Flower Stealing Master

Dongfang Muxue’s face radiated a heroic spirit that seemed to look down upon the world. “If the opposing general were a peerless commander like Han Xin, Bai Qi, Li Jing, or Yue Fei, charging their formation would be certain death no matter what I did. But Li Kexiu is just an ordinary commander—there’s no way he can command an army of a hundred thousand without showing some flaw. So while tomorrow’s charge is risky, success is not impossible.”

Xia Qingqing’s eyes lit up. “When Miss Xue puts it that way, I suddenly feel full of confidence for tomorrow.”

Ah Jiu frowned beside her. “Let me find someone else to send the signals. I’ll charge with Miss Xue tomorrow.”

Xia Qingqing was about to speak, but Dongfang Muxue shook her head first. “I’m naturally suspicious by nature. I have to be absolutely certain that the person sending the signals is reliable.”

“Then let Qingqing send the signals, and I’ll charge with you,” Ah Jiu quickly said.

Xia Qingqing exclaimed, “No! Ah Jiu, you send the signals. I’ll go with Miss Xue.”

“Don’t argue,” Dongfang Muxue stopped them. “The situation on the battlefield changes in an instant. An ordinary person simply cannot correctly judge which direction to charge. Ninth Princess, you were born into royalty and have personally experienced many battles. You’re more suitable than Qingqing to send the signals.”

Xia Qingqing nodded in agreement. “Ah Jiu, I’m fine leading a bunch of unruly misfits in *wulin* brawls, but commanding thousands of troops—that task is better left to you.”

Ah Jiu bit her lip, clearly having made a great resolution. “Alright. Tomorrow I’ll send the signals for you. If anything happens to you out there, I’ll come down to join you.”

“Ah Jiu~” Xia Qingqing was deeply moved, her eyes reddening.

Watching the two women’s sisterly devotion, a faint glimmer of darkness flickered in Dongfang Muxue’s eyes and vanished. Though she had spoken eloquently, she had not revealed the most fundamental reason. Only with Ah Jiu directing from high above could she have Xia Qingqing charge with her.

Years ago, atop Mount Tai, she had killed Yuan Chengzhi with her own hands. Dongfang Muxue hadn’t thought much of it at the time—kill him and be done with it. But who could have predicted that she would later become “sisters” with Xia Qingqing?

Though Xia Qingqing currently had no idea that “Miss Xue” was actually Dongfang Bubai, walls had ears. She would eventually learn the truth. And who knew what would happen then?

Having been the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult for many years, Dongfang Muxue had long cultivated a decisive and ruthless nature. She decided to nip all danger in the bud—and this charge was the perfect opportunity.

Charging straight into the enemy’s central army on a battlefield of thousands was already a desperate gamble. If Xia Qingqing “accidentally” died in battle, no one would suspect her of foul play. It would be seamless, leaving no trace.

Xia Qingqing, completely unaware of the danger looming over her, put aside her emotions and joined Dongfang Muxue and Ah Jiu in studying the signals for the next day. They first proposed using flags, but Dongfang Muxue quickly rejected the idea. On a chaotic battlefield where opportunities lasted only an instant, there would be no time to look back at flags.

After much discussion, they finally decided to use war drums as signals. Different combinations of volume and rhythm would convey different meanings. If Song Qingshu were there, he would have been astonished that these three women had essentially invented something like Morse code.

The next morning, the Golden Serpent Camp and Li Kexiu’s Green Standard Army formed up against each other on a plain, battle imminent.

Li Kexiu had come with nearly his entire force—fully eighty thousand Green Standard troops. Every one of them had been carefully selected; the old, weak, and infirm had been left behind to guard the rear. Thus, these soldiers were full of fighting spirit, their ranks orderly and imposing.

The Golden Serpent Camp, in contrast, had started as bandits and outlaws. Their discipline and appearance were inherently inferior to those of a regular army. Over the past two years, Song Qingshu, Ah Jiu, and Xia Qingqing had worked hard to build them up, and their combat effectiveness had been increasing daily. But news of Song Qingshu’s poisoning in Yangzhou had spread far and wide, throwing the entire camp into fear and suspicion. Morale had plummeted to rock bottom.

The Golden Serpent Camp, composed mainly of *wulin* roughnecks, had a clear strength and weakness. When morale was high, each soldier was a wolf cub howling for blood. When morale collapsed, defeat was like an avalanche—they had no combat effectiveness whatsoever.

Looking at the dispirited, disordered ranks of the enemy, Li Kexiu, commanding from his central army, threw back his head and laughed. Pointing at the opposing formation, he said to the generals around him, “A rabble like that—one charge will shatter their formation. Then it will be a matter of pursuit and annihilation. I leave that to you, gentlemen. We must utterly destroy the Golden Serpent Camp’s effective forces. Then the Shandong region will be mine for the taking!”

“The Commander is invincible in battle, triumphant in every campaign! Congratulations, Lord Commander!”

“Even if Sun Wu were reborn and Bai Qi returned, they could not do better than the Commander.”

