Flower Stealing Master

“That was me worrying back then that seeking revenge would drag Big Brother Song into danger. Now that I’m avenging myself without needing his help, naturally it doesn’t violate my promise.” Xia Qingqing picked up the Golden Serpent Sword again and pointed it at Dongfang Muxue. “Dongfang Bubai, prepare to die!”

Dongfang Muxue glanced at her with a half-smile. “Without Song Qingshu’s help, you’re no match for me.”

Xia Qingqing’s breathing was rapid. She gritted her teeth. “At worst, I die.”

“Miss Xia, there’s something I’d like to say, though I don’t know if I should,” Lan Fenghuang said, having also straightened her clothes as she walked over.

“Spit it out.” Xia Qingqing had never been fond of women from the Five Poisons Sect, let alone one who was Dongfang Bubai’s subordinate and had just shamelessly posed like that to seduce Song Qingshu. Why would she be polite?

Lan Fenghuang didn’t take offense. Her voice remained as alluring as ever, seemingly devoid of emotion. “You were once Madam Yuan, but now you are Young Master Song’s woman. My mistress is also Young Master Song’s woman. You are both sisters, yet you want to fight and kill over another man. How would that reflect on Young Master Song?”

Xia Qingqing was taken aback. *Yes, I am already Song Qingshu’s woman. Yet all these years, I’ve been harping on about my former husband. He’s been generous to tolerate it. Any other man would have exploded long ago. Still, he must have some misgivings.*

“Big Brother Song, I… I didn’t mean it that way…” Xia Qingqing quickly tried to explain, but found herself at a loss for words.

Song Qingshu patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Speaking as an ordinary man, I’ll admit it’s a bit irksome. But more than that, I admire you. I admire your depth of feeling, your unwavering devotion to love. If I think about it another way—if I were to die one day and you avenged me like this—any discontent I feel would vanish in an instant…”

Xia Qingqing quickly reached up and pressed her hand over his mouth. “Big Brother Song, don’t say such unlucky things.”

Beside them, Dongfang Muxue sneered. “The strong have strong fortune. With your Big Brother Song’s current cultivation, no one in this world can harm him. Not like that unlucky wretch Yuan Chengzhi.”

“What did you say!” Xia Qingqing’s willow brows shot up as she glared at her.

“This *wulin* has always been about the strong preying on the weak. How many people have died by Yuan Chengzhi’s hand? If he could kill others, why couldn’t others kill him? Dying on Mount Tai, he had only his inferior skill to blame.” Dongfang Muxue’s voice was cold.

Song Qingshu’s head throbbed. *The atmosphere had just started to improve, and now she says all this—deliberately provoking Xia Qingqing, pouring oil on the fire.*

“I’ll kill you!” Xia Qingqing could no longer hold back. She shook off Song Qingshu’s hand and thrust her sword at Dongfang Muxue.

Dongfang Muxue’s form flickered, evading the strike. She appeared behind Xia Qingqing, aiming a blow at the back of her head.

Xia Qingqing shifted her feet, evading at an angle that seemed impossibly subtle.

Dongfang Muxue, having missed, let out a soft exclamation. “Not bad. That Song brat must have been cultivating you diligently.” She shot Song Qingshu a knowing glance. She knew full well the benefits of his Joyful Meditation Method—not only for his own power but for women as well.

Song Qingshu watched helplessly as the two women fought, raising a ruckus. He had no idea how to resolve this grudge.

“Shut up!” Xia Qingqing wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. She swung the Golden Serpent Sword with increasing fury.

Dongfang Muxue dodged her attacks with casual ease, all the while seeking openings. “The Evasive Steps of a Thousand Miles are miraculous, but even Feng Qingyang and Yuan Chengzhi couldn’t evade me with them. Do you think you can?”

Hearing this, Xia Qingqing’s heart tightened. Her movements faltered slightly. That tiny opening was enough for Dongfang Muxue. Her form flickered, closing within three feet, and struck a palm toward Xia Qingqing’s chest.

Before the palm even arrived, the force of it left Xia Qingqing breathless. She knew she couldn’t dodge. She looked back longingly, wanting to see Song Qingshu one last time.

But Song Qingshu was no longer where he had been. Xia Qingqing’s heart filled with regret. *Am I to die without seeing him one last time?*

She resignedly closed her eyes. But after a long moment, Dongfang Muxue’s palm force never landed. She opened her eyes in confusion. Song Qingshu stood before her, with Dongfang Muxue’s palm pressed against his chest.

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Song Qingshu’s mouth. He smiled wryly. “Darling, you’re serious about this.” Dongfang Muxue’s palm contained terrifying power. Thanks to his profound internal energy, he could withstand it. If it had landed on Xia Qingqing, she would have died on the spot.

Seeing Song Qingshu injured, Xia Qingqing was both shocked and furious. Without thinking, she thrust her sword at Dongfang Muxue.

Whether stunned by having hurt Song Qingshu or for some other reason, Dongfang Muxue stood there as if dumbstruck, making no move to evade the sword inches from her.

Just as the tip was about to pierce Dongfang Muxue’s chest, Song Qingshu made a desperate grab, seizing the blade of the Golden Serpent Sword. He stopped it at the final, critical moment.

No matter how high his martial arts, Song Qingshu was still flesh and blood. And the Golden Serpent Sword was a legendary weapon. Soon, blood dripped from his palm down the blade.

“Big Brother Song!” Xia Qingqing cried out. She quickly dropped the sword and rushed to examine his wound. Seeing his bloody palm, her voice was tearful. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s nothing. Just a flesh wound.” Song Qingshu focused his mind, channeling true qi to seal several acupoints around the wound. The bleeding quickly stopped. He thought wryly to himself, *Perhaps I exhausted all my luck on the battlefield today. On the wedding night, none of them bled—but I did.*

“I’ll find some gauze to bind it.” Xia Qingqing hurried to a cabinet and began rummaging through it.

Only then did Song Qingshu quietly ask Dongfang Muxue, “Have you lost your mind? If I hadn’t stopped you, you would have killed Xia Qingqing with that palm.”

To his surprise, Dongfang Muxue showed no remorse. “If not for this stratagem of self-injury, how could this enmity be resolved?” She had anticipated that Song Qingshu would intervene. So she had deliberately used seventy to eighty percent of her power, injuring him to shift Xia Qingqing’s focus.

Song Qingshu understood her intention. “But why didn’t you dodge later?”

“To see how much weight I hold in your heart,” Dongfang Muxue said with a radiant smile. “If I only saw you risking yourself for her, I wouldn’t be at peace with it.”

Song Qingshu’s face darkened. “And if I had been a moment too slow? You would have let the Golden Serpent Sword pierce your chest?”

Noticing Xia Qingqing returning, Dongfang Muxue winked at him. “I won’t tell you. Guess for yourself.”

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