Flower Stealing Master

Zhao Min was momentarily stunned. Shaken by what had just happened, combined with Song Qingshu’s liberties with her person, her reactions were slower than usual. But as soon as Zhou Zhiruo spoke, she instantly realized she had fallen into grave danger.

If Song Qingshu was impersonating Jia Baoyu, then the real Jia Baoyu was clearly dead. Once the impersonation was exposed, there would be a fight to the death between him and Jia Sidao. Jia Sidao was, after all, the most powerful military figure in the Southern Song. Though Song Qingshu’s Golden Serpent Camp was full of vigor and vitality, its foundations were still shallow. It could not compete with an entire nation like the Southern Song. Moreover, it was currently locked in an intense struggle with Li Kexiu’s Jiangnan Green Standard Army. If the Southern Song formally entered the war, the Golden Serpent Camp would have no path but defeat.

But that wasn’t the most critical issue. If it were merely a matter of impersonating Jia Baoyu, Zhao Min was quite certain that given their relationship, Song Qingshu might not necessarily do anything to her. However, his impersonation had fooled not only her but everyone in Lin’an—even Jia Sidao himself hadn’t realized that his son had been replaced. What an astonishingly masterful disguise!

The last time she had seen him disguised as Tang Kuobian in the Jin Dynasty, she had thought it was a lucky coincidence. After all, Tang Kuobian’s face was covered in a bushy beard, a distinctive feature that made him relatively easy to impersonate. But this time, Jia Baoyu was a powder-faced, effeminate dandy—not a single hair on his face!

Without a beard to hide behind, every inch of his face would be seen by people who knew Jia Baoyu well. Yet even so, no one had discovered the truth. This proved that Song Qingshu had the ability to disguise himself as anyone!

If the world learned he possessed such an ability, countless nobles would find it impossible to sleep or eat in peace. He would become the enemy of every man under heaven—after all, no man wanted another man to disguise himself as him and get intimate with his wife…

Connecting this with Tang Kuobian in the Jin Dynasty, Zhao Min suddenly thought of Song Qingshu’s assassination of the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. She had always found the entire affair suspicious. From what she knew of Song Qingshu, would he ever act so recklessly? Could it be…

Seeing Zhao Min’s expression change several times, Song Qingshu smiled. “It seems the Princess has figured out many things.”

Zhao Min gave a bitter smile. “Right now, I suddenly feel that it would be better if I weren’t so clever.”

Song Qingshu also sighed. “If it were any other matter, I could let you go. But this involves far too much—it concerns the lives and safety of countless people. I must nip any risk in the bud.”

Zhao Min’s face turned pale. She murmured, “I understand. If our positions were reversed, I would make the same choice.”

Seeing the two of them entangled in this conversation, Zhou Zhiruo couldn’t help snorting. “Are you done or not? If you can’t bring yourself to do it, I will!” She reached for the Heaven Sword in Song Qingshu’s hand.

Truth be told, Zhou Zhiruo would never lose her composure like this over any other woman. But every time she saw Zhao Min’s radiant, flower-like face and the proud look between her brows, her heart felt stifled.

Zhao Min pressed her lips together and smiled. “Little girl, do you want me dead that badly?”

Zhou Zhiruo turned her face away with a snort. “To keep you, the vixen, from causing any more trouble.”

Zhao Min’s smile grew even brighter. “Are you this angry because of Zhang Wuji, or because you’re afraid I’ll steal your man again?”

“You!” Zhou Zhiruo was momentarily speechless. Her pretty face flushed crimson. She didn’t know how to respond. Could she say in front of her husband that it was because of another man? She wasn’t that foolish. But if she admitted the latter reason, wouldn’t that be conceding that her charm was far inferior to Zhao Min’s? She could lose to anyone in the world—except Zhao Min.

