Flower Stealing Master

“If you want to fight, then fight. Why all the useless talk?” Li Mochou swept her whisk with a cold arrogance, standing tall as she commanded silent admiration from those in the tavern. 

Though Li Mochou didn’t have the best reputation in the martial world, she now appeared far more heroic than the Three Fiends of Qinghai or Yue Buqun of Mount Hua Sect.

“Miss Li, you truly are a straightforward person. We won’t make things hard for you. We’ll allow you to take y0ur own life,” Zhang San said, hands behind his back. His face was filled with a gentle smile, yet his words were chillingly ruthless.

“Ridiculous. Even if I, Li Mochou, were to die, I would die with clarity, not frightened into su!cide by a single word from you!” Having seen the recent skirmish and how Zhang San had effortlessly subdued the Three Fiends of Qinghai, Li Mochou knew his martial arts were immeasurably deep. She understood she was no match.

Yet her nature had always been resilient. She dared to fight even against those far more powerful than herself, which perhaps explained why she often performed beyond her own limits in real combat.

“Stop!” Mu Wanqing stepped in front of Li Mochou, saying in a clear voice, “Since you claim to reward good and punish evil, why not go after true villains like Blank Fiend or Qinghai Yixiao? Why bully Sister Li?”

“The Blank Fiend and the Qinghai Yixiao may be ruthless killers, but their crimes are mostly limited to vendettas within the martial world. Miss Li, however, has mu*rdered countless innocents who don’t know martial arts. Her sins are far more grievous,” Zhang San explained calmly.

Momentarily speechless, Mu Wanqing, in desperation, blurted out, “If you kill her, the Golden Serpent King won’t spare you!”

“I heard your conversation earlier. No need to deceive me, young lady. The Golden Serpent King and Miss Li have met only once. Miss Li is simply repaying a debt of gratitude by risking her life to save you; there’s nothing personal between them,” Zhang San said with a knowing smile.

‘How did the people of the Isle of Heroes know so much? Their intelligence network must be terrifyingly vast to even know about my brief encounter with Li Mochou…’

“Young lady, I appreciate your good intentions, but I, Li Mochou, have never needed a man’s name to survive.” Li Mochou gently patted Mu Wanqing’s shoulder and took a booklet from her sleeve, handing it over. The cover read “Secret Book of Five Poisons.” 

“This book details the training for the Five Poisons Divine Palm and methods for creating and detoxifying the Frozen Soul Silver Needle. Train well to avoid being bullied by other rogues in the martial world.”

The solemnity in Li Mochou’s tone made Mu Wanqing’s nose tingle, and she nearly broke into tears.

Zhang San chuckled nearby, “Even if you two did have feelings, it wouldn’t matter. The Golden Serpent King’s reputation might scare others, but it wouldn’t faze us. In fact, one of our goals on this trip is to invite the Golden Serpent King to the Isle of Heroes.”

“Quite the bold words.” A lazy voice suddenly echoed from within the tavern. Everyone had been holding their breath in the presence of the two Enforcers of Good and Evil, so the quiet atmosphere made the voice particularly conspicuous. They looked toward the speaker, only to see it was a young man wearing a mask.

“Are you tired of living?” Mu Wanqing felt an inexplicable closeness to this masked youth and subconsciously didn’t want him to get hurt.

“Does this gentleman have any advice?” Zhang San turned around, smiling kindly.

Song Qingshu smiled lightly. “Not advice, per se. However, despite your high martial skills, you may not be able to ‘invite’ everyone.”

For once, Zhang San showed no anger and even nodded in agreement. “True. Wudang’s True Master Zhang and the unnamed sage of Shaolin—we couldn’t invite them.”

A murmur spread through the crowd. Though Zhang San spoke politely, the underlying meaning was clear: aside from those two, there was no one in the martial world they couldn’t “invite.” Such arrogance!

‘Who would’ve thought the Isle of Heroes knew even about the unnamed sage… the Sweeper Monk.’ Song Qingshu was startled but quickly responded, “You two may be too conceited. The world is full of hidden talents; there are surely those who surpass you both.”

“Name one,” Li Si interrupted icily.

Song Qingshu’s eyes glinted with an idea. Pointing at Mu Wanqing, he laughed, “For example, this lady’s beloved, the Golden Serpent King Song Qingshu, could easily best the two of you.”

“Rumors in the martial world are often exaggerated,” Zhang San said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Actually, it’s quite simple to verify whose martial skills are superior, yours or the Golden Serpent King’s,” Song Qingshu said, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

“Oh?” Zhang San’s fat cheeks quivered, “I’m listening.”

“I once had the privilege of witnessing the Golden Serpent King’s prowess. He graciously spared a moment to spar with me, and, unfortunately, I was defeated in a single move,” Song Qingshu said, feigning regret. 

Hearing this, the others chuckled inwardly, thinking, “At your level, anyone with martial skills could beat you in one move.”

Zhang San was filled with suspicion. Was this person bluffing, or did he actually have something up his sleeve? Cautiously, he replied, “Even if we defeated you in a single move, how could we determine who is stronger?”

“No, no, it’s actually quite simple,” Song Qingshu suddenly dropped his smile, speaking in a low tone. “Because you two cannot defeat me.”

