Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1061: The Holy Mother of the White Lotus

The commotion was still some distance away from the prison cell, and Song Qingshu could only hear it faintly, while Lu Guanying had no idea what was happening.

“White Lotus Sect?” Song Qingshu’s heart sank. He wondered why the White Lotus Sect would seek trouble with the Mongols. Could it be that they mistakenly thought the people from Yuqing Temple were part of the Southern Song envoy?

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. After Wang Baobao took control of Yuqing Temple, he immediately sealed off any news from leaking out, creating an illusion that nothing had happened. It was not surprising that the White Lotus Sect was unaware of the changes.

“I wonder if Zhiruo has arrived yet.” Thinking of the numerous experts under Wang Baobao, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.

While Song Qingshu was lost in thought, Lu Guanying was staring at the silk handkerchief in his hand, trembling all over. How could he not recognize something that his wife had painstakingly embroidered for him, stitch by stitch? This token of their affection had always been carried by his wife, and now it was in the hands of this man. What on earth had happened between them was all too clear!

“Why is this thing with you?” Although he had guessed most of it, Lu Guanying still held onto a glimmer of hope that he might hear a different answer from the other party.

“Huh?” Noticing the intense reaction from Lu Guanying, Song Qingshu looked down and quickly tucked the silk handkerchief back into his embrace, pulling out another one instead. “Sorry, I grabbed the wrong one.”

That handkerchief was Cheng Yaojia’s personal item, and he couldn’t bear to let others mess with it.

“You!” Lu Guanying was nearly spitting blood from his frustration at Song Qingshu’s actions.

Only then did Song Qingshu realize that the man before him was Cheng Yaojia’s husband. He awkwardly chuckled, “Don’t misunderstand. This handkerchief was taken from Cheng Yaojia; she didn’t give it to me.”

His intention was to explain for Cheng Yaojia, after all, he had countless ways to win her over and didn’t need to resort to such petty tricks. However, these words fell on Lu Guanying’s ears differently, making him think that Song Qingshu had already become so close to his wife that he was actively defending her.

“That wretched woman!” Lu Guanying’s jealousy flared up, his eyes nearly spitting fire.

Song Qingshu shrugged. He had already explained himself and felt no need to say more. After all, Lu Guanying didn’t even believe his own wife.

“Hey, do you still want to write or not? I don’t have that much time to waste.” Normally, Song Qingshu wouldn’t mind toying with Lu Guanying a bit, but now he was worried that Zhou Zhiruo was involved in the White Lotus Sect’s actions and feared for her safety. He had no mood to chat with Lu Guanying.

“Fine, I’ll write!” Lu Guanying’s tone suddenly turned incredibly calm as he took the pen from Song Qingshu and quickly filled the entire handkerchief with writing.

“Divorce letter?” Upon seeing the content on the handkerchief, Song Qingshu frowned. “Do you know how much Cheng Yaojia sacrificed to save you?”

Lu Guanying couldn’t help but imagine his wife selling her b0dy, his face twitching in anger as he shouted, “Who wants her to save me!” Rather than let the matter spread and ruin the Lu family’s reputation, making him a laughingstock, it was better to take the initiative and expel her from the family first. This way, he could at least save some face.

Having lived two lives, Song Qingshu was well-versed in human emotions and social intricacies. After a moment’s hesitation, he roughly guessed Lu Guanying’s thoughts and couldn’t help but sigh, “Ah, the pitiful pride of men…”

“What did you say!” Lu Guanying glared at him like a wounded beast.

“It’s nothing.” Song Qingshu chose not to provoke him further, and in his heart, he even felt some understanding for him. If the roles were reversed, he probably wouldn’t perform any better. Jealousy and other negative emotions are inherent weaknesses of human nature; who in this world can truly think rationally every time they face a problem?

As he was about to leave, Song Qingshu suddenly turned back and said, “By the way, although you may not appreciate it, I don’t want to see Cheng Yaojia sad in the future. So, let me remind you, the best strategy against an enemy’s interrogation is not to grit your teeth and remain silent, but to deliberately mislead them. Remember this, or else before I get a chance to save you, you might end up dead at the hands of the Mongols.” 

Without waiting for a response, Song Qingshu vanished out the door and headed towards the front courtyard, hoping to see Zhou Zhiruo.

However, Song Qingshu quickly felt disappointed. The entire Yuqing Temple was already a scene of carnage, with corpses strewn everywhere, but there was no sign of Zhou Zhiruo.

Feeling disheartened, he was about to leave and let the Mongols and the White Lotus Sect tear each other apart when his peripheral vision caught a familiar figure, prompting him to exclaim softly and quickly stop in his tracks.

The White Lotus Sect had clearly underestimated the strength of the guards at Yuqing Temple. After some engagement, they suffered significant losses. Since Song Qingshu had been delayed by Lu Guanying, the situation on the battlefield had become quite clear by now.

The Prince Ruyang’s Palace was filled with experts, and with the advantage of terrain, combined with the White Lotus Sect’s misinformation, their defeat was already certain. Only a few elite members remained, struggling to hold on.

Of course, while the White Lotus Sect had sent out their elite, the Prince Ruyang’s Palace had also suffered heavy casualties.

Originally, with both sides in conflict, Song Qingshu didn’t care to pay attention. However, the woman being besieged by Taoist Baishang, the Master of the Vajra Sect, and the Two Xuanming Elders was none other than the mysterious woman he had encountered in the bamboo forest before.

Taoist Baishang and the Master of the Vajra Sect were both super experts in the martial world, and although the Two Xuanming Elders were slightly weaker, when they teamed up, they were not inferior to the first two. The mysterious woman was highly skilled, but she was not Song Qingshu. In just a short while, she had faced several dangers, and it was evident that she had already sustained serious internal injuries. If it weren’t for her exquisite lightness skill, she would have likely been defeated long ago.

Now, although she could still barely hold on with her lightness skill, once the other experts from the Prince Ruyang’s Palace finished dealing with the White Lotus Sect members and surrounded her, no matter how high her lightness skill was, she would probably be unable to use it.

“What is her relationship with the White Lotus Sect?” Song Qingshu had originally thought she was from the Xiaoyao Sect, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

His doubts were quickly resolved when he saw a man and a woman from the White Lotus Sect cut down a monk in front of them and immediately rush over to block Taoist Baishang and the Master of the Vajra Sect, shouting to the woman, “Holy Mother, hurry and leave!”

“White Lotus Holy Mother!” Song Qingshu was taken aback; this was no small matter. The White Lotus Sect was notoriously mysterious in the martial world, and countless people were curious about who their leader was. Unfortunately, no one had ever seen her, only knowing that the leader of the White Lotus Sect was a woman known as the “White Lotus Holy Mother.”

“Am I going to be the first person in the martial world to see the true face of the White Lotus Holy Mother?” Song Qingshu’s lips curled up slightly, and he suddenly felt a sense of pride.