Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 524: The End of the Gathering

As Yelu Nanxian spoke, everyone in the hall perked up their ears. The image of Song Qingshu summoning wind and rain at Fox Hill was so shocking that it seemed to transcend human capabilities.

Unlike ordinary soldiers of the Golden Serpent Camp, those who remained in the hall were the most elite figures in the world. After the initial shock, they had regained their composure and realized that Song Qingshu was not truly a deity; he must have used some trick, though they couldn’t figure out what it was.

Song Qingshu smiled slightly. “Does the princess really think it’s impossible for me to summon wind and rain?”

Yelu Nanxian couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “I’m not one of those ignorant commoners.”

Song Qingshu chuckled before his expression became serious. “How valuable does the princess think the method to summon wind and rain is?”

“If such a method could allow one to summon wind and rain at will, it would be priceless,” Yelu Nanxian said with a hint of understanding on her face. Apologetically, she added, “It was rash of me to ask.”

Song Qingshu shook his head. “You contributed to the defeat of the Qing soldiers, so it’s not a problem to tell you. However…”

As he shifted the tone of his words, everyone’s hearts tightened. On one hand, they felt it was too presumptuous to pry into such a secret, but on the other hand, they were eager for Song Qingshu to reveal the truth.

Song Qingshu hesitated for a moment before sighing. “Forget it. I initially wanted to keep up the mystique a bit longer, but since you all helped me in a time of need, it would be too stingy of me to keep it to myself.”

Hearing that he intended to reveal the secret, everyone in the hall sat up straight, listening intently, afraid to miss a single word.

Song Qingshu paused before continuing, “Summoning wind and rain may seem mystical, but it’s actually quite simple. Do you all remember what I did before ascending the high platform?”

The crowd exchanged puzzled looks. At that time, they had all felt trapped and panicked, so much had happened that they couldn’t recall what specific action might have been related to the summoning of wind and rain.

“Could it have been setting the camp on fire?” Huang Rong furrowed her brows, uncertain.

“As expected of you, Madam, you’ve pinpointed the key,” Song Qingshu said with approval, causing Huang Rong to feel a bit flustered.

Song Qingshu turned back to the others and continued, “You all are experienced with weapons and should often see a certain phenomenon: when steam from hot water meets a cold blade, doesn’t it condense into many tiny droplets on the blade?”

Everyone nodded but remained puzzled. 

“What does this have to do with summoning wind and rain?”

“The principle is the same,” Song Qingshu said, noticing the confused expressions of the top experts before him. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of intellectual superiority. 

‘Ah, now I understand why so many people fantasize about time travel—standing on the shoulders of giants really feels great.’

The others continued to listen attentively. 

Song Qingshu composed himself, cleared his throat, and explained further, “Fox Hill has a unique terrain, with ridges on both sides and a wide valley in between. When the tents and grain in the valley were set on fire, a large amount of hot air rose into the sky. The hot air met the cold air above and condensed into raindrops. This special situation often leads to heavy rain, accompanied by strong winds, lightning, and thunder.”

Back in the day, Zhuge Liang had ingeniously lured Sima Yi and his sons into the valley at Shangfang, intending to burn them out. Even Sima Yi had resigned himself to fate, but a sudden rainstorm thwarted Zhuge Liang’s plans, turning all his strategies into nothing.

“As Zhuge Liang once said, ‘A general who does not understand astronomy, does not know the principles of strange occurrences, does not understand yin and yang, does not look at battle formations, and does not comprehend military momentum is a mediocre one.’ He must have calculated the weather beforehand when he set the ambush at Shangfang Valley, yet the heavens played a trick on him, sending a rainstorm when none was expected.”

The saying “It’s easy to know the heavens but hard to defy them” aptly applies. The impact of that rain on Zhuge Liang was devastating, and he passed away at Wuzhang Plains not long after, leaving people to lament for centuries.

Whether this was a tale from fiction or history, the key point is: why did it suddenly rain in Shangfang Valley at that time?

In later years, many curious scholars studied this problem and finally, through the scientific system, solved the mystery of the sudden rain at Shangfang Valley. There are different types of rain: frontal rain, typhoon rain, orographic rain, and convective rain.

And the situation at Shangfang Valley at that time happened to meet the conditions for convective rain. The valley’s entrance was narrow, with a broad interior, and the high sides with a low center created conditions unfavorable for air circulation.

Once the valley caught fire, the temperature rose, causing the air close to the ground to heat up and expand rapidly, rising, while the upper and surrounding cold air contracted and sank, creating a strong convective wind in the valley, resulting in fierce winds.

As the hot air mass at the bottom of the valley rose to a certain height, the water vapor in the air condensed into clouds due to the lower temperature. Additionally, the large amount of smoke from the burning brushwood provided ideal condensation nuclei for the water vapor, accelerating the aggregation of water vapor. The small droplets in the clouds collided and merged, gradually increasing in size, eventually leading to a torrential downpour.

Back when the Golden Serpent Camp was cornered at Fox Hill, Song Qingshu happened to think of Zhuge Liang, which reminded him of this story. With nothing left to lose, he made a desperate gamble. Fortunately, the heavens favored the determined, and he succeeded in recreating the scene from Shangfang Valley.

The characteristics of convective rain include strong winds that can uproot trees with a diameter of up to 50 centimeters, accompanied by lightning and thunder, and sometimes even hail.

Song Qingshu was no fool; knowing these characteristics in advance, he naturally made use of them. That’s why he later created the illusion of summoning wind, lightning, and rain in front of everyone.

At that time, it seemed as if Song Qingshu was chanting spells and performing rituals on the high platform, but in reality, he did nothing except anxiously wait for the convective rain to arrive.

