Flower Stealing Master

No wonder Zhao Min felt conflicted. 

As the leader of a faction and someone accustomed to holding a position of power, she naturally understood the significance of controlling others with the ability to summon the wind and rain. 

When she had questioned Song Qingshu earlier, she hadn’t expected him to truly reveal the secret. Her intent had merely been to leverage the guilt from his refusal to gain an advantage. Yet, to her surprise, he had shared the entire mystery with her without reservation.

Zhao Min knew why she had subtly shown favor toward Song Qingshu recently, even flirting with him occasionally.

It was all to deal with Ming Zun!

Although Zhao Min was a Mongolian princess, Ming Zun commanded tens of thousands of followers in the Ming Cult, not to mention countless hidden powers. With the Mongolian princes’ struggles for succession nearing a breaking point, even the Prince of Ruyang’s estate was at risk. 

Taking on Ming Zun was no simple task.

Moreover, based on Ming Zun’s demonstrated martial prowess, Zhao Min deduced that only a handful in the world could surpass him. 

Ah Qing was one of them, but she seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and Zhao Min’s meticulous investigation failed to uncover her origins. 

Wudang’s Zhang Sanfeng or the mysterious expert from Shaolin Temple’s Scripture Pavilion might also suffice, but neither were within Zhao Min’s reach. 

Although Song Qingshu’s martial arts were slightly inferior to these individuals, he was the most accessible to her.

Zhao Min was acutely aware that her beauty was a formidable weapon. Over the years, she had manipulated the Central Plains martial arts world effortlessly, relying solely on the Prince of Ruyang’s influence and her unparalleled strategies. There had been no need to resort to her looks.

This time, however, she faced an unprecedentedly powerful foe. To achieve her revenge, she had to exploit every possible resource.

Through brief encounters, Zhao Min discerned Song Qingshu’s interest in her from his gaze and capitalized on it. Though Zhao Min had never studied the art of seduction, her innate intelligence allowed her to master it instinctively, reaching the pinnacle of allure.

By alternating between closeness and distance, occasionally showing a hint of affection, and even feigning jealousy at times, Song Qingshu had predictably fallen into her trap.

Zhao Min was confident that it wouldn’t be long before Song Qingshu submitted to her charms. By then, she wouldn’t even need to ask—he would naturally deal with Ming Zun for her. Once her goal was achieved, she could simply walk away without a trace.

Her current inner conflict stemmed from sensing Song Qingshu’s sincerity, which inevitably stirred a flicker of guilt within her. However, she quickly dispelled such negative emotions.

‘To accomplish great things, one must not be bound by trivialities!’ Zhao Min reassured herself. ‘Besides, he’s just a philanderer surrounded by women. After I leave, he’ll forget about me soon enough.’

Regaining her composure, Zhao Min smiled and attentively listened to Song Qingshu’s explanation of the mysteries behind summoning the wind and rain.

Unfortunately for Zhao Min, despite her unparalleled cunning, she overlooked one crucial detail: the game of emotions is a double-edged sword, capable of wounding both others and oneself. It is all too easy to become entangled in such games without realizing it…

“Nature truly is fascinating!” Zhao Min’s eyes sparkled after hearing Song Qingshu’s explanation. “What’s even more fascinating is, how do you know all this?”

“There are always a few geniuses in the world like me, born with innate knowledge,” Song Qingshu replied with a faint smile, cutting the topic short. “You’ve learned the secret of summoning the wind and rain. Now, shouldn’t you think about how to help me obtain the Cosmic Absorption Technique?”

“I’ve already thought of a plan,” Zhao Min said casually.

Song Qingshu’s eyebrows shot up as he grabbed her hand in excitement. “Tell me quickly!”

“Let go of me!” Zhao Min said, blushing and furious.

At the same time, she huffed internally: ‘This scoundrel has taken so many liberties with me lately, and I was just feeling guilty for him!’

“Sorry, sorry. Got carried away,” Song Qingshu muttered, awkwardly withdrawing his hands.

Zhao Min gave him a deep look, deliberately calming herself before speaking. “It’s not difficult to make Ren Woxing hand over the Cosmic Absorption Technique. The real challenge lies in ensuring the instructions he provides are genuine.”

Song Qingshu scratched his head. “I’ve been struggling with that issue too.” He couldn’t help but think of how Huang Rong had given Ouyang Feng the partially fabricated Nine Yin Scripture, rearranging the sequence and mixing truth with falsehood. This had caused a martial arts master, once capable of dominating the Five Greats, to descend into madness for over a decade. Had it not been for a twist of fate on Mystic Dragon Island, Ouyang Feng might have spent the rest of his life in insanity.

“It’s both hard and easy,” Zhao Min said, her smile enigmatic.

“My dear wise princess, don’t keep me in suspense,” Song Qingshu urged impatiently.

“Wise princess? How awful! Do I look that old?” Zhao Min glared at him.

“The radiant princess is as youthful and charming as a young maiden. Whoever said otherwise must be blind. I’ll tear them apart for you!” Song Qingshu immediately straightened up, feigning outrage.

“Alright, alright. I’ll tell you.” Zhao Min couldn’t help but laugh. “The world ought to see this side of the awe-inspiring Golden Serpent King—what a shameless rogue he truly is.”

