Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1056: Flying Black Hair

“Yue Fei’s daughter?” Song Qingshu turned abruptly, staring intently at him. “What exactly happened?”

Seeing that he had successfully drawn him back, Zhang Rou immediately perked up: “Back then, in the case of Yue Fei, Prime Minister Qin and my uncle were worried about future troubles, so they decided to eliminate any potential threats and executed his eldest son, Yue Yun, as well. At that time, Yue Fei’s second wife, Li, had just given birth to a baby girl. Unfortunately, Li was highly skilled in martial arts and fought her way out of the capital, disappearing without a trace with the baby girl. We found no trace.”

“This matter has always been a thorn in my uncle’s side. He worried that the baby girl would become a threat when she grew up, so he has been searching for her all these years. Until recently, my uncle received news that the baby girl was adopted by Yue Buqun of Mount Hua and renamed Yue Lingshan. Because Yue Fei has a great reputation among the people, and my uncle’s identity is sensitive, it was inconvenient for him to come forward, so he specifically asked us to take action.”

Zhang Rou spoke of these secrets without reservation, largely because the people in front of him were all Jin people. Yue Fei was a hero of the Han people, but in the eyes of the Jin people, he was someone they wanted to eliminate as soon as possible. Since their positions were aligned, Zhang Rou spoke without any reservations.

After hearing all this, Song Qingshu was dumbfounded. Yue Lingshan was Yue Fei’s daughter?

In his previous life, Song Qingshu held this Miss Yue in the highest esteem. Legend has it that Yue Yinping was only thirteen when Yue Fei and his son died. Upon hearing the tragic news, she embraced a silver pot and threw herself into a well, a tragedy that has moved countless people to tears for centuries.

In his previous life, Song Qingshu had lingered for a long time by the Filial Daughter’s Well when passing through Hangzhou. Now, having the opportunity to see Miss Yinping in this world, how could he allow her to suffer harm again?

Song Qingshu immediately stood up, but then a look of doubt crossed his face. Although Yue Lingshan also shared the surname Yue, everyone in the martial arts world knew that Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze had a daughter. Had they deceived the entire martial arts world?

Thinking of how Yue Buqun and his wife had never had children of their own to protect Yue Fei’s only remaining offspring, their loyalty and righteousness were truly admirable.

“No, no!” Song Qingshu suddenly realized something and glared at Zhang Rou, asking, “You said that when Lord Yue died, his wife, Lady Li, had just given birth to a baby girl?”

“Yes…yes.” Zhang Rou didn’t understand why he was reacting so strongly, and how could a Jurchen call Yue Fei “Lord Yue”?

Song Qingshu stood up and looked at the distant sky, pondering to himself, “No, no, it’s been almost twenty years since Yue Fei was murdered. Yue Lingshan is only sixteen or seventeen years old now. There’s a clear age difference of one or two years. Could it be that Yue Buqun deliberately made Yue Lingshan’s age younger?”

Completely confused, Song Qingshu suddenly felt a chill: Wait, if Zhang Rou and the others came to kill Yue Fei’s orphan, then aren’t the Mount Hua group in great danger now?

Although he had some doubts about Yue Lingshan’s identity, Song Qingshu didn’t dare take the risk. If Yue Lingshan really was that Miss Yinping, and he hadn’t protected her, he would probably regret it for the rest of his life.

“Keep a close eye on him!” Song Qingshu instructed the guards before hurriedly leaving.

“Hey, can you let me go? Marshal, Marshal?” Zhang Rou shouted from behind, waving his hands, but Song Qingshu had no time to pay him any attention.

After leaving the cell, Song Qingshu instructed his guards, “I’m going out to take care of some business. When that Miss Mu wakes up, tell her I’ll be back soon. Also, treat Mu Gaofeng well. And keep a close eye on the lady in the next room. Don’t let her leave the courtyard. If she escapes, you’ll all be beheaded.”

The guards were alarmed and replied in unison, “Yes, sir!”

“You don’t need to follow me!” Song Qingshu went to the stables, chose his mount, and hurriedly left those words before galloping towards the city gate.

After finding out the direction the Mount Hua group had gone from the guards at the city gate, Song Qingshu sped off.

“Fortunately, the Mount Hua group hasn’t been out of the city for too long. They’re traveling with their families, so their speed definitely can’t keep up with my mount, Zhao Yebai. Hopefully, I can catch up.” Patting his mount, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but think of Shui Sheng. This horse was a gift from her when she was in the Golden Serpent Camp. He wondered how she was doing after her last journey escorting the coffin back home.

He galloped on, asking passersby for directions. After traveling dozens of miles, Song Qingshu suddenly heard the sounds of fighting coming from a distant bamboo forest. If Song Qingshu hadn’t possessed such high cultivation, he probably wouldn’t have been able to hear it.

He patted Zhaoyebai, signaling it to graze and rest, and then quietly followed the sound.

“My Mount Hua Sect has no past grudges or recent enmities with you. Why do you repeatedly and relentlessly pursue us?”

Hearing Yue Buqun’s shocked and angry voice, Song Qingshu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had finally caught up.

With a light tap of his toes, Song Qingshu, embracing a tall bamboo pole, hovered in mid-air, surveying the situation within the bamboo forest.

He saw eighteen riders lined up in a row within the bamboo forest; these were Zhang Rou and the others from the inn earlier, subtly surrounding the four members of the Mount Hua Sect. This was the same group that had just questioned Yue Buqun in his anger and shock.

