Chapter 572: A Difficult Choice

Seeing that Li Mochou was on the verge of an emotional collapse, Song Qingshu hurriedly said, “You’re misunderstanding your master. Back then, the reason she passed on the ‘Jade Heart Sutra’ to Bing Xue’er was to leave a contingency. If, after her death, you put down your blade and sought redemption, Bing Xue’er would pass the ‘Jade Heart Sutra’ on to you.”

“Really?” Li Mochou looked at him in disbelief.

“Of course,” Song Qingshu replied with a faint smile, though he sighed inwardly. Sometimes, lies were more helpful than the truth.

“All these years, I’ve done everything to obtain the ‘Jade Heart Sutra’, only to find out… I was wrong, all wrong!” Li Mochou’s face turned even paler, and she spat out another mouthful of blood.

“Hey! Why are you still spitting blood?” Song Qingshu immediately flashed to her side, supporting her frail body. After checking her pulse, he frowned. “Your Ancient Tomb Sect’s martial arts are really flawed. Sure, they progress quickly, but the foundation is unstable. A little emotional turmoil, and you’re at risk of Qi deviation.”

“How dare you insult our Ancient Tomb Sect martial arts!” Li Mochou was agitated, and with a gasp, she spat out a third mouthful of blood.

“Keep spitting; you’ll get used to it,” Song Qingshu muttered while scooping her up in his arms.

“What are you doing?” Li Mochou was both alarmed and furious. She had always prided herself on her chastity, never letting men even look at her too long, let alone hold her like this. But with her chaotic internal energy leaving her powerless to resist, she could only protest verbally.

“You’ve had a Qi deviation and urgently need a quiet place to recover. In your condition, you can’t walk on your own. If I carry you on my back, my hands might touch your… uh, butt0cks and your chest might press against my back. Such an improper situation is unacceptable for a gentleman like me. So, this is the only way to avoid taking advantage of you,” Song Qingshu explained earnestly.

“You—!” Li Mochou was at a loss for words. Before she could argue further, her vision went dark, and she fainted.

***

When Li Mochou regained consciousness, she found herself lying on a bed. Alarmed, her first instinct was to check her clothes. Confirming that she was untouched, she breathed a sigh of relief before scanning the room. Her eyes met Song Qingshu’s amused gaze.

“Why are you so suspicious of me, Sister Mochou? Do you really think I’m that despicable?” Song Qingshu asked, feigning indignation.

Li Mochou blushed with embarrassment and huffed, “You’re not exactly a good person.” Memories of her recent travels with Song Qingshu and Mu Wanqing surfaced. She had witnessed Song Qingshu using all sorts of tricks to tease Mu Wanqing, and their nightly activities often left her overhearing things that made her cheeks burn. Naturally, she saw him as a shameless scoundrel.

Noticing her expression, Song Qingshu could guess her thoughts. Feeling slightly awkward, he chose not to address it. After all, with his skills, he had been fully aware of her secretly tailing them, but he had deliberately allowed it. However, his affectionate interactions with Mu Wanqing during that time might have shaken Li Mochou’s focus.

The room fell into a moment of silence as both sank into their thoughts.

Suddenly, Li Mochou exclaimed, “Why is this happening!”

Upon examining her internal energy, she realized her injuries, while stabilized, had left her dantian in turmoil. If she ever circulated her Qi, the delicate balance in her body would shatter. The backlash would result in the loss of her martial arts at best, or death at worst.

Song Qingshu sighed. “I told you, your sect’s inner techniques are flawed. While they’re faster to master than most, they require the suppression of emotions. But emotions are part of human nature—how can they truly be eradicated? Even the greatest monks fail to achieve such detachment. How can the women of your sect, no matter how celestial, hope to succeed? The higher your internal cultivation, the stronger the backlash when you experience emotional extremes. That’s why your condition is so severe. If I hadn’t been there to stabilize your Qi, you’d already be dead.”

Li Mochou’s face turned ashen. She understood the severity of her condition all too well.

“Is there a cure?” she asked abruptly. If her condition couldn’t be resolved, she’d essentially be a cripple. With the enemies she had made over the years, she wouldn’t survive long without her martial arts. Worse, her beauty would make her an easy target for misfortune in the martial world.

Song Qingshu hesitated before shaking his head. “No.”

