Flower Stealing Master

Previously, during the Lion-Slaying Assembly, Song Qingshu had stayed at Shaolin for a while. After his meridians were completely severed, he had even attempted to search the Scripture Pavilion for the ‘Nine Yang Scripture’, so he naturally remembered the location of that pavilion.

Jiumozhi looked at him in astonishment. “Little junior brother, when that person gifted me the secret manual, there was no third party present. How could you possibly know about it?” His tone carried strong disbelief.

Song Qingshu smiled faintly, leaned in, and whispered a name into his ear. 

Jiumozhi’s expression grew even more shocked, and he muttered to himself, “That’s impossible… There’s no reason for you to know…”

Seeing Jiumozhi’s reaction, everyone present immediately understood that Song Qingshu was not lying. 

The Shaolin monks surged forward one after another. “Benefactor Song, if you can reveal that person’s name, Shaolin will owe you a great favor.”

Even Zhang Sanfeng was moved and asked, “Qingshu, who exactly is that person?” He was more concerned about the safety of his disciples, so he had lost his usual composure.

Song Qingshu smiled bitterly. “Grandmaster, although I know that person’s identity, they may not necessarily be involved in this matter. I still need to verify it first.”

Being well-versed in Jin Yong’s novels, he immediately recalled that Jiumozhi’s mastery of Shaolin’s seventy-two ultimate techniques originated from Murong Bo, who had stolen them from the Scripture Pavilion. However, at the time, his meridians had been restored, and the Murong Clan of Gusu had contributed to his recovery. Song Qingshu was a grateful person, and he had always shown kindness to the Murong family. Even when Murong Fu had secretly schemed against him recently, he had chosen not to pursue it.

Given this connection, Song Qingshu was unwilling to expose Murong Bo’s long-laid plans. Thus, when questioned, he skillfully evaded answering directly. Of course, he was not an overly benevolent fool—if he discovered that Murong Bo was indeed the mastermind behind this incident, he would not show any mercy to the Murong Clan of Gusu.

Now, the only thing left was to confirm the truth!

“How does Benefactor Song intend to verify it?” Xuan Ci asked. Given Song Qingshu’s current status and martial prowess, if he refused to speak, there was little Shaolin could do. They could only hope that his investigation would reveal the real culprit, allowing them to learn the truth.

“I would like to stay in your temple’s Scripture Pavilion for a few days. That way, I will naturally determine whether that person is the culprit,” Song Qingshu replied. He had no idea where Murong Bo was currently hiding, but based on his nature in the original story, aside from occasionally returning to Jiangnan to check on his incompetent son, he likely spent most of his time hiding in the Scripture Pavilion, cultivating various martial arts. If he lay in wait inside the repository for a few days, he could take Murong Bo by surprise. Capturing him should not be difficult, and he could then interrogate him about his recent whereabouts to make a final judgment.

Moreover, if Murong Bo was not the culprit, he could use this time to investigate the borrowing records of the ‘Prajna Palm’ manual in the repository and identify other suspects.

Xuan Ci’s face changed dramatically. “The first floor of our temple’s Scripture Pavilion houses various Buddhist scriptures, and we have never restricted outsiders from reading them. However, the upper floors contain our temple’s martial arts manuals, which have never been accessible to outsiders. I hope Benefactor Song can understand.”

Having just learned that their most guarded seventy-two ultimate techniques had been leaked, how could Xuan Ci take the risk of it happening again? Given Song Qingshu’s martial arts prowess, if he suddenly seized the manuals and left, who in Shaolin could stop him?

Song Qingshu understood that getting permission would be difficult, so he frowned and said, “Your temple can assign high monks to monitor me. I promise I will not look at any of your martial arts manuals.”

Xuan Ci still shook his head firmly. “That is absolutely impossible!”

Song Qingshu could not help but say, “In fact, your temple’s Scripture Pavilion has a hidden supreme expert. If I harbored any ill intentions, I would never be able to escape his discerning eyes.”

He recalled how, when he had first transmigrated into this world, his meridians had been severed, and his life had seemed hopeless. It was only when he encountered the Sweeping Monk in the Scripture Pavilion that he had received guidance, allowing him to glimpse the first ray of hope in his life. Speaking of the old monk, his tone was filled with deep respect.

Suddenly, a strange thought flashed through his mind: Since the Sweeping Monk was a Shaolin monk, why did he stand by and allow Murong Bo to steal the seventy-two ultimate techniques without intervening?

Out of respect, Song Qingshu did not dwell on the question and instead attributed it to the monk’s profound spiritual attainment, believing that he had transcended worldly divisions between sects.

“A supreme expert?” Zhang Sanfeng’s heart stirred. This must be the mysterious individual Qingshu had mentioned before—someone whose martial arts might even rival his own.

Some of the lower-ranked Shaolin monks immediately protested, “Nonsense! There’s no such expert in the Scripture Pavilion. You’re just making up an excuse to steal our martial arts manuals!”

However, Xuan Ci, Kongwen, and a few other high-ranking monks exchanged glances, silently communicating their thoughts: ‘How does he know about that person’s existence?’

Seeing their gazes shift toward him, Xu Zhu quickly shook his head, indicating that he had not leaked the secret.

“Our temple has no such expert. Benefactor, please leave. The upper floors of the Scripture Pavilion will not be opened to outsiders,” Xuan Ci said coldly. The Sweeping Monk was Shaolin’s hidden trump card, reserved as their final safeguard. Even during the perilous Lion-Slaying Assembly, Shaolin had refrained from summoning him, relying instead on the Three Holy Monks to form the Vajra Evil Subduing Ring against the world’s top martial artists. This demonstrated how highly the temple valued him. Naturally, they were unwilling to expose this secret for the sake of Wudang’s affairs.

Seeing the Shaolin monks’ deliberate concealment, Song Qingshu became even more suspicious. He suddenly turned his gaze toward the distant Scripture Pavilion and said coldly, “Given how strangely all of you are acting, could it be that there’s some unspeakable secret hidden inside?”

Xuan Ci’s breathing hitched, and he stammered, “Wha… what secret? Benefactor, you are overthinking things.”

Frowning, Song Qingshu approached Zhang Sanfeng and used a sound transmission technique to ask, “Grandmaster, do you think my father and the others might be imprisoned inside the Scripture Pavilion?”

Zhang Sanfeng nodded subtly. “That is not impossible.”

“Should we break in and take a look?” Song Qingshu asked. Even if he were alone, he was confident that with his Qinggong, he could infiltrate the repository and leave unscathed. Now, with Zhang Sanfeng, the universally acknowledged strongest martial artist, by his side, their success was almost certain.

Zhang Sanfeng shook his head slightly. “Directly clashing with Shaolin would be too significant. Let’s wait until nightfall and investigate the Scripture Pavilion under cover of darkness.” Previously, he had rejected Song Qingshu’s suggestion of a covert visit out of respect for his status. But now, seeing Shaolin’s suspicious behavior and considering the possibility that his disciples were being held captive, he no longer cared about formalities.

Song Qingshu had been worried that Zhang Sanfeng might be too hesitant, but seeing his agreement, he was secretly delighted. He then turned back to Xuan Ci and said, “It was rash of me to make such a suggestion. Since the abbot has assured us that Shaolin is not involved, we trust in Shaolin’s honor. We will take our leave.”

Zhang Sanfeng also gave a slight bow to the Shaolin monks. Then, the four of them descended the mountain. Although many Shaolin monks wanted to detain Jiumozhi and Ren Woxing, they hesitated due to the four’s formidable martial arts. 

As the group’s figures disappeared, none dared to act.

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