Chapter 668: The Fog Begins to Clear
Song Qingshu shook his head. “Maha Cakra Vajra is my good friend. It couldn’t have been him.”
Jiumozhi smiled and nodded. After encountering two formidable experts, Xuan Cheng and Xu Zhu, he no longer had his previous arrogance. He knew well that Shaolin was full of hidden masters—far beyond his ability to shake on his own. It was better to retreat while he was ahead. After all, he had already made quite a spectacle of himself today.
“You surnamed Song, I see you’re deliberately making things difficult for us!” Another high-ranking monk of the ‘Xuan’ generation couldn’t help but speak angrily.
“I merely wish to speak with all the esteemed monks of your temple who know the Prajna Palm. Is that such an unreasonable request?” Song Qingshu said calmly, standing with his hands clasped behind his back.
Abbot Xuan Ci frowned slightly. “Benefactor Song, I cannot allow the monks of my temple to be treated as if they were criminals under interrogation just because of your words.” At that moment, he secretly regretted his earlier reaction. Given the longstanding discord between Shaolin and Wudang, when he first heard about the disaster that befell Wudang’s heroes, he had felt a trace of schadenfreude. Had he proactively offered to investigate the matter, it would not only have preserved Shaolin’s reputation but also earned Wudang an enormous favor. However, at this point, if he called forth those proficient in the Prajna Palm to face Song Qingshu’s questioning, it would inevitably appear as if Shaolin were submitting to pressure.
In the previous duels, Shaolin had already suffered repeated humiliations. If they now agreed to the request, word would spread throughout the martial world, and Shaolin’s prestige would be utterly ruined.
Yet if they refused…
Xuan Ci glanced at Song Qingshu and Zhang Sanfeng, sighing inwardly. Their opponents had sent only Ren Woxing and Jiumozhi, yet Shaolin had been thrown into complete turmoil. Now, they still had the rising star Song Qingshu and the unfathomable Zhang Sanfeng. If those two joined the fray, how could Shaolin possibly withstand them?
Of course, Shaolin had many experts, and if they launched an all-out assault, they wouldn’t necessarily lose to these four. However, doing so would make them appear as if they relied on numbers to achieve victory—an outcome just as damaging to their reputation.