His words shocked the crowd. Yue Lingshan tugged Ning Zhongze’s sleeve, whispering, “Mother, is that fop crazy?”

Ning Zhongze, thoughtful, looked at him. “I don’t think so. He might just be some reclusive master.” Though she couldn’t detect any martial aura from him, her instincts as a once-renowned heroine told her otherwise.

“Which school or sect do you belong to? Why have you been toying with us?” Zhang San, ever cautious, saw no hint of inner strength in the young man, but this only made him more wary. He wanted to know the background of this strange figure before taking any risks.

“I am from the Ancient Tomb Sect,” Song Qingshu replied, clasping his hands in greeting.

“Rubbish!”

“Rubbish!”

Two voices rang out simultaneously, one belonging to Zhang San, and the other to Li Mochou.

Zhang San sneered, “The Ancient Tomb Sect has always passed its teachings to women, not men; all disciples in the sect are women. The only male disciple, Yang Guo, is one-armed. With all four of your limbs intact, who could you be?”

“I’m the son-in-law of the Ancient Tomb Sect,” Song Qingshu replied with a playful grin. He wasn’t lying—Bing Xue’er was a genuine descendant of the sect, making him a legitimate son-in-law by title, not a fraud.

“Shut up!” Li Mochou could no longer hold back, her body trembling with anger. Currently, only she and Xiao Longnu remained from the Ancient Tomb Sect. Xiao Longnu and Yang Guo were deeply in love, so she naturally wouldn’t seek another man. For this man to claim he was the sect’s son-in-law—what else could he be doing but taking advantage of her?

“You don’t believe me? I can prove it,” Song Qingshu said with a slight smile. With a light wave of his hands, the “Reward and Punishment” plaques, embedded in the ground, on the Mount Hua Sect’s tabletop, and on the pillar beside Li Mochou, seemed to be drawn by invisible hands and gradually flew toward him.

Song Qingshu moved his hands up and down, controlling the plaques as they flipped and spun between his palms, without dropping a single one.

“Palm of Infinity Web!” Li Mochou exclaimed, shocked. The Ancient Tomb Sect’s martial arts emphasized lightness and agility, and this Palm of Infinity Web was the foundation of all their techniques. How could she not recognize it?

Meanwhile, Zhang San’s mind was racing. What martial arts was the man using to pull those plaques to him? Was it Xiao Feng’s Dragon-Capturing Hand, the Great Monk Jinlun’s Crane Control Technique, or Ren Woxing’s Cosmic Absorbing Technique?

Countless guesses flashed through Zhang San’s mind, but he quickly ruled each of them out.

Song Qingshu’s display stunned everyone present. No one had expected this young man, thought of as a frivolous dandy and an easy mark, to be a hidden master.

Yue Lingshan clapped her hands in excitement, shaking her mother’s arm as she exclaimed, “Mother, you were right after all!”

Mu Wanqing stared unblinkingly at Song Qingshu, recalling past events—especially when he had pretended to be injured and pressed down on her. Anger surged within her. This scoundrel had been feigning madness to take advantage of her!

“Now that I’ve proven my identity, I’ll return these plaques to their rightful places,” Song Qingshu said, giving a casual flick of his hand. The plaques returned to their original spots one by one, perfectly aligned.

Holding the last plaque with the crying face, he said, “As for this one, I’ll be keeping it.”

Song Qingshu first heated the bronze plaque using the Yang Qi of his Divine Brilliance Scripture, then instantly froze it with the Yin Qi of his Nine Yin Scripture. With a final twist of his hands, the Reward and Punishment plaque shattered into powder, scattering in the wind.

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock. Even the experienced Zhang San and Li Si were astounded. They’d seen many powerful martial artists over the years; in the past, the Qingcheng Sect leader, Daoist Xushan, had melted bronze plaques into lumps of scrap iron with his inner Qi, but to crush one into powder like this?

Basking in the astonished gazes, Song Qingshu felt a surge of satisfaction. Knowing the principles of science wasn’t only useful for traveling the world—it worked even in this foreign realm!

By rapidly heating and cooling the metal, he had shattered it with minimal effort, creating an illusion of incredible power that left the audience dumbstruck.

“What inner Qi cultivation technique is that?” Zhang San asked in a deep voice.

“Why, it’s the Jade Heart Sutra of the Ancient Tomb Sect,” Song Qingshu lied without even batting an eye.

“Does the Jade Heart Sutra possess such might?” Zhang San was skeptical, though he knew that strong inner power didn’t necessarily mean exceptional martial skills. With Li Si’s help, they should be able to subdue this man without much difficulty, which reassured him.

“Your inner strength is impressive, truly admirable. My brother and I know we cannot match you individually, so we must work together to spar with you.”

Mu Wanqing was instantly outraged. “Do you two have no shame? Thirty years ago, you wreaked havoc across the Central Plains, and now you intend to gang up on a young junior?”

“Young lady, you’re mistaken,” Zhang San replied with a serious expression. “In the way of martial arts, the capable are respected. It’s not a matter of age. But if you’re truly bothered by it, you’re free to join in and help him. That would even the numbers, wouldn’t it?”

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