Flower Stealing Master

Seeing Lan Fenghuang’s earnest request for guidance, Ouyang Feng explained, “Poison isn’t necessarily better the more toxic it is. The key lies in measure. Different purposes naturally call for different properties. The venom of my strange snake is certainly no less potent than your Golden Silkworm Gu Poison. But simply poisoning a few people to death is meaningless. It’s better to reduce the toxicity so that those poisoned go mad without dying immediately. Then they will spread the poison to their comrades for me, naturally achieving the goal of wiping out the entire force.”

From the side, Zhou Zhiruo asked curiously, “That was just a single drop of snake venom, diluted so many times. How could it still poison so many people?”

Ouyang Feng laughed. “My poison has a unique characteristic: once it contacts blood, it turns all of that blood into new poison. An adult male has at least seven or eight *jin* of blood—that’s seven or eight *jin* of poison. When that poisons a new person, that adds another seven or eight *jin* of poison. How could the quantity possibly be insufficient?”

Song Qingshu sighed. “This is the legendary ‘flowing poison that spreads in all directions.ʼ” He silently thanked his lucky stars that Ouyang Feng hadn’t lived in a later era of advanced technology. Otherwise, with his understanding of poisons, he could have cooked up some zombie virus right out of a sci-fi movie in no time.

Lan Fenghuang’s face was filled with admiration. “Senior, your method of delivering poison is truly exquisitely brilliant.”

As if recalling something, Ouyang Feng’s expression grew wistful. “Actually, this was inspired by an old incident from years past…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but the others thought they glimpsed something glistening in his eyes. They were all taken aback.

It turned out this wasn’t the first time Ouyang Feng had used the Flowing Poison in All Directions method. Years ago, when he had taken Ouyang Ke to Peach Blossom Island to seek a marriage alliance and returned empty-handed, he had encountered Zhou Botong, Guo Jing, and Hong Qigong, who were trapped among a school of sharks. He had used this very method to annihilate the sharks across that entire stretch of sea.

Unfortunately, it was easy to poison a school of sharks to death, but poisoning a group of people was much harder. After all, humans don’t eat their wounded companions the way sharks do. Later, at Iron Spear Temple, the truth of Ouyang Ke’s death came to light. To silence her, Yang Kang struck Huang Rong with a palm, but was cut by the Soft Hedgehog Armor she wore. By chance, one of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, Nan Xiren, had also struck Huang Rong with a palm after being poisoned by the snake venom. Thus, the Soft Hedgehog Armor carried the strange snake’s venom, and when Yang Kang was cut by it, he too was poisoned.

The venom had been transferred multiple times, greatly reducing its potency. That was why Yang Kang didn’t die immediately, but he did go mad. Sha Tongtian tried to restrain him to calm him down, but Yang Kang scratched his arm. If Peng Lianhu hadn’t decisively cut off Sha Tongtian’s arm, Sha Tongtian would surely have died from the poison as well.

That incident was connected to Ouyang Ke’s death, and Ouyang Feng was unwilling to dwell on it. But it had given him inspiration, allowing him to improve the Flowing Poison in All Directions method. From then on, he could not only poison sharks but also inflict mass casualties on humans!

By now, the screams outside had gradually subsided. Everyone looked out and saw that only a few people were still standing. Song Qingshu’s form flickered, and by the time he returned, he had captured a live prisoner. As it happened, the sole survivor was the leader of the cavalry unit.

“Who sent you?” Song Qingshu didn’t waste words with him. He immediately employed the Soul Capture Technique.

The man’s sanity had already been shattered by the hellish scene outside, making him easy to control. “The L… Left Chancellor.”

“Wan Qili?” Song Qingshu was startled. “How dare he do this?” A sitting chancellor openly dispatching troops to ambush the son of the Countersignatory of the Bureau of Military Affairs—if this came to light, it would send shockwaves through the court and the country.

Fortunately, this cavalry leader appeared to be Wan Qili’s trusted confidant and knew many things. From his words, Song Qingshu was able to piece together the general outline of the scheme.

The cavalry unit’s mission was not only to kill Jia Baoyu but also to assassinate the Mongolian envoy delegation. It turned out that because Song Qingshu had suddenly “returned from the dead,” Wan Qili realized that everything he had schemed was on the verge of falling apart. Li Yuanzhi’s “loss of chastity” poured fuel on the fire. Wan Qili knew it was all over. In his dreams, he could see himself being discarded as an expendable pawn, cast aside without hesitation by Zhao Gou.

Having spent decades in politics, Wan Qili possessed extensive experience and keen intuition. He knew it wouldn’t be long before he was dismissed from his post as chancellor. Thinking of all the people he had offended, especially Song Qingshu, he was certain that once dismissed, he would be doomed beyond redemption.

After much deliberation, Wan Qili decided to stake everything on a single roll of the dice. He sent his trusted men leading troops to ambush the Mongolian envoy delegation, and also to kill Jia Baoyu. As long as no witnesses survived, no one would know he was responsible. The Mongols placed the highest importance on envoys. Back when the powerful Khwarazmian Empire had merely executed a few ordinary Mongol envoys, it had suffered the destruction of their entire nation in retaliation. Now, a revered commander was dead? [G: Zhao Min is a 郡主, which is often translated as “Commander” in this context.]

The Mongols would definitely go to war with the Southern Song. The matter of returning Sichuan would naturally be off the table. Then Li Kexiu’s Jianghuai region would become more important than ever before. The recent court debates over whether to choose Sichuan or Jiangsu and Anhui would cease. Jia Sidao, driven by the grief of losing his son, would also resent the Mongols and support going to war with them.

