Flower Stealing Master

After walking for a while, the Master of the Vajra Sect could no longer hold back and said, “Princess, although Ouyang Feng has a great reputation, I am not afraid of him. The Indestructible Vajra Skill is enough to keep me undefeated. Why are we suddenly retreating?”

The Two Xuanming Elders beside him also chimed in, “Yes, Princess, we have the numbers on our side, and they only have three people. They might not even be united.”

Zhao Min shot them an annoyed glance, “You two still have the nerve to say that? The two of you couldn’t even handle Zhou Zhiruo and ended up at a disadvantage.”

He Biweng hurriedly replied, “Reporting to the Princess, on the surface, it seems Zhou Zhiruo has the upper hand, but that’s just our strategy. Her fighting style consumes a lot of internal energy. We only need to hold our ground until her True Qi runs out, and we will surely win.”

Zhao Min was not so easily fooled and snorted, “You’ve been fighting for so long, has Zhou Zhiruo shown any signs of running out of True Qi?”

He Biweng smiled sheepishly, “Well, not really.”

Lu Zhangke, who was much more straightforward, couldn’t help but say, “I don’t know what’s going on, but Zhou Zhiruo’s martial arts have improved tremendously. She clearly wasn’t this powerful during the Lion-Slaying Assembly.”

He Biweng immediately wore a lewd smile, “It must be Song Qingshu’s doing. It’s normal for a couple to discuss martial arts after some intimate time together, right?”

Thinking of those images, Zhao Min felt a wave of discomfort and her expression turned cold, “Shut up!”

The Two Xuanming Elders exchanged glances, unsure of what had offended her, and fell silent.

Zhao Min did not want to dwell on this issue anymore and said to the Master of the Vajra Sect, “This Princess does not lack confidence in you, but the reason for retreating is due to other plans.”

“I would like to hear more,” the Master of the Vajra Sect asked curiously.

Having already confirmed that the King of Ruyang was safe, there was no need to rush. Zhao Min thought that since they had some time, she would explain, “Although we have many people, Ouyang Feng and Zhou Zhiruo are both highly skilled, and with Ouyang Feng and Lan Fenghuang being experts in poison, if we really engage in a fight, even if we can win, the losses would be heavy. A mere Jia Baoyu is not worth the risk. It would be better to give him to them and let them fight among themselves.”

The Master of the Vajra Sect frowned, “But Jia Baoyu is the son of Jia Sidao and is entrusted to us by the Southern Song court. If we lose him like this, it might not be easy to explain later.”

Zhao Min snorted, “Why should our Mongol Empire explain to a mere weak Southern Song? We can just tell them that it was the Jin people who kidnapped Jia Baoyu, which would conveniently sow discord between Jin and Song and reignite their conflict.”

The Master of the Vajra Sect and the Two Xuanming Elders suddenly understood, and they all gave her a thumbs up, “Princess, you are brilliant!”

Zhao Min smiled slightly. Today, she had first learned that her father was safe and confirmed Song Qingshu’s safety, which lifted her spirits. She shook the reins and began to gallop away…

*****

In the tea house, Zhou Zhiruo approached Song Qingshu with a half-smile, mimicking Zhao Min’s tone when she left, “Don’t forget our agreement. I’ve been waiting for him… What exactly is your agreement with her?”

Zhou Zhiruo’s imitation was so vivid that Song Qingshu felt overwhelmed. He instinctively glanced to the side, only to see Lan Fenghuang smiling faintly, while Ouyang Feng looked on with a gloating expression, as if enjoying the show.

Song Qingshu had no choice but to pull her aside and quietly said, “She was poisoned by the Three Corpse Brain God Pill, and I promised her I would find an antidote.”

In fact, when Zhao Min left, she had considered consulting Ouyang Feng and Lan Fenghuang, as both were renowned poison experts. They might have a solution. However, since both were enemies of Zhao Min, she thought it over and decided against it. After all, the method to detoxify the Three Corpse Brain God Pill was not difficult; the challenge was identifying which three types of corpse insects were used in the concoction. Ouyang Feng and Lan Fenghuang would not be able to provide the right antidote without that knowledge.

Zhou Zhiruo looked at him suspiciously and asked, “Just like that?” 

Song Qingshu nodded seriously and replied, “Just like that.” 

Zhou Zhiruo huffed in displeasure, “As a Mongol Princess with countless experts under her command, why would she need your help to find an antidote?” 

Song Qingshu thought to himself that these two women were truly natural enemies, so he had to explain, “The reason she was poisoned is largely because of me, so how could I stand by and do nothing?” 

This matter was complicated, so Song Qingshu quickly gave Ouyang Feng a discreet look, signaling him to find a way to help him out of this situation. 

Although the two were of vastly different ages, they had a certain rapport. Ouyang Feng saw that it was about time, so he deliberately coughed and said to Lan Fenghuang beside him, “I’ve heard that the Five Poisons Sect is skilled in using poison, and I happen to be known as the Western Poison. I would like to see for myself.” 

The Five Immortals Sect was the self-styled name of the sect’s members, but people in the martial world secretly referred to it as the Five Poisons Sect. Of course, when in front of members of the Five Poisons Sect, people would call it the Five Immortals Sect, just to avoid offending them and provoking a troublesome enemy. With Ouyang Feng’s status, he naturally didn’t need such niceties. 

Lan Fenghuang giggled, “Our Five Immortals Sect is located in the southwestern frontier; how could we possibly compare to the illustrious reputation of Mr. Ouyang?” 

