Facing Chen Li and the others' hostile gazes, as well as his fellow disciples' suspicious looks, Jiang Changsheng did not panic.
Instead, he asked, "That's right, I practice footwork. But may I ask how Benefactor Chen knew? There are over a hundred disciples in our temple. How could you be certain that I knew it? Could it be that you have already examined every disciple?"
Examining the martial arts of more than a hundred disciples in less than two hours was far too rushed, unless the other party had already decided that the murderer came from Dragon Arising Temple.
Chen Li shook his head. "Naturally not. It rained last night and only stopped an hour ago. Though it was not heavy, the entire mountain was muddy. If the disciples had not gone out last night, the mud on their boots should not have dried by the time they came here today. That is true for everyone, except you. Even your trouser legs bear dried mud stains, which proves that your legs underwent vigorous movement last night."
Jiang Changsheng lowered his head to look. It was indeed so; there were numerous mud stains of varying sizes on his trouser legs.
The disciples outside the hall stirred and began whispering among themselves.
He remained calm and looked at Chen Li. "Your speculation about footwork is reasonable enough, but what was my motive for murder? I have lived in Dragon Arising Temple since childhood and have never gone out. Nor have I had any contact with you these past few days. Why would I kill him?"
Taoist Priest Qingxu remained expressionless, while the three senior disciples looked thoughtful.
Even the five guests behind Chen Li began discussing it in low voices.
That was right.
Why kill him?
A wealthy young lady spoke up. "Exactly. He died in his own room. If this young Taoist priest killed him and entered someone's room in the dead of night to murder him, what sort of deep-seated hatred would that require?"
The Jing Dynasty was open-minded in its customs, and women could go out as well. This wealthy young lady had not come with Chen Li; she had merely happened to come to Dragon Arising Temple during this period to cultivate the Dao and calm her mind. Her servants were all waiting outside the hall.
Jiang Changsheng began sizing up Chen Li and the others. He felt that the murderer was most likely among them.
Eh!
This fellow had True Qi in his body!
Jiang Changsheng keenly detected a gaunt man with an extremely low presence. The Dao Follows Nature Skill was an immortal cultivation technique. Though he had yet to cultivate spiritual power, his senses were extraordinarily sharp, far beyond those of ordinary people.
The gaunt man was dressed like a merchant, his body frail and weak. It was difficult to imagine that he was a martial artist. Moreover, his True Qi was very faint and hard to detect, yet it could not escape Jiang Changsheng's senses.
These faint traces of True Qi were leaking from certain acupoints. In other words, this bastard had sealed his True Qi within his acupoints, creating the illusion that he did not know martial arts.
Chen Li frowned. "There truly is no motive, but that only means we do not know it. Investigating past relationships and evidence cannot rely solely on words to reach a conclusion. The authorities must investigate. Would this young Taoist priest be willing to..."
Jiang Changsheng suddenly interrupted him. "Benefactor Chen, you said earlier that none of the people behind you knew martial arts, correct?"
Chen Li nodded. "Correct. Your three senior brothers and senior sister examined them all."
That only meant their martial arts were not good enough!
Why had Master not examined them?
He did not dare ask further, lest he embarrass Taoist Priest Qingxu.
Jiang Changsheng asked, "May I examine them?"
Chen Li became wary. "That would not be appropriate. After all, we currently suspect..."
Before he could finish, Jiang Changsheng's figure suddenly flickered, turning into a string of afterimages. He swept past Chen Li and lunged at the gaunt man, reaching out to grab him. To his surprise, the gaunt man reacted incredibly quickly, leaping away and evading his hand.
Chen Li turned around, and his eyes widened at the sight. The other four guests reacted the same way.
Someone among them actually knew martial arts!
The servants outside the hall hurried inside and surrounded him.
The gaunt man no longer wore his previous nervous expression. Instead, he revealed a vicious smile. Staring at Jiang Changsheng, he laughed. "Little Taoist, I never expected your cultivation to be so profound that you could see through even my technique. It seems you truly are a prodigy."
