Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1067: The Threat of a Heartbeat

The room finally returned to calm. Song Qingshu wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling a lingering fear as he thought: Li Qingluo is like the magma wrapped beneath an iceberg, and once stimulated by the Joyful True Qi, it erupted like a volcano inside her. 

This whole situation was simply too exhilarating!

Since mastering the Joyful True Qi, this was the first time Song Qingshu truly felt what it meant to have the heart but lack the strength. Throughout the night, the two of them didn’t know how many rounds they had fought, yet Li Qingluo seemed to grow more and more vigorous. 

If it weren’t for Song Qingshu’s extraordinary “innate talent” combined with the Joyful Meditation Method, any other man would probably have been drained dry.

“There’s no such thing as a field that’s been over-plowed, only an ox that’s been worked to death; those experienced farmers from my past life did not deceive me!” Song Qingshu decided that he could never play with fire like this again. 

A few strands of Joyful True Qi could enhance the mood, but if one overindulged, it would only lead to self-inflicted suffering.

“You ba$tard!” At this moment, Li Qingluo lay on the bed, feeling utterly drained, not even wanting to move a finger, allowing her flawless b0dy to be exposed to the air, merely repeating the words she had said earlier.

She seemed like someone pulled out of water, her skin glistening with a fine layer of sweat, radiating an alluring glow under the firelight, resembling a translucent white jade goddess.

“I’m the ba$tard?” Song Qingshu couldn’t help but retort, “This is all your own doing! Besides, it was you who pounced on me first; I couldn’t even push you away!”

Li Qingluo’s face, already flushed from the aftermath, turned even redder at his words: “You took advantage of me! Who told you to practice… practice such lewd martial arts?”

“This is authentic Buddhist martial arts, alright? How is it lewd?” Song Qingshu replied, displeased. “If it weren’t for this divine skill protecting me, I would have been drained dry by your Northern Darkness Divine Technique! No, after this night, I feel like I’m about to be drained dry myself.”

“Pah!” Li Qingluo retorted angrily, “In the end, you clearly drained half of my internal power. Isn’t this kind of absorption technique lewd?”

Song Qingshu replied solemnly, “Martial arts have no distinction between right and wrong, nor is there any concept of high or low. It mainly depends on who it’s used on. When applied to a beloved confidante, this martial art becomes a method of mutual cultivation; but when faced with someone as scheming as you, it naturally turns into a technique for punishing evil and promoting good.”

Earlier, after being heavily drained by the Northern Darkness Divine Technique, Song Qingshu’s internal energy had also suffered significant loss, so he could only take the opportunity during their intimacy to reclaim the lost energy.

Li Qingluo, in a daze, felt her True Qi continuously leaking out. Although she was anxious, her b0dy, stimulated by the Joyful True Qi, was no longer under her control, and instead, she actively cooperated with him. If Song Qingshu hadn’t seen the tear stains at the corners of her eyes and softened his heart at the last moment, she would have probably ended up like a wasted person.

Even so, she had still lost nearly half of her cultivation, a classic case of losing more than one gains.

Although Li Qingluo had lost her senses in the heat of the moment, once she regained consciousness, the scenes from earlier replayed in her mind like a movie. She felt a mix of shame and anger, biting her lip in a daze.

Looking at Li Qingluo’s exquisite b0dy laid bare, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but admire her inwardly; she truly was a captivating beauty. If given the choice in that situation, even knowing the risk of being drained dry, the vast majority of men would still charge forward without hesitation.

“Actually, you don’t have to hate me this much. Although I absorbed half of your internal power, first, you absorbed mine first, and I merely returned the favor; second, I also conveniently healed your internal injuries. You should know that with your previous severe injuries, if you were to heal yourself, it would take at least half a year to recover completely.”

Li Qingluo knew that what he said was true. Her previous injuries had rendered her unable to engage in combat for half a year; otherwise, her wounds would be even harder to heal. As the Holy Mother of the White Lotus Sect, she was always sitting on the edge of a blade. If others were to discover her injuries, she would definitely not be able to safely last until half a year later.

Although she had lost half of her cultivation now, her internal injuries had already healed. With the Northern Darkness Divine Technique in her possession, recovering her strength wouldn’t be difficult. Therefore, from this perspective, she didn’t really consider herself at a loss.

But tonight, she had lost more than just half of her cultivation! 

Usually, she held herself in high regard, and after her husband’s death, she had guarded her chastity for over a decade. Yet today, she had acted like the most despicable courtesan in a br0thel, submitting to him…beneath him. 

Thinking of the various scenes from earlier, Li Qingluo’s voice grew colder: “So, should I thank you for this?”

Song Qingshu seemed completely unaware of the sarcasm in her words and nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world: “Of course, you should. Just take a look in the mirror.”

With a flick of his hand, he summoned the bronze mirror from the table and placed it in front of Li Qingluo: “Though you are beautiful, before you looked like a woman who felt the world owed her something, like a dissatisfied lady of the inner chambers. But look at you now; your brows are relaxed and charming, your complexion is rosy and radiant, and you appear to have rejuvenated at least twenty years. It’s all worth the effort I put into ‘nurturing’ you.”

