birth. Plus, Qin Hui and his gang of villains acted too quickly; my aunt simply didn’t have time to save him.”

“In the face of fate, human strength is indeed too insignificant,” Song Qingshu sighed with deep sympathy. He knew that with his current martial arts skills, he could remain calm and composed in any situation, but the higher his martial arts skills, the more he could vaguely feel the shackles of fate, often leading to a sense of powerlessness.

 “What’s even more despicable is that after Qin Hui and his faction killed Yue Fei and his son from his first marriage, Yue Yun, they sent a large number of assassins to kill my aunt and Yue Fei’s unborn child in order to eliminate any future threats. Coincidentally, my aunt gave birth to a baby girl that very day, and her strength was severely depleted. She was no match for the assassins and could only force herself to escape the city with her daughter, her postpartum weakness a desperate struggle. After that, there was no further news of her.” Li Qingluo’s tears flowed uncontrollably as she spoke of her sorrow.

 Song Qingshu gently wiped away her tears with his fingers. “You don’t need to be so pessimistic. Sometimes no news is the best news. Your aunt’s martial arts are so high; she might have already escaped.”

Li Qingluo shook her head. “If it were any other time, I wouldn’t worry. But that day, she had just given birth to her daughter when assassins stormed into the mansion… According to reliable intelligence, my aunt was already on her deathbed when she escaped the city, only clinging to life by sheer willpower.”

Song Qingshu didn’t ask how she knew. With her status as the White Lotus Holy Mother, investigating such matters over the years shouldn’t be difficult.

 Li Qingluo bit her lip and said, “I originally had no interest in martial arts. When that incident happened, I realized how powerless I was. So, from the day my aunt was murdered, I resolved to learn martial arts. That’s why I returned from Jiangnan to Wuliang Mountain in Dali and moved all the martial arts manuals my parents left behind back to Mantuo Manor.”

Song Qingshu’s expression suddenly turned strange. He had read this part in the original novel of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, and with a thought in mind, he couldn’t help but ask, “Did you encounter your nemesis, Duan Zhengchun, in Dali?”  

“You know about this too?” Li Qingluo frowned, but quickly snorted. “What is Duan Zhengchun? Why would I even look at him! It’s just that back then, Qin Hui’s faction was incredibly powerful. After harming my uncle’s family, they started monitoring everyone who was close to him. Given my relationship with my uncle and aunt, I was naturally a prime target. My death is nothing to regret, but I was worried that no one would avenge my aunt and uncle after I died. That playboy Duan Zhengchun just happened to come along, so I went along with it and pretended to fall in love with him.”

“Qin Hui’s faction saw that my uncle and aunt were dead, while I was heartlessly flirting with a man. Besides, I was still engaged to a man from the Wang family at the time. Seeing me do something so shameless, they immediately lowered their guard, which is how I survived that ordeal.”

 “After that, I secretly practiced martial arts. Although I was past the prime age for learning martial arts, the Carefree Sect’s martial arts emphasize comprehension above all else; age is secondary. Fortunately, my martial arts talent was decent, and with the help of the ‘Northern Darkness Divine Technique,’ in just over a decade, my martial arts skills surpassed most people in the martial arts world. Later, by chance, I became the Holy Mother of the White Lotus Sect…”

After listening to her slowly recount everything, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but feel a deep respect. Initially, his impression of Li Qingluo was that of a resentful woman from the original novel who would kill men at the drop of a hat to use as fertilizer, at most a bit pretty; later, seeing her display her power in the bamboo forest, he thought she was a cold and aloof female demon; only now did he realize that she had endured hardship and humiliation to avenge her aunt’s family, displaying both courage and resourcefulness—truly astonishing.