Flower Stealing Master

Ren Woxing was slightly taken aback, but at this moment, it was too late for him to change his move. With a soft “puff”, Zuo Lengchan’s finger had already struck the “Tianchi” acupoint on his left chest. Instinctively, Ren Woxing activated the Cosmic Absorption Technique, and sure enough, his opponent’s inner force surged in like a breached dam, flooding into his Tianchi acupoint.

Ren Woxing was a man of extraordinary talent. Although Song Qingshu’s words were vague, he quickly understood Zuo Lengchan’s intent—to make him absorb his Frost True Qi. Caught off guard, his entire body would inevitably freeze, leaving him at his enemy’s mercy.

Realizing this in a flash, Ren Woxing was both shocked and furious. How could he dare allow his opponent’s True Qi to invade his body unchecked? However, he had already invited the wolf into his home. If he didn’t use the Cosmic Absorption Technique to absorb the inner force from his opponent’s finger, he would undoubtedly suffer serious injuries from this strike.

Ren Woxing made a snap decision. Bracing himself for severe injury, he forcibly took the hit with his body. As blood spurted wildly from his mouth, he lashed out with a kick, striking Zuo Lengchan in the abdomen. With a loud scream, Zuo Lengchan was sent flying backward, collapsing onto the ground and curling up in agony.

Everyone present was stunned. Zuo Lengchan was the formidable leader of the Five Sacred Mountain Sword Sects Alliance, a renowned iron-willed warrior in the martial world. If he weren’t in excruciating pain, he would never have lost his composure like this. Immediately, disciples of the Mount Song Sect rushed forward to check his injuries.

“You are truly ruthless. I am Master Xuan Du, and I shall test your skills!” A red-faced old monk stepped forward indignantly, pressing his index and middle fingers together lightly. Though his words were laced with fury, his face carried a gentle smile, an eerie contrast that made him seem extremely strange.

Ren Woxing, now gravely injured, was no longer a match for him. Song Qingshu and Jiumozhi leaped forward simultaneously, shielding Ren Woxing.

“Junior Brother, leave this monk to me. You take care of Mister Ren,” Jiumozhi said, stepping in to block the old monk’s path.

Song Qingshu was well aware of Jiumozhi’s martial prowess, so he wasn’t worried. Instead, he anxiously checked Ren Woxing’s pulse. He found his hand icy cold to the touch, and his pulse was erratic and weak—clear signs of severe damage from the Frost True Qi Technique.

In the original storyline, Ren Woxing had accidentally absorbed Zuo Lengchan’s Frost True Qi, allowing his opponent to seize the opportunity to seal his acupoints and defeat him. Though he lost, his injuries weren’t severe, and after half a day of recuperation, he was able to expel the cold poison. But now, his injuries were so severe that it would take months of recovery to heal.

Ren Woxing’s teeth chattered violently, yet he still let out a chuckle. “It’s just an injury. If I had lost to that b*stard Zuo, that would have been worse than death.”

Song Qingshu’s face darkened. “You say that so lightly, but do you even realize how serious your injuries are? If anything had gone wrong just now, you might have died on the spot.” As he spoke, he channeled a vast surge of True Qi into Ren Woxing’s body to help him expel the cold poison.

Suddenly, a strange smile appeared on Ren Woxing’s face. “If you knew what kind of injury that b*stard Zuo suffered, you wouldn’t think mine was that bad.”

Song Qingshu also found it strange that Zuo Lengchan was wailing so pitifully. Thinking back to how he had kicked him in the abdomen, a realization struck him. “Could it be… you crippled his Dantian?”

Ren Woxing smirked. “That was indeed my intention. But that b*stard values his martial arts more than his life. At the last moment, he forcefully lifted himself three inches, barely avoiding a shattered Dantian. However, by doing so, he ended up getting kicked in the…he he!” He chuckled darkly. “I heard he has quite a few concubines. Looks like they’ll be widows for the rest of their lives.”

