Wang Chong thought to himself, “He's already dead, so why am I still fighting this great monk?”
He used the lightness skill Riding Clouds and Treading Wind to shake off the great monk, and was about to flee under cover of night when he heard a voice call out: “Su Luo Yan of the Ten-Thousand-Year Fox House greets this Wudang Daoist friend. This is a misunderstanding—please let me explain.”
A woman stepped out of the darkness, her face pale as snow and extremely beautiful. She glanced at Sun Yanqi, with some disgust and some relief, and said: “I have some small reputation in the jianghu, so this Wudang Daoist friend can trust me.”
Wang Chong thought: “This girl is full of confidence.”
“Does she think that because she was born beautiful, men will believe everything she says?”
Thinking this to himself, he first put away his folding fan and asked with a smile: “I don't know what happened at all, so where is the misunderstanding? I beg Miss Su to clear up my confusion!”
Su Luo Yan was also very puzzled, thinking to herself: “I know all Seven True Ones of Wudang, and there is certainly no such person. Could it be that another powerful young expert has recently emerged on Mount Wudang?” She pointed to the pretty girl who had killed someone and said: “This young lady is the Lotus Immortal Nan Xinlan. You surely know her relationship with Sun Yanqi.”
Wang Chong nodded: “I've heard the brothers of the Chrysanthemum-Killing Alliance mention her.”
Now, he wanted to mention the Chrysanthemum-Killing Alliance in almost every sentence, to make his identity clear, lest he be misunderstood or dragged into some messy business.
Su Luo Yan said: “Young Lady Nan Xinlan of the Lotus Immortal is a deeply devoted person. She comes from a prominent family with strict rules, and only wanted to find a respectable man to be her husband. Yet she never expected that, while acting chivalrously and traveling in the jianghu, she would meet this scoundrel Sun Yanqi, who used sweet words to win the heart of Young Lady Nan.”
“Sun Yanqi was of humble origins and a tragic family background. He had no proper sect and deliberately concealed his martial arts, pretending to be ordinary, so the Nan family would not agree to this marriage.”
“In a moment of error, Young Lady Nan pretended to have been abducted by White Chrysanthemum, intending to ruin her own reputation so her family would have no choice but to marry her off to this scoundrel.”
“Who would have thought that this scoundrel would disdain Young Lady Nan's tarnished reputation and prove faithless, refusing to marry her?”
“Even if that were all, he would just be an ordinary faithless man. But who would have thought that afterward he suddenly grew resentful, feeling it was a great loss that he had not defiled Young Lady Nan's body, so he secretly sneaked into the Nan household, kidnapped Young Lady Nan, and plotted something improper.”
Wang Chong had not expected the story to be so full of twists and turns, and his astonishment knew no bounds. Suddenly he asked: “And what about Tie Mingzhu?”
Nan Xinlan, filled with both hatred and regret, said: “Sister Tie heard that I had been dishonored, but without asking what happened, she ran off to find White Chrysanthemum to take revenge for me. It's just that she was lucky and never encountered that lecher…”
Wang Chong's mind was not at ease. He thought to himself: “Why didn't she encounter the lecher?!”
“Oh well, forget it. That's a bit hard to stomach! Better that she didn't meet him!”
Su Luo Yan said: “Fortunately, I ran into this scoundrel with Master Xuan Gang and rescued Young Lady Nan.”
“This lecher tried to flee when his plot was exposed, but Master Xuan Gang stopped him. In desperation he used the evil martial art Ice Soul Finger, which allowed Master Xuan Gang and me to see through his identity. He is the lecher White Chrysanthemum.”
This sudden reversal nearly wrenched Wang Chong's old back, and he almost blurted out: “If he's White Chrysanthemum, then who am I?”
Wang Chong had just read through the Thirty-Two Aspects Spirit-Transformation Cultivation Fundamental Classic. The classic is divided into four major aspects: the Aspects of Gods and Buddhas, the Aspects of True Treasures, the Aspects of Demons and Fiends, and the Aspects of Birds and Beasts. Each major aspect is further divided into eight aspects, so he knew that Sun Yanqi had not used Ice Soul Finger, but the Ice Serpent Divine Aspect from the Thirty-Two Aspects Spirit-Transformation Cultivation Fundamental Classic.
