Flower Stealing Master

(G: I found this title quite funny. It comes from a famous line in Ch!nese literature, specifically from a poem by Su Shi (Su Dongpo), a renowned Song Dynasty poet. The full context is from his playful poem teasing his friend, the poet Zhang Xian, who married an 18-year-old concubine at the age of 80. The original line is: “十八新娘八十郎，苍苍白发对红妆。一树梨花压海棠。” meaning “An 18-year-old bride and an 80-year-old groom, gray hair against rosy cheeks. A tree of pear blossoms overwhelms the crabapple.”)

“Witch, you are shameless!” Even Song Yuanqiao could no longer remain seated. 

The three senior and junior brothers were both shocked and furious, trembling with rage. This scheme was far too vicious. 

The Jingkang Incident had always been an eternal scar in the hearts of all Song people. Back then, when the Emperors Huizong and Qinzong were captured, countless imperial consorts and princesses were humiliated by foreign invaders. The mere mention of this event was enough to make any Song citizen’s blood boil.

Although those women had suffered tragic fates and were reduced to lives worse than those of commoners, they still carried the Zhao family’s bloodline—they were of noble descent. If Song Yuanqiao and his fellow brothers were to have any inappropriate relations with these captive princesses in the Jin Empire, the entire Song nation would erupt in fury.

Back then, Emperor Huizong of Song had thirty-four daughters. Thirteen had died young, while the remaining twenty-one were all taken captive by the Jin Empire. Emperor Qinzong had one daughter who was also captured. Even the current Emperor of the Southern Song, Zhao Gou, aside from three daughters who had died young, had two daughters taken to Jin, while another was lost among the common people, her whereabouts unknown.

No matter which princess Wanyan Ping was referring to, if Song Yuanqiao and the others truly had relations with them, not only would the martial world turn against Wudang, but even the imperial court’s high officials, and Zhao Gou himself, would never tolerate it. 

After all, these women were either his sisters, daughters, or nieces. Even though he could not avenge himself against the Jin Empire, punishing the Wudang Sect within his own borders would be as easy as flipping his hand.

Song Yuanqiao and the others did not dare to gamble on Zhao Gou’s mood. After all, even General Yue, with all his great merits and prestige, had been executed at Zhao Gou’s command. Compared to him, what were they? Their own lives aside, the greater fear was that they would drag Wudang into complete ruin.

“You are a woman yourself. How could you bear to harm those pitiful women?” Compared to his senior brothers, Yin Liting held love in higher regard, making it even harder for him to comprehend Wanyan Ping’s actions.

“If your Song emperor were not so incompetent, these women wouldn’t have been captured by the Jin Empire. Since they are now in our hands, we can deal with them as we please. If your Southern Song emperor has the ability, let him send troops to take them back.” Wanyan Ping sneered at Yin Liting’s logic, her expression filled with contempt.

Song Qingshu silently sighed. Women of the grasslands certainly had a different worldview from Han women. However, from her perspective, her actions were not unreasonable.

“Witch, your evil scheme will never succeed. We may not be saints, but we have enough self-control to refrain from doing anything immoral!” Zhang Songxi roared in anger.

“The Wudang Seven Heroes are renowned across the world. Naturally, I trust in your integrity. However…” Wanyan Ping’s tone suddenly shifted. “The imperial hospital has plenty of powerful aphrodisiacs. If I were to feed you all some and lock you in a room with those fallen princesses, avoiding disaster would be impossible.”

Song Yuanqiao and the others trembled all over, momentarily rendered speechless.

Song Qingshu felt incredibly frustrated. Why did he never encounter such opportunities? If he were the one captured, he might not be able to endure torture, but if the enemy used beautiful women against him, he was certain he wouldn’t be able to resist.

“Witch, even if we have to die, we won’t let you succeed!” The Wudang disciples finally came to their senses. Cursing loudly, they raised their right palms to strike their own heads.

Song Qingshu was shocked and was just about to intervene when he suddenly noticed that their strikes were weak and powerless, completely lacking any real force. At the same time, Wanyan Ping chuckled, “You have all been poisoned with my “Rouge Drunkenness”. Your bodies no longer contain even a trace of True Qi, so you can forget about suicide.”

Song Yuanqiao and the others were deeply shaken, their determination wavering.

Song Qingshu, however, was far from relieved. He had originally planned to take advantage of the chaos to rescue them. With their martial arts skills and his assistance, they had a great chance of escaping the palace before the Jin guards could react.

But now, after hearing Wanyan Ping’s words, he realized that Song Yuanqiao and the others had been poisoned with a rare toxin. Not only was their inner strength sealed, but they were weaker than ordinary people. No matter how capable he was, taking all three of them to safety at once was a fool’s dream.

“Rouge Drunkenness?” Song Qingshu murmured the name to himself, racking his brain but finding no mention of such a poison in the original novel. However, from the name, it seemed similar to Zhao Min’s Paralyzing Ten Fragrance Powder.

Song Qingshu felt conflicted. Given his abilities, he could only ensure the escape of one person. But if he did, it would alert the enemy, making it nearly impossible to save the remaining two later.

The Wudang Seven Heroes treated one another as brothers. Song Yuanqiao would never agree to escape alone. Moreover, he had promised Zhang Sanfeng that he would bring them all back safely. Zhang Songxi and Yin Liting had also helped him at the Golden Serpent Assembly before, so he could not abandon them.

“Tsk tsk tsk, I used to think the heroes of Wudang were truly noble men. But now, I see that deep down, you all secretly desire the princesses.” Wanyan Ping smirked, shaking her head while looking at Song Yuanqiao and the others with a mocking gaze.

“Rubbish! Don’t slander us, Witch!” Yin Liting roared in fury.

“Is it not true?” Wanyan Ping’s smile faded, her voice turning cold. “If you had simply cooperated, even if Wudang’s martial arts were leaked, it would only cause minor trouble. Moreover, I even promised that Wudang would be made the state religion in the future. But you refused, even at the cost of pushing Wudang to destruction. Thinking it over, the only explanation is that you are coveting the beauty of the fallen Song princesses.”

Upon hearing this, Song Yuanqiao and the others could no longer hold back and began refuting her. Meanwhile, Song Qingshu listened in admiration. Wanyan Ping’s psychological tactics were relentless, striking at their weakest points with precision. If this continued, she might truly break their mental defenses.

Looking at the confident, commanding young woman before him, Song Qingshu found it hard to associate her with the tragic figure from the original novel. Fate was indeed a strange thing.

Just as Wanyan Ping prepared to push further, a commotion erupted in the distance.

“What’s happening outside?” Wanyan Ping’s expression turned cold as she turned to ask.

One of her subordinates quickly ran out to investigate and soon returned with a report. “Reporting, Chief! An assassin has infiltrated the palace. Judging from the disturbance, they must be highly skilled in martial arts.” 

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Check out my other projects: Roughly an Isekai Hypnosis Story (er0-novel 😉

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