Chapter 491: Unleashing Ultimate Moves - Flower Stealing Master

On the other side, Yang Miaozhen was also deep in thought. Previously, she believed that while Song Qingshu’s martial arts were superior to hers, the difference wasn’t too vast. Losing to him in the semifinals, she felt, was largely because he played dirty tricks, taking advantage of her as a woman. Therefore, she was mostly unconvinced.

But now, seeing him match swords with Ah Qing without falling behind, and witnessing the intricacy of his sword techniques—many aspects of which she couldn’t comprehend—Yang Miaozhen realized the gap between them might be far greater than she had imagined.

She was not alone in this realization. Xuan Cheng, the esteemed monk from Shaolin, watched the two on stage with furrowed brows, deeply shocked. He was hailed as the most talented monk in Shaolin in the past two hundred years, with a keen eye that regarded only a few like Zhang Sanfeng and Wang Chongyang as worthy opponents. Though Song Qingshu had bested him several times, Xuan Cheng attributed it to the young man’s cunning. In a fair fight, he believed he could easily defeat Song Qingshu.

However, seeing the miraculous swordsmanship on display—moves even he couldn’t fully decipher—Xuan Cheng was profoundly shaken. Song Qingshu’s strength was undoubtedly on par with his own.

The members of the Red Flower Society wore grim expressions. They knew Ah Qing’s prowess well, viewing her as a sword immortal incarnate. They had expected Song Qingshu to lose miserably, yet he was holding his own against her, matching her move for move.

“Tailai, do you think we still have hope for revenge in this lifetime?” Yu Wanting sighed deeply.

Wen Tailai, face ashen, muscles tense, finally shook his head in resignation.

Yu Wanting continued, “A real man doesn’t lack for wives. Since Luo Bing is now with this man, Tailai, you should give up on revenge.”

The thought of his beloved wife in another man’s arms nearly made Wen Tailai grind his teeth to dust. But he now realized that revenge was beyond his reach.

Seeing Wen Tailai’s silent agreement, Yu Wanting nodded approvingly. “A true man should know when to hold on and when to let go. If Ah Qing wins, we can leverage the Golden Snake Camp to slowly seek our revenge. After all, no matter how skilled he is, he’s just one man. Once we unify the realm, we’ll have ways to make him suffer.”

“But what if Ah Qing loses?” Wen Tailai asked bitterly. No one in the Red Flower Society had considered Ah Qing losing before, but now the outcome seemed uncertain.

“Then we’ll head to the Western Regions,” Yu Wanting’s eyes gleamed. “The Western Regions are currently divided among the Mongols, the Ming Cult, and the Hui. I have close ties with the leaders of the Hui. If we can unify the Western Regions with their help, we can make a comeback.”

“Alright, then we’ll go to the Western Regions!” Wen Tailai clenched his fists, teeth gritted.

Their conversation was deliberately hushed, unheard by others.

Yuan Ziyi, focused on the fight, couldn’t help but ask, “Grandfather, Ah Qing won’t lose, right?”

Hermit Yuan Shixiao, looking solemn, replied, “I didn’t expect this boy’s swordsmanship to be so advanced. But Ah Qing hasn’t used her innate Sword Qi yet. Ziyi, don’t worry too much.”

“Yes, Ah Qing will definitely win.” Yuan Ziyi clenched her fists, as if cheering herself up.

By now, Song Qingshu and Ah Qing had exchanged over a hundred moves. Unlike before, Song Qingshu’s movements began to quicken, and to the audience, it seemed as if there were five or six Song Qingshus simultaneously attacking the center where Ah Qing stood, making them anxious for Ah Qing.

“Not good!” Zhou Zhiruo exclaimed softly, and Ah Jiu also looked worried, not disagreeing with her assessment.

“But isn’t Brother Song currently in the lead? Why are you both so worried?” Zeng Rou asked curiously.

Zhou Zhiruo glanced at Zeng Rou, internally admiring her beauty. Although she felt uneasy about Zeng Rou potentially becoming one of Song Qingshu’s women, she maintained a composed and gracious demeanor, patiently explaining, “Qingshu initially fought evenly with Ah Qing, but now he has to rely on his agility to contend with her, which means he’s already losing in terms of swordsmanship.”

On the stage, Ah Qing was being pressured by Song Qingshu’s attacks, his movements seemingly teleporting from one spot to another. If not for her profound swordsmanship, she would have been covered in wounds by now.

Yang Miaozhen watched intently, having been outmaneuvered by Song Qingshu’s swift movements in their past encounters. She was eager to see how Ah Qing would respond.

“You said we were comparing swordsmanship, but you’re cheating with your agility. So I’ll cheat too.” Ah Qing pouted, her body spinning like a top, unleashing visible waves of azure sword energy in all directions.

Previously confined to a small circle, Ah Qing’s sudden move forced the multiple images of Song Qingshu to retreat. Despite his efforts to handle the sword energy, the expanding circle finally forced him to withdraw several feet away.

“Your all-encompassing sword Qi is the nemesis of my agility.” Song Qingshu smiled wryly. Though this was true only in the confined space of the stage, in open terrain, his agility would still give him the upper hand.

Ah Qing didn’t rush to attack, controlling her sword energy around her and smiling at him, “Big brother, if you don’t have any other tricks, you’ll lose.”

Ah Qing’s words dropped like a bombshell, causing the audience to buzz with excitement.

“Is the winner finally going to be decided?”

Zhou Zhiruo and Ah Jiu, hearts in their throats, unconsciously held each other’s hands. Jealousy and rivalry were momentarily forgotten as they shared a common thought:

‘Is our beloved really going to lose?’

Song Qingshu laughed heartily, “Ah Qing, actually, I know this move too.”

“You know it too?” Ah Qing looked at the sword energy surrounding her, confused.

Zhou Zhiruo and Ah Jiu exchanged glances, both doubting his claim.

Song Qingshu could produce invisible sword Qi, but its power and range were far inferior to Ah Qing’s. Creating a sky full of sword Qi like Ah Qing’s seemed impossible.