Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1057: Cold and Enchanting

Song Qingshu couldn’t help but feel astonished. 

Who was this suddenly appearing beautiful woman? 

She stood atop the bamboo, seemingly weightless, her Qinggong truly astonishing. 

Although he couldn’t see her face at the moment, Song Qingshu was very certain he had never encountered this woman before. After all, with such beauty, temperament, and martial skills, if he had seen her, he would definitely recognize her.

At first, he even thought it might be Zhao Yingluo, but this person was clearly older and had a fuller, more graceful figure. Compared to the slender and tall Zhao Yingluo, she felt much more enchanting. However, as she stood there, she exuded a chill, perfectly balancing the qualities of being enchanting and cold.

“I wonder what she’s doing here. Is she also here for Yue Lingshan?” Seeing that her gaze seemed to fall on Yue Lingshan, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but frown. 

The situation below was becoming increasingly clear. The Mount Hua Sect was at a disadvantage in numbers, and with each of their opponents being highly skilled, Yue Lingshan and Lin Pingzhi had already been subdued. Before long, they heard Ning Zhongze and an enemy shout in unison, both sustaining injuries to their legs.

That enemy retreated, and although one opponent was down, Madam Yue had suffered a severe blow to her leg and was heavily injured. After exchanging a few more moves, she was struck by the back of an enemy’s blade on her shoulder and collapsed to the ground.

Two bandits laughed heartily as they struck several acupoints on her back. 

Seeing that they only incapacitated her and seemed not to have any intention of killing, Song Qingshu hesitated for a moment before deciding to watch the situation unfold. It was evident that the mysterious woman across from him had the same intention.

Fifteen people surrounded Yue Buqun, with eight skilled fighters positioned around him, battling him, while the remaining seven held Ning Zhongze and the others hostage, watching for an opportunity to strike. 

Although the Mount Hua Sect’s leader had profound internal strength and exquisite sword skills, he was facing eight capable opponents and had to constantly guard against the other seven. He realized that today, the Mount Hua Sect was doomed to defeat, facing annihilation in this bamboo forest. In his despair and anger, he contemplated a desperate fight to the end. The loyal army felt confident of victory and had no desire to engage him in a hard battle. The balance of power was such that the eight enemies could not do anything to him for the moment.

One bandit shouted, “Yue Buqun, will you surrender?” 

Yue Buqun replied loudly, “I, Yue, would rather die than be dishonored. If you want to kill, then kill.” 

The bandit said, “If you don’t surrender, I will first chop off your wife’s right arm!” 

As he spoke, he raised a thick-bladed ghost head knife, which glimmered with a faint blue light under the sunlight, pointing it at Madam Yue’s shoulder. 

Yue Buqun hesitated slightly, “Am I really going to let my junior sister lose an arm?” But he quickly thought, “If I abandon my sword and surrender, I would only be subjected to their bullying and humiliation. How could the Mount Hua Sect’s reputation, built over hundreds of years, be buried in my hands?”

Suddenly taking a deep breath, a purple aura surged on his face as he swung his sword at the man on his left. The man raised his knife to block, but little did he know that Yue Buqun’s sword strike was infused with the Purple Cloud Divine Skill, its power formidable. The knife was actually pushed back by the long sword, and both blade and sword struck his right arm, severing it in two, blood splattering everywhere. The man let out a loud cry and fell to the ground.

Having succeeded with one strike, Yue Buqun swiftly thrust his sword into another enemy’s left leg. That man cursed loudly and retreated. Although two opponents were now down, the situation did not ease. Suddenly, he felt a chain hammer strike his back, and Yue Buqun had to unleash three sword strikes to fend off the enemies, unable to suppress a mouthful of blood that spurted out.

The enemies cheered in unison, “Old Yue is injured; he’s exhausted!” Seeing their victory in sight, the six who were fighting him loosened their encirclement, leaving Yue Buqun with no chance to exploit.

