Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1046: How Can One Tell?

Song Qingshu had originally planned to risk exposure to rescue Mu Wanqing, but unexpectedly, another person came up the stairs at that moment.

“You should eat more, sir. After you eat this, you might not have another chance.” A handsome young man walked up, sneering at Mu Gaofeng who was gorging himself.

“Murong Fu?” Song Qingshu recognized the man and was taken aback. What was going on?

Realizing that Murong Fu was targeting Mu Gaofeng, Song Qingshu hesitated for a moment, deciding to observe the situation first.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing his unusual behavior, Cheng Yaojia asked worriedly.

“Nothing.” Song Qingshu replied casually, his gaze fixed on Mu Wanqing, fearing something might happen to her.

“Oh.” He had been so attentive before, but now his attention was clearly drawn to the other girl. Cheng Yaojia felt a pang of disappointment. Despite telling herself that there was nothing between them and that he didn’t need to take responsibility for her, she still couldn’t control the pangs of sadness in her heart.

Upon seeing Murong Fu appear, Mu Gaofeng trembled, instinctively reaching for his sword at his waist to rise. However, seeing that the other party didn’t seem inclined to attack immediately, he sat back down. “I’ll eat what I want, drink what I want. I’ll live a long life.”

“Is that so?” Murong Fu smiled noncommittally, not arguing with him. Instead, he called over a waiter and began elegantly ordering food. Clearly, he was starving after pursuing them for so long.

Seeing that Murong Fu wasn’t attacking, Mu Gaofeng resumed his feast, determined to eat and drink his fill before he had the strength for a battle.

Ignoring the tense atmosphere, Song Qingshu’s eyes were only on Mu Wanqing. He felt deeply guilty; he had been too careless, failing to notice her travel-worn appearance. It seemed the two were evading Murong Fu’s pursuit. But why was she with someone as unrelated as Mu Gaofeng?

“Hey, you bearded man, what are you looking at!” Although Song Qingshu meant well, his Tang Kuo Bian-like appearance didn’t evoke the same reaction in Mu Wanqing.

Mu Wanqing felt that a strange man staring intently at her, with his full beard, was utterly repulsive. Already in a bad mood, seeing him staring at her, she immediately raised her hand, and a beam of dark light shot towards him.

Clang!

The guard beside Song Qingshu hurriedly drew his sword, knocking the poisoned dart she had shot to the ground. Shocked and enraged, he pointed at her, shouting, “How dare you! You attempted to assassinate our lord!”

Just as he was about to rush forward and seize her, Song Qingshu waved his hand to stop him, “Stop!”

Picking up the poisoned dart from the ground, Song Qingshu thought to himself that she still had this fiery temper with outsiders. Comparing it to her gentleness towards him, his heart warmed. He walked over and handed the dart to Mu Wanqing, saying, “Miss, you dropped your dart. Please keep it safe.”

Mu Wanqing looked surprised and hesitant, wondering whether to shoot him again. At such close range, there was no way she would miss. However, wary of his guards, and with a formidable enemy at hand, she didn’t want to cause any trouble. She simply snorted coldly, snatched the dart back, and turned her head away, clearly not even interested in replying.

Song Qingshu chuckled. This little girl certainly had a personality.

“How dare you!” The guards beside him glared angrily at their master’s humiliation.

“It’s alright,” Song Qingshu said with a smile to Mu Wanqing, stopping his men from defending their master. “If you need any help later, please feel free to ask.”

“Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious,” Mu Wanqing finally retorted, though her tone was quite rude.

“Don’t make enemies out of nothing!” Mu Gaofeng quickly gave her a wink, whispering a reminder.

Mu Wanqing rolled her eyes in annoyance but didn’t take any further drastic action.

Song Qingshu smiled slightly, unconcerned, and returned to his seat.

“What, you got turned away too?” Cheng Yaojia couldn’t help but smile inexplicably as she watched him return dejectedly.

“I didn’t expect Madam to have become so smug, actually gloating,” Song Qingshu said irritably.

“Spending so much time with you, it’s hard not to pick up bad habits,” Cheng Yaojia said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Murong Fu glanced intently at the two jovial lovers. The guard’s sword strike had been swift and precise; with such a bodyguard by his side, the man’s status was undoubtedly extraordinary.

Murong Fu couldn’t afford to be careless. After all, Song Qingshu had shown considerable favor towards Mu Wanqing. If a fight broke out later, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t order his men to intervene.

However, Murong Fu quickly shook his head, inwardly chuckling at his own overreaction. He, the renowned Southern Murong, was no stranger to this man of dubious official or merchant status. While the man’s bodyguard was skilled, he was still far inferior to him.

Although Song Qingshu was joking with Cheng Yaojia, his cultivation level allowed him to see and hear everything around him. Murong Fu’s reaction did not escape his notice.

Song Qingshu sighed inwardly. When his meridians were severed and he was desperate, if it weren’t for Murong Fu introducing him to Wang Yuyan, he probably wouldn’t be where he is today. However, he had already repaid that debt many times over. Furthermore, considering Murong Bo’s capture of Song Yuanqiao and the others, and his subsequent crippling of the latter’s fingers, the feud between him and the Murong family was now firmly established, making future friendship unlikely.

Thump, thump, thump…

A group of people, young and old, came up the stairs. 

The middle-aged man at the head was humble and refined, exuding righteousness, his face faintly tinged with purple. Standing beside him was a beautiful middle-aged woman, with a lovely face, yet possessing a commanding presence. The two quickly noticed the unusual atmosphere on the floor and stopped.

“Father, why did you suddenly stop?” A young girl suddenly skipped out from behind him, her figure slender and graceful, her voice clear and sweet, extremely lively and adorable.

“Senior Sister~” 

The last to arrive was a handsome, somewhat frail young man, with delicate features and striking good looks. His red lips and white teeth made him appear almost like a woman disguised as a man. He had clearly noticed the strange atmosphere upstairs and subtly tugged at the girl’s sleeve.

Song Qingshu couldn’t help but chuckle. No wonder inns were such frequent trigger points in those games from his previous life; why did he always encounter such lively events whenever he came to an inn?

These people were naturally the Mount Hua group. 

Yue Buqun had previously led the Mount Hua Sect under the guise of escorting Lin Pingzhi back to his hometown to pay respects to his parents, but in reality, he was secretly plotting to obtain the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual. 

Who knew that despite all his scheming, he hadn’t even caught a glimpse of the manual? Even worse, someone in the martial arts world had started spreading rumors that the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual had fallen into his hands!