At dusk, Wang Chong returned to his room. As he quietly reflected on the mental formulas of the Diamond Prajna Palm, he paged through the leg bindings. He could not help but feel that someone had deliberately placed obstacles within this consummate art of the Western Regions' Qingshan Sect, preventing anyone from easily mastering it. He mused to himself, "The essence of the Diamond Prajna Palm is nothing more than cultivating internal force of peerless ferocity, and then using a proprietary mental method to unleash thirteen successive waves of palm force in a single breath.
"If I were to cultivate this palm technique step by step, I fear I would make little progress in a short time. But if I switch my line of thought and drive it directly with the Nine-Headed Dragon King Aspect, wouldn't that achieve it in one bound?
"The internal force cultivated from the Nine-Headed Dragon King Aspect is fierce and unyielding enough. This supreme Buddhist divine art itself tempers one's internal force into nine distinct currents, each current like a dragon. Resting on the foundation of the Nine-Headed Dragon King Aspect, although I cannot unleash thirteen waves of palm force in one breath, nine waves should pose no obstacle. While not reaching the pinnacle of perfection, it would still far surpass Tiemole."
Wang Chong weighed the various details and decided his reasoning was sound. Following the methods of the Diamond Prajna Palm, he quietly channeled the supreme Buddhist meditative art of the Nine-Headed Dragon King Aspect. Just as he was about to test striking out a palm, he suddenly remembered how he had collapsed the cottage at Li Qingge's Daoist temple. He hurriedly reined in his palm force and drifted out of the courtyard.
He searched all around Pengshan County, but finding no suitable ground, he had no choice but to leave the county behind. He sped more than ten li into the distance until he came upon a mountain forest.
This time, Wang Chong had no further reservations. Circulating the profound, solemn, vast, and peerless internal force of the Nine-Headed Dragon King Aspect, he cleaved out a Diamond Prajna Palm. It struck a large tree beside him dead center, blasting the bowl-thick trunk into two halves at the waist. Where the palm connected, the trunk shattered completely, ground inch by inch to powder.
Of the nine waves of palm force he had anticipated, he had only managed to release a single one, leaving him feeling distinctly empty. He quickly moved to another tree and struck again. This time he exerted his strength a bit more slowly, holding back thirty percent of his force. The palm energy roared with fierce heat, instantly searing a scorched black palm print into the trunk. When a mountain gust blew past, flames suddenly erupted from within the entire tree, blazing with fierce fury.
Wang Chong was utterly flabbergasted. In a trembling voice, he said, "Why did a perfectly good Buddhist palm technique turn so bizarre when driven by the Nine-Headed Dragon King Aspect?
"Is there a major flaw with the Nine-Headed Dragon King Aspect divine art, or is there something strange about the Diamond Prajna Palm?
"Well, maybe Buddhism in this world just isn't orthodox."
Shocked out of his wits, Wang Chong stood dazed and motionless until the flames on the tree began spreading to the surroundings. As a modern man, he knew that a forest fire was a catastrophic disaster. He struck out several palms in succession, hoping to smother the flames. Enduring the ordeal of such majestic palm strikes, the ravaged tree rattled loudly, its branches trembling, before crashing down to the ground. It fractured inch by inch upon impact, the interior charred with faint embers, presenting an exceedingly bizarre state.
After a long while, Wang Chong let out a slow breath, subduing his alarm. Subtly circulating the Nine-Headed Dragon King Aspect, he tried several more times, gradually working out the knack. If he struck with full power, he could only unleash a single incomparably fierce wave of palm force, closely resembling the Diamond Prajna Palm. But if he exerted his strength more gradually, he could unleash nine successive waves of palm force. Yet these waves stacked upon one another, burning with searing ferocity, naturally carrying a scorching fire force completely different from the Diamond Prajna Palm—as though they were two entirely different martial arts.
Wang Chong could not make head or tail of it. The Nine-Headed Dragon King Aspect was magnificent and righteous, and the Diamond Prajna Palm was likewise a Buddhist divine art; both martial arts were utterly orthodox. How could combining them produce such a bizarre transformation, turning sinister and chilling?
Throughout the entire night, he racked his brains trying to figure out what was going on with the combination of these two martial arts.