*Hmph, this vixen,* Zhou Zhiruo thought indignantly. *I don’t know what I owe her from a past life, but even on the verge of death, she still wants to harm me.*

Song Qingshu didn’t give the sword to Zhou Zhiruo. Instead, he raised it himself and pressed it against Zhao Min’s fair, jade-like neck. The chill of the Heaven Sword’s blade raised goosebumps on Zhao Min’s skin. She gave the man before her a long, deep look, then closed her eyes.

With Zhao Min’s intelligence, she knew that if she pleaded softly, there might be a chance of turning things around. But if she did that, wouldn’t she be unable to hold her head up before Zhou Zhiruo for the rest of her life? What saddened her even more, however, was that Song Qingshu truly harbored killing intent toward her. Suddenly, life seemed to have lost all meaning.

Seeing Zhao Min’s slightly raised chin, her face radiating a silent pride, Song Qingshu frowned deeply. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to strike.

As he hesitated, He Biweng cried out in alarm, “Song, you’re not really going to kill the Princess, are you? Have you no conscience? Do you have any idea that the Princess, upon hearing of your trouble, traveled thousands of *li* to Jiangnan without a moment’s delay, and even falsely transmitted the Great Khan’s decree to pressure the Southern Song court…”

“Shut up!” Before he could finish, Zhao Min’s eyes snapped open. She shot him a fierce glare. “We Mongols have heroes who die fighting, not cowards who beg for mercy!”

“Princess, I’m not a Mongol.” Seeing that Song Qingshu truly seemed intent on killing, the Vajra Sect Master could no longer stay silent. He quickly said, “Young Master Song, given the relationship between our Princess and yourself, you’re practically family. What grudge can’t be resolved? So what if you’re impersonating Jia Baoyu? We won’t tell anyone else. Why make this so serious?”

His plea was not born of loyalty to his mistress but of self-preservation. If Zhao Min were killed, where would that leave them?

Unfortunately, they lacked Zhao Min’s intelligence and had not grasped the true gravity of the situation.

“Silence!” Her subordinates repeatedly undermining her infuriated and embarrassed Zhao Min. She wished she could take a needle and sew shut the mouths of these blundering fools. Glancing at the expressions on Song Qingshu’s face and those around him, her pretty face turned even redder than a rose.

The corner of Song Qingshu’s mouth curled upward. He sheathed the Heaven Sword. The Vajra Sect Master and the others had just breathed a sigh of relief when the sword instantly appeared at their throats. “Since you’re so loyal to your mistress, I’ll kill you first. You can go ahead and scout the road to the underworld for her.”

Feeling the killing intent at the tip of the sword, the Vajra Sect Master felt all his hair stand on end—even though he had been bald for decades and didn’t have a single strand on his head, he still had the sensation of his hair standing up. “Young Master Song, Great Hero Song, I have indeed offended you in the past. You are magnanimous. For the Princess’s sake, please spare us.”

Though he was a grandmaster, he had made his career in the Western Regions, where the rule was survival of the fittest. Unlike the leaders of Central Plains sects, who were so protective of their reputations, he did not hesitate to beg for mercy.

Zhao Min was both mortified and furious. “If you want to beg, beg for yourselves! Why drag me into it?” But despite her words, she spread her arms to shield them, facing Song Qingshu. “They are my subordinates. If you want to kill them, kill me first!”

Song Qingshu used the tip of his sword to lift her chin. “Do you really think I don’t dare kill you?”

Zhao Min bit her lip and said flatly, “You are a great hero, a great champion. Is there anyone under heaven you wouldn’t dare kill?”

Song Qingshu was silent for a long moment. Then he said, “They don’t understand why I have to kill you. But you should. I cannot let you go.”

“I know,” Zhao Min said, her face expressionless.

Only then did the Vajra Sect Master and the Xuanming Elders realize that Song Qingshu truly meant to kill them—that this was not merely a lovers’ spat. Terror seized them.

