Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1036: Winning a Beauty’s Smile

Song Qingshu chuckled inwardly. Wang Baobao was far more direct and ruthless than his sister Zhao Min.

“Young Prince, you absolutely mustn’t!” Sure enough, a Mongol official began to panic. “The Great Khan’s main focus is currently on the western countries, while the Central Plains are negotiating peace with the Southern Song. If we kill the Southern Song envoy now, it will likely ruin the Great Khan’s plans. If the Great Khan blames us, even the Prince Ruyang cannot bear the consequences.”

Song Qingshu nodded secretly. It seemed the Mongol focus had indeed shifted westward. He had to seize this opportunity; otherwise, once the Mongols conquered the west and gathered global resources to conquer the Central Plains, the tide would turn, and it would be too late to stop it.

Wang Baobao snorted, “I’m not that stupid. At worst, I’ll just capture the Southern Song envoys and spare their lives. Then let’s see how Li Kexiu negotiates peace with the Southern Song.”

“Young Prince, your plan is indeed brilliant! Li Kexiu has been feigning cooperation with us all along, so let’s control the Southern Song delegation and cut off his other options,” another Mongol official chimed in. 

Wang Baobao was very satisfied with his subordinate’s reaction and turned to the other side, asking, “Have you found out the true location of the Southern Song delegation?”

“The Southern Song delegation was originally very well hidden, but today, when the Jin envoy led his men to break into Yuqing Temple, Li Kexiu, who had been hiding in the shadows, immediately rushed out to rescue them. This is highly suspicious. I sent people to investigate again and confirmed that the Southern Song delegation was indeed staying at Yuqing Temple. Moreover, the chief envoy this time is Han Dingxiao, the Vice Minister of State Affairs of the Southern Song court!” 

“What a big fish,” Wang Baobao said with a cold laugh. “And the Jin Minister of State and Grand Marshal has even come here. After I’ve dealt with things on the Southern Song side, I’ll kill him and let the Jin court be in chaos for a while longer.”

Song Qingshu secretly wiped away a cold sweat; he’d been caught in the crossfire even while lying in wait.

“However, Han Dingxiao and the Taoist priests of Yuqing Temple seem to be in cahoots with them. As one of the five Wudang temples, Yuqing Temple’s strength shouldn’t be underestimated; it might not be so easy to succeed,” someone worried.

“Han Dingxiao came secretly; how many experts could he possibly have with him? Not to mention Yuqing Temple is one of the five Wudang temples; even the Wudang sect itself was once our prisoner,” Wang Baobao said, his face flushing. After all, this was all thanks to his sister Zhao Min. “Father takes this matter extremely seriously; the Ruyang Prince’s Place has sent out all its experts, yet they still can’t handle a mere Han Dingxiao.”

“If we really launch a direct attack, a mere Han Dingxiao is nothing. However, that would be too commotional; the whole of Yangzhou would know, which would probably go against our original intentions,” someone below pointed out the key point. 

Wang Baobao nodded slightly: “Indeed, we cannot openly clash with Song at this juncture. The whole matter must be completed quietly in a very short time so that I can easily execute the subsequent plans. Mr. He, did you bring enough Ten Fragrant Softening Powder this time?”

He Biweng patted his waist pouch and chuckled: “Don’t worry, Your Highness, even ten Yuqing Temples can be taken down.”

Hearing that they actually planned to use such a despicable method as poison, Cheng Yaojia, concerned for her husband’s safety, trembled involuntarily and accidentally stepped on a nearby tile. Song Qingshu inwardly cursed.

“Who!” Vajra Sect’s Master suddenly looked up, rushing towards the roof like a cannonball. Before he even arrived, the chilling wind from his palm made Cheng Yaojia shiver.

Song Qingshu hurriedly grabbed Cheng Yaojia’s waist and forcibly moved her a foot to the side. He was worried that someone on the Mongolian side would recognize his current identity, and to avoid unnecessary trouble, he hastily pulled out Cheng Yaojia’s brocade handkerchief and covered his face.

Just as he covered his face, an extremely powerful yang-like finger strike came from behind. Not wanting to reveal his own martial arts skills, Song Qingshu raised his hand and used the One-Yang Finger technique he had recently learned to meet the attack.

The two fingers intersected, and both their bodies were jolted simultaneously. The opponent was violently thrown back, crashing through the roof and falling into the house.

Because Song Qingshu was carrying someone in his arms and worried about hurting her, he couldn’t fully absorb the force and was also forced to land in the courtyard.

As soon as he landed, Wang Baobao’s skilled men filed out and surrounded the two of them.

Seeing Song Qingshu trapped because of her, Cheng Yaojia said apologetically, “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”

Song Qingshu smiled slightly, “It was my decision to bring you here, so it’s not your fault.”

Cheng Yaojia was deeply moved. She knew that Mongolia and the Jin Dynasty were mortal enemies, and given his status, he had no chance of survival if he fell into the hands of the Mongols. Yet, even so, he hadn’t blamed her once. Compared to him, her husband’s actions were truly chilling.

Touched and heartbroken, Cheng Yaojia bit her lip, broke free from his embrace, and stood in front of him, saying, “I’ll hold them off for you. Your Qinggong is good; quickly take advantage of the chaos and escape.”

Seeing that she adopted the starting stance of the Quanzhen Sect’s Three Flowers Gathering at the Top Palm Technique, clearly intending to fight for her life, Song Qingshu was deeply moved and pulled her back into his arms. “Don’t be foolish. Trust me, I’ll protect you.”

