Flower Stealing Master

Song Qingshu was familiar with this area. Having seen the direction in which Qinghai Yixiao and Chu Hongliu were heading earlier, he had been searching that way and finally arrived at the scene.

With a sweeping glance, Song Qingshu quickly assessed the situation before Wu Yunzhu could react.

Suo Etu sat slumped by the wheel of a carriage, his face filled with despair. His clothing was stained with bl00d, and the corpses of his guards lay scattered around him.

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With Song Qingshu’s keen eyesight, he could tell that the bl00d on Suo Etu was not his own, and the man appeared uninjured. His pale face was likely due to sheer terror.

Most of Suo Etu’s guards had already fallen, their bodies lying in pools of bl00d. Only a few remained, forming a sparse circle around him while vigilantly watching the group of men in black not far away.

The black-clad group was large in number, and their movements revealed that each was a skilled fighter. Eliminating Suo Etu’s remaining guards would have been an easy task. However, they refrained from advancing because standing in front of Suo Etu was a young girl, no older than eighteen or nineteen.

From his vantage point, Song Qingshu could see her delicate nose, long eyelashes, and tender features. Her snow-white face seemed to emit a gentle radiance.

His heart skipped a beat, ‘It’s her!’

At that moment, he noticed Wu Yunzhu about to cry out in alarm. Song Qingshu swiftly covered her mouth with his hand. She mumbled protests but couldn’t make a sound, eventually biting his finger in frustration. Song Qingshu, distracted, failed to avoid her bite in time.

He frowned slightly and whispered, “Your father is safe for now. Let’s observe the situation below first.”

When Wu Yunzhu nodded to show she understood, he released her mouth and refocused on the scene below. The two of them were perched on a large tree. The tense individuals below were too preoccupied to notice the two figures hidden above.

Wu Yunzhu was about to say something when she tasted saltiness in her mouth. Glancing at Song Qingshu’s hand, she saw bl00d seeping from his finger.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a martial arts expert? How could I bite you hard enough to draw bl00d?” she asked in a hushed tone, sounding flustered.

“If I hadn’t retracted my protective True Qi in time, your pretty little teeth might not have survived the bite,” Song Qingshu replied indifferently, not even turning his head.

Wu Yunzhu froze, a mix of emotions spreading through her heart.

“Judging by what Chu Hongliu mentioned earlier, they seem to be acting on orders from Zuo Lengchan. Could those men in black be elite fighters from the Mount Song Sect? I wonder if Zuo Lengchan himself is here,” Song Qingshu speculated about the black-clad group. Suddenly, he felt Wu Yunzhu tugging at his hand.

“What is it?” he asked, looking at her in confusion.

Wu Yunzhu cupped his hand in hers, staring at the faint traces of bl00d and the shallow teeth marks. Blushing slightly, she hesitantly asked, “Does it hurt?”

“It’s nothing, not even a minor wound,” Song Qingshu replied dismissively.

“It must hurt; it’s bleeding,” Wu Yunzhu muttered, biting her lip. “Let me blow on it for you.” She leaned forward and gently blew on the wound.

Song Qingshu was momentarily stunned. He had endured the excruciating pain of shattered meridians in the past, so this minor injury was trivial to him. However, having such a gentle girl care for him in this way was a rare comfort. Since he wasn’t a paragon of virtue, he let her continue.

When she saw that his finger was still bleeding, Wu Yunzhu hesitated for a long time before seemingly coming to a decision. She parted her lips slightly and enveloped his finger in her mouth, her tongue delicately licking the wound.

Song Qingshu’s focus was still on the tense standoff below when he suddenly felt a warm, moist sensation on his finger. His heart skipped a beat again, “What are you doing?”

“When I was little, I accidentally got my finger caught in a door. My mother stopped the bleeding this way. Trust me, it’ll stop hurting soon,” Wu Yunzhu mumbled, her words muffled.

Feeling the nimble movements of her tongue, Song Qingshu suddenly felt a wave of heat coursing through him. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her closer and looked down at her flushed face. Slowly moving his finger in and out of her mouth, he teased, “Little girl, do you know this is considered teasing a man?”

“Ah?” Wu Yunzhu froze, and as his finger moved against her lips, she felt an odd sensation of being violated. Realizing the impropriety of her actions, she hastily released his finger and, with her face red, scolded, “You’re awful!”

Song Qingshu chuckled but stopped teasing her. Crossing his arms, he returned his attention to the unfolding situation below.

After a long silence, a burly man in black stepped forward from the group and looked at the young girl coldly. “Miss Ren, since when did the Sun Moon Holy Cult become lackeys for the Qing Emperor?”

The girl was none other than the Saintess of the Sun Moon Holy Cult—Ren Yingying.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, revealing her anger, “Our Sun Moon Holy Cult has no ties with the Qing court. Don’t make baseless accusations!”

