Flower Stealing Master

“Who exactly is this Miss Xue? You all seem very concerned about her.” To ease the awkwardness, Zhao Min changed the subject.

“Her identity is special. Why would I casually tell an outsider?” Zhou Zhiruo’s retort shut her down completely.

Zhao Min nearly choked. With a snort, she moved to a far corner and refused to speak with her further.

Meanwhile, in another tent, Ah Jiu was pouring out her rollercoaster of emotions to Xia Qingqing. “Qingqing, do you know that when I saw you swallowed up by that sea of soldiers, my heart nearly leaped out of my chest? I was about to kill myself to join you when Big Brother Song descended like a heavenly god. Seeing him step onto empty air and walk upward step by step, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Who knew it was real?”

“Qingqing, do you think Big Brother Song had some kind of lucky encounter? His martial arts have reached a whole new level…”

Ah Jiu chattered excitedly to herself until she finally noticed that Xia Qingqing was only responding perfunctorily. “Qingqing, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Xia Qingqing seemed to startle awake. She forced a smile and asked casually, “Ah Jiu, do you know the identity of that woman in Miao attire?”

“She seems to be Lan Fenghuang, the leader of the Five Poisons Sect. Miss Xue is truly capable—to have such a figure willingly serve her,” Ah Jiu replied with a smile.

“Lan Fenghuang?” Xia Qingqing swayed slightly. As a fellow member of the *wulin*, she naturally knew that the Five Poisons Sect was a subordinate sect of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. This confirmed her suspicions once more.

“What’s wrong? You look pale.” Ah Jiu finally noticed Xia Qingqing’s unusual state.

“I’m feeling unwell. I’m going back to rest.” Ignoring Ah Jiu’s attempts to stop her, Xia Qingqing grabbed the Golden Serpent Sword and left the tent.

Ah Jiu was startled, then smiled and shook her head. “This Qingqing—still as jealous as ever.” Back in the day, Xia Qingqing had been famously jealous—of her, of Jiao Wan’er—even indirectly causing Jiao Wan’er to marry Luo Liru. Though she had changed in recent years, the memories were still vivid for Ah Jiu. So her first thought was that Xia Qingqing was jealous of Song Qingshu healing Dongfang Muxue.

Back in the other tent, Dongfang Muxue had already sat cross-legged to meditate and regulate her breathing, leaving Song Qingshu and Lan Fenghuang staring at each other.

Song Qingshu was also awkward. He gently pushed Lan Fenghuang slightly away from him. “Sect Leader Lan, how about… we just talk?”

Lan Fenghuang, whose heart had been racing with nervousness, burst out laughing. “Young Master, if I didn’t know you, I might think you were an innocent young man. But given your current state…” Lan Fenghuang glanced down, then said with a coquettish laugh, “Don’t you think saying that is a bit hypocritical?”

Song Qingshu was exasperated. “I’m just worried about making things difficult for you.”

Lan Fenghuang glanced at Dongfang Muxue, who was focused on her meditation, then said with a blush, “Young Master need not worry. Since my mistress commands me to attend to you, I am willing to attend to you.”

Song Qingshu smiled wryly. “But this feels so disrespectful to you.”

A glimmer of brightness shone in Lan Fenghuang’s eyes. Her smile was noticeably more natural than before. “From now on, you are also my master. You need not respect me.”

Song Qingshu, already stirred up by Dongfang Muxue, felt his pent-up desires surge when he heard this. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. Feeling her voluptuous, alluring body, he suppressed his impulses and said, “I’ll give you one last chance. Just shake your head, and I won’t touch you. I’ll talk to Xue’er for you…”

Lan Fenghuang smiled enchantingly, reverting to her usual seductive self. She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and ki$$ed him directly.

Song Qingshu’s mind exploded. He could no longer hold back. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against him as if trying to snap her in two. His other hand began to roam. Just as he was about to slip it into her robe, he stopped.

“You don’t have snakes or scorpions hidden in there, do you?” Though Song Qingshu’s current cultivation made him immune to poison, finding a venomous snake at such a passionate moment would be a mood killer.

Lan Fenghuang had never ki$$ed a man before. Being ki$$ed by Dongfang Muxue had been wonderful, but Song Qingshu gave her a completely different feeling—aggressively masculine. Unconsciously, her eyes had grown misty.

Hearing Song Qingshu’s question, Lan Fenghuang smiled seductively. “Guess?”

Song Qingshu hesitated, but his passion won out. “To hell with it!” He slipped his hand into her robe. All he felt was soft, smooth skin. His heart stirred.

Lan Fenghuang gave a soft cry. She leaned close to his ear and said in an enticing whisper, “You’ve drunk the Five Treasures Honey Wine. Not only am I not carrying any poisons right now, but even if I were, you’d have nothing to fear.”

Song Qingshu felt as if a lone wolf were howling at the moon within him. In a few quick moves, he unfastened her belt and slipped off her dress. Just as he was about to lower himself onto her, he hesitated. “Should I go wash up first?” He had just been intimate with Dongfang Muxue and still had traces of her on him. Because Zhou Zhiruo was fastidious about cleanliness, he had always been very mindful of such things.

