Flower Stealing Master

Xia Qingqing bit her red lips. “I’ve already endured the pain of losing a beloved once. I don’t want to experience it again. Nor do I have the courage to live on alone.”

Ah Jiu patted her hand comfortingly. But a thought crossed her mind: *If, on the road to the underworld, Yuan Chengzhi and Song Qingshu started fighting, which one would Qingqing help…*

After pouring out their hearts, the two women felt somewhat relieved. Only then did Xia Qingqing remember the serious matter at hand. “The morale in the Golden Serpent Camp is at rock bottom right now. Our chances of repelling Li Kexiu’s army are very low, let alone killing him to avenge Big Brother Song.”

“Yes,” Ah Jiu sighed softly.

It turned out that while Song Qingshu was traveling far and wide, Ah Jiu had been impersonating him in the Golden Serpent Camp. That had been manageable ordinarily. But this time, news of Song Qingshu being poisoned by the Golden Devil Flower had spread so widely that everyone in the camp was beginning to doubt Ah Jiu’s identity. Though the two women had managed to suppress the unrest, it had already caused widespread anxiety and rumors. In the face of Li Kexiu’s attacks, they had already lost several battles. Now their defensive line was on the verge of breaking.

“It’s about time. The commanders will be arriving soon. Let’s prepare,” Xia Qingqing reminded her. As if in confirmation, the various commanders of the Golden Serpent Camp soon filed in.

Those seated were essentially the core power-holders of the Golden Serpent Camp. The group began discussing their next strategy, but soon disagreements arose. Somehow, the conversation quickly turned to Ah Jiu.

“There are rumors all over the world that the Golden Serpent King was poisoned to death in Yangzhou. I wonder which of these Golden Serpent Kings is real and which is fake?” The crowd fixed their doubtful gazes on Ah Jiu.

“As I said last time, those are just rumors. What will it take for you to believe me? Do you want to have another sparring match with me to see if I’m real or not?” Ah Jiu was angry. She knew her martial arts were no match for Song Qingshu’s, but against these people, they were more than sufficient.

“Heh heh, our martial arts are too low. How could we test anything?” someone said. A large group immediately chimed in agreement.

Xia Qingqing slammed her hand heavily on the table. “You’ve questioned Big Brother Song’s identity time and again. What exactly are you plotting?”

“We mean no disrespect to the Golden Serpent King. We’re just afraid that he’s been harmed by some villain and has become someone else’s puppet.” The group seemed to have coordinated privately beforehand, their stance remarkably unified.

“Who is this ‘villain’ you speak of?” Xia Qingqing, already frustrated by the lack of news about Song Qingshu, snapped.

“I didn’t say it was you,” the man snickered. Xia Qingqing’s chest heaved with anger, but she had no outlet for it.

“What will it take for you to believe me?” Ah Jiu suddenly asked.

The group exchanged meaningful glances. Finally, one of them spoke: “It’s simple. Back then, the Golden Serpent King summoned the wind and rain and single-handedly wiped out the Qing army’s iron cavalry. If you can summon the wind and rain again, we’ll believe you.”

Ah Jiu’s brows furrowed deeply. Though she had heard Song Qingshu explain the principle behind summoning wind and rain, she had never understood it from beginning to end. Now, asked to replicate that miracle, how could she possibly do it?

Xia Qingqing naturally understood her predicament. She quickly intervened: “Summoning wind and rain requires the right timing and the right place—both indispensable. You can’t just do it on command. You’re deliberately making things difficult, aren’t you?”

“Young Master Song has always been a man who creates miracles. We believe in him.” The group clearly had no intention of backing down.

Xia Qingqing was frustrated. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Logically, she was still the former matriarch of this group. They had once treated her with great respect. But ever since Song Qingshu had single-handedly led everyone to annihilate the Qing army of 100,000, his prestige had soared to unprecedented heights. Now these people looked to Song Qingshu alone for guidance and no longer cared about her.

This was why the news of Song Qingshu’s alleged mishap had dealt such a devastating blow to the Golden Serpent Camp’s morale.