After all, women love beauty. Li Qingluo was just admiring the flushed face of the beautiful young woman in the mirror, gently touching her own face and feeling a faint joy at the changes happening to her. However, upon hearing Song Qingshu’s last comment, she was so enraged that she grabbed the mirror and hurled it at him.

Song Qingshu caught the mirror and couldn’t help but laugh heartily: “Alright, I won’t joke anymore. I have two questions I’d like to ask you.”

Li Qingluo snorted and turned her head away.

“Earlier, you mentioned that you hated the Jin people the most. But as far as I know, the White Lotus Sect isn’t exactly a group of anti-Jin heroes, and you live in Suzhou, which hasn’t suffered from Jin invasions in recent years. So why do you hate the Jin people so much?” This was something Song Qingshu couldn’t understand. Logically, Li Qingluo had no connection to the Jin Kingdom, so where did this deep-seated hatred come from?

Li Qingluo remained expressionless, responding only with silence.

“Let’s change the question then,” Song Qingshu didn’t mind, “Why did you go to the bamboo forest to rescue the Mount Hua Sect’s people? The Mount Hua Sect, led by Yue Buqun, prides itself on being a righteous sect and would never associate with someone from the White Lotus Sect, so I really can’t fathom your reasons for saving them.”

Song Qingshu suspected that Li Qingluo had some connection with the daughter of Yue Fei, but he needed to confirm the details with her.

Li Qingluo pressed her lips tightly together, still not answering.

Song Qingshu smiled slightly: “Even if you don’t say anything, it’s fine. At worst, I’ll $trip you of your cl0thes and tie you to the city gate of Yangzhou, with a sign next to you saying ‘Holy Mother of the White Lotus, Lady Wang of Mantuo Manor in Suzhou,’ I’m sure passersby would love to admire your b0dy. Within three days, the news should reach Mantuo Manor in Suzhou…”

The image involuntarily surfaced in her mind, and Li Qingluo felt a chill run down her spine at the thought of countless filthy men leering at every inch of her skin beneath the city gate.

“Since you’re scared, you might as well answer the questions honestly,” Song Qingshu noticed her b0dy tremble involuntarily and fixed his gaze on her.

Li Qingluo was not an inexperienced young girl; after the initial panic, a faint smile suddenly appeared at the corner of her mouth: “I don’t believe you would really do that.”

Song Qingshu frowned: “Why wouldn’t I?”

“If you were truly such a heartless and ruthless person, I wouldn’t still have half of my power left now,” Li Qingluo replied, acknowledging that even as enemies, she had to admit that the other party was a man who cherished women. However, when her gaze fell on the bruises and red marks all over her bo0y, she immediately overturned that thought.

Song Qingshu was momentarily taken aback, then smiled and said, “Indeed, I am a man who cherishes women, but that is only for innocent and kind-hearted women. For someone like you, Madam, who is a femme fatale, I don’t have that much patience.”

Li Qingluo sat up straight, allowing her beautiful b0dy to be exposed before him. As she gathered the scattered clothes on the floor, she said, “The harsher your words, the softer your heart becomes.”

Song Qingshu’s expression changed slightly as he quietly observed her. After a long while, he finally said, “Madam truly deserves the title of White Lotus Holy Mother; this level of wisdom is not something an ordinary woman can possess.”

“Thank you for the compliment,” Li Qingluo replied as she picked up her clothes, only to find them all tattered and clearly ripped apart very violently. Her cheeks flushed as she vaguely remembered the earlier situation; it was not the man before her who had torn her clothes, but herself.

“You win,” Song Qingshu sighed. “I really can’t do such a thing, but I still have ways to deal with you.”

“What ways?” Li Qingluo asked casually while pulling a nearby blanket to cover her chest.

“For example, injecting you with more Joyful True Qi,” Song Qingshu said, extending his finger and smiling in a very strange manner.

Li Qingluo’s expression changed, but she quickly regained her composure. “Hmph, can you really do that again?”

Song Qingshu’s breath hitched; he never expected her to be so fierce. Thinking about how he had been entangled with her for an entire night, he indeed felt powerless in a short time. He couldn’t help but feel angry and humiliated, saying, “Even if I can’t do it again, can’t I just call a few guards in here?”

Li Qingluo shot him a disdainful glance. “Would you really be willing to do that?”

Seeing her confident demeanor, Song Qingshu felt a surge of frustration. This woman had clearly been an ice mountain before, yet she understood men’s psychology so well. Indeed, he couldn’t bring himself to waste such an opportunity.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head, and Song Qingshu smiled. “Right now, I indeed can’t handle you again, nor will I call other men in, but I can inject you with Joyful True Qi and then lock you in a room by yourself, letting you experience the taste of it again.”

Li Qingluo’s expression finally changed because, based on her experience and wisdom, she judged that he was indeed very likely to do such a thing.

“I will count to three. If you don’t speak up by then, don’t blame me for being rude,” Song Qingshu said, fully aware of the principle of striking while the iron is hot, giving her no time to think.

“One!”

“Two!”

At this moment, Song Qingshu had already walked in front of Li Qingluo, his finger poised to poke her. 

Just then, Li Qingluo finally spoke up, “Yue Fei is my uncle…”

(G: I returned home to get some daily necessities. Will be going back again tonight.)