Qingshan Sect

Li Qingge said, "I know what Lord Wang wants to ask: what image White Chrysanthemum presented in these three cases?" Wang Chong did indeed want to know what White Chrysanthemum looked like. He nodded slightly. "That's right." Li Qingge answered, "This lecher is tall with long legs, and his looks are exceptionally fine..." The female constable paused, then added, "He is roughly similar in appearance to Lord Wang." Wang Chong's heart thumped. He wanted nothing more than to smash every toad on the mountain. Why on earth did he bear any resemblance to a lecher? Shouldn't he be handsome as a jade tree in the wind, with girls smiling at him the moment he stood there? Li Qingge added, "From the injuries on the victims, one can tell this scoundrel has mastered six or seven martial arts. After reviewing countless case files, I suspect he may come from the Qingshan Sect." Wang Chong was slightly heartened. "What is the Qingshan Sect?" Li Qingge pondered for a moment, then said: "Back then, Shaolin had a temple laborer who did not understand Buddhist law and could not become a monk. He could only do odd jobs, his status was lowly, and he always felt oppressed, nursing resentment in his heart. So he secretly learned several powerful martial arts, training in secret to the highest level. On a dark, windy night, he ambushed monks at the temple he bore grudges against, killed twenty-one men in succession, and escaped." "He feared pursuit by Shaolin, so he fled to the Western Regions, where he met a traitor from Wudang. The two colluded, exchanged martial arts with each other, and founded the Qingshan Sect." "Both came from major sects of the Central Plains. Judging by talent alone, they were outstanding heroes of their time, but they were narrow-minded. After exchanging martial arts, each interpreted them differently, and the arts they created took an evil path." "The martial arts of this sect are similar yet different from Central Plains martial arts. For example, Shaolin has the Great Diamond Palm Force and Prajna Palm Technique, but the temple laborer felt neither divine art was ruthless enough, so he created the Diamond Prajna Palm. Its force is ferocious enough to rank among the top three under heaven." "Another example: Lord Wang's Holding-Candle Swordplay was fused by that Wudang traitor with several powerful sword arts of the Western Regions, transformed into a single sword style named Fire-Burning-Eyebrows Swordplay. Meaning 'fire burning the eyebrows,' it only looks at what is before its eyes; the sword moves are urgent, and every strike seeks to perish with the enemy, leaving no retreat." "However, the Qingshan Sect does not possess the sinister Ice Soul Finger martial art, so I can only speculate, not confirm." Wang Chong asked, "What is the origin of the Ice Soul Finger?" Li Qingge answered, "Daoist Yu, who created this martial art, died decades ago and has no successors, so the source cannot be traced." Wang Chong asked, "Could it be that the Qingshan Sect killed Daoist Yu and obtained this sinister Ice Soul Finger art?" Li Qingge's gaze turned strange. "Daoist Yu committed countless evils and defected to the eighteen grassland tribes. He was slain by the Heavenly Empress, who had just completed her training. If anyone in the world could have obtained the Ice Soul Finger from Daoist Yu, it would be the Heavenly Empress of our current dynasty. Do you think the Holy Heavenly Empress would go and be a lecher?" Wang Chong smiled awkwardly. "I forgot about that." He certainly had not forgotten; he simply had not known this matter at all. He silently told himself, "It is best not to speak lightly; it is all too easy to reveal one's ignorance." Li Qingge did not pursue it. After all, she did not know the glory of the Heavenly Empress in the past, and it represented nothing about this case. She continued, "Moreover, this scoundrel has mastered several other martial arts, none related to the Qingshan Sect or Daoist Yu." A thought suddenly sprang into Wang Chong's mind: "Could it be one of those system transmigrators—completing some task and getting rewarded with maxed-out martial arts, a walking cheat?" "If such a cheat exists, how could the natives of this world possibly fight back? And why should I be able to kill this bastard?" "No, it probably isn't max-level rewards—at most a reward of a few years of internal energy. Otherwise..." "Well, in any case, we must be on guard." Li Qingge truly deserved her reputation as a constable under heaven; her experience in solving cases was rich, and she understood this case deeply. Wang Chong soon had a general understanding of the lecher White Chrysanthemum, and he raised a question that had puzzled him for a long time: "Could White Chrysanthemum be several people? They each commit crimes but all claim to be White Chrysanthemum?" Li Qingge was slightly stunned. After a long while, she said, "That is indeed possible!" "Even with a new case, Sun Yanqi cannot therefore be cleared of suspicion. At least two cases may be connected to him. He not only appeared nearby but also acted suspiciously, with many doubts." Wang Chong sighed. Li Qingge might be "professional," but she was ultimately just a constable in a martial arts world, with no modern "anti-crime" knowledge and no modern "criminal investigation" concepts. He was just an engineering graduate from a top-tier university and could not provide too many valuable suggestions. Li Qingge felt differently about Wang Chong. She had originally thought this young man was reliable and could serve as a temporary helper. But after this conversation, the female constable admired Wang Chong's various suggestions greatly and deeply felt that he was a talent. Li Qingge looked at Wang Chong, still examining the case files, and said, "Lord Wang, do you want to join the Ministry of Justice? I can arrange an eighth-rank position for you." You must know that ninety-nine percent of constables under heaven are merely yamen runners with no official rank. Only a very few head constables, or even those at the level of chief constable, receive official status. Li Qingge's suggestion was equivalent to letting Wang Chong rise rapidly and become an official overnight—a promise that could not be called anything but generous. Wang Chong said without hesitation, "My family still hopes I study hard and win a proper degree." Li Qingge saw his refusal and did not press further. The two studied the case files for a while longer. Then Li Qingge said, "Lord Wang Chong, you are not fit to appear in your true appearance. I have a human-skin mask here, as well as a new identity. For now, you may act as Ma You, the chief constable of Songcheng, and assist me in investigating the case." Wang Chong agreed, took the human-skin mask Li Qingge handed him, looked at it once, and was greatly disappointed. This thing belonged to the level where anyone who saw it would know "this person is wearing a mask." It could conceal his identity but could never turn him into another person. It was far too crude. It was now noon. Li Qingge arranged a very plain lunch: only coarse rice, radishes and greens, and a bowl of clear soup, with no oil or flavor. Wang Chong did not pick at his food. After lunch, he parted with Li Qingge and went to find his maid and page boy. Yu Zao was meditating to practice martial arts. Wang Dong was bored and spacing out. When they saw him return, both were very happy. Wang Chong asked and learned both had eaten. He mused slightly: "Yu Zao is more diligent and probably won't reject my guidance. Wang Dong is a bit lazy and probably doesn't care much for martial arts." Yu Zao was quick with her hands and feet. She had already brewed tea, bustling around, serving Wang Chong so well he felt ashamed. He casually asked, "Sister Yu Zao, what martial arts did you learn at the Su family?" Yu Zao smiled. "When I was at the Su family, Lord, calling me 'Sister' is fine—after all, 'Mother' and 'Sister' are common forms of address. But I am already a servant of the Wang household, so my lord may simply call me Yu Zao." "I learned five martial arts at the Su family..." ……Ma You: I've been wronged, I was secretly arrested and imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice jail, yet someone is wearing my identity, living it up outside…… ……Yu Zao: Heehee, the more I look, the more I feel our young master is gentle as jade, graceful and elegant……