“No need. Those belong to my mistress…” Lan Fenghuang rested her forehead against his chest. She didn’t need to say more.

Song Qingshu said nothing. He ki$$ed her.

Lan Fenghuang was at the peak of a w0man’s maturity. Her supple b0-dy could withstand anything. 

Song Qingshu no longer had to worry about hurting Dongfang Muxue as he had before. There was only raw, primal impulse and response. With her voluptuous, alluring b0dy, Lan Fenghuang received and neutralized the man’s advances…

*****

No one knew how long had passed. Song Qingshu turned his head thoughtfully, looking at Xia Qingqing as she entered. Surprised, he said, “Qingqing, why are you here too?”

Taking in the scene before her, Xia Qingqing’s pale face flushed slightly. She muttered under her breath, “No wonder she’s a vixen of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Shameless indeed.”

Lan Fenghuang blushed. She didn’t know how to respond. Song Qingshu assumed Xia Qingqing was jealous and smiled wryly.

Without sparing them another glance, Xia Qingqing walked straight to Dongfang Muxue. Biting her lip, she raised the Golden Serpent Sword and stabbed.

Dongfang Muxue was at a critical moment in her cultivation. Moreover, she had been completely unsuspecting. At such close range, there was no time to react. Fortunately, Song Qingshu had noticed something amiss. A flick of his finger sent a stream of energy toward her.

*Clang!* Xia Qingqing could no longer hold the Golden Serpent Sword. It clattered to the ground.

“Qingqing, what are you doing?” Song Qingshu was both shocked and angry. The amorous atmosphere in the room had vanished completely. He quickly threw on some clothes and rushed over.

By then, Dongfang Muxue had also opened her eyes. She looked at Xia Qingqing with a flicker of killing intent. Back when she was the cult leader, even minor transgressions by her followers could lead to death—let alone an assassination attempt.

“I know who you are.” Xia Qingqing stared fixedly at Dongfang Muxue, her lip nearly bitten through. “What a Miss Xue. The Dongfang Bubai of old has become Miss Xue. Ha ha~”

Though she laughed, the tears in her eyes showed how agitated she was.

Song Qingshu was stunned. Then he understood why she wanted to kill Dongfang Muxue. His head ached. In his haste to treat Dongfang Muxue’s injuries, he had forgotten about this. Xia Qingqing must have pieced together Dongfang Muxue’s identity from the clues.

“Yes, this one is Dongfang Bubai. What are you going to do about it?” Dongfang Muxue’s face was expressionless. A sewing needle had already appeared in her hand—clearly, she was ready to strike.

Song Qingshu quickly reached out and pressed down on her shoulder. “Everyone, let’s talk calmly. There’s no grudge in this world that can’t be resolved.” *Are you kidding? Xia Qingqing’s martial arts are decent, but now that Dongfang Muxue has recovered her peak strength, killing her would be like playing.*

“The feud of a murdered husband—irreconcilable!” Thinking of Yuan Chengzhi, who had died young, Xia Qingqing ground her teeth. Then, realizing something, she spun around and glared at Song Qingshu. “Did you already know? Have you been deceiving me all along?”

Song Qingshu smiled wryly, not knowing how to explain. His original plan had been to deceive her for a lifetime. Who knew that paper could never wrap fire?

“Why are you so angry, Xia Qingqing? If anything, you should be thanking this one,” Dongfang Muxue snorted.

Xia Qingqing laughed in fury. “You killed Big Brother Yuan, and you expect my gratitude?”

Song Qingshu broke out in a cold sweat. *Dongfang Muxue really doesn’t play by the rules.*

“Of course.” Dongfang Muxue straightened her clothes and stood up. “If not for me, how could you have found happiness with Song Qingshu? If I hadn’t killed that surnamed Yuan, why would you have traveled thousands of miles to the Forbidden City to assassinate me? How would you have ended up hiding in Song Qingshu’s room? If anything, I’m your matchmaker. Shouldn’t you thank me?”

“Nonsense! I knew… I knew Big Brother Song long before that,” Xia Qingqing hurriedly protested.

“Oh?” Dongfang Muxue’s face took on a knowing smile. “But if I hadn’t played the villain, you, as Madam Yuan, would never have had the chance to be with Song Qingshu.”

“You… you’re twisting words!” Xia Qingqing trembled with rage, but for a moment, she didn’t know how to refute her.

Dongfang Muxue continued, “If I remember correctly, when you heard that Song Qingshu had been killed by the Kangxi Emperor, both of you rushed to the palace to avenge him. Later, when you learned he was safe, what did you say?”

“I…” Xia Qingqing was at a loss for words. Back then, thinking Song Qingshu was dead, she had been despondent. When she saw him alive, she had wept for joy. In her excitement, she had told Song Qingshu that she no longer wanted revenge against Dongfang Bubai—that as long as they could be together, she would be content.

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