Flower Stealing Master

After waiting a while longer and still not seeing her brother-in-law’s figure, Wanyan Ping could no longer sit still. She turned her horse around and headed back along the same road, scanning the surroundings anxiously as she rode, silently praying, “Brother-in-law, please, by all means, don’t get into trouble!”

After searching for a long while, Wanyan Ping finally found Song Qingshu. However, when she saw his current appearance, she nearly exploded with anger. “Brother-in-law, after all my hard work finding you, you’re just sitting here leisurely basking in the sun?”

At that moment, Song Qingshu was lounging arrogantly on a massive boulder—with a tuft of dog’s-tail grass held in his mouth, his hands propped behind his head, legs casually crossed, and his feet idly swinging. Hearing her voice, he finally opened his eyes and said with a cheeky smile, “Ping’er, you’ve finally arrived!”

“You big-headed rascal,” Wanyan Ping retorted, nearly drawing the leather whip at her waist to lash his face—she barely managed to control the irresistible impulse. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Song Qingshu showed not the slightest trace of guilt; instead, he exclaimed indignantly, “Ping’er, you must speak with a clear conscience—I’m a patient right now, and you expect me to race horses with you?”

Wanyan Ping’s face flushed slightly, and all her anger quickly dissipated as she muttered, “If you’re not feeling well, you could have told me beforehand.”

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Song Qingshu replied, “I would have liked to say so in advance, but by the time I was about to speak, you’d already galloped so far away. How was I supposed to say anything then?”

“Alright, alright, this time it’s my fault for not considering it properly, but I’ve come back to find you anyway…” As she spoke, Wanyan Ping suddenly held her breath and looked at him suspiciously, “You don’t seem in any hurry at all; it appears you were certain I would come back to look for you.”

Song Qingshu laughed heartily, “Of course—after all, you’re your brother-in-law’s dear little cuddle-buddy; no wonder I spoiled you so much since you were little.” Since the antidote for Rouge Drunkenness had to be sourced from Wanyan Ping, he naturally needed to prepare himself. 

‘That Tang Kuo Bian is absolutely a pervert with an extreme l0li fet!sh—a l0li nurturing plan that makes countless men swoon, and yet it was executed by a bearded old man!’ Song Qingshu thought exasperatedly. The mere recollection of Tang Kuo Bian’s burly appearance sent a shiver of revulsion through him.

“What little cuddle-buddy—whether spoiled or not,” Wanyan Ping said with a bashful expression, “I’m just afraid that if something were to happen to you, my elder sister would be heartbroken.”

“So if something happened to me, you wouldn’t be saddened at all?” Song Qingshu asked, his lips curling into a teasing smile as he looked at the young girl before him.

“Of course I’d be heartbroken!” Wanyan Ping replied hastily, “but… it would be a different kind of sorrow from what our elder sister feels…”

Understanding the need for moderation, Song Qingshu didn’t press her further about the differences. Instead, he abruptly switched the topic: “Earlier, when brother-in-law had that incident in Kaifeng, did our proud little princess ever shed a tear for him in the quiet of the night?”

“Hmph, I’m not as soft-hearted as our elder sister, so how could I possibly cry for you?” Wanyan Ping suddenly widened her eyes as she scrutinized Song Qingshu. “Brother-in-law, now that you’re back, I feel like you’ve changed quite a bit.”

“Oh? What changes?” Song Qingshu wondered inwardly with a twinge of alarm, though he wasn’t overly worried. This was expected—after all, Wanyan Ping wasn’t Wanyan Gebi and wasn’t as familiar with Tang Kuo Bian; she wouldn’t have noticed such subtleties.

“I can’t really say…I just feel… feel…” Wanyan Ping suddenly blushed and began to stutter.

“Feel that brother-in-law is seducing you?” Song Qingshu finished the unspoken thought for her.

“Ah, goodness!” Wanyan Ping’s face burned with embarrassment; unable to bear it, she flicked her wrist and lashed him with her whip.

Song Qingshu had been prepared for this moment. The instant he saw her wrist move, he rolled away like a lazy donkey to dodge the furious lash. Seizing the opportunity, he jumped back on his horse and galloped off while laughing heartily, “Ping’er, don’t forget—the purpose of our outing is hunting, not beating your brother-in-law!”

Watching Song Qingshu’s retreating figure, Wanyan Ping’s stern expression finally broke into a chuckle as she mumbled softly, “Stinky brother-in-law!” Then, with a graceful somersault, she remounted her little red horse and spurred it on with a triumphant “Charge~”

The two eventually set out on their hunting expedition. However, since the mountain wasn’t far from Daxing Prefecture, there weren’t many wild beasts—no ferocious creatures at all. After wandering through the woods for most of the day, they only encountered a few sparrows. 

As Song Qingshu had anticipated, Wanyan Ping’s archery skills were truly exceptional; while riding at full gallop, she nocked an arrow and drew her bow, and the sparrows fell as if summoned by the sound.

Although he had been mentally prepared, Song Qingshu was still stunned by Wanyan Ping’s heroic riding posture. Her slender waist was as supple as a willow branch; she arched her body back in an exaggerated curve, revealing the perfect, ample contours of her mounds. The sound of the bowstring rang out repeatedly, and one by one, the sparrows in the sky fell.