Jiang Changsheng said calmly, "Your movement technique is no simple matter either."
The wealthy young lady backed away and asked in terror, "Xue Hai, how do you know martial arts?"
Xue Hai gave a sinister smile. "Do you know me that well?"
The wealthy young lady fell silent.
Xue Hai looked toward Chen Li. "Top Scholar, isn't this ironic? If not for his formidable martial arts, would you have forcibly seized him, taken him back to the authorities, and then casually pinned a crime on him? The Chen family has always been like this. Even when the Chu Dynasty still stood, you were the same."
The Chu Dynasty was the dynasty before the Jing Dynasty. In its final years, eunuchs had thrown the government into chaos and the people had been plunged into misery. Righteous men rose in rebellion, causing the Chu Dynasty to collapse and ushering the realm into an era of warlords dividing the land. Jiang Yuan was not from the gentry; he had merely been a martial artist, yet he successfully founded the Jing Dynasty.
With a martial man as emperor, the Jing Dynasty welcomed a culture of martial arts, a trend far surpassing that of all previous imperial dynasties.
Chen Li frowned and asked, "Xue Hai, why did you kill him?"
Xue Hai did not answer. Instead, he suddenly charged at Chen Li with astonishing speed.
Jiang Changsheng did not move, because he disliked Chen Li as well. This fellow had casually slapped a label on him and wanted to drag him off to the authorities.
"Hmph!"
Taoist Priest Qingxu snorted coldly and stepped before Chen Li. He raised a palm and struck out, colliding with Xue Hai's right palm. Xue Hai's hand bones shattered completely. He spat blood as he flew backward, smashing through the doors and windows and startling the disciples outside into retreating.
This bastard actually knew palm techniques. Then why had he used leg techniques to commit the crime?
Jiang Changsheng suddenly felt that Xue Hai had deliberately framed him.
Could Xue Hai have seen him practicing before?
After landing, Xue Hai immediately sprang up. With a single leap, he soared several yards into the air and vanished directly beyond the courtyard.
"Follow me! Chase him!"
Second Senior Brother Meng Qiuhe rushed out shouting, and dozens of disciples immediately followed him out of the courtyard.
Chen Li was still shaken. He nearly collapsed to the ground.
Taoist Priest Qingxu withdrew his palm and steadied him by the shoulder. "Benefactor Chen, though the realm has been pacified, undercurrents still surge beneath the surface. As the Jing Dynasty's first top scholar, you should not wander about carelessly. Today's calamity will likely repeat itself in the future."
Chen Li hurriedly bowed in thanks, then apologized to Jiang Changsheng as well. Seeing his sincere attitude, Jiang Changsheng did not make things difficult for him.
With that, the matter came to an end. Jiang Changsheng became the center of attention. The disciples who had not gone after the murderer crowded around him, asking what martial art he had used just now and how it had been so fast.
Even Eldest Senior Brother Li Changqing and Third Senior Sister Meng Qiushuang were interested.
Taoist Priest Qingxu said, "Changsheng, from now on, you need not attend the regular Dao lectures. You may practice martial arts on your own. Other than ringing the bell in the morning, you may arrange your daily routine as you wish."
As soon as these words fell, the disciples all looked at him with envy, including Li Changqing and Meng Qiushuang. The two senior disciples still had to instruct their junior brothers and sisters.
Jiang Changsheng froze for a moment, then bowed in thanks to Taoist Priest Qingxu.
Taoist Priest Qingxu turned and left. The disciples outside the hall immediately crowded in.
After dealing with his fellow disciples for quite some time, Jiang Changsheng finally found a chance to leave. Even that wealthy young lady had become interested in him; he truly could not withstand it.
The murder case temporarily died down. As for whether the murderer had been caught, that was none of Jiang Changsheng's concern. The other disciples continued their cultivation as usual, while he returned to his own courtyard, where he lived alone.