“In that case, why is Miss Ren aiding this Qing official?” the man pressed.

“This…” Ren Yingying hesitated briefly before snorting, “That’s none of your business!”

“Ha ha ha ha!” Another man in black stepped out from the crowd, laughing loudly. “Actually, even if Miss Ren doesn’t explain, we all know the reason. This corrupt official has traveled south to negotiate a truce with the Golden Serpent Camp. Recently, rumors about Miss Ren’s engagement to the Golden Serpent King have been spreading like wildfire. Saving this official is merely a gesture to aid her fiancé, isn’t it?”

“Eh? Hasn’t Miss Ren always been deeply in love with Linghu Chong of the Mount Hua Sect? How did she suddenly fall into the arms of another man?” another man in black deliberately questioned.

“Previously, Linghu Chong was considered one of the top experts of the younger generation in the martial arts world and the leading disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. As the sect’s future successor, he was hailed as a prominent young hero. However, along came Song Qingshu, the Golden Serpent King. Whether in martial arts or appearance, he surpasses Linghu Chong by far. Moreover, Song Qingshu commands tens of thousands of troops and rules over a vast territory spanning hundreds of miles. How can Linghu Chong, merely a senior disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, possibly compare to that?”

“Just as water flows downward, people aspire to rise higher—it’s the way of the world. When a woman encounters someone with better prospects, isn’t it only natural for her to change her mind?”

“That poor Linghu Chong, though. He was expelled from his sect for the sake of a demonic girl, tarnished with a reputation for being a lustful rogue. And now, abandoned by her, the once-renowned young hero has fallen to such a pitiful state. Truly tragic!”

The group sneered mercilessly, their words dripping with mockery.

Song Qingshu smiled faintly. Although Ren Yingying had agreed to marry him, they both understood that her heart still belonged to Linghu Chong. His proposal of a fake marriage was merely a stalling tactic. Listening to the group’s taunts, it was evident that many in the martial arts world shared similar thoughts. Even if Linghu Chong trusted Ren Yingying, doubts would inevitably arise in their relationship.

‘Sigh, I might be a bit too diabolical,’ Song Qingshu thought to himself.

“Shut up!”

Ren Yingying’s face turned alternately red and white as tears of grievance welled up in her eyes. Bound by her agreement with Song Qingshu, she couldn’t explain the complicated situation to these strangers. She could only confide the truth to Linghu Chong in private.

‘Brother Chong will surely believe me,’ Ren Yingying thought, biting her lip.

The group of men in black burst into raucous laughter, utterly dismissive of her anger.

“Ha ha ha! If Miss Ren dared to do it, why would she fear our words?”

“Exactly! Every word we’ve said is true. If even she despises her own actions, what else can be said?”

“Miss Ren, your reputation as the Saintess of the Sun Moon Holy Cult doesn’t scare us. We’re not from your cult, after all!”

Unable to endure their jeers any longer, Ren Yingying let out an angry cry and charged forward with her sword. Striking with all her pent-up frustration, she showed no mercy. Her weapons were a pair of exceptionally short blades, resembling daggers or curved knives. The translucent, thin blades were nearly invisible under sunlight, leaving most unable to discern what they were. Chaos erupted among the men in black as many were thrown into disarray.

“How can the Golden Serpent King be like this?” Wu Yunzhu muttered with a pout as she observed the unfolding battle.

Startled, Song Qingshu asked, “What about the Golden Serpent King?”

“I can tell that this elder sister loves that Linghu Chong, but she agreed to marry the Golden Serpent King. He must have used some despicable means to force her into it. Hmph, and I used to admire him so much.” Wu Yunzhu wrinkled her nose, her displeasure evident. She naturally sided with Ren Yingying after realizing that her father’s safety was largely thanks to her intervention.

“Uh… how do you know Miss Ren loves Linghu Chong?” Song Qingshu felt both frustrated and amused, amazed at how close Wu Yunzhu’s guess was to the truth.

“I could see it in her eyes. It’s a woman’s intuition,” Wu Yunzhu declared smugly.

Blushing, Song Qingshu chose to ignore her and refocused on the battle below.

In just a few moments, several men in black were injured. Their leader, both alarmed and furious, shouted, “Miss Ren, out of respect for Chief Ren, I’ve held back so far. But if you continue to push your luck, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

Infuriated by their vile insults, Ren Yingying’s anger boiled over. Ignoring his words, she instinctively thrust her sword straight at him.

“Courting death!” The leader’s eyes glinted sharply as he raised a hand to knock her short sword away. His other hand moved to strike her shoulder.

“Ah! Save that sister!” Wu Yunzhu exclaimed, grabbing Song Qingshu’s arm in a panic.

As the leader’s palm neared Ren Yingying, his expression suddenly shifted. Abruptly withdrawing his attack, he leaped backward in retreat.

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