Flower Stealing Master

Song Qingshu fell silent for a moment, quietly sighing to himself. In the original ‘The Smiling, Proud Wanderer’, he had only focused on Ren Yingying’s gentle and tender side, overlooking the fact that she was the Saintess of a demonic cult. In terms of ruthlessness, she surpassed many of its members. Now, knowing she faced certain death, she decisively attempted to drag her opponent down with her.

“Since I’ve made my move, there’s no reason to stop halfway,” Song Qingshu said, ignoring her plea as he continued channeling True Qi into her to suppress the cold poison.

“But this will put you in danger!” Ren Yingying, fully aware of the risks, protested. Zuo Lengchan had deliberately provoked him to exhaust his internal strength by saving her. Dividing his focus between transferring Qi and fending off so many experts, even the strongest martial artist would eventually be worn down.

“I know what I’m doing,” Song Qingshu replied in a deep voice.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a touching display of affection.” A soft, melodious voice interrupted. The crowd turned to look and saw a girl in a purple dress, around fifteen or sixteen years old, standing beside the iron-masked man. Her complexion was pale, and her beauty was striking, but her large, lively eyes were brimming with clever mischief, an air quite unlike the refined demeanor of noble ladies in the Central Plains.

“An old saying claims, ‘abhor purple (Zi) for diminishing the brilliance of vermilion.’ How true it is!” Song Qingshu sighed, then coldly glared at the girl. “Ding Chunqiu is truly regressing. After betraying your master, he still hasn’t dealt with you.”

The last time Song Qingshu had attended the Golden Serpent Assembly, he had encountered You Tanzhi and been puzzled by his affiliation with Ding Chunqiu. Seeing this girl now, he immediately understood. 

Who else but Ah Zi could command You Tanzhi so completely? Remembering that Ah Zi had stolen Ding Chunqiu’s Sacred Wood King Cauldron and fled to the Central Plains in the original story, it wasn’t hard to guess the current situation.

The girl’s expression shifted. “You know us?”

Song Qingshu sneered and ignored her, turning instead to Master Fang Zheng. “I’ve long heard of Master Fang Zheng’s compassion, but seeing you today, your reputation seems undeserved.”

Master Fang Zheng opened his mouth but ultimately shook his head, his face filled with shame. “Your rebuke is justified.”

Zuo Lengchan, however, sneered from the side. ‘Master Fang Zheng had indeed planned to save the girl just now, but some people sought to take my life during the chaos. Master Fang Zheng had no choice but to save the nearer person—me. Ultimately, this is all your own doing.’

“You and I both know the truth,” Song Qingshu scoffed. By now, he could clearly see that the Mount Song Sect had struck a secret deal with Shaolin. Otherwise, someone as benevolent as Fang Zheng wouldn’t be shielding Zuo Lengchan at every turn.

Zuo Lengchan flushed but didn’t retort. Instead, he approached You Tanzhi. “I am Zuo Lengchan of the Mount Song Sect. Are you the young hero You who dueled with surnamed Yang at the Golden Serpent Camp?”

“Y-yes, that’s me.” You Tanzhi, aware of Zuo Lengchan’s high status in the martial arts world, was flattered by his respectful address.

“Oh, so you’re the Alliance Leader of the Five Sacred Mountain Sword Sects?” Ah Zi curiously sized up Zuo Lengchan, secretly thinking, ‘Hmph, in the Xingxiu Sect, I’m just a little junior, bullied by everyone. But now that I’m with this iron-headed weirdo, even an Alliance Leader has to show respect.’

Seeing the smug look on Ah Zi’s face, Zuo Lengchan felt a trace of annoyance. However, being a seasoned schemer, he immediately discerned that the iron-masked man was utterly devoted to her. Planning to ally with You Tanzhi, Zuo Lengchan hid his displeasure and instead praised, “Young Hero You is not only skilled in martial arts but also has a beautiful companion by his side. Truly enviable.”

You Tanzhi blushed and hurriedly replied, “Miss Ah Zi is not… I wouldn’t dare… overreach.” Despite his denial, he couldn’t help feeling a trace of joy in his heart.

Seeing You Tanzhi’s reaction, Ah Zi frowned inwardly. ‘If it weren’t for Ding Chunqiu hunting me down, leaving me no choice but to rely on his protection, how could someone like me associate with such an ugly fool?’

“With a dashing man and a beautiful woman, how could it be considered overreaching?” Zuo Lengchan glanced at You Tanzhi’s iron head, suppressing the nausea in his heart, and forced out a flattering remark. Once You Tanzhi was swept up in the compliments, Zuo Lengchan suddenly changed his tone. “However, before you two can achieve your happy ending, there seems to be an enormous trial ahead.”

“What trial?” Having been praised so much, You Tanzhi was already lost in fantasies of marrying Ah Zi. Hearing this sudden statement, a glint of menace appeared in his eyes.

“Surely you’ve witnessed that man’s martial arts just now,” Zuo Lengchan said, pointing at Song Qingshu. “After offending him so grievously today, if he escapes, you two might find yourselves unable to sleep peacefully in the future.”