“Just setting a fire? Are you trying to trick us?” Yang Miaozhen looked at Song Qingshu skeptically.

Awakened by her voice, Song Qingshu finally snapped out of his deep thoughts and couldn’t help but laugh, “Of course, it’s not that simple. More importantly, it’s the terrain of Fox Hill. If it were a wide open plain, it would probably be very difficult to succeed.”

“Don’t lie to me. I’ll find a valley to try when I go back,” Yang Miaozhen’s straightforward words made everyone in the hall smile knowingly.

Chen Jinnan couldn’t help but marvel, “Young Master truly has extraordinary grace, revealing such a stunning secret so honestly. If it were me, I don’t think I could be as open-minded as you.”

Chen Jinnan’s words resonated with everyone present. In this world, valuing one’s own treasures is the truth. Even the martial arts of ordinary sects are unwilling to be known by outsiders, let alone the methods of summoning wind and rain.

In this world, what does it mean for someone to summon wind and rain? The ancient Zhang Jiao, with some half-true, half-fake Taoist techniques, could rally a million Yellow Turbans. And today’s White Lotus Sect, using some mysterious methods, gathered millions of followers. With the miracles Song Qingshu had previously achieved, even if he claimed to be a reincarnated deity with the power to command demons and gods, many would likely believe him. Given time, he might also gather millions of followers, but he chose to be frank. How could the people in the room not be shocked?

Song Qingshu smiled slightly, “Everyone here is a friend who has shared hardships with me, so there is nothing worth hiding. Besides, I don’t want to become a fraud in your eyes from now on.”

Everyone couldn’t help but burst into laughter. 

Yang Miaozhen clasped her fists and said, “Brother Song, you have great spirit. From now on, Brother Song is my friend, and also a friend of our Red Coat Army.”

Xiao Feng also laughed heartily, “Brother Song, if you come to the Liao Kingdom in the future, I will definitely give you a warm welcome.”

The Heaven and Earth Society, the Prince Mu Mansion, and others also showed their goodwill. After a lively and enthusiastic conversation, the various supporting forces came to bid farewell to Song Qingshu.

“Brother Song, if you have the chance to come to the Liao Kingdom in the future, I must have a thousand bowls of strong liquor with you,” Xiao Feng’s words made Song Qingshu break out in a cold sweat. 

A thousand bowls would surely make his stomach burst!

“Big Brother Song, after I return, I will definitely practice swordsmanship diligently. Please give me more guidance next time we meet.” After Xiao Feng left, Yelu Nanxian came before Song Qingshu and, after a long pause, said something puzzling.

Seeing the usually aloof Yelu Nanxian with a hint of shyness on her face, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but be amused. 

‘Could this young lady have some interest in me? Ah, charm is indeed irresistible.’

Song Qingshu thought for a moment, took out a sword manual from his chest, and secretly handed it to her, “This is a collection of my swordsmanship insights recorded during my spare time. Take it back and have a look. It might be helpful for your Sun Moon Divine Sword. But once you’ve read it, you must return it to me.”

Yelu Nanxian was startled, not expecting him to give such a precious thing. Hesitating for a moment, she was ultimately swayed by the allure of the sword techniques. Seeing no one was paying attention, she quickly hid the manual carefully in her bosom, “Thank you, Big Brother Song. Nanxian will treasure it and ensure not a single bit of it leaks out.” After saying this, she hurried to catch up with Xiao Feng and Yelu Qi.

Seeing her serious demeanor, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but smile. He had no ulterior motives in lending the book. In his time, borrowing books was one of the best ways to promote relationships between men and women.

“Brother Song, if you visit our Red Coat Army in the future, this little sister will definitely use the strongest liquor and the finest beef to entertain you…” Yang Miaozhen started listing a bunch of tempting conditions. 

After listening for a while, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but feel disappointed, “But where is the most beautiful person?”

“The most beautiful in the Red Coat Army is probably me. If Brother Song doesn’t mind, I’ll accompany you then,” Yang Miaozhen, accustomed to various jesting in the wulin, left with a charming back, making Song Qingshu blush deeply.

Before Zhang Songxi and Yin Liting left, they urged Song Qingshu, “Qingshu, when you have time, come back to Wudang. Senior Brother has been thinking about you, and your Grandmaster must have a lot to say to you.”

Hearing about his so called father, Song Qingshu felt a headache and awkwardly said, “I’m afraid I won’t have time recently. Once I have some free time, I will make sure to visit Wudang.”

As various groups gradually left, only Huang Rong remained. Song Qingshu initially thought she was here to say goodbye, but she instead said, “I’m not as busy as the others, eager to return and deal with matters. I’d like to stay and bother you for a few days. I wonder if Young Master welcomes it?”

Song Qingshu was overjoyed, “I’d be delighted!”

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HELP: 

During the recent unrest in the country I am from, our family hardware store was broken into and looted by thugs. I don’t know why they did it, since my family has always been minding our own business, without bothering anyone else. I’m guessing some people are taking advantage of the current lawless and chaotic state of the country. 

Anyways, the incident now leaves me as the only earning member of my family. Long time readers know that I was already dealing with a mountain of trouble (that I inherited from my father), and was already struggling. I had created a plan of action, and was steadily moving forward. But this incident destroyed whatever plans I had, again. I don’t know why bad things keep happening to me again and again. I might as well be cursed or something.

So here I am, after much hesitation, once again asking for your support. If you are reading this, please help if you are able to, I repeat, help only if you are able to. I am not asking something for free, you can become a Patron at Patreon to gain access to more chapters, or sponsor as many chapters you can from any of the novels you enjoy on Goblinslate here at BuymeaCoffee. Or if you just want to help, you can donate any amount at the Wishlist at BuymeaCoffee.

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