Su Luoyan laid out another feast to entertain Li Qingge, with Wang Chong, Lu Moniang, and Sun Mingke naturally joining them. Since neither Lu Moniang nor Sun Mingke had identified him as the sex fiend, Wang Chong was in excellent spirits. Witty remarks spilled from his lips like pearls, one memorable line after another. Not only Su Luoyan, who already knew his abilities, but even Lu Moniang and Li Qingge saw him in a new light. Sun Mingke's eyes positively brimmed with admiration. He had never imagined anyone could speak so delightfully.
The little maid Yuzao's eyes shone with wonder all the more. She felt that the wisest choice she had ever made was volunteering to have her young mistress give her to Wang Chong.
Though lowborn, her judgment and knowledge differed from those of other maids. She understood her own position very well. Though the eight maids had followed Su Luoyan, enjoyed considerable standing in the Su Family, and could even become disciples of the Ten-Thousand-Year Fox Manor and learn martial arts, they were servants in the end, with no say over their futures. Even young ladies from the foremost noble houses of Chang'an and Luoyang, or exalted princesses of the dynasty, might not marry husbands of their choosing, much less a maid like her. Yuzao believed that if she failed to seize a chance to break free, she would inevitably regret it someday.
Yuzao could neither sit at the table nor was she needed to serve, so she slipped out to find Jiangzhuer and her other old friends.
Su Luoyan's eight maids had originally all been out gathering information, but since one White Chrysanthemum had already died and most of the Chrysanthemum-Slaying Alliance had dispersed, they had scarcely gone out. They were now all at the residence, having a little gathering of their own. Seeing her seven sisters laughing and chatting as they played pitch-pot, Yuzao called, "Sisters, have you missed me?"
At the sight of Yuzao, Jiangzhuer grew a little huffy and exclaimed, "So the Wang household's little concubine has arrived! Have you found your ideal husband, then?"
Yuzao giggled. "I'm only an ordinary maid attending the young master. How did an ideal husband come into it?"
"Sister Jiangzhuer, did you miss me or not?"
With Yuzao tugging at her arm and pleading in a soft voice, Jiangzhuer could not stay angry. She also reflected that, even if Liuxian had refused back then, she would at most have tried to persuade her. She would never have been as bold as Yuzao and asked outright to be bestowed upon Wang Chong. Though Young Master Wang was indeed a dragon or phoenix among men, she had not yet reached the point of giving him her heart and herself. She felt some resentment, but not much. Patting Yuzao's shoulder, she said, "You chose this yourself. Don't regret it later."
Yuzao's foxlike eyes held a shy smile, but inwardly she thought, I fear I'll never regret it in this lifetime.
Although the other six maids had also met Wang Chong, they had not been moved as Yuzao and Jiangzhuer had. After all, talented though Wang Chong was, he was terribly poor. Even if he soared to success someday, there would still be years of hardship to endure now. If their young mistress bestowed them upon him, they could not refuse, but they would certainly never volunteer as Yuzao had. In their eyes, Wang Chong was not the best choice. For that reason, they felt no jealousy and instead showed even greater sisterly affection.
In his relaxed mood, Wang Chong inevitably drank a few extra cups. The wine in this world was very weak, so he was not drunk, only slightly tipsy.
Li Qingge suddenly set down his cup and stopped drinking. "In investigating this case, I've felt keenly that a lone tree cannot hold everything up. Would you two, Lady Su and Lady Lu, be willing to lend me a hand?"
Su Luoyan replied, "I would gladly help in this worthy undertaking."
She was certainly going to avenge her younger brother. Though she had already killed a White Chrysanthemum who used the Ice Soul Finger, she did not mind killing a few more. Previously, concern for her reputation had made her reluctant to become entangled with a sex fiend, but with Li Qingge taking the lead, there was no need for such worries.
Lu Moniang replied, "I came here for White Chrysanthemum in the first place. With Sister Li taking the lead, I'm willing to bring my junior brother along and follow in your horse's wake."