At Dragon Arising Temple, each courtyard had four rooms, with two disciples living in each room.
Sitting on his bed, Jiang Changsheng began sorting through his thoughts.
He had never been certain whether Taoist Priest Qingxu knew his true identity. After bringing him into Dragon Arising Temple, Taoist Priest Qingxu had not given him any special treatment either. He could hardly go and ask directly.
Today's incident involved the former dynasty. After revealing his martial arts, Taoist Priest Qingxu had unexpectedly granted him the greatest freedom possible, which set his thoughts racing.
In the twelfth year of Kaiyuan, you encountered remnants of the former dynasty committing murder. You were dragged into disaster, but relying on your own abilities, you escaped danger and received a survival reward—martial art: 'Vajra Howl'.
A line of text visible only to him appeared before his eyes, making him smile.
He had survived another calamity!
If he had not cultivated martial arts day after day for six years without change, he would have been unable to force Xue Hai to reveal his abilities today. He would likely have been taken to the authorities and then secretly done in by those powerful nobles.
I still need to cultivate diligently in the future. I cannot slack off. Today's matter proves that as long as they have a legitimate reason, the imperial court can still find a way to take me away.
Jiang Changsheng thought silently.
He also considered one point: could Taoist Priest Qingxu truly not see through the fact that Xue Hai knew martial arts?
No matter what, he could not choose to trust others. He could only trust himself.
After thinking it through, Jiang Changsheng began studying the Vajra Howl martial art that had appeared in his mind.
Vajra Howl was a martial art that used True Qi to stimulate the meridians in one's throat, making one's voice exceptionally loud and thereby shaking enemies into injury. Once cultivated to great mastery, it could even drive away evil spirits.
The words "evil spirits" made his heart tighten. Could ghosts and monsters truly exist in this world?
Well, he had been reincarnated himself. It would not be strange if ghosts and monsters existed too.
If this life truly was like the game he had designed in his previous life, then his lifespan was infinite. He only needed to avoid calamities and cultivate continuously; sooner or later, he would become immortal!
Once he became immortal, what would he have to fear from demons, monsters, ghosts, or ghouls?
Over the following days, Jiang Changsheng was nearly driven mad. The disciples were exceedingly curious about him. During the day, he spent almost all his time dealing with his fellow disciples, while at night, fellow disciples would spy on him. His junior brother, who was one year younger and shared his room, even kept pestering him. Left with no choice, he taught him the foundational footwork of the Nine Seeking Heavenly Dragon Steps, and only then did the boy stop bothering him.
At last, his days became peaceful. Jiang Changsheng was cultivating the Dao Follows Nature Skill inside his room.
Clang—
His junior brother Qing Ku ran inside and said excitedly, "Senior Brother, that top scholar has come again. He specifically asked to thank you. Master has already agreed, and he is outside the courtyard now. Will you see him?"
Jiang Changsheng frowned. "No. Tell him there is no need to thank me."
Qing Ku froze for a moment. He had grown up following Jiang Changsheng and was quite obedient to him in important matters, so he nodded and turned toward the door.
"Ha ha ha, little Taoist, it seems you're still holding a grudge. I was indeed presumptuous at the time. I came especially to offer an apology, along with a martial art from my Chen family. I hope you will accept it."
Chen Li strode in with a warm smile across his face. Eleven-year-old Qing Ku could not stop him at all.
Jiang Changsheng said helplessly, "You're being presumptuous now too."
Chen Li sat down without ceremony, took a gold-threaded, blue-covered secret manual from his robes, and placed it on the table.
"This martial art is called Qi Finger. One must cultivate True Qi before one can practice it. Alas, my Chen family abandoned martial arts for literature a hundred years ago, and since then, we have had no martial arts prodigies. Today, I give it to you, little Taoist."
Chen Li introduced it with a smile. When he mentioned his Lineage's history, his tone carried a trace of wistful melancholy.
In the martial-minded Jing Dynasty, the Chen family had a difficult time surviving.
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