“…”

The generals were clearly extremely confident in the battle’s outcome. They eagerly showered Li Kexiu with flattery.

“The outcome is not yet decided. We must continue to strive,” Li Kexiu said, but the smile he could not suppress on his face showed how much he enjoyed the praise.

Plotting to poison Song Qingshu had been risky, but the results had been rich. First, he had allied with the Southern Song and become the emperor’s brother-in-law. If his daughter truly became empress, that would be even more perfect. Second, he could now absorb the Golden Serpent Camp, instantly doubling his territory and expanding his army to several hundred thousand. Looking across the land, he could stand as an equal to any neighboring power.

Pleased with the thought, Li Kexiu waved his hand, signaling the start of the general offensive.

The front lines clashed. Before long, the Golden Serpent Camp’s formation began to waver, showing signs of collapse. Li Kexiu saw it clearly, gave a cold laugh, and ordered his reserve forces to press hard against the breach, trying to end the battle in one stroke.

Just as the Golden Serpent Camp seemed on the verge of total retreat, a cavalry unit suddenly emerged from an oblique direction and charged into Li Kexiu’s army. At its head rode a man wearing a fearsome bronze mask. Wherever he passed, no one could stand against him. Before this man, the Green Standard troops seemed like snow meeting the summer sun—they disintegrated.

Every soldier in that cavalry unit seemed to carry an aura of tragic resolve. Both sides soon noticed them.

“The Golden Serpent King! It’s the Golden Serpent King!” someone on the battlefield shouted. The Golden Serpent Camp soldiers, who had been on the brink of collapse, seemed to have been injected with adrenaline. They held back the tide of Li Kexiu’s attacks, barely regaining their footing.

“The Golden Serpent King?” Li Kexiu gave a cold laugh. He had also noticed this unusual cavalry unit. “Song Qingshu died in Yangzhou. That’s some impostor. Trying to take the head of the dragon?”

Li Kexiu was, after all, a veteran commander. Though he knew the man was a fake, he did not become complacent. He quickly ordered his troops to surround this lone cavalry unit. “Let me personally crush the Golden Serpent Camp’s last hope.”

With Li Kexiu’s deployment, the cavalry unit’s unstoppable advance indeed slowed. The number of Green Standard troops around them grew. Though the masked bronze-faced leader’s hand gesture would fell a swath of Green Standard soldiers, there were simply too many enemies. Gradually, their charge slowed, like a tiger fallen into a swamp, struggling in vain.

*Boom… boom-boom… boom-boom-boom!*

Just then, a stirring drumbeat arose from the Golden Serpent Camp’s ranks. Its rhythm was so unique, so unlike an ordinary battle drum.

Normally, even the most powerful drummer could never make the drumbeats clearly heard by every soldier on the battlefield. Yet these drumbeats achieved that, and they seemed infused with a strange magic. Every listener felt their heart pound and their blood boil.

“It’s the Ninth Princess!”

“It really is the Ninth Princess!”

Cheers rose and fell among the Golden Serpent Camp’s soldiers. They saw a woman in flowing white robes, like a celestial maiden descending to the mortal world, wielding drumsticks in the formation. The drumbeats spread outward.

All who saw this scene were momentarily transfixed. In their minds, such an ethereal, otherworldly maiden should be playing a flute or a *xiao* to suit her temperament. Drumming should be left to burly, bearded men. Yet somehow, watching Ah Jiu beat the drums in the formation did not feel incongruous at all.

The bronze-masked rider seemed to have been waiting for the drumbeats. Hearing the sound, their body tensed. With a sharp cry of “This way!” they turned their horse and charged toward a certain point in the southeast. With a wave, another swath of Green Standard soldiers fell.

“Sorcery! This person uses sorcery!” The Green Standard troops, having seen their comrades fall one after another without the rider even wielding a visible weapon, were terrified.

The formation of the Green Standard Army began to crumble wherever the bronze-masked rider went.

This cavalry unit was, of course, the $uicide squad led by Dongfang Muxue. Having trained in the *Sunflower Manual*, her speed was such that using any weapon would slow her down. In the end, she had found sewing needles most convenient.

For this southern journey, she had come prepared, carrying thousands of sewing needles on her person. Though she was injured and her power greatly diminished, she had no trouble dealing with ordinary soldiers.

Though the Green Standard troops wore armor, Dongfang Muxue’s needles aimed for their eyes. What good was armor against that? Thus, despite the dense encirclement, guided by the drumbeats, she carved a bloody path!

This cavalry unit seemed like heavenly soldiers descending to earth, charging left and right across the battlefield. Eighty thousand Green Standard troops could not stop them!

Seeing the cavalry unit drawing closer, Li Kexiu began to panic. He hurriedly dispatched all his remaining reserve forces, ordering them to stop that murderous cavalry at all costs.

Dongfang Muxue was now covered in blood and grime. Feeling the pressure mounting from all sides, she frowned slightly. Though the $uicide squad was brave, they were too few in number. Facing tens of thousands of enemies, they were clearly at their limit.

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