Wang Chong laughed. "I suppose there's no need for me to declare my position! I'm already aboard the pirate ship!" Everyone laughed together.
Lu Moniang said, "I specifically found two women who were victims, so they could identify the sex fiend. It's just inconvenient for either of them to appear in public. One is Lotus Immortal Nan Xinlan, and the other is Five-Flower Saber Xie Sanniang."
Wang Chong had just relaxed-Nan Xinlan had never seen him, and although it was hard to say with Xie Sanniang, perhaps they had never met either-when he heard Lu Moniang continue, "There's also Sister Nan's good friend Tie Mingzhu. She's willing to do her part too."
Li Qingge also said, "I can contact four women who were victims as well. One of them, Abbess Li Miaomiao, is at a nearby Daoist temple. All of them can identify White Chrysanthemum."
At the name Tie Mingzhu, Wang Chong lost all his good cheer. Whether he was a sex fiend was debatable, but Tie Mingzhu was one hundred percent certain he was. Though Tie Mingzhu had lied to everyone, saying she had never encountered the sex fiend White Chrysanthemum, and might not dare come forward to identify him with a girl's reputation at stake, Wang Chong did not dare gamble on that! He knew perfectly well that he had subjected Tie Mingzhu to bondage play. He might even have said all sorts of outrageous things, such as, "Go on, scream! The louder you scream, the more excited I get..."
I have to find some way to meet Tie Mingzhu in secret...
Wang Chong had not yet decided what he should do once he saw Tie Mingzhu. After all, he had transmigrated from the modern world and was not in the habit of killing people indiscriminately. Of course, if there was no other way, he would still have to kill when necessary...
Feigning casual interest, Wang Chong asked, "Are these victims staying in the garden too?"
Lu Moniang replied, "They don't want to see anyone, so I rented a residence nearby."
Wang Chong asked no further questions, but he believed it would not be difficult to find where Tie Mingzhu was staying. He intended to investigate that very night.
After the feast ended, Wang Chong returned to his quarters. Seeing that Yuzao had not yet returned, he did not wait for her. This was hardly something to bring a maid along for anyway. He vaulted onto the roof and used his lightness skills, reaching the street in moments.
Lu Moniang came from a powerful aristocratic family, so she certainly would not have chosen some filthy, impoverished residence. Wang Chong thought, If I make a circuit of the neighborhood, I should have a rough idea where they are.
With the garden Su Luoyan was borrowing as his center, he made two or three spiraling circuits. He had yet to find his target when someone called, "Brother Wang Chong, what are you looking for?"
Wang Chong turned lightly and saw Sun Mingke crouched on a rooftop several dozen paces away. His mind raced, and he said, "Your senior sister and the others are all women, so it's inappropriate for them to come out in the middle of the night. But that sex fiend must always commit his crimes at night. Though he might not dare strike in Pengshan County, why not patrol a few rounds? What if we get lucky?"
Sun Mingke believed him at once. "I'll come with you, Brother Wang Chong."
Wang Chong had no choice but to take Sun Mingke along on his patrol. Though he soon spotted several possible houses, he no longer dared go inside to investigate. Both were highly skilled in lightness techniques, and by midnight they had covered all of Pengshan County. Wang Chong was just suggesting they return, since he could do nothing tonight anyway, when Sun Mingke lowered his voice and said, "Brother Wang Chong, I think we've stumbled onto some luck."
Wang Chong focused his gaze. He, too, had heard the rush of wind from someone speeding along. This person's lightness skills were excellent, but his movements were heavy, making rather more noise.
A newborn calf unafraid of tigers or wolves, Sun Mingke used his lightness skills to race over. Wang Chong could only follow. In an instant, the two saw a man sprinting through the night with a constantly writhing sack over his shoulder. With signs so obvious, what could he be but a sex fiend?
...Wang Chong: Fuck, I know him...
...Sun Mingke: Isn't this the White Chrysanthemum I stabbed...
Before you continue