The Ice Serpent Divine Aspect is one of the eight Aspects of Demons and Fiends. According to the Buddhist scriptures of this world, the Ice Serpent is a great fiend living in the Eight Cold Hells, with great red lotuses blooming all over its body—a fiend of extreme cold. Once this aspect is cultivated, one can drive the ruthless yin internal force as cruel as the Ice Hell. Those struck are invaded by cold energy and die on the spot.
After a moment's thought, Wang Chong thought to himself: “Sun Yanqi may not have used only the martial arts from those two manuals, and White Chrysanthemum may not have used Ice Soul Finger either.”
“After all, if White Chrysanthemum is dead—even if it's a fake—I'm safe!”
He quickly cupped his hands and said: “You two have rid the jianghu of this great scourge. Truly admirable.”
“On behalf of the sixty-two brothers of the Chrysanthemum-Killing Alliance, I invite you both to Pengshan County for a meeting, so that the matter of White Chrysanthemum can be properly handled.”
Su Luo Yan shook her head and said: “My younger brother was killed by this scoundrel, and I came only to take revenge. Now that this lecher is dead, I must go to Chang'an for other matters, so I must respectfully decline your kind invitation, Daoist Friend. I have one more request: please, Brother Wang, do not say that it was I who killed this scoundrel.”
Wang Chong immediately understood and said: “Indeed. Miss Su is pure and chaste; it is truly not proper for her to be associated with this lecher. I will say that Master Xuan Gang alone killed him.”
Master Xuan Gang said: “Don't drag me into this either. I'm returning to the mountain to cultivate.” After speaking, he strode away and quickly left, avoiding everyone as if they were snakes and scorpions, behaving very strangely.
Su Luo Yan also cupped her hands, then took Nan Xinlan and vanished into the night.
Wang Chong stood there stunned, thinking to himself: “Qin Han really has this kind of luck!”
“Neither Su Luo Yan nor the great monk cares about fame, and Nan Xinlan shouldn't be further involved with White Chrysanthemum. I've already taken the money, so it wouldn't do to go back on my word.”
He stayed up until dawn, loaded Sun Yanqi onto a horse, and headed back according to his memory. Along the way he asked people for directions several times. Seeing him transport a dead man on horseback, no one dared to lie. Although it took some effort, he finally made it back to Pengshan County.
Outside Pengshan County, he sent someone to the inn in town to notify Qin Han to come out. Half an hour later, Qin Han hurried out. Seeing the corpse on the horse, he was slightly stunned, rushed over, pressed his hand on it, and immediately showed delight. He called out: “This man's meridians are extremely cold. He must have cultivated yin-cold martial arts. Could it be White Chrysanthemum? Brother Wang Chong, how did you come by him?”
Wang Chong had long ago prepared a lie. He said: “I don't know whether this man is White Chrysanthemum. He was about to defile a woman when I came upon him. He did indeed use yin-cold martial arts, but when we fought he was already seriously injured, so he was no match for me. Thinking I had promised Brother Qin, I brought him back. Brother Qin will need to confirm his identity.”
Qin Han was delighted. He discussed the details with Wang Chong, then hastily led the horse into Pengshan County.
Wang Chong had originally wanted to slip away, but now curiosity got the better of him. After waiting a while, he also entered Pengshan County. Upon returning to the inn, several people greeted him, all beaming with joy as they said: “Brother Qin Han has already killed White Chrysanthemum. We've confirmed it—the identity is certain. It is indeed this scoundrel.”
Curious for the moment, Wang Chong asked: “How was it confirmed that he is White Chrysanthemum?”
…Fang Jingru: Qin Han spent the whole day drinking with people. Where would he find time to kill White Chrysanthemum?
…Zhou Yuchen: I simply do not believe Qin Han could kill White Chrysanthemum.
…Qin Han: I must give Brother Wang Chong a generous gift…
Chapter 19