Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 933: Dark Humor

Upon hearing Song Qingshu’s words, Empress Pei Man and Daiqisi both wore expressions of confusion. 

Daiqisi was puzzled because during the interrogation just now, Emperor Xizong had given no indication that he had handed the tiger tally to someone else. Otherwise, he would certainly have used it as a bargaining chip to make them hesitate.

As for Empress Pei Man, her confusion stemmed from the fact that the person she was waiting for was not Tang Kuo Bian. Moreover, Tang Kuo Bian and Emperor Xizong had never been particularly close. Why would the emperor entrust such an important tiger tally to an outsider?

“Nonsense!” Wanyan Liang roared in anger. Having known Emperor Xizong for so many years, how could he not be aware of his temperament? If Emperor Xizong had truly possessed such cunning, Wanyan Liang would never have dared to entertain thoughts of rebellion. Therefore, he simply refused to believe that Emperor Xizong would give the tiger tally to Tang Kuo Bian. Yet, given the current situation, it seemed likely that the other party indeed had the tiger tally, which was the very point that left him utterly perplexed.

Noticing the bewildered expressions on the faces of the others, Song Qingshu chuckled inwardly. ‘Go ahead and guess all you want. Even if you rack your brains, you’ll never figure out how I obtained the tiger tally.’

Of course, Emperor Xizong would never have given him the tiger tally. Not long ago, Emperor Xizong had thrown him into the imperial prison and nearly executed him. The reason Song Qingshu had the tiger tally was that he had learned from Tudan Jing that Wanyan Liang was planning to launch a coup in the near future. Thus, under the cover of night, he secretly slipped out of the imperial prison, infiltrated the Emperor’s bedchamber, and stole the tiger tally.

With Song Qingshu’s Qinggong skills at their current level, if he seriously set his mind to being a master thief, there was likely nothing in this world he couldn’t steal. Moreover, he was already intimately familiar with the Jin Dynasty’s imperial palace, having visited the emperor’s bedchamber on multiple occasions.

However, under normal circumstances, stealing the tiger tally would have been of little use. Once the emperor discovered the tally was missing, there were established protocols to handle such a situation, making it impossible for anyone to mobilize troops. But coincidentally, Daiqisi and Wanyan Liang launched their coups in quick succession, leaving the Emperor no time to realize the tiger tally had been stolen before he died.

On the surface, Song Qingshu had left the capital for Chongyang Palace in accordance with the imperial decree, but he hadn’t gone far. First, he seized the opportunity to eliminate Tudan Zhen—though Tudan Zhen’s martial skills were considerable, Song Qingshu’s calculated ambush left him no chance of survival.

Then, carrying Tudan Zhen’s head, Song Qingshu went to see Pucha Ahute and explained everything. Pucha Ahute had already found the decree ordering him to lead troops to Zhongnan Mountain somewhat sudden. After hearing Song Qingshu’s analysis, although not entirely convinced, he agreed to quietly return to the capital to investigate.

Upon returning to the capital and discovering the upheaval in the palace, Pucha Ahute was both shocked and furious. He immediately led his troops toward the Hall of Benevolent Governance to protect the emperor. 

Pucha Ahudie, who was in the process of taking control of the palace defenses, naturally resisted, and the two forces clashed. Amid the chaos, Song Qingshu seized the opportunity to reach Hall of Benevolent Governance first.

Wanyan Liang, after all, was a cunning figure in troubled times. After the initial panic, he quickly regained his composure. “Heh heh, your empty fort strategy isn’t very clever. If you could truly mobilize the northern camp, why would you appear here alone? You’re just bluffing to disrupt our morale. Someone, kill this troublemaker for me, and I will reward you handsomely.”

Song Qingshu couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration. Upon hearing that the tiger tally was in his hands, not only the ordinary soldiers but even some of Wanyan Liang’s trusted aides had become unsettled. Yet Wanyan Liang had reacted swiftly, steadying their morale with just a few words. Although Wanyan Liang was known for his debauchery and cruelty, objectively speaking, he was indeed a highly capable individual.

“Ke Keh~” Gongsun Zhi stepped forward and said, “I am willing to serve His Highness. After killing this little thief, I dare not ask for any other reward except for the w0man from earlier to be bestowed upon me.”

Wanyan Liang frowned inwardly, knowing that Gongsun Zhi was referring to the Moon Envoy. Although she wasn’t as stunningly beautiful as Daiqisi, she was still an exceptional beauty. He had originally intended to keep her for himself, but since Gongsun Zhi had spoken up, he wasn’t about to compete with a subordinate over a woman at such a critical moment.

“Very well. After Master Gongsun kills Tang Kuo Bian, I will bestow that w0man upon you,” Wanyan Liang said with a laugh.

“Thank you, Your Highness!” The foolishly lu$tful expression on Gongsun Zhi’s face made Ouyang Feng and Qiu Qianren frown deeply. They subconsciously took a step back, distancing themselves from him, ashamed to be associated with such a person.

Song Qingshu couldn’t help but mock him: “Gongsun Zhi, you’re considered a notable figure in the martial world. How have you fallen to such a state, begging for scraps like a dog? Have you no shame?”

Gongsun Zhi flew into a rage: “You little thief, seeking death!” As soon as the words left his mouth, his golden blade and black sword were already unsheathed, aiming straight for Song Qingshu’s legs. Deeply stung by the remark, he wasn’t planning to kill his opponent outright. Instead, he intended to first sever his hands and feet, then torture him until he begged for death.

Gongsun Zhi was supremely confident in his furious strike. In the martial world, as long as he didn’t encounter a grandmaster of the Five Ultimates caliber, he could essentially beat them all. Moreover, this Tang Kuo Bian had never been known for his martial arts skills, at most possessing some battlefield archery and riding skills. In Gongsun Zhi’s eyes, such skills were no different from those of a mountain hunter.

As the blade and sword shadows flashed, a sense of foreboding suddenly arose in Gongsun Zhi’s heart, for he keenly sensed that his strike had missed its mark.

Even more unbelievable to him was that Tang Kuo Bian was now standing nonchalantly on his extended golden blade and black sword!

“How is this possible!” Gongsun Zhi desperately tried to retract his golden blade and black sword, but they felt as if weighed down by Mount Tai. No matter how much strength he exerted, they remained motionless.

As the saying goes, “Even a vicious tiger doesn’t eat its cubs.” In the original ‘The Return of the Condor Heroes’, Gongsun Zhi usually maintained a dignified and virtuous appearance, but at critical moments, to please his lover, he didn’t even care about his own daughter’s life. He was truly the worst of the worst among scum.

In Song Qingshu’s value system, he didn’t discriminate against so-called “villains,” because he knew that people were complex contradictions—never simply binary, good or evil, as in novels. Figures like Murong Fu, Lin Pingzhi, Ouyang Feng, or even Duan Yanqing, who were portrayed as villains in the original work, still had many who sympathized with them or appreciated them to some extent.

Unfortunately, in Gongsun Zhi, Song Qingshu could find nothing worthy of appreciation. He coldly said, “Killing you would only dirty my hands.”

Gongsun Zhi, who had been terrified out of his wits, let out a long sigh of relief upon hearing these words, simultaneously flashing a trace of resentment in his eyes: ‘Hmph, I will repay today’s humiliation tenfold in the future.’

But just as this thought arose, the other’s foot rapidly came into his vision. 

With a ‘crack’, Gongsun Zhi’s head twisted nearly 180 degrees, hanging limply as if only by a layer of skin, preventing it from falling to the ground.

“Killing you might dirty my hands, but using my foot solves that problem,” Song Qingshu said coldly.