Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

In the western corner of Qingjiang City, deep in a shabby alley, a thatched hut exudes a pungent smell of liquor from its drafty windows.

An old man with a ruddy complexion sat cross-legged on a polished stone bench.

Holding half a piece of braised beef in his left hand and a chipped wine bowl in his right, he muttered to himself:

"A yellowed comic book was exchanged for a hundred taels of silver."

Tsk, that's enough for me to live a life of luxury, enjoying food and drink for a year and a half...

Before he could finish speaking, the half-closed wooden door creaked open in the wind.

Two figures stood at the doorway, one old and one young.

The older one was a Taoist priest, and the younger one was a young man.

The old man held his wine bowl, not even lifting his eyelids.

"Go away, go away! I'm not setting up a stall or selling books today. If you're looking for secret manuals, come back another day!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the old Taoist priest at the door twitched his fingertips, and a white jade chess piece that he had been playing with for a long time shot through the air like a streak of light, heading straight for the old man's brow.

"Jade chess piece, flicking a finger pierces through the clouds?"

The old man's pupils dilated, he slammed his wine bowl down on the stone table, and casually pointed a finger.

"Whoosh—"

A wisp of condensed sword energy suddenly shot out from his fingertip, striking the chess piece precisely at the right moment.

The two forces clashed violently, and spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across the surface of the jade chess piece. The shockwave caused the wine on the stone table to splash.

"We can't waste it." The old man's Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly twisted his other hand in mid-air.

The spilled wine instantly condensed into a round, translucent water ball, hovering above his palm without a single drop falling.

The young man frowned and blurted out, "The Azure Dragon Absorbs Water?"

The old man grinned, flipped his wrist, and put the wine ball straight into his mouth, gulping it down.

Just as he swallowed, a crisp "bang" rang out—

The white jade chess piece, which was firmly held in mid-air by sword energy and finger force, could not withstand the crushing force of the two internal forces and was shattered into jade powder, which fell to the ground in a flurry.

The old man slowly raised his eyes, the drunkenness in his gaze fading considerably, and stared at the old Taoist priest with a cold smile:

"The Heavenly Calculator Xie Daoyun? Old ghost, decades have passed, and you attack as soon as you see me?"

The old Taoist priest chuckled:

"Old Sword Maniac Hua Youwu, have you gone mad from drinking? It's only been eighteen years, how could it be as long as you're saying?"

The young man stepped forward and bowed: "Junior Situ Rui greets the banished sword immortal."

As the spring breeze blows, the aroma of wine in the alley seems to have faded a bit.

But who would have thought that these two seemingly ordinary old men in the alley were actually legendary figures from many years ago?

Xie Daoyun was known as the Heavenly Calculator, who could see into the heavens, predict fortune and misfortune, and alter the balance of yin and yang.

It can also steal the fortune of Heaven to resist the backlash from Heaven caused by acting against Heaven.

Hua Youwu was once known as the "Drunken Sword Immortal," famous far and wide, who used an iron sword to overthrow thirty-six sword manors.

Now, however, he lives in anonymity, making a living by selling "fake" secret manuals in Qingjiang City.

Hua Youwu glared at Situ Rui, casually wiped the wine stains from his chin, and said irritably:

"Stop with the formalities. Your master caused my disciple's death and dissipation back then, and I'm still angry about it."

Upon hearing this, Xie Daoyun slowly shook his head, a rare hint of melancholy appearing in his eyes, which could see through the secrets of heaven.

"Eighteen years have passed, and I never imagined that the Emperor of Dasheng would be so ruthless back then."

As he spoke, he looked up at the patch of sky above the alley, where the clouds rolled and unfurled, seemingly concealing endless mysteries.

"You think I'm scheming against the world?"

Little did they know that the emperor sitting on the dragon throne adorned in yellow robes was never a true dragon emperor, but a man-eating glutton.

Back then, Huang Menglong rose up in rebellion, stirring up the world with his intention of seeking justice for the common people and tearing down the corrupt government.

I calculated every opportune moment and every possible advantage, and I accurately predicted Huang Menglong's rise and fall, but I failed to predict the machinations of an emperor.

Situ Rui, who was listening from the side, was shocked and dared not speak, his head hanging down.

I felt that these few words contained the bloody storm that swept the world eighteen years ago.

Hua Youwu's hand tightened around the wine bowl, and the drunkenness in his eyes completely vanished.

"So, you knew everything that happened back then all along?"

Xie Daoyun didn't hide anything:

"The plan was originally mine. Back then, when I was the Imperial Tutor..."

The plan to use Huang Menglong's uprising to weaken the various regional princes was originally my idea.

These words struck Hua Youwu like a thunderbolt.

"good!

What a brilliant imperial tutor!

What a master strategist, calculating the fate of the world!

Hua Youwu suddenly burst into laughter, and in an instant, an extremely sharp sword aura suddenly erupted from his body!

Intangible and formless, yet real and tangible, it forces the dust in the alley to swirl back.

The braised beef and wine pot on the stone table were all overturned, and the wine was cut into tiny droplets by the sword energy before it even hit the ground.

Situ Rui's expression changed drastically. He raised his hand to condense protective true energy, but he still felt a chill creep up his spine.

It was as if a sword was pressed against his throat; the oppressive force made him unable to move even half a step.

"My disciple, with a pure and clear sword heart, was a sword prospect that only appears once in a century, and you ruined it?"

After saying that, Hua Youwu suddenly raised his hand, pointed his fingertip, and a wisp of condensed and solid sword energy shot out, heading straight for Xie Daoyun.

This sword strike lacked any earth-shattering momentum, yet it was incredibly fast.

With eighteen years of pent-up resentment and the intimidating presence of a peak sword immortal, he seemed intent on crushing the old fox before him to dust!

"Thank you for your help! Today I will seek justice for my disciple!"

Before the sword energy even arrived, the air around Xie Daoyun was already distorted and deformed.

He still stood with his hands behind his back, the melancholy on his face still lingering, but with a composure that seemed to have seen through the ways of the world.

Suddenly, a transparent wall of air formed in front of him.

"laugh--"

The wisp of sword energy struck the wall of energy, producing a sharp sound.

Immediately afterwards, cracks spread across the air wall, but in the blink of an eye...

The seemingly solid air wall shattered with a deafening roar, turning into a whirlwind that scattered and flowed in all directions.

After being blocked, Hua Youwu's sword energy, which was as fine as silk, was also at its limit.

The remaining sword intent struck Xie Daoyun's clothes, tearing a small gash before completely dissipating into the air.

Xie Daoyun glanced down at the tattered fabric, his eyes filled with even deeper sorrow, but his voice remained calm and unwavering:

"Eighteen years have passed, and your sword is still as sharp as ever."

Even if you kill me today, that child won't come back to life.

He paused, his tone becoming more serious:

"My plan back then was to use Huang Menglong to reduce the power of the princes, specifically those princes who held military power and oppressed the people."

Who would have thought that the young emperor would go too far, actually driving the vassal kings into a desperate situation?

Xie Daoyun stroked the jade flute at his waist, then looked up at Liuyun as if reminiscing.

......

Back then, the allied forces of the vassal kings burned, killed, and looted all the way, and did not take "Luocheng Pass" seriously.

That city had no natural defenses and was not a strategically important location.

But when they heard that the city lord's daughter, Xie Lingyun, was the "most beautiful woman in the world," they went mad and tried to break into the city to snatch her.

Mei Xingyao, a natural-born swordsman, travels thousands of miles on his sword, fighting against thousands alone to defend Luocheng Pass for his lover.

He eventually killed three powerful regional kings, and thus met his own end.

......