Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 199: Anguish

As soon as Song Qingshu's words came out, he secretly screamed ‘oh sh*it’ in his heart.

Hearing his words, Zhu Yuluo's expression changed slightly.

"But since the saintess of the Ming Cult is Princess Changping, and we are old acquaintances, I will naturally give up on this task." Song Qingshu let out an embarrassed smile.

"I'm curious. If we didn't know each other, were you going to come… and destroy my chastity?" Ajiu blushed and snorted angrily.

"Naturally, there are all kinds of easy methods—such as using drugs and they are extremely useful." Song Qingshu said frankly, "I hope that the Princess will understand my difficulties. I have an undeniable feud with Zhang Wuji, and if I can make the Ming Cult suffer, then I will happily do it.”

"So that's the case…" Ajiu suddenly realized the truth, and showed a hint of pity, "It's a pity, both of you are very knowledgeable people. If you can join forces, you will have few opponents in the world."

"There is absolutely no possibility for me and him to join forces." Although Song Qingshu's tone remained calm, his determination was already very obvious.

"What exactly is the enmity between you two?" Ajiu couldn't understand why these two people would have such a deep hatred that they couldn't stand each other.

Song Qingshu breathed a deep sigh, he subconsciously didn’t want her to know that he had a feud with Zhang Wuji because of a woman, so he gave a vague reply, "The reason is really hard to explain, the Princess only needs to know that he wants to kill me, and I want to kill him too. That's it."

"Okay, I won't ask anymore." Ajiu remained silent for a moment, "But I have another question to ask you. I heard that you were also present on the top of the Jade Emperor Peak that day. I just want to know how did Yuan… Yuan Chengzhi die?" Her voice trembled slightly, she was obviously very sad in her heart.

"Yuan Chengzhi died in the hands of Dongfang Bubai." Song Qingshu hesitated, but decided to tell the truth, and narrated the situation that day.

"Sure enough, it was Dongfang Bubai!" Ajiu said through gritted teeth with tears in her eyes.

"Uh, will the Princesses listen to something?" Seeing Ajiu looking at him with questioning eyes, Song Qingshu quickly said, "A robber with a sharp knife blocked the way of a passing scholar and killed him, and was finally arrested by the soldiers. When the case is brought to court, what will the county magistrate decide? Will he decide that the sharp knife is the murderer, or that the robber is the murderer?" Song Qingshu spoke in a low voice. For his future with Dongfang Muxue, he had to sacrifice Kangxi.

"I understand what you mean…" Ajiu clutched her sleeves and gently wiped the corners of her eyes, "Although Kangxi is the culprit, Dongfang Bubai was the one who killed Brother Yuan with his own hands, and I can't forgive him. Young Master Song, is your friendship with Dongfang Bubai very good?"

Being stared at by her glistening eyes, Song Qingshu felt shocked, ‘How did she know?’

After thinking for a while, he decided to tell the truth, "Yes, my relationship with Dongfang Bubai is really quite good."

"I heard that Dongfang Bubai and you were forced to jump off a cliff by Ren Woxing not long ago. Now that you are alive and well, is Dongfang Bubai also still alive?" Ajiu looked at him with burning eyes, waiting for an answer.

Song Qingshu smiled bitterly and said, "Who told you that we were forced to jump off the cliff by Ren Woxing? How could he have such great ability? If it wasn't because of Zhang Wuji’s sneak attack, would I and Dongfang Bubai be seriously injured and be forced to jump off the cliff? When I woke up, I found myself hanging from a tree sticking out from the cliff, and that was what saved my life. As for Dongfang Bubai, I didn't find him. I'm afraid he'd already been smashed to smithereens, but considering that his martial arts realm is so high, maybe he was able to escape with his life."

He didn’t intend to reveal the fact that Dongfang Muxue was alive, otherwise Zhang Wuji and Ren Woxing would begin to investigate and Dongfang Muxue would be in danger even if she’s hiding in the Five Poison Cult. However, he also didn't want Ajiu to know the truth in the future and feel resentment towards him, so he gave an ambiguous answer. (G: he’s already planning for the future.)

"Good people have their own heavenly fortune, and they can get the protection of heaven. I am certain that Dongfang Bubai will not have such good fortune." A look of happiness flashed across Ajiu’s brows. In her opinion, Dongfang Bubai probably fell off the cliff and was mangled to death.

"Young Master Song, what do you plan to do in the future? Are you going to return to Yanjing and continue working under Kangxi?" Ajiu asked.

"For the time being, I'm afraid, yes." Song Qingshu said in a deep voice.

Ajiu let out a small sigh, and no longer tried to dissuade him, but said, "Although Ren Woxing didn't keep any manpower outside, it’s very likely that he deliberately did that to make you lower your vigilance. It would be too risky for you to go out directly. Well, tomorrow I'm going to Shengjing anyway, and I'll take you down the mountain with me."

"Thank you, Princess, for the kindness. It would be too risky for you to take me down the mountain with your current status. I may sound arrogant, but as long as I want to leave, there are only a few people in the world who can stop me. It's a pity that I myself is not on that list, so I'll go straight down the mountain later." Song Qingshu politely refused.

"Ah…I forgot about the Young Master's movement technique!" Ajiu became stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "Then, that's fine."