The loyal army consisted of fifteen people, three of whom were injured by Yue Buqun and his wife. Only one, who had his arm severed, was severely wounded, while the other two had leg injuries but were not in serious condition, continuously mocking Yue Buqun.

As for the leader, Zhang Rou, he had not made a single move from beginning to end. 

Yue Buqun listened to their accents, which varied from north to south, and their martial arts skills were diverse, clearly indicating they were not from a single sect. However, despite their differing backgrounds, they displayed a deep mutual understanding, suggesting they were not just a temporary gathering. What was their origin? It was truly puzzling. The strangest part was that none of these fifteen were weaklings. With his extensive experience in the martial world, he should have been able to recognize at least one of these skilled fighters, yet he couldn’t grasp a single clue. He was certain that these people had never fought with him before and held no grudges against him. Could it be that they had come in such force to trouble the Mount Hua Sect just for the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual?

He pondered this in his heart, but his hands did not slacken. He activated the Purple Mist Divine Skill, and the tip of his sword began to emit a faint glow. After more than ten exchanges, another enemy was struck by his sword in the shoulder, causing the steel whip in his hand to fall to the ground. Another bandit outside the circle rushed over to take his place, wielding a serrated knife that was heavy and had a curved hook at the tip, constantly trying to lock onto Yue Buqun’s long sword.

Yue Buqun’s internal energy was abundant, and his spirit grew stronger with each battle. Suddenly, he struck out with his left palm, hitting a man in the chest. With a crack, he broke two of the man’s ribs, causing the iron staff he held to drop to the ground. Unexpectedly, this man was incredibly brave; despite the excruciating pain from his broken ribs, he became enraged instead. He rolled on the ground and wrapped his arms around Yue Buqun’s left leg. Yue Buqun was taken aback and swung his sword down towards the man’s back, but two sabers from the side simultaneously came in to parry.

Unable to deliver the fatal blow with his long sword, Yue Buqun kicked towards the man’s head with his right foot. The man was skilled in grappling; he extended his left arm and grabbed Yue Buqun’s right leg, then rolled over. No matter how strong Yue Buqun was, he could no longer maintain his balance and fell to the ground. In an instant, sabers, short guns, chain hammers, and long swords all aimed at his vital points—head, face, throat, and chest.

With a sigh, Yue Buqun released his sword and closed his eyes, waiting for death. He felt heavy hands pressing on his waist, ribs, throat, and left breast, sealing his acupoints, and then two bandits pulled him to his feet.

Zhang Rou, who was on horseback, finally spoke, “Gentleman Sword Yue, your martial arts are indeed exceptional, as your reputation suggests. We combined the strength of fifteen to deal with just you, and still ended up with four or five injuries before capturing you. Hehe, I admire you!”

Yue Buqun sneered, “If you had made a move yourself, I fear I would have been defeated long ago.”

Zhang Rou laughed, “We are already at a disadvantage by using numbers against one. If I were to strike, it would be embarrassing for me to face the world in the martial realm afterward.”

After a pause, he continued, “Master Yue, we have no grudges against you. Tonight, we have taken the liberty to offend you merely to get a look at the ‘Evil Exterminating Sword Manual.’ This manual, after all, does not belong to your Mount Hua Sect. You have gone to great lengths to take in the Lin family youth from the Fortune Escort Service as your disciple, clearly plotting to obtain this manual. This matter is not very honorable, and the martial world will be outraged upon hearing it. I advise you to hand it over!”

Yue Buqun was furious and said, “Since I have fallen into your hands, if you want to kill me, then kill me. What is the point of all this nonsense? Everyone in the martial world knows what kind of person Yue Buqun is. It may be easy for you to kill me, but to tarnish my reputation? That’s a dream!”

