Wang Chong led his three formidable enemies in a wide circuit outside Pengshan County. By now, he had a clear grasp of their capabilities. Though their reputations were evenly matched—each being a renowned master across the great grasslands—their martial styles and inner-power foundations differed entirely.
Wuzhumuqin hailed from the Eternal Life Holy Church and was the younger sister of Holy Mother Safina. Even though she was younger than Huo Qingge, the Snow Mountain Spirit Eagle, and Xiao Yiguli, the Grassland Golden Bell, her martial arts were slightly superior to theirs, and her lightness skill was the most brilliant among the trio.
Basar, the Foremost Warrior of the White Camel Tribe, had a ferocious reputation. Dozens of small snakes coiled and slithered across his body, making it nine chances out of ten that his poison arts were formidable. While his lightness skill was somewhat lacking, his internal force was vast and vigorous, making him exceedingly difficult to deal with as well.
Wen Ducheng had a sunbeam of a smile and an easygoing, languid demeanor, yet beneath it lurked an indescribable ferocity that set Wang Chong most on edge. Wang Chong did not know that Wen Ducheng relished capturing enemies alive to slowly torment them for sport, which gave him the foulest notoriety across the grasslands. However, having fought Qian Luo Yi, Wang Chong knew that if Qian Luo Yi was the First Divine General, the Fourth Divine General was bound to rank below him. Though nicknamed the Red Eagle, the young man had the poorest lightness skill among the three, which cemented Wang Chong's decision to make him his first target.
*Wen Ducheng is the weakest, making him ideal for testing my blade on first,* Wang Chong thought. *If I lead them through two more circuits, a gap will inevitably open between them. That will be my chance to strike.*
The three grassland masters pushed their speed continuously, yet they could not close the distance to Wang Chong. All three were privately astonished that his lightness skill was so extraordinarily high.
The little serpents coiled around Basar were his exclusive "hidden weapons." Being living creatures, they could twist and pivot in midair, making them exceptionally hard to parry. Furthermore, they were lethally venomous; a single bite was incurable. Several times he considered flinging a few, only to abandon the thought. Though such living hidden weapons could seize victory through surprise, their very nature meant they could not be launched over great distances. Moreover, raising them was no easy feat; once hurled, if they could not be recovered immediately, they would be lost forever.
Neither Wuzhumuqin nor Wen Ducheng favored hidden weapons, so they were even more helpless.
Just as Wang Chong finished tracing his second loop, a roar like a tiger's shattered the air. A massive frame burst from the darkness and lunged straight at Basar—Monk Xuan Gang had arrived. Wang Chong was just about to draw the other two away when he saw both Wuzhumuqin and Wen Ducheng wheel toward Xuan Gang instead. Wang Chong cursed under his breath, *Cunning barbarians!* He pivoted and leapt into the fray.
If the three encircled and overwhelmed Monk Xuan Gang together, the situation would become disastrous in the extreme. Joining the melee was hardly Wang Chong's ideal choice, but he had no other option.
Given a choice, Wang Chong would have preferred Xuan Gang to take on two of them while he eliminated the third in the shortest possible time. Then, with each of them facing a single opponent, they would have had a seventy-to-eighty-percent chance of victory.
Drawing the folding fan from his sleeve, Wang Chong intercepted Wuzhumuqin and Wen Ducheng, shouting to Monk Xuan Gang, "Stop trading moves with him! Cut him down quickly!"
Having exchanged a dozen-odd blows with Basar, the Great Monk Xuan Gang had gained a sense of his opponent's prowess. He bellowed back, "This man's martial arts are formidable! How can he be slain in an instant?"
Wang Chong couldn't resist retorting, "How about you take on two, and I'll show you how to cut one down in an instant?"
Monk Xuan Gang was at a loss for words, but the remark thoroughly infuriated the three famed grassland masters. Wuzhumuqin snapped softly, "You used underhanded tricks to kill Nalihai, and you really think it was your own skill? What boastful arrogance!" Her voice was soft and charming, stirring the heart. Remembering Huo Qingge, the Snow Mountain Spirit Eagle, and Xiao Yiguli, the Grassland Golden Bell, Wang Chong could not help thinking, *Why do women from the Western Regions all have such melodious, pleasant voices?*
An idea stirred in his mind, and he shouted, "Why don't we make a wager? A duel, just the two of us. If I cannot defeat you within ten moves, I'll slit my own throat on the spot!"
This trip to the Central Plains was the very first time Wuzhumuqin had ever left the main altar of the Eternal Life Holy Church. Because of her youth, her elder sister Safina had repeatedly warned her that people of the Central Plains were deceitful and that not half a word they said could be trusted. She scolded petulantly, "Do you take me for a child? Such clumsy lies wouldn't fool even an idiot!"
