Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 153: Crossing the river with a reed

”The Eldersʼ matter was completed so soon?” Song Qingshu was surprised when he recognized that the other party was none other than the Sunflower Ancestor.

”The people from the Red Flower Society colluded with Southern Shaolin to deceive me last time. Thank you for saving the little emperor.” Sunflower Ancestor seemed to be talking about a matter unconcerned with him. Honestly speaking, there was really nothing that could make him truly lose his bearing.

Song Qingshu remembered that the Sunflower Ancestor said last time that the reason why he protected Kangxi was because of the True Dragon Qi in Kangxi, which helped him to cultivate the Sunflower Manual. ”Ancestor, there is a matter that I have never quite understood. You need the Qi of a True Dragon. Then it stands to reason that Temüjin should have more Qi of a True Dragon. Why donʼt you go to him?” (G: Temüjin is Genghis Khanʼs birth name.)

”Genghis Khan is really quite good, but itʼs a pity that his desire to conquer is too strong, and he has been fighting the north and south on horseback. This one has old arms and feeble legs, so I really donʼt want to run around with him. Among the remaining emperors, their True Dragon Qi is full of decay, but Kangxi is thriving here, and Iʼm also used to the life in the Forbidden City. So I donʼt bother to change places.” Sunflower Ancestor explained slowly, his voice as sharp as a fingernail scratching on glass. It was quite unpleasant, and made Song Qingshu frown a little.

”What matter does the elder want to talk with me this time?” Song Qingshu knew that the Sunflower Ancestor had always lived in the shadows like a ghost and would not show up in front of people unless there was an important matter.

”Boy, you also know that this elder is quite good at sensing Qi. I saw a mass of black Qi condensing on your head in the imperial study just now. I think you will face a catastrophe in the coming days, and I just wanted to let you know in good faith. This elder has kindly reminded you, as for what’s next, it depends on yourself.” Sunflower Ancestor laughed, and quickly turned around and disappeared from the place.

”Benefactor, I see that Yintang has turned black, and you may face a disaster of blood in the future…” Song Qingshu seemed to hear the lines of those fake roadside fortune tellers from his previous life, ‘If you are so good, then why didnʼt you predict Kangxi’s assassination last time?’ Song Qingshu shook his head, he did not take Sunflower Ancestorʼs words to heart. (G: Yintang is an acupoint located between the eyebrows.)

After leaving the palace, Song Qingshu wanted to go to the Viscount Mansion to see Shuangʼer, but he was worried that since the other party was too thin skinned, they wouldnʼt know what to say if they met. So he decided to go straight out of the city to Heimuya, and let time wash away the awkwardness between the two of them.

Song Qingshu rode his horse all the way to the west. After two days, he came to a place more than 40 miles northwest of Pingding Prefecture. He saw rocks that were red as blood, a long beach, with strong waves. He asked the local residents and learned that the place was called Orangutan Beach. There was also a cliff not far away.

Going further north, it didn’t take long for Song Qingshu to see the mountain gate of the Sun Moon Holy Cult from a distance. The hills on both sides acted like natural walls, and there was only a stone road about five feet wide in the middle. The way in was closely guarded by the Sun Moon Holy Cult members. Song Qingshu slowly approached them.

”Who dares to enter the domain of the Sun Moon Holy Cult!” The guard noticed Song Qingshu, and quickly stopped him with a drawn sword.

”Please pass this message on to Cult Master Dongfang, that his (her) friend Song Qingshu is seeking his (her) audience.” Song Qingshu jumped off the horse and cupped his hands towards them.

”Song Qingshu? Never heard of you…” The guards discussed with each other for a while, looking at him with an expression of hostility, ”You said that you are a friend of the Cult Master Dongfang?”

”Exactly!” Song Qingshu replied even though he noticed something was wrong.

The guards all thought to themselves, ‘The Cult Master has only a handful of friends, which elders in the cult do we not recognize? This person dares to pretend to be a friend of the Cult Master. If we let him through and it spreads to the people on the mountain, we will be held accountable, and our lives will be in danger.’ Glancing at each other, they slashed towards Song Qingshu in a uniform motion.

Song Qingshu had been prepared for a long time, he used the Cloud-Ascending Ladder and jumped over their heads. When he raised his head and glanced up the mountain, he could see nothing but clouds and mist, and he felt surprised, ‘Could it be that they are one step early. Have they already controlled the Blackwood Cliff? No, I have to go up and see.’

Worrying about the life and death of Dongfang Bubai, Song Qingshu rushed to the mountain with his movement technique in full force.

The main altar of the Sun Moon Holy Cult was heavily guarded, and the way to climb the mountain was even more of a difficult task. It was almost impossible for ordinary people to climb it so fast, but Song Qingshuʼs attainment in his movement technique was too high, and he ran quickly without leaving a trace. The guards only felt a gust of wind blowing past them, and the enemy had already disappeared from in front of them. Their swords only slashed empty space.

When encountering an unavoidable situation, Song Qingshu would use the Cloud-Ascending Ladder and jump over the guardʼs head guarding the mountain.

After going through three mountain roads, he came to a lake, and saw the blue waves and the white fog. Several ferries by the lake had received the news early. They all had rowed to the middle of the lake, and the disciples on the boats drew their swords and stood on alert.

Seeing that the pursuing soldiers behind him were getting closer, Song Qingshu smiled, “In the past, there was a miracle of Bodhidharma crossing the river with a reed. Today, this untalented one will follow the example of the sages.”

After saying that, Song Qingshu launched the Wooden Sword like a sharp arrow. Then he stomped his feet and chased after it. He stepped on the water surface a few times, then took one step on the wooden sword. One man and one sword, leaped over the lake like a stream of wind, breaking the waves, leaving the horrified disciples behind them. (G: It would be an awesome sight to see.)

‘Sun Tzuʼs ‘Art of War’ has a sentence— the momentum of rushing water, as for how a stone could float on water, it is also its momentum.’

Song Qingshu, who had already stepped on the opposite shore, finally understood why Feng Qingyang was able to fly with his sword on the night of the full moon, and why a stone could float on the water. By the same logic, the key factor was speed. It was just that this method could only be used for short-distance sprints, and it seemed that it was absolutely impossible to perform the fabled “Sword Flight”.
Recalling the feeling as his toes stepped on the water just now, and the subtle soft force that came back from the water, Song Qingshu seemed to understand the principle, ‘It is said that in ancient China, there was a martial arts master who was able to tread on water with his own two feet. I have great internal strength and a peerless movement technique, why should I only rely on speed to tread on water? Could it be that I am not using the power of the water well enough? Since the power of water can be used, then the wind can also be fully utilized, so it should not be impossible to perform “Sword Flight”.’

Noticing that the pursuing soldiers had been left far behind, Song Qingshu continued to move forward while thinking about the matter. It didnʼt take long before he encountered an iron gate, and the guard stepped forward and shouted, ”Password!”

Song Qingshu secretly complained, ‘How would I know what the password is?’ It seemed that he had to force his way in, and so he casually replied, ”Wencheng Wude.”

Unexpectedly, the other party was visibly relieved and replied, ”Benevolence, righteousness and sagacity.”

‘Itʼs really like a blind cat meeting a dead mouse.’ Song Qingshu didnʼt expect to guess this right, and his face brightened with joy, ‘That dead eunuch said that there was black Qi above my head, this is obviously a sign of luck and Iʼm feeling quite lucky as well!’

”And what about the identification plaque?” Before he could be too happy, the guard stretched out his hand and spread it out in front of him.

”Uh…scre*w you!” Song Qingshu felt that someone was playing a sick game with him, and with a curse, he pulled out his Wooden Sword, and rushed forward.

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