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 movent, 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 soone 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 dood.
Tang Kuo Bian, lying on the bed, suddenly sensed that sothing 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 n to be so decisive. They entered without a word and imdiately 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 n in black were montarily startled. However, they wasted no ti; 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 ticulously trained death soldiers. In his urgency to check on Tang Kuo Bian, Song Qingshu had no ti 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 ca to taking a life, he showed no rcy at all. It seed he was gradually being assimilated by this chaotic, conflict-ridden world.
After a brief mont 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 so 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 sowhat, though he knew it was rely a final burst of energy. He hurriedly continued, “Brother Song, do you still recall the oath we took when we beca sworn brothers?”
Song Qingshu was montarily 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 soone in distress.”
“I want you to exploit this mont of vulnerability!” Tang Kuo Bian insisted urgently. Seeing the look of astonishnt on Song Qingshu’s face, he quickly added, “In truth, I wish to ask you to do sothing for .”
“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
for a period of ti.”
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 sa camp, after all. Brother Song, do you know why he wants to kill ?”
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 rember when I ntioned that my wife, Gebi, is the most beautiful woman in the Jin Empire?” At the ntion 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
to protect my sister-in-law?”
“Exactly,” Tang Kuo Bian replied, his breathing growing more urgent. “Wanyan Liang is cunning and underhanded. Without soone 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 —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 imdiately 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 —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 handsoly.”
“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!”
Enjoy reading Flower Stealing Master? Then please show your support if you are able to! This chapter was released on goblinslate by translator Goblin. Your support makes Goblin translate more. So, do the right thing please.
Want to read more? Beco a Flower Stealing Master ($5 per month) mber at Goblinslate Patreonand get Five or More Advance Chapters imdiately, then stay 5 or more chapters ahead of the regular release for the month! Or, beco a CN WN Bundle ($10 per month) mber and have access to all the CN
advance chapters on Goblinslate. Get more chapters by sponsoring at BuyaCoffee or Patreon Shop.
Check out my other projects:
Dual Cultivation with a Fox Demon
Ask the Mirror (recomnded)
Immortal Divine Tribulation
The Way of Restraint (recomnded)
Reviews
All reviews (0)