Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 498: Undercurrents

Song Qingshu’s eyes lit up as he cupped his hands in thanks, “With King Xiao’s assistance, our chances of success increase significantly.”

Xiao Feng smiled slightly. Liao was precariously positioned between the Jin and Qing states. Although it had shown signs of revival under his leadership in recent years, its national strength was still vastly inferior to that of Jin and Qing. Being able to protect itself was already a stroke of luck, let alone recovering lost territories.

This time, the Qing forces were mobilizing to attack the Golden Serpent Camp. Naturally, Xiao Feng was unwilling to stand idly by, so he quietly traveled south to the Golden Serpent Camp. Initially, his intention was merely to ensure the camp’s survival against the Qing army. However, upon witnessing Song Qingshu’s sudden rise as the new Golden Serpent King, Xiao Feng sensed an opportunity—perhaps this could be the chance to deal a significant blow to the Qing.

Nonetheless, as Liao was currently in a truce with the Qing—more precisely, with Wu Sangui—it was inconvenient for Xiao Feng to assist Song Qingshu openly in his capacity as the Southern King of Liao. Therefore, he declared that he would participate in the battle solely in a personal capacity, which Song Qingshu naturally did not mind.

“Would Fourth Lady be willing to lend her aid?” Seeing that Yang Miaozhen had not yet left, Song Qingshu felt more confident. However, as she was a woman, he couldn’t ask her to take the initiative, so he had to give her due respect.

As expected, Yang Miaozhen smiled slightly. She neither refused his invitation nor agreed outright. “What benefit would I gain from helping you?”

Song Qingshu displayed an embarrassed and shy expression. “If Fourth Lady doesn’t mind, I could repay the favor with my life.”

Even though Yang Miaozhen was used to being teased by various rough men in the martial world, she still couldn’t handle Song Qingshu’s thick-skinned approach. Her face reddened slightly as she hastily replied, “Who wants your life? Just promise to do something for me in the future, and I’ll stay and help you this time.”

“This kind of deal again? Favor debts are not easy to repay,” Song Qingshu said, surprising Yang Miaozhen by not agreeing immediately. Instead, he asked, “How many men did you bring this time?”

“Three hundred,” Yang Miaozhen replied proudly. “Though the number isn’t large, they are all the most elite warriors of the Red Coat Army.”

“Three hundred men for a favor—seems a bit costly,” Song Qingshu noted, seeing Yang Miaozhen’s eyebrows furrow. He quickly added, “But even if it were just Fourth Lady alone, it would be worth it. Alright, it’s a deal!”

Yang Miaozhen was initially angry and had been prepared to leave, but her face softened slightly upon hearing his compliment. She couldn’t help but snort to express her displeasure.

Song Qingshu smiled bitterly to himself. In truth, he was reluctant to owe favors lightly. In the original “Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber,” Zhang Wuji owed Zhao Min three favors, almost leading to his downfall.

However, now that he had suddenly become the leader of the Golden Serpent Camp, with the heads of each faction harboring their own ulterior motives, he was practically a lone commander. He naturally needed to leverage all available resources.

Seeing the arrival of such strong reinforcements, Zhang Songxi and Yin Liting exchanged gratified glances. They suddenly noticed Huang Rong standing aside with a smile, prompting Zhang Songxi to consider inviting her. If they could secure her help, Song Qingshu’s chances of overcoming this crisis would significantly improve. He then asked, “Would Madam Guo be willing to stay and assist?”

“This…” Huang Rong appeared troubled. Given the scandalous rumors between her and Song Qingshu, staying to help him would undoubtedly lead to even more gossip in the martial world.

“Madam, your wisdom is unparalleled. If you could stay and help, I would be eternally grateful,” Song Qingshu said earnestly as he approached her.

Huang Rong keenly noticed the difference in Song Qingshu’s tone when speaking to her versus Yang Miaozhen. With Yang Miaozhen, he had asked if she was willing to stay, but with her, he was sincerely inviting her—clearly showing who was more important to him.

By nature, Huang Rong would typically seize such an opportunity to extract benefits. However, now she was a widely respected Madam Guo, and her actions had to consider her reputation.

Yang Miaozhen was a female bandit, so negotiating terms was expected. However, if she did the same, it would be inappropriate.

Huang Rong felt frustrated. Given her intelligence, finding a reason to refuse was easy and wouldn’t draw criticism from other sects. For example, Song Qingshu had killed elders of the Beggars’ Gang, and as the former leader, she couldn’t betray her followers. Or the fact that the Southern Song had an alliance with Qing, and her involvement could reignite conflict between the two countries.

In a split second, various refusal reasons flashed through Huang Rong’s mind, but she ultimately nodded, “With the Qing ravaging the central plains, we Han Ch!nese should support each other. I cannot shirk this responsibility.”

She had intended to say ‘northern invaders,’ but mid-sentence, she remembered Xiao Feng and his companions were present and changed her wording. 

Xiao Feng, being broad-minded, merely smiled and didn’t take offense.

“Thank you for your kindness!” Song Qingshu rejoiced.

‘What did he mean by kindness?’ Huang Rong found it odd, feeling that the term was intentionally ambiguous. However, seeing his righteous demeanor and no reaction from others, she wondered if she was overthinking it.

As Huang Rong pondered, Song Qingshu invited them and the heads of the Golden Serpent Camp factions to the main hall for a meeting.

“This time, we need to discuss how to respond to the Qing court’s siege,” Song Qingshu said, sitting in the chief seat of the main hall, feeling somewhat excited. However, he quickly chuckled, thinking that after sitting on the dragon throne, this chair was nothing.

Hearing Song Qingshu’s inquiry, those who stayed to assist were thoughtful and refrained from speaking immediately. The faction leaders of the Golden Serpent Camp were uncertain of Song Qingshu’s intentions and didn’t dare to speak up.

Realizing that he had pledged allegiance to the Five Sacred Mountain Sword Sect’s Left Alliance Leader, Gai Mengchang, Meng Bofei knew he had to take action to prevent Song Qingshu from fully consolidating power.

Meng Bofei, known for his benevolence and reputation in the martial world, was not afraid of Song Qingshu’s sudden attack. Clearing his throat, he said loudly, “I think we should follow the old practice of splitting up and hiding in the mountains. The Qing army, though powerful, spends vast sums daily and won’t be able to sustain their campaign for long before retreating.”

Huang Rong frowned slightly, noting that while Meng Bofei’s suggestion was reasonable, his tone lacked any deference, clearly not recognizing Song Qingshu as the new leader. Additionally, he kept referencing old rules, clearly a message for the newcomer.

Huang Rong glanced at Song Qingshu worriedly, fearing he might resort to violence, given his previous handling of Master Shili.

However, Meng Bofei’s reputation and the reasonableness of his words posed a dilemma. If Song Qingshu used force again, the other faction leaders might feel threatened, jeopardizing his position as the Golden Serpent King.

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