The room fell into silence, and Song Qingshu knew it was time for him to leave, but looking at Ajiu’s beautiful face, he felt quite reluctant to part with her. Then, he suddenly thought of a question, and quickly asked, "Why do the Princesses want to rush to Shengjing? You don’t have to tell me if it's a secret." He wondered if the Ming Cult had any big plans. So, he tried to see if he could find some clues from Ajiu's mouth.

"It's just my personal affairs, so it's okay to tell you. I got news a few days ago that an old friend has appeared in Shengjing. I'm worried that she will make a decision that she will regret for life, so I plan to go meet and dissuade her." Ajiu's voice was full of worry.

"An old friend?" Song Qingshu was full of doubts in his heart. Ajiu had already lost her country and her family. The one who could be called her old friend was only Yuan Chengzhi. ‘Wait, Yuan Chengzhi?’

Song Qingshu's expression suddenly changed, he grabbed Ajiu's shoulders, and excitedly asked, "Is the old friend the Princesses is speaking of is Youyou… Oh no, Xia Qingqing?"

Ajiu's shoulders sank down, she skillfully broke free from his hands, and suspiciously raised her head, "You know her too?"

Song Qingshu nodded, "We have suffered through several hardships together, and we should be regarded as… good friends."

"So it turns out to be like that! I didn't expect that after all these incidents, we would have more things in common." Ajiu smiled slightly, "Since the Young Master is her good friend, you must know that after Yuan… After Yuan Chengzhi died, she was eager to take revenge."

"Yes, I originally promised to help her take revenge, but unfortunately, someone interfered between us, causing her to have doubts about me, and she suddenly disappeared. I have been looking for her ever since." After finally hearing the news about Xia Qingqing, Song Qingshu was naturally feeling a little bit excited.

Ajiu gave him a strange look, "It’s no wonder Qingqing didn't believe you. You are now a high-ranking official in the Qing Dynasty, and you are friends with Dongfang Bubai. When I heard you say that you would help her get revenge, even I felt a sense of disbelief."

"I didn't lie to her." Song Qingshu smiled bitterly, but didn't explain much, some things were better left unexplained.

"Okay, let's just say you're telling the truth… but Qingqing's situation is a little troublesome now." Ajiu looked quite worried.

"What happened to her?" Song Qingshu hurriedly asked.

Seeing his nervous appearance, Ajiu, who had always been alert, felt a little suspicious, but as there was no definite evidence, she didn’t continue to guess, and replied, "I'm not afraid to bear the Young Master’s ridicule when I say that I was extremely saddened when I learned that Brother Yuan had an accident that day. I even decided to take revenge for Big Brother Yuan immediately. Qingqing loves Big Brother Yuan a hundred times more than me, and naturally had the same idea. I know that Qingqing always tends to act a bit extreme, so I was worried that she would do anything to get revenge and end up hurting herself in the process. So I sent people to ask around and finally found the news about her whereabouts in Shengjing City. According to the report of the spies, she seems to have become Prince Bao's concubine…"

Song Qingshu suddenly felt like he was hit by a thunderbolt, and muttered to himself, "How is that possible, how is that possible…" (Author's note: In order to prevent the readers from smashing their eggs, I have to say this, Xia Qingqing's chastity is still safe and is held firmly in my hands, so don't worry!)

"I can probably guess that she came up with this plan to fight against Kangxi, but the power structure of the Qing court is extremely complicated. I am worried that she will lose everything if she misjudged the situation, so I plan to go to Shengjing to find her." In fact, Ajiu disagreed with Xia Qingqing's decision in her heart, ‘If Big Brother Yuan knew about it, he would definitely be very sad.’

Song Qingshu felt sad, anguished, and angry, ‘Luo Bing, that bit*ch, the next time she falls into my hands, I will make her regret even having a mouth!’

"Princess, I have something important to do, so I will take my leave first." Song Qingshu thought about dozens of possibilities, and his emotions finally calmed down, then he cupped his hands toward Ajiu.

"You're going to Shengjing?" Zhu Yuyu asked in surprise.

Song Qingshu hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Maybe we will meet again in Shengjing."

"Do you like Qingqing?" Various signs from Song Qingshu verified Ajiu's previous conjecture, and she finally couldn't help but ask.

Song Qingshu had just opened the window, when he heard these words. He froze, turned around and smiled, then disappeared directly into the night sky without giving an answer.

Seeing that he didn’t seem to deny it, Ajiu became a little stunned for a moment, and thought to herself, ‘Big Brother Yuan just passed away. So, with Qingqing's character, she wouldn't accept another man's feelings no matter what. It's just that, even I can feel Song Qingshu's sincerity, so how could Xia Qingqing not know? Haah, it's another case of unrequited love. Thinking of this, I can't help but feel a sense of pity for each other.’

Song Qingshu forcibly used the Traceless Sand Treading Steps all the way. After dawn, he had already arrived at Baoding, Hebei.

Sensing that the True Qi in his body was somewhat exhausted, he had to stop to buy tea and snacks at a tea house beside the road. While resting, he suddenly heard two familiar voices not far away, "It's been so long since Lord Song and Cult Master Dongfang has fallen off the cliff. The spies still haven't found any news, and the Emperor has even dispatched us imperial guards now. If we still can't find the news, we may not be safe when we go back."

"Haah..that’s right. Waiter, bring me all the delicious food you have here… eh!… ahh!…"

When Zhang Kangnian heard Zhao Qixian suddenly start stuttering, he couldn't help but follow his gaze, while mocking him, "Did you lose your brain? You sound like you’ve seen a ghost… oh motherfu*ker, a ghost!"