Song Qingshu couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air. He glanced sympathetically at the wailing Zuo Lengchan in the distance. Then, recalling how he had once tricked Zhang Wuji into cultivating a self-castration variant of the Cosmic Absorption Technique, he suddenly laughed. ‘Hah, my father-in-law and I are truly kindred spirits. Maybe we should adopt a new title—‘The Eunuch Makers.’ Let’s see which man in the martial world dares to provoke us now!’

Zhang Sanfeng let out a quiet sigh. He had initially been reluctant to travel with these two, precisely because he feared such incidents would occur. However, since Ren Woxing had stood up for him, it was hard to blame him.

Although Zhang Sanfeng was gentle-natured, he was not one to avoid trouble. In fact, he was quite displeased with the Shaolin Sect’s indifferent attitude earlier. The Prajna Palm was one of their signature martial arts, yet they had remained completely detached, offering no explanation whatsoever. How could that be acceptable?

As a Daoist, Zhang Sanfeng believed in going with the flow. Shaking off these thoughts, he turned his attention to the battle between Jiumozhi and Master Xuan Du.

The two had been standing off for a while. Suddenly, Jiumozhi smiled. “I have long admired Master Xuan Du’s mastery of the Flower Pinching Finger. Seeing it in person today is truly an honor.” As he spoke, he pressed his index and middle fingers together, mimicking the Flower Pinching Finger.

Xuan Du was immediately alarmed. ‘Could this man also know Shaolin’s Flower Pinching Finger?’ Not daring to be careless, he quickly attacked.

The onlookers saw the two monks simultaneously raise their left hands and flick their fingers thrice toward each other. Three sharp sounds rang out as their finger forces clashed mid-air. 

Xuan Du staggered backward as three blood arrows suddenly shot from his chest, spraying several feet away. In their battle of finger force, Xuan Du had been completely overwhelmed—each of Jiumozhi’s three strikes had pierced his chest as if he had been cut by a blade.

Xuan Cheng, who was close to Xuan Du, immediately rushed forward to support him and staunch his bleeding. Initially, he had been doubtful, but after examining Xuan Du’s wounds, he was horrified. He turned to Jiumozhi in shock. “How do you know our Shaolin Flower Pinching Finger?”

Jiumozhi smirked arrogantly. “It is true that I know the Flower Pinching Finger, but that does not necessarily mean it belongs to Shaolin.”

“Ridiculous! The Flower Pinching Finger is one of Shaolin’s 72 Ultimate Techniques! This is known throughout the martial world. How could it not belong to Shaolin?” Xuan Cheng was furious, throwing all Buddhist restraint aside.

Jiumozhi’s smile remained, but his words were like a thunderclap. “You are mistaken. While it is true that there are 72 Ultimate Techniques, that does not mean they all originated from Shaolin.” n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“What did you just say?” Xuancheng, known for his fiery temper, glared at him in rage.

Song Qingshu also found himself speechless. ‘Jiumozhi, you showoff, are you really trying to challenge the entire Shaolin Temple?’

Zhang Sanfeng frowned slightly and sent a private voice transmission to Song Qingshu. “It seems your senior brother intends to take on all of Shaolin.”

Song Qingshu chuckled. “No need to worry, Grandmaster. I have everything under control. Besides, letting him humble these arrogant monks isn’t such a bad idea.”

Finally, Abbot Xuan Ci, who had been silent, could hold back no longer. “Maha Cakra Vajra, what do you mean by this?”

Jiumozhi answered calmly, “When Bodhidharma brought martial arts from India to the East, he passed them on to Shaolin. However, India’s martial arts heritage is vast. Even though Bodhidharma was a genius, he did not master everything. Over the centuries, many other Indian martial arts made their way into Tibet, and from there, to China. Eventually, Shaolin compiled them, forming what you now call the 72 Ultimate Techniques. The truth is, these techniques were long practiced in Tibet before Shaolin ever claimed them.” (G: He’s probably referring to Kalari or Kalaripayattu. It is believed to be the oldest surviving martial art in India, with a history spanning over 3,000 years.)

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