Flower Stealing Master

“Silver saddle… shining on… white horse…” Song Qingshu was not shouting with force, merely reciting the poem with casual ease. Yet on this vast battlefield, every word he uttered was heard clearly by every soldier—as if it were a tremor rising from the depths of their souls.

With Xia Qingqing in one arm and Dongfang Muxue in the other, Song Qingshu stepped forward. The air seemed to turn solid beneath his feet, rippling out in shallow circles.

“How is this possible…” Everyone on the battlefield stared up in disbelief, their bodies trembling with shock.

Even Dongfang Muxue was dumbfounded. She had always prided herself on having Qinggong that was second to none in the *wulin*. Song Qingshu’s Qinggong had been formidable before, but at his peak, he had only been her equal. What she was seeing now made her doubt her own eyes.

If one took shortcuts, a top-tier master could create the illusion of walking on the moon. She had seen Feng Qingyang do just that during their duel atop the Forbidden City. But that could only be done from above, and one had to move with blinding speed. Nothing like Song Qingshu, moving from low to high, strolling as casually as if climbing actual stairs.

This was no longer Qinggong—it was a miracle!

Dongfang Muxue knew that not only she, but all the Qinggong masters in the *wulin* combined, could not achieve such a feat.

Xia Qingqing, on the other hand, was not thinking as deeply as Dongfang Muxue. She was simply lost in a blissful daze. When death had seemed certain, her lover had descended from the heavens to save her and was now holding her before hundreds of thousands in such a spectacular fashion. She felt as if she might faint.

She wanted nothing more than to nestle happily in her lover’s arms. But then she remembered that in the eyes of the world, she was still Madam Yuan. What would people think if she clung like a little bird to another man?

Yet the hesitation vanished in an instant. Her maidenly heart was overflowing with joy, her eyes full of adoration.

“To hell with it.” Xia Qingqing bit her lip, cast aside all concerns, and pressed herself into her lover’s embrace.

On a distant mountaintop, Zhou Zhiruo, Zhao Min, and Lan Fenghuang sat on their horses, looking on. Though they knew Song Qingshu intimately, they still trembled with shock.

“The *Supreme Mysteries Scripture* is truly so miraculous…” Of all present, only Zhou Zhiruo had some idea of what was happening. But her astonishment was soon replaced by a sour feeling. Watching her husband make such a flamboyant entrance before hundreds of thousands of people, holding other women in his arms, she regretted not having gone with him.

Beside her, Zhao Min’s beautiful eyes were wide open. Her gaze at Song Qingshu—riding the wind like an immortal descending to earth—was complex and unreadable.

Lan Fenghuang, more direct in personality, blurted out her amazement: “Young Master Song is truly… my word. I’d let him s1eep with me for free any day.”

Hearing this, Zhao Min had to admit that the Miao woman was even more passionate and uninhibited than the Mongols. But her words weren’t wrong. If it were her, she’d probably be willing to be slept with for free too…

Zhao Min’s face flushed. She glanced furtively at Zhou Zhiruo beside her. Seeing that she hadn’t noticed her agitation, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Unknowingly, Song Qingshu and the two women had risen dozens of *zhang* into the air, looking down upon Li Kexiu from above.

Li Kexiu felt a chill run through his entire body under that gaze. His hands and feet went cold. He shouted urgently, “Fire arrows! Fire! It’s just an illusion!”

He knew that back in Yangzhou, he had betrayed Song Qingshu and nearly caused his death by poisoning. A mortal feud now lay between them. Song Qingshu would never let him go.

But no matter how he shouted, not a single Green Standard soldier moved. They were still lost in wonder at this divine skill. The people of this world were far more superstitious and ignorant. They now believed Song Qingshu was an immortal descended from heaven. Terrified of offending a god, how could they dare to act?

However, Li Kexiu had led troops for many years. He still had many loyal subordinates. After he urged them repeatedly, a squad of his personal guards finally drew their bows and aimed at the three figures in midair.

Noticing the movement below, Song Qingshu smiled disdainfully.

“Galloping like a shooting star…” The three in midair transformed into a meteor streaking across the sky, plunging from dozens of *zhang* to the ground in an instant. Li Kexiu’s rain of arrows fell harmlessly where they had been.

“Ten steps kill one man…” Song Qingshu swung the Heaven Sword. A towering wave of sword Qi surged forth, as if the very air around it had frozen.

“Leave no trace for a thousand miles!” When he came to rest, the necks of the trusted guards protecting Li Kexiu burst forth with clouds of blood. One by one, they fell to the ground, leaving Li Kexiu standing alone in the center.

Li Kexiu was terrified out of his wits. He wanted to flee, but his legs had gone weak and would not obey.

“Wait here for me a moment.” Song Qingshu whispered to the two women, then released them. In an instant, he appeared before Li Kexiu, seized him, and flew up to the commander’s banner. Holding Li Kexiu high by the throat, he swept his sharp gaze across the battlefield and said calmly, “Surrender and be spared death!”