Though they were locked in a fight to the death, Wuzhumuqin's tone was coy and sweet, as if she were playfully pouting. Wang Chong chuckled. "There are always fools who believe you shouldn't lie even to an enemy—that a promise made to a foe must be kept, even if it gets your whole family killed."
Wuzhumuqin was utterly astounded. "Where on earth would you find such a fool?" she cried.
Wang Chong had merely wanted to talk trash; whatever reaction Wuzhumuqin had, he would hold the upper hand. Little did he expect that before Wuzhumuqin could react further, Wen Ducheng flew into a rage, roaring, "Are you treating us like fools?"
Wang Chong replied in all seriousness, "Whether you are or not, one can only know after giving it a try."
He meant every word of it.
If Wuzhumuqin had actually swallowed his nonsense and agreed to duel, Wang Chong would have told Wen Ducheng to back off, then immediately unleashed his lightness skill to pounce on the battle between Monk Xuan Gang and Basar, aiming to join forces with Xuan Gang and dispatch that formidable foe within a few moves, completely turning the tide.
Why would he ever indulge in childish games like ten-move duels with Wuzhumuqin?
This was a struggle of life and death. Whatever clever ruses or underhanded tricks one possessed should naturally be used to the fullest. A brain was meant to be overclocked, never locked down by rigid logic modules.
The golden staff in Wuzhumuqin's grasp whistled as it whipped up wind. When Wen Ducheng claimed Wang Chong took them for fools, the girl hadn't been terribly upset. But Wang Chong's brazen admission that he would only know after testing them had truly ignited her wrath. As the younger sister of Holy Mother Safina of the Eternal Life Holy Church, she had been pampered like a princess since childhood, surrounded like the moon among stars. Even proud prodigies like Huo Qingge, the Snow Mountain Spirit Eagle, and Xiao Yiguli, the Grassland Golden Bell, had to politely address her as Little Martial Aunt. Everyone praised her peerless beauty and intelligence, likening her to a divine child descended from heaven. When had she ever experienced being treated like an idiot just to "test" her?
Wang Chong immediately felt the pressure mount by a good thirty percent. The folding fan snapped open and shut in his hand as he pushed the Wind-Cloud Hundred Styles to its utmost.
Originally, Wang Chong had thought this folding fan was an ordinary object. Only upon asking Su Luo Yan by chance did he learn that the ribs were forged from divine iron native to Kunlun blended with dark gold, making them incomparably supple and springy. The leaf was woven from silk spat by thousand-year ice spiders of the Great Snow Mountain mixed with snow silkworm thread, excelling at absorbing and dissipating true qi, impervious to any divine weapon.
Though the folding fan was extremely light, beneath his exquisite and peerless technique, it neutralized and dispersed the force whenever it clashed with Wuzhumuqin's golden staff, keeping him from falling into a disadvantage.
After exchanging twenty or thirty moves with the pair, Wang Chong suddenly hatched another cunning scheme. Lowering his voice, he called out, "Auntie! Not long ago, I crossed paths with Huo Qingge and Xiao Yiguli. We've already pledged ourselves to each other for life and have been sharing bed and board as a threesome for days! Help me kill this fellow, and I'll tell you a tremendous secret!"
Wen Ducheng grew even more furious. Huo Qingge, the Snow Mountain Spirit Eagle, and Xiao Yiguli, the Grassland Golden Bell, enjoyed widespread fame as goddess-like figures across the grasslands, admired by countless young masters. Even Qian Luo Yi, foremost of the Thirty-Six Divine Generals, courted them with every courtesy. For Wang Chong to spout such shameless drivel was touching Wen Ducheng's reverse scale. The youth from the grasslands cursed loudly, "How pure and unsullied are the Snow Mountain Spirit Eagle and Grassland Golden Bell! Do you think they are like those wanton Central Plains wenches who throw themselves at men? You dare slander their names—I'll slaughter you!"
Wang Chong scoffed. "Aren't the brothels and pleasure dens you frequent crawling with wantonness? I have no taste for such places; I prefer the vigorous, strapping women of the great grasslands!"
Unable to out-talk Wang Chong, Wen Ducheng lashed out with ever more vicious strikes.
... *Wuzhumuqin: This Central Plains rascal is truly abominable...*
... *Wen Ducheng: This bastard is utterly detestable, worthy of death, and begging to be tortured...*
... *Basar: Stop your chatting and hurry up and kill that kid so you can come help! I'm about to collapse here...*
Chapter 53