“What do you think Ren Woxing cares about most in his life?” Zhao Min asked, a playful glint in her eyes as she gazed at Song Qingshu.

Song Qingshu pondered before answering, “Ren Woxing? In the past, it must have been defeating Dongfang Bubai and reclaiming the position of cult leader. Now, I suppose it’s uniting the martial world.”

“Ren Woxing is a capable figure, but his vision is too narrow. In this era of great strife, the capable will seize the world, yet he’s fixated on the small realm of the martial arts world,” Zhao Min remarked mockingly. “In my view, Dongfang Bubai’s scope was far broader than his.”

Song Qingshu’s heart skipped a beat as he thought of Dongfang Muxue. Her grace, martial skills, and ambitions had indeed far surpassed Ren Woxing. 

“Other than unifying the martial world, does Ren Woxing care about anything else?” Zhao Min subtly guided the conversation, though inwardly she felt troubled. Balancing the need to impress without coming across as too sharp and alerting Song Qingshu was no simple task.

Song Qingshu’s eyes lit up. “Are you referring to Ren Yingying?”

Zhao Min nodded. “Exactly. Ren Woxing has always treated Ren Yingying as his most cherished treasure, doting on her immensely. Therefore, the best approach is through her.”

Song Qingshu’s expression turned awkward. “Although I have some connection with Ren Yingying, asking her to help me steal her father’s martial art secrets might be impossible.”

“Connection? I’d say she’d love nothing more than to kill you,” Zhao Min ruthlessly exposed his lie. “We do need her to help us obtain the Cosmic Absorption Technique, but it won’t be on her terms. She’ll have no choice but to comply.”

“What do you mean by that?” Song Qingshu seemed to have a moment of realization but quickly lost it again.

Zhao Min glanced at the unconscious Li Mochou nearby and said casually, “Didn’t you just say that Li Mochou’s condition is beyond even the best miracle doctors, and only practicing the Cosmic Absorption Technique could balance the chaotic Qi in her body? Then it’s simple—make Ren Yingying end up like Li Mochou. When the time comes, Ren Woxing will have no choice but to teach her the Cosmic Absorption Technique, and you can eavesdrop nearby.”

“Brilliant!” Song Qingshu’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “That way, the technique will undoubtedly be genuine. In a moment of urgency, Ren Woxing wouldn’t use a fake method to deceive his own daughter.”

“The princess truly is unparalleled in wisdom. To come up with such an ingenious plan in such a short time is remarkable,” Song Qingshu said, looking at Zhao Min with newfound admiration.

“It’s nothing. Someone once used a similar scheme against me…” Zhao Min sighed softly, her expression flickering as if recalling something painful.

Song Qingshu, in his excitement, failed to notice Zhao Min’s unusual demeanor and instead focused on the plan’s finer details. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he hesitated. “If we proceed like this, Miss Ren is bound to suffer greatly.”

“What’s this? Feeling sorry for her?” Zhao Min looked at him with a teasing smile.

“Of course not. I barely know her,” Song Qingshu replied awkwardly.

“Really?” Zhao Min’s face was full of disbelief. “The way your eyes lit up just now, you seemed pretty excited to me.”

“What’s there to be excited about?” Song Qingshu was baffled.

Zhao Min’s fingers glided over Li Mochou’s still-unconscious face as she smiled. “To make Miss Ren’s symptoms identical to hers, won’t you have to use that vulgar technique again?”

Song Qingshu broke out in a cold sweat. If Lin Chaoying knew that her painstakingly created Jade Maiden Heart Sutra was being described as a vulgar technique, she’d probably burst out of her coffin in rage.

However, his expression quickly turned strange. After pondering it over, he realized that while injuring Ren Yingying was simple, replicating the peculiar internal injuries of Linghu Chong or Li Mochou was no easy feat.

Unless he brought several top-tier martial artists with different inner power attributes to Blackwood Cliff, forced their True Qi into Ren Yingying’s body, and used his own internal energy to suppress the chaos, it wouldn’t work. But with so many streams of foreign True Qi wreaking havoc in her body, maintaining balance would be nearly impossible. A small mistake could lead to her death.

In the end, inducing a Qi deviation through the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra remained the simplest and most effective method.

Noticing Song Qingshu’s conflicted expression, Zhao Min immediately understood and laughed. “What are you hesitating about? Miss Ren is one of the renowned beauties of the martial world. Are you afraid of being at a disadvantage?”

Zhao Min didn’t consider Ren Yingying’s innocence a concern. After all, she herself had suffered numerous difficulties at the hands of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Moreover, the poison afflicting her body was their creation. She harbored nothing but hatred for the cult and cared little for the purity of their saintess.

“It’s not about being at a disadvantage. It’s just that this approach feels a bit unscrupulous,” Song Qingshu hesitated. Despite Ren Yingying being the revered saintess of a demonic cult, she was shy and cared deeply about her reputation.

On prior occasions, while she hadn’t openly confronted him for his actions, this time, if he truly disrobed her to practice the Jade Heart Sutra, she might be driven to commit su!cide out of shame.

If saving one person ended up harming another innocent individual, it would go entirely against Song Qingshu’s intentions. 

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