Flower Stealing Master

“Going hunting?” Song Qingshu was momentarily stunned, then quickly came to his senses. Unlike the Han, who preferred composing poetry and matching verses for amusement, the Jurchens favored outdoor activities such as hunting.

Song Qingshu had long planned to get close to Wanyan Ping and use the opportunity to investigate the matter of the rouge’s drunken antidote. It was a perfect chance, yet he found himself in a quandary. Although his martial skills were quite decent, he had little confidence in his horseback archery. If Wanyan Ping were to notice any flaws, the costs would far outweigh the gains.

“Stop overthinking and let’s go.” Seeing that Song Qingshu remained silent, Wanyan Ping assumed he was hesitating. Without further ado, she hooked his arm and started pulling him out.

“Hey, surely you’ll let me change into proper clothes first,” Song Qingshu called out urgently. To minimize contact with the people in the Tang Kuo residence, he had been pretending to be ill recently; as of now, he was merely lying in bed in his undergarments.

In that brief moment, he had already made up his mind. This rare opportunity to spend time with her might not come again soon, and as for the archery challenge, he reasoned that when the moment came, he would find a way to deal with it, come what may.

“Quickly change,” Wanyan Ping said, suddenly noticing that he was still in his underclothes, as if she had been burned. In an instant, she let go of him.

“Uh, could you turn around?” Although Song Qingshu did not mind, she was his sister-in-law after all. There was a proper demeanor to be maintained between a man and a woman.

“Bah, who’s eager to see you?” Wanyan Ping blushed, dropping the remark as she started to jog away. “I’m going to wait for you at my sister’s place. Come find me when you’re ready.”

“Young girls’ hearts are always so changeable…” Song Qingshu smiled faintly. Just as he got out of bed to change, he suddenly remembered an important matter: if they were to go hunting, he would need special attire. But he had no idea where Tang Kuo’s hunting clothes were kept!

“My sister heard me mention that I was going to take you hunting and remembered that she had sent your hunting clothes off for mending. Fearing that you might not find them, she asked me to deliver them to you,” Wanyan Ping explained, extending the set of clothes from her arms.

Song Qingshu almost leaped forward to hug her, grateful for the timely assistance.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Wanyan Ping instinctively stepped back. “Here, take your clothes. I’ll wait for you at my sister’s.”

“Wait a minute,” Song Qingshu called after her, hesitating before asking, “Why didn’t your sister bring the clothes herself?”

“Hmph, my sister hasn’t forgiven you yet,” Wanyan Ping replied discontentedly. “By the way, after all this time, why haven’t you apologized to her?” 

Song Qingshu gave a bitter smile. “Can we not talk about that today…”

“Forget it, forget it. I’m off to my sister’s,” Wanyan Ping said impatiently as she waved her hand and muttered while walking, “I really don’t know what’s gotten into you two. Once so inseparable, and now every word has to be passed along by me.”

Song Qingshu sighed inwardly. To avoid exposing his true identity, he would have to endure a bit of indignity at the hands of Wanyan Gebi for now… Just as he was about to change into the delivered clothes, he suddenly froze. The outfit, it seemed, was a traditional Jurchen costume. It was rather intricate, and he had never worn such attire before. If he ended up putting it on the wrong way, it could only lead to trouble.

Seeing Wanyan Ping’s retreating figure, Song Qingshu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and quickly called after her, “Ping’er—”

Wanyan Ping paused and turned around, her face filled with puzzled curiosity.

Pointing at the clothes in his hand, Song Qingshu said, “Come help me put these on.”

Wanyan Ping’s heart skipped inexplicably, and she replied in a slightly flustered tone, “Can’t you dress yourself? Why do you need my help?”

With a calm demeanor, Song Qingshu answered, “I want to experience what it’s like to be served by our family’s proud little princess.”

“Who in your family…” Wanyan Ping bit her lip. Initially, she wanted to refuse, but looking into Song Qingshu’s earnest eyes, she found herself inexplicably agreeing. “I’m not as skilled at serving as my sister is. Don’t blame me if I do a poor job.”

“How do you know it’s inferior if you’ve never tried it?” Song Qingshu replied with a double entendre.

Wanyan Ping’s heart fluttered. She instinctively glanced at him, but seeing his composed expression, she dismissed it as a stray thought. With a soft sigh, she said, “My sister is both beautiful and gentle. How could a wild girl like me ever compare?”

Song Qingshu smiled. “Not at all. In my eyes, you both have your own charm—one is graceful and alluring, the other playful and cute. There’s really no comparison; as the saying goes, plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum each excel in their own way.”

Raising her chin to look at him, Wanyan Ping wore an ambiguous smile. “Brother-in-law, you’re being so sweet today. Don’t tell me… are you trying to seduce me?”

Song Qingshu inwardly cursed his impatience. Although the girl had a soft spot for her brother-in-law, she wasn’t foolish. The dramatic change in Tang Kuo’s attitude had understandably raised her suspicions.

But he was a seasoned veteran. His eyes betrayed no hesitation as he calmly replied, “Then would you let yourself be seduced by me?”