One of Zhang Rou’s subordinates laughed heartily and shouted, “Isn’t it easy to ruin your reputation? Your wife and daughter are both quite beautiful; why don’t we share them and take them as concubines? Haha, with this, you, Master Yue, will become famous in the martial world!”

The other members of the Loyal and Righteous Army joined in the laughter, their voices filled with lewd intent, making Yue Buqun tremble with rage. 

Song Qingshu instinctively looked up at the mysterious woman in the distance and saw her brow furrowed. He thought to himself that he should wait a bit longer to clarify her intentions before acting.

Zhang Rou said, “Master Yue, perhaps you’ve guessed a bit about our origins. We are not the righteous heroes of the martial world; we are capable of doing anything. Some of my brothers are quite lecherous, and if we offend your wife and daughter, it wouldn’t reflect well on you.” 

Yue Buqun shouted, “Enough, enough! Since you don’t believe us, feel free to search us. Let’s see if there’s any ‘Evil Exterminating Sword Manual’ on us!” 

One of the bandits laughed, “I suggest you hand it over yourself. If we start searching, we might find it on your wife or daughter, and that won’t be pretty.” 

Song Qingshu felt puzzled; these people were clearly after Yue Fei’s daughter, so why were they continuously pressing for the whereabouts of the ‘Evil Exterminating Sword Manual’? It must be that, firstly, they were using this to cover their true intentions, and secondly, the members of the Loyal and Righteous Army had also developed a covetous desire for the ‘Evil Exterminating Sword Manual’ that was widely rumored in the martial world. 

Suddenly, Lin Pingzhi shouted loudly, “All the troubles stem from me, Lin Pingzhi. I tell you, my Lin family from Fujian has no ‘Evil Exterminating Sword Manual’ at all; whether you believe it or not is up to you.” Saying this, he picked up a fallen iron staff from the ground and struck it forcefully against his forehead. However, his arms had already been sealed, and he lacked strength; with a thud, although the staff hit his head, it only scraped off some skin without drawing blood. But everyone understood his intention; he was willing to sacrifice his life to show that there was no sword manual in the possession of the Mount Hua Sect. 

Song Qingshu nodded secretly. Although Lin Pingzhi had a feminine appearance, his character was quite tough, and it was not in vain that I valued him before and passed on the Five Mountains Divine Sword to him. 

Zhang Rou smiled, “Young Master Lin, you are quite righteous. We have ties with your deceased father; Yue Buqun killed your father and swallowed your family’s ‘Evil Exterminating Sword Manual’. We are here to seek justice for you. Your master may have the name of a gentleman, but he lacks the substance of one. Why not join me instead? I guarantee you’ll learn excellent martial arts that will allow you to traverse the martial world.” 

Lin Pingzhi shouted, “My parents were killed by Yu Canghai and Mu Gaofeng of the Qingcheng Sect; what does that have to do with my master? I am a proud disciple of the Mount Hua Sect; how can I fear for my life in the face of danger?” 

Zhang Rou’s expression turned cold, “If that’s the case, don’t blame us for being impolite. Search them!” 

“Alright!” The subordinates had been eagerly anticipating this moment. Upon hearing this, their eyes lit up, and they rubbed their hands as they moved towards Ning Zhongze and Yue Lingshan. 

At this point, Song Qingshu could no longer sit idly by. Just as he was about to make a move, he suddenly heard several screams from below. It turned out that each of those people had a piece of green bamboo leaf stuck in their hands. 

“Falling flowers and plucking leaves can harm!” Not to mention the members of the Loyal and Righteous Army below were taken aback, even Song Qingshu couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement; it seemed this woman’s martial arts were even higher than he had imagined. 

“Who exactly are you, hiding your head and showing your tail? What kind of hero are you?” Zhang Rou shouted angrily, quickly looking around. 

“I’m not a hero at all.” A melodious yet chilling voice echoed, as the mysterious woman gracefully descended from the air, her garments fluttering as if she were a celestial being coming down to the mortal realm.