Thus, Wan Qili’s alliance with Li Kexiu would become the most powerful combination in the entire Southern Song. Of course, he knew that walls have ears. This matter would eventually be traced back to him. But so what? By then, the Southern Song and the Mongols would be locked in a fight to the death, and the truth would no longer matter.

Song Qingshu clicked his tongue in amazement. *No wonder Wan Qili, like Qin Hui, would be cursed for ten thousand years in history. Truly ruthless and vicious to the core. For his own selfish desires, he would tie the fate of the entire Southern Song to him, not caring that this would plunge the world into misery and cause countless deaths.*

Seeing that nothing more could be extracted, Song Qingshu struck the man’s chest with a palm, severing his heart meridian. The man’s earlier lecherous thoughts toward Zhou Zhiruo and Lan Fenghuang had already stirred Song Qingshu’s killing intent. Moreover, willingly acting as Wan Qili’s claw and abetting his evil—such a death was no loss.

Ouyang Feng sighed. “I always thought I, the Western Venom, was venomous enough. But compared to these nobles in the imperial court, I’m truly ashamed.”

Song Qingshu snorted coldly. “Once I’ve dealt with the Golden Serpent Camp matter, I will return to Lin’an and slaughter this vile creature, lest he poison the common people of the world in the future.”

Ouyang Feng laughed. “From what Chongjie girl said, the Golden Serpent Camp and Li Kexiu’s army are currently locked in a stalemate. You’re planning to go help, I take it?”

“Chongjie?” Zhou Zhiruo’s delicate brows furrowed slightly at the mention of another woman. She gave Song Qingshu a meaningful glance.

Song Qingshu pretended not to notice. “Why didn’t she come with you?”

Ouyang Feng replied, “That girl was rather seriously injured. She was worried she’d be a burden, so she decided to stay in Lin’an to recover and asked me to come help you.”

Song Qingshu felt a warmth in his heart. *That girl usually acts like a fearless little enchantress. Who knew she could be so considerate at a critical moment?*

“Do you want me to accompany you north?” Ouyang Feng’s tone carried a hint of calm authority. “With my Flowing Poison in All Directions to assist you, defeating Li Kexiu’s army would be child’s play.”

Song Qingshu shook his head. “Chongjie is injured. I’m really not comfortable leaving her alone in Lin’an. It’s better that you escort her back to the Jin Dynasty.” *Are you kidding? My goal in going there is not only to relieve the siege of the Golden Serpent Camp but also to take over Li Kexiu’s territory. If Ouyang Feng unleashes Flowing Poison in All Directions and turns the battlefield into a living hell, how will I ever avoid a blood feud with the people of the Lianghuai region?*

Back in the day, Xiang Yu had been too brutal in his burning, killing, and looting while pacifying the Qi region. That had led the people of Qi to rebel incessantly, forcing Xiang Yu to repeatedly turn back to suppress rebellions during the critical period of the Chu-Han contention, giving Liu Bang breathing room and allowing Han Xin to sweep across the north.

Song Qingshu didn’t think he was a better military commander than Xiang Yu. Since Xiang Yu couldn’t fully pacify the uprisings in Qi, if he himself became blood enemies with the people of Lianghuai, he might never be able to subdue the region.

Moreover, Song Qingshu was even more worried that using Flowing Poison in All Directions would ruin his own reputation. Reputation was an intangible thing, but once tainted, everything you did would face opposition from all sides and yield half the result with twice the effort. Just like that scoundrel Wu Sangui…

“Very well.” Ouyang Feng nodded. He, too, was very fond of Wanyan Chongjie, regarding her like a granddaughter. He really wasn’t comfortable leaving her alone.

“We’ve caused such a huge commotion here. Someone will come to investigate soon. Let’s leave this place first.” Zhou Zhiruo’s complexion was somewhat pale from the smell of blood in the air.

“Then I’ll return to Lin’an.” Ouyang Feng bid farewell to the group, and soon his Qinggong had carried him far into the distance.

“The Western Venom’s ‘Thousand Li in an Instant’ is truly extraordinary.” Zhou Zhiruo watched Ouyang Feng’s vanishing figure with admiration.

Song Qingshu laughed. “Your husband’s Qinggong is even better.”

Zhou Zhiruo glanced furtively at Lan Fenghuang and couldn’t help spitting, “Pah, you’re so shameless~”

Lan Fenghuang giggled. “You two are so deeply in love, it makes others green with envy.”

Zhou Zhiruo blushed. “Sister Lan, you’re making fun of me too.”

Amid their playful banter, the three resumed their journey northward. They traveled for half a day, and as dusk fell, the rumble of thunder echoed through the sky.

Watching the roiling dark clouds overhead, Lan Fenghuang said, “Young Master, it looks like rain is about to fall. Let’s find a place to take shelter before continuing.”

“Sounds good.” Song Qingshu nodded, and the three began searching for a refuge.

Soon, a torrential downpour poured from the heavens. The two women cried out in surprise. Song Qingshu’s sharp eyes spotted a faint eave in the distance. “There’s an old temple over there. Let’s take shelter there.”

With that, he wrapped an arm around each of them. His form flickered, and in an instant they were on their way.

Lan Fenghuang felt the wind rush past her ears. By the time she realized what had happened, they were already at the temple gate. She wasn’t the type of woman to blush or get flustered over being carried, however. Instead, she giggled. “Sister Zhou, your husband’s Qinggong really is a bit better than Senior Ouyang’s.”

Teased like this, Zhou Zhiruo felt both embarrassed and secretly proud. Just as she was about to respond, Song Qingshu made a gesture. “There are quite a few people inside the temple…” He paused, then added gravely, “All top-tier masters.”

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