Flower Stealing Master

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“Rest assured, Your Highness. This time, not even wings will help Huang Rong escape.” The group responded in unison. 

Every person present was a master among masters. The last time, despite surrounding her completely, they had let Huang Rong slip away. Although Wanyan Liang had not blamed them, they still felt humiliated and were determined to redeem themselves this time.

Among the three, Ouyang Feng had a longstanding grudge against Guo Jing and Huang Rong, so he had every reason to go all out. Qiu Qianren, on the other hand, was the most ambitious. He had fully pledged allegiance to Wanyan Liang and would spare no effort in proving his worth for the sake of wealth and power. As for Murong Bo, who was masquerading as the Monk Li, he was actually the least invested among them.

“Whether or not Tang Kuo Bian is actually in Huang Rong’s hands is still uncertain. Your Highness must not be deceived by her bluff.” Ouyang Feng was unwilling to let Wanyan Liang agree to give Huang Rong the antidote. After all, if she received the real antidote, his deception involving the fake one would be exposed.

“I had the same doubts at first.” Wanyan Liang shook his head and pointed to a peculiar mark on a public notice. “However, this mark belongs to the Tang Kuo family’s patriarch. The seal is in Tang Kuo Bian’s possession and cannot be forged by outsiders. Furthermore, Tang Kuo Bian has been missing for days. I deployed all my men to search for him, but there hasn’t been a single trace. The only possibility is that he is in Huang Rong’s hands, which is why our spies haven’t been able to find him.”

“So that’s how it is!” The others immediately understood. However, even Wanyan Liang was unaware that before his death, Tang Kuo Bian had already entrusted his patriarchal seal and a series of secrets to Song Qingshu, allowing him to impersonate him flawlessly. Even the cunning Wanyan Liang had been completely fooled.

“But why would that wretched girl Huang Rong set the transaction time for tomorrow and even tell us the location?” Though Huang Rong had been married for years, Qiu Qianren still held a deep psychological shadow from the clever and mischievous girl she once was. He had yet to break the habit of referring to her as such.

“It is strange. She’s giving us an entire day to prepare, which allows us to set up our ambush with ease,” Wanyan Liang muttered to himself. “Still, in the end, this works to our advantage…”

“Huang Rong is cunning. There must be a trick involved,” Ouyang Feng said darkly. The mere thought of the losses he had suffered at her hands in the past made his face turn grim. “She deliberately informed us of the time and place in advance, probably to lure us into setting up an ambush nearby. Then, at the last moment, she’ll change the meeting spot, tying up a large portion of our forces without even lifting a finger.”

Wanyan Liang nodded. “Master Ouyang’s words make sense. However, I cannot simply ignore that location either…” He pondered for a moment before making a decision. “Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll set up an ambush in the designated area, but we’ll also keep several teams in reserve, hidden and ready to respond.”

With that, Wanyan Liang gathered his subordinates to discuss how to fortify their positions and set up their net. They spent an entire day strategizing, ensuring that every possible scenario was accounted for, believing that their plan was foolproof.

*****

The next day, at the designated time and place stated on the public notice, Wanyan Liang arrived with his forces. However, his expression soon darkened. He had already been waiting for an hour, yet there was no sign of Huang Rong.

“As expected, this wasn’t the real meeting place…” Despite his outward frustration, Wanyan Liang was not truly angry. In fact, he had anticipated this outcome. If Huang Rong had actually appeared as planned, he would have been disappointed. Conquering a foolish woman, no matter how beautiful, was hardly satisfying.

Whoosh!

As he was lost in thought, the sharp sound of something cutting through the air reached his ears. Wanyan Liang looked up just in time to see an arrow flying straight toward him. However, he remained unfazed. His guards reacted instantly, slashing the arrow down midair.

His gaze followed the trajectory of the shot. Even before his guards rushed toward that direction, he held little hope of capturing the archer. If the enemy were that careless, all their previous schemes would have been meaningless.

“Your Highness, there is a cloth strip tied to the arrow!” One of the sharp-eyed guards had already noticed the writing on it.

“Bring it here!”

As Wanyan Liang read the message on the cloth, he let out a cold laugh. “Just as I expected!”

The note indicated a change in the meeting location, setting the new time for half an hour later. Calculating the distance between the two locations, they had just enough time to make it there.

“Move out. We’re changing locations.” With a wave of his hand, Wanyan Liang turned his horse around and headed toward the new site. As for the deployment of troops, he had no concerns. His advisors had anticipated such a scenario, and his soldiers had already been divided into more than a dozen groups, stationed strategically across Kaifeng. No matter where Huang Rong appeared, he could surround her in the shortest possible time.

“You think you can outwit me? You’re still too naive,” Wanyan Liang sneered. He had laid an inescapable net over Kaifeng, ensuring that not even a fly could escape. With Ouyang Feng and other top experts at his side, he was certain that once Huang Rong showed herself, she would have no chance of escaping. The thought of finally possessing this renowned beauty filled him with excitement.