While Zuo Lengchan’s manipulative words were enough to deceive You Tanzhi, Ah Zi, who was always quick-witted, saw through his intentions instantly. However, growing up in the Xingxiu Sect had taught her to eradicate potential threats thoroughly. If they didn’t seize the chance to kill Song Qingshu today, trouble was inevitable in the future. For this reason, Ah Zi chose not to expose Zuo Lengchan’s true motives. Instead, she smiled sweetly and chimed in, “Little brother, Master Lengchan is right. If we don’t get rid of him today, I’ll surely be sleepless with worry every night.”

At the same time, Ah Zi regretted her earlier actions. If she had known that young girl had such a formidable protector, she wouldn’t have provoked her…

Seeing Ah Zi’s agreement, You Tanzhi’s eyes turned vicious as he glared at Song Qingshu. “Since Ah Zi wants you dead, you might as well die!” With that, he surged forward, a black wind swirling as he attacked.

Zuo Lengchan was overjoyed and hurriedly joined the fray, sword in hand.

While Zuo Lengchan was goading You Tanzhi, Song Qingshu was busy suppressing the cold poison in Ren Yingying’s body. You Tanzhi’s palm force was not only extremely cold but also laced with poison, which had quickly invaded Ren Yingying’s meridians. Song Qingshu had exerted all his strength to stabilize her condition and prevent the cold poison from advancing further. Yet he knew that if he stopped transmitting internal energy, the suppressed poison would erupt, and Ren Yingying’s life would be in peril.

When Zuo Lengchan and You Tanzhi attacked simultaneously, Song Qingshu snorted coldly. One hand remained pressed against Ren Yingying’s back, while the other intercepted their combined assault.

In the blink of an eye, the three exchanged dozens of moves. Zuo Lengchan was horrified to find that, despite the two of them working together, they had gained no advantage.

The spectators were even more astonished. Song Qingshu, using only one hand and unable to move freely due to Ren Yingying’s presence, still held the upper hand against two elite fighters. His martial arts skill seemed unfathomable.

Who was this formidable expert?

Everyone began speculating about Song Qingshu’s background.

Song Qingshu, however, wore a grave expression. Both Zuo Lengchan and You Tanzhi possessed overwhelmingly cold inner strength. Although it didn’t affect him directly, the surrounding temperature dropped noticeably after prolonged fighting. This seemed to provoke the dormant cold poison in Ren Yingying’s body, causing it to stir restlessly. Song Qingshu had to divert more of his energy to suppress it.

You Tanzhi, inexperienced despite his unusual strength, remained unaware of the subtle changes. However, Zuo Lengchan keenly noticed that Song Qingshu’s moves had become slightly sluggish. Spotting Ren Yingying at his side, he immediately understood and shouted, “Attack Ren Yingying!” Without hesitation, his strike redirected toward her.

Song Qingshu roared in anger. “Zuo Lengchan, you call yourself a master, yet you stoop to such despicable tactics!”

Zuo Lengchan ignored the rebuke, relentlessly targeting Ren Yingying. His strategy quickly bore fruit; Song Qingshu’s previously calm demeanor gave way to occasional moments of desperation as he shielded Ren Yingying.

“Senior, you should let me go. If this continues, you’ll lose your life too,” Ren Yingying said urgently, her eyes reddening. From a young age, she’d been surrounded by people willing to die for her, but only because of her status as the Saintess. This was the first time someone protected her purely out of genuine care.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“I’m suppressing the cold poison for you. Use this opportunity to focus on expelling it. Stop overthinking—I can handle this,” Song Qingshu replied indifferently.

Ren Yingying bit her lip. Even with his help, she knew it would take hours to drive out the cold poison. By then, both of them would likely be dead.

Noticing how he occasionally chose to endure blows to protect her, resulting in temporary sluggishness in his moves, Ren Yingying realized the frost Qi from their enemies was affecting him. Her martial arts might not be top-tier, but her keen insight, honed from growing up among experts, allowed her to discern the problem immediately.

She knew this couldn’t continue. After a moment of hesitation, she blushed and whispered, “You don’t need to stay by my side. You can… hold me instead. That way, you’ll be able to move freely.”

Ordinarily, Ren Yingying would never have said such a thing to a man, not even Linghu Chong. But seeing how dire the situation was, she felt that dying was acceptable, but dragging this senior down with her was unforgivable.

As soon as the words left her mouth, her face turned crimson. Yet she couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: This senior truly was a gentleman. All this time, he had only transmitted energy to her without touching her improperly. If it were that scoundrel Song Qingshu, he would have taken the opportunity to grope her all over…

Noticing Ren Yingying’s alternating shy and angry expressions, Song Qingshu thought she was merely embarrassed. He had no idea she was cursing him in her heart.

Still, he silently berated himself: ‘D*mn it, I’ve been trying too hard to act like a noble expert. Why didn’t I think of such a simple solution?’

Extending his arm, he pulled Ren Yingying into his embrace. Wrapping an arm around her slender waist, he placed his hand gently on her lower abdomen, continuing to transmit energy to suppress the cold poison.

Ren Yingying bit her lip, inwardly annoyed. ‘Why does he have to touch such a private place?’ 

But with the situation so critical, she couldn’t dwell on it. To ease his burden, she looped her arms around his neck and nestled against him like a dependent bird.

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