“Young Master Song, let’s talk this over calmly,” the Xuanming Elders blurted out, vying with each other. “If you spare us, from now on we can work for you. Al… although our martial arts are far inferior to yours, we’re still passable in the *wulin*. We can be of some use.”

Zhao Min, who knew their characters all too well, was not at all surprised by their groveling servility. She kept her face cold and said nothing throughout.

“Unfortunately, I don’t trust you,” Song Qingshu said coldly.

Hearing the slight softening in his tone, the Xuanming Elders were overjoyed rather than alarmed. “What would it take for the Young Master to trust us brothers?”

Song Qingshu produced two crimson pills and held them out to them. “Given your experience, you must have heard of the Three Corpse Brain Holy Pill. Eat these, and I might spare your lives.”

The Xuanming Elders exchanged glances, seeing the fear in each other’s eyes. Having roamed the *wulin* for many years, how could they not know what the Three Corpse Brain Holy Pill was? Apart from the poisoner who administered it, no one else could neutralize it. Even Zhao Min, a Princess of such high status, had been poisoned with it and, despite mobilizing all the resources of Prince Ruyang’s residence, had yet to find an antidote.

Once they took the Three Corpse Brain Holy Pill, they would have no choice but to obey Song Qingshu in everything. If he withheld the antidote, the corpse worms would burgeon and feed on their brains—a fate worse than death.

But they had no other choice. Grimacing, they swallowed the pills.

“Good,” Song Qingshu said with a satisfied nod. “Now look into my eyes.”

The Xuanming Elders instinctively looked up and felt themselves plunged into darkness. Even after making them take the Three Corpse Brain Holy Pill, Song Qingshu was still not reassured. He also implanted a brand on their souls, making them subconsciously incapable of betraying him.

“Soul Capture Technique!” Given the Vajra Sect Master’s cultivation and knowledge, he had naturally heard of this technique from the *Nine Yin Scripture*. Seeing Song Qingshu effortlessly capture the souls of two great masters filled him with both shock and fear.

Song Qingshu said calmly, “Sect Master, you have two choices. Either die now, or open your mind and join them.” The Vajra Sect Master’s internal energy far surpassed that of the Xuanming Elders. Now that he was on guard, performing the Soul Capture Technique on him carried considerable risk. Of course, given Song Qingshu’s current level of skill, he wouldn’t suffer backlash, but the Vajra Sect Master’s resistance might completely destroy his consciousness. Song Qingshu didn’t want a brain-dead subordinate.

The Vajra Sect Master’s expression flickered between darkness and light. The pride of his lineage made him unwilling to be thus commanded for the rest of his life. Yet his attachment to the pleasures of this world made him unwilling to die. After a long while, he finally exhaled a turbid breath. “Do it.”

Seeing his expression of tragic indignation, as if he were a maiden about to be ravished by a brutish man, Song Qingshu was thoroughly disgusted. But he suppressed his revulsion and performed the Soul Capture Technique on him.

Perhaps having witnessed Song Qingshu instantly kill eighteen top-tier masters had made the Vajra Sect Master see reason. He offered no resistance at all. The process went smoothly.

After feeding him the Three Corpse Brain Holy Pill, Song Qingshu said to them, “Return to Mongolia. I’ve already told you how to report this. Everything else proceeds as usual. When I need you, I will notify you.”

“Yes, Young Master!” The three men exchanged glances. They didn’t feel any different physically, only vaguely aware that something had been added to their minds. They cast a sheepish look at Zhao Min and then slunk away.

“Digging at my foundations right in front of me. Have you considered how the owner feels about this?” Zhao Min had watched coldly from the sidelines the entire time. Only now did she speak.

Song Qingshu smiled faintly. “You can still command them as you always have. But in the end, they will obey me.”

Zhao Min’s expression changed. “I advise you to kill me now. If you think you can control me the way you control them, absolutely not!” With that, she resolutely threw herself toward the tip of the Heaven Sword in his hand.

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