Though Song Qingshu’s voice was calm, it seemed to strike every soul on the battlefield. Seeing Li Kexiu dangling from his hand like a dead chicken, the tens of thousands of Green Standard soldiers looked at each other. Someone started it—no one knew who—and more and more threw down their weapons and knelt before him. “Hail the Golden Serpent King!”

“Hail the Golden Serpent King!”

“Hail the Golden Serpent King!”

“Hail the Golden Serpent King!”

“Hail the Golden Serpent King!!”

“Hail the Golden Serpent King!!!”

The cries rose and fell. In the end, every soldier on the battlefield—both Green Standard and Golden Serpent Camp—knelt, offering their highest reverence.

This moment was destined to be recorded in history. It would also be unforgettable for Zhao Min and the others.

The battle ended thus. Song Qingshu did not kill Li Kexiu. First, Li Kexiu was the leader of the wulinai region—alive, he was far more valuable than dead. Second, Li Kexiu was Li Yuanzhi’s father.

Though Li Kexiu had betrayed Song Qingshu, Li Yuanzhi had treated him well from beginning to end. In Yangzhou, she had risked her reputation to save him. In Lin’an, she had given him her maidenhood. For these two things alone, how could Song Qingshu bear to make her grieve for a lifetime?

Of course, he could not let Li Kexiu go unpunished. Song Qingshu ordered him imprisoned. He would likely never see the light of day again.

While dealing with the reorganization of the Jiangnan Green Standard Army, Xia Qingqing suddenly ran up, her voice tearful: “Big Brother Song, you must go see Miss Xue! She’s dying.” She had only met Dongfang Muxue once before, in the imperial palace, and they were by no means close. But after experiencing life and death together on the battlefield, with Dongfang Muxue saving her life several times, she had come to regard her as a sister.

Alarmed, Song Qingshu remembered Dongfang Muxue’s injuries. He quickly handed his current tasks to subordinates and rushed to Dongfang Muxue’s tent.

Zhao Min and the other women were already inside. Among them, Zhou Zhiruo and Ah Jiu had the highest martial arts. They were desperately channeling their true qi into Dongfang Muxue’s body. Lan Fenghuang paced anxiously nearby.

Zhao Min finally could not bear it. “Sister Lan, please stop pacing. It does no good and only disturbs their healing.”

“I wasn’t thinking.” Lan Fenghuang stopped and looked worriedly at Dongfang Muxue’s pale face.

Zhao Min studied the divine figure lying on the cot, secretly startled. *How many devastatingly beautiful women does Song Qingshu have around him? Who is she? Her relationship with him seems far from ordinary.*

Zhao Min was not as worried as the other women. She did not know Dongfang Muxue. She was not a compassionate saint. Why would she worry about a woman who meant nothing to her? Moreover, this woman was likely a potential romantic rival. She was already being generous by not gloating.

Besides Xia Qingqing and Lan Fenghuang, Ah Jiu was the only other woman truly worried about Dongfang Muxue. If Dongfang Muxue had not taken her place, Ah Jiu would likely be the one lying here now. Ah Jiu did not know the true cause of Dongfang Muxue’s injuries. She assumed she had been wounded in the charge.

Zhou Zhiruo’s emotions were complicated. She had always regarded Dongfang Muxue as a fierce rival. A small part of her was even secretly pleased to see her on death’s door. But Dongfang Muxue’s fate was tied to the broader situation in the Forbidden City. If anything happened to her, the excellent position Song Qingshu had built in the Qing court might all be lost. And she had been injured for the sake of Qingshu’s cause…

Zhou Zhiruo was not inherently ruthless or heartless. She soon set aside her tangled thoughts and focused on healing Dongfang Muxue. Unfortunately, the internal energy she and Ah Jiu poured in vanished like mud sinking into the sea, with no response.

Just as they were at a loss, Song Qingshu finally arrived.

“Young Master Song, you must save my mistress!” Lan Fenghuang knelt before Song Qingshu. Having witnessed the miracle he had just performed, she now believed there was nothing in this world he could not do.

“Mistress?” Xia Qingqing’s body trembled. She noticed Lan Fenghuang’s attire. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

Song Qingshu nodded and went to the bedside. He reached out to assess Dongfang Muxue’s injuries.

“Qingshu, Miss Xue…” Zhou Zhiruo and Ah Jiu took turns explaining the strange condition inside her body. “We don’t know why, but no matter how much internal energy we pour into her, her injuries show no improvement.”

“Her injuries are not ordinary internal wounds,” Song Qingshu explained. “She was wounded years ago by innate sword Qi that damaged her meridians. Later, Ming Zun ambushed her and struck her with his full power. Only her profound internal energy kept her alive. This time, charging Li Kexiu’s central army overtaxed her strength and caused her old injuries to relapse. That’s why your ordinary healing methods are useless.”

Xia Qingqing’s face turned deathly pale. She murmured, “Innate sword Qi damaged her meridians? Ming Zun?” There were only a handful of masters in the world who could wield innate sword Qi. She also knew that Ming Zun was Zhang Wuji, and that Dongfang Bubai had been knocked off a cliff by him. Miss Xue’s identity was all but revealed.

But everyone in the room was focused on Song Qingshu and Dongfang Muxue. No one noticed Xia Qingqing’s agitation.

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