When Wanyan Ping put away her bow and arrows and sat up straight on her horse, she turned to say something—but happened to catch Song Qingshu’s gaze. Her small face flushed red as she asked, “Brother-in-law, why are you looking at me like that?”

Sincerely admiring her, Song Qingshu remarked, “Today I realize that the little girl who used to have a runny nose has now grown into a beautiful young lady.”

Hearing his praise, Wanyan Ping felt both sweetness and irritation, “Who, back then, had a runny nose!”

Laughing heartily, Song Qingshu and Wanyan Ping bantered for a while until she suddenly asked, “Brother-in-law, why aren’t you drawing your bow?”

Song Qingshu’s smile instantly froze. Although his martial skills were impressive, his expertise in horseback riding and archery—no, even standing on flat ground, it was hard for him to hit a target—left him no choice but to say, “Your brother-in-law is not in good form today, so I won’t shoot.”

“What do you mean by not in good form?” Wanyan Ping immediately retorted. “Ever since I was little, I’ve admired your horse riding and archery skills the most. I remember when I was very young, I insisted on going hunting with the emperor and Brother Wang on the grasslands. Suddenly, an evil eagle swooped down from the sky, grabbed me, and took off with me. While all the guards were caught off guard, it was you, brother-in-law, who shot that eagle down with a single arrow—and in the rush, caught me as I fell. I’ll never forget that moment; in my heart, you are the greatest hero of horse riding and archery! Ever since then, I’ve been studying riding and archery diligently, all for the sake of… for the sake of…” Wanyan Ping’s pretty face flushed bright red, and she abruptly fell silent.

“For what?” Song Qingshu asked curiously, inwardly chattering his tongue in amazement. He hadn’t expected that Tang Kuo Bian was such a fierce man back then; no wonder Wanyan Ping always seemed to harbor some unusual affection for him—so that was the connection after all.

“It’s nothing,” Wanyan Ping said, her expression suddenly darkening. “It was precisely because of your performance that time that the emperor, in his delight, publicly betrothed our elder sister to you.”

Song Qingshu let out a quiet sigh. They say girls mature early, and he hadn’t expected that even when Wanyan Ping was just a little girl, she already held such thoughts. Unable to bear seeing her so desolate, he smiled and said, “It seems we were indeed fated to be together—in the end, we became family.”

“Fated… to be family…” Wanyan Ping murmured quietly. Then, quickly composing herself, she lifted her chin and her face brightened once again, “Brother-in-law, it’s just a pity that later, when the Mongolian’s invaded and we were defeated, we lost the great grasslands and can no longer hunt as we used to; now we can only shoot a few small sparrows in the mountains…”

With a look of disdain, Wanyan Ping tossed the downed sparrows onto the ground, clearly not regarding them as trophies. “Brother-in-law, could you show me your marvelous archery skills once more? Ever since that incident in my childhood, I haven’t had another chance to go hunting with you.”

Seeing the bright smile and earnest expression on her face, Song Qingshu was suddenly filled with a heroic spirit. “Alright!”

A mischievous smile immediately appeared in Wanyan Ping’s eyes as she teased, “Brother-in-law, you’d better not be outdone by my archery skills—or I’ll be disappointed.” 

In truth, even to this day, her own skills in horseback riding and archery were transcendent. Although thinking back on that arrow from Tang Kuo Bian might not have been as magnificent as her childhood memories, it held a special significance in her heart that could never be surpassed.

“What are you talking about? When has your brother-in-law ever disappointed you?” Song Qingshu already had a plan in mind. He picked up the bow hanging on his horse without retrieving the arrows from the quiver and said, “Ping’er, have you ever heard the story of the startled bird?”

“The startled bird?” Wanyan Ping looked up at the sky. 

As an expert archer, she had certainly heard the story, though she regarded it as nothing more than a legend. Could it be that you intend to recreate that miracle? But there wasn’t an injured wild goose conveniently flying by in the sky, and there were plenty of frightened sparrows. Still, she didn’t believe that these sparrows would be so terrified by the sound of a bowstring that they’d fall from the sky.

With an air of arrogance, Song Qingshu declared, “Your brother-in-law has now reached the Realm Without Arrows; a mere few sparrows are nothing—why even bother with arrows?”

“Brother-in-law, aren’t you ashamed? You’re such a grown man, yet you’re still boasting.” Despite her deep admiration for him, Wanyan Ping maintained her rationality—who in this world talked about a Realm Without Arrows?

“Don’t believe it?” Seeing Wanyan Ping nod vigorously, Song Qingshu said no more. Instead of fetching the bow and arrows, he drew the bow with his hand. As the bowstring resonated, a few sparrows in the sky indeed fell as if on cue. Then, turning back to her, he smiled slightly, “Do you believe it now?”

“Ah?” Wanyan Ping’s charming little mouth opened wide, as if it could swallow an egg, “Th—this… how is that possible!”

Wanyan Ping hurriedly galloped over to pick up the fallen sparrows. She discovered that although they bore no wounds whatsoever, they were utterly lifeless. With an excited expression, she ran back to Song Qingshu and asked, “Brother-in-law, how on earth did you do that?”

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