Having roamed the martial world for years, Li Mochou was adept at reading people. She immediately caught his momentary pause. “You hesitated. With your profound martial arts and knowledge, how could there truly be no solution? Given your close relationship with my senior sister, aren’t you half a member of the Ancient Tomb Sect? Why won’t you save me?”

“Half a member of your sect? What does that make me?” Song Qingshu teased. Seeing her avert her gaze in embarrassment, he chuckled. “There are two possible solutions, but you won’t agree to either, so it’s as good as having none.”

Li Mochou’s heart leaped with hope. “How do you know I won’t agree unless you tell me?”

“Forget it. If I tell you, you’ll just misunderstand me.” Song Qingshu hesitated, but ultimately refused to elaborate.

“If you’re worried, I can swear I won’t hold it against you,” Li Mochou urged. All she could think about was regaining her strength.

“Really?” Song Qingshu’s expression grew strange. “Fine, I’ll tell you.”

Seeing the anticipation on her face, he finally said, “The first method is for me to cleanse your meridians and rebuild your foundation. While this would dissolve your chaotic internal energy, the process requires me to impart my Qi to you. Your martial arts would recover and even improve significantly. But there’s a major drawback…”

“What is it?” Li Mochou interrupted. “Would it require a great sacrifice on your part?”

She had heard of meridian cleansing, though only in myths. The idea of someone performing such a miraculous act seemed extraordinary, but she guessed it would come at great cost to the practitioner.

“The cost to me isn’t the issue—it’s what you would have to sacrifice,” Song Qingshu replied, his expression growing even more peculiar.

“What would I have to sacrifice?” Li Mochou asked cautiously.

Song Qingshu hesitated before explaining the dual-cultivation method.

As expected, Li Mochou’s face turned crimson with anger. “Shameless scoundrel!”

“I knew you’d misunderstand me,” Song Qingshu shrugged. “This method would drain a significant portion of my martial power, leaving me weaker. Even if you agreed, I wouldn’t.”

“You dare claim that I’d benefit more?” Li Mochou fumed, torn between shock and anger at his audacity.

“Your chastity is invaluable to you,” Song Qingshu explained calmly, “but I don’t lack beautiful companions. To lose half my martial power for your sake—is that a gain for me?”

Li Mochou bit her lip. While furious, she couldn’t entirely refute his logic.

“Forget this method. What’s the second option?” she asked, eager to change the subject.

“The second method is similar,” Song Qingshu admitted. “You could cultivate the ‘Jade Heart Sutra’. It’s the Ancient Tomb Sect’s supreme technique and should harmonize your chaotic energy.”

“The ‘Jade Heart Sutra’! Let’s go with that!” Li Mochou’s eyes lit up. She had tried and failed to obtain it in the past, but now it seemed salvation was within reach.

“Do you know it requires two people to practice?” Song Qingshu asked, his expression unreadable.

“Yes,” she nodded. “If it’s you teaching me, we can practice together.”

Song Qingshu nearly choked on his tea. “Do you realize that practicing it requires both participants to… be completely unclothed?”

“What!” Li Mochou’s head snapped up. “You’re lying!”

“Watch your tone. Right now, you’re the one begging me to save you!” Song Qingshu frowned slightly and continued, “When practicing the Jade Heart Sutra, the body becomes enveloped in intense heat. You must choose a spacious, secluded place to practice, with your clothing loosened to allow the heat to disperse instantly. Any obstruction will cause the heat to accumulate within the body, leading to severe illness at best or death at worst. During this process, the two practitioners must maintain contact through their palms to guide and protect each other with their internal energy. I’ve already explained this to you before. You wouldn’t agree to either of the two solutions I mentioned. So, what’s the point of even discussing it?”

Li Mochou’s face alternated between shades of red and white as she gritted her teeth in frustration. “No wonder Xiao Longnu and that brat Yang Gu are always so lovey-dovey. Turns out they’ve already reached this stage.”

Song Qingshu raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself,

‘Those two have always adhered to propriety. When practicing, they chose a dense thicket of camellias, close enough to work together yet unable to see each other’s bodies.’

However, he refrained from mentioning this to Li Mochou, curious to see what choice she would ultimately make.

Goblin: Added 1 more chapter to Flower Stealing Master $5 Patreon Tier. That makes it 6 Advance chapters in the tier.

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