Even if he met bears and tigers in the mountains

Li Qingge had indeed been worried about Wang Chong, which was why she had secretly followed him to investigate. Wang Chong had not been vigilant enough and had actually failed to notice the female constable watching nearby.

If an ordinary man knew that a beautiful young maid was bathing in the stream nearby, a scene of enchanting beauty and peach-and-willow sensuality, he would surely have sat on pins and needles and made any number of indescribable moves. But Wang Chong really had tasted the good stuff. When he had booked rooms with his ex-girlfriends, he had even had the leisure to start a duo-queue match while waiting for them to finish showering. His breezy composure, as clear as moonlight after rain, had earned even Li Qingge's admiration. Her appearance this time had, in fact, carried an implicit apology.

Wang Chong heard the music and understood its meaning. He smiled and said, "I have read poetry and the classics extensively. Naturally, I have some understanding of heavenly principles and human ethics."

What he actually wanted to say was, Sooner or later, she'll be meat in my pot. What's there to get restless and impatient about? But that answer would not have suited his standing, so he could only replace it with something lofty and respectable.

Li Qingge's respect grew further. She said, "Both Lu and Su have replied. Early tomorrow morning, we'll take Li Miaomiao to visit them."

Wang Chong drew a deep breath and thought, If I can get through this hurdle, I'll clear my name. If something goes wrong...

We'll see. We'll see!

He agreed, pondered for a moment, then said, "Are the fairies of Qingcheng still in Pengshan County?"

Li Qingge smiled. "The heroines of Qingcheng have all left."

Wang Chong nodded slightly. With the women of Qingcheng gone, things would be much easier. He always felt that barely any time passed after each parting before he had to see Chu Qiuzi again. It was very strange, giving him the feeling that he simply could not shake off this Qingcheng heroine. Although he truly did not mind Chu Qiuzi, he still wanted a little more room to "breathe."

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Li Qingge asked, "Young Master Wang Chong, what formidable martial art did you master during your secluded cultivation today to cause such a commotion?"

Wang Chong did not want to mention mastering the Nine-Headed Dragon King Aspect. After all, the origins of the Fundamental Scripture for Cultivating the Thirty-Two Aspects of Divine Transformation and the Correct Explanation of the Four Marks were somewhat shady. Besides, his having actually mastered a Divine Transformation in a single day seemed rather too shocking. It was better not to tell anyone. He said quietly, "I gained a little insight into the Pure Yang Formula and failed to hold back for a moment."

Li Qingge was half convinced and half doubtful. Though her martial arts were superb, she could not identify someone else's martial arts from a house blasted to pieces. She said, "Then congratulations, Young Master Wang, on advancing another step beyond the top of a hundred-foot pole."

Wang Chong chuckled. "You're too kind, too kind."

The three chatted as they returned to the Daoist temple. By now, Li Qingge trusted Wang Chong even more and invited him to discuss the case through the night. Wang Chong did not refuse and went to Li Qingge's meditation room. As they discussed the case files, he asked for some paper and a brush and drew up a table, listing which women White Chrysanthemum had chosen, what had happened to those women, whom he had killed, what martial arts he had used, and how many times he had used each...

When Li Qingge saw the table, she regarded it as the work of a celestial and praised it highly. She immediately spotted other things in it and said, "White Chrysanthemum only used the Candle-Bearing Sword Technique once. It could also have been the Fire-Burning Eyebrows sword technique of the Green Mountain Sect in the Western Regions, but there's definitely something wrong with this case. It differs somewhat from the others."

"What he used most often to kill was the Ice Soul Finger. In total, he killed thirty-one people with this sinister martial art. But in these cases, most of the dead were men. Of the six women involved, four actually survived, and all insisted that they had not been violated. Although no one believed them, especially since three of the women were not virgins and had no way to substantiate their innocence, I fear there are other circumstances behind all the cases involving the Ice Soul Finger."

Li Qingge's analysis impressed Wang Chong considerably. He thought, This female constable really is a professional. With her peeling away the cocoon and drawing out the threads like this, the case has become much clearer. He suddenly recalled that both Kong Chan and Xuangang had recognized what Sun Yanqi used as the Ice Python Divine Sign, not the Ice Soul Finger. He wanted to point this out but did not know how to phrase it.

The two studied the case all night. Wang Chong never found an opportunity and could only set the matter aside for the time being. As dawn approached, Li Qingge suggested meditating briefly before setting off, and Wang Chong could only agree.

After meditating for a while, he felt the Pure Yang True Qi throughout his body brimming with vitality and found that he had made considerable further progress. In excellent spirits, he switched to the Nine-Headed Dragon King Aspect. He felt that the newly born Buddhist True Qi differed from the Pure Yang Formula: it tempered his sinews and bones, scoured his muscles and cleansed his marrow; strength arose from his heart, intent united with spirit, Qi was born within, and blood nourished without. It seemed that strands of strength were gradually emerging throughout his limbs and bones, adding roughly another hundred or two hundred jin. The weightlifting records on Earth were only four or five hundred jin, after all. His original strength had already been two or three hundred jin, and the slight breakthrough in his martial arts during his match with Qian Luoyi had added at least another fifty or sixty jin. He surpassed any human on Earth. Even if he encountered bears and tigers in the mountains, he could meet them head-on!

When Wang Chong emerged from his meditative state, he found Li Qingge staring at him without blinking her lovely eyes. He touched his cheek and asked, "Why are you staring at me, Constable Li?"

Li Qingge smiled faintly. "I suddenly understood why Qingcheng's Purple-Green Jade Maiden fell for you at first sight, and why even Miss Su, Chess Sword Linglong, regarded you differently and gave you a maid."

Wang Chong shrugged. He knew he was good-looking, but it was mainly his "outstanding talent." What he needed most now was to clear his name quickly and prove that he was a good man. For the moment, he had no interest in flirting with this female constable, even though Li Qingge very much suited his tastes.

Li Qingge said, "Let's go!"

Wang Chong agreed and said, "I'll go fetch Yuzao."

Li Qingge burst into a giggle. "Go on."

She had originally thought Wang Chong liked this maid and therefore wanted to keep her by his side at all times. But since yesterday's "peeking," the female constable had understood: Wang Chong was worried that a man and a woman traveling alone together would be difficult to explain. With this maid accompanying them, no one could gossip.

This was Wang Chong's workplace experience: never be alone with a colleague of the opposite sex, lest someone write a little accusatory essay about him. Although he did not think this female constable was that sort of person-she was, after all, a genuinely career-minded heroine-he was used to doing things this way.

Li Qingge had originally wanted to bring Li Miaomiao along too, but the nun who had been victimized refused to accompany them no matter what she said. The three could only leave the Daoist temple on separate horses. Wang Dong watched his master depart, then immediately returned to his room and lay down. Since following Wang Chong, he had found life comfortable. Wang Chong hardly ever assigned him anything to do and treated him well. When his master went out on business, he only had to watch the luggage. Everything was delightful.

Sun Mingke held his twin swords pointing diagonally, his bearing different again from when he had first descended the mountain. Clearly, both his swordsmanship and martial arts had improved.

Su Luoyan and Lu Moniang, watching nearby, were in very different moods. Su Luoyan suddenly thought of Wang Chong and mused, How many outstanding talents there are in the world today!

Lu Moniang sighed. "Little junior brother, if you'd had this swordsmanship that day, that lecher would never have escaped."

Su Luoyan smiled gracefully and asked, "Sister Lu, are you certain that lecher was White Chrysanthemum?"

...Ma You: I've already coughed up every last bit of silver I embezzled over the years...

...Su Luoyan: Could someone else have killed my little brother...

...Sun Mingke: I swear to reclaim the protagonist's role...