Ouyang Feng chuckled, “You praise my martial arts but do not mention my skills in poison, which clearly shows you have some reservations in your heart.” Having lived for more than half a lifetime, he was already well-versed in human emotions. Although Lan Fenghuang praised him as Mr. Ouyang, she did not engage with his mention of Western Poison, so he understood her thoughts quite well. 

Lan Fenghuang laughed lightly, “Mr. Ouyang is too modest. However, our Five Immortals Sect has a history of several hundred years and has accumulated countless experiences from our predecessors. While we do not dare to claim to be the best in the world at using poison, we also do not wish to belittle ourselves and tarnish the reputation of our forebears.” 

Although Lan Fenghuang’s martial arts were like a world apart from Ouyang Feng’s, she had complete confidence in her skills with poison. Moreover, for a master of poison, sparring with peers of the same level was also a good opportunity to enhance one’s cultivation. 

Ouyang Feng laughed heartily, “I haven’t encountered a master of poison in many years. Since that’s the case, let’s have a friendly spar!” 

Song Qingshu and Zhou Zhiruo had already noticed the commotion over there and hurried over. 

“Fighting with poison is too dangerous; we are all on the same side, and it wouldn’t be good to hurt anyone. I think we should let it go,” Song Qingshu said, feeling a headache coming on. He had wanted Ouyang Feng to help him out, but who knew he would come up with this idea. 

Song Qingshu had heard a bit about the methods of fighting with poison in the martial world. Typically, two people would take turns using poison, and the poisoned person would use their lifetime’s knowledge to detoxify themselves. If they succeeded, it would be their turn to poison the other; if they couldn’t detoxify, the winner would naturally be determined. Since both were masters of poison, the poisons they used were certainly not ordinary; they were extremely potent, often resulting in life and death outcomes. Song Qingshu certainly did not want to see such a scene unfold. 

Ouyang Feng smiled, “You don’t need to worry; we certainly won’t use such dangerous methods of competition.” After saying that, he looked at Lan Fenghuang, “I’ve heard that the Five Poisons Sect’s five poisons are snake, spider, toad, scorpion, and centipede. Coincidentally, I also have a white camel monster snake here. Why don’t you, Sect Leader Lan, bring out your five poisons and let my snake compete with them?” 

Lan Fenghuang had already noticed that a long, slender monster snake was coiled around the head of Ouyang Feng’s snake staff, its body as black as ink, with its eyes occasionally flashing with a ghostly light, clearly not an ordinary creature. 

However, Song Qingshu knew even more. This monster snake was carefully cultivated by Ouyang Feng. Years ago, he had used the venom of this monster snake to poison thousands of sharks in an entire sea area. Later, he had bitten Hong Qigong with this snake; even with the latter’s profound skills, he immediately fell into a coma. Eventually, he managed to force out the venom, but his entire cultivation was basically ruined. If it weren’t for Guo Jing’s respect for the Nine Yin Manual, Hong Qigong would have likely become a cripple from then on.

All of this was still based on the fact that most of the poison inside that strange snake had been extracted to poison the shark, and it had not yet had time to recover. If that strange snake were in full condition and bit someone, even with Hong Qigong’s cultivation, he would probably die immediately.

“That’s excellent,” Lan Fenghuang said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She found a large basin and then extended a finger to point into the wooden basin.

Lan Fenghuang’s finger was as white as jade, with long nails painted a vibrant red. Soon, a small green snake slithered out from her sleeve, sliding down her finger into the basin. The intertwining colors of white, red, and green created a striking visual impact.

Song Qingshu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly; if he hadn’t known her identity beforehand, who would have thought that such a stunning beauty, full of charm, was also filled with deadly poison?

Ouyang Feng smiled slightly, “Unless all five poisons gather together, otherwise, I’m afraid they won’t be a match for my strange snake.”

“Then I’ll take a little advantage,” Lan Fenghuang nodded, clearly agreeing with his opinion. She then released a large, hairy spider, a spotted scorpion, a red-backed toad, and a hundred-legged black centipede.

Zhou Zhiruo gasped in shock, quickly turning her face away and pressing herself against Song Qingshu, not daring to look again, which made Song Qingshu chuckle in amusement.

As soon as the five poisonous creatures appeared, they immediately occupied several corners of the basin, each warily watching the others, restless and agitated.

Ouyang Feng laughed, “If I don’t put the strange snake in, they will probably start fighting among themselves.” He didn’t want to take advantage and directly placed the strange snake in the center of the basin.

The five poisons were originally on high alert, but as soon as the strange snake entered the basin, they all visibly trembled and instinctively took a step back.

Lan Fenghuang frowned slightly, and with her red lips, she gently blew out a peculiar whistle. The five poisons gradually settled down; after all, they were the elite refined through countless trials by the Five Poisons Sect. Although they were somewhat wary of the strange snake in the middle, they still had the advantage in numbers. Under Lan Fenghuang’s command, they gradually moved toward the direction of the strange snake.

Ouyang Feng also took out a bone flute and similarly played a strange tune. Upon hearing the flute sound, the white camel strange snake coiled up, its head swaying slightly from side to side, as if it were a martial arts master preparing to strike.

Zhou Zhiruo hid in Song Qingshu’s embrace, too scared to look, while Song Qingshu was wide-eyed, not expecting that both of them could directly control these creatures that acted almost on instinct. It was truly astonishing.

Just as a fierce battle was about to erupt in the basin, a sudden sound of urgent hoofbeats came from not far away. With their formidable skills, Song Qingshu and Ouyang Feng immediately discerned that people were approaching from several directions, subtly surrounding them, clearly not coming with good intentions.

Ouyang Feng tapped his snake staff, retracting the white camel strange snake from the basin, and smiled at Lan Fenghuang, “I’m afraid we’ll have to use a new method to compete.”

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