Flower Stealing Master

Song Qingshu stealthily made his way along, avoiding the patrolling guards, and finally found Tang Kuo Bian’s room.

Outside Tang Kuo Bian’s door, two guards stood watch. With a swift movement, Song Qingshu slipped into the room through a rear window. No sooner had he entered than he heard a low, pained groan—clearly coming from someone in great agony.

On tiptoe, Song Qingshu quickly darted onto a beam. Squinting down, he saw Tang Kuo Bian lying on the bed, his face as pale as paper and beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead, clearly enduring considerable pain.

‘Huang Rong really is ruthless—injuring the major acupoint along his spine. I fear he’ll be confined to this bed for the rest of his life,’ Song Qingshu thought, drawing a sharp breath.

However, although Tang Kuo Bian was gravely injured, he did not seem to be in mortal danger. Just as Song Qingshu was about to retreat and report back, his expression changed abruptly as he fixed his gaze on the door.

He caught two muffled groans. If his suspicions were correct, the two guards outside were likely doomed.

Tang Kuo Bian, lying on the bed, suddenly sensed that something was amiss. He snatched the curved blade at the side of the bed and glared fiercely at the door.

Whoosh!

A few dark figures burst into the room, and with a single raised hand, they unleashed a volley of hidden weapons toward the bed.

Song Qingshu was taken aback; he hadn’t expected these men to be so decisive. They entered without a word and immediately launched their lethal attack. Even if Tang Kuo Bian—already heavily injured and immobile—had been unscathed, he wouldn’t have been able to evade the myriad of poisoned needles.

In a flash, Song Qingshu leaped from the beam. With a swift roll of his sleeve, he managed to deflect most of the needles to the ground. Unfortunately, in the haste, a few stray needles still managed to hit Tang Kuo Bian.

Seeing Song Qingshu’s sudden appearance, the men in black were momentarily startled. However, they wasted no time; with a few swift strokes, they drew their sabers and charged at him.

These attackers moved with clean, agile precision and struck with simple yet ruthless ferocity—it was obvious they were meticulously trained death soldiers. In his urgency to check on Tang Kuo Bian, Song Qingshu had no time to exchange blows with them. With a rapid stretch of his arms, he snatched the sword from one of them. The man was so shocked that as he began to retreat, the entire room suddenly lit up with dazzling flashes of blade light—and then he lost consciousness.

Looking at the fallen death soldiers scattered across the floor, Song Qingshu sighed inwardly. Ever since his transmigration—from the modern world, no less—he had been deeply averse to killing. Yet now, when it came to taking a life, he showed no mercy at all. It seemed he was gradually being assimilated by this chaotic, conflict-ridden world.

After a brief moment of distraction, he snapped back to attention and hurried over to check on Tang Kuo Bian.

Black blood oozed from Tang Kuo Bian’s wounds—clear evidence that the needles were laced with potent poison. Song Qingshu frowned. Tang Kuo Bian was already gravely injured; now his life was hanging by a thread.

However, having received orders from Lady Tang, Song Qingshu could not simply abandon him. He quickly rushed to his side, sealing the acupoints around the wounds, then pressing his palm to Tang Kuo Bian’s back and channeling a steady stream of true qi into his body to force the poison out.

Seeing Song Qingshu’s determined expression, Tang Kuo Bian managed a faint, relieved smile. “Brother Song, I knew I could count on you.”

With a grave expression, Song Qingshu replied, “Tang Kuo, remain calm—I must quickly expel the poison from your body.” Yet inwardly he sighed; the poison had already invaded Tang Kuo Bian’s vital organs. Not even an Immortal could save him now.

Tang Kuo Bian shook his head slightly and gave a bitter smile. “Brother Song, do I not know my own condition? You needn’t waste your True Qi. There are some matters I wish to discuss with you.”

At that, Song Qingshu fell silent, though he continued to channel his true qi without pause.

Tang Kuo Bian’s complexion improved somewhat, though he knew it was merely a final burst of energy. He hurriedly continued, “Brother Song, do you still recall the oath we took when we became sworn brothers?”

Song Qingshu was momentarily stunned. Recalling that absurd oath, he couldn’t help but offer a bitter smile. “Tang Kuo, rest assured—I am not one to take advantage of someone in distress.”

“I want you to exploit this moment of vulnerability!” Tang Kuo Bian insisted urgently. Seeing the look of astonishment on Song Qingshu’s face, he quickly added, “In truth, I wish to ask you to do something for me.”

“Tang Kuo, speak freely—your brother is duty-bound to help you.” Being not only sworn brothers but also, in a manner of speaking, half in-laws, Song Qingshu had no hesitation in agreeing to fulfill his dying wish.

Tang Kuo Bian’s expression turned strangely amused. “After I die, please cut off my face and use it to make a human-skin mask and impersonate me for a period of time.”

A chill ran up Song Qingshu’s spine. “Why?”

“Brother Song, who do you think sent these assassins?” Tang Kuo Bian sneered.

“Could it be Wanyan Liang?” Song Qingshu ventured, his suspicions rising.

“Indeed!” Tang Kuo Bian ground his teeth. “He and I are in the same camp, after all. Brother Song, do you know why he wants to kill me?”

Song Qingshu shook his head. That was the part that baffled him most—after all, the two had colluded to swindle Guo Jing. It was obvious they were in cahoots.

“Brother Song, do you remember when I mentioned that my wife, Gebi, is the most beautiful woman in the Jin Empire?” At the mention of his beloved, Tang Kuo Bian’s eyes shone with a mix of pride, sorrow, and reluctance.

Recalling Wanyan Liang’s lecherous nature, Song Qingshu was startled. “Could it be…?”

Tang Kuo Bian nodded. “That b*stard has always been lecherous. I know he has long coveted Gebi. I originally thought he would reveal his wolfish ambition only after that major event, but I never expected him to act so swiftly.”

Song Qingshu hadn’t caught his reference to “that major event.” Frowning, he asked, “Tang Kuo, are you asking me to protect my sister-in-law?”

“Exactly,” Tang Kuo Bian replied, his breathing growing more urgent. “Wanyan Liang is cunning and underhanded. Without someone constantly by Gebi’s side to protect her, she surely won’t escape that b*stard’s clutches. That’s the first reason why I need you to impersonate me—it will ensure her safety.”

Clearing his throat and wiping away the blood froth at the corner of his mouth, Tang Kuo Bian continued, “I am also concerned about the fate of the Tang Kuo family. If I were to die quietly like this, our vast family would immediately be devoured by the other great families. I refuse to let our family fall into disgrace—that’s the second reason.”

Suddenly, Tang Kuo Bian looked deeply into Song Qingshu’s eyes. “And third, I want you to find an opportunity to avenge me—kill that b*stard, Wanyan Liang.”

Song Qingshu furrowed his brows. None of these three tasks were easy to accomplish. However, impersonating Tang Kuo Bian presented an excellent opportunity to probe for the whereabouts of Song Yuanqiao and others, and to seamlessly infiltrate the upper echelons of the Jin Empire. If handled well, it might even allow him to control the Jin court.

Seeing hesitation on Song Qingshu’s face, Tang Kuo Bian hastily added, “I know these tasks put you in a difficult position, and I can’t have you risk your life for nothing. Therefore, I will reward you handsomely.”

“From now on, the entire power and resources of the Tang Kuo family will be at your command!”

“And all the personal wealth I’ve amassed will belong to you!”

“Finally, my wife—the most beautiful woman in the Jin—will be yours from this day forward!”

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