Chapter 552: Playing the Tiger to Eat the Pig

Mu Wanqing didn’t expect that as soon as she spoke, the whole place would fall silent. Feeling a little embarrassed, she raised the sleeve concealing her wrist-mounted dart and said, “What are you looking at? Keep staring, and I won’t be polite.”

Her threat made everyone around quickly avert their gazes and resume their conversations. However, their ears perked up, eagerly waiting to hear what she would ask next.  

“Why is the young lady inquiring about the Golden Serpent Camp?” Song Qingshu paused in surprise at her question. He took his time, leisurely sipping a cup of wine before responding.  

“That’s none of your business,” Mu Wanqing said impatiently, glaring at him. “Do you know or not?”  

“That depends on your purpose for looking for the Golden Serpent Camp. If it’s for revenge, then I know nothing. But if you’re going to visit friends, I might know a little,” Song Qingshu replied unhurriedly.  

“What nonsense is that? What’s the difference?” Mu Wanqing frowned deeply.  

“There’s naturally a difference,” Song Qingshu said with a slight smile. “The Golden Serpent Camp is currently at the height of its power, and its new leader, Song Qingshu, is known to be handsome, refined, and dashing… not to mention skilled in unparalleled martial arts, able to command the winds and rain, and… ah, forget that last part. Anyway, if you’re going for revenge, it’s certain you’ll never return. I wouldn’t want to see such a beautiful young lady meet a tragic end, so in that case, I wouldn’t know anything.”

Song Qingshu shamelessly praised himself in front of everyone, taking full advantage of the fact that his identity was concealed by a mask. While he didn’t feel embarrassed in the slightest, the others were visibly disturbed, mentally cursing him. 

“Ugh! I’ve never seen someone so shameless and sycophantic! If a flatterer like him were to hold office, he’d be groveling at every opportunity,” someone muttered under their breath.  

If he had been praising anyone else, someone in the room might have already stood up to teach him a lesson. However, since his flattery was directed toward the highly influential Song Qingshu, no one dared risk offending the Golden Serpent Camp to confront him.  

“He… he’s not as great as you say,” Mu Wanqing muttered, frowning deeply at his exaggerated praise. Yet, for some reason, she felt a tinge of happiness in her heart, her mind wandering to the memories she shared with Song Qingshu in the past. For a moment, she found herself lost in thought.

Mu Wanqing was already a rare beauty, but the hint of shyness on her face made her even more enchanting. Even Song Qingshu found himself momentarily entranced, let alone the other men present.  

“I heard that Song Qingshu is quite the playboy, always surrounded by stunning beauties. I wasn’t sure before, but now it seems a beautiful young lady has traveled all this way just to find him,” someone whispered.  

“Ah, if I could spend one night with a beauty like that, it’d be worth losing ten years of my life.”  

“Hah! Look at yourself—do you really think you can compete with the Golden Serpent King for a woman?”  

The men exchanged knowing glances, their minds filled with crude fantasies.  

‘What an extraordinary beauty!’ Li Mochou thought to herself, glancing in their direction. She sighed inwardly. The look on Mu Wanqing’s face was all too familiar—once upon a time, she had been just as shy and bashful in the throes of young love.  

“Little Lin, stop staring at her!” A sharp voice suddenly interrupted the chatter.  

“I wasn’t looking!” Lin Pingzhi’s handsome face flushed red with embarrassment.  

“You totally were.” Yue Lingshan turned her head away in anger.  

Lin Pingzhi felt wronged. He had only glanced at Mu Wanqing out of curiosity, but he knew his senior sister’s jealousy all too well. Considering the earlier events, her bad mood was understandable. He could only suppress his frustration and try to comfort her with kind words.  

Watching the reactions around him, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. He chuckled and said, “Young lady, are you perhaps searching for that towering hero, Song Qingshu?”  

“Who said I was looking for him!” Mu Wanqing’s expression turned furious. She drew her sword in one swift motion and slammed it onto the table. “I’m going to kill him!”  

Song Qingshu was stunned, snapping out of his narcissistic reverie. He silently reassured himself: ‘She must hate me because she loves me. It’s normal for young girls to have these little tempers.’

“Do you know where he is or not?” Mu Wanqing demanded, her anger rising as Song Qingshu remained silent.  

Before he could respond, an unpleasant voice interrupted from the side. “Little girl, how could this rich boy possibly know anything about the martial world? If you want to find Song Qingshu, come with me.”

Song Qingshu frowned and looked over. The speaker wore a bamboo hat, his thin figure and beady eyes gleaming unsettlingly.  

“Who is this guy?” Song Qingshu searched his memory but couldn’t recall ever meeting him before.  

Mu Wanqing, already annoyed by the interruption, glared at the stranger. “And who are you?”  

“No need to know who I am,” the lanky man sneered. “I overheard that you want to k!ll Song Qingshu, and I have a few things to say to you.”

Mu Wanqing’s frown deepened. The man’s gaze made her uncomfortable. “What do you want to say?”  

The lanky man stepped closer, sizing her up with an irritating grin. “You’ve got decent martial skills for someone your age, but you’re still far from being a match for Song Qingshu. Even if you trained your whole life, you wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”  

“Then what do you suggest?” Mu Wanqing’s voice was cold and emotionless.  

The man gave a sleazy smile. “You could become my disciple. I’ll teach you a few moves, and I guarantee you’ll succeed.”  

The moment those words left his mouth, the tavern erupted into chaos. Everyone stared at him, wondering who this bold, unremarkable man was.  

“Do you also want to kill Song Qingshu?” Mu Wanqing lowered her gaze, her eyelashes trembling slightly, making it hard to read her expression.  

“Song Qingshu is nothing but a fraud,” the lanky man scoffed. “I, the Hawk of Qinghai, Qinghai Yixiao have been waiting for the chance to deal with him for years.”

“The Hawk of Qinghai!”  

The mention of his name sent a chill through the crowd. Qinghai Yixiao was a notorious figure in the underworld, infamous for his cruelty and unpredictable movements. His martial prowess was unmatched, and no one had been able to stop him for over a decade.  

“What a loudmouth,” came a soft laugh from the side.  

“What did you say?” Qinghai Yixiao snapped his head toward Li Mochou, who sipped her tea leisurely, paying no mind to his outburst.  

At that moment, Mu Wanqing let out a cold snort. “He can only be k!lled by me. Anyone else who dares to harm him… can die!”  

With that, she raised her arm and fired a dart straight at Qinghai Yixiao. 

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