***** 

A few hours later, Wanyan Liang could no longer maintain his smirk. Huang Rong had led him on a wild goose chase, dragging him from one location to another. He had already changed locations five or six times according to the arrows’ instructions, yet Huang Rong had not appeared even once. Each time, all he found was another arrow with another note, leading him to the next place.

The only thing that gave Wanyan Liang some solace was that, so far, these locations were still within the range where his forces could maintain control. After swiftly changing locations twice more and galloping tirelessly for half a day, the only ones still able to keep up with him were a handful of grandmaster-level experts, including Ouyang Feng, and his personal guards.

Wanyan Liang’s personal guards were elite warriors carefully selected for their skills. Given the nature of the Jurchen people, they were also exceptional cavalrymen. This was why they could keep up with him despite the relentless pace.

However, Wanyan Liang wasn’t concerned. After all, Kaifeng was Jin territory, and Huang Rong’s group couldn’t have too many people. To capture her, his current entourage was more than sufficient. Besides, once her location was confirmed, the nearest soldiers would be able to rush over in the shortest time possible.

Of course, being led around like a monkey on a leash still infuriated him. He gritted his teeth, swearing to himself that once he caught Huang Rong, he wouldn’t stop until he had ravaged her so thoroughly she wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for three days.

“Fair Breeze Pavilion?” For some reason, when Wanyan Liang saw the latest location on the intelligence report, he had a strong feeling—this was the place!

Fair Breeze Pavilion was situated at the intersection of several major roads, making it an easily accessible hub and an ideal escape point. However, Wanyan Liang sneered inwardly. Yesterday, his advisors had meticulously studied the maps of Kaifeng and its surroundings. This location was one of the spots they had predicted Huang Rong might choose. He had already stationed troops within dozens of miles around the area. The moment he gave the order, this so-called escape haven would be sealed off like an inescapable net. Not even a bird would be able to fly away.

Of course, the terrain was far too open, and there were other possible locations that also needed ambushes. Because of this, Wanyan Liang couldn’t achieve a completely airtight encirclement. The mountain behind Fair Breeze Pavilion was particularly problematic—it was impossible to station guards there. But there was no need to. Though the mountain seemed vast and boundless, it was actually a dead end. At its summit was a sheer cliff. No matter how skilled one was in Qinggong, a fall from there would result in nothing but a shattered body.

Only locals knew this fact. Wanyan Liang and his men had only discovered it after poring over the county annals and maps of Kaifeng.

“A wise man can still make a mistake!” The phrase surfaced in Wanyan Liang’s mind. It seemed even fate was on his side. Huang Rong was renowned for her intelligence, but this time, she would likely meet her downfall here.

When his group arrived at Fair Breeze Pavilion, they saw from a distance a stunning woman seated inside, burning incense and playing the zither. The melody was gentle and melancholic, carrying a trace of sorrow that stirred the hearts of those who heard it. Even though Wanyan Liang and his men had come with killing intent, their bloodlust diminished the moment her music reached their ears.

‘Huang Rong may be detestable, but she is indeed breathtakingly beautiful. No wonder Ke’er was so infatuated with her back then,’ Ouyang Feng thought, momentarily lost in nostalgia as he recalled Ouyang Ke.

Beside him, Qiu Qianren smacked his lips in astonishment. “That girl was already remarkably stunning in her youth, but after marriage, her beauty and figure have only become more exquisite.”

Wanyan Liang’s gaze burned with desire as he looked at the woman in the pavilion. He raised his hand to signal his subordinates to halt, then stepped forward a few paces and said, “The ancients spoke of melodies lingering for three days without fading. I always thought such claims were exaggerated, but after hearing Madame’s performance today, I realize they spoke the truth! However, I couldn’t help but detect a trace of sorrow hidden in your music. I wonder what troubles you? Perhaps I may be able to assist you.”

Huang Rong was secretly startled. As she played, she had unconsciously thought about the tangled and complicated relationship between her and Song Qingshu. She hadn’t expected this Jin prince to be so well-versed in music that he could discern her emotions from her tune.

She quickly suppressed her surprise, her expression turning cold. “Music is like the heart—it cannot tolerate the slightest impurity. The moment it is tainted by worldly dust, it loses its clarity. This zither first absorbed my worries, and now it has been sullied by your murderous intent and depraved desires. Its purity is gone. How could it ever produce a clear melody again? This instrument is no longer worth keeping!”

As soon as she finished speaking, she flicked her fingers across the strings, causing them to snap one by one.

Seeing her brazenly show him such disrespect in front of his subordinates, a flash of anger crossed Wanyan Liang’s eyes. However, he quickly concealed it and maintained his composed demeanor. “Since Madame is unwilling to share a moment of musical camaraderie with me, then I shall have to handle official matters instead.” As he spoke, he swept his gaze around the pavilion. Noticing that there was no one else present, he let out a cold laugh. “Madame, you used Tang Kuo as leverage to lure me here, yet I see no sign of him. Tell me, where is he?”

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