This patch of mountain forest suffered a great calamity, having twenty-eight large trees snapped by his palms. After toiling until near dawn, Wang Chong was able to wield the "Diamond Prajna Palm" freely. Yet this palm force bore no resemblance whatsoever to the martial arts of the Western Regions' Qingshan Sect. Either an all-out strike was unremarkable, or unleashing nine successive waves summoned an intensely fierce fire force. What it would do against a person remained to be seen, but striking a tree could spawn blazing flames, which was quite miraculous.
As the sky brightened, Wang Chong stopped and prepared to head back to Pengshan County, only to hear the clatter of horse hooves. He wanted to hide, but the surrounding trees had all been snapped down, forcing him into a direct face-to-face encounter with two riders. The two riders were talking ceaselessly on horseback: one was weeping and wailing in sorrow, while the other was filled with righteous indignation, speaking words of encouragement. Both were women, and both had already spotted Wang Chong. One cried out in pleasant surprise, "It's Young Master Wang Chong!"
The other's eyes went wide. She pointed at Wang Chong with a trembling finger, the word "lecher" on the very tip of her tongue.
Wang Chong had never imagined he would run into Nan Xinlan and Tie Mingzhu. By reflex, he drew his folding fan from his sleeve and flicked it open, intending to hide his face, but how could there be time? Sighing in his heart, he thought, *I wanted to be a good person, but why does this world force one to become a ghost!*
Nan Xinlan had not noticed anything amiss, but in an instant, every hair on Tie Mingzhu's body stood on end. Her mind spun through seven or eight calculations before she realized: even if she and Nan Xinlan joined forces, they were definitely no match for this lecher. If the two sisters fell into his hands, they would surely be humiliated together. But last time Wang Chong had acted strangely, letting her go with baffling ease. If she pretended not to recognize this lecher, she might still have a chance!
The eldest young mistress of Iron Pear Mountain Villa was truly no fool. Almost immediately, she called out, "It is Young Master Wang Chong! A pleasure to meet you, what an honor!"
Wang Chong fanned himself with his folding fan and said with a chuckle, "Good thing it's not a misunderstanding."
Nan Xinlan had been feeling deeply grieved, but seeing Wang Chong—who was, after all, the "benefactor" who had avenged her—she curtsied politely, even though she had no idea Wang Chong had also saved her once before. "Thank you, Young Master Wang, for your chivalrous assistance last time."
Wang Chong thought, *Which last time?*
The reason he had worn a mask when saving her—and made Sun Mingke cover his face as well—was precisely for fear of Nan Xinlan recognizing him. Handing over the secret of his identity to a strange woman for no rhyme or reason would be foolish beyond measure.
Observing her covertly and seeing that Nan Xinlan did not act especially intimate, Wang Chong breathed a sigh of relief. He thought, *She must only know about the time with Sun Yanqi, and not the one with Zhou Shaliang.*
Cupping his hands slightly, he said, "I did nothing of consequence, only happened to be there at the right moment."
Tie Mingzhu had no idea that Nan Xinlan had killed Sun Yanqi, nor did Nan Xinlan dare speak of it, given how tangled the affair was. Tie Mingzhu only felt that something was rather odd between her dear friend and Wang Chong. She mused inwardly, *Could it be that Xinlan really was abducted by White Chrysanthemum? And by this very White Chrysanthemum?
*Oh no... could Xinlan have lost her chastity to this lecher and developed feelings she shouldn't have for him?*
Wang Chong was also pondering: *Nan Xinlan is an innocent person; she shouldn't be killed indiscriminately. But Tie Mingzhu was once captured by me. Although she certainly wouldn't want anyone to know she fell into a lecher's hands and was tied up in bondage play for a night in a ruined temple on a deserted mountain, there's no guarantee she won't burn her boats in hysterical desperation. I must find a way to separate the two, kill this woman without anyone knowing, and pin the blame on White Chrysanthemum.*
...Wang Chong: The Thirty-Two Aspects Spirit-Transformation Cultivation Fundamental Classic is a bit bizarre...
...Thirty-Two Aspects Spirit-Transformation Cultivation Fundamental Classic: That's because you don't know how to use it! If you knew how to use it, I wouldn't just be a bit bizarre—I'd be the most bizarre under heaven...
...Correct Explanation of the Four Aspects: Who's bragging over there?...
...White Chrysanthemum: Ptui, ptui, ptui...
...Tie Mingzhu: I swear I will match wits with this lecher to the bitter end...
Chapter 45