No matter how formidable Wanyan Ping was, she was still an inexperienced young girl who could not withstand Song Qingshu’s lecherous tactics. In a flustered panic, she dodged his gaze and retorted, “You wish!” Before she could realize how weak her tone had become, she impulsively kicked at Song Qingshu’s leg with her dainty boot.

“Ouch!” It turned out that the one who winced was not Song Qingshu but Wanyan Ping herself. She fell to the ground, clutching her tender toe, a look of indignation on her face. “Brother-in-law, did you tie an iron block in your pants? It hurts so much!”

Earlier, when Wanyan Ping had suddenly attacked, Song Qingshu’s protective qi had automatically countered. Fortunately, he had reacted in time and reined in most of his force; otherwise, her foot might have been seriously injured.

“Well, what can I say? It’s your brother-in-law’s rugged build,” Song Qingshu remarked as he crouched down to examine her foot. “Is it here?”

“A little more towards the front,” Wanyan Ping gasped, pointing ahead.

Song Qingshu gently placed her foot on his thigh and discreetly pressed on several acupoints near it. “Don’t worry, brother-in-law will massage it and you’ll be fine in no time.”

“Mm,” Wanyan Ping nodded. It wasn’t until a tingling, numb sensation spread through her foot that she realized the situation was rather inappropriate. How could a brother-in-law be massaging his sister-in-law’s foot?

Instinctively, Wanyan Ping wanted to pull her foot back, but noticing the clear and focused look in his eyes as he attentively checked her injury, she thought that withdrawing might be even more conspicuous—and thus even more embarrassing.

Previously, after Wanyan Gebi had given the clothes to her younger sister, she had grown concerned about her sister’s clumsy handling and came over to check on her. Little did she expect to witness this scene: her husband massaging her sister’s foot while the sister, with a shy expression, made no attempt to object.

Song Qingshu had sensed her presence from the start, but he made no move to stop, instead subtly shifting his body to block Wanyan Ping’s view of his wife standing by the window.

From Wanyan Gebi’s perspective, it appeared as if her sister was leaning into her husband’s arms, the two of them in a tender embrace… She longed to barge in and confront them, but doing so would only cause further embarrassment. Even if her husband were understanding, she knew her sister’s temperament all too well; in a fit of shame, she might do something foolish. Having always adored her sister, she could not bear the thought of her getting hurt.

Unable to summon the courage to watch any longer, Wanyan Gebi left in a daze, silent tears streaming down her flawless cheeks.

Noticing her departure, Song Qingshu sighed inwardly, ‘It’s easy to be petty, but hard to be a gentleman.’

“Alright, brother-in-law, I’m not in pain anymore.” Unaware that her sister had just been there and harboring a huge misunderstanding, Wanyan Ping, seeing that Song Qingshu had suddenly stopped and was holding her foot motionless, whispered urgently, “I’m fine now.”

“Huh?” Only then did Song Qingshu realize what was happening. Seeing her trying to pull her foot back, he refrained from insisting further, offering an awkward smile. “Alright, that’s good, haha.”

Wanyan Ping, her face flushed red, stood up and wiggled her toes. Suddenly, she wore an expression of astonishment. “Brother-in-law, you’re amazing. I really don’t feel any pain now. Where did you learn that technique?”

“Just a trifle; nothing worth mentioning,” Song Qingshu replied with a slight smile. However, his expression took on a strange look. To ease pain was not a remarkable feat—true skill lay in making someone so pained they could hardly get out of bed.

“Not willing to share? You’re being stingy!” Wanyan Ping teased, unaware of the lewd thoughts that were churning in Song Qingshu’s mind. She assumed he was simply being possessive and not wanting to reveal the secret behind his technique, though she had only asked out of casual curiosity.

“I’m off to inform my sister. We should set off soon.” Wanyan Ping snapped her fingers, her face alight with excitement as she prepared to head to her sister’s place.

Song Qingshu grabbed her arm. “There’s no need. Let’s leave right now.” What a joke—meeting the sisters now would put Wanyan Gebi in an impossible position. No matter how magnanimous she was, it would be hard for her to face this situation. It would be like a collision of stars, and his own misdeeds would be exposed.

“Why?” Wanyan Ping subtly retracted her hand.

“Uh…” Song Qingshu quickly concocted an excuse, “You know your sister—she’s great in many ways, but overly fussy. If we go to her, she’ll be fussing over every little thing. And considering the time of day, if she delays us any further, what’s the point of going hunting?”

Wanyan Ping pursed her lips and smiled. “That’s true. Alright then, let’s head out directly!”

“My clothes aren’t fully on yet…” Song Qingshu said, pointing at the half-worn upper garment with a bitter smile.

Wanyan Ping stuck her tongue out playfully, “Hmph, it’s all your fault for bullying me earlier.” Despite her words, she ran over to help him dress.

Song Qingshu raised his hands as Wanyan Ping fluttered around him like a butterfly. Her hair carried a delicate fragrance that filled his senses. 

Finally, as Wanyan Ping stood before him, diligently tying his clothes, Song Qingshu happened to catch sight of her slender, graceful neck. The sight of her fair, delicate skin made him momentarily dizzy, and a dry thirst began to claw at his throat.

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