Cheng Yaojia wanted to say something, but seeing his sincere eyes, she was momentarily stunned and subconsciously nodded.

“Who exactly are you, sir, daring to eavesdrop on our conversation!” Wang Baobao emerged from the house, his face grim. He didn’t know how long this person had been on the roof; if those secrets had been leaked, it would be disastrous.

Seeing the glint in his eyes, Song Qingshu knew he was plotting murder. He smiled slightly, pointing to a flower embroidered on a handkerchief: “I am known in the martial world as the Embroidered Flower Thief. Seeing such a beautiful young lady in this esteemed household, I couldn’t resist the urge to lay my hands on her, only to be discovered by you.”

Although she knew he was deliberately misleading her, hearing him address her so casually as “young lady,” Cheng Yaojia felt a strange unease creeping into her heart.

“Who brought this woman?” Wang Baobao glanced at Cheng Yaojia, finding her unfamiliar. He glared at his subordinates, his expression turning unfriendly. This operation was highly confidential; even he hadn’t brought his concubines. Who dared to bring a woman back? 

Lu Zhangke, standing nearby, paled and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, “Your Majesty, this is…this is someone I…I encountered outside just now, and I couldn’t resist…so I brought her back.”

“D*mn it!” Wang Baobao roared in anger, but remembering that he and his master would need to do much more work, he had to suppress his rage. “And who can tell me who this ‘Embroidered Flower Thief’ is?”

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Ah Da frowned and replied, “Your Highness, I don’t think there’s such a person in the martial world, but judging from the nickname, he’s probably a lowly womanizer.” Before joining the Ruyang Prince’s Palace, he was the head of the Beggar Gang’s four elders, known as Fang Dongbai, the Eight-Armed Divine Swordsman, and truly knew the martial world like the back of his hand.

“He’s from the Dali’s Duan family! He just used the One-Yang Finger!” At this moment, a disheveled-looking ascetic ran out, pointing at Song Qingshu and shouting.

Song Qingshu recognized him as the man he had just exchanged finger strikes with; it was the Vajra Sect Master. No wonder he had unleashed such immense and powerful finger strength.

“Could it be Duan Zhengchun, the Prince of Zhennan of Dali?” Ah Da asked hesitantly. 

The experts of the Dali Duan family were often Buddhist practitioners, either enlightened monks or detached from worldly affairs. Duan Zhengchun was practically the only one with a penchant for womanizing.

“Bah! What is Duan Zhengchun? How could he possess such formidable finger strength? He’s probably the so-called Southern Emperor, one of the Five Greats of the Central Plains.” The Vajra Sect Master had just exchanged finger strikes with him, and his fingers were still throbbing. Naturally, he didn’t believe his opponent was just a playboy.

“This…” Ah Da smiled wryly, “The Southern Emperor has been a monk for many years, his Dharma name is Master Yideng, he would never do such a thing as stealing a beautiful woman. Besides, although this person is masked, he is clearly very young, definitely not Master Yideng.”

Song Qingshu listened to their back-and-forth, their guesses about his identity becoming increasingly far-fetched, and he was happy to watch them make a fool of themselves. The more outlandish their guesses, the more advantageous it would be for him.

“Alright!” Wang Baobao was exasperated. “No matter who he is, capture him first.”

“Yes, sir!” Lu Zhangke, eager to redeem himself, was the first to rush forward.

Song Qingshu, still having a moment to spare, turned back to Cheng Yaojia behind him and said, “Madam, this old man offended you just now. I’ll teach him a lesson for you.”

Lu Zhangke was already in a bad mood. The beautiful young woman he was about to have his way with had been snatched away, and then he’d been reprimanded by the young prince. Hearing Song Qingshu’s words, he nearly exploded with rage: “You’re asking for death!” He then unleashed his full power, striking Song Qingshu’s chest with a palm strike.

From a distance, Cheng Yaojia sensed a chill approaching. Looking up in horror, she saw icy energy swirling around Lu Zhangke’s palm and cried out in alarm, “Be careful!”

Song Qingshu turned back and smiled slightly at her, then used his One-Yang Finger technique to poke at Lu Zhangke’s palm. Over the years, his martial arts had improved by leaps and bounds; he was now someone who could chat and laugh with figures like Zhang Sanfeng and Wang Chongyang. Although Lu Zhangke’s martial arts were high, there was now a significant gap between them.

The finger strike landed squarely on Lu Zhangke’s palm, causing a numbing sensation. Then, all the acupoints on his arm were instantly sealed. Terrified, he hastily retreated, but received two solid slaps to the face.

Song Qingshu couldn’t help but marvel at the incredible power of the One-Yang Finger. Combined with his current astonishing internal strength and cultivation level, the One-Yang Finger was a devastating weapon against the internal energy of experts, and it also had the added effect of striking acupoints. Among the Duan family of Dali, apart from Master Yideng, probably no one had mastered it to his level.

“Has Madam vented her anger?” Song Qingshu pointed to the two red handprints on Lu Zhangke’s face, looking at Cheng Yaojia. He had actually had the chance to kill Lu Zhangke, but considering that these two old men, though despicable, were loyal lackeys of Zhao Min, he hesitated. Even when beating a dog, one must consider its owner. If he had killed them, he might have difficulty explaining himself to Zhao Min next time.