Hearing Yue Buqun’s question, the group burst into laughter. 

Zhang Rou said loudly, “We’ve heard that the Lin fellow from the Fortune Escort Service has joined the Mount Hua Sect. We deeply admire the swordsmanship of Master Yue, the Gentleman Swordsman of the Mount Hua Sect, whose skills are unparalleled in the martial world. He certainly wouldn’t deign to look at the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual. We are just unknown figures in the martial world, and we humbly request Master Yue to lend us a glimpse of it.”

The laughter of these fifteen men was incessant, clearly indicating high levels of internal strength. Even amidst the laughter, Zhang Rou’s voice remained clear and resonant, undiminished by the noise, demonstrating that his internal strength surpassed that of the others by a significant margin.

Song Qingshu frowned upon hearing this. Why was it about the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual? But he quickly realized. Yue Fei enjoyed high prestige among the people, and Zhang Jun wouldn’t dare openly kill his descendants against the will of the world. Finding a reason to cover it up was perfectly reasonable, and the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual was the most suitable excuse.

Yue Buqun’s clear voice rang out: “You are all renowned figures in the martial arts world. Why do you humbly call yourselves nobodies? I, Yue, never lie. The Lin family’s Evil Exterminating Sword Manual is not with us.” He used his Purple Cloud Divine Skill to say these words, and even amidst the laughter of more than ten people, everyone heard him clearly. He spoke casually, as if it were his usual conversation.

Zhang Rou nodded secretly. He had long heard that the Purple Cloud Divine Skill of Mount Hua was extraordinary, and seeing it today, it was indeed well-deserved.

At this moment, one of his men said gruffly, “You claim you’re not here, so where did you go?”

Yue Buqun said, “What right do you have to ask that?”

The man said, “The affairs of the world are for the people of the world to manage.”

Yue Buqun sneered and didn’t answer.

The man shouted, “You surnamed Yue, are you going to hand it over or not? Don’t be stubborn. If you don’t hand it over, we’ll have to use force and search you ourselves.”

Yue Lingshan snorted, “Just now, you were beaten to a pulp by that bearded man at the inn, even losing your son. Instead of trying to save him, you come here to cause trouble for us. Is this what people call bullying the weak and fearing the strong?”

Since learning that she might be Yue Fei’s daughter, Song Qingshu’s impression of her had greatly improved. He had previously disliked her for not being gentle enough, but now he found her to be bold and decisive, even somewhat endearing. 

“So you’re Lady Yue?” Zhang Rou wasn’t angry, but rather looked her over with amusement. “Not bad, truly a daughter of a military family, you have your father’s bearing.”

The group from Mount Hua were puzzled by his nonsensical description, except for Song Qingshu, who knew that “your father” referred to Yue Fei, not the Yue Buqun before them.

“I dare not accept the title of ‘Lady,’ I’m just a woman from the martial world.” Yue Lingshan didn’t understand why he treated her so differently, and felt a little uneasy. She subconsciously took a few steps back, and Lin Pingzhi seized the opportunity to step in front of her.

“What a charming woman of the martial world,” Zhang Rou smiled noncommittally. “I might as well tell you frankly, my son may be incompetent, but he is clever and should be safe for the time being. However, the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual is extremely rare and hard to come by. We can rescue him after we obtain the manual.”

Lin Pingzhi angrily retorted, “I’ve already told you, we don’t have the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual!”

Zhang Rou sneered, “That’s not necessarily true. We’ll have to search to find out.” With a wave of his hand, his entourage dismounted and rushed forward.

Yue Buqun hurriedly shouted, “Everyone, defence!” Before he finished speaking, one of his men stepped forward and blocked eight of Zhang Rou’s men, including the Li brothers from before.

Previously, the inn was cramped, preventing Yue Buqun from fully utilizing his martial arts skills, which is why he was blocked by the Li brothers. Now, in the open space, he wielded his sword, guarding the gates with great strength and precision, holding his own against eight opponents. Ning Zhongze also drew her longsword, parrying the attacks of the three.

Yue Lingshan and Lin Pingzhi fought side-by-side against the three enemies, while Zhang Rou remained mounted on his horse, seemingly unwilling to intervene.

Although Lin Pingzhi’s swordsmanship was now highly skilled, his internal energy was insufficient. Furthermore, the fact that his opponents all wielded long weapons rendered his exquisite swordsmanship ineffective. Before long, his right hand was injured by an enemy, forcing him to switch to wielding his sword with his left.

The enemy wielded a long spear, his spearmanship agile and nimble. Lin Pingzhi used three moves of “Welcoming the Guest from the Pine Tree” to block his attack. Unfortunately, the enemy outnumbered him, and he inevitably became overwhelmed. With a soft thud, he was struck in the right shoulder by the spear.

Yue Lingshan quickly thrust her sword twice, forcing the enemy to take a step back, and cried out, “Little Lin, quickly bandage your wound!” 

Lin Pingzhi replied, “It’s alright!” He thrust out his sword, already staggering.

The enemy let out a long laugh, swinging his spear across the ground with a sharp crack, striking Yue Lingshan in the waist. 

Yue Lingshan flung her sword from her right hand, crouching down in pain.

Song Qingshu frowned, about to make a move, when he suddenly noticed a graceful woman standing atop a bamboo grove in the distance. Although her face was veiled, obscuring her features, her delicate steps and flowing black hair left no doubt about the unparalleled beauty beneath the veil.