Lu Moniang pondered for a long while before saying, "The man my junior brother and I encountered was proficient in the Great Strength Vajra Palm, but he never used the Ice Soul Finger. We aren't entirely certain of this scoundrel's identity."
Su Luoyan let out a slight breath of relief. Her younger brother had died to the Ice Soul Finger. If Sun Yanqi was not White Chrysanthemum, her vengeance remained unfinished. But if there was another White Chrysanthemum who did not use the Ice Soul Finger, then he was not her brother's murderer, and she was not nearly so concerned about this White Chrysanthemum's identity or origins.
The lecher still needed to be slain, but that ranked a notch below avenging her younger brother.
Sun Mingke sheathed his twin swords and said, "This scoundrel's palm force is immensely powerful. He must have received Shaolin's true teachings. Follow that lead, and the truth is sure to surface once the waters recede."
A clear voice rang out. "I have already investigated the Shaolin disciples proficient in Vajra palm force and Prajna palm techniques. None are suspects. I have also examined the bodies of all the victims, and I am ninety percent certain the attacker was not a Shaolin disciple. He may be a successor of the Western Regions Qingshan Sect, using the Vajra Prajna Palm of the Western Regions lineage."
"Although this palm technique claims to combine the Great Strength Vajra Palm and the Prajna palm technique, it actually follows an extremely hard, fierce path, mixed with vicious methods of releasing force. At its highest level, a single palm strike can contain thirteen layers of force. Precisely because its palm force is so ferocious, it loses the Prajna palm technique's essence of emptiness through and through, and is often mistaken for the Great Strength Vajra Palm of Shaolin's direct lineage." Li Qingge arrived gracefully with Wang Chong and Yuzao.
Wang Chong had been on tenterhooks the whole time, terrified that Lu Moniang and Sun Mingke would draw their swords and curse him as a lecher the moment they saw him. Then even a hundred mouths would not let him argue his innocence. Though he had boasted that he would kill himself if he really was White Chrysanthemum, when the moment came, he felt rather reluctant. Thus, for the first time, he had brought his longsword with him. Upon entering the garden where Su Luoyan was staying, he laid his hand on his blade, bracing himself for battle.
Sun Mingke was young and hot-blooded, and had recently severely wounded the notorious lecher White Chrysanthemum with only his own sword. His fighting spirit was brimming over, and he was riding high. When Wang Chong entered and stared at him and his senior sister with burning eyes that held a hint of hostility, he immediately lost his restraint and barked, "What are you looking at?"
Wang Chong reacted on the spot, his longsword flashing out!
Sun Mingke pressed a hand to his waist. Xiaoguang and Jilang interwove into a net of swords that descended over Wang Chong's head.
In an instant, their sword lights clashed a hundred times. Their longswords collided with an unbroken chorus of dragon cries.
Wang Chong retreated several steps and wanted to flee, but Sun Mingke's sword intent surged like a tide and had already locked him down. Moreover, there was something peculiar about the youth's internal power. He seemed able to detect changes in Wang Chong's body and the circulation of his internal power and True Qi, allowing him to judge in advance and anticipate his opponent's moves. He was no less troublesome than Qian Luoyi.
Sun Mingke was also slightly surprised. In his first fight after leaving the mountain, he had defeated the notorious lecher "White Chrysanthemum." He had not expected to run into such a tough opponent in his second fight. Ever since he had attained some success with the Nine Profound True Scripture, his internal power and swordsmanship had advanced by leaps and bounds. Yet this man's swordsmanship was astonishingly fast, and his internal power even more substantial. Even though Sun Mingke could predict his sword's path, he could only meet it head-on, with not the slightest room for clever shortcuts.
With a guilty conscience, Wang Chong gripped the Folding Fan inside his sleeve, ready at any moment to deal with a group attack. His feet constantly shifted position as he searched for an opportunity to escape.
Both Su Luoyan and Lu Moniang knew Li Qingge. After all, all three were among the Top Ten Female Masters, and Li Qingge ranked above the other two. They hurriedly rose to greet him.
Su Luoyan tilted her head to glance at the two men competing in swordsmanship and could not help a soft laugh. "Why have you come back, Young Master Wang Chong? Unfortunately, Sister Chu has already left ahead of us and taken her junior sisters back to Mount Qingcheng." Still fighting fiercely with Sun Mingke, Wang Chong saw that no one was coming to surround him. He relaxed a little, and his wits gradually returned. The lecher Sun Mingke wounded knew the Vajra Prajna Palm. I don't know that martial art. This definitely has nothing to do with Li Miaomiao's case. He smiled sheepishly and said, "Constable Li thought I was also a suspected lecher. Then White Chrysanthemum happened to strike again, so he kept me in his custody."
Su Luoyan teased, "If Young Master Wang were a lecher, Sister Chu would be in danger. Fortunately, she went back to Mount Qingcheng first."
Lu Moniang was not worried about her junior brother. Listening to their conversation, she grew curious and asked, "Sister Su, do you know this young master too? Why not introduce him to me?"
Li Qingge had intended to introduce Wang Chong, but Su Luoyan spoke first about his background. However, she did not know Wang Chong very well either, and merely introduced him as a member of the Chrysanthemum-Slaying Alliance, with nothing else to add.
Hearing that Wang Chong had some standing, Lu Moniang called melodiously, "Little junior brother, stop fooling around with Young Master Wang Chong. Hurry up and stop."
Sun Mingke stepped back twice. He admired Wang Chong's martial arts and swordsmanship considerably and felt somewhat well disposed toward him. He had not been off the mountain long. Lu Moniang and Su Luoyan held similar positions, and neither could conveniently mingle with a crowd of men, so he had had no opportunity to meet the members of the Chrysanthemum-Slaying Alliance. Wang Chong was the first fellow martial artist of similar age and ability he had met since leaving the mountain. He said, "I was rash. I thought Brother Wang had some grudge against my senior sister and me."
Wang Chong was too embarrassed to say that he had feared the boy would identify him as "White Chrysanthemum." He hurriedly said, "It was a misunderstanding. No need to say any more."
Lu Moniang had never heard of the Green Mountain Sect and asked, "What are the origins of the Western Regions Qingshan Sect?" Li Qingge broke into a smile and explained the sect's origins. Sun Mingke exclaimed, "According to what this sister says, doesn't that mean the scoundrel wasn't using Wudang's Candle-Bearing Sword Technique either, but the Green Mountain Sect's Fire-Burning Eyebrows sword technique?"
Li Qingge replied, "That is indeed my judgment."
Sun Mingke was not particularly interested in White Chrysanthemum's identity or origins. He moved closer to Wang Chong and said, "The White Chrysanthemum your Chrysanthemum-Slaying Alliance killed might have been a fake!" Those words were quite offensive, but Wang Chong did not mind. He had not killed White Chrysanthemum anyway, nor did he covet the fame. Smiling, he said, "Constable Li and I discussed the case at length. The one Brother Qin Han of our Chrysanthemum-Slaying Alliance killed was proficient in cold, yin martial arts, and was caught while attempting to rape a respectable woman. There is absolutely no doubt that he was a lecher. The man you and Miss Lu encountered was caught in the act of violating Abbess Li Miaomiao, so he must also have been a lecher. Since both men's identities as lechers are entirely certain, White Chrysanthemum naturally cannot have been just one person."
Sun Mingke had always believed that the man he had wounded must have been White Chrysanthemum, and that the Chrysanthemum-Slaying Alliance must have made a mistake. But Wang Chong's explanation sounded perfectly reasonable, and he accepted it to some extent. "I always thought one of the two White Chrysanthemums had to be a fake. It never occurred to me that there might be two White Chrysanthemums."
Li Qingge said, "There may not be just two. Even if geniuses exist in this world, the likelihood of someone cultivating every martial art to a profound level is extremely small. White Chrysanthemum's martial arts are a motley assortment, so it is highly likely that several people are committing these crimes. I suspect there may be at least three or four."
Neither Lu Moniang nor Sun Mingke showed any unusual reaction upon seeing Wang Chong, and the last trace of doubt in Li Qingge's heart vanished. There must be a reason Li Miaomiao behaved strangely when she saw Young Master Wang Chong, but it should have nothing to do with White Chrysanthemum's case. That can wait until later. First, I'll close the White Chrysanthemum case.
... Sun Mingke: I couldn't be one of those three or four White Chrysanthemums, could I? ...
... Su Luoyan: Chu Qiuzi isn't here. There's a chance...
... Sun Mingke: Wang Chong stared at my senior sister and me the moment he came in. He must have taken a fancy to her...
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