Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 767: A Mess to Clean Up

Song Qingshu was dumbfounded. 

Before he could say anything, Wanyan Gebi turned away expressionlessly and left without looking back. Clearly, she had no intention of hearing him out.

Song Qingshu opened his mouth several times and even reached out, wanting to stop her, but in the end, he gave up and sighed inwardly. ‘Perhaps this is for the best. At least I won’t have to keep thinking of ways to distance myself from her. Now, even if I wanted to get close to her, it’s probably impossible.’

After returning to his room, Song Qingshu sat cross-legged on the bed and began circulating his Qi. The tumble he took last night was no different from taking a barrage of attacks from dozens of top martial artists. Even with his deep cultivation, he had barely managed to endure it.

Now that he had the antidote to Rouge Drunkenness, he planned to rescue Song Yuanqiao and the others tonight. A chaotic battle would be inevitable then, so he had to be in peak condition.

He’d been injured repeatedly over this period, but thankfully, he’d received the nourishment of Wanyan Ping’s pure Yin Qi last night. That made his recovery much more effective. He meditated until evening, and finally, Song Qingshu opened his eyes.

Due to his intentional or unintentional distancing over time, and her knowledge of what happened between him and her sister, Wanyan Gebi no longer came to his room. Song Qingshu was happy to have this newfound freedom and no longer had to rack his brain on how to brush her off.

Seeing that it was already late, Song Qingshu changed into his nightwear and used Qinggong to head toward the imperial palace of the Jin Empire. At this point, he was very familiar with the layout of the palace, and before long, he was already near the laundry courtyard.

Hiding in a tall tree nearby, Song Qingshu carefully observed the guards in the courtyard. Seeing that their positions hadn’t changed since his last reconnaissance, he nodded to himself. He had every reason to be cautious—he only had this one shot. 

After all, the imperial palace of Jin was heavily guarded. If he failed and alerted the enemy, rescuing Song Yuanqiao and the others would become nearly impossible.
Just as he was about to make his move, the door to the room where the prisoners were held suddenly opened. 

A group of people walked out in a line. 

The girl leading them was none other than Wanyan Ping, whom he had parted from earlier that morning. Two imposing guards followed behind her. They were the same two experts who had made Song Qingshu wary during his first visit to the laundry courtyard.

Over time, through subtle questioning, he had already learned their identities from Wanyan Ping. One was called Pucha Ahutuo, the other Pucha Ahudie—both were renowned top-tier experts of the Jin Empire. Especially Pucha Ahudie, who possessed natural brute strength and had also cultivated internal techniques collected by the royal family. When it came to raw palm strength, even many top martial artists in the world would be no match for him.

Behind them came a group of guards who surrounded Song Yuanqiao and the other two in the center.

Song Qingshu steadied himself and decided to observe for now. First, he had just had an intimate encounter with Wanyan Ping. If she got injured because of his actions during the rescue, he’d probably regret it for the rest of his life. Second, with both Pucha Ahutuo and Pucha Ahudie present, rescuing the captives wouldn’t be easy. 

While Song Qingshu wasn’t afraid of them with his current strength, in this imperial palace, the two experts could hold him back long enough for reinforcements to arrive, making it near impossible to escape with the prisoners.

‘What are they trying to do now?’ Song Qingshu frowned. If the Jin Empire intended to harm Song Yuanqiao and the others, he would have to intervene. But it didn’t seem likely—they still had value. If they were going to kill them, it would’ve been more discreet to do it inside, with no one the wiser. Why bring them out and risk complications?

‘Are they transferring them to another prison?’ Song Qingshu’s heart skipped a beat. If so, all his planning so far would go to waste.

But soon, he let out a breath of relief. It turned out they weren’t being taken out of the courtyard but were being escorted toward another palace building within the courtyard. 

Song Qingshu’s expression turned odd. When he first explored the laundry courtyard, he had passed by that area and knew it housed many palace maids and courtesans. Recalling the threats Wanyan Ping once made to the captives, he couldn’t help but smile wryly. ‘Is that girl really planning to make Song Yuanqiao and the others marry into the Song Dynasty as consorts?’

“Hero Song, Zhang, and Yin,” Wanyan Ping’s voice called out, confirming Song Qingshu’s suspicions. “I’ve already given you ample time to consider. Now, I’m offering you one final chance. Are you willing to cooperate with the Great Jin or not?”

The three looked at each other with hesitation in their eyes, but none spoke. Previously, Song Qingshu had analyzed the situation with them and concluded that the Jin Empire’s higher-ups highly valued the princesses of Song, and would likely be reluctant to waste them on such schemes.

“So the legendary heroes of Wudang are nothing more than lustful scoundrels?” Wanyan Ping said angrily. She waved her hand, and the guards stepped forward to force some pre-prepared medicine into the mouths of the three captives.

Song Qingshu was too far to intervene, but from his understanding, the drug likely wasn’t poison. It was probably ‘that’ kind of medicine. Realizing what was happening, he chose not to act rashly.

“Gentlemen,” Wanyan Ping said, her cheeks slightly flushed, “what you just ingested is a rare aphrodisiac called Yin-Yang Harmonizing Powder, a tribute from Western Xia’s First-Class Hall. I’m sure your vast experience in the martial world tells you what that does. But I must warn you—if you don’t engage in the exchange of Yin-Yang union within two hours, your inner fire will rage out of control, and you will die.”

“Your wills may be strong, and you may be willing to die rather than submit,” she continued coldly. “But currently in this room are three princesses of the Song Dynasty. They too have taken the same drug. If you die, no one will be able to detoxify them, and they will perish as well. So, unless you’re willing to personally cause the deaths of your own princesses, I suggest you abandon the act of being upright gentlemen for two hours.”

Song Qingshu couldn’t help clicking his tongue. ‘This Wanyan Ping… In my arms, she acts all gentle and obedient, but her schemes are as ruthless as they come. Not only did she drug the three men, but she even gave them a noble reason—to save the princesses. That would lessen their guilt and break down their resistance. I have to admit, this combination of hard and soft tactics is brilliant. I’m starting to admire this little sister-in-law of mine.’

At that moment, Song Yuanqiao and the others erupted with rage.

“You vicious wench!”

“Such shameless and despicable tricks! Is this what you call heroism?”

Wanyan Ping’s expression turned frosty. “I never claimed to be a hero. Take them inside.”

After they were thrown into the room, Wanyan Ping ordered her subordinates, “Stand guard outside. Once it’s over, return them to their cells. No one is allowed to leak a single word of what happened tonight. If I hear even a whisper of rumor outside, every guard on duty tonight will be executed. Understood?”

“Yes!” The guards turned pale and replied in trembling voices.

Satisfied, Wanyan Ping nodded. Watching the flickering shadows inside the room, she sneered and muttered to herself, “Tomorrow, I’ll use this scandal to threaten them. Let’s see if they still dare to resist!”

With a few cold laughs, Wanyan Ping left swiftly with Pucha Ahutuo and Pucha Ahudie.

Now, it was Song Qingshu’s turn to be troubled.

